Shattered Bow, Splintered Wood (open)

[Shena'doah]

She smirked, You’d be in greater pain if I was in any state of anger… Staring gazes from men most likely meant that their mind was slowing making its way to the gutters. That was one place she didn’t want his mind to go so she did deem the friendly poke quite necessary. But as he seemed to be making himself comfortable, she continued looking around the room to make sure she knew what was and what wasn’t in it. She found wood but that was generally about it and the place didn’t seem to have much else.

Hirem began talking into the darkness and she turned to face where he was laying and gave him a puzzled look. She’d hears his bit about concentrating on one thing at a time but hadn’t said anything to that because she couldn’t help be worried about what would happen once they got out of the place. An apology wasn’t something she expected, however. A knowing smile crept onto her feature though she remained silent. I do well enough with getting in trouble without your help so no need. It was true enough for her to completely believe as she bundled the green cape under one arm and walked over to where he was.

From the looks of it he was fast asleep with his eyes closed and his breaths steady. She leaned her bow against the wall and looked at it for a brief moment, happy with at least that outcome of the day. I got my bow after all… turned out today wasn’t a complete waste. It was safe to assume she’d made a friend and had also achieved her original goal.

With that, she knelt down, placed the bundled cape on the ground and laid herself down with her back to Hirem and used the cape as a pillow.

She stirred briefly and found herself laying on her stomach with her face planted into the balled up cape. Twisting around, Shena tried to look around and realized it was still just a little light out but not quite dark enough for them to leave. Before that she recalled waking up to the sound of hoofbeats but couldn’t milk anything else out of that memory. With a stretch and yawn she turned until she was comfortable and fell back to sleep rather quickly to only wake up again. ”I don’t want to eat gravy…” she muttered under her breath then realized she was awake and couldn’t possibly fathom what kind of dream she could have been having to wake up saying such things.

[Hirem]

Hirem awoke to the movements of Shena beside him, and he opened his eyes groggily, taking a glance of his surroundings. Outside, the moon was hanging in the sky, bright and full, accompanied by the little starlights twinkling above the red desert. He grumbled, and shuffled about to lay on his stomach, glancing towards Shena, who was on her belly as well, her quiet face facing his as she shuffled about. Her words caught him by suprise, but it was dream talk and somewhat excuseable. It was a very strange dream though.

He pushed himself up to sit agains the wall, finding strength from his sleep, and put a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her. "Shena, wake up. It's time to move out." He whispered, wary of any outside ears. Ahantep was just as active at night as the day, more so at the later hours in fact. It was a city of decadence, luxury, and nighttime escapades. He would be glad to leave it.

Outside, he heard the constant din of the crowds, but nothing too alarming. No hoofbeats or cries of angry guards. It sounded like they may have little trouble this night, but Hirem hadn't even come up with a plan yet. But, their minds were alert and their bodies awake, so they should have no difficulty in finding a way. Hopefully. Just in case, as he sat next to the half-asleep Shena, he whispered a prayer to Yahal, staring up into the full moon with wide eyes and a wide soul.

[Shena'doah]

Her gaze shot in his direction and she blinked at him in a sleepy stupor before realizing the situation. Immediately she fell back again and moaned as if in agony. The hope that she had been waking from a nightmare hadn’t – depressingly enough – been true. It was beyond acceptable for her but she decided nothing could be done for it and so she must live with it. After all, worse things had happened to her. And in such worse instances, she hadn’t been accompanied by a reasonably trustable man with a refreshing friendliness about him.

”I’m up.” Came the delayed reaction as she sat back up and rubbed her eyes. She reached to put her fingers through her hair but remembered that she had braided it earlier in the day. ”I can’t believe its nightfall already.” Sleep didn’t seem to have lasted long enough to please her but she made no other comments related to the matter and just hoisted herself to her feet. The bow leaning against the wall went unnoticed for now as she walked over to where they had entered the abandoned structure to peer out. Shadows roamed but nothing too enormously striking stood out.

When Shena finally started walking back towards where he sat, she gave him a blunt look then took hold of her bow. ”We’ll see soon how well that prayer or yours worked and if anyone was listening to you.” Her life hadn’t treated her well enough to really put any faith in anything she couldn’t physically touch or see with her own eyes. Whether or not that offended him was of no concern to her because she offended people daily just by existing.

[Hirem]

He took a slight frown when she commented on his prayer, but now definitely was not the time to discuss religion. Maybe later once they escaped the city, but for now, they would pray to their own gods or choose not to. Still, the fact that this Benshiran woman did not seem to hold faith with Yahal or obey many of her people's customs was distracting to make the most out of it.

Hirem pushed himself up off the wall, groaning as he stretched his limbs. "I hope this doesn't happen too often... I'd hate to become a nocturnal creature." He took a moment to steady himself, and then nodded at her as he made his way to the hole in the wall. He slipped through quickly, stepping back out into the street, glancing every which way and that as he waited for her. The darkness that plagued the walls and backalleys seemed to slip a litte as the brawny Benshiran stood in their home, and Hirem was thankful that his size would make them difficult targets for muggings.

Once she followed him out into the street, he suddenly grabbed her cloak, and flung it around her torso, obscuring her hair and most of her face. He then slipped his arm around hers and started to walk, pulling her gently to keep her walking, confused as she was. "We are lovers out for an evening stroll in the quiet alleys." He murmured, keeping his eyes on the corners and turns of the street.

"We are going to be walking over to the lovely city walls. Understand?"

[Shena'doah]

It took everything in her not to completely snarl at him for wrapping her up so suddenly and she huffed through the fabric of her cloak. ”That was creative.” she sighed as she touched at her face and shrugged. Hirem was helping her so she wasn’t going to complain or question him. The air was chilled again, as it usually was when darkness draped the sky, it was almost cold in stark contrast to how hot it could get in the middle of the day.

Shena was well aware that with darkness, came all its inhabitants. Finding rocks in the dark would be harder so it would possibly be mostly up to Hirem to do all the defensive actions, though that didn’t mean she would just stand there. To say the least, she liked to participate even though she lacked any acquired skills that would give her any type of advantage.

Her body shook slightly when he explained their situation to her and the roles they would be playing. A very amused smile might have been seen if her face hadn’t been covered. Of course the shaking was from her struggle against laughing, but that didn’t stop her from saying, ”I’m cold, hold me closer.” A sparkling gaze shifted towards him as she thought for a moment then blatently whispered, ”I’ll have you know that I’m not to be expected to fully embrace my role as your lover.”

Though, without having to be hinted upon, she cooed brightly, ”Yes m’dear, I understand perfectly.”

[Hirem]

Hirem sighed when he saw her eyes shining with the light from the moon and knew that this was probably a very bad idea in trying to befriend her. There was just something in Shena, something instinctive that seemed to rebel against the idea of being subjugated by males and try to resist all stereotypes of the female gender. Hirem nodded, and whispered back in an equally quiet tone, "I'm not planning on it."

He pulled her head over onto his shoulder and leaned his head in to hers, a touching gesture to observers, the sight of a happy couple whispering sweet nothings to each other. In reality, he was delivering a very different messages. "We are to find a section of the wall that was hit by the earthquakes, one that is lower than the other sections and has little guards. I'll stay on the ground, covering your back while you climb up the wall, and then I will follow."

He was aware of some greedy eyes following them, but each time they passed their gazes over him, he puffed out his chest menacingly, and they would pass by reluctantly. A prostitute in a nearby alley gazed over at them, barely dressed and in need of some serious self-hygiene. A prostitute was rare out on the open streets, as they were mostly kept in the Pillars of Dust, like most of the other criminals, but in these back alleys, they could venture out freely, though they had reason to hide from the guards as well. She sneered wickedly, and then simply ignored them, continuing on her route.

The air stank of sweat and blood, the scent of the criminals. Every breath that hit them was thick with alcohol, every sound that reached them was one of anger or ecstasy. It was disgusting, a place that made Hirem fume with rage as they continued on their journey. One day, this will be eradicated. One day, the world shall be free of this.

[Shena'doah]

Shena nodded lightly, not doubting his plan but visibly anxious. Her brows furrowed slightly. ”I don’t mean it as an insult but you are quite large so how are you going to get over the wall. Surely you don’t think I can pull you over.” The idea to her seemed farfetched unless he could make it over the wall without her help but she didn’t think he was that tall unless he could climb very well without much leverage. Finally she lamented and sighed.

They passed more than a few others lingering the streets and she gave them strange looks. This would be the first time she had been within the city at night and she was beginning to see that such a thing had been a good idea. Nor did she care much for the smell of the place and wrinkled her nose as they passed another who seemed to have changed their mind about something and suddenly looked as though they were lost. On the other side of Hirem and a little distance away, she saw the very deranged looking woman and stared at her. ”After this I’m not sure I’ll want to come back here ever again.” she murmured more to herself but loud enough for Hirem to hear her.

”This place smells of corrosion…” she commented after a short distance spent in silence. ”It is actually a little saddening.” Such things didn’t seem to upset her as much as she noticed it upset her ‘partner in crime’. More or less, it worried her a bit. This was one of the few places that boasted a central ruler and they couldn’t conform. It made her wonder again why the guards were after them and she gave Hirem a thoughtful glance.

She leaned into his side a bit suddenly when someone got too close for her own comfort and she quickly said something she thought lovers might be talking about with the most unsure look on her face. ”The stars look enchanting…” As they passed, she turned slightly to watch the strange person disappear into the darkness then turned back.

[Hirem]

Hirem took a deep breath, wondering if Shena could suspect his thoughts. In truth, he was scared stiff at this point, stomach churning at the thought of that high wall, with little to no handholds, and the idea of climbing up it filled him with dread. It doesn't matter if I can't make it. Shena can escape once she climbs the wall. Still, he was going to try to make it out of the city with her, if only to live up to his promise.

He looked up at the skies, and gave a wistful sort of sigh that wasn't fabricated in any way. He looked back down to earth, and led them around a corner, giving what seemed to be a rub on the shoulders, but instead he was moving the cloak to cover up her confused and hesitant face more effectively. Such a look could give them away at once, or at least draw suspiscion to their guise. "Quite a beautiful night, indeed."

He shifted his gaze to their new surroundings and drew a sharp intake of air, gazing at the dark shape before them. It stretched out in front of them, above the small hovels and buildings, towering down upon the city with an impenetrable feel, like a heavy stone refusing to move. It was the city's walls, and it filled Hirem with a nervous fear, one that caused him to shake with the thought of scaling it. Don't worry, you're looking for a weaker section.

Glancing down at the solid line of stone, he was dismayed to find it appear stiff and straight the entire way down, with only a slight tilt a great distance away. He sighed, and started to travel down the wall, his arms now at his side, away from Shena. "Don't worry, Hirem. You'll make it through this." He said this as a whisper under his breath, but a single look at her knowing eyes, he knew that she knew his thoughts completely.

[Shena'doah]

Her gaze fluttered up when it suddenly got darker – though she didn’t think that was possible. The wall that they were presented with was practically menacing considering they had the task of climbing it ahead of them. This sight alone was enough to make her stomach turn nervously and she began to rethink the decision to scale the wall. Seemed as though things had just got more exciting and what was at first a simple enough task had turned into a leap of faith.

If only for her own benefit, ”At least you’re tall.” Implying that his stature would beneficial to them. She stayed with him as they walked along the wall but remained slightly behind him. One brow lifted and she huffed at him, ”Don’t start pouting yet, can’t afford to have you trip over your own bottom lip right now.” she stated and promptly stubbed her toe on something solid and gasped harshly to substitute anything else she might have said. Her toe was fine but that didn’t mean it did not hurt like hell during the immediate response.

Shena was quick about her feverish complains and continued. Still she didn’t stop to see what it was she had smacked her toe on.

”Not that I doubt our plan…” she finally spoke up after a short silence between them. ”But what if we don’t, though I’m sure we will, but just in case… what if we don’t find a weak spot in the wall?” Perhaps a bit more questions and talking than she normally did but her nerves couldn’t keep her tongue still. Something flickered behind her as she followed him but she didn’t notice.

OOC: what do you think of having the same group of guys that tried to take her horse pay another visit?

[Hirem]

OOC: I think that Hirem has some work to do in that case.

Hirem smiled at her comments regarding his stature, and kept walking in silence, his eyes shifting over the dark surroundings constantly. He would have offered her help, but she seemed well enough for all her cursing, so he simply continued his pace, trying to keep his mind off the daunting task of climbing the city wall. Instead, he shifted his thoughts to the desert, and what he would do once he was out of here.

A wave of indecision crashed over him and he frowned slightly, furrowing his brow in concentration. Really, what would he do now? He was caught in Ahnatep, imprisoned in their jails, and now suddenly the overpowering sense that this was his duty was gone, leaving him with no ideas and no plans. By the desert, was Netanel right? Was this path only meant to end in death and blood?

He was interrupted from his thoughts and her questions by a barely audible sound, but one that sent chills crawling up his spine. It was the thin sound of sandals clacking against the ground, but very gently, as if someone was trying to hide their steps. Hirem turned about, facing behind them with fists clenched.

He saw shadows darting back and forth in the night, but he couldn't tell if they were coming towards them or not. It was too dark, and the thick shadow the wall cast over them didn't help much either. He kept observing the place for a few more seconds, and then he bit his lip in heavy thought. "Shena, keep going. I'll bring up the rear."