Oh lovely.. another giant... blue one....

[Aleksi]

Spring, 58th of 513AV

It was a strange, strange day. Aleksi woke up next to a huge, long-haired man, in a room she didn't know, completely naked just to realize what she had done. Rolling her eyes, she managed to drag herself out of bed and wrap herself in her cloak, picking the rest of her things up and then... putting an apple on the pillow she was at with a soft kiss on the man's cheek. When she got to her room, she growled from the pain in her muscles while taking a shower. Drying herself up and braiding her hair to make it look somewhat nice, the young Drykas picked up her bag and headed out the door. She didn't plan to do anything that day, but explore the city. She wanted to know where she was and what were the people within it about. Her body was moving slow. She was evidently exhausted from the trip and the night before. Taking a deep breath every now and then, she managed to stumble upon the open square of that city. Just then, did she look behind to see if her Strider and Feline companion were there, almost forgetting about them completely. They were and they seemed worried, so she leaned in and scratched over their soft bodies, taking a look around her. It was peaceful, somewhat. Looked quite beautiful. Sitting down there, to take some rest and think upon her next move, she mumbled in Pavi What have you gotten yourself into, you fool.... You should have just went through... getting attached will just get you hurt... like it did the last time

[Aren]

What had possessed him to come to a city renowned for it's distinct lack of hospitality towards outsiders? The truth was that sometimes his motivations were alien even to him. He'd tell himself he was exploring, or wandering or some such, but the fact was he didn't fully understand what drove him to do some of the things he did. Why not stay in Riverfall? Why not stay in Syliras before that? The only answer he could come up with was that although he didn't have a reason to leave, he didn't have a reason to stay, either. Not anymore, at least. The akalak had heard tales of the city, much as he had heard tales of many other cities in his travels. Unfortunately, stories worked upon by time and distance often proved to be exaggerations, if not outright lies. As such, he had learned that trusting these sources was perilous at best. Still, he was here, and he did fancy himself somewhat of an explorer. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to look around, mingle a bit, and maybe find something to eat. The moment the large blue giant took a step into the crowded city square, he could feel himself being eyed with a level of mistrust usually reserved for brigands and other disreputable sorts. Before he even had time to really look about and gather himself, however, his eyes locked on to a familiar face. The utter dread this face provoked prompted him to instinctively take cover behind a deserted market stall. Of course, the humble construction of his hiding place meant he was hardly better off, but common sense seemed to have inexplicably left him. The beads of sweat now streaming from his face didn't help matters much either. "By Wysar's blue balls.... please don't let her see me!" Aren muttered, panic obvious in his tone. The akalak's decidedly odd behavior promoted even more looks of suspicion from the scarce population of the square. It was rather early in the morning, but apparently it was never too early for grown men to make fools of themselves. Or, at least, that was likely the communal thoughts of those watching this display.

[Aleksi]

Aleksi was still trying to wake up, in all honesty as her eyes and hands focused on the bag she was carrying. Pulling out one of the five remaining apples, she crunched her legs up a bit, making sure the people around her can pass by. It seemed as if they did not understand why she was sitting in the middle of the square or why was there a huge feline and a horse next to her, but she never really paid too much attention to trivial things such as that one. She bit into the apple and once again allowed her gaze to move about. All of those faces, just like anywhere else she had been, looked almost the same. Here even more than in Endrykas since there was no distinctive marks or scars on them. Men around the same height, women wearing almost the same clothing and a monk here and there amongst them. She had no idea how, out of all those people, she could run into one giant that was lurking about.... one... make that two! Her eyes were glued to a large figure creeping through the crowd all of a sudden. He seemed to be uncomfortable, covering himself for some reason, which of course, woke up the curiosity within Aleksi. Tilting her head and moving her body to a better angle, she almost growled. The man was blue... he was literally blue and she only knew very few of them... and the ones that she did, she didn't like much. Shaking her head, she mumbled Calm down Aleksi before the monks get you... It can't be him anyway.. what would he be doing in Nyka? Her brain seemed to understand the situation better, but her body, as usual, refused to listen so it perked up a bit, on her feet, as if to see him better. She tried to remain calm, to not openly growl or show hospitality. Not sure what she was going to do, she found herself half way to closing the distance with the man she had seen. Rushing her way through the crowd, she disappeared from his sight for a few ticks, being so tiny paid off it seemed, before appearing right before him with the Strider and the Feline behind her. The feline seemed to scare others away quite well, so the crowd, soon enough, was nearly completely gone. Aleksi didn't say anything.. she just looked at him with her upper lip twitching from time to time, as if to hold herself back.

[Aren]

He did his best to hide, to conceal himself, to disappear, but alas it was a skill he was not very proficient at. Additionally, his size and overall appearance did not lend themselves very well to the task. After all, how hard could it be to spot a large blue man with an equally sized weapon strapped across his back? Aren had lost sight of the object of his dread, but he dared not poke his head out of his hiding place, even to reacquire it. Perhaps, he thought, if he stood perfectly still, she wouldn't notice him. It made absolutely no sense, of course, but he wasn't in the best state of mind at the moment. Unfortunately for the akalak, reality usually has a way of crashing down on delirious fools, "BAAAAH!" Startled beyond measure by the sudden appearance of such a dangerous entity in such close proximity to his person, Aren couldn't help but release a shriek of abject terror in response. The memory's existence within his head was enough to make him cringe, but actually recalling the moment threatened to bend him over and send him reeling towards the ground. The fact he considered himself to be the victim of an unprovoked, not to mention wholly excessive, act of aggression certainly did not serve to ease his concerns about his current predicament. Immediately straightening out from the shock, the akalak reflexively placed his hands just below his waist in a protective configuration, "Oh gods... the Crusher... she sees me. Somebody... 'ELP!" That call for help was more of a high pitched whimper than anything else, but in his current state, that's all Aren could manage.

[Aleksi]

She literally jumped back as she heard the man scream like a twelve year old girl. Her eyes were wide open and her breathing extremely heavy for someone that hadn't been doing much all morning. The feline behind her felt Aleksi's mood change so it just growled at the large, blue creature before it, not knowing what exactly it could do to something that big. Hearing him yell out for help and put his hands down just made her eyes widen even more. What is he doing?! He is going to get both of us killed!! she thought to herself before grabbing one of his arms and started dragging him to one of the more quiet places near the hostel she was staying in. Her voice was filled with anger, almost violently high-pitched You are going to get us both killed, you fool!!, she yelled out, growling after the sentence. She knew, that if the monks had heard him they would have both been in a big amount of trouble, especially since him holding his... parts like that... was not very decent behavior in public. Once she finally managed to make her way through the crowd, all the way to the hostel, she stood straight, feeling the man nearly bump into her. Her little frame turned around, hands on her hips as she looked up at him. She clearly was not happy to see him and even less so, here. Her voice was still high pitched and still filled with anger as she spoke to him, this time trying to calm herself down by taking deep breaths in between sentences You petching, little.... Argh! What are you doing here?! Are you following me or something?! And quit your yapping like a little girl! The monks here are not very pleasant, you know, so I should be the least of your worries! She started making circles in the same spot, looking up to see if Xi was by any chance on the window, sincerely hoping he wasn't. Her eyes just moved over the door as she added If you can make it through the door, we should hide away until things calm down.. And I do not know why am I inviting you to go in... probably because, by your reaction, I think if the Monks even looked at you, you'd tell them I'm a serial murderer or something... frowning, she stepped inside the hostel, nodded to Vysia, then headed up the stairs to her room, making sure she is extra quiet while passing Xi's door, occasionally looking back to see if the Akalak was following her.

[Aren]

Unsurprisingly, no one seemed much inclined to come to Aren's aid, and he soon found himself being abducted by his aggressor. She had deviously realized that if he was protecting his more delicate parts, he would be in no position to resist her kidnapping attempt. If, on the other hand, he tried to defend himself, the resulting gap in his lower defenses would be completely unacceptable. "Such a despicable strategy..." Aren complained, but was unable to extricate himself from his predicament. In addition, the Crusher seemed intent on shutting him up, relating to something about some monks and getting killed or some such. In truth, the akalak wasn't paying too much attention to what she was saying, being too busy keeping an eye on her much more destructive body parts. "You will unhand me at once, young miss, I am not a child you can remove from the streets for your own nefarious purpose!" In fear, not for his life, but for a far more delicate commodity, Aren seemed to regress into an excessively exacting manner of speech. This was a trait he had cultivated as a child, when he had done something his mother did not approve of. Intuitively, he would begin to speak in a manner quite unlike himself, as a defense mechanism. It had been almost a hundred years since he had relapsed, a testament to the gravity of the situation he currently found himself in. Finally, they seemed to arrive at the kidnapper's intended destination where she released her grip on Aren's arm, much to the man's relief. Now that his stress level had been reduced, if only slightly, the akalak was more receptive to the words coming out of the woman's mouth. "Murder? Bah! That would be a preferable outcome to the one you currently threaten me with, Crusher!" His voice rising along with the thoughts his own sentence provoked, Aren neither noticed, nor cared for her attempt to remain quiet. Something did seem to have clicked inside his head, however, as the blue giant seemed inclined to follow after the woman he considered his kidnapper. Perhaps it was something she had said about some monks being unpleasant, and the information was acting on his subconscious. Truthfully, the woman did not emanate the palpable threat of someone who openly means you harm, but Aren's mind did not seem to be able to consciously pick up on that. It was simply too busy trying not to remember, a struggle made much more difficult by the proximity of the stimuli which provoked said memory.

[Aleksi]

She waited for the man to come into the room, before closing the door, she wanted to slam them out of their frame though. Pulling the cloak off of her, dropping the bag onto the chair that was closer to her and letting her fingers undo the braid that was for some reason, annoying her. Her eyes found their way to the Akalak just standing there, before she mumbled What is with you anyway? I have not done anything to you that you did not deserve! You provoked me! rather loudly, realizing that that might not be the best way to speak since Xi was probably still asleep int he room next door. Shaking her head at her own reactions, she took a deep breath and ruffled her hair up, letting it drop to her shoulders. If her memory served her well, she didn't kick the Akalak, the was at least a few inches taller than Xi, any harder than she kicked him. What was all the fuss about then? Frowning, she sat down on the bed and looked at the man again, adding You can sit down.. I don't eat people, you know.. If you don't stop being rude though, I might change my mind before leaning down a bit, resting on her elbows. From all that tensing and anger, her abs started hurting, strangely enough.. or was that her stomach? She didn't know and she didn't care. Now, why are you here? And how in the all the living Mizahar, did you find me?, Aleksi spoke, quietly, with her eyes closed and her body somewhat twitching, trying to find a comfortable enough position to calm her down enough so she could stop growling and yelling at the Akalak whenever he opened his mouth. Not really sure why he annoyed her as much as he did. Since, well, her had all the qualities that amazed her. He was tall, strong, not overly stupid and cocky.. he was even clumsy.. but he made just one mistake.. just one! And ever since... it all went downhill

[Aren]

Fear and apprehension temporarily being overcome by a profound sense of indignation, Aren's built up stress all seemed to be released in a single stream of very polite repudiations. "Now listen here, madame! First of all, I did NOT provoke you! Secondly, even if I had, there is not sufficient provocation in this WORLD to justify the severity of your response. And lastly... you can be assured that I did not FIND you, because I was not, in fact, looking for you. If anything, a very persuasive argument could be made for the notion that I was rather hoping to avoid you for the rest of my life. ALL three hundred years of it!" Out of breath, but having released a great deal of the pent-up tension that had been accumulating for the past four and half minutes, Aren instantly felt much better. He was still cautious beyond measure around this incredibly violent drykas, but at least the all-consuming terror he had earlier experienced seemed to have abated. After a few deep inhalations, the akalak felt even more like himself, after which he decided that the best course of action was simply never to discuss the matter again, "Now, I will tell you why I'm here... if we can agree to cease all discussion about the... incident, permanently." Eyeing the drykas with a tentative look, but still keeping himself fully secure, Aren was eager to know if the agreement was satisfactory, "Do we have an accord?"

[Aleksi]

The young Drykas was yet to learn how to control her anger fully, so she growled almost as loud and terrifying sounding as Luc. Her body instantly straightened up, being on her feet. She approached the Akalak and with her head tilted to the side, mumbled through her teeth I am already considering changing my mind about eating Akalak! How dare you speak to me like that?! Who do you think you are?! Turning her head so she doesn't have to look at him, which would probably result in repeating the "incident" as he called it, she started breathing deep again, trying to calm herself down. Her fingers playing with her hair and her foot tapping the floor. There was so much anger in her when that man was there... and he dared to say he did not provoke her! She does not simply kick people like that... for nothing! She grew up with men, for the love of the Web itself! Her heart finally slowed down a bit, cheeks started gaining a less red shade to them as she looked back at him. His suggestion was to forget about what happened... and it didn't seem like a bad one, but could she do that? Would she? If she continued the way she did, there would be blood in that room and she was pretty sure it wouldn't be hers. Frowning, she spoke again, this time trying to sound a little less angry, a little less like she did when... she stopped herself from thinking of the particular subject Speak Akalak, and I will keep my mouth shut, unless you do something that is not appreciated! Then, I will not speak, I will do what I did the last time, I swear on my Strider's name! She said it, but strangely enough, she didn't mean it as much as she did the last time she warned him. At the time, she was, much more than now disgusted by men and well, since Xi swooped her off her feet, that changed. It did not mean though, that they could even attempt to lay a hand upon her!

[Aren]

Her insistence that she would eat him did not faze Aren in the least. He had been among the drykas, and he was fairly certain that they didn't eat people. At the threat that she would inflict such an egregious injury a second time, however, Aren visibly tensed. He did not believe these words to be empty, especially when invoked on a strider, which he knew to be a special thing to the drykas. "I'm glad it wasn't me she dropped..." Seros chimed in, an odd tinge of sympathy mixed in with his usual mocking narcissism. "If she does it again, I'm going to let you out just in time for you to take the brunt of it, so be quiet," Aren replied, the promise a thing of steel. Knowing that his Other was deadly serious, Seros decided that silence would better serve him in this instance, at least until the immediate danger had passed. He was, after all, Aren's exact opposite; an individual who served only himself, who craved only to satisfy his most base desires. He would never willing place himself in harm's way. "Listen, I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. So, I'll tell you why I'm here, as a show of good faith," Aren was now trying his best to be diplomatic, for a variety of reasons. One was that he simply did not wish a repeat of his prior experience, and another was that this girl might have information about this city which could prove useful. Mostly, however, his instincts told him that she could be reasoned with, whatever grievances they might have with each other. "I'm here simply as a wanderer. No particular reason at all. I was in Riverfall before, and in Syliras before that," The akalak did his best to sound as sincere as possible, which he was, but one never knew what could happen during delicate negotiations.