The Next Time You Say Forever (Calovan)

[Sondra]

TS: TBD Early Winter

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Young and rough onlookers chanted the refrain with an accent of glee. A few bodies were spilling out of the tavern steps, joining the crescent of the maliciously curious around a scuffle. The hour was too late for good people to be about, what remained were the sort who wouldn't break up a fight. Here, the noble mores of Syliran Knights would be met with a guffaw and spitting on the ground.

About a dozen spectators were already hooting and clapping at the obscured tussle. Snow was being flung out of the edges of the enclosure of bodies. One had to push to see what was happening or finagle a way to catch glimpses between shoulders.

Within the circle a tall man with little meat on him, but an impressive reach and wide shoulders was taking wild, drunken swings. From the back, his opponent looked like an adolescent boy, his jacket shrouding any discernible feature save height and narrow shoulders. The boy dodged and danced. He fought dirty, throwing snow and tearing at clothes. More of the fight was spent trying to maintain balance on the icy road, than exchanging blows.

With a grunt and sudden lunge, the man got a hold of the boy and sloppily hurled him on the ground. The boy's face hit the snow with a satisfying thud. He pressed himself up in a hurry, blood was dripping from his nose onto the snow. Seizing opportunity, the man came in for a good kick to the ribs, but the boy rolled away, as the man almost slipped from his own momentum.

The boy stood, wiping the blood off his face. Revealing it was actually, her face. A Konti with chin length hair and masculine clothes.

She sneered at the man as if she was winning the fight.
"Try again you piece of Shyke."

And so he did with a left hook to the ribs she couldn't dodge. Tactics were not a main feature of this bout, both were a little drunk and the slippery terrain made the brawl almost comical. Using the man's nearness and forward weight, the Konti wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to the ground.

And there they stayed, twisting and rolling with occasional blows. It seemed the Konti was on the worst end of it, but she struggled and kicked as if possessed.

[Calovan]

Calovan wandered through the streets, picking up on shouts coming from a nearby tavern. Narrowing his eyes, he peered through the night and saw a large man beating on what could only be described as a pole with arms and legs. Curiously, he walked over to the circle where the onlookers were betting on the outcome of the fight, he watched the smaller fighter and sniffed, directing his focus towards them.

A curious smell. Obviously not human, and the faint scent of female pheromones drifted into his olfactory nerve clusters. He smiled. It was a woman, and if he recognized the smell at all, he'd say that woman was one of the Konti race. She looked to be enjoying the fight, and he wasn't one to deprive others of their struggles. He'd watch, and if things got too out of hand, well... He'd have to take care of it himself.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he realized he must have looked quite peculiar indeed. He was enshrouded in a black cloak with the hood raised over his face, concealing most of his features save for the lower half of his face, which had reverted back to his normally passive expression. His eyes were locked on the Konti, and he observed her every move, taking in her ability in combat.

[Sondra]

The fight was neither noble nor graceful, it had no poetry apart from force. They were creatively trying to beat the daylights out of one another, grappling and pounding with any free limb.

Using her flexibility and slight size, the Konti wriggled down and sideways out of the man's pin, leaving her coat behind. She was flushed despite the winter chill, and livid red marks wrapped around her limbs. Using her brief freedom she plowed into the man's side, sending him towards the feet of a cloaked onlooker. Sondra hesitated, not wanting to pull anyone else into her ill-advised tussle. Two at once was more than she had the strength for. She scrambled to her feet instead of continuing the attack, and the man did the same.

They were in a stand up fight again. Sondra waited for the man to strike first, when he tried to jab she stepped aside and let his arm pass her. With her last bit of strength she gave a stomp like kick to his back.

But the man didn't fall forward, like she had hoped. He only staggered and found new rage. It propelled him back at her. Both were swinging, but when the man's blows fell they did more damage than the woman's. She dodged more and landed more, but all it took was two cracks to the head and she was teetering on her feet.

"Enough," the man growled, "You may have started this, but I'm finishing it."

Glancing to the crowd the man made a violent gesture, and two of his cronies were at Sondra's side. Broad hands were clasping her arms, almost holding her to her feet. She kicked and pulled, but couldn't undo their grips. A mean uppercut to her gut from the man, and she was spent.

The crowd began to disperse as the Konti fell to her knees. Between heaved breaths she flung an insult.
"The gods curse you to eat filth then die."
Sealing her oath, she spat on the ground.

Sondra clenched her fingers around a handful of snow, her other arm wrapped around her waist. She leaned back on her haunches, breathing steam into the air. The fistful of snow was pressed to her nose, as she tilted her face towards the dark sky.

[Calovan]

Calovan shook his head and drew a dagger from his sleeve. The movement was subtle, ominous, and was the very embodiment of the threat of death. His eyes were slits as they watched the bigger man begin to stride off, and he shook his head. Tuurning to face the other man, he walked in long, slow strides that easily caught up with him. He twirled the dagger between his fingers and buried it up to the hilt in the larger man's back, aimed directly for his spinal cord.

The weapon sunk into flesh and Calovan didn't bother looking at his victim any more than he had to. He had gotten what he deserved; punishment had been served. There was no need to go beyond that. Turning his gaze back to the Konti, he returned and offered his hand to her, his talon-like fingernails being the most inhuman aspect of his figure seen so far.
"It is too cold for you to be sitting there. Come."

[Sondra]

Sondra glanced to the clawed hand, then to the crumpled figure in the street. His friends were bound to come out of the tavern any moment, or some possible witness would get courageous.

"Soaring shyke... you just killed a man."
Granted, she had the same intent, but the idea of a stranger dispatching him without qualm was still startling. She had gone from being a source of sport to onlookers to having an avenging figure emerge from nowhere.

As much as Sondra hated touching people, she took the man's proffered hand. She was unsteady on her feet, but hellbent on moving forward. Thankfully, her mind was too muddled to process any visions of sin from the hand she had touched.

"We gotta get out of here, fast. I don't want round two with his friends."
Her recommendation turned into a weary request.
"Please, I already have enough trouble snapping at my tail."

It was late, closer to morning than evening. The streets were mostly empty and good souls slept in their beds to prepare for productive tomorrows.

Sondra made a beeline for the body, pulling the dagger from his back with a grunt. Maybe they'd think he had fallen over drunk, at first.

The Konti then veered into the nearest alley, using Calovan as an occasional crutch while they made an escape. The pair's path swung between common thoroughfares where their footsteps could be lost amongst others and dark streets, thin as canals.

With the tavern and body a ways behind them, Sondra slowed her limping trot. She was still cautiously looking over her shoulder. Each heavy breath was a scratching gust in her lungs, she tried to catch more as her pace mellowed.

Sondra finally gave Calovan more than a fleeting glance, trying to interpret what kind of creature he was. Mizahar had enough mixes and monsters to make her head spin.

"Why did you do that?" she finally asked, "You didn't know me or him."
Remembering the man's temper she amended, "Not that I'm not grateful, but lady-Lis. Who are you to care?"

[Calovan]

Calovan looked at the Konti woman and lowered his hood, showing his face to her. His coal black eyes stared out at her and his hark, dark as midnight, framed his face in shaggy locks.
"I did it because he cheated. In so doing, he also assaulted you unfairly. I do not tolerate foul play. He died as punishment, and as a deterrent for his accomplices. They need to learn that in nature, there is always a predator more dangerous than them."
He held his hand out palm up and added,
"May I have my weapon back, Miss...?"

He trailed off, wanting to know her name of all things. He could fix those bruises and cuts on her face later, but for now he'd have to settle on soothing his inquisitive mind. This woman was intriguing, certainly. Strong and proud, he admired her attitude. Such bravado was hard to come by in other species.

[Sondra]

"You punished him because he didn't fight fair?"
The Konti huffed a rueful laugh, the man looked like a burglar but reasoned like a knight.
"A fair is a festival, not an expectation for living."

She dared fate a little by adding, "Some would also say it's not fair to stab someone in the back, either. But.." she shrugged, "I don't mind as long as it did the job."

Her expression was deadly serious for a moment, "He was scum of the chief kind. The job needed doing no matter the means."

Almost reluctantly, she finally returned the dagger to Calovan's hand.
"K'Sondra, but I go by Sondra."

The Konti crouched a moment, gathering a new handful of snow. She pressed it together in her palms before holding it to her nose. Sondra straightened again. She was taking long breaths and her hands were trembling. The torrents of emotion paired with the body's beating left her jangled.

She tried to be casual despite her thoughts thrashing from one realization to another.

"What's your name?"
She looked around, getting her bearings, "You got a house anywhere round here? Or a good spot to camp?"

[Calovan]

Putting the dagger back up his sleeve, Calovan looked down to the shorter woman and shook his head.
"I have no home of which to speak. I am a Kelvic, and do not see the need for such luxuries." He considered her for a moment longer and then thought over her words. She was quite intelligent for one that had gotten into a brawl at such an ungodly hour. His own brow furrowed in his observational trance, and his breath- surprisingly- made no steam in the air when he exhaled.

"My name is Calovan, Miss Sondra." He said at length, and he folded his hands behind his back. Like his true form as a raven, he tilted his head slightly to the side as he added,
"Though I have no home, I am skilled at using nature's bounty to provide all of the resources I need for survival. If you need shelter, you are free to come with me for the time being."

[Sondra]

Oh gods, she should have known, a Kelvic. Sondra had always looked at the race slightly askance, as if she had to worry about them spontaneously disrobing or eating something off the floor. They did have rather cut and dry views about things, not too involved in all the confusing nuances of proper behavior human culture had created.

She didn't know what manner of Kelvic this one was. Would he consider a cave or a nest of twigs suitable lodgings? Nature's bounty she didn't trust the phrase. Nature had proved itself dangerous, beautiful, and heartless.
Sondra didn't have very high standards of living, but she did have some.

"Calovan," she repeated his name as if testing it out.
"That's kind of you to offer," and it was, "But I've got a place we can go to, it's just not real close."
Sondra hated needing help, but she had punished her body enough already.
"Be my crutch for a bit. And when we get there..." she was searching for some sort of display of gratitude, but didn't have much to give, "I'l make tea."
Not quite what she was looking for. She added in a mumble, "Or something."

Sondra began to limp east, "Either way, it's warmer there."

[Calovan]

Calovan nodded and walked to catch up with her. Putting her arm over his shoulder, he put his own around her and supported her entire weight with ease on his own, much larger frame. The snow was being blown every direction feasible, but the Kelvic ignored it all. He was used to inclimate weather; this pittance made no difference, whatsoever.

Being Sondra's "crutch" was easy, as she weighed next to nothing in the first place. Moving through the streets as she would occassionally give brief, if somewhat monosyllabic, directions to her abode. He never complained the entire time, then again, he didn't converse, either. Content to simply get the Konti to a relatively warmer or safer place, he almost sighed in relief once she stopped advising him on how to reach her home. Getting her closer, he wondered what this Konti thought of him. He must have seemed quite strange, indeed. A Kelvic showing up out of the blue and crippling- possibly killing a man- for no other reason other than he had broken the unspoken laws of combat? Add in the fact that he was entirely willing to help her, and she wasn't even his bondmate!

(I remember you saying something about "bunnying." If I did that here, simply inform me and I'll remedy it. It occurred to me that simply being told directions to Sondra's house in my own post would be more expedient, and you could have more room with which to maneuever and RP as you see fit.)