The Hunter, The Sword, The Sister, The Awesome[Marishka]

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden gazed over Marishka’s form for a moment as she took off her cloak. “Okay, what’s your definition of ‘mischief,’ because I would like to know my limits?” Jaeden said before defensively raising his hands as Marishka scoffed, a smile forming on his face. “Kidding, kidding.” “Nice bust by the way,” Jaeden said with a chuckle before again raising his hands. “Kidding, kidding.” Jaeden dragged his hands along his pant leg, wiping away any oil that had accumulated along his hand while he was sharpening his knife. Idly reaching out, he then grabbed another slice of dried beef jerky and slipped it between his teeth. He gazed over the edge of his knife, checking for nicks as he did with the long sword before sliding it back into it’s sheath. Standing, Jaeden then motioned to the tent. “Nah, you can have the tent.” Jaeden said as he made his way over towards his quiver of arrows, sitting himself along the log nearby. “I need the freshen up on my shelter building skill anyways. Never know when my tent will be destroyed.” Jaeden then pulled out one of the arrows, checking the edges along the arrow’s head. “It smells like man,” Jaeden then commented, “but if you can get past that, it’s comfortable.” Jaeden continued to check the arrow heads, one by one. Every one he came across where he found nicked or dulled edges, he slowly ran along the wet stone. When he eventually got through the whole set, he slipped them back into his quiver before finally pulling out a woodman’s ax from his pack, and began scanning the area for suitable branches to build his shelter with.

[Marishka Timandre]

The Konti began unstrapping her sword and sheathe, placing them on a slab of rock as Jaeden throwing teasing jabs at her. "Hmm?" she looked at him with an as-a-matter-of-fact gaze as he worked his tools. She has her back turned to him as she bent over while untying her boots, hoisting one long, slender leg up after another on a big rock. All she could do in response was shake her head and sigh in exasperation. He knew as well as she did what she meant, and the limitation would encompass everything concerning 'that'. of course she could have said something more derisive in return just to stifle him, but she decided to let it pass. She then took her boots together in one hand and then placed them carefully beside the rock. Her attention level began to tone down again as she took off her black vest, revealing more of her supple white skin beneath a thin white shirt. The black suit was quite stuffy, aside from being a bit heavy. She flung this casually over her head towards the bush where her cloak laid, the force shaking the leaves and bringing some berries down. She looked away towards the forest, a bit more comfortable now that she could breathe a little better. However, it was not to last. Her blood shot back up her head like a suddenly heated thermometer at his last words. "W-why you..!" she snapped embarrassedly, her gaze turning back to the now innocent-acting Jaeden. Her face began to contort in indignation, with her cheeks revealing a fierce blush that she was obviously trying to hide behind her angry mood. She crossed her arms around her chest again, this time trying to hide what was quite true. The warrior grit her teeth at the hunter's cheekiness; daring her was usually not the best thing to do, but this time she couldn't react properly. "Q-quit saying stupid things! You idiot!" she cried at him, looking at Jaeden as defensively as he had raised his hands up. Marishka might not have noticed, but her cheeks were puffed up like a little girl in a tantrum. The only difference would be that she wouldn't be throwing things around. She'd be swinging something around instead, and he is not going to like what would happen. Seeing as Jaeden merely chuckled at her reactions, she threw her face to one side in a primadonna moment. When he mentioned the tent, she cringed slightly at the prospect of smelling the inside of it. It would obviously smell of musk and sweat, maybe she'd even find some evidence of his more... Manly activities inside. She started imagining finding strands of curled hair and wet spots on the blankets, which made her shake her head ferociously. There was no way she'd tolerate sleeping on his stuff. After all, it might be a trap, spontaneously designed to lure her towards his lurid machinations! Eventually Marishka straightened up and re-composed herself by taking deep breaths and exercising her hands in a yoga-esque fashion. "No thanks." she blurted out at him stolidly, slowly moving over to the other end of the camp and sitting herself down like a guard in a bad mood would. Crossing her legs together and using her hand to cup her face for support, she smirked at him quaintly, looking quite smug and content with herself, as if she had just foiled some stupid plan of his. "I'll just content myself with the fresh air, instead of breathing in the poisonous atmosphere that you offer. Goodnight, Sir Jaeden!" Her violet irises disappeared under the shade of her silvery eyelids and lashes, with each inhalation shoving out of her in flurries of force. Within moments, despite her uncomfortable position, the Konti was breathing more slowly and relaxedly, and her stiffened arm settled into softer tones of strength. She was fast asleep. ------------------------------------------------------- Marishka woke up before the crack of dawn. The silence of the forest was deafening, with only the crickets warding away the crushing atmosphere of black that encroached upon her. Her eyes sparkled under the light of the silver moon, and she moved not from her position, letting the furious beating of her heart overcome her senses. Soft hands began to search and tap around for the sword by her side, only realizing that she had left it on the rock near Jaeden's tent. "Jaeden!" she hissed out in the darkness. "Jaeden, wake up! Darn it..." her mood rolled down the steep ravine of frustration again. How could she have left her weapons so far away from her side? If there had been a wild animal that attacked her while she slumbered, she wouldn't have stood a chance. It was strange; the darkness seemed to have paralyzed her, rendered the fearsome Lightning Countess helpless and waiting for aid. She could not move her arms much, and the strength in her legs had left her. There on the rock she sat alone, a little bit wary of her surroundings. Wary enough that she wished the man in the tent would wake up and take her hand and let her know that she wasn't alone in the darkness.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Marishka would find, as her eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness, that Jaeden wasn't actually in his tent at the time she called out. Only the wild replied at first to her call. Only a couple of ticks of the bell would pass though before Jaeden made his return, stepping into the camp as his gaze fell on Marishka’s back. A couple of steps would find him lightly laying his hand along her shoulder. “Good morning. You rest well?” Jaeden asked before laying a plate of organic foods in front of her. The plate itself was filled with various berries. It also had several large morel mushrooms and three apples. “Figured you might be hungry, and considering you didn’t want any of the jerky yesterday, I did a little foraging.” Jaeden slowly stepped over towards his tent and began organizing his things for the days activities. “The apples in the forest haven’t fully ripened yet though, so they may be a bit sour. Just to let you know.” Jaeden informed before looking towards the east. His eyes closed as he took a slow inhale through his nose at a subtle slow breeze that caressed the area. “Good, no smell of a storm approaching.” Jaeden the slowly made his way over towards the fire, sitting himself down in front of Marishka. He began poking at the embers of the fire, tossing both some kindling and a few more twigs to bring the fire back to life. When a small flame was soon birthed from the ashes, Jaeden pulled a pan that had been laid out nearby and laid it over top of the burning wood. His hand dipped into a rune sack at his waist delicately, before a few eggs were pulled out from within. A subtle tap along the edge of the pan left a small crack along the egg before the shell was forced apart over the pan itself. The same was repeated with the other eggs as a sizzling sound soon drowned out the sounds of the nature surrounding the camp as a lingering smell of breakfast filled the air.

[Marishka Timandre]

There was just something about the darkness that Marishka could not quite appreciate, as if it was something that seemed to swallow her whole and savor her bit by bit. She thought that she could feel some anonymous creature of the night beside her, licking up her exposed arms and neck, gliding and covering every inch of her with wanton abandon. Despite the many nights and years she has spent in the wilderness all on her own, and despite her constant vigil over the darker sides of life, the stillness of the forest has constantly tried to sap her courage. For some reason, it succeeded that morning. Perhaps it could be said that a part of her ferocity and fire had been infused into the bladed weapons which she had left on the other side of the camp. Without them, she was quite helpless, trapped in the pulsating depths of self-doubt and terror. Wide-open irises of amethyst took in the shifting forms of the emptiness. She could do nothing but wait in frozen anticipation for the coming of light. Suddenly something grabbed her shoulder, and she let out a small whimper, the intimidation clear in her shriveled voice. Normally it would have made her draw her weapon instinctively to chase whatever it was away, or when worse comes to worse, gut it on the spot. But her hand did not respond, nor did her back stiffen enough for her to bolt into standing. All she could do was turn her head suddenly to look at the hulking form that casually paraded a familiar voice. The blackness of the form dissipated under the light wave of the presence beside her into Jaeden's solid curves and angles, and deep inside she was relieved beyond measure. Her heartbeat returned to normal, and strength flowed back beyond the shadows. She let out a sigh, then smiled her lips at the plate of offerings, under the cover of dawn of course. "I--well. I slept well enough." she snapped after tossing her hair back and peering closer to see what the contents were. Wild berries and mushrooms, and three unripened apples. A now-steady hand drew a blackberry from the selection, taking a tiny nip at it. It tasted sweet and savory to her, like the fine wine she had enjoyed back home in Mura. Brightness rekindled Marishka's orbs as the fires began to blaze anew, painting orange and yellow shades back into their lonely part of the forest. Warmth started to radiate again, and it found her picking off her meal slowly but greedily. It had been awhile since she has had anything to eat, and the sudden intake of substance into her cavernous stomach did much to remind her of that. As she chewed on one of the two very tasty mushrooms, she watched the hunter cook his own meal with unwittingly grateful eyes. Morning would have found her in a desolate state should had he not come to her rescue. Once she had finished her meal she walked over to grab hold of her weapons, the suvai and the longsword. The touch of steel upon the palm of her hands restored whatever intrepidness--and brashness--Jaeden had not restored with his reappearance. With a quick flick she drew the silvery blade and slashed it twice in the air. Now her power and skill too had been fully reimbursed, and morning practice had begun. She had used the sword to chase away her fears, and her suvai to cut down her obstacles. The feeling of mirth and energy sallied forth to her bones, and at last she was complete once more. It made her dance under the guise of the dying moonlight, the shimmering of the war blades resonating with gold and silver hues. With the suvai on her left hand she slashed upwards while holding it in a reverse position, slicing a falling leaf into two clean parts as it went. It was followed by a strong jilt with the hilt of her longsword going in a reverse curve towards the left, then a spinning kick that sent a wave of air flying away. This awkward position she held as she breathed in slowly for a few ticks. Ending her first routine with a quick switch kick with her right and a simultaneous one handed slash of her right hand sword. After this she straightened up and faced the hunter turned cook. "Jaeden, what are you intending to hunt today?"

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden slowly drew his pan away from the fire as the eggs, slightly overcooked, still sizzled over the pan as he began scraping two of them along his plate. He held the remainder out in offering to Marishka, in case eggs themselves didn’t cross that dislike she had for eating meat. “Whatever nature deems fit to provide.” Jaeden replied as he reached into his rune sack, tossing a few strips of dried beef along this plate as well. “I’m not hunting for specific prey, mainly just hunting for meat in general. Most of it I’m selling to people in Syliras for the upcoming celebration they’re planning for Spring.” Jaeden slowly began eating his breakfast as he looked towards the fire, noting the direction of the wind as the flames waved around and smoke was carried off towards the East. “I’ll begin by heading west, making sure I’m not downwind of anything I may be stalking.” He then looked up towards the forest’s canopy, observing what little sky he could through the open gaps. Rain couldn’t be smelled in the air, but that didn’t always mean it wasn’t going to rain. It was the season for such after all. Jaeden’s gaze then fell over Marishka’s belongings for a moment. “How much you have in terms of rations, anyhow?” Jaeden questioned as he jabbed a fork into the egg a little, playing with his food. “I can show you some other plants of the forest that are edible, but you’ll not want to neglect your meats or fish. Otherwise you’ll find yourself gradually feeling weaker due to lack of protein.” He then just gave a slow shrug, finishing the contents of his plate before wiping his mouth clean with a nearby rag. “I only bring it up due in part to the fact that you seem to have a fondness for the wilds.” Jaeden said as he slipped his plate aside. “If you’re going to spend a lot of time out here, you should at least have some basic knowledge of what’s available to you in the event you aren’t able to get back to a city or settlement.”

[Marishka Timandre]

Marishka smirked at the lecture. She knew quite a bit about the forest and its environs, what with having spent the majority of her seven years from Mura within its folds. Nonetheless she merely nodded and did not contest. He was right anyway. She sheathed her sword before taking the offering of eggs, then sat down adjacently to him. She did not touch it, settling for placing it gently upon her lap. It somehow confounded her that despite the fact that Konti almost never eat meat they never seem to lack of any nutrients. The warrior pondered silently as she stared her food down, unsure of how to eat them without any utensils. She placed aside the plate and soon up to unwind herself from her sudden jump to practice earlier, the cusp of her fine firm abdominal muscles revealing themselves as she stretched her arms upwards. "As you can see, I have nothing but my weapons with me. I just go foraging for berries whenever I'm hungry. Surely that is something even an 'inexperienced' woman like me can do." she said a bit snidely. "But I thank you for that. It was informational. I'll keep that in mind." The glinting eyes of the wary ravens on the trees around them shone brightly in the darkness, reminding her that they were in a forest that never does sleep. Who knows what else they would find in the woods once they start packing up? She shrugged lightly to herself as she waited for the human hunter to finish his agendas, a tapping foot letting Jaeden know that she was ready and waiting for his lead.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden finished the last of his eggs, setting the plate aside giving that ‘after meal’ exhale as he did so. “You’re welcome,” Jaeden said as he slowly stood to his feet, “even if the tone was a little condescending.” “I’ll ignore it though, because I was able to ogle the smooth sexy skin of your stomach during that little stretch you did.” Jaeden then said with a smirk as he made his way over to his gear. He first grabbed his belt, which was lined with several pouches throughout the length, slipping it around his waist and fastening the buckle. He then fastened his long sword to his belt at the left side of his waist, his gaze slowly traveling towards Marishka’s foot as the tapping sound started lingering at his ears. “Stop that.” Jaeden simply said, his tone mannered as if he had been speaking to a child who was dipping their hand into the cookie jar. “The forest isn’t going anywhere, and it’s going to be a long day.” Jaeden then grabbed a quiver that rested beside his composite long bow, and began strapping it to the right side of his waste. The quiver looked to be shy of a full twenty at first glance, as the wooden shafts rattled against each other slightly. A quick snag of his pack caused Jaeden’s bicep to bulge slightly as it was lifted off the ground, suggesting that it contained a large number of items. More than what most people would burden their packs and shoulders with. Jaeden the grabbed his bow as he began making his way across camp, passing by Marishka in his step. “Alright, let’s go.” Jaeden said as he began making his way into the forest in a north eastern direction. “Don’t stare too much at my butt though, I’m not a piece of meat after all. I have feelings.”

[Marishka Timandre]

Yet again Marishka's eyebrows shot up at his flimsily hidden jab, looking twice at her belly to see whether it was still exposed below her rather short undershirt. "Huh, what a cheeky, lewd brat it is that I ran into. Don't you know that I'm probably old enough to be your mother, hmm?" she said coyly as she covered herself back up by grabbing the cloak in the bush, then lowering her gaze for a moment to hide another very amused smile. Perhaps Jaeden already knew about the gap between Konti and humans when it came to aging, but would have he guessed that she was more than twice his age, and thus should treat her like an elder? Judging from the build of his body and the brazen look of prime on his person, her guess would be as good as anyone's concerning his true age. White hair would be a signifier of such passing for a human, which made her wonder whether she has had dealings with konti before. She didn't care to ask at the moment though, trying to wrestle still with the facts that presented themselves before her. One, she was interacting with a male so casually, a human one at that. The thought came to be very fickle to her mind; her defensive minded approach towards them has always preserved her. Now she was so willingly putting her trust into one of them, the barbarous scum who had tried to push her down a path which she didn't belong to. "I must be out of my mind, coming along with you on this venture," she mumbled to herself loudly, so her companion could hear her. Softer lines started coursing down her expressions as the notions began to calm down again. "But then again, so are you for being so... Magnanimous. What an odd fellow you are, Jaeden." A faint ghost of a smirk yet again braced the Konti's face as her tapping foot ground to a halt in its repetition. Looking straight at him, she could only shrug in pretension, conditioning her mind to be as sarcastic and acidic as she possibly could be to deter him from saying more stupid things in the future. Alighting from her seat, she brushed the dust from her pants and trailed Jaeden through the thick of the morning air. What were they going after? She has always contented herself with pulling berries and other kinds of edible roots from the ground, relying solely on instinct to avoid the poisonous kinds. When a mushroom is too colorful, she avoided it. When it seemed like it had moss or slime on it, she hesitated. It was about time she started to hunt, although meat is still quite a heavy bit for her to take as food. She followed silently behind him, making sure to make no noise so he could sense his surroundings more closely.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden simply found himself smirking as they traveled through the forest. “Cheeky, lewd brat huh?” Jaeden suddenly commented as his gaze remained along the ground, searching for tracks. He then came to a sudden stop, turning to face Marishka. As the lower end of his composite long bow came to rest along the ground, his hands came to a draping rest along the upper curve. He looked into her eyes for a moment, his pupils shifting back and forth between her own. “And on that note, why would an age difference be a detrimental factor? You’re still an attractive woman, despite being old enough to be my mother. If I were to focus on something that would dissuade me from finding you attractive, it would be the slight haughty demeanor. I can look past that though. I realize that it’s tough for Konti in these lands, what with all the cheeky, lewd brats and all.” Jaeden then turned to begin tracking again, only to run face first into a tree that stood in his path. “Bacaa!” Jaeden yelled briefly as a sting rose slightly along his nose, taking the brunt of the collision. “I gotta stop doing that.” Jaeden slowly rubbed his nose, now circling around the tree. His gaze once again fell to the forest grounds as he began moving at a casual pace. “And you’re not out of your mind,” Jaeden suddenly commented. “It’s because I’m odd and magnanimous. It’s part of my charm.” Jaeden then suddenly stopped, his gaze falling along a large growing of nettle plants along the ground. “Well, there’s a bit of a treat.” Jaeden said, suddenly speaking Kontinese as he looked back at Marishka. “Here’s something for your wilderness tips. Nettle plants, while they sting and cause bad itching when you grab them, are actually edible. After you’ve boiled them, of course. The leaves make a good tea, and the plant itself is high in protein, helping you replace what you lose for not eating meat a little. Tastes like spinach.” Jaeden then looked down on the plants one more time before gazing around the area to memorize it’s location before once again moving along. It was then about a half the time of a full bell’s chime that passed, as Jaeden remained silent, simply observing the ground as he moved along in slow steps, studying his surroundings with the patience of a scholar tearing over the words of an ancient text. “One moment,” Jaeden then said, continuing to speak in Marishka’s native tongue. He then crouched down near a tree, reaching into a small rune sack at his waist. Pulling out a snare, he slowly began setting it up next to the tree, as a small open space between the tree’s trunk and a bush revealed several small clustered tracks of small prey. He then nodded his head towards a grouping of mushrooms that grew along side the other side of the tree. “Morels. Good for eating if you wanted a snack. Just rinse them off with water before doing so to take care of any surface parasites and what not.” Jaeden’s gaze then slowly drifted towards his left as he finished setting his snare. His eyes widened a little as he took a couple of steps away from his current position before crouching down along the ground once again. His hands began running along the surface of a rotting log, which looked as though it’s surface bark had been torn open, apparent by several gouges along the side. He suddenly pulled a grub free from the log, the insect looking as though half of it’s body had been bitten away. He eventually tossed it to the side along the ground as a raven came swooping down, grabbing it quickly and flying away. Jaeden’s hands then began dipping into the ground, as several hoof prints laid deeply along the surface in front. “About a bell’s chime ago I would say,” Jaeden commented aloud as he studied the tracks. “Should be good eating for tonight.” Jaeden didn’t make any comment as to what it was. Instead, he simply reached to his quiver of arrows, pulling one free. He notched the arrow into his bow and suddenly began moving along the ground in a crouched position. His demeanor was slightly more predatorily now, rather than casual. His eyes narrowed, sharpening in focus and his steps now began to carry him with purpose.

[Dusk]

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