Flashback [Cobalt Mountains] The Crossroads (Letixia)

[Kaie]

43rd of Summer, 511 AV
18th Bell


It was strange how she could have so much interaction with the swarms of people within Syliras and still feel so alone. Even now for as long as she had been living there, the city still left her feeling vacant inside. Only recently had she discovered that the forest itself could bring her solace, as dangerous as it was even with the Knighthood's patrol. Perhaps it was the the gentle song of the birds in the trees, or the smell of fresh air untainted by civilization that so captivated her. Sylira looked nothing like her jungle home in Falyndar, but it was almost just as wild. It was in these woods that travelers whispered stories of a vicious, winged beasts that preyed upon the careless explorer. Whether they held merit, Kaie wasn't quite sure. Then again it was apparent some people thought Myrians were just a conjured tale adults used to get children to do their bidding. Goddess, did she startle some drunks at the tavern when they realized what she was only a night before.

However the savage woman did not venture into the woods late that day purely for pleasure. It was business...sort of. A few bells before she had began her training with Molly, the little girl with big dreams of armor and shields in her future. Their time together since the bronzed woman's hiring hadn't been long ago, but still she found herself impressed with the little girl's tenacity. Too pure for bloody, gruesome battles, Kaie had thought, and yet the youth was so industrious. Yet it seemed all the squires and Sers were just that way. Expected to be pleasant, polite individuals with a mean streak when you put a sword in their hands. The time was done for training though and Kaie was headed back toward the city gates. It wouldn't be long now. Another bell or half bell probably. And though the knights had trampled the earth she walked so often it was almost a clear path back, she always wore her sword.

Travelling from one corner of the world to another had taught her one thing at least: never let your guard down on the road. Ever. So as she passed yet another small cottage, brown curls billowing in the summer's breeze behind her, amber eyes blazed from one side of the forest to the other skeptically. Still she had to wonder who would be travelling out here this late?

[Letixia Raigner]

Leti was strolling through the Bronze Woods, her backpack slung from her shoulders, her fishing pole in one hand, resting on her left shoulder. Her right hand carried her net, several fish nestled within it. She'd caught them from several hours spent at the Avitar River. She just wanted to cook and eat them now, but she wanted to be closer to the city, closer to the roads and the Knight's patrol routes. She'd used a common path and spot to fish, but there were always stories and rumors of monsters in the woods. She was no longer on a trampled down pathway, walking between trees and bushes. It was quite a hot day, and the hiking was beginning to soak her in sweat. She continued onward, trudging up and down gentle slopes, until she came into a small, rocky clearing. It looked to be a safe enough spot, so she set her pole down, leaning it against a tree. She set her net down on a large rock, followed by her pack. She stood up fully, and began looking for some loose rocks. Her father had taken her out camping a few times in the past, and while she wasn't amazing at it, she thought she could still build a decent cooking fire. While searching for rocks to make a perimeter, she sang a song her dad used to sing when she was young. She didn't care how out of pitch it might be, not that she could tell, or how loud, because out here, there was no one but her. From Yahebah to Ahnatep I journeyed through Syna's desert Over the dune, step by step Always keeping my eyes alert From Ahnatep to Riverfall I traveled through the horseman's land Where the grass and man grow tall Always fast of foot, my sword in hand From Riverfall to Kenash I traveled through the swampy glades Here a land where money and power clash Always careful with tongue, words stronger than blades From Kenash to Syliras home I traveled through mountains and woods A stronghold of Knights, where the truth may roam Always safe and sound, to peddle my meager goods. After having found a decent payload of sizable rocks, she dumped them near the most level portion of her clearing. "Now then, let's find some firewood."

[Kaie]

The Myrian snapped her head suddenly, pausing mid-step like a deer within the forest. Amber eyes blinked several times as if bewildered, searching for the strange sound graduating increasing in volume somewhere up ahead. Hardly a tick later her head had tilted like a curious animal, suddenly identifying the sound as a voice. Someone was...singing.

Kaie quickly slid behind the trunk of a nearby tree just then, her sunkissed hand gripping the handle of her gladius. It was an utterly ridiculous gesture considering where she was. The woods were regularly patrolled by the Knights of Syliras, whose armored fists held their city in a tight vice of peace. There was hardly any crime in the area. In the exceptional case that there was, it was never long before the Syliras authority caught up with them. Whether it was the slammer or the sword, justice always came accordingly. The system was as good a deterrent for wrong-doings as anything in Mizahar. And still the young woman erred on the side of caution. Old habits really do die hard.

Slowly she peered around the cracked skin of the tree, just enough so she could see ahead. The voice had belonged to another girl, her back to the hiding savage as she continued off from the beaten path and deeper into the woods. Step by step she was disappearing deeper into the foliage until Kaie had to strain to find her. Then she had vanished, leaving the woman with a knit brow of curiosity. Amber hues flickered between the clear path and the direction the stranger had gone. Then without much of a second thought she followed her impulses, stepped out from behind the tree, and she too disappeared into the forest.

Kaie's steps were as careful as she could muster. Often times her feet would crunch along the broken twigs and audibly bend the tall, native grasses at their spines. She experimented with her footing, stepping with different parts of her feet. In the end she found pressing down with her heel and rolling forward to her toes was the most efficient way to keep quiet. However it wasn't until a chime or two later she discovered the stranger again. This time she was periodically bending down within a small clearing to retrieve a collection of rocks. All of which were eventually dropped in an even area of the ground.

"Strange thing out here, for barbarian woman to camp alone," Kaie said suddenly as she stepped into view from the tree line a few chimes later. Her steps were slow and a bit hesitant as if still trying to figure out what drove her from her way, the beaten path back to the city. An armful of dry wood fell from her hands with a thud a few feet from the stones."You come from, what you call, farm nearby?"

[Letixia Raigner]

Leti nearly jumped out of her skin when the unseen woman spoke. The words were a bit ominous, especially after she dropped the wood she was carrying. Leti half expected her to charge at her with a spear, despite not seeing one on her person. The young girl began looking around, her eyes searching desperately for a way to escape. Her body tensed, and she was fully ready to dart away like a startled deer. Then the woman spoke again. The way she put her words together was strange. She must be a foreigner. She certainly didn't look like a native Syliran. Leti saw that the woman had some sort of sword and no shoes. What sort of person doesn't wear shoes outside? Meekly, still a bit hesitant at meeting a stranger in these conditions, replied to the foreign woman. "I come from the city, not one of the farms. My name is Letixia. Are you from the city too?" Her guard still up, though mostly pointless against anyone with an ounce of combat capability, she crouched down in front of her rocks. She began constructing them into a small circle, though it wasn't the most perfect of them, more of oblong oval really. She kept her eyes on the woman, waiting for a reply or reaction, still a little unsure of what might happen. If she showed the woman she was absolutely no threat, perhaps she'd leave her alone.

[Kaie]

A mirthful grin twitched at the corners of her mouth upon noticing the woman's rather obvious nervousness. It's not like she could truly blame her for her reaction. Had she been crouched down arranging a fire alone in the woods and an unexpected stranger appeared, Kaie would've gone for her gladius and asked questions later. Of course the whole loincloth and vest ensemble she was wearing didn't really help suspicions against her. In this world, no Child of Myri was to be trusted. Especially not when you were all alone in the forest. Would anyone even be able to hear a scream?

"Let..Ix..Ia?" She asked slowly, brow knitting as she tasted the word on her tongue. Her mouth twisted as she seemed to be trying to internalize the pronunciation of the name, lips moving silently as she tried again. Then came a defeated shake of her head both to the challenge of the woman's title and her question."No. Come from Falyndar. Live in city, try to camp most of time out here," The young woman replied with a shrug of her shoulders. She tilted her head just slightly as her amber eyes watched the woman's gaze.

Suspicious. Distrustful. Wary.

The Myrian crouched down across from the Syliras woman before the rocks she was arranging. Then slowly her hand moved to her own dropped pile of twigs and small branches she had collected. A handful was taken before she set to work in the middle of oval circle.

"You feel safe with the Knights," Kaie pointed out while she moved a several pieces of firewood into the middle of the circle in a neat stack. Then she began to slowly arrange the rest into a tepee around the aforementioned stack. Her hands worked slowly and meticulously for a tick before she spoke again. "If you did not, you would not be here. Not by yourself." The pyramid around the stack was relatively even with gaping slices left open to let oxygen feed into the fire. Then she leaned back on her heels and let her amber eyes again find the woman. "Why?"

[Letixia Raigner]

If Letixia wasn't nervous before, it certainly showed now at the mention of Falyndar. Her father was from Yahebah, and she'd heard plenty of stories of the jungle people. She'd heard stories of them eating each other for fun and mating with snakes and tigers. Her face was adorned by the wide eyed look the Myrian may recognize in an animal that knew it had missed its chance to run. Hands that supposedly belonged to her continued adjusting the rocks, but she felt as if she wasn't truly there anymore. Fear had completely consumed her, and she couldn't even bring herself to run away. This monster woman was going to eat her, she was absolutely sure of it. The monster woman was now arranging wood in her ring of stones. Was she just toying with her? Forcing her to build the fire that she would cook her upon? Did they even cook the people they ate? Then the woman spoke words that rang so ominously, that she almost broke down crying right then and there. This woman was taunting her, mocking the safety that she felt because of the Knights. Every word that came out of the woman's mouth, to the young girl, seemed to drip with menace, and something else... hunger perhaps? Leti knew she was alone, and off the road, and that even if she screamed, ran as hard as she could, the Knights would either be too far or too late. She found herself paying no mind to the wooden structure that was built for the fire. All she was worried about was the correct answer to the woman's question. Her mind was thinking of ways to get away, to live a bit longer, but it kept throwing up impossible barriers. She knew she couldn't wait too long without answering, so, her voice cracking, she replied. "B-- be-- because they've never f-- failed me before. They've never let me get hurt out here." Maybe if she could delay her seemingly imminent death, a Knight might happen upon them. Her eyes quickly found the wooden structure now, allowing no time to appreciate the efficiency of its use. But a fire would take some time to be created, could save her life. She was never a good liar, so she didn't even bother to try. Besides, she'd always been told that the truth, in proper amounts, could get you through anything, Tyveth willing. "I-- I have flint in my p-- p-- pack." She couldn't hide the fear escaping her lips, but she was at least managing to keep the tears at bay, and prevent her body from trembling uncontrollably. Rising slowly, hoping to not startle the monster woman, she made her way to her pack, each step feeling as if it were a hundred. Leti's eyes kept darting to the woman and away, making sure she didn't just attack her. Reaching her pack, she rummaged through it, finding the flint and steel needed for the fire. But then something her father had told her a long time ago came forth in her mind. Fear is the killer of faith. Never let fear consume you, never let it blind you. Fear corrupts the soul. With Yahal, faith can kill fear. Believe in Him. Leti continued digging through her pack, until her hand closed around another metallic object. Her eating knife. Even though it was dulled with age and purpose, her grip on it made her feel safer. She knew Yahal would always lead her down the proper path if she kept her faith. This was simply another trial of his. Her mind was made up. If she were to die and be eaten, she wouldn't go down crying. Dropping the flint and steel back into her pack, she whirled back to face the monster woman. Her right hand pointed the meager weapon at the Myrian, her voice having lost much of its tremble. "You're not going to eat me! Not today!" Her eyes were steely daggers, looking through tears. She might die sooner for this action, but she wouldn't go out in fear.