Closed A Pocket Full of Mischief

[Ceira Everwood]

19th Day of Summer, 513 AV The days were getting hotter, longer and drier. If Ceira looked outside, she would see the golden sun high in the azure stretches of sky, which faintly dotted with a couple of clouds to the east. Although Ceira didn’t want to crawl out of her tent, the patchy tarp provided the only shelter she had against the noonday sun and she was still sleepy - why would she leave it so quickly? Maybe because I’m hungry, genius. As if on cue her stomach let out a gurgling grumble, warning her of the nourishment it needed soon. Damn temperamental... Fine. I’ll get your darn food. Continuing to complain about the need for food to survive, she changed into her clothes, shrugging on her not-so-white shirt to which she tucked into her tan pants. Ceira didn’t bother with her cloak or boots today and instead strapped her dagger to her hip. She never went anywhere without the small blade, she didn’t want to tempt fate by going unarmed or otherwise. Unhooking the flap on the tarp, Ceira shuffled out, covering her eyes from the sun. She had made camp on a relatively flat surface of the mountain, she was within walking distance of the town, which was convenient. Her tent was situated next to a small tree, which she now used as shade as she poked through what she had to eat. Leftover mice... good enough. Ceira had taken to hunting for an hour or two the night before, somewhat the reason for why she had woken up late. She nibbled on the pieces of meat, satisfying her hunger, before she covered the tiny bones with dirt and dust. Absentmindedly, Ceira started to pace. It was a habit of hers whenever she was deep in thought - she often didn’t even realise she was doing it until someone pointed it out to her. It was at this point that she started to get further away from her camp, her legs just taking her for a walk. Well then, a little afternoon stroll won’t hurt. She closed her eyes, just enjoying a rare moment of solitude. Lately, she’d been spending her days in the city, wandering around, she had been thinking of getting a job possibly, but she didn’t know what exactly she wanted to do - or what she would be more suited for. Either way, she wanted to explore a bit more of the outside world of Zeltiva. Maybe find a new place to set up camp as she did so, mix up a bit. If there was one thing Ceira wasn’t, it was being decisive. She tended to take a long time thinking about things, or pondering choices. About a bell later, Ceira found herself nearing Mirahil Pass, the land entrance to Zeltiva. Heh. There was good hunting here in the craggy rocks last night. She smirked, Maybe I should camp closer. It would save the walk. She walked a little higher, ignoring the small stones she stepped on - she was used to being barefoot, she enjoyed it even, the feel of tufts of grass between her toes. A bit of a breeze could be felt now as she sat down and hung her legs over the side of a ledge, watching the rocks that she disturbed tumble down to the pass below. Ceira was a bit of a people watcher, she liked to take a step back and just... well, watch. Many people ignored the smallest of things, but it is what she loved best, being able to see things maybe others might have missed. She continued to pick up rocks, throwing them down to the pass below as she tried to see how far she could get them to go. One accidentally hit the hat of a caravan driver, who looked up in surprise, turning around and, once catching sight of her, shook a clenched fist at her. Well, sorry gramps - But you were in the way of my rock. Ceira just grinned giving a small wave as she mouthed a 'sorry' to the man, who only continued to glare at her.

[Ricky Maze]

"Laviku's beard, its hotter then a damn Loveless whore durin' worship bell at the temple." Ricky wiped the sweat off his brow as the heat of the day continued to build up, his patrol just started today and his post was to be over in Mirahil Pass. Lucky for him there would be shade, otherwise he'd have a heatstroke in his damn uniform. "This weather needs t' quit already." He quirked to himself with a grin and wave to the caravan that walked by, the old man gave a rather snooty look to him as he walked on into the city of Zeltiva. "Well petch, g'day to ye too asshole." Ricky's smile died to a dull frown as he walked further along the lass, unaware that this caravan's reason for a foul mood was because of what he encountered upon entering the city. Sure enough Ricky would find out when he went further down, right after he discovered that for some odd reason his pocket started to move. "Mew."

"What the petch?" Ricky dug in the jacket pocket of his azure uniform to find some sort of unidentified fuzzy object rested within, and when he began to wrap his hand around it the thing either scratched or bit his fingertip. "Gah! Fenvur ye little bast-" Right as he began to swear at the mischevious little kitten a rock learned how to fly somehow, and it just so happen to be in course to Ricky's crown. The pebble landed on its mark with a thonk that panged his mind, and then the guard reached up to the spot that felt the pebbles impact with a groan in between ground teeth. "Son o' a whore!" He nearly bellowed as he glanced up from the direction of the rock, of course with the sun in his eyes he could hardly see anything on the rocky slopes of the Pass. With a grumble Ricky reached back into his pocket and scooped it underneath Fenvur to bring him out, thus the kitten was exposed to the enviornment around him just as Ricky was. "Whatta ya doin' ye little pipsqueak?" He looked at Fenvur curiously, the kitten however only looked innocent to him when he did so. "Little shyke could'a suffocafed in there."

"Meow." Ricky sighed as he brought Fenvur close to his chest, right index and middle finger stroked the kitten's spine as he purred in delight. "Ye like pockets then eh?" He mused as he looked around the slopes once more, eyes squinted when the sun beams affected his vision.

[Ceira Everwood]

19th Day of Summer, 513 AV Ceira, unknowing of the trouble she had caused on the ledges of rock below her, continued flicking rocks as she scouted areas for her camp. Thats not flat... Also uneven... No shelter... Hmm. This is harder than what I thought it would be. She glared at the hilly ledges, as if it was their fault she couldn’t find a new place to settle. Letting out a sigh, Ceira observed the city from her vantage point, she knew that the ships docked at the port were huge, but from here, they looked like colourful children’s toys. The bell tower stood out in the distance, its tall looming structure imposing as it looked over the whole of Zeltiva and even though she couldn’t see closer, she imagined the markets and would be in full swing. Ceira's thoughts drifted back to her task. She thought she had spotted a nice place to set camp - a lower-level overhang situated deeply into the recesses of the hill, surrounded by grass. It seemed nice enough and it was close to the sport she had hunted the mice last night. It would definitely save the walk over here. Less effort spent on travelling, more spent on hunting. She continued to eye the spot, checking for anything that may be a cause for concern or something that could prove to be a danger. “Son o’ a whore!” Ceira was brought back to reality with a start, the sudden and irate break in the silence surprising her. Huh? Was that to me? She paused, briefly casting her eyes in a glance below her and, in doing so, caught a flash of light blue. Well, someone sounds angry. She leaned slightly over, her hands gripping the boulders behind her, as she tried to get a better look around the ledge. She had just managed to sight the man in blue again when his cross voice rang out once more. "Whatta ya doin' ye little pipsqueak?" Darting back in shock, as Ceira thought the man was talking to her, she let out a yell as she lost her grip on the rock behind her. She was sent skidding ungratefully down the side of the hill. She landed in a shower of rocks and grass at the next ledge - despite her best efforts to gain her grip once more - her hands and feet burning with scratches and scrapes. Freakin’ petching hill! I should’ve learnt my lesson from last time I stacked it! Shyke! Ceira stood up, brushing loose rocks, dust and dirt from her clothes as she inspected the palms of her hand. The scratches weren’t deep, only small dots of blood sprinkling across her palms. The patches of grass cushioned her landing, so she would probably only have a couple of bruises she guessed. She let out a small chuckle, “Ha. Take that you darn rocks.”

[Ricky Maze]

A voice called out in the air of the Pass as Ricky scanned the rugged terrain, a small barrage of rocks made a landslide that caused him to back away as they cluttered and clunked onto the ground before him. Fenvur and Ricky both had look of bewilderment as they watched the rocks all fall, until finally the stoney rain ceased to happen and let the air grow silent. Ricky then looked up to the spot where he saw the rocks come from, eyes squinted as he focused on the shape of a figure.

"The petch is goin' on?This damn sunlight is buggin' me eyes." The figure didn't seem to form any specified shape but he guessed it to be a human, female by the sound of the voice earlier, Ricky held Fenvur close with strokes on the spine as he called out. "Hey! Just what kind'o shyke 're ya pullin' up there?!" He couldn't make out a face or any figure detail, as the light of the sun blurred most of that out. "Damn this light, and damn this heat." He cursed under his breath, "I'm ready for it to cool down."

[Ceira Everwood]

19th Day of Summer, 513 AV “Hey! Just what kind’o shyke ‘re ya pullin’ up there?!” The man’s voice one more rang out from where he stood just a few feet below her, his tone laced with suspicious annoyance. Well, I guess that wasn’t my best move. I swear I’ve heard that voice before... Wiping a smudge of dust on her calf, she leaned over the grass-covered ledge, judging the height below and mapping a way to get down safely. Satisfied with her route, she leaned over the edge whilst gripping a rock to her right painfully, lowering herself down in fractions. Damn freakin'...Hands! Why did you have to get cut up? Hanging now by her fingertips, her legs scrabbled and aimed for the ridge she saw before and, upon finding it, she let go, dropping about a foot or so. From there she was able to hop across a couple more moss-covered boulders before she reached the bottom. “Well, I didn’t mean to fall! It... Happened.” Ceira called out to the man in blue, “I swear this hill just doesn’t like me...” She muttered under her breath as she pulled a tuft of grass out of her hair. I guess another trip to the bathhouse is needed. And I just cleaned these pants... Ceira decided that it would be best to apologise to the man, seeing as she was indirectly the cause of his annoyance. Walking around towards him, she started to pick out details, he was wearing the signature blue uniforms she had come to associate with the Wave Guard, who patrolled the areas around Zeltiva. it had a gold and navy sash crossing across the length of the man's back and chest, with gols buttons and navy shoulder stripes. A high collar, embroidered with more gold and navy, circled his neck. A belt held up long blue pants, with the long-sleeved tunic tucked into them. Darn, he must be cooking like a roast pig in that uniform. “Look, I’m sorry... Blame the hill if you want - it hates me! It tripped me four days ago as well.” Ceira let out a somewhat sarcastic apology, she wasn’t directing her sarcasm to the Wave guard, but to the mountain itself. Upon approach, she gained a better glimpse of the man himself, which was a surprising to say the least. Brown hair, blue eyes, burly build. Ceira believed that she had seen him somewhere before, but where? Her mind was a flurry of activity as she tried to place where she saw him previously. Hey, he's-- he's the guy that helped me out at the bar just last week! “Uh-” She knew this face... but his name was on the tip of her tongue. Richie... No, um, Rocco? Rocky? Ricky? Wait - Ricky! She let out a grinn, ignoring what had just occurred in the past five minutes. “Hey! Ricky! Long time no see, eh?” Ceira chuckled nervously, her grin faltering slightly, "Erm... Sorry about before I guess..."

[Ricky Maze]

"That be the case then why climb it?" He quirked inquisitively as he watched the woman descend, he had to admit she had a certain attitude about her he admired really. An attitude as well as voice that both definitely seemed to be familiar to Ricky. "Wait a bleedin' tick." His raised eyebrow furrowed as he finally managed to see more detail now that she finally came to the ground, when she went to further on and explained her recent trip over the Pass he definitely remembered her from somewhere before. "Petch! I met 'er not t' long ago... We were..." He had slept since then of course, but the night he slowly began to recall did feel warm and fuzzy.

"Was I hammered? Shyke! I can't recall t' save me arse if it came t' it." She seemed to recognize him just as well, even recalled his name after a moment to take into consideration. "Petch, what be that name? Carla? Serah?" He threw a smile on as she greeted him, and then apologized for the whole rock incident. "Dawh, petch the rocks lass. Good to see ya again though," He hesitated as his mind nearly drew a blank, "Ceira!" He more so guessed it then remembered. "By the Gods, what're ya climbin' the Pass 'round f'r?" He asked curiously, a bit amazed that sh would risk such a thing. "Yer just as likely t' fall if ye ain't careful." He may have sounded a bit protective there, but then again he did handle a bar fight for her.

Oh yes, Ricky finally began to remember. The stench of upheaved Kelp Beer as her drunken admirer blew chunks from a punch to the stomach, that was probably another reason why Ricky hardly remembered that night. Being close to a blackout never was good on his memory, not when it involved fights and the like. Still he was rather proud for standing up for Ceira even if she were a stranger, whereas they soon became properly acquainted after the ordeal. Ricky still would yet look her in the eyes when he spoke, but he at least looked in the direction of the face. That was enough to show that Ceira had his attention at best.

[Ceira Everwood]

19th Day of Summer, 513 AV Ceira continued to smile ruefully as Ricky forgave her about the incident before. She wasn’t one to back down easily but hey, this guy had helped her out last week, even if the events after the bar fight were a little hazy. She remembered the next day well though, she woke up that next morning with a migraine that pounded with every move she made. She hadn’t even bothered to remove her clothes the night before, so the stench of Kelp Beer had lingered overnight. Oh, that was a petching brilliant way to wake up that morning. I absolutely loved to wake up to the smell of rotten fish and stale sewerage. Ceira was slightly paranoid that she could still smell it - or maybe it was just burnt into her nostrils - even when she had thoroughly bathed over and over again. Heck, she even rolled around in some mud to try and override the stink. Ceira mentally shook her head and told herself to forget about it. She had started to worry that she had indeed mistaken the man when he looked a little confused towards her. Aw, crud. I got his name wrong, didn’t I? Although she hid her relief when he’d gotten her name right, So I wasn’t wrong when I thought I had seen him somewhere before... Phew. She was glad she didn’t have to add ‘being delusional’ to her list of things to get checked out for next time she saw a doctor. “By the Gods, what’re ya climbin’ the Pass ‘round f’r? Yer just as likely t’ fall if ye ain’t careful.” Ceira had to suppress a sigh, she didn’t mean it in a bad way, she just wasn’t used to people worrying about her, let alone people that didn’t know her very well. She came to the conclusion that maybe that was just what Ricky did, even she recalled him ‘taking care’ of the drunk dolt at the bar, with his fists, that is. “I’m fine - honest!” She protested, in an attempt to reassure Ricky that she was indeed alright. “And I have already fallen anyway so you’re a bit late on that count,” she smirked, one corner of her mouth tilting up into a crooked smile. Her hands and feet still tingled from the small cuts and scrapes she received on her ride down the slope, but she ignored them, they didn't hurt that bad. Besides, its not like i’m a stranger to pain, everyone gets bruised and roughed up a little. Its not that big of a deal. Although, Ceira second-guessed that when eyeing Ricky. He sounded like the kind of person that would run to the doctor when he saw someone stub their toe. Maybe that was just her own weird way of assessing him, but hey, it was her opinion. “And I mean, have you seen the view from up there? Its brilliant! Its worth all the risks! You can see the whole of Zeltiva and even out further to the water with the boats and...” Ceira slowed down to a stop, realising that she was rambling. Looking at it now, Ricky was a local, he would’ve seen it all before - why would she even bother repeating it? She inwardly smacked herself, You darn fool. Just shutup already... Following her own advice, she clamped her mouth shut and shot Ricky a sheepish look. It was then she noticed that he wasn’t really looking at her directly, rather, just upholding a blank stare. Huh. Ceira’s curiosity was piqued at this, whenever she talked to people, they would always either looked directly at her, or away. Instead, it seemed like Ricky was trying to pretend to look at her when he really wasn’t at all. She didn’t press him, thinking it wasn’t the best time to ask him why he was that way, personally, she didn’t think there was a right time to ask anyone that. Glancing around once more, Ceira spotted Ricky holding something in his hand. How did I not see this before? I must be losing my touch. Although in her defense, the ball of fur was hidden and dwarfed by the hands circled around it, his fingers stroking it softly. She stared at the fuzzball inquisitively, “So, what’ve you got there?” She stopped herself from reaching out and poking it, she doubted Ricky would’ve like that, but there was also the fact that she didn’t quite know what it was. It looked like some small animal, maybe an fluffy rat? "Heh. Little fluffball..." She said under her breath.

[Ricky Maze]

He should've remembered the high spirited attitude Ceira had about her, really her remark was nothing but a reminder as to when she entered the Kelp Bar to begin with. Yet it still took him by surprise nonetheless, and he could only chuckle at her in turn for making such a remark. Interest took over though as she began to describe what the view of Zeltiva was like, and Ricky's smirk presently died down a little when she trailed off for reasons he couldn't grasp. "Strange, she seemed so interested in tellin' me 'bout the view. Wonder why she decided t' quit all o' a sudden." He looked up to the Pass with eyes squinted once more, the sunlight blotted out most view of the higher reaches of the Pass from where he stood.

"Eh?" Ricky looked back down to Ceira who had taken an interest in Fenvur, the little furball still purred away as Ricky stroked his spine rather subconciously. "Oh! O' course! This little shyke bag," he brought his hand out to where Fenvur was before Ceira, "is named Fenvur. Found 'em in a broken box an' took 'em home with me." Ricky quirked with a humble smile, Fenvur looked up to his master with wide eyes then to Ceira curiously. "Mew."

oocSorry for the wait and horribly short length, been in a creative stump lately so I'm trying to pull through.

[Ceira Everwood]

19th of Summer, 513 AV "Oh! O' course! This little shyke bag is named Fenvur. Found 'em in a broken box an' took 'em home with me." Ceira watched in awe as the fluffball she previously mistook for a rat, was actually shown to be a small kitten. It was a light grey in colour, with a smattering of dark stripes along its fur, almost like a small discoloured tiger. Aw, its cute. In its own way... She has always had a mutual respect for cats, seeing as her mother was a Tabby-cat Kelvic, but she had always had a small part of her that felt they rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe it was the canine inside of her, but she ignored this feeling mostly. Oh, wow, I haven't thought about my mother in ages... Ceira's mother was similar to Fenvur in looks, yet had a distinct light brown tint on her paws. She felt a pang of sadness at the thought of her mother, she hadn't seen her parents for a good year and a bit now. I wonder if they're alright... The last time Ceira had seen her family was when she was running away from the authorities in Ravok. She had barely been able to say few words towards he parents when she left, not wanting to endanger them by staying any longer than necessary. That was a while ago and she remembered thinking of them almost everyday afterwards, but she had been growing slack lately, not having thought about them for a good time. Ceira felt guilt rip through her, hating how thoughtless she had become whilst pursuing her thirst for adventure and new experiences. Well, I wonder what my parents would think of me if they could see me now. I wonder if they would be glad or disappointed. Hm, maybe indifferent. "Mew." Ceira had a slight frown on her face from being deep in thought, but it quickly changed to her signature crooked smile as she watched Ricky stroke the small kitten on the back. She didn't have to be a genius to realise how much the fluffball enjoyed the attention, the purrs emanating from Fenvur were almost infectious in the way that them seemed so soft and smooth. The kittens curious look towards her made her sigh as it melted away a little at her somewhat bitter feelings of cats. She grinned, eyeing the fluffball as it turned to look at her with that same curious stare. "Well hey there, Fenvur, you small little fluffball." Ceira's smirk became a full-blown grin as she turned towards Ricky, who seemed to still have that vacant expression on his face. "And he seems very attached to you! You must just be a big softie inside, ha!" Ceira teased Ricky, punching him lightly on the shoulder, her tone playful in her sarcastic mocking. Maybe she wasn't too far off the mark. It really did seem like her was a genuine person, Ceira could feel her suspicious nature start to slip away, to the point in which she honestly felt like she could talk freely and not worry about anything she said or did. A slight breeze wafted through the pass and she felt a slight reprieve from the burning heat of the sun. Ceira leaned back against the rocky slope with one leg, crossing her arms as she did so, before addressing Ricky once more with a lopsided smile. "So, what have you been up to? Hopefully not getting into anymore barfights, I doubt your face could take anymore hits!"

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky took notice when Ceira seemed to appear vacant in her expression, her mind occupied with unknown thoughts as she watched Fenvur. It wasn't until the kitten's own call that she came around to finally greet the small fuzzy object, with a remark that brought a good laugh out of the guard at best. "I may look solid but underneath there be a teddy bear inside, as what most people come t' believe 'fter a while." He admitted with a wide smirk, chuckles still came as his amusement never seemed to lessen. She had asked him if he had been up to anything else, anything other then their last meeting when he fought a drunken lout. "Aye, same thing as usual really. Just workin' and takin' care o' the lass at home, things seem pretty quiet f'r now." He admitted with a loosely content grin, things have after all been rather wild lately. A chase with a suspect ended in failure, a stray kitten brought home to a new family, a surprise birthday party which really led to Ricky's own surprise because the one man he believed dead for the past eight years still drew breath. All in all thingd were just fine, although any more surprises and Ricky felt he would go mad.

Yes indeed his father had returned, after being thought dead for so long too. Ricky didn't know how to take it, truth be told he still doesn't. How do you reconnect with someone and make up for the time they were gone? He knew not the answer, only the bitterness he felt in knowing the man to be alive. That said he also still dealt with the potential threat, the escaped jail birds that likely targeted him now... Or at least he feared it may be him, he hoped it was him nonetheless and just that. He didn't want anybody else to end up getting hurt. "Yep, all quiet. Just the same normal r'tine I do every day." He quirked with a simple smile, as he hid the truth with a mask. He still stroked the kittens spine as Fenvur purred away, carefree to the world around him as he curled in Ricky's hand. "So what 'bout ye? Been doin' well since our last encounter?" He reflected back to her with deep eyes focused around the general face area, he would pay attention to her next reactions and see if she bought his little hide the truth facade.