Closed How Do You Drive This Thing? (Viper)

[Kaie]

44th of Summer, 513 AV
10th Bell

Old habits sure die hard. Years later and far from the child's play out in the jungle, Kaie was still at it. Sitting on a fat, exposed root of a nearby tree near the dying embers of last night's fire, the savage unsheathed her dagger. Laying across her lap was a carefully chosen branch. The spouts of twigs and shoots that grew leaves had been cut off. The bark had already been stripped clean to reveal a fresh, white woody flesh beneath. With one end of the wood tilted down, Kaie again placed her dagger near one of its ends. Her moves were rhythmic. The Myrian slid her edge down the wood to peel off another layer and then another. Bit by bit, the end was becoming sharper. More lethal and the whole thing was starting to resemble a primitive looking spear. Maybe a short pike nonetheless. It had been some time since she had carved out weapons with her cousin Keikyo in Falyndar. With so much time passed, it felt like a lifetime ago. By the quality of her work, it certainly looked that way.

The savage woman stopped to inspect it. Each stripping of wood had left a clear flat side on the spear's shaft. Ultimately it was becoming more like an octagon than a desired circle to rest her fingers around. Certainly she was no pro at the art. She never had been. Perhaps she was just feeling nostalgic that day and thought she'd give it a try. You know, for good old time's sake.

Suddenly without warning there was a sudden rustle of brush. Nothing too loud or out of place, but enough to capture the Myrian woman's attention. Like clockwork her head snapped up to find the source. Bold brown eyes narrowed a bit, scanning her surroundings for the culprit. After a few more moments of silence she went back to her work. Bringing the dagger back to the wood to bring the end to a better point. Then came that damn sound again. This time the savage was convinced it was no regular wild animal. She stood up promptly, makeshift spear in one hand and dagger in the other. Bare feet moved a few paces forward and she bent her knees some. Entering a ready stance that prepared her both to fight and allowed her to see through the foliage better.

Kaie watched the trees, feeling the sway of the world around her. The wind. The way the birds chirped to one another high in the trees. Just waiting for whatever it was to make itself known...Before she found them first.

[Viper]

The morning was like any other. The warm glow of the sun casting its rays down on the world below. It's light causing to stir all the creatures of the forest that favoured the day. And brought to a close the activities of those that preferred the night. This morning however, soon changed when on the wind, Viper caught the scent of a campfire. "What in the world..." He thought to himself. Someone had a campsite set up this deep in the forest and away from the city? That was ballsy. A frown soon appeared on his brow as he wondered if it was criminals of some sort. Perhaps some investigation was in order.

Trotting onward and following the direction of the smell as well as the slight haze of smoke, he soon came to a halt. Having come close enough for comfort while astride his horse. He soon dismounted and thought about how he wanted to approach this. Usually he tended to bait and wait for his prey. But if he wanted to be the one advancing, he'd need ...something. A distraction! Hmm, he thought to himself as his eyes drifted toward his faithful Strider.

A grin soon broke out over his face as he pulled his bow along with one of his armour piercing arrows. Stroking his horse gently along its back, Viper did not tie him to a tree. Instead he said, "So what do you think about trying something new? You think you can be the lure today?" A quick but soft whinny was all the reply Viper needed to allow a smile to break across his face. "Very well, my friend. Let's see what we got out here." With that, he pat his horse and sent him slowly walking toward the camp. Though Aeyan would stop periodically to much on a tuft of grass or some other foliage that garnered his interest.

Viper meanwhile, quietly moved around his target area. Making sure to use the bushes and trees as cover. Hoping the noise from his horse would mask his own movements, he slowly but steadily moved to a good spot. And finally there it was. A small house sure enough. Out in the middle of nowhere, a small fire smouldering close by. But...where was the owner? He looked around but saw nothing. He could hear his horse getting closer, but still nothing.

It was then, something caught his attention. The sounds of birds...where were they? The chorus had been ringing out all morning. And now, silence. The sudden crunch of a leaf in the undergrowth captured his attention immediately. He shifted his position and changed his direction of search. And there it was. Well there she was. Some person he had never met, a spear of sorts in her hand as she moved ever closer toward his Strider. Was she really the only one out here?

Another look over the woman though, and he was less surprised. She was definitely fit for the wilderness life. And the fact that her first response was a weapon meant she wasn't ignorant of the dangers such a life would pose. From this distance though, he couldn't make much else out. Well one thing was at least more certain. Unless there were others who simply weren't around, she was unlikely to be a bandit. They tended to work in groups if they planned to "make a living" preying on people in the wild. Still. Judging from her combative stance, walking up with a cheerful good morning was totally out of the question. He'd have to approach weapons drawn for now. Not a great first impression, he imagined. But it was the smart play.

She moved a few paces closer toward Aeyan as she appeared to be trying to figure out what was approaching herself. And it was then, he finally came out from his position of cover from behind, aiming his bow and arrow at her carefully. In a firm clear voice he said loud enough for her to hear but not so loud as to startle her...hopefully. "Lower your spear! And turn around. Slowly!" And now would come the hard part of talking her down...

[Kaie]

Muscles tensing with anticipation, Kaie's body was practically quivering from suspense and in a good way. She edged onto the balls of her feet to ready herself, settling a tight grip around her spear. She could hear it now, that rustle. It was coming closer. And closer. And closer. Yet why did it sound so familiar...And rhythmic?

Then it seemed most of her questions became answered all at once. Just then, strutting through the thick foliage came a beast. Hooves click-clopping softly upon the ground, snapping twigs and crunching leaves, a horse emerged. There was something different about it though. The way it strode from the darkness of the woods. It was clearly a horse meant to be ridden. And the breed itself looked strangely familiar. Though from where?

Kaie shook her head at the scene, her uneasiness growing at the sight. She could worry about the significance of the horse's bloodlines later. For now she had to focus on the facts of the matter. Gritting her teeth, eyes scanned the wilderness around her in a menacing fashion. She adjusted her feet to find a more comfortable stance. For the Myrian questioned one thing that mattered most: Where the petch was the rider?

Kaie edged toward the creature, eyes still shifting about warily. She moved in to inspect the thing. Hoping to find some clue as to what she was dealing with. She didn't have long to debate, for she heard the voice of the intruder. One that was already making demands of her.

What the petch is this? Some knight on his rounds? I'm out of their damn city for Myri sake...

At the realization she was found first, the Myrian woman let a sarcastic grin slip across her features. She released her left hand from the spear and lifted both hands just even with her head. Spear hanging loosely in her grip, she turned slowly in a mocking fashion. One brow arched in an almost challenging way. Bold brown eyes searched what laid before her. And all she found was a man whose face as hardly visible between his clothing. Bow aimed right at her chest. How cute.

"You know, when most people greet a stranger, they start the conversation out with hello," She replied teasingly with a shrug. The savage stood there in her traditional loincloth and loose leather vest. Barefoot as always. All in all she looked exactly like some sort of feral woman, not that she minded. Bold brown eyes stared the man door defiantly. Kaie just waited to see what the man would do next.

[Viper]

An eyebrow raised in response to her remark and he soon chuckled lightly. Her body language obviously depicted a snarky, headstrong woman. She didn't seem to fear much, and he was actually slightly surprised at how calm she remained. He thought on it for another tick. If she really was alone, he'd imagine not much really frightened her to live out here. Didn't seem to have a grasp on what "drop the spear" meant though. A smirk stayed on his face as he did admire her gumption. Brazen little thing...I like her. He thought amusingly to himself. Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he continued. "True. And yet, it would appear you meant to greet me in much the same fashion." He said in the same teasing tone as he gestured to her spear for just a moment.

"But! Since now we each know what we are dealing with. Perhaps we can introduce ourselves like normal strangers do?" Slowly, he lowered his bow away from the Myrian. He paused for a tick just to test her and she what she would do. Raising an arm up to his face, he lowered the mask which had covered most of his expressions till then. "Hello. The name is Viper." He said in a friendly tone and proceeded to give a small bow, which was then followed by him whistling a quick tune. A tick later, Aeyan came trotting up to him. "And this flea bag is Aeyan." Aeyan whinnied happily enough, though he eyed the rather strange (to him) looking woman somewhat warily. Not sure if she really was friend or foe quite yet.

His free hand rested once more where his arrow met the string on the bow. His stance still showed he was relaxing, but still more than ready to respond to any hostile act. His earlier smirk had now turned into his simple customary smile. "And now it's your turn "stranger". While he awaited her response, he looked her over trying to glean more bits of information about her. Her general appearance reminded him of a Myrian. Though...she seemed to possess far fewer tattoos than the other Myrian's he had seen in the past. Perhaps she was a little different than her bloodthirsty brethren. Hmph, unlikely he again thought amusingly to himself.

[Kaie]

It was a silly thing for her to do, to refuse to relinquish her spear completely. The man was the one with the advantage. He had the range and the jump on her. With no choice, she was forced to raise her hands and comply. It wasn't like she could've so easily managed to hide behind a tree before he could get a shot off. Even if she had, he still had the petching range. Not to mention she was shyke at throwing her spear too, especially one so poorly made. Kaie would've been surprised if it was aerodynamic at all to begin with. At least a sharp tongue had long range too.

"Awe, don't you barbarians have some sort of saying about making assumptions?" She reasoned with a bit of shrug, a smirk floating between false innocence and smugness on her face. Really she was a fox caught in a trap. A bandit caught red handed. Yet even she was still unsure of her crime.

Just when she was sure he was about to announce his loyalty to the knighthood, announce some ridiculous allegation, and try to tote her away to the Tank, he did something unexpected. He lowered his bow. With the arrow pointed away from her chest, she felt less like some sort of hostage. She could breathe. Still Kaie eyed him as if distrusting him, wondering if he was trying to trick her. When it seemed he was set on keeping things more...Friendly...She decided it was acceptable for her to react accordingly. Just as he began to introduce himself, the Myrian woman lowered her hands to her sides. With her handmade weapon at her hip, she toyed with it. Rotating it and trying a better grip in her right hand. Then she relaxed her fingers all together. Just let the weapon hang loosely there instead. Always at the ready if he decided to change his mind.

A crooked grin replaced her mocking one from before. The way he bowed amused her. It was such a typical barbarian custom and one she should've been used to. Call it the imprint of the jungle, but still it seemed foreign to her. Silly. She did recognize its tone of friendliness and respect nonetheless. This Viper didn't seem so bad yet. Kaie didn't trust him per say, but was it really so bad to show caution in these woods? It's not like she could hang him for playing it safe.

"Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadows. Clever trick with the horse by the way," She admitted generously along with her own introduction. Casually she tilted her head as if studying the man and his horse. Bold brown eyes wandered his expanse and then the animal's. Eventually, her chocolate pools lit up with a bright understanding.

"If I'm not wrong that's a Strider, yes? Which would make you a Drykas?" Kaie asked suddenly with new information at hand. She had spent whole seasons around the horseclans and their mounts. Though she was useless with Pavi, she could identify the prized horses and the tattooed riders more often than not. Considering this one was mostly covered and there was no specific look to their race, she was a bit uncertain. If not for the horse, she might not have guessed at anything but human at all. With his face covered she pinned him to be some kind of deformed man with ugly scars and ravaged tissue. Seeing his true face brought pleasant shock. This Viper didn't look half as bad as she might've guessed.

[Viper]

Her initial quip elicited a bit more laughter from his lips. Barbarian? So says the one in the loin cloth, light top, and a pointy stick for a spear? Well this Myrian was downright comical if nothing else. Definitely unlike the majority of her kind that he had run into previously. He didn't take offense at her comment though. No, not the barbarian part, nor about assumptions. The latter quite frankly, being something he himself probably would have said if he was in her position. "Mmm, right you are again! Yet I'd rather be a bit of an ass, and be alive. Than not, and be the one caught in a trap, which could have meant my end...wouldn't you agree?" He finished with a playful wink to indicate he still wasn't trying to be hostile with the comment. If a war of words was what she wanted to do however, he'd be more than happy to oblige. Still, he found her tenacity considering her position to be most charming.

Her second comment caused his smile to dim a bit. His eyes began to rove about, and his fingers tightened around the bow string some as he shifted a little uneasily in his spot. Was she not alone after all? Or was this some far away group that she claimed loyalty to even while away from it? "Thanks." He said simply to the compliment she managed to pay him, as he still wondered about his true position over her.

Her stance and how she held her weapon though seemed to indicate a person not really eager to fight. But appearances can be deceiving. He had learned long ago to never take anything at face value. And though he didn't want to make to many..."assumptions", to err on the side of caution was still advisable, he thought finally to himself.

Her next remark about his horse though, brought his focus back to her almost instantly. A small smirk managed to reappear as he tilted his head a bit while looking at her. "Aye. That he is. And that I am. Viper of the Emerald clan. At your service. You have a keen eye. Tell me. Where did you acquire it?" Although still somewhat wary after her introduction, he began to slowly drift back into a more neutral stance as he awaited her next response. His curiosity about this woman of the forest only growing with each passing statement.

[Kaie]

The Myrian woman shrugged her shoulders a bit and cocked her head to the side in a nod as if considering the worth of his logic. She couldn't disagree with him of course. Had he not stormed her with a weapon, she would've immediately pinned him as a petching idiot. Considering her nature, Kaie wasn't one to enjoy being held remotely hostage. At all. On the contrary, though, this Viper didn't seem half bad in light of the circumstances. He seemed amiable and fair. He did have the decency to lower his bow. Honestly, Kaie might not have done the same, but the action was still rather...Charming to say the least. If they were in the jungle she'd at least think it over before bird calling her comrades in to turn the tables on him. At least she didn't mind so much being kept by this man in particular.

He seemed to go dismal and distant on her as soon as she introduced herself. Brown, muddy pools that encircled the inside of her eyes scanned him. Searching for a reason for the dimming of his genuine smile so quickly. Did he know of her clan or her people? Did he have a personal vendetta against Myrian or something? The possibilities made her immediately clench her spear a bit tighter. Ready to try and avoid an arrow in an instant. Yet right when she was doubting him, his previous behavior returned. This time, with a new question.

"The home of the Goddess Queen in Falyndar. One learns to be quite observant in the jungle. I hear the Sea of Grass is no more welcoming, no?" Kaie asked curiously toward the end, tilting her head some as she recollected her own experiences in the grasslands. She was familiar with the Emerald clan on a meager level. Simply aware of them and a few of the clansmen as she and her father had passed through. Their travels had not been easy out there, and quickly she learned there was dangers just as perilous outside her jungle home. No doubt they had shaped the Drykas as firmly as the jungle's had shaped her.

[Viper]

He listened to her quietly, and let a grin slip across his face at the next mention of his home. "Aye. The Sea of Grass is definitely there with its own set of...challenges. Ready and waiting you might say, for any and all fools who dare to enter it unprepared. But if you have an ounce of intelligence and respect for its dangers, it can be survived well enough."

A slightly long pause ensued as he stared the women down trying to make up his mind about what he should do. With a slight grit of his teeth, he reluctantly and slowly removed the arrow from its ready and notched position. "What say we call a truce yeah?" He said in a friendly manner as he put his arrow back into its place with the others in his quiver. All the while keeping a sharp eye for any form of hostility now that he has relinquished his advantage over her in a show of lessoning aggression. Quickly continuing he suggested, "Perhaps even talk over breakfast? I have a couple rabbits here we could cook up if ya fancy it."

At this point his horse moved a little closer to him, causing Viper to reach out instinctively, and grab the reins nonchalantly as he awaited her response. He sincerely hoped she'd take him up on his offer. First off he was hungry, and she already had a fire going. Second, he did find her sort of cocky nature to be rather appealing. Viper always did like women that could handle themselves. He supposed they may have reminded himself of his kin back in the 'Sea', where everyone had to pull their own weight and contribute. Course the fact that she was cute in her rough outdoorsy sort of way wasn't a bad thing either, he mused silently to himself.

[Kaie]

Kaie nodded with a knowing sort of hint to her shadowed eyes. Somewhere back in her mind laid the images of Nightlions, Glassbeaks, and...Ziths. A swarm of creatures frolicking, hidden and otherwise, in the grasslands. A whole new world of challenges and perils she found were the closest to her jungle home's. In a sick way, it almost made her feel comfortable. It was like adrenaline had become a substitute for home, and anything less allowed a cloud of nostalgia to loom over her. This man was at least a season's ride from that world. Kaie on the other hand felt like her distance was that of a lifetime. Goddess, how quickly time had passed.

The woman noticed the man eyeing her, studying her as if choosing his next move. His own hesitation brought a wariness to her. It was as if she has suddenly remembered how important it was for her to keep an eye on [/i] as well. After all he seemed alright but she knew far better than to trust. Not that easily at least. It seemed he recognized those same points as well, for his olive branch was paired with the benevolent gesture of putting her arrow away. Her eyes flickered between him and his body. She was looking for weapons, searching for anything he might be able to jump her with. When she found he hadn't been reaching for any area potentially concealing one, Kaie decided to consider his offer. He seemed friendly enough.


"Alright then. Truce, " Kaie began slowly as if she was still mulling over the decision as she spoke. Still she dropped into a less hostile stance and backed up a few paces. Motioning him to feel free to sit by the fire if he fancied, all while she tossed a short stack of timber into the smoking pit. Crouching down, she situated a few stray twigs out of the way to allow the flames to breathe. Within seconds the fire was back to its slow blaze for Viper's purposes. Of course all this time she hardly took her eyes off him. Kaie couldn't ignore the clever mount beside him either, prompting her interest.

"All Drykas know to ride?" She asked casually, trying to mask her sudden fascination in the skill. She directed her eyes down at her working fire with new focus. Still Kaie couldn't help but steal a couple glances at the wonder of the Strider bond.

[Viper]

A smirk appeared on Viper's face, along with a nod given to her. While she began to tend to the fire, he went back to his horse and retrieved the couple rabbits he had promised for breakfast. Viper quickly took the offered seat and began to prepare the small animals. The went to their activities in silence at first. Each still obviously wary of the other.

However, when she asked about his culture, he smiled. After giving it a bit of thought, he replied, "For the most part yes. There are a few who don't. But it's rare. Of the ones that ride. Not all have a Strider like Aayan here though. Some unfortunately take a long time before they earn their windmarks and become full fledged members of our society. And some, never do. It's difficult, because to obtain a Strider, one must be chosen by the horse. You don't simply purchase one. It's partly what makes the bond between the horse and rider so strong."

He went silent for a few ticks as he skinned the rabbits and finished cleaning them up in preparation to throw over the fire. As he worked in silence, he'd steal a glance at the woman periodically. Strange. Most Myrians he had met were covered in tattoos. Viper wondered why she had so few. If she brought up subject, at least he'd have his windmarks to show off. But not really any tattoos other than those either actually.

Refocusing on the topic she had brought up, he finally spoke up again. "So do you ride at all? Or just get around on foot?" As he awaited her response, Viper skewered the rabbits and held them over the fire.