[Bronze Wood] Staking Out A Territory (Open)

[Leo Varniak]

Right there and then, Leo knew his initial judgment had been correct - as it usually was. Twenty-four words would have been the right amount for Nya Winters. A small part of him had hoped, perhaps, that she could at least try to look at things from his point of view, but that had been pure delusion on his part. There was literally no-one on Mizahar who would understand. No matter how hard he rationalized that fact, he had seen a glimmer of hope with Nya, perhaps because she was so different and removed from the people he smelled daily in Syliras.

She said nothing, which Leo knew did not suit her. He was an observant man, as would be expected of one who took in all evidence before judging another. He was careful, and methodical. He tried to be fair and impartial. He knew - had known for a long, long time - that inside him was something that just craved destruction. A lesser man would have yielded to that nature, but not Leo. He had built a complicated moral system around that craving, only dispensing his wrath to those who actually deserved to see it. He was not expecting anyone to be thankful to him, but he had done the best he possibly could. He had a monster inside, but it was a monster that served a higher purpose, and because of that it was an acceptable monster. It wasn't always easy, even though he made it seem so. Sometimes the monster roared louder, and was harder to ignore, but Leo had always been true to his own rules, and he was proud of that. Nya would likely never understand it, because she was blessed with a gift Leo would never have. Nya could find her peace... he couldn't.

He noticed the way she created a larger gap between them, and wondered if she wanted to run or simply walk away in disgust. Both were predictable ways out, and quite understandable as well. "I do not wish to force my presence on you when it's obviously unwanted," he said quite simply. "I can point you to others you'll find far more agreeable and who will help you with your shopping. Their honesty, I can guarantee. You will be safe." If Leo approved of them, she certainly would be safe. He had no wish to aggravate her with his presence, and even though he had seen very little of her that didn't involve skin, he could tell she was a good woman. Young - it showed in everything she did - impulsive, feral, probably confused by her own nature, but unable to carry the burden of sin.

Tomorrow... no, one bell from now, she would be happy again. That was an impressive gift in Leo's mind, one that surpassed any power the beastmen of Mizahar may possess.

But really, he should have been expecting this. It was always the same script. There was but one person who had known Leo and not hated him. Nya was not meant to become the second, apparently. Ironically, she was far better at blending with humans than he was; wherever he went, he only managed to make opponents and enemies with his unforgiving ways. It was dangerous, and he knew it was not a matter of whether he'd be killed eventually; just a matter of when and by who. He was the kind of monster who'd risk his life to protect a perfect stranger if he felt it was the right thing to do. "The world is full of bastards you won't like. Not all of them will step aside as I am offering to. What will you do then?"

[Nya Winters]

Nya turned to Leo then, when he tried to extract himself from her presence. "How could these 'others' be any better? You openly admitted you despised that which created me without even asking me how I feel about being what I am. I am very happy with myself and my life. That is what should matter to you. It is you that sounds very unhappy, disturbed even, by life. I love it. I love the world, wandering through it, learning each and every day something new. You shouldn't be so quick to judge. Every word you weight... now you think I do not want to shop with you. Yet you didn't even ask me until you have already made up your mind. You think my existence is terrible and should be punished. And you openly admit to wanting to use me to punish others. I think that makes you far worse than me. Why would I trust someone like that... someone who does not agree with my life to point me to others that I would be safe with? I am capable of going into the market myself. I wanted the company... someone to talk too. That is still what I want. You want to play games, some cat and mouse to feed some twisted need inside of you. What gives you the right to judge others? You should live your life the way you feel is right and let others live their lives the way they feel is right. That right there is freedom." Nya paused then, took a deep breath, and laughed outright.

He spoke of bastards, and pointed towards himself as some self-sacrificing martyr, well willing to step aside. Nya could help but laugh.

"I will simply eat them, of course. If I am stronger, all will be well. If I am not, they will eat me. I have made such meals before. Bastard meat tastes just as good as mouse or chicken or sweet rolls in the bazaar." She shrugged her shoulders, glancing sideways at Leo then. He incorrectly assumed twenty four words would be enough for her. He was wrong... dead wrong. He was wrong about a lot of things. His arrogance wouldn't let him see it though. Twenty four thousand might be closer to satisfying her... twenty four million might ease up some of her questions and give her something to think about. But she'd never be satisfied with a handful of anything out of life.

"You know what I think? I think you hide behind your judgment and arrogance to avoid having to make friends, because friendship is hard work. If you have a friend, you risk being hurt by that friend - because friends can lie, steal, be violent, betray or even turn out to be bastards you warn me about. I would like to be your friend, Leo Varniak, but I will not tolerate you judging things about me - about my makers - until you know something more of me or them. That is the worst sort of crime. It is worse because it is dishonest, it is making a decision without all of the facts. My parents taught me to see all sides, even yours. And that means having all the facts. I cannot see a side until I see all the facts. It takes a lot of time, and a lot of questions being answered." She turned then, and stared at him intently, giving him her full attention. She didn't want him to make any mistakes about what she meant. She meant just exactly what she said. There was nothing else implied.

Nya waited in the middle of the road for his reply, in the shadow of the gates of Syliras. It should have been obvious to Leo then and there that the kelvic was a lot more stubborn and opinionated than she had at first let on.

[Leo Varniak]

For a moment, Leo really wished she had taken him up on his offer. Instead, she turned around and went on a long tirade, got angry, then laughed, then argued some more. He was somewhat surprised, not so much by the content of what she said (except for one detail about eating people), but by the fact she actually bothered. Her behavior so far had suggested that she was a girl walking the path of least resistance, doing what she felt like and in the pursuit of some immediate satisfaction. Then again, perhaps that was the animal side of her and this was the human one.

"You are entitled to your opinion as I am to mine," he shrugged, still calmly, though not as irritatingly detached as before. His dark, insomniatic eyes were on the girl, half curious as to her intentions. A man eater... literally. This was the first time Leo was faced with someone who claimed to have eaten a man. "My opinion of how your kind came to be is unchanged. I didn't mean it as an insult, however - I may think it was a sin, but certainly it's not your sin." He tilted his head. "Fine, I can even suspend judgment on that - if nothing else because it's pointless, I can't do anything about it."

He tucked his hands in his pockets, feeling like his forehead was on fire. It was always like this when someone questioned him - even though it seldom happened and when it did, it usually did not last long. "No, my judgment is correct most of the time," he replied firmly, "it just happens to be off mark with you of all people. I am used to Humans, but you... shift and are slightly harder to read." This girl was giving him a headache. First she had insisted so much for him to tell her something about himself, then she had not liked what she'd heard and Leo had clearly sensed her intent to leave... and now she was staying and arguing. Unable to make up her mind, he thought.

"You can't understand me because you are quick to find happiness in things. You are easily fulfilled, so you focus on your fulfillment. It's so plain to see! You don't have to look elsewhere for a reason... but I do. There is no joy for me in swimming or a meal shared, no matter how hard I try. The only thing that keeps me alive is my wish to watch things change. When you have so little inside, you search outside of you. Inside me there is only fire, as far as I can see. It burns my body and my mind, and it will never end as long as I breathe. It's too much for one man to keep in... so I have to burn others sometimes. All I do is choose who I burn."

He drew a deep breath. "You speak of friendship, but can you be friends with such a thing? Can I? I have no idea. Why do you even bother? I have nothing to give; nothing that you like, as you've seen. You want answers, but reel away upon hearing them. Do you really want to share your happy life with someone who can only teach you how horrible it can be? You are being unreasonable. You don't even know what's best for you." And with that, Leo folded his arms and stood across from Nya, just as stubbornly as the girl herself.

[Nya Winters]

Leo was right about more than one thing. He in fact had Nya pretty well pegged, at least the side of herself she'd chosen to show him. There was more being revealed now, but it was indeed her more human side. She'd never give him the satisfaction of knowing he was totally right though. Nya would rather keep Leo guessing, at least a little, for he was already far more intelligent than she was used to dealing with. "Yes, we can both think differently on something, but that doesn't mean one or the other of us is wrong. You dislike fish, but that does not make them bad. I enjoy them. It is just a difference of opinion. I understand that well." She said, nodding to his words, agreeing with him.

"Most of the time, yes, but not always." She said, in reference to his judgment. "Sometimes I am wrong too. It is rare that it happens, but sometimes it does." She said, realizing suddenly that he was apologizing, at least in his own way. He said more, and she listened carefully, crowding up to him as he spoke of the fire inside. Nya understood though, that the fire he had inside wasn't everything about him. He might have thought it was, but it wasn't. He was a man, unlike any she'd met so far, but still a man. He had much much more inside him, even if he himself were unwilling to recognize it. In time, he might come to understand that... or he might reject himself completely. It seemed to her that Leo was wounded, deep inside, and hid most of who he was behind the fire because fire was easy for him. It burned brightly and eclipsed most of the things that didn't burn with such brightness. She moved closer, purring slightly, watching his dead eyes that didn't seem so entirely dead to her... even though he claimed they were.

She leaned into him then, like a lover might for a kiss, her body pressing against his for a moment as she faced him. But the kelvic didn't kiss him - she didn't know about such intimacies. Instead she tilted her head and ran her jawline along his in a long sensual manner that was so entirely catlike he could mistake it for nothing else. Pleasure and acceptance. Joy at being in his company and sharing his words. It was a greeting and a promise, filled with the rumbling sound of her purring and the pleasure she had at being in his company. Then she stepped back and laughed lightly. "I can be friends with anyone that can cook fish as good as you can. You have a lot to give, Leo Varniak. Even if you see nothing inside you but fire. I like listening to your words, even when your being stubborn - which you are quite a bit. No, I do not always like your answers. They surprise me. I might be unreasonable, but it seems to me that it will be hard for you to teach me how horrible life is, when all I see is the joy in it. I do what pleases me. You please me greatly. And you promised me shopping. I need a chest, and some large candlesticks, some candles, and all kinds of other supplies - including clothes. I have coins. You want to play with the shop keepers. Let us go to the market and play your game. You can teach me how to use money better, and I can show you what I want. And you can be unhappy, and I can be happy, and we will both get what we want, no?" She said, reaching down then to take his hand, one that was shoved deep in his pocket, and tug him towards the gates.

[Leo Varniak]

For a moment, Leo thought she was closing in to hit him... or worse, given her admission to being a literal man eater. His body tensed, but he was going to believe in his own judgment, that is, the girl was harmless unless attacked first. He was not used to having other people come so close, though, much less women, and this fact surprised him quite a bit. He could sense her body heat, guess her temperature, and then she sort of rubbed her face along his, all catlike.

He opened his mouth as if to protest, but the situation was just too weird and completely caught him off guard. Nya would probably notice that he was in a fever, or maybe not, but close enough. Regardless, she had very much managed to silence him for a little while, mostly because he had no idea how he could convey his logic to one who could see it, but would make it so it didn't interfere with her own. He gave her a long, silent stare - at least he wasn't immediately judging anything about her - and then she grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the Syliran gates.

"Y-yes," he managed, almost stumbling from her pull. It was obvious now, that for all his dark vigilantish ways, Leo Varniak was not accustomed to having his thoughts and attitude argued or contested. It happened so rarely, Leo always felt uncomfortable in those few instances. Few people ever sought him, and when they did Leo usually drove them into a psychological corner within minutes.

"It's not really a game per se," he corrected her, "I'm not going to burn anyone to ashes for swindling a customer... at least not things that they can't regrow. I am just moving names around my lists." With Leo it was always about the lists. They were perfectly suited to his personality - either something was on the list, or it wasn't. No room for ambiguity. "You need to add some pottery to your shopping list if it is not there already."

He did not elaborate on the thought process behind his statement as he strived to keep up with her excited pace. "Someone once said a house without ceramic is like a cave made of bricks. If you are going to make that cave into your home, you will need some - even if you do not actually use them." That was something Lina always said. He wasn't sure why he mentioned it, save that he felt like checking out the ceramic stalls after years of not bringing himself to even look at their wares.

[Nya Winters]

Nya tilted her head in disbelief, though humor colored her piercing green gaze at Leo's words. He wouldn't burn anyone to ashes for swindling a customer? No.. he would. He really would, if he got mad enough and it was the right person. Nya was absolutely certain of it. And although Leo's grip was almost feverishly warm in her grasp, she didn't let go. She kept tugging and smiling, the temper of a moment ago all but forgotten. Leos eyes told her so much. His words verified his gaze. A game was a game was a game to her... regardless if they ended in death or not. But she didn't judge him for the lie he told. He probably thought he was incapable of harming people. He wasn't though. The man had a lot of rage in him for some reason, and angry people did extreme things. Nya decided though, that for a while she'd try and make him forget about his rage and enjoy the shopping. See, it was far easier for a forest cat to put on a brave show when she had an audience. For his benefit she could enter the city then the bazaar and because she had him to be brave for, she wouldn't hesitate or be confused. Nya was certain of it.

The city guards were easy, allowing them through the gate with the briefest of words. "We have come to do some shopping." Neither admitted magic or weapons. Truthfully Nya had no weapons on her, and the guards appeared to recognize Leo or at least seemed that he was someone slightly familiar. She couldn't be sure. But regardless, they were soon traversing the main thoroughfare towards the bazaar in the lower tiers of the castle.

As to Leo's statement that she needed some ceramics, perhaps he was right. "I am not even sure what your talking about.... ceramics? I will trust you though. Ceramics it is. Are you talking a cooking pot or two? I do need those. Oh wait, you mean plates. Yes... plates and cups would be good. But I do not know exactly what I need. I will take your word." Her bravo lasted all the way up to the entrance of the bazaar. Her head had been turned backwards, watching him, until the crowd had grown too thick to actually let her ease through it comfortably. Then she'd turned, spotted the absolute seemingly chaotic world of stall upon stall visible past the entrance. Nya had froze, staring into the basement of the structure and its teaming commerce. Leo almost ran into her, so suddenly was her halt. The girl trembled, eyes going wide, mouth suddenly feeling very dry. The sights and sounds assaulted her, but so too did the smells. There was food here, wine, cloth, wax, fire, leather, iron.... Nya took a step back, bumping into Leo then if he hadn't already ran into her. She untwisted her fingers from his, preparing to drop his hand, because the need to flee was a powerful urge - one she wasn't certain she was going to resist.

"I... I am not so certain this is such a good idea. There is a lot of people in the market today. Maybe we should come back when it gets quieter. Does it ever get less busy? Maybe I don not need ceramics, pottery, candlesticks, candles, a chest, and clothing so badly." She asked, turning her head and steadily moving backwards - either into him or behind him if he sidestepped her actions. The truth was Nya Winters was scared, even if she wouldn't admit it to herself, it was obvious to everyone else around her.

[Leo Varniak]

Leo nodded to the guards and was let through without too much of a fuss. He had a reputation for being strange, and he was not rich enough to be called eccentric, so he was just weird. The guards were familiar with him, though, because they had seen him come and go plenty of times before as he carried out his so-called odd jobs. The one thing unusual about him today was that he traveled with someone, specifically a girl. If Nya had chosen to be in her animal form, that would have looked about as unusual at Leo's side as the human shape.

Syliras was always Syliras, Leo considered. It felt slightly different today because he was walking its streets hand in hand with a girl, but he truly was getting fed up with the place. You could almost smell the sin festering under the surface. Leo wondered why others could not see it for what it was, how they could live here and not feel disgusted. A part of him did know that he would likely feel this way anywhere else in the world where even a single human had planted his tent, but that did not make him feel better.

Still lost in this kind of thoughts, he was taken aback by Nya's sudden stop. Really, there was no predicting her actions. She was so totally random it was almost scary. Leo did not immediately understand what was wrong with her, which frustrated him a little. He was supposed to be in control, to know what needed doing and why it needed doing. Nya was throwing him into something that puzzled him to no end and shuffled the deck of his intellect.

Her words were revealing, and he finally realized that what froze her in place was fear. He never would have guessed that was the reason, honestly. A girl who could stand up to him without flinching, scared by a bunch of petty townsmen? People sure were strange sometimes. But Leo did not move. He let Nya walk into him if she wanted to, but he would not step aside or move away from her. "You are free to run if you want," he said, calmly, "but are you sure it will be easier if you do that? I don't think so. It will be even harder next time, because you failed once, and that will weigh you down and make you fail again... and again... and again."

He was unsure what to do, himself. He had never needed to comfort another before, and this was new business to him. He suspected that any arguments he may produce would fall short of the mark with Nya, but he still decided to give this friendship thing a try. "Think about it this way... you are not afraid of me, and I am more danger than mostly anyone in this crowd. Now, I do think fear is a wise feeling sometimes, but are these people worth fearing? It's all about the forest and trees. You are seeing the forest. Don't do that. Look at the trees instead. Look at one of them, then another... one at a time. Slowly. Breathe. They are nothing much."

He was coaching her, his voice a calm certainty in the middle of chaos. "I know very little about you, Nya Winters. But I do not think any of these humans has the right to take your fun away from you." He stopped there, and did not move an inch. For all his flaws, Leo Varniak was incredibly dependable. When he started something, he was sure to finish it. And he had said he'd take Nya to shopping. In Leo-speak, that meant that if a god should come down to try and stop her from shopping, Leo would likely die trying to burn said god to ashes.

[Nya Winters]

Nya listened carefully to Leo's words. Though she'd released his hand, she hadn't released herself from his aura of warmth and calmness. The Kelvic moved around his body until she was standing partially behind and beside him, shivering slightly with her eyes wider than normal. Nya never realized a crowd like this would bother her. She'd been in and out of the city gates multiple times, and had roamed the streets quite frequently... but now that she thought about it, she realized she'd always picked side streets, quieter pathways, places people didn't gather. It wasn't so much the noise or the bustle, but it was the overwhelming scents. They bombarded her even as she forced herself to stand and focus on the sound of Leo's voice and his scent. He was so calm - so still - so confident that this was crowd was not going to be a problem. Nya listened. Nya breathed in his scent and let the wave of confusion and more importantly fear pass. He was right, in everything he said. She knew that.

She leaned her face against his back shoulder and opened her eyes. She started picking the individual people out of the crowd, looking as he suggested, at first one then another until she stopped seeing the mass and started seeing the parts of the whole. People. Just people. Men, women, and children. They were harmless to her, most of them. All but the men and women with steel weren't, but there truthfully weren't more than a few in view at each time. Nya breathed, she concentrated, and finally she lifted her face off Leo's shoulder and inhaled deeply. The stench was horrible - people, trash, waste. The people of Syliras knew they lived in a beautiful clean city, but to Nya it was something else. She swallowed once, growled softly for only Leo's benefit, and stepped out beside him. She dropped her voice and glanced at him through the screen of her hair. "I see why you hate them sometimes. There are so many of them." She said simply then took Leo's hand again. "I will follow. Thank you for coming with me. I didn't realize there was so many of them, but I will not run, not from them." She said simply and then gifted him with one of her frequent smiles. "Fun. Yes, we came for fun. Let's navigate the forest and look for all the pottery and candles and things. Will you show meShe said, wrinkling her nose and snorting out the warm smell of Syliras.

There were potters and candle makers and sellers of rugs. There were foodstuffs and furniture makers, folks that sold live animals, and their furs and skins. There were people that had fabrics and sandals and everything anyone could ever want. Nya had no idea of where to begin.

[Leo Varniak]

Leo nodded gently. "Very good," he said, clearly satisfied for the first time since he had met Nya. He did not smile, but his eyes widened, his pupils lightened, and his expression lost its usual brooding quality for a short while. "You did it. Now just be careful of cutpurses and you will be just fine. They are not very common here because the Knights will stop obvious crime, but that's not a good reason to let your guard down. Be aware of where your money is at all times, but do not make its location obvious by checking on it too often."

In truth, Leo was not really worried about thieves, but about Nya's reaction to thievery in public. She had claimed to eat people, and he wondered if she would try that in front of a crowd in a pinch. The Knights, he knew, abhorred violence even when it was perfectly legitimate in Leo's eyes, and would likely get Nya in trouble if she tried to eat some human scum. It was a sad world where people's lives were claimed to be equal. They so obviously weren't... there were people tall and short, slim and fat, good and evil. There was no such a thing as a right to exist, the value of a life; that was something earned or lost through someone's actions.

Navigating the market could indeed be an overwhelming experience for a first timer. "It is in a crowd like this," he said slowly, "that I am most alone. Seeing, unseen. Hating, yes, sometimes. Can't help it." He didn't add that he had been hated pretty much from birth. He had been born into a world where another would hate him for simply existing the way he was... no wonder he had turned out this way.

Nya had a long shopping list, and Leo knew he was the poor soul to carry it all to the girl's cave. "Some of the things you need are heavier than others. We should probably start with the light things and move on to the more cumbersome. This way we won't be burdened by the heavy stuff until later. So, clothes first?"

[Nya Winters]

Nya nodded. "I was thinking of that. We could hire a cart - I've seen them for rent - just little things we can carry everything back with. But clothing is a good idea. I'd like a few more pairs of pants, a few blouses or tunics, and a dress." Nya wasn't sure why she wanted a dress. Dresses were for women, and she wasn't going to be anywhere anytime soon where wearing one was appropriate. "Leo, if someone tries to cut my purse, can I legally attack them here? I do not know the rules, but you should tell me so I know what to expect. I know stealing is wrong. It should be punished, but if someone takes my coins - coins are coins right? - how do I prove they are mine and not theirs?" She asked, moving with him into the bazaar proper. She spotted a stall that sold pre-made clothing and headed towards it. There were piles of goods, pretty much everything looked alike to her.

She leaned into the boothkeeper and asked 'Do you have any leather pants that would fit me? I'd also like some shirts." The woman eyed her with appraisal, then gestured to a pile of pairs of pants that would fit. They were not terribly different than her own. Nya pulled out a dark green pair, a dark brown pair, and a tan pair. She already had black. The woman looked at her selections, and pulled out matching shirts in soft prints that either had the same colors in them or a weave that went with them. Nya gestured to three of them. The woman set them aside. The kelvic glanced over at Leo to see if he approved, then her eyes roamed the booth looking for more. There was a lovely silk sleeping shirt a bit too large for Nya, but beautifully patterned in swirls that reminded her of Zulrav's symbol on her shoulder. The silk was deep blue and the swirls silvery. "That too..." She said abruptly, knowing she'd feel like a child sleeping in it. But she suspected it was large enough that if she shifted at night as she did sometimes involuntarily, it would survive the transition... especially with a few buttons released around her neck.

It wasn't exactly a dress, but it was something she could wear when she got better at holding
her shape at night. The boothkeeper gathered the items, bundled them in a piece of plain cloth for Nya, and then said... "16 Gold Rimmed Miza's Please." Nya shifted her backpack, reached into a pocket that laid against her back when it was on, and pulled out the coins to hand to the shopkeeper. The clothing was overpriced, but not terribly so.

Next they needed candlesticks, candles, a chest, pottery... Nya figured they needed the chest to put the pottery in first but she'd let Leo decide that business. She shouldered the backpack once more and clutched the bundle of clothing to her chest.