Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on Feb 4, 2017 22:37:28 GMT -6
It'd been a few days since Sigma left the capital. Right now his only goal was to reach the town of Carrhae, the best place to try and find where he would start his journey. He was happy to finally get out of the city. He still remembered the roads but he still felt like it had been years since he took them, which in all honesty wasn't far from the truth. He travelled at a somewhat quick pace considering his very light travelling bag. Sigma wasn't the kind of person to gather momentos throughout his life, he much prefered to simply keep memories and notes. He liked to differenciate himself from other thieves because of his lacking love for actual treasure and gold and his preference for information and life experiences.
As he was travelling along one of the dirt roads that led to the trading town, dusk was setting as the cold air around him was getting more intense and seemed to pierce through his clothes. He still wanted to travel antoher hour, but he decided to be more wise and simply camp out for the night. Luckily enough, he was able to find some dead twigs and other pieces of wood to start himself a rather quaint campfire as the daylight started to completely disappear. The weather was quite cold but at least no snow was falling down and the ground around the campfire was easy to clean up and remove any snow quickly. Rolling out his bedroll, Sigma pulled out a wild hare he was able to catch the night prior with a snare. He may have been a city dweller, but that doesn't mean he can't feed himself in the wild. The game meat was already cleaned and gutted, all he needed to do was put it over the fire and let the cooking take care of itself.
He decided to start reading his notebook for old times sake while the meat was cooking. Rapidly turning each page, giving a simple glance at each page, he couldn't wait to start writing the next chapter of his life.
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Aisha
Pegasus Knight
Posts: 7
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Post by Aisha on Feb 5, 2017 19:33:38 GMT -6
She must have been cursed. She kept telling herself that as she watched the boat at the coast, not moving from it's place. How did she find herself in such a predicament? The reason was all too simple. Thanks to her bad habit of daydreaming, she found herself on the wrong ship. Aisha swore to never return to her homeland of Illia. She wanted to get away from that damn place. Her sister's pegasus, Star,had allowed her to travel to many places. She took on jobs as mercenary to get by. Of course she wasn't cold to the point of forgetting about her parents. While she didn't write any heartfelt letters, she sent them what extra money she had, as thanks to them for raising her all these years. However, she had to face it, Aisha had no future in Illia. If she wanted to settle somewhere and paint, she'd have to do it anywhere but there. ...Still, one wrong ship and Aisha found herself back to square one, cold and humiliated.
Of course she asked to turn back but the ship wasn't scheduled to leave anytime soon. And to push her bad luck, the inn was full. So... What could she do? Go back to her parent's hamlet? Never. Her pride would be her undoing but she didn't care at that moment. Aisha and Star flew away from the port. Maybe she could go to Edessa or seek refuge in a smaller village? The weather wasn't on her pegasus's side, soon, the wind proved to be too cold to keep flying so they had to land.
- No matter... We'll be traveling on foot, Star..., she said while gently petting the pegasus's head.
As they kept on walking, the sky became darker and darker. She would need to set up camp so---
Aisha stopped in her track. She could see the faint light of a campfire.
Either they were foolish travelers giving away their positions or they were a menace themselves.
Maybe if she circled around, she wouldn't be seen. But a pegasus was hard to miss, even in the dark. Aisha chose to ride the Pegasus, ready to attack at the slightest sign of agression.
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on Feb 5, 2017 20:31:01 GMT -6
While writing a few random thoughts down on paper, SIgma noticed that his fire was getting a bit low... Damn, he didn't thinkthat it was burning so fast. He knew he would have to go scavenge for a few more branches before hitting the hay tonight... Getting up, he went to go see how his meal was doing. Maybe a few more minutes... he thought to himself. Realising he still a bit more time, he decided to go get the wood instead of doing it right before going to bed. Moving a bit farther away, maybe around 20 meters, since he had depleted all small pieces of wood laying around the immediate area of the camp, Sigma started picking wood through a inch layer of snow. Suddenly, he heard something.
Footsteps!
But these weren't the footstep of a person... No, the sound of snow and dirt being trampled was too rapid and well timed, so definitly not two person... This was a horseman! Quickly getting behind a tree to hide from the direction of the sound, he slowly peeked his head to get a good look at what could be a possible brigand, trying to steal whatever coin he carried. The figure was quite smaller than he imagined... A woman? This was the only explanation he could think about except a kid that was taking a night stroll... He then got a clearer picture when he saw the wings on the mount... This was definitly a woman. But that didn't he had less of a chance of getting robbed. Actually, it could also be a mercenary hired by one of his old ennemies. The thought of her being a simple a simple thief seemed much better considering her goal wouldn't be to cut his head of...
No matter, he needed to take care of her now! He started climbing the tree until he was able to travel across the branches towards her general direction. It's just like running on the rooftops, come on Sigma... He muttered softly to himself as if his own words of encouragement would affect his tree climbing skills... Finally, he was able to arrive in an area that was on top of the pegasus's rider's location. He hoped the light from the campfire would be enough to keep her eyes occupied. Not wasting another second, he jumped, his shortsword at the ready in his hand, aiming for her head. Sadly, he seemed to have miscalculated his jump as he crashed into her instead of swiftly cutting her throat. THe two of them fell off the horse into the snow. With his now very sore legs, Sigma clumsily got up as he held his sword in a reverse fighting stance, getting into a defensive position, sword held horinzontally in front of him. He shouted to the young woman:
- Who are you!?! If this is Caleb trying to get back at me from that time, I'll let you know that i won't go down without a fight!
No way in hell he was gonna let his old life bring him back and remove his chance to do what he wanted to do!
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Aisha
Pegasus Knight
Posts: 7
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Post by Aisha on Feb 5, 2017 21:08:22 GMT -6
Shoot! She saw someone get up just as she was trying to be subtle. Wait, was that person alone? How strange... Bandits usually travel in group, like wolves. Maybe if wasn't one afterall? But it was way too soon to judge the character of a stranger, especially here. Maybe there were others hiding. As she surveyed the area near the campfire, looking for potential enemies, Aisha realized she lost track of the stranger! She couldn't even get her lance ready as something jumped at her, throwing the woman off balance. The two fell onto the snow. Laying on her back, she could see a young man on top of her with a short sword. Oh no, was he really going to...?! No! She didn't care if she died, he would not sully her honor! She needed to think of something, fast!
- Who are you!?! If this is Caleb trying to get back at me from that time, I'll let you know that i won't go down without a fight!
Who? She had no idea what was going on anymore, but she didn't have the luxury of time!
''SHOOT HIM!'', Aisha yelled.
The man must have been pretty inexperienced, falling for the oldest trick in the world. However, she only gained a moment to act. She punched the stranger, making him roll, reversing their positions. Trying to sound menacing despite knowing that she only had a strike of luck, she glared at him.
- I don't know who that Caleb is, or who you are for that matter! But I won't let myself be sullied or killed! Are there others bandits besides you!?
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on Feb 5, 2017 21:41:51 GMT -6
-SHOOT HIM!
- Uh? What the... OOF!
Suddenly, the tides were turned as Sigma found himself at the business end of her lance... Damn! He couldn't believe he let himself fall for such a stupid trap! Glaring at her with a menacing look, he noticed that she seemed quite thin, surprisingly thin. To him, she looked like a poor village girl despite the fact she had a soldier's gear. As he was listening to her talk, he tried to think of multiple scenarios that could possibly happen... Hopefully he'd find an idea that could get him out of this hot mess...
- I don't know who that Caleb is, or who you are for that matter! But I won't let myself be sullied or killed! Are there other bandits besides you!?
Noticing his sword wasn't in grabbing range, Sigma realised that speech was pretty much the only he'd get out of this alive. Looking somewhat surprised that this girl didn't seem to be a mercenary sent by Caleb or even a mugger, otherwise she would've probably already killed him, he decided that he might as well try to clear things up:
- Woah woah woah! Alright take it easy lady! I'm travelling alone, nobody except me ok? I don't want trouble, I was just defending myself the same way you're doing right now. These roads can be dangerous...
Sighing a bit, hoping that she would do the sensible thing and not kill a random traveller simply for the thrill of it. He was hoping he didn't end up on one of those crazy lunatics he would sometime see in the city. Though that WAS quite unlikely... Her not wanting to be "sullied" probably meant she had some kind of honor...
- Look, how about I present myself. The name's Sigma, I'm currently headed for Carrhae. Now could you please remove that thing out of my face before one of us gets hurt? In my experience, people can more easily communicate when there isn't any sharp objects in between them...
He was really hoping that he'd be able to get out of this situation with words only... If she wasn't a bandit then there was a possibilty that nobody had to be hurt... At least he hoped.
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Aisha
Pegasus Knight
Posts: 7
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Post by Aisha on Feb 5, 2017 23:09:52 GMT -6
For the first time since this weird situation started, Aisha felt she had control. However she couldn't let her guard down yet. Still, pointing her lance at the man, she listened carefully. No sounds of steps... Or anything looking like it. They were completely alone. How strange... If he was a bandit, his friends would have rushed in his rescue. No, they didn't have that kind of honor but they wouldn't have fled. One woman alone against them wouldn't be very intimidating.
- Woah woah woah! Alright take it easy lady! I'm travelling alone, nobody except me ok? I don't want trouble, I was just defending myself the same way you're doing right now. These roads can be dangerous...
She arched an eyebrow at him, still silently keeping her lance steady. If she knew it was so dangerous, why setting camp there? It made no sense. He seemed to know how to use his sword and his stealth and reflexes seemed above average... Still, could he really be so naive?
- Look, how about I present myself. The name's Sigma, I'm currently headed for Carrhae. Now could you please remove that thing out of my face before one of us gets hurt? In my experience, people can more easily communicate when there isn't any sharp objects in between them...
While it could have been a trap, Aisha wasn't so savage as to keep threatening him. She wouldn't really be a victim in that case.
- ...Point taken.
She slowly got up, keeping the iron lance in her hand but lowering it. She took a step back to give Sigma a chance to get up.
- Why did you set up camp here? You could attract wild beasts or bandits.
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on Feb 5, 2017 23:42:23 GMT -6
- ...Point taken.
Sigma was glad to see she could be reasoned with. As she lowered her weapon, he gave her a quick thanks before going to pick up his sword and sheating it. She asked him a question as he was dusting off the snow that had gotten on his clothes and on his bandanna. She still seemed a bit wary of him since she didn't sheate her weapon. Sigma thought to himself that he should probably try to lower the tension a bit.
- Why did you set up camp here? You could attract wild beasts or bandits.
- Well I didn't want to rest at the inn honestly, I'll make faster times by simply resting on the side of the road. Finally, I had to set the campfire since i needed to cook my meal. Also you'd be crazy to try and sleep without a heat source with this weather...
Looking at her, Sigma theorized that she was probably very cold because of her very thin frame. Starting to shiver lightly himself after having his clothes drenched in now melted snow, he pointed to his camp, proposing something to the girl:
- Talking about temperature... Would you and your pegasus mind continuing this conversation next to the fire? If you want, I have a bit of extra food... I'm getting rather cold and I'd prefer to not get sick while travelling.
Walking a few steps, Sigma realised she was still wielding her spear... Pointing at the weapon, he sighed a bit once again before saying anything else:
- Are you gonna put away that thing or are you going to keep it the entire night? I think that if I was a bandit I would've already tried something, don't you think? Now come on, the cold air isn't gonna get any better if we just stay here.
He might be asking a lot of the woman to trust him right after them almost killing one another, but he really wanted to get back to his camp and warm up. Also that hare is probably ready by now...
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Aisha
Pegasus Knight
Posts: 7
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Post by Aisha on Feb 6, 2017 19:00:22 GMT -6
The young man replied logically to her question, making her feel a little dumb for asking this. Didn't she travel all the way here because she couldn't sleep at the inn? She didn't exactly plan to sleep on the road but it wouldn't have been realistic to travel all night. Seeing how he started to shiver, Aisha herself was feeling the cold. She was way too focused on trying to survive against a possible attacker to notice how cold the night was.
- Talking about temperature... Would you and your pegasus mind continuing this conversation next to the fire? If you want, I have a bit of extra food... I'm getting rather cold and I'd prefer to not get sick while travelling.
Pointing at her weapon, Sigma added.
- Are you gonna put away that thing or are you going to keep it the entire night? I think that if I was a bandit I would've already tried something, don't you think? Now come on, the cold air isn't gonna get any better if we just stay here.
Aisha nodded silently, pulling Star along. The warmth from the fire was very welcome and she felt her stomach growl and the scent of the meat reached her. She put her weapon aside, but not out of hand's reach. Not because she thought Sigma would attack her, but just in case someone else decided to sneak up on them.
- ...You are very trusting are you, she muttered as she watched him warming himself up and getting ready to remove the hare from the fire.
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on Feb 6, 2017 20:42:14 GMT -6
The girl seemed to agree to his offer without saying anything. Leading the rider and her mount back to his camp, Sigma picked up the wood he had dropped earlier before going back. He was glad to see the fire was still burning and that no wild animal decided to steal his dinner... He quickly dumped the wood into the fire to make it last longer. Removing his bandanna to shake off any excess snow that was still on his head, it didn't take long for the warmth of the fire to make him stop shivering. Putting his blue clotch on his head once again, he turned his attention to the meal that was cooking. As he was removing it from the fire, the black-haired girl made a remark:
- ...You are very trusting aren't you?
- That's just a misconception people have about me. I'm just good at reading people. For example, you mentionned not wanting to be "sullied". This would be strange coming from a regular bandit or criminal since their life is centered around dishonorable acts. Secondly, you actually lowered your weapon so at least I know you're reasonable. I guess the final thing would be that to my knowledge, thieves and brigands don't seem to ride pegasus that often... He said, pointing to the winged horse.
Getting out his mess kit, he put half of the meat into one small tray before handing to her. However, as she went to reach for it, he quickly pulled back a few inches while saying:
- But I will become suspicious if you decide to keep your identity hidden from me. It's generally considered common courtesy to at least present yourself when somebody offers you something, wouldn't you say?
While he was a nice person, he still had his limits. He wasn't to give out free food without learning something about her before!
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Aisha
Pegasus Knight
Posts: 7
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Post by Aisha on Feb 6, 2017 20:59:24 GMT -6
Mm, maybe she had underestimated the young man. He countered her remark with some well founded arguments.
- That's just a misconception people have about me. I'm just good at reading people. For example, you mentionned not wanting to be "sullied". This would be strange coming from a regular bandit or criminal since their life is centered around dishonorable acts. Secondly, you actually lowered your weapon so at least I know you're reasonable. I guess the final thing would be that to my knowledge, thieves and brigands don't seem to ride pegasus that often... He said, pointing to the winged horse.
As she was about to take the meal he offered her, he slightly withdrew the tray, making her eyes widen slightly in confusion.
- But I will become suspicious if you decide to keep your identity hidden from me. It's generally considered common courtesy to at least present yourself when somebody offers you something, wouldn't you say?
- ...Ah...
The young pegasus rider lowered her head shamefully, as her cheeks were reddening.
- ...Aisha... My name is Aisha, she replied with still the hint of embarrassment in her voice.
She may have seemed aloof and cold toward Sigma, but the truth was that she had been to nervous to introduce herself at that time. Yet another person that would think of her as just a plain rude woman. While she enjoyed being alone, that didn't mean she was as insensitive as not wanting human companions once in a while. Trying to sound polite, Aisha added.
- Thank you... for offering the meal.
At least, she hoped that with the politeness, he would give back the meat. She was kind of hungry...
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on Feb 7, 2017 0:16:52 GMT -6
It didn't take much persuading for her to give Sigma her name.He noted how her cheeks seemed to have gottn slightly red when he noted her lack of decorum. He didn't really expect that honestly. Maybe she was simply shy instead of being cold.
- ...Aisha... My name is Aisha.
Aisha, Aisha... Nope, it was the first time he met somebody named by that name... She probably didn't come from the capital, she seemed much more like a country girl if her quiet demeanor was anything to guess from.
- Thank you... for offering the meal.
Smiling softly, he handed her back the tray before going back to sit to her left in front of the fire.
- Eh don't mention it. Sorry I don't have anything to offer for that pegasus of yours though...
Finally diging into his meal, Sigma was happy to have found a person to converse with. Well, she didn't seem to be the very talkative type but it was better than nothing, he guessed. The meat was warming his insides a bit which was able to relax Sigma quite a bit after the stress he had just experienced. As they were both silently enjoying their food, Sigma decided to observe the pegasus a bit. It was a rare sight for him to see one so close considering he grew up in the city. It was more elegant than he imagined...
Stopping his daydreaming, Sigma decided to start up another topic of conversation with Aisha:
-Hmm, so tell me, Aisha. What would a pegasus rider be doing around here? Are you part of the army? It'd be unlikely though... With Etruria, our country must be rounding up whatever force it can after the Bernese rebellion... So i guess a better question would simply be where are you going? You're probably a traveller just like me now that i think about it... So, am i right?
Sigma didn't seem to notice the barrage of questions he was bombarding the young lady with it seemed...
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Aisha
Pegasus Knight
Posts: 7
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Post by Aisha on Feb 7, 2017 0:34:41 GMT -6
Instead of snapping at her or lecturing her about her attitude, Sigma actually smiled at her and handed back the meal. Muttering another thanks, in a small voice, she forced herself to eat slowly. If she had been alone, Aisha would have devoured the meat without giving it a thought. Still, just because she was a country-side girl, she didn't lack manners. Actually, she hoped he wouldn't ask her about where she was from. The last thing she needed was thinking again of the home she hoped to never return to.
- Eh don't mention it. Sorry I don't have anything to offer for that pegasus of yours though...
Aisha slowly shook her head, as she stopped eating to rummage in her small leather pouch. It wasn't much but she had some left over fodder but sadly, the carrot she had kept was showing sign of decay.
She gave what she could to the pegasus, petting the animal apologically. Her sister would have taken better care of her... Why did she have to leave Star alone? ...Why did she...
-Hmm, so tell me, Aisha. What would a pegasus rider be doing around here?
- I...
- Are you part of the army?
- N-Not exac---
- It'd be unlikely though... With Etruria, our country must be rounding up whatever force it can after the Bernese rebellion... So i guess a better question would simply be where are you going? You're probably a traveller just like me now that i think about it... So, am i right?
- ...
Aisha didn't know what to say really. He probably meant well, but the more he asked questions, to less she was inclined to answer them. Admit she boarded the wrong ship and found herself there? No! She would die of shame! Hugging her knees, Aisha stared at the fire, as if it would give her answers.
- I'm... a traveller yes... A traveling mercenary, she replied after a moment of silence.
So far, it wasn't exactly a lie.
- I had some business to attend to here. I'll restock on food for my next travel and leave this place as soon as possible.
Uh oh, the way she worded it maybe made it too obvious she wasn't found of Illia. She hoped Sigma wouldn't pick up on that detail.
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on Feb 7, 2017 2:26:44 GMT -6
Sigma felt bad when he realised that he pretty much cut her off at every moment she was about to speak up. A slightly awkward silenced settled before she finally decided to talk again, now hugging her knees right in front of the fire.
- I'm... a traveller yes... A traveling mercenary.
Hmm, well his first guess when they were in the snow a few minutes ago wasn't that far off. Although it seemed sorta fishy, he decided to not pry, considering the real answer is probably complex and not that important to him right now.
- I had some business to attend to here. I'll restock on food for my next travel and leave this place as soon as possible.
"As soon as possible eh?" She was probably the type to focus solely on the task at hand. He could respect that kind of method, it was simple and effective. He wasn't that type though. Way too curious and talkative, as other people would put it.
- Ohh, so you're not from around these parts I assume! Hmm interesting... It's been a while since I met a foreigner. So where do you come from then? It must be a pretty nice place if you yearn to go back this quickly...
Sigma didn't actually 100% believe her story. He simply decided to play along with it, passively looking for contradictions or explanations instead of agressively questionning her. And even if she wasn't being truthfull, it's not like he could blame her. THey DID only just meet... Another thing was that she seemed quite nice, at least a lot nicer than the people he would hang aroung with back in the days of his old job (which was maybe a week ago, but that removes dramatical flair so Sigma usually omits that part). Even if the subject matter wasn't true, the conversation itself was still relaxing.
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Aisha
Pegasus Knight
Posts: 7
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Post by Aisha on Feb 11, 2017 12:38:26 GMT -6
Ignoring the awkward atmosphere, Sigma continued on the subject.
- Ohh, so you're not from around these parts I assume! Hmm interesting... It's been a while since I met a foreigner. So where do you come from then? It must be a pretty nice place if you yearn to go back this quickly...
Aisha was thankful that her mouth was full at the moment Sigma replied. The meat was a bit rough, needing more time to chew, meaning more time to actually reply. What was just a white lie to hide her embarrassment was becoming something bigger. She hated that. She didn't see the need to lie further just for her foolish pride but then again was ommiting details lying? She didn't owe him anything... Except for the food and the warmth of the bonfire.
Aisha gulped before finally speaking.
- It's nothing special... A hamlet, too small to even figure on maps.
That part was true at least. Vague but true.
- I don't really see the need to go back. There's nothing for me in that place.
That was still the truth... How ironic to come back by accident to the place where she had no future.
- I just keep on traveling. I don't have anywhere to really call home. I work and leave... Simple as that.
She resumed eating before realizing that she might have been a bit curt with Sigma. He probably meant well and she wasn't making the conversation any easier.
- ...Where do you come from?
It was not a great start but it was something. She lowered her head thinking again of her sister. Whenever she came back, she talked about all the friends she made in her mercenary group. She was the social butterfly... Total opposite of her.
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Sigma
Thief
Does anybody care about intelligence work anymore?
Posts: 151
Profession: Spy/Information Broker
Affinity: Anima
Profile: Sigma
OoC Alias: Sigma
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Post by Sigma on Feb 11, 2017 16:42:41 GMT -6
After chewing on her food for a bit, Aisha finally started talking about herself, or more about want she wanted Sigma to think about her.
- It's nothing special... A hamlet, too small to even figure on maps. I don't really see the need to go back. There's nothing for me in that place. I just keep on traveling. I don't have anywhere to really call home. I work and leave... Simple as that.
Well something was definitly clear about her, she was not a very romantic storyteller, that's for sure... Kinda short and dry, now that Sigma compared that to other mercenaries's tales where they like to put completely ridiculous anecdotes of them driving off tens of enemies at a time. The girl decided to ask Sigma a question after her story:
- ...Where do you come from?
Swallowing a piece of the meat he was chewing on, Sigma looked at the girl for a second before glancing over to thefire before responding:
- Edessa. I didn't really go anywhere else for extended periods. Plenty to do in that city anyway, never ran out of contracts... Actually, this is the first time I'm travelling on my own because I personnaly want to, not because of any job. It's good to finally meet someone after a few days of travel onthese frozen roads, I missed being able to talk to people, I'm not a big fan of being alone for days when my life has been always full of people.
Going towards his satchel that rested on top of the bedroll behind them, he pulled out a water canteen, taking a small swig from it. After that, Sigma went towards the girl sitting in font of the fire, handing it to her:
- Want some?
EDIT: THe two of them kept talking about random subjects until they decided to go to sleep. Luckily, no bandit decided to pay them a visit. Wishing each other goodbye, Sigma decided to head to the next town over, where he hopes to find his next adventure.
[Sigma exit topic]
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