Closed Success and money have nothing in common.

[Jayce Asher]

23rd Winter - Somewhere around Zeltiva, lost, alone and really annoyed. "I've had it up to here with you!" Jayce began screaming at the ground. It wasn't in his nature to become this aggravated so easily, but this was the first time in his lifetime that he'd been pushed over the edge to this extent. His limbs tired, his back ached and his lungs were about ready to give in on him. He'd been walking for about a day, without food or drink, and he began to feel the pain creeping in on him from all around. What irritated the young man the most, was the burn of the rope on his back, that seemed to be sawing into it deeper and deeper with every step. All around him was grassland, although it wasn't exactly a flat environment. Hills stooped up on the horizon all around, and he saw no way around them. The ground he walked seemed to also climb gradually, and his feet were throbbing slightly in his boots. "AAAAAAARRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" He couldn't help but let out a scream. His pain had built up, and now he felt like dying here and forgetting the whole mission. "Oh, Jayce, you fool, what have you done to yourself?" The only thing he could do to keep himself from going completely insane was keep himself company. The clouds turned over him once or twice, and as the hours passed, he felt more and more uncomfortable with the way his belongings were arranged. The sun fell miserably to it's corner in the sky, and the colour of the sky reflected this. What was (only a few moments ago), a beautiful array of reds and oranges, quickly became an ominous and darkening blue. "It's not use, is it, my hero?" He convinced himself, "I'd best just retire to my tent now, you'd best, better you?" He didn't seem to notice speaking gibberish, as he slouched down against a protruding rock and slipped off all of his belongings, (including his padding and breastplate). After setting up his tent, and arranging his things untidily inside it, he curled up and tucked himself into his cradling winter blanket. With an uncomfortably empty stomach, he rocked himself from side to side, shuffling in his bedroll. He listened around, licking his cracked lips and half resting his eyes. Eventually, cold began to deepen and rot inside him, and he shivered in the darkness. A wind whispered over the hills, and an eerie, unsettling mood befell him. In the darkness, he felt as though something watched him from afar, or at the very least, knew of his whereabouts. Clouds wandered around the sky, like black ghosts in the purple void of the sky, searching for meaning. A moon rose, then, though Jayce couldn't see it through the canvas of his tent. It shone brightly, radiantly, beaming the Sun's light across the ghosts in the midnight sea. Jayce suddenly remembered what he'd been told by Mr. Dungeolah on that day in the port. Grasping some pegs and ropes, he tugged lightly on the tent, bringing all sorts of knots together to form a wind-tight setup. He felt much better with the wind gone, and allowed himself some rest while he sat upright in the middle of his small, portable home.

[Manx]

Manx was perched awkwardly on the thick bough of the tree he'd climbed up after spotting the rabbit hole. He sat there, bow drawn forth with an arrow propped on it's frame by his left index finger. He had waited before at one of these holes, having noticed they were the homes of rabbits - waited for hours & hours with absolutely no luck, but that was much earlier in the day and he knew of animals that had nocturnal tendencies, hoping this species was one of them. He noticed the sun fading around him and the sky turning a murky grey & blue colour, he remarked for a moment about how the clouds were so far away before turning his attention back to survival. It had become easy to forget to focus on survival on the seemingly welcoming area of Sylira in comparison with the mountains around Wind Reach. Manx felt almost as if he was cheating life, having moved away from the hardships that his kin would be facing day after day, he had not only done this - but had forgotten the amount of effort that he should be devoting into his tasks. It was when he was most focused upon the small hole in the ground, and when he saw the faintest flicker of movement - that he heard the man child come kicking and screaming on the path not far from where he perched, very Avian-like. Manx heard the man yelling and talking (to himself!) and saw a sudden flash of movement in the hole, followed by an eerie silence that radiated failure and disappointment. Slinging his arrow from the bow and into his quiver and then his bow over his right shoulder, Manx placed his hands gingerly to the branch under him and proceeded to extend one leg down to the branch under him, like a mixture of a newly born deer and a man testing the temperature of the bath water, he started his all-too-tasking journey down the tree he had somehow climbed previously.

[Neola]

The sky was dark and held no emotion as Neola trotted slowly along one of the many paths from Zeltiva that led to Syliras, her Mixed-Blood Rain constantly huffing and puffing from the non-stop walk they had shared for an indecent number of hours. The only sounds they could hear was the slow and gentle patter of Rain's hooves as they connected with the path beneath them and the occasional gust of wind that howled into their ears. Tied onto the saddle, that Neola was placed upon, were two backpacks and her Instrument case protecting her fiddle, one backpack on the left and the other two pieces on the right of Neola's body. Item after item was stuffed and plunged into the backpacks until there was definitely no room left for more and Neola had to travel with what she could bring. A shaky breath was slowly released from Neola's mouth just as the sound of a shout rang into her ears. Both Rain and Neola instantly turned to the direction of this sound and frowned, Neola reassuringly stroking Rain's mane, "It's okay, girl, probably just some-" Her sentence was interrupted as she heard it again, this time louder and actually making her heart thumb in her chest. Neola carefully pulled the reigns towards the direction of the sound and looked down at Rain, who looked reluctant to move, "Come on," Neola whispered warmly, barely smiling as if she was trying to convince herself more than her horse as she spoke, "I doubt it's anything but we should check just in case..." There was a silence between the two of them as Neola's eyes glazed over in thought and wonder. She wasn't one to be curious but if someone was hurt or in pain, Neola would always regret not being there to help. Although she enjoyed being alone and being in the arms of nature, Neola couldn't disagree with simple kindness. Sighing and gently running her fingers through the mane of her friend, Neola carefully tapped Rain's side to move which she did with a small amount of reluctance. The comforting sound of hooves began to decrease the nerves Neola hadn't even realised she had and soon it was gone when she was a mere few yards away from the creature that had created the hassle; the human that had created the hassle. Neola wasn't expecting to a see a human at all having once decided to investigate, especially not a male. Her eyebrows furrowed with slight confusion as she swiftly jumped off her saddle, landing pleasantly, wobbling only slightly from the disproportion of the ground. She moved towards him quietly and with a faint amount of unease, her movements precise. When Neola had arrived the man had been putting up a small and, by looks of it, fairly cramped tent. She was unable to see him anymore as he had entered it mere moments ago but having not seen him properly, she was unsure if he was okay. Battling with herself to speak, Neola moved towards it and abruptly stopped, sighing deeply, "Hello?" Neola's voice was a vague whisper as the wind coincidentally blew a gust which shortened the sound. Looking around the fast amount of land for a moment, Neola ran a hand through her hair, fairly impatience. She waited for a moment for a reply but after deciding it probably didn't reach his ears, Neola spoke again, this time louder and with more emotion in her voice, "Um, hello? Are you okay? I heard a scream and just want to see if you were... Okay?"

[Jayce Asher]

The man's rest was interupted suddenly by the inquiry of the woman. Being in his nature to do so, he jumped at the chance to introduce himself to a young lady, and promptly sprung up from his sitting position. When he moved the canvas aside, he was stunned by the woman. She was attractive, in her own right, with a pale complexion and flowing, long hair, that varied in all shades of blonde and brown. The thing bothering Jayce, was how unfamiliar the woman before him actually was. If the woman was of any wealth, however moderate, the odds are Jayce would have 'interacted' with her already - he felt stupid for his unknowing. "Well, I can hardly say I'm not okay," he began, still somewhat perplexed by the stranger, "Are you okay?" Although Jayce was a charming man, and extremely skilled in conversing with others (mainly women), he wasn't a master, and this situation left Jayce a little bit in the dark. He set back his hand to his hair, to groom it quickly, making himself look as presentable as possible on such short notice. He was confused, but he put on the most enchanting face he could manage at that time - which, it's safe to say, was enchanting by most standards. Jayce realised that he hadn't any armour on, only his casual clothes, which made him look slightly less impressive. He struggled for words, at this point. What would he do? He could hardly ask her to come inside, his tent wasn't big enough. He couldn't offer her a drink, he was in the middle of the wild, without even a tankard to fill! He resorted to his back-up plan, which was quite simply, "Why are you all the way out here?" Jayce hated prying, he was more of a 'Just keep complimenting them' kind of person, not one to get personal with anyone. A series of whinnies and huffs came from around the rock, and he realised that Neola wasn't alone. He thought it something of a salvation for him, which was pathetic considering the short distance he'd travelled. Jayce had travelled only a fraction of his total journey, and he tired already - he hoped Neola was good news. He still couldn't get over the fact that she was that attractive, she possibly even raised the standards of the rich girls in Zeltiva by a notch. Jayce climbed slowly out of his tent, though it was dark around him, and the horizon eched with the piercing calls of animals. Wandering round the rock to find her horse, he realised that he had just left his whole tent open to this woman. What if she was a bandit? What if she was an assassin? Jayce did think of himself as a good target for assassinations, but in his mind, the worry was probably unnecessary. The horse was beautiful, as far as he could tell - it was at the very least in good shape. Jayce didn't care much for horses, but for the sake of making a good first impression, he decided he'd inform her that it was 'The most amazing creature' he'd ever seen. Suddenly, the chill of the cold hit Jayce again, and he was worried for the woman. He didn't want her to have to put up with this, and wondered how she had been so far. "Are you alright? I mean, are you not cold?" His lips quivered as his said this, and his teeth were chattering wildly. In all honesty, Jayce was hoping that this girl knew how to light a fire, and he considered asking her. For now, Jayce would see what threat she posed, if any, and evaluate her to better his chances if he wanted to 'give it a shot' later.

[Manx]

Manx slipped slightly on the wet-ground beneath his feet, though there was not any snow in this area at the moment, the soil was still wet. Shirtless, Manx felt the wind brush against his skin and shivered for a moment - cursing under his breath about how the wind was a fake sort of cold. Taking a moment to see the floor in-front of him, Manx began to reach out with his right foot - toes extended - and placed it down onto the floor, he moved his weight forwards onto the ball of his foot and placed his heel gently to the ground, he crouched slightly and was basically tip-toeing over to where he heard the noise. He could see the path nearing as he made his way through the shadows and stopped, lowering himself to the floor for a moment - placing both hands out, fingers outstretched to the floor, to steady himself. He heard a strangely familiar voice as it spoke between chattering teeth "are you not cold?" the strangely familiar voice said and Manx ( using his excellent powers of deduction ) worked out that somebody else had either come over to the man or been travelling with him all along. Reaching back carefully, Manx drew down his bow - making sure it didn't touch his quiver as he removed it - and held it in his fist which he rested on the ground. Taking a moment to steady his balance and breath, he then lifted his right hand to his back, pinching an arrow into his fingers and slowly drawing it out from his quiver, wincing at the tiny noise the tip made against the wood. He lowered his right knee to the floor slowly and as such could lift his body more upright, his muscles were cramping from having kept him in such an awkward position. Manx knocked the arrow on the bow-string, letting the strand of string sit neatly within the shaft's groove but he held the arrow from the frame of the bow - fearing the noise it might create. Listening further, Manx wondered who the voice might have come from and thought he could gain a clue by staying un-noticed for now.

[Neola]

Neola soon doubted herself that the man had not heard her or was not even awake after having waited for a fair few moments. She knew she was inpatient but the time she waited seemed to be forever. Her body began to rotate to turn back however it instantly stopped in place at the shuffle and sound of movement. Her eyebrows raised in question. The entrance to the tent was all of a sudden pushed aside and a young, and decently handsome, man soon locked eyes with hers, making Neola have a double-take. She moved a single foot back and gazed at him. He was attractive; Neola couldn't disagree with that. He had a pair of captive blue eyes and hair that wasn't too long or too short; it was what some would consider, perfect. What am I thinking, Neola screamed to herself mentally, turning away and blinking rapidly, defeating the temptation to shake her head, I can’t just think like that. I don’t even know him. When she had the confidence, Neola awkwardly looked back at him, avoiding his gaze and instead began stare at his forehead to exclude these thoughts she had never even witnessed before. She ignored the shouting crowd in her head saying his forehead was nice as well. Neola was thankful when he spoke. Thankful to some extent that her thoughts were of his appearance and instead on replying to his voice; His alluring, smooth- “So you’re sure okay?” Neola wondered once again, watching him suspiciously, “And... I’m okay I guess.” Her reply held nothing but pure confusion at the fact he was asking her the same question she had spoke originally. He had said he was okay but was he lying? Perhaps she was speaking to the wrong person. He didn't look like the sort of person who would scream or yell for no apparent reason. Neola knew she was judgmental but she honestly couldn't see it. Before she could ask questions that had begun to uncontrollably sprout inside her mind, the man spoke again, catching Neola off guard. Her head tilted slightly at the question. It wasn't one she was expecting. "Why are you all the way out here?" It took Neola a moment to sort out her thoughts as she began to jumble words together for a simple yet interesting reply. She was outside of Zeltiva for a reason, a reason in particular that she thought was important. She was travelling, doing what her Mother had promised they would do together. She was mainly travelling to Syliras for a successful career in busking but deep down, Neola wanted to go there for her Mother. “I’m travelling,” Neola replied after being silent and dwelling on her thoughts, having the guts to finally look at him in the eye, “I’m going to Syliras. Hoping to start a new with what I have. I assume you're travelling as well...” Neola frowned a fair amount when she saw him slowly move past her and in the direction of Rain when a huff sounded behind her. Was he going to see her friend? It made her nervous to think he was going that way as she barely knew him and definitely didn't trust him yet. Even if he had a handsome face, Neola wasn't that naive and knew she shouldn't trust him just yet. She waited, with a fair amount of patience, for him to come back. Neola was surprised to see him with chattering teeth and shivering when he came back, her conscience only just taking notice of the bitterness of the weather. The cold nor the sun seemed to annoy Neola so the sharp shiver that she felt was almost comforting and was barely even there. She shook her head from side to side at his question, "No, I am not cold. However you look freezing and the opposite to me," Her voice was leaking with worry at the fact he could get frost bite or a chill from the weather. It never really occurred to Neola the consequences of the cold. She would help him for now but Neola knew soon she had to move on towards Syliras if she ever wanted to get there.

[Jayce Asher]

Not the cold nor the dark comforted Jayce one bit. If he wasn't standing before the beauty that approached him a few chimes ago, he'd be shriveled inside with fear and discomforting notions. He wondered exactly why she was travelling all the way to Syliras, especially with her being such a young and vulnerable woman. The cold circled him, and he longed to be curled beside a fire. Oddly enough, this one time only, he didn't have any intention to flirt with this woman. Instead, he summoned all of his courage, that would otherwise be spent on seduction, to ask the question he'd been dying to ask since she arrived here, "Would you camp near me tonight?" It must have seemed a little bit forward, but Jayce wouldn't pass up the opportunity to share the comfort of having such a woman so close to him while he slept. The atmosphere was alarming, and he couldn't exactly see her wanting to carry on along the road to Syliras by hersef. "In fact, if it's not a bother, we could maybe share the road to Syliras?" He figuratively bathed in his own confidence, it hadn't failed him before then, and he expected it wouldn't fail him in the years to come. Whatever the woman's reply, in all honesty, would still mean that Jayce could return quickly to his refuge in the confines of his canvas shelter. He trembled some more in the bitter nip, and did all in his ability to convince Neola to stay with him in the campsite. "You could set up camp metres away from mine, and I can protect you, if it comes to it!" He said, and spent a short while explaining his history with the sword and shield. Suddenly, it came over Jayce that the animals around him were making less noise than they were a few chimes aqo. His observation skills weren't bad, as he worked on them inadvertently whilst lady-hunting. At first, he had no clue why they'd cleared off, he just figured that they'd strolled away casually. He then realised what Mr. Dungeolah had taught him, that animals around Zeltiva weren't keen on leaving prey (that meant Jayce), and they'd only be found to leave a place if a greater threat caused them to flee. Something was on the hills watching them, he could feel it in the air. A short while came while he awaited Neola's response. He'd noticed that the lady didn't answer his questions at the speed he'd like - 'she must be trying to impress me with sentence structure', was his initial thought, though the worry that she was merely hesitant to converse with him did cross his mind. He made an encouraging gesture with his head, as if nodding in the direction he wanted her to set up camp, and made a joke about her horse looking rather tired from the walking. Even if she wouldn't stay with him, Jayce was glad he'd encountered the woman today, and didn't think it would be the last he'd see of her.

[Manx]

Manx finally realized the reason his memory had retained the voice he heard, hearing his words once more, he realized that the man that had been screaming at everything was in-fact his friend Jayce, who he hadn't seen for a number of years. Though he would have jumped out to shake hands with his friend there and then, he realized that this speech of his didn't seem right at all - it wasn't ordinary enough for him to be talking to a man but it wasn't strange enough for him to be talking to an ordinary woman either. Pondering for a moment, Manx stood up in the shadows - unable to see Jayce and whoever else he spoke with beyond the light canopy of leaves that were to his left slightly. Manx drew back his bow properly, letting the arrow shaft rest against the frame of the bow as he let a mischievous grin form over his face. He was quite sure that the man on the path was Jayce and Jayce was always very controlled when talking with women, so Manx would change that for a moment. Kneeling for just a moment, Manx guessed roughly where the people would be stood and leaped over the small brush in-front of him. Doing a very simple rotation in the air, Manx pressed his feet down into the hard dirt path underneath him and managed to keep himself up even in the damp conditions. A moment later he raised his bow, looking at the scene in-front of him to try and detect Jayce in particular. Landing in the slightly better-lit pathway, Manx's hair was particularly dark in the moonlight and looked like waves of blood against his bare chest, if he was laying on the floor it might have actually looked like a serious injury to his head, rather than a head of hair. He was mostly a silhouette with the moonlight behind him, only some light made it through his light hair to give his head a red aura. Another thing that was apparently to the two of them was the shape of a bow and the very slight glint of an arrowhead, Manx was about a metre away from Jayce and couldn't help but grinning at he pointed the arrow at his friend. Quickly discarding his happiness and deepening his voice, Manx spoke out to the man and his accomplice - who the hot blooded Inarta had practically not noticed at all, whilst caught up in playing this prank on Jayce - "Jayce Asher, I am an assassin sent to kill you for your wealth." It took all that Manx was not to burst out into laughter, he knew well how paranoid Jayce was of being assassinated or robbed - or being in a real fight.