Closed The worth of your actions [Orin Fenix]

[Clemens Kos]

Kos had the idea to simply drop the topic about their little unlucky regrouping, which left both looking kind of silly. Kos for all of his demeaning looks and sharp background still felt like a normal young adult, with fears and hopes. The little startling he had jsut experienced proved that. He couldn't help but smirk underneath the mask he wore, as the man asked about his plan on what is actually happening. Kos thought that he asked that soon enough, even though he expected the question to come up before he even started collecting the branches. With a nod, the masked man pointed at the hole and spoke up. "We're surrounding it with stakes, and I'll put a snare around it. Snare will go to the tree to keep the prey in check. We'll put some leaves over the hole to hide it, and wait for an animal to step on it. Think of it as a trap." His explanation was followed with some awkward hand gestures, and him pointing at the tree and his backpack which was holding the string respectively. Kos was never too good with explaning things to others, but he felt this was simple enough for him to try his luck. He hoped for Orin to not make a silly face which would indicate he was lost. Slowly, he closed the distance between Orin and himself. He followed put and sat somewhat next to him, still keeping enough distance so that he wouldn't feel all too trapped. Even though one would think he did that for Orin's sake, Kos himself decided to not get that close to a man he just met. "We'll split the pile in two. I'll help you with the sharpening." He said, reaching to his dagger on the hip, slowly pulling it out of it's scabbard. The blade itself looked broad and with the side, it was somewhat easy to carve into the wood. Slowly and without much hurry, he began to peel the wood off itself, before a pointy end began to form. Guiding his dagger in such a way he never lost control of it, he began to drag the blade against it, over and over again, and letting whatever was left to simply fall on the ground. He'd lie if he said he didn't like the company he had, though. Specially now than Orin wasn't talking all the time, it was somewhat fun doing this seemingly tedious task with someone else, and specially because it showed the other man seemed to enjoy himself as well. It brought his own mood up, as well, and before one would know, all of the ten sticks were sharpened on both ends, and Kos offered a nod to Orin. Standing up and dusting himself off, he began to collect the stakes they made before speaking out. "Alright, next I'll need you to dig through the snow and find me some foilage. Small twigs and rotted down bark works well. We need something light to cover the trap." With that, he walked back to the hole he made and sat down. He began pushing the stakes into the ground, so he would create somewhat of a crown, which circled around the entrance of a hole. The gap that was left was still broad enough for a leg to be trapped inside if not careful, and with that he offered a nod. Now, the more precise part of the planning followed, where Kos had to reach into his backpack and began to set up the snare. He wrapped them around the signular stakes, before attaching the whole contraption to the nearby tree. His fingers still aching from all that carving needed a moment to actually be able to do something so gentle and precise, but in the end he managed to not tangle himself in the string, and the trap now stood bellow him.

[Orin Fenix]

Orin Fenix Food Equals Love Orin stretched as he stood up, the weak winter sun still feeling warm on what exposed skin he had when compared to the icy chill of the air. Feeling a bit lazy and wanting to put off the moment when he would inevitably soak through his clothes while digging about under the snow for the materials Kos had asked him to collect. Watching the man’s action in the pit left Orin a bit confused. The sticks were hammered into the earth at the bottom of the pit. They were pretty self-explanatory. The string baffled him completely, as Kos began the process of attaching it to a tree Scratching his head in puzzlement, Orin asked, ”Ok so I get that the stakes will hurt the animal when it falls in there but what’s the string for? And how is the foliage and other stuff supposed to stay up with nothing to support it but air?” Orin blushed at his ignorance but he really wanted to know. And he had one more question to ask before his curiosity would be satisfied. ”Also this might be a silly question, but how are we planning to get an animal to actually, well, come to the trap? Remembering that Kos didn’t seem like much of a talker, Orin quickly added, [b]”You don’t have to answer any of those if you don’t want to.” Dropping to his hands and knees a good distance away from the pit, Orin began scraping the snow from the ground in an attempt to dig up some useful masking material. Orin pointedly kept his gaze away from Kos, trying to give the other man at least the illusion of privacy if any of Orin’s questions were annoying him. Predictably, the warmth of his body soon melted the snow clinging to his clothes, leaving Orin slightly damp. With Orin’s luck it would probably freeze. He would have to get to a fire soon to thaw out if that happened. But he wouldn’t be able to look Rondo in the eye if he didn’t at least try to get the meat as requested. That didn’t mean Orin had to be happy with the insufferable man. Rondo wouldn’t be caught dead on his hands and knees crawling in the snow. Soon, Orin had a good handful of dead leaves, scraped off bark, and other miscellaneous bits of forest leavings. Standing up, he left the bare patch of dirt behind him. Orin dropped his load beside the pit. Eying it, Orin sighed. Even he could see that his paltry findings wouldn’t be enough to cover the hole completely. Getting back down in a new spot, Orin began the whole process all over again. He hoped that Kos would be able to catch something, scarce as game might be in the winter. Otherwise, Orin was going to be very annoyed at this entire excursion. It wouldn’t be Kos’ fault though. As he wiped the dirt from his pants legs on his next trip to the pit, Orin listened to the sounds of the forest. It seemed rather empty, many of the normal birdcalls and animal movements silenced in the winter. It wasn’t completely quiet though, so maybe there was hope yet. It took Orin three more trips before he was satisfied. Pointing at his neat pile, Orin grinned. ”Think that’ll do it?”

[Clemens Kos]

Kos never liked to talk much. In that regard, he didn't like to listen to someone talka lot, too. Where their little shared moment of silence felt somewhat comfortable, the onslaught of questions from the cook somewhat turned his mood sour. The man's fingers kept on the stakes, making sure the snare in the middle of the hole would be connected. It took him one more try to actually center the whole contraption into a workable mess. Afterwords, seeming as he didn't need all of his attention on the snare, he decided to accept the teddious task of accepting the questions, and mulling around for a suitable answer that would sate the seemingly endless hunger for answers the man provided. "Leg will be caught, snare tightens, and it can't just jump and run out. I don't need half a forest to hide the hole fully, either. Simply to hide it from a glance." Before he turned around to face the other man, and even though he was wearing a mask he grinned at the last question, clasping his hands together, and rubbing the inner side of his palms against each other. "That's the fun part." He didn't say much more than that, as he turned around and double checked his little trap once again. It would be better to not tell him just yet how their trip just entered the more difficult phase. Seeing so upbeat, Kos hated to ruin his mood. What he did, however, was dress into his coat once again, now feeling slightly colder then he felt comfortable. Kos was in no rush, so he waited patiently for Orin's multiple returns, adding layers and layers of foilage onto the edges of the hole, impaling the thinner parts of bark onto the stakes to serve as a makeshift cover. The more difficult part was to disguise the string without ruining the whole thing. Using the dirt he dug out and some leaves, he simply sprinkled the mixture onto the plain white string, using the dirt as some sort of glue to let hide it from sight. The end product didn't look all that masterfully crafted. Any keen eye could spot the oddity next to the tree before it could get too dangerous for them. Then again, Kos wasn't hunting a smart human being. His prey was supposed to be a deer, or something similar. They might be fast, but not quite as good observers as let's say a knight. Finally, after what seemed forever, Kos was able to stand up and make a step back to inspect his creation. Looking back on it, there were countless things he could of done better, but he hoped it was at least functioning. With a shake of his head, he wondered if it would be easier to simply learn how to fire from a bow. None of this dirty work would be needed if he'd do that, but he already has one weapon he needs to know how to handle. Traps will have to do for now. Turning back to Orin, he signaled they were going off. "Pack up, we'll make a circle around. We'll try to be as silent as possible. All we need to do now is wait. And be really quiet." Kos knew there was a chance no lone little animal will wander these party, but that's what a hunter was forced to face. He knew that there might be an animal passing, due to the somewhat covered tracks he saw in the snow when they were going to this place, but he didn't know when. There was also the chance the animal was also scared due to the loud noise the two were making with talking and dropping all sorts of sticks to the ground. But be it as it is, Kos didn't feel like giving up just yet. Making sure Orin followed him, the two distanced themselves from the trap they did, closer to the road they came from. Kos knew that animals tend to avoid such places, so if it felt safe enough it might come out. His next words were spoken in a whisper, aimed to the cook next to him. "You see anything? Keep your eyes open and make sure you don't make uneccesary sounds." With that, the waiting game began.

[Orin Fenix]

Orin Fenix Food Equals Love Orin brushed his hands together and then bent over to do to do the same to his pants from the knees down. He was trying to get some of the dirt he’d picked up from his rummaging around on the ground. Failing that, he could at least get some of the snow off. Watching Kos, it seemed the other man finally figured out what he was doing with his string. As the other man began scattering the leaves over the pit and impaling bark on the stakes, Orin was amazed at how quickly the gaping hole disappeared from casual sight. While Orin knew what he was looking for, and it was obvious if you did more than give the clearing a cursory glance, an animal might not see it. Especially after Kos masked the string with dirt. It was impressive to Orin. Admittedly, Orin didn’t know enough about hunting to know if it was effective trap but it certainly looked good. Seeing Kos wrapped up again and moving off, Orin scrambled to keep up. Kos’ admonishment to keep silent keep Orin’s lips clamped shut. Orin didn’t know much about how to keep completely quiet in the woods but he’d do his best. However, that meant moving fairly slowly. Orin pushed branches ouch of his way to partially to prevent them from snapping and making a sound but mostly to stop them from hitting him in the face. Orin did try and mask his footsteps as much as possible. He reached out with one foot to feel the ground. While he couldn’t stop the slight crunch of the snow, Orin hoped he could stop from making more noise than that. If he felt a stick under his sole, he moved away from it, not wanting to snap it beneath his feet. If he couldn’t feel the ground, he stepped elsewhere. He didn’t want to stumble and fall. It would make a racket and he would probably twist his ankle on top of that if he tripped. As he spotted the road in the distance and saw Kos stopping, Orin felt a distinct sense of relief. He wasn’t up to this sneaking around business and decided that he would leave it to the experts in the future. Crouching down, Orin shook his head in a negation to Kos’ question. The other man obviously felt they had come far enough to risk a whisper. Orin wanted to avoid spooking an animal so he would do as told and stay completely silent while they wanted. Orin hoped Kos had some way to judge when his trap had been sprung. Otherwise, Orin didn’t know how long they would be here.

[Clemens Kos]

Being a hunter ment having patience. Kos learned that from experience, that at times you will be come home with nothing and because of that have nothing. Specially in winter, because the animals are so scarce, the most one could find was a rabbit or a fox. Still, Kos thought he saw some footsteps around, and he took a wild shot in the dark. Even if he'd catch nothing, he would at least have the experience of the trap making for his next venture out. However, he couldn't help but feel somewhat bad for Orin. Not only was he forced to find a stranger to hunt with, he also spent hours collecting dirt and sticks. Kos knew that if that would happen to him, he wouldn't be as calm as this cook was. Still, Orin himself seemed like quite a calm inviduidual, and quite talkative. Somehow surprised to see him lasting this long with Kos and his almost broody personality. He caught the shake of the head from the other man, and Kos offered a nod in return. As his feet finally connected with the road, the masked man walked up to a rock near-by, and sat down. They really couldn't do much but wait, and hope for the best. Luckily, they were far enough from the trap to be hidden in the woods, but Kos still appreciated silence. Every motion could be required to listen. It seemed like forever. Kos sat there, doing nothing but occasionally glance around. He himself really had no problems waiting this out, and he was more curious on how Orin was taking this all. From the location their trap was placed, to the silent cook, Kos' revealed green eye made it's patrol to spot any changes. Yet, nothing but a mild breeze could be spotted, which softly hit against his face and caused the cold air hint he was still alive, and not somewhere dreaming. One could easily say he was wasting his life doing absolutely nothing, but Kos would disagree. Nothing in life came right on time, and one needed to wait to get your reward. Patience was required here. Patience, and a little bit of luck. Snap. Something echoed in the distance, followed by a violent and quite agressive high pitched i. Unlike the silence the two were experienced all this time, this sudden change of pace could easily shock someone. Kos quickly tilted his head to the side, and stood up. The noise created didn't seem human, so his biggest fear was removed on the spot. Pointing towards Orin, he spoke out. "It's time." Suddenly, there was no reason to stay quiet and whisper, his voice even a little bit excited. He began to walk forward, this time not really caring much about how silent he was, breaking several twigs in his wake. Hurryingly coming to a halt, he took in the scene infront of him. A slender legged, brown animal was somewhat lying on the ground in a position that was everything other than comforting. It's right hind leg oozing blood from the stakes, and the rest of it hidden in the hole. The string tightened around the leg as well, creating a tighter snare everytime the animal tried to get away. It violently kicked to all sides, looking quite dangerous to approach. Kos felt excited watching that. He finally trapped something that wasn't a small rabbit. He had his fears of walking home empty handed, but the sight of this pained animal oddly enough brought satisfaction to his heart. He turned to Orin, and nodding in return. "We did it."

[Orin Fenix]

Orin Fenix Food Equals Love Orin might’ve been patient but Kos’ patience seemed superhuman to him. Orin got through a bit of the time with standing quietly with only occasional fidgets and twitches. However, when it seemed like bells passed with nothing happening, even Orin felt the need to move. Glancing at Kos, Orin opened his mouth to ask permission to explore, and then shut it, remembering the earlier warning to be silent. However, Orin felt he could be reasonably quiet and still move around a bit. Again looking at Kos with just the barest twinge of guilt, Orin began cautiously walking around the clearing. He stuck his earlier walk that felt closer to a crawl, but he wasn’t going to jeopardize the hunt by being reckless. While it might have been safer not to move at all, Orin simply felt he couldn’t do that and stay sane. Stopping to look at the trees, Orin tried to determine what each one was. While a few were clear like the birch with it’s white bark and the few pines scattered about among the rest, their needles smelling sharply in the clear air, most were a compete mystery to Orin. Without the leaves, the flowers, the nuts or the fruits, or any type of identifying marker that Orin knew of, there was no way to identify them. They were a sea of featureless brown trunks with bare branches framed starkly against the sky. It was kind of pretty, if you thought about it. However, Orin wasn’t the sort to dwell on that. He was really just trying to see if there were any plants he would want to revisit come spring, summer, or fall. It was a habit from childhood, where finding the best spots to gather meant a better crop and a quicker return. Also, in Orin’s case, it usually helped him to avoid fights. A sudden snap and a high pitched yelped startled Orin so much that he actually jumped a little. Looking at Kos, who had gotten to his feet Orin felt a thrill of excitement. The other man seemed to be excited as well, which shocked Orin since he had been rather low energy the entire excursion. When Kos spoke out, Orin figured their trap had worked and that the need for silence was over. As they made their way back to the site of their pit, Orin couldn’t help letting out a whoop of excitement. When they got to the hole, Orin tilted his head to the side examining the wounded animal within. It was thrashing about in pain and fear and Orin didn’t feel like approaching it. It was obviously still alive, its leg was caught in the snare and blood came out of a few wounds apparently caused from the stakes. Orin was no stranger to wounded animals, knowing that was when they were most dangerous. ”We did it indeed! My only question is, what is that?” Running a hand through his black hair, Orin was puzzled. He didn’t think it was anything he knew, but most of it was hidden. ”Actually, I guess I have two questions. Now what do we do?”

[Clemens Kos]

Kos wasn't really a fan of wating around and probably be hurt by the trashing animal trying it's hardest to get free. He knew it's time was over as soon as it stepped on the trap, as his shoulders loosened up, and he reached for his halberd that was until now resting on his back. Kos didn't really show much if any emotion through his eyes, it all seemingly lost all it's shine as his fingers wrapped around the wooden shaft. Taking a deep breath in, and simply stopping the breathing there, his eyes were laid on the neck of the animal they caught, which was trying it's hardest to wiggle out. Luckily for Kos, the deer they trapped had shorter limbs than the halberd had reach, so he wasn't in any real danger to begin with. Bringing up the blade of his weapon up in the air, much like an executioner does to appeal to the crowds, he captured a piece of sunshine with his blade, reflecting it to the animal bellow him. Then the swing came. Kos' was at least experienced enough to deliver a stationary swing, moving all of the weight the weapon had to offer to power up his strike further. A nasty, flesh and bone cutting noise followed after, as the bladed edge sunk into the flesh of the animal, blood splashing all around. Yet the animal stopped it's movements almost immediatly. The previously rash movements were replaced by dull nothingness, as the remaining tree legs fell off limp and without a life in them. The head of the deer getting removed clean, it rolled away and gently hit the tree that the body was tied up against. Kos, without really flinching, straightened himself up, and reached for his pocket for a linen piece of cloth, to wash the blade before the blood got to dry down on his weapon he took such great care off. Once his little scene was finished, he turned to Orin. "Cut the snare, we wont be able to use it again. The deer got too tangled into it to actually save it." Kos spoke out, but this time in a much less harsher tone. He was happy his little trap worked, and Orin himself helped as well. Be it as it is, Kos knew they should now hurry and get away from the woods and back in the city. Blood like that could attract other predators, and they should be on their way before that. Kos waited for Orin to do as he was told, before walking to the dead body of the animal, and lifting it up, holding two legs with each of his hand, and giving it some sort of a bizzare piggy-back ride. He motioned to the way they came from. "We're done. We got your meat. Hope your boss will enjoy some fresh game." Finally some actual pep-talk words coming out from Kos, as he turned on his heels and began to walk away. He was thinking about how much he lost this day, and ignoring some string that had to be cut he didn't really lose much if anything. His backpack still carried the small spade he used, even though dirtied and he should look to clean it as soon as possible. Even his coat was being somewhat drenched in blood by the headless dear, thinking what the best way to get the stench out of it would be. But those were minor details he really didn't care for at this point. As soon as they get back to the city, Kos could get paid. And that was always such a fun thought to have.

[Marrick Corvis]

Clemens Kos Skills Earned- Digging +2xp Trapping +3xp Humming +1xp Improvisation +1xp Leadership +2xp Carving +1xp Planning +1xp Observation +3xp Halberd +1xp Organization +1xp Land Navigation +1xp Socialization +2xp Endurance +1xp Time management +1xp Lores Learned- Lore- A rats nest of string Lore- Orin Fenix Lore- Seasonal Meat Lore- The value of Company Lore- Digging a Trap in Winter Lore- Trapping Improvisation Lore- Execution is Mercy Notes ~ A good thread. You play your character well. My only advice is to take a little time to edit your threads for errors. Orin Fenix Skills earned Organization +2xp Cooking +2xp Observation +4xp Socialization +4xp Carving +1xp Gathering +2xp Interrogation +1xp Land Navigation +1xp Stealth +1xp Lores Learned Lore- Bronzewood Plant life Lore- The Trouble with Snot Nosed Foodies Lore- Navigating the Brozewood Lore- Being open Minded brings new Experiences Lore- How to Cheer for the Underdog Lore- Everyone needs Meat Bronze Woods- A Place of refuge Lore- People have it harder than me Lore- Seasonal Meat Notes~ I like how you write Orin as inquisitive. It will suit you well for his development. I noticed a few small errors here and there. Be sure to watch out for Tense shifts. Going/gone, Being/Been, writing/wrote.