Monsters in the Dark (Oryani, Arundel)

by **Nathaniel Deveraux** on October 28th, 2013, 9:46 pm

Well, at least the woman wasn't too proud to put on the blanket as Nate had suggested she do. It implied that she had at least a modicum of common sense; a good sign, since there was certainly a fine line between pride and foolishness. And Nate really had very little patience for foolishness, especially when it came to a person's health. Making mistakes was one thing, but being foolishly reckless with one's health was, in his opinion, just about the stupidest thing one could do.

”Pavilion. Fire. Tea there,” she instructed, and Nate sighed. He supposed she was right; given the ferocity of the creatures that lived here, it was a minor miracle that they'd not been attacked in the night when he had been keeping watch. The attack by the lion made it clear that stopping for any reason would be a dangerous prospect, and with the woman in a weakened state it would fall to Nate alone to fend off any wild beasts that happened along; not an event that Nate wanted to court.

So they walked in silence, the woman swaying slightly in her strange saddle, clearly struggling to stay upright. Nate watched in concern, but he figured that beyond the tea, there was little else he could do for her as he did not know the nature of her condition. She seemed to be able to hold it together tolerably well for the bell or two they were walking before they finally made it back to the city, where she dismounted and walked the rest of the way to her tent.

She indicated the fire and commented on tea, which Nate nodded at. As she was busy preparing the fire, Nate carefully removed the delicate blossoms from the thyme plant, looking to boil them in the water to produce a nice-smelling and relaxing drink that should ease her cough somewhat, at least. The leaves were better for this, but they needed to be hung and dried before they would be suitable for tea, and they really didn't have time to wait for that to happen.

The sound of flint hitting steel behind him told Nate that the woman had begun the fire, and by the time he turned around, it was blazing a friendly orange. He placed the pot above the flames, having already dropped the petals into the water to steep. He did not have any form of tea bags to steep them properly, so the tea would not be as strong as he would have otherwise hoped, but it would be good enough for their purposes. He carefully placed the now-flowerless branches in a corner of the tent, intending to perhaps string them to dry at some later date.

Nate was frankly curious why no one else was in the tent, which was clearly not designed for just one person. But his wondering was cut short by a few more coughs from the Drykas woman, and he looked over with a concerned expression. A persistent cough like that spoke of a chronic condition usually, and those could be nasty if left untreated. Did they not have competent Healers here that could fix this for her? There was only so much Nate could do.

"Oh, I never did ask you, what's your name?" Nate asked. He figured, he may as well have a name to put to the face. Enemy or not, a medic should try to get to know his patient. It was part of good bedside manners, after all.

by **Oryani** on October 29th, 2013, 1:38 am

While Nathan put the kettle on the fire, another bout of painful coughs hit Oryani, searing through her chest like fire. She wasn't able to able his question for several moments, instead covering her mouth with her arm to hide the coughs.

"Oryani. Oryani Darkeye" she answered when her throat cleared, using the Pavi words. Nathan wouldn't be able to figure out the meaning of 'Darkeye' because of it, but... it was her name, and that was in Pavi. "Sorry no say before" she apologized, shrugging, while watching their small fire lick at the bottom of the kettle. It was actually quite awkward that she'd known his name, but not the other way round... funny she'd never mentioned it all night. Curling deeper into her blanket, she stared blankly into the flames, silent. Only the telltale whistle of steam pushing through the odd contraption brought her head up in surprise.

"Done!" the Chatakwe exclaimed, excited for the prospect of hot tea. She quickly stood and fetched a pair of cups from a small chest... she was unsure if the man wanted any of the drink, so found it safer to just bring a second. She picked up the kettle herself, glad the handle was of a sturdy wood rather than metal. She pored the hot drink into one cup, before setting the pot back onto the fire. Already, the heat from the clay mug was warming her hands, and Oryani could smell the herbal drink. It wasn't as strong as it could have been, but still smelled... delicious. There was a few purplish petals floating at the top, probably from the herb, and they looked quite pretty...

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by **Arundel** on October 29th, 2013, 3:30 pm

Nathan had been gone all night, and she assumed the worst. Like Aleixo, he had run off. Sleep refused to come, so she'd searched the city in the dark hours before dawn. There had been nothing. After looking on her own, Arundel had finally gone to the Watch. Why they weren't her first stop, she didn't know. Not thinking straight, lack of sleep, or maybe she just wanted to find him first. But she'd failed in her scouring, and the friends she had inquired to admitted they hadn't seen him. "He went hunting," a woman of the Watch told her when Arundel arrived. Dread filled her in an instant. "He became lost, so we sent one of our own after them. I believe they arrived not long ago. We were going to send someone to inform you, but here you are." The warrior signed apologies and efficiently gave the furious Dinos directions to this Oryani's pavilion.

Arundel swung up onto Domero's back, and the urgency of her movements sent him straight into a gallop. It was early enough that there wasn't much traffic between tents, so the two of them tore through Endrykas as if Zith were on their heels. A group of men lept out of the way as the stallion took a turn at a steep angle, digging his hooves deep and surging toward their destination. They shouted after her, and she spat a curse back at them, leaning forward over her Strider's thick grullo neck. Oryani's pavilion was up ahead. Arundel sat up and pushed her weight back, pulling firmly on his dark mane. He snorted and tossed his head, slowing to a canter then energetic trot. The Strider standing at the entrance of the pavilion whinnied loudly, and Domero arched his neck in dominant defiance.

He pranced toward the new horse, but Arundel coaxed him away. He struck out with a front hoof and squealed, spinning in a quick circle when she applied pressure to his inside flank. "Easy," she told him firmly, and he snorted again. She stopped him several lengths away and slid off, landing heavily on the beaten down grass. He watched the other Strider, ears shoved forward, as Arundel stormed toward the entrance of the pavilion. "Nathan!" Her voice was angry but hopefully all at the same time. She slapped aside the large tent's flaps and stalked inside. They were both there - Oryani and Nate.

The Watch woman was bundled in a blanket and held some kind of drink. It was aromatic, even from where she stood at the entrance. A hearty fire blazed next to them, and a kettle bubbled over its heat. Tea, perhaps. Arundel shook off the distraction, and glared at Nathan. "You! Gone! Why?!" Relief flooded her system, clashing with the anger that mirrored the fire burning in the pavilion. The polite part of her couldn't help but sign greetings at Oryani. This was her home, and she had retrieved Nate. But Arundel could hardly think straight. She wanted to strangle the man and rip his hair out.

"I searched. Bells! All night." Her voice was rough with barely controlled emotion. He hadn't run from her, at least that's what they told her. He'd gone hunting. But he was back and safe, albeit dirty and haggard looking. "What is that?" she asked in Pavi, moving closer to examine a strange stain on his shirt. It was brownish-red, and looked very familiar. Coagulated blood. "Are you hurt?" she snarled in Pavi, then turned pleading eyes on Oryani. "What happened? Nathan is in my charge. I searched for him all night." Her hands formed an unsteady, desperate sign. Please, it asked. She stood close to him, but kept an acceptable distance. He still didn't like her, even though by this point her opinion of him had changed. Nate's sheer dislike for her was a challenging thing to contend with.

OOCI'm sorry if this is riddled with mistakes and typos! I'll have to fix them later!

by **Nathaniel Deveraux** on October 29th, 2013, 6:31 pm

Nate was tempted to take some of the tea himself. It never hurt to consume the hot drink; thyme was very good for you even if you had nothing wrong with you. But before he had an opportunity to do so, he heard the sharp, angry voice of Arundel outside the tent, calling his name, practically shouting it in fact as she stormed into the tent.

"You! Gone! Why?!" there was a note of accusation in her voice that Nate did not like. It wasn't like he was trying to run! He hadn't even considered that possibility in some time.

"I was trying to hunt," Nate growled. "What else was I supposed to do, sit around? Oh yeah, that'd be real productive, huh?" The exhaustion of the event was catching up with him though, and Nate sighed wearily.

"I searched. Bells! All night." Nate was a bit surprised to hear that. She did? Why? It wasn't like he was particularly valuable; he was, after all, apparently merely compensation for the loss of Aleixo. Nate figured even if he had been eaten or fallen down a crevasse or something equally... final happened to him, she'd simply receive yet another "replacement". One slave was as good as another, right?

"Why?" he asked, eyes glinting. "Even if you lost me you'd just get another replacement." Nate sighed and rubbed his nose. "I'm not so stupid as to leave Lea and Kat. But I'm a hunter. What was I supposed to do, learn basket weaving?!"

Arundel seemed interested on the blood on his shirt, and asked something in Pavi. Nate had no clue what she asked, and then she asked something else, again in Pavi, and Nate continued to stare at her uncomprehendingly. What was with these people?! Did they honestly think that if they talked at him enough in their language he'd magically pick it up, like a sponge in water?

Before he could open his mouth to tell her that he hadn't the slightest idea what she was saying, she turned and asked the other woman, Oryani apparently her name was, another question, once again in her native tongue, with a sign to accompany it. Nate sighed softly as he decided to walk over to where Oryani had placed the second cup. Pouring a bit of the thyme tea into the container, Nate let the aroma fill his nostrils as he took a deep breath to try to calm himself.

Until either woman decided to address him directly, Nate decided he'd do his damnest to try to try to ignore them both. And where the petch was Kat?! Didn't Oryani say that he'd get to meet his sister? Unless, of course, that was a lie. Which truthfully, Nate would not have been all too surprised if it was.

by **Oryani** on October 29th, 2013, 6:56 pm

Oryani was so startled when the Drykas stormed into the tent that she nearly dropped her drink. She was about to welcome them, thinking some of her family was back, but realized she didn't recognize the woman. Frowning, she listened to the outburst, attempting to decipher the Common but failing miserably. Instead, her questions were answered when the Drykas changed to Pavi, addressing the Chatakwe directly.

"He got lost while hunting, but by the time I got to him... it was already too dark. We camped out the night, but we were attacked by a Night Lion... we took it down, but I think he got injured..." Oryani frowned, trying to remember what had happened over the dark night. Honestly, she hadn't noticed the blood stain, and considering it could have been either Nathan's blood or the cat's. "Honestly, I haven't noticed. I'm in worse condition... I picked up a cough overnight, as I don't deal with cold well." She stared at the woman with a little surprise, wondering how living with such a person would still leave the Syliran bitter. Honestly, the Drykas seemed quite worried about Nathan... and it was funny how the man simply didn't notice. The language barrier was quite annoying, to be sure.

Taking a sip of her tea, she winced as it burned her tongue, but still kept at it... the hot liquid felt amazing, even in such a small quantity. "He's safe though... luckily. Uh... did you want tea?" She stood up to grab another cup, once again shedding her blanket. The woman looked like she'd been fretting the whole night, and gotten no sleep... but the same could be said for everyone in that pavilion.

"Oh, I am Oryani Darkeye, of the Sapphire clan. You are?" She smiled, but it quickly disappeared, when she began coughing again. It incapacitated her for several moments, and she was bent forward from the pain and force. She winced, straightened, and took another sip. She didn't want to see the woman's reaction, so stubbornly avoided the Drykas' face.

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by **Arundel** on October 30th, 2013, 12:53 am

Arundel expected an attitude, and she tried not to let his comment bother her - but the hurt in her eyes was hard to hide. His tone conveyed much, and she understood the word replacement. It was something one heard often in a clan and family that relied heavily on trading. Replace this, replace that. It seemed, though, that she had made no progress with Nathan. He was surprised she'd been out looking for him, and assumed she thought he was expendable. From the first day he'd been put in her charge, she never thought of him as that. Inconvenient yes, but not expendable. His life had no less worth than anyone else's, and life was precious in Endrykas now more than ever. He still believed that he was a slave - but had she ever made him work to the bone? He was expected to pull his weight and help like everyone else, but never had she put him in a position where he could be considered a slave. Arundel turned her face away from him as he went to pour himself a cup of tea.

She could feel her anger fading quickly, giving way to gloom. Her fury had been a quick flare, like the spark from flint being struck. But it didn't catch to tinder, and she was too tired to keep trying to rekindle it. She listened intently to Oryani's recollection of the previous night's events. A chill crawled up her spine as the Watch woman retold of the lion, and the unwelcome memory of her own recent encounter popped into her mind. Arundel pursed her lips, folding her arms tightly around herself even though the pavilion was comfortably warm from the fire. She shook her head at the offering of tea, not sure she could keep anything down right now. Her stomach roiled and churned with unease, and she glanced at Nathan. He looked to be moving alright, and surely he would have treated himself if he were injured. She violently fought the urge to go to him and check for herself. He would only resent the attention.

Arundel couldn't help but cringe at Oryani's cough. After the Pox and everything that had happened to their people over the past few years, the slightest sniffle set her teeth on edge. But she trusted that Nate had already checked out this problem as well, and he didn't seem too worried. A glance her way perhaps, but nothing more. The fact that he wasn't glaring at her outright made Arundel strangely unhappy. Perhaps staying the night out there with her had kindled some sort of affection. She was a pretty woman after all, with beautiful long hair and large dark eyes of the Chatakwe - a group of people Arundel was not unfamiliar with. Jealousy reared its ugly head, like a glassbeak raising its bloodstained beak from the torn remains of a carcass. She shoved its disgusting face away, refusing to listen to the suspicions it whispered.

Why did she even care? Nathan disliked her and everything she stood for. He hated Endrykas, and would leave if the opportunity arose. No matter what she did, it was impossible to make him happy, or ease his transition into his new life. She genuinely tried, but he just wouldn't meet her halfway. There had been a few small moments where he showed the side of him that he kept hidden away behind sarcasm and anger. The moments were rare like gems, and she coveted them with the hopes of more to come. Those glimpses behind the mask had changed her opinion of him, despite how hard she'd fought to keep a barrier between them. He did it unintentionally, but he had torn large holes into the wall she was trying desperately to hold up. It teetered precariously, threatening to crumble with just the right tap.

Perhaps it was for the best that he had no desire to befriend her. Arundel smiled at Oryani, but it was brittle and less than convincing. "Thank you for finding him. Without a horse especially, his chances of survival were slim." Her hands emphasized her thanks, forming the signs for gratitude and indebted. She was glad that Oryani had found him. There had been enough grief and death within this season to last her a lifetime. Sometimes it felt like a heavy pack weighing down her shoulders, and she was unable to shrug it off. There had been more than a few nights that Arundel lay awake and listen to the sounds of her sleeping family, needing to know everyone was there.

"I'm sorry about the cough," she offered. "Did he brew you a remedy?" Already, Arundel knew that Nathan was the kind of man to do such a thing. At the slightest hint of injury or sickness, he flew into action to do what he could. On top of that, he was good at what he did. It was a reassuring thing to have someone around who knew medicines. Cyphrus was a dangerous land, and having a medic on hand could easily mean life or death. A cough could turn to fever, and a cut could become infected. Arundel ran her hands down her tired face, wiping the sleep from her eyes and raking her fingers through her shoulder length waves. "Do I need to leave him with you so he can watch after you?" She glanced around quickly, noting how they were alone. It didn't feel right to leave the woman by herself with a cough that could possibly turn to something deadlier.

by **Nathaniel Deveraux** on October 30th, 2013, 3:36 am

Arundel had seemed hurt by Nate's words, and the reaction surprised him, though he was careful to hide it. It just simply made no sense to him. In Nate's mind, Arundel, Oryani, indeed all the Drykas were enemies, and he felt they should treat him equally as an enemy. You can respect your enemy, you can acknowledge them, you can certainly hate them. But you didn't care about them. That was foolhardy in the extreme. None of what the Drykas were doing made the least amount of sense.

Nate sighed, closing his eyes and trying to push the events of the last night behind him. They'd been extraordinarily lucky. Unbelievably so. He attributed the lack of a second attack during his second watch to the fact that they'd moved away from the the attack site as quickly as possible, and the fact that, as it turned out, they weren't actually all that far away from Endrykas. It was probable their close proximity to the city was what kept the predators at bay, as Nate had to assume that the riders he'd seen guarding Endykas made regular patrols of its immediate surroundings.

What was really curious was why the lion attacked alone. From what Nate understood of the nature of cats, they tended to travel in pairs, at least. Perhaps this one was a young male that had left his pride to form his own. Nate could not know for certain; the only cats he'd encountered in Syliras were cougars, and the dynamics of those animals did not necessarily translate to the lions that stalked the grasses of Cyphrus. The only other pack dynamic he'd ever seen were wolves, and Nate knew better than to hunt wolf, lest he bring the wrath of the pack down on his head.

The two women conversed in their native language, leaving Nate to simply sip his tea. He rather preferred it that way, honestly. It was just... easier, to think of the Drykas as his enemies. Not to be believed, not to be trusted. And why shouldn't he? They hadn't exactly given him any leeway when they took his sisters, why should he give them any? At least that was the logic that ran through his mind. Still, when Oryani coughed again, he glanced in her direction. He really did not like the sound of that cough.

When the women finished their conversation (or at least, when Nate thought the conversation was in a lull, he couldn't actually tell since he had no idea what was being said), Nate came over to Oryani, concern clear on his face. "Are there any healers in this city?" he asked her, as he offered to top off her tea. "You really need to get that cough looked at as soon as possible. It's not good to let such things linger."

Nate figured that since Oryani did not appear overly concerned about her own coughing, she must get these coughing fits fairly often. Which, truthfully, just concerned him even more. Because to his mind, that implied a chronic condition. Were none of the healers and doctors in this blasted city worth anything?

by **Oryani** on October 30th, 2013, 2:51 pm

"He did, actually" Oryani replied to the woman's question, raising the cup as an example. "Tea helps a lot with coughs for me..." She shrugged quietly. Coughs were nothing new, with her resistance to sicknesses, they were a common sight for her. "My grandmother will be coming soon, and she knows how to deal with my coughs as well... however, I did promise that he could see his sister... she is with my Uncle. Would you like to wait here?" She said this in answer to the offer to leave Nathan. It was sort of funny to think of the man as the only one to take care of her... as that was completely false. There were many Opal clan healers around, and she would visit them if things began getting serious... but at the moment, the cough wasn't too much trouble... just a painful annoyance.

When their conversation stopped, she heard Nathan speak, and glanced over at the man in surprise. He mentioned healers, and city. And something about her cough. "Yes healers?" she said, wondering if she'd answered the right question. She decided to explain the whole thing, to cover any loopholes she missed. "My grandmother help. I cough... a... lot. If bad, I go to healer. But no bother... they busy." She grinned wryly, wishing there wasn't such an annoying language barrier... honestly, it made the Drykas seem like idiotic barbarians, since most of their Common wasn't exactly... perfect.

Thinking on it, it was still amazing how nice Nathan was being right now... like he was almost concerned. Considering his demeanor that night, this was a major personality change. "You know," she commented to the woman in Pavi... she still hadn't gotten that name. "He was a real jerk last night... kept calling me his enemy, and I swear he thought I was there to kill him. It was funny at first, but... honestly, he was really annoying. But the moment he started coughing, he became actually nice to me. Funny man. I much prefer his sister... she's sensible. He got so pissed when I talked about her though..." She chuckled quietly at the man's expense, wondering how well the Drykas knew Nathan. Oryani barely knew anything, except he could be incredibly annoying, stupid, and strange... if this woman had known him since the tenth, she probably understood him a lot better... except Nathan had probably just shown his annoying side... rather than the surprising caring she'd gotten recently.

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by **Arundel** on October 30th, 2013, 3:39 pm

Arundel looked around the pavilion uncertainly. She didn't want to intrude, but also didn't want to leave Nathan, even though she'd offered to. It took a moment for her to reply, but she finally nodded a reluctant ascent and signed thank you. The Drykas decided to take a seat nearby Oryani, close to the fire. It warmed her body quickly, helping the tense muscles begin to relax. Nate's sister being involved with this woman's family took her by immense surprise. She honestly didn't know what to say to that. Ever since she learned of his siblings, Arundel had wanted to meet them. She wished to see if they were like him, or perhaps were different. A part of her even wanted them to like her, but that was up in the air. Maybe the whole Deveraux family would hate her guts. The idea left a bad taste on her tongue.

She pursed her lips, rubbing her chin speculatively and gazing into the dancing flames. The exchange between Nathan and Oryani fell on deaf ears, as she considered what this sister would be like. Did she look much like her brother? What was she skilled at? Did she resent the Drykas as well for her capture? Arundel hoped the girl liked it in Endrykas, unlike Nate. Surely not everyone brought in from the raids was bitter and hateful of their situation. Quite a few had actually volunteered to come along, hoping for a new start or to escape a less than desirable old life. It wasn't easy living the way the Drykas did, but it was a fulfilling sort of existence. They relied one each other and the land, working together to survive. The moves were often exhausting and dangerous, but her people had mastered these lands and knew its quirks.

Nathan would witness his first move at the end of fall, which was approaching surprisingly quick. They would follow the Run west to the other side of Claridon and settle into the winter grounds between Stardown and the border of Cyphrus and Eyktol. Hopefully Antia, Aleixo's sister, would be strong enough to handle such a move. She was making good progress, but Arundel didn't want to think of Aleixo right now. It still made her angry and bitter to remember how he'd left them so foolishly - especially his sister. Her eyes turned up at the sound of Oryani's voice, once again speaking their familiar tongue. She smiled apologetically when she recalled Nathan's behavior. It was a little embarrassing how clueless the man was. Even now, he still thought Arundel would toss him aside like a hand-me-down.

"I'm sorry for that. It's hard being around him most of the time. He refuses to understand. I try to explain to him, and to show him, but he won't listen." Arundel ran a hand across her eyes again, furrowing the brows and leaning back in her chair. She was tired, physically and emotionally. "He hates me, and everyone in Endrykas. Except his sisters. I haven't met them yet, but I'd like to. Your uncle purchased one at the auction?" She looked at Nate, watching him take a sip of tea. He watched the two of them with a slight glare, even though he worried over Oryani. A sudden realization occured to her, and she looked at the Watch woman apologetically. In her exhausted mind set, she'd forgotten to introduce herself. "I'm sorry, it completely slipped mind," she began absently. "My name's Arundel Dinos. Amethyst Clan."

How long they would have to wait until Nathan's sister would arrive, neither she nor Oryani knew. Apparently it would be soon, but that could change. Arundel shifted her seat, leaning an elbow on the arm of the chair and resting her chin on the heel of her hand. She tapped her lips absently, feeling her eyes lull as the warmth of the fire blanketed her. She shifted suddenly to wake herself, leaning on the side of the chair and placing herself in the same position. Again, her eyes lulled. Feeling a little defeated, she decided they could wake her when the others arrived. With that promising thought, her eyes closed and she drifted into a light nap.

OOCNow to continue this in part two.

by **Taylani** on November 11th, 2013, 5:07 am

Nathaniel Deveraux

Skills :

Lores :

Oryani Darkeye

Skills :

Lores :

Arundel Dinos

Skills :

Lores :

Notes :

Completed Monsters in the Dark (Oryani, Arundel)