PM to join A Favor Owed (Rend)

[Buras]

36th Spring 514 AV Buras approached the cave carefully. He held his quarterstaff, which he did train with a little every day since he got it, in front of him protectively. He knew that once Rend saw the bone token, she wouldn't kill him, probably. But until then, he wasn't going to take any chances. When he entered the mouth of the cave, his apprehension increased. He couldn't see the sky. He knew it was only a few strides in the opposite direction, but that didn't help all to much when you flew as much as you walked. He was also nervous because it was getting darker, and it was his luck to forget a lamp, or make a makeshift torch. But no, he thought it would be brighter then this. 'Maybe she isn't home. Buras couldn't help thinking a bit hopefully. As he turned to exit the cave, he heard the sound of rocks rolling across the cave floor. Whipping back around, quarterstaff raised, Buras yells "Hello? Rend? Is that you?" Hearing the tremor in his voice, Buras steadies it as best he can and says a bit louder. "Well? Come out where I can see you. You can't repay your debt in the shadows." Fumbling in his pocket with one hand, quarterstaff still at tne ready, Buras pulls out the bone token and holds it flat in the palm of his hand. 'Hope she's here.' Buras thought, he also thought about if someone could fight witn a quarterstaff with only one hand. 'Oh well, I can fight better with my bare hands any way.

[Rend]

Rend lay coiled in the darkness watching Buras, she'd heard his clumsy approach long before but chose not to rise. She could hear the quiver in his voice, smell the sour touch of sweat, see the white knuckle grip on his stick. She could feel his fear and somewhere deep with in her thrilled at that. Slowly, languidly, Rend began to rise, began to slide around the chamber holding close to the deepest pools of shadow "Hello? Rend? Is that you?" 'Yes little stealer, Rend is here for you' She continued making her way towards him, she could almost feel him under her grip when he called out again "Well? Come out where I can see you. You can't repay your debt in the shadows." Rend stiffened, her eyes focused on the carved bone he produced and held out to the room. Rend's mind danced with desires and possibilities, then stepped on to consequence. A dull red flare of light filled the room as rend kicked aside the cold coals to reveal the hot embers to the air, She was stood barely a foot from Stealer as she did so. In a swift step she closed the gap and wrapped her fingers around his stick, leaning in towards him. "And what does Stealer want?"

[Buras]

Buras relaxed when he saw the light of the embers. But that didn't last long, because Rend seemingly appeared out of nowhere, grabbed his quarterstaff, and leaned towards him asking him what he wanted. He nearly let go of the quarterstaff and take a swing at her, but managed not to. Instead, Buras says, as calmly as he can, "My name, is Buras. Oh and he wasn't 'broken', just not interested." Feeling a bit more confident, now that she hasn't ripped his throat out and he didn't mess his pants, Buras goes on. "Now, about that favor. Teach. May it be your language or how your kind tick, or even how you fight. I'm not to picky." With that said, Buras takes back his quarterstaff and takes a step back. He tried to appear relaxed, with his quarterstaff over one shoulder. But he could easily swing it around if he had to. He felt like it was best that he didn't let his guard down around Rend.

[Rend]

Rend looked at Stealer, her head cocked to one side She looked him over from head to heel and began to pace round him with predatory appraisal. "Can't teach to speak, not one of us" She runs a clawed hand across the back of his shoulders "Can't fight like us, no claws, no wings, no teeth". She completes her orbit and stops in front of him again "And we don't 'tick'". Her dark eyes stare into Stealer's for a few moments before her mouth quirks into a smile. She steps forward and places an almost tender hand on his chest "Rrend can show you otherr things though" Her tongue slides over her lip before she gently bites it.

[Buras]

..."Rend can show you otherr things though." Rend says, biting her tongue. "I may not have claws, but I can hit just as hard as you can. And just because I am not one of you doesn't mean you can't teach me your language. I may be wrong, but favors don't care if I am zith or not. And no thank you, I'm not interested." Buras says, gently moving Rends hand from his chest. 'Just work with me here.' Buras thought to himself. He was getting a bit frustrated with Rend at this point. He was pretty sure favors didn't really have any rules. And he was determined to learn something useful, he was going to leave Sunberth sooner or later, and he may just visit a place full of her kind, and he didn't want to get killed for something he didn't know about.

[Rend]

Rend's nostril's flared as she exhaled sharply, her irritation at her offer being rejected quite plain. With a hissing of flesh on rough stone she twisted on her heel and began to walk away. "I cannot teach you to fight because you cannot dig talons into soft flesh and tear and bite, Hitting hard is brutish, like rams butting for a mate." The last words were nearly spat as she crossed the room and turned to face him. Her mouth was moving slowly and carefully as if talking but without sound other than the occasional dipped hiss like half a whispered word. And then she stops, glaring at Stealer. "How do I teach you a lang-wage you cannot hear? Tell Rend that" She let out a frustrated 'Harumph' as she dropped herself into her nest of furs and linens. Her eyes glowering at the place that the carved bone hides. "Maybe it asks questions or something instead"

[Buras]

"Sometimes, being brutish is the best thing to be. Cracking your head open with my hand, or even this here stick, will kill you just as easily as ripping out your throat with nails and teeth" Buras says, anger and frustration showing in his voice now. He understood how he couldn't learn a language he couldn't hear. But just because he decided to fight in another way made him a brute. And he didn't want to ask a question either, he would just get one, unless he got another favor. Then an idea came to him, a sly idea. 'She will repay her favor one way or another, and on my terms. She just might not relies it'. Out loud, Buras says, "But, I can understand your reluctance to fight me. I'm almost a head taller then you are. I would probably if I wasn't careful." The seeds now planted, Buras cross his arms and puts on a face that hopefully looks like he isn't paying to much attention to Rend. But instead, looking for a question to ask. 'Hope that did it.'

[Rend]

Rend continues to make herself comfortable while Stealer rambles on about being a brute, her thoughts slip to the hunt as she rests her head back. 'perhaps deer today, a young one' "But, I can understand your reluctance to fight me. I'm almost a head taller then you are. I would probably if I wasn't careful. Stealer's voice cuts through the haze and Rend's head lifts suddenly, eyes narrowed and muscles tight. Slowly she rises like a viper, crawling off her nest across the floor. "So Stealer want's to know how we fight? That's what Stealer wants? Fine" Her clawed fingers click around a clay bowl and with a sudden lash of her arm the half-stagnant water from within hits the embers, a rush of steam hisses into the air and a heavy darkness fills the space. "Zith don't hunt in the light" Rend's voice whispers while taloned feet scrape on stone to the left, to the right, left again. As if shifting back and forth, looking for a perfect opening.

[Buras]

"So, Stealer want's to know how we fight? That's what Stealer wants? Fine." "Glad you could see it my way." Buras said before the light of the embers was extinguished with a hiss. It was pitch black, he couldn't see a thing. He whipped his quarterstaff around and braced it in front of him. He heard Rend pacing back and forth, looking for an opening. He also heard her say something about not hunting in the light. 'Great, my plan worked, but let's hope it doesn't get me killed.' Suddenly, he swung the quarterstaff in a wide arc in front of him, testing the waters as it were. Then, he quickly brought it back in front of him. He would do this whenever he thought she was getting close. Slowly probing the darkness in front of him, keeping the light of the cave entrance behind him.

[Rend]

Rend scurried back and forth, adrenalin pumping like lightning in the blood, throwing herself back and aside to evade the swinging staff, steadily pulling back from Stealer to make him draw that little bit closer. Then she saw it, an opening, to the left as he swings right. Rend pulled in a breath and held it before rushing. Her claws skittered on the stone while her wings beat a sudden shock to push her forward, up against the wall, past Stealer and his stick. She gripped the tatters of wooden poles and lashed tarpaulin and with a clatter and thunder of noise the whole piece falls to block out the light of the cave mouth. "We control the hunt" Rend barked as she dashed towards Stealer, aiming to push past in the darkness but bracing to feel a strike against her back at any moment.