The Berszerker and the Pycon (Falix)

[Banir Ironwood]

Winter 48th, 511 AV

It had been a relatively nice, the sky was dim with grey clouds but snow had yet to fall. There was no freezing wind to chill the bones so it was nice enough to sit on a bench without fear of sticking to it. The large man sat upon a similar bench dotting the city. Shrouded in a dirty green winter coat adorned with iron shoulder blades, armour along his right arm and a dangerous iron claw on his right hand. The metal clattered with each movement as he played with his hobby. In his left leather bound hand was a piece of wood that his clawed right cut away at. Doing so in a trance like state as he carefully cut away the bark.

The bench creaked under his weight as his hooded head and hidden scarfed face peered down at his hand. Numb to his surroundings as his thoughts where focused upon the image in his mind it. Slowly the cut wood had resembled a slight face, it wasn't bad for someone still learning the skill. Silently he sat there his rage filled eyes dulled into a softer red the outer rim of his eyes a soft grey. So intently focused he didn't notice a small figure looking at him.

[Falix]

'meeting the giant'

The small girl looked at the giant man that was sitting on the bench. To her everything was giant, but this man was especially giant. She tilted her little clay head to the side. She saw the wooden carving that the man was making, her thoughts were that he looked really big and scary but also somewhat kind and gentle. She stepped forward so that she was closer to him. she was barely even able to see him now without severly cranking her neck although her head bent pretty far she was looking almost straight up at him.

"Hello!" she called out to him, her voice suprisingly loud for someone of her diminutive size. Trying to get his attention she waved her arms trying to make herself look bigger. She then straightened her head on her neck and jumped up on the bench in the empty place beside the man and looked up at him again.

"Your really big, well...everything is big but your bigger than most even!"

[Banir Ironwood]

Suddenly hearing the voice startled Banir to a point where he almost jumped. Sadly his reflex caused him to crush the carving in his hand leaving a beheaded piece of wood on the frosty snow covered ground. His gruff voice let out a sigh of relief as his right hand went over his heart. Being only six feet high, two hundred and twenty seven pounds with very broad shoulders. But he had never really thought of himself as big. Not since seeing that massive Jamoura he felt relatively normal in size. Slowly Banir's mind began to collect itself as he saw the small being talking to him. Never had he seen a Pycon before so his first thought was that she was a puppet of some sort. Slowly he realized it was a fully sentient being. His curiosity poked at him relentlessly until he asked the question his graveled voice cutting the air as it pushed though his scarf.

"What, are you?" He asked quizzically as his red eyes had bits of orange dancing around the rim as he peered at the small figure before him. She looked so small yet something about her told him she was had a mind unlike his own. One of quick thought and great intelligence, this reminded him of the Jamoura again. Of how he had respect even before introductions. 'You're manners you idiot! Remember to introduce yourself before questions!' A harsh and failure voice shouted in his head. Quickly he stumbled out his words.

"I, I am Banir Ironwood. My apologies for being rude." His voice violated the air once again as a mist of heat escaping the woven texture of his white scarf. He hadn't been so curious before in his life. A being that looked just like a statue of a little girl had sentient life, and was able to speak common as well. This was almost exciting to him if not puzzling beyond belief.

[Falix]

'introduction'

She giggled and looked up at the man. She couldn't make out his features because of the mask and hood that he wore concealing them but something told her judging by the way he had reacted and the sound of his gruff and gravelly voice that he was defiantely curious if not a bit amazed, or suprised...it was diffacult to tell.

"Well to answer your first question, I'm a pycon!" she exclaimed proudly. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. My name is Falix."

She looked up at the large figure and cocked her head to the side. her eyes ever looking at him and never blinking (they rarely do). She was only of 7 inches tall and only weighed about 12 pounds. Her clothes were obviously made from the same clay that she was leading one to think that the clothes were a part of her. She didn't feel the bite of the cold since her body was made from clay but she knew that it was cold here judging by the snow and ice everywhere.

She had only just recently come to this area, and already she had met a new face. the man...Banir seemed like a nice fellow albeit nervous...or maybe he was just shy.

"Do you mind if I sit on your shoulder Banir? I don't want someone to sit on me by accident or something"

[Banir Ironwood]

At first Banir was confused by the question Banir sat there blinking for a moment. Thinking over in his mind her point. It was quite valid considering her size, he rested his palm on the bench silently nodding his head tugging at his deep set hood. He wondered if there was even enough room under the iron shoulder guard. She was small but surely she'd still have to wiggle in a little to fit completely. Quickly his thoughts began to loop as they often did.

'What would it feel like to have a person on my shoulder? Will I always notice it or would I get used to it over time?' Many thoughts akin to this reeled without end in his head. Banir didn't even notice or feel the small new friend standing on his palm waiting to be carried up to his shoulder. Though he eventually snapped back into reality sure enough and carefully lifted Falix up to his shoulder awaiting for her to depart his hand.

[Falix]

Once that she had been lifted to his shoulder she hopped off his palm then sat down on his shoulder not quite under the shoulder guards but closer to his head, slightly covered by the guards. She had wondered what had been taking him so long to lift her up though after she had stepped on his hand. Had he blanked out or had his mind drifted off to some odd place? She wasn't about to ask and find out though. She smiled in her new spot on his shoulder and looked out onto the street from his perspective seeing at almost the same height that he would now.

"It's kinda nice up here I can see a lot more than I could before"

she brought her hand up and shaded her eyes as if the sunlight that was streaming down on the pair was blinding, although mixed with the powdery snow it was. She then looked back at her new companion. At the angle she was at and his mask and hood it was unlikely that he would be able to see her but she smiled anyway. Her own curiosity was burning away though and she thought it was time that she asked some questions.

"So what race are you? you asked me what I was it's only fitting right?...and it must be really cold for you to be all covered up like that"

Of course she didn't know anything about this man or why he kept his face covered so in all honesty she was just asking in genuine innocent curiosity.

[Banir Ironwood]

No one had asked him this question of what he was. He felt his emotions boil as he thought of his linage. Emotional control was slipping but he wouldn't allow it. Not in front of his new acquaintance. Taking long and deep breaths to sooth his wrath he focused on the answer. It took him a few moments but he managed to get a few words focused into a sentence. His hood and scarf hid his face from the world, no one could see his expressions. But his eyes reflected his mood, even if rage covered them more often than not. He turned his head to look at Falix the fur lining his hood made it hard to the side. Beyond the shadow his face was faintly seen but not enough to define anything prominent. Taking on long deep breath he spoke the heated mist expelling from the scarf that hid half his face.

"I'm the child, of an Isur, and Vanathan." It was short, sweet and to the point. It was clear Banir wasn't one for conversation the way he awkwardly shifted about from just for a few simple words. He felt his emotions stirring the more he thought of it. Quickly he reached into his pocket and took out a simple piece of wood that looked like it had been taken from a tree. Hastily almost he began to etch into the hard bark cutting it away. He had improved quite a bit since he first started carving. It was rushed and hastily but it did much to sooth his growing emotional discomfort. Slowly he felt his mind slip, but he remembered the Pycon upon his shoulder. Her gentle weight keeping him in reality, thinking it rude of him to just lose himself in company. Holding onto his quickly and poorly done carving he stood up. The bench sighing at the relief of his weight.

Slowly he went for a walk, he was by no means a native to Avanthal being here for hardly a season. But he trusted himself not to get lost so while his armored boots clunked against the ground; he gave her an offer.

"You, seem new here, allow me, to show you what I know of Avanthal." Moving though the dimmed sunlight, the white covered buildings and holds of Avanthal waiting to be seen.

[Falix]

Although he had hid it well, she had detected from how tense his shoulder got when she had asked her question that his personal life was something he did not enjoy discussing. As the large man spoke his offer and stood, she looked around taking in the sights that surrounded her in this beautiful snowy landscape. She obsevred people buying and trading goods, and a few different races wandering around or going about their buisness. She had taken her place on his shoulder leaning back a little and resting on her small clay hands her legs hanging over his shoulder. She thought idly if she was a burden to the man or if he could feel her presence on his shoulder at all.

Her mind went back to the carving that she had seen the man making previously, remembering how his muscles had relaxed underneath her when he started to carve the wood. It seemed that was one of the ways that he relaxed himself. She wanted to comment but didnt want to make the man angry or tense again so she chose her words carefully before speaking. "Thank you for the offer to show me around. I am pretty new here I only just arrived shortly before we met. I saw that carving that you were making before, it looked really nice, you have a good skill there." The hope was that flattery wouldn't set the man off again and yet at the same time she would be able to comment without worry of angering him again, or so she thought.

All the while her curiosity was driving around in her mind, she wished to know more about this dangerous man, and always the thrill seeker sometimes she didn't know when to stop and it would usually get her in trouble. However she didn't want to scare or offend her new friend and wind up being squished be it on purpose or accident. So for now she would keep those questions to herself. However that didn't stop her from looking around town as the man walked looking for something that seemed exciting or adventerous. She thought again before speaking again. "So do you know of any place here that has something fun going on?"

[Banir Ironwood]

The clunky boots encased in sturdy iron thumped against the ground, even though they where cushioned by the snow. His large form lumbering through the crowds, touring around the seven holds of Avanthal. The market place, and several other spectacular places. When she spoke her complement he was rather humbled and couldn't bring himself to speak. But his gruff voice soon graced the air once again.

"Thank you, I'm, still learning." It was short and quick but he never was a linguistic master. He kept walking with her perched upon his shoulder. Honestly he didn't mind his new companion, she was nice and didn't talk so much. Unlike someone he was thinking of, quickly he banished this thought from his mind. She was, at least considerable to be a friend. How they became friends is still a mystery to him but he was not one to question the god of Fate. The name of the god slipped his mind but he knew it was something with an L. He had learned of the good long ago but never prayed to him.

His mind had gotten side tracked again putting him in a loop of thoughts. But when she asked her question he immediately snapped back. 'A place here that has something fun going on?' He repeated in his thoughts. Banir wasn't the best person to ask about fun, but he did know of loud people or persons who may help him with this. He would talk to Yuros first, then see if he could find his Jamoura friend. And if they all fall through then maybe, if he's up to it, ask Alea. Eventually he realized he had yet to respond to her so he quickly thought of a sentence to say.

"No, I do not, though I know of others, who may." His gruff voice was slow and steady. The heat from his breath blowing past the scarf that concealed him and softly drifted to Falix. Coating her in a damp warm moist in the cold air.

[Falix]

She nodded then realized about a second later that he wouldn't have seen the nod and answered vocally. "Your very welcome Banir. It seems to me that you'll be a great wood worker with more practice. And in the meantime while we look for your friends would you mind hearing a tale? I love story telling, it's a specialty among my kind." She smiled at her own thoughts, the man while edgy and gruff seemed to have a sweet tender side, like a diamond in the ruff who just needed to be polished to be able to shine.

She listened to the crunch of snow beneath his feet as she was shown Avanthal. It was meticulous and almost hypnotising in it's repetive sound. She began to think of stories that she could tell of heroic battles long since past or maybe a story of love and romance. She debating this silently in her head as they moved through the city. It wasn't until a little later that she realized that his breath was causing a moisture to build on her clay skin and began to freeze from the harsh cold. she stood up carefully on his shoulder, holding onto his shoulder guard for support so she wouldn't fall and twisted around in a shape that shouldn't of been possible for a living creature as the thin layer of ice cracked and fell off of her before she regained her normal appearance. Upon returning to her normal apperance she once again sat down on his shoulder but moved a little further away closer to his shoulder guard to keep it from happening again.

She noted that the man always made short and simple statements and didn't speak otherwise. She took that into concideration as she thought about her new friend. Realizing that he didn't like to talk she thought that by telling him stories he could just listen while she talked and he didn't have to say a single thing.