[The Patchwork Port]Shielding at Noon(Shai)

[Antar]

Shai's sudden departure was a telling event.A thief scampering to run away, a sign of good instincts for the most part. Save it never would have been needed if she had never raised her voice. Now there was a three hundred pound bear charging in his direction and away from the horses. Cursing his luck, the djed surged from his stomach, traversing up his spine and down his arms like lightning as the res began to flow from his pores at his command. Mentally spurring it onward he thrust his hand forwards, palm down towards the earth as the res lanced deep into the earth. Without hesitation the rogue began to transmute a heavy wall of earthen stone to spring up from the ground.The bear's barrelling form crashed headfirst into a stone wall as his mind shaped his desires. The rogue hadn't practiced so much to be caught off guard without training kicking in. With a snarl, the brown bear would find itself on the ground shaking her head, dazed as to what had happened as Antar took the chance to draw a bead on the bear's chest, just below the sternum and to the side before the arrow was released.Like a flash of a hail mary the arrow flew, imbedding itself deep into the animal's chest cavity, nicking the heart and piercing the lung. It was a deathblow... but the sad thing about hunting bears and deer is even after they were rightfully dead they wouldn't stop moving until the adrenaline kicked out. The creature still grasping after it's attack struggled over the wall towards its prey. Snapping the arrow and causing further damage as it srapped against the magically-made wall. By the time the beast surpassed the wall it could hardly keep its paws steady. Momentum however served it well to drag itself over the chest high wall as it attempted to swat at him, and the rogue would be forced to jump to the side and run. Unwilling to risk taking the time to knock another arrow one hand would slip back to draw his kukri and fling it towards the animal as he randomly changed his course, ducking towards the roots of a rather large tree. For a time the bear would follow and paw at the enclosure until a strange mewl came from its lips and it fell dead. For a time the rogue would stare, and then extricate himself from the entanglement before taking one last glare up towards the spider as he paused to ponder just what was going on here. 'The bear was acting abnormall-' His thoughts stopped mid track as he heard a slight mewling cry from the other side of the glade where they had took their picnic. Well past where they tied the horses, a small black bear cub, of a year of age or less sat there. Bleating as it looked at them and sniffed the air. Sighing loudly, Antar would draw his second kukri and fling it upwards to have it stick pointfirst in the limb beneath Shai's padded feet. For a time a look of alarm would be seen on her face, at least before Antar would point towards the young cub, and then made a drawing motion across his throat. A clear sign of the intent he would have her do... The first rule the spider would learn about hunting is that leaving such a creature alone in the world was a cruel, cruel fate. In some cases like this, death was better then starvation. Now it was only a matter of time to see if she would learn such a lesson as well. If the symenestra couldn't stomach it, well, the rogue slowly began to notch another arrow to his bow as the bear cub let out another bleating cry for its now dead mother. Thankfully the cub was upwind of the grisly sight lest it have caught a whiff of the stench of death and the soon to be voiding bowels of the animal.If Shai seemed to say nothing, or merely look at him again, all her gaze would meet was a pair of harsh eyes boring into her own...

[Shai]

Though surely the rogue had no way of knowing it, there was no new lesson here for the spider. Shai reached down and pulled the kukri out and flung it in return, though she only aimed for the ground far away from any living target. Slipping along the branches with feline stride and grace, she moved from the thicker limbs to keep the rustling low. As she circled the clearing, positioning herself; the bear cub cried and stumbled through the sparse winter ground covering towards its mother. While easily half Shai’s weight, the cub could hardly be more than fifty pounds. It was roughly the size of a large dog, and wouldn’t be trouble for the spider.

As the cub crossed between the spider and the dead mother, the Symenestra leapt. Instead of a dodge as earlier, this time Shai pounced upon the creature from her perch in the branches. Landing on top of the cub, her weight pushed the cub to the ground and momentarily stunned it. Ripping her nails into its neck was the first order of business. The creature was already fighting back as her claws dug into the creatures flesh. Shai couldn’t know the location of its life-ending lines, she’d never examined a bear’s interior before, but she knew it would be in the neck. So she tore viciously before rolling away before the cub could crush her with its weight as it rolled on to its back trying to knock her off. Much like Antar’s much more sophisticated kill, the cub was as good as dead it only needed to realize it. Shai needed no magical aid to avoid the cub; indeed the young fled instead of trying to stay and fight like the mother.

As the cub wasn’t headed for her the Widow trotted over to Chivalis. The stallion shied away from her now, Shai hadn’t bothered to even attempt to wipe the blood from her hand. As the stud failed to fully retreat from her though the spider was able to snagged her rope from one of the saddle bags. It was very poor horsemanship to scare her mount so but she wasn’t well versed in caring for live animals. Carrying the rope looped around one shoulder, the Symenestra sucked the blood from each finger as she followed the crawling cub waiting for its final cry to call. When the creature was sufficiently still after nearly a chime of squalling for its dead mother, Shai bent down and grasped its legs behind both paws and began dragging the carcass back towards the horses. Her intent was to tie the creature over Chi’s saddle to transport it back to the city. Cubs had lovely soft fur.

In most the killing of such innocence might strike a chord with their heart. If it had been a Symenestra child, Shai certainly would have reacted, but this was only a beast. It was so far from the first of the creatures she had killed; the count long lost. It was custom to sacrifice a beloved animal for trespasses against Varitas. Most simply drew blood and didn’t slay the creature, but Shai had other practices more to her liking. Since the age of sixteen the Symenestra had been a fringe worshipper. Compounding her worship with her races prejudices, all other creatures were beneath her in the spider’s mind. In short they simply had no bearing on her conscience. In fact animals such as the cub were on the precisely same level as humans and all of the other surface dwelling races. It was a trait she had not displayed for her rogue. His strange insistence to make her kill the cub seemed like a test. A test given out of ignorance, ignorance she had fostered.

Twice today the man had miss-stepped with her. Shai could claim some blame in the matter, she had put on a less violent face for him. It had clearly been a mistake. She would accept some fault and would work towards educating Antar on her traits he had so woefully failed to notice. “What is that you are looking for? You keep providing tests, as though you hope one day I will fail.”

She stopped dragging the cub when it lay beside its mother. Divesting herself of the rope; letting it drape over the cub. Shai crouched down besides the large bear and propped her shoulder against its side. Slowly the small woman rolled the beast on to its side so she could sit between its legs. Running pale fingers along the furred belly she traced a line from its neck down its belly. Shai began to speak in subtle Symenos, lines long memorized as a child; she gave prayers for Viratas for the blood shed and for the lives it would sustain. She had personally never skinned a creature, but it hadn’t been uncommon for the Nerium web to line their products with fur. She had seen several animal skins as a child and it was always the back was intact; the only logical reason was that animals were skin from the belly. Cautiously she drew her index claw along its belly slice shallowly into the flesh.

[Antar]

Three months... no two and a half months he had kept this woman by his side and she still thought he was testing her. How... how revolting a thought that perhaps, no merely perhaps that the thought he was trying to better understand her had never crossed her mind. Truly... what was he with her for? What was it which drew him to her? Did the abominabl wenche even know what the saying of using the right tool for the job meant? The rogue would glare at her a moment before turning to go collect his kukri and his thoughts. He breathed deeply, as he pulled it from the earth and wiped the blade free of the soil and the dust. Shai sometimes had the simple knack for getting under his skin that very few women, nay very few people in this world could do... and he was having an internal debate as to just why he was so inclined to keep taking her places in order to get to try and know her a little better.In truth, the rogue was a mixed up jumble of emotions and thoughts. But not even those thoughts would deter him from stalking back to crouch down nearby. Not helping her with the bear yet as he gazed at her and her actions for the longest of times. Staying silent. For indeed... he was trying to marshall his composure, staring far off behind her right shoulder and thinking of nothingness. All in an attempt to distract himself and calm his mind so he might even be able to speak to her. The silence stretched beyond forty seconds, then fifty as he stared at a tree behind her. Doing his best to consider what he should do; what he should say. But no words came.... there was only nothingness. And he stayed silent. Feeling numb. If he didn't say anything... what would happen? Would he lose the companion that had grown oddly closer to him in these past two months then any had before? If he couldn't garner the right words, would she leave him to his own devices. Apart from at least one friend in this world? Would his life be nothingness? Absolutely devoid of sound, or comfort? Wait, when had she become a friend? When had he allowed himself friends?There was no friendship in his life before his time in Sunberth. Friends, companions, bonds, relationships. They were all a hindrance. Minute passing attempts to fill the nothingness of the passing days with a bit of borrowed warmth. A weakness... right? On some level... did Antar actually want Shai to go? The thought, though screaming to his instincts of safety was deplorable to him. For his thoughts took a darker turn back into nothingness that his life might become within as well as without if his... companion of sorts just up and left. Was he testing her? What did these thoughts matter? No. They didn't matter there was only nothingness to consider now...' Staring obliquely behind Shai's shoulder, his mind barely registered a sudden crack in a tree's bark a few tens of feet away as parts of the wooden pulp just vanished by a startling occurrence. A brief unparticle of the void coming into being between the space between the matter of the world... sucking in a golfball sized bit of wood from inside the tree as the trunk around it crumpled. His eyes would be staring vacantly in the far off distance for the moment... unsure upon what was being conjured into existence by the culminations of his non-thoughts and djed alone. Within seconds, the void shut down, collapsing upon itself as his puzzled gaze turned to where the larger bear was... gazing at the large paws of the creature as he pondered their power. A bear's claws had the power to destroy, to rend flesh, to make it suffer. To destroy. Much like his lack of words right now. Inside his broiling emotions, he tried to call upon the nothingness again, and after a minute of not noticing where Shai was , or what she was doing... the paw itself was engulfed into a budding portal. Parts of its flesh pulled into nothingness as indescribable as only the Void was... and all he could do was stare. It would be up to her to react, though how could she? How would she? Antar had never told Shai of this ability. This frightening power to banish things into nothingness? And he couldn't now. All he could try to do was to distract himself and try to calm himself down. His gaze not even registering the spatial anomalies that his djed was summoning into being... All the rogue could do was begin to inexplicably tremble as he pondered... what could he say... what could he do to make things right?

[Shai]

Shai! Her name rang through her thoughts carried on the inner-voice of her familiar. The woman’s attention immediately jerked from her work, directed by a mental nudge towards the ursine paw. Amethyst eyes widened and her lips pursed as the phenomenon presented itself. Lifting her chin towards Antar, Shai nearly questioned him when strangely Chell provided another command. Quickly wench, get away from it. It is magic. Without hesitation Shai pushed against the ground and forced her body into a quickly tumble to the side. When the spider righted herself again she stared at Antar, her first thought was to warn him that a foreign entity had entered their clearly again but when she noticed his expression Shai stilled.

Her brow furrowed, as the spider deliberated. Something was clearly wrong, but Shai had just decided she’d been too nice to him. Still, it seemed clear from a woman’s prospective that kindness was precisely what Antar required. On the quiet steps of nimble toes the thief skirted the strange magical sphere to reach her companion. As she moved, she thought and because her mind was otherwise occupied her limbs resorted to the racial grace they’d known only when her paranoia and fear weren’t her foremost thoughts. Creeping nearer she called gently, “Antar?” Stopping a pace from the man, Shai’s mind came upon a precipice, this moment was significant. To Shai she knew, if this distanced closed and kindness was what she offered then their relationship would be forever altered. So to would they never be the same if she failed to offer tenderness and instead showed the edge of her earlier anger. Beyond the Spider’s knowing though, there were yet other irreversible forks in their road and not all of the choices were hers to make alone.

A steadying breath prefaced the teetering question; what would Shai do without Antar? And for a moment, a world in which she had never met the rogue wavered before her mind’s eye. Shai would still be in Sunberth, still a bottom-feeding thief. She would never have known Dhalvasha had lived and her son survived with him. She wouldn’t have left the city at all. These were all important events, but on the other hand if Antar had never come into her world then she would be safer; less afraid to cut all losses and escape. The spider shook her head visibly, sending long tendrils of charcoal hair flowing on either side to frame her features. This was not a question of the past; the decision ahead did not alter history but shaped the future. Could she allow him to be in her future? Could; yes. Would she? Before the answer formed the tiny acrobat was in motion. Though she could not keep rhythm her training with her fans and her natural balance let the woman move fluidly through the space between to kneel before him. Reaching without permission or reservation Shai cupped his cheek. “Antar? Is this you?”

A small jerk of his head would see him look at her, blinking wearily. He opened his mouth as if to speak but no words came.

The small response was all she needed, beyond all of the things Shai was there was one identity that was forever ingrained in her being. Shai was a mother. She would never view Antar as any less than her peer but her actions which followed held no edge of condescension they simply acknowledged a most base of mortal needs; to be unalone. Sitting down with her legs spread wide, she drew the rogue too her chest. Her choice had been irrevocably made; Antar would always receive her kindness when he required it; though he would not be exempt from her ire if it would aid him as well.

In a low eerie cadence the woman began to hum a somber tune of the Widow folk.

[Antar]

Love was a grave mental disease in which it might be best if Antar and Shai were not the only fools to play with Lhex's strings. That realization was unrecognizable at this time to the man slightly resting within the clasped arms of the symenestran woman, being crooned to by his lover as his soul seemed to seek some solace in her embrace. Inside him a different storm of emotions as loss and loneliness warred within, tumbling his heart into the center of a monstrous war of his mind and caution. Caution dictated he had to be apart, had to not let himself feel. Had to be alone. His mind brought up the smallest possibility that if that was the case he would have not allowed things to progress between them more then a one night stand. Then again, his subconscious always did have a habit of torturing and asking questions it would have been best left unanswered. But like many things, actions, spoke louder then mere words and thoughts. Antar's hand trembled slightly at hearing Shai's comforting presence and voice. For a time, Antar's body lay still before reacting to clasp his arms about Shai's waist and pull her closer. He opened his mouth to speak, but still fell silent as he pondered just what to say as his thoughts reordered himself. The pale alluring grayness of nothing slowly easing itself back out of existence. Though the damage to the bear's paw had been done. That, he presumed was to be another thing that might cause strife it wasn't addressed. But how could he address it at all? He was not the best 'people person' after all. At this, Noth slowly lowered his head once again, almost as if in doubt of himself. For a few moments, Noth began to worry that the silence was his way of rejecting his companion, but suddenly raised his head to look deeply into Shai's eyes. Allowing royal violet to meet clearest blue as a soft smile began to spread across his soft lips, lighting up his features once more as he whispered in as soft and confident voice as he could muster, "Thank you. Sorry for making you worry my dear." He paused a moment before half stuttering on, "Sorry about ... other things today too." as she continued her crooning. Noth allowed himself the pleasure of merely being beside her, hearing her heart beat steadily until she finished before straightening his back and embracing her once again before awkwardly pulling back. Despite his overwhelming urge to reach over and pull the symenestra to him to never let go, Antar still felt shaken up over what had happened. He gently pried himself lose from her grip yet was sure to give her a wan smile as he finished composing himself. The rogue breathed a sigh of relief. He was fine, just shaken up a bit. Antar pondered about his next move. This day had not gone as he hoped or had planned. After meeting with Shai, he would have hoped the two of them could have spent some time getting to know each other better. However, they had fought, and the challenge now was where they'd go next. Finding their path would be a challenge. In retrospect, their circumstances still were not the only problem. The man's apathetic nature meant that going to his past for any clue of things would be pointless, unless he promised himself to seek outside assistance to figure out just what this relationship was. He would have to talk to Shai more about it. Of course he would have to find the status for things between them first. As for his symenestran beauty… The last of the Noth family shook his head. He was analyzing things far too much, he needed to calm himself. 'A blade will wear itself out if not sheathed when it is not used.' Taking a deep breath he gave Shai a half felt smile, "So," He swallowed hard once, before averting his gaze from Shai's direction. He needed something to do to steady himself, something to keep himself busy. Something to keep his body active so he could drown out his own thoughts, "we should probably go off to skin that bear now. Don't you think?" ~Fin.

[Fallacy]

XP Award! Name:Antar XP Award: Riding- 5 Rhetoric- 5 Shielding- 2 Voiding- 2 Interrogation- 4 Philosophy- 2 Teaching- 2 Longbow- 1 Lore: Riding into Town How Did You Become a Thief? Basics of Symenestra Discussing Magical Arts Stumbling Across a Bear Fighting Bears Notes: Name:Shai XP Award: Horsemanship- 1 Riding- 5 Rhetoric- 5 Shielding- 2 Climbing- 1 Familiarity- 3 Philosophy- 2 Teaching- 1 Interrogation- 2 Acrobatics- 1 Kukri- 1 Lore: Riding into Town Catching Up Basic Knowledge of Reimancers Basic Knowledge of Shielders Discussing Magical Arts Where is your Bow? Must Have a Bear Hide! Fighting Bears Shai: A Mother Notes: Other: +1 Bear Skin Notes: A cute thread. Please note, the skin was awarded to Shai since her pc asked for it specifically. Also note, that this thread was a long one, if I happened to miss anything, please don't hesitate to PM me. Any questions or concerns about the rewards gained please send a PM