A Hunter will do anything for a Buck, (Orion)

by **Qist Tiere** on August 14th, 2012, 5:15 am

She nodded once more, releasing her grip on the round delights. Briefly after the last sphere dropped into the man's open hand, Qist followed its example. She fell to the ground next to him, sighing as she did so. Sobriety was a pain. It always left her with the most brutal of headaches, which, naturally, mirrored her terrible mood. "Ah, no worries." Laying completely on her back, Qi let her legs form am upwards facing arrow, with Orion's left leg stretching through it. She gave a half-grin, popping a berry into her mouth. Biting into a small fruit such as this one was always interesting. One could never be sure if it were to be sour or sweet; whether the taste would be enjoyable or unbearably bitter. The moment right before the berry bursted, in those few seconds where the taste could fall anywhere, always held a great invigorating sense to the femme; she enjoyed not having to make a decision for someone or something. As the blueberry exploded into bits of sourness, Qist's grin wided margianally. She had always liked the nastier of the tastes. "I rather deserved it. Besides, one would think I'd be used to the height shots by now."

She peered over at him. Pain... To be honest, she had always welcomed physical pain, to an extent. As a child, her father preached that the only way to cure mental pain and suffering was through physical pain. The mixed blood took this to heart, seeing it to make complete sense. If your mind is distracted by a injured limb, naturally it would forget about any pain within your mind. Of course, that didn't mean one would see her gallavanting around, smashing her head against walls. Reaching out, she gently poked his arm. "It doesn't hurt too much, does it?" Oh, no...he just fell clear from a tree. No pain there, Qist. None at all. She glanced upwards. "I didn't think the branch was that far up,"

Returning her gaze to Orion, she realized she had yet to completely look him over. He was tall, with what seemed to be a lanky build. She couldn't really tell, though, from this angle; her vision was obscured by a few blades of exceptionally long grass. She could, however, clearly see his eyes. They shone through in a shade of blue that was much more bright than that of her own eyes. It was shocking, the contrast that his eyes played on with his dark hair and pale skin. "Actually," She sighed as she was pulled from her thoughts. "Most days my traps are raided. In fact, you've been the most edible thing I've caught in a while." Qist smiled playfully, happy with any way he took her statement. "However, that doesn't mean I shouldn't check the rest of my traps. Would you mind tagging along to one or two more of these? I'd hate to have to come back out here." The pint-sized hunter was expecting a yes. After all, what was he to do? Wander aimlessly in the woods? A whisper of a chortle escaped her lips. No, of course not.

by **Orion Michaels** on August 14th, 2012, 9:51 am

Orion, Day of Summer 30, 512 AV

He caught the last the berries, and with barely shown restraint, slowly popped them into his mouth, one after the other. Orion was starving. He was in the middle of his dinner when he had spotted the small blue treats, and over 12 bells of them sitting tauntingly out of reach had left him quite hungry. With Qist there, however, he ate calmly. Some tart, some sweet, and none filling at all, but at least it was something. “Oh come now, surely you don’t deal with jerks like me all the time? What are you, 5 feet tall?”

He winced slightly as she poked his arm. “Ouch.” Orion looked at her, and smiled slightly, shaking his head. “Remind me to poke you if you suffer an injury, Qi.” He playfully shortened her name, a mocking tone about it. “It should be fine. It wasn’t that far of a fall, but I pretty much landed directly on my shoulder. I don’t think it’s dislocated, but I’ll have to rub a healing salve on it when we get back. Just to help with the pain, you know?” He shrugged he left shoulder a few times, testing out its motion. Certainly still painful, but he had full range of motion. “I must say, since you’re responsible, I may have to enlist your help in applying it. Don’t worry, I’ll lay down.” He winked, an obvious ploy to get a rise of out her.

He looked away from the young woman, taking in the surroundings for a moment. Thankfully his pack was still there. Orion had a small amount of supplies, but nothing crazy. In the future, he would surely carry medical supplies in case his endeavors had him lost in the wilderness again. As she explained her usual luck with the traps, he grinned. “You know, I do believe this is the second mention of my taste. Surely you aren’t coming onto me.” He wrapped his arms around his chest. “I’m no prude, but on the first date. How shameless.” He teased. The young doctor nodded at her requested. “I’m afraid I’ve little choice, Qist. But if you get something less human in one of your next traps, as long as you can skin it, I can get us some food out of the deal. What do you think?”

by **Qist Tiere** on September 5th, 2012, 1:22 am

Qist pulled her legs in, crossing them over each other in a sort of odd human pretzel shape. She had just finished consuming her last berry and had now moved on to removing all traces of the tart treats from her; she licked the inside of her mouth, smoothly running her tongue across the back of her teeth. Eventually, she moved on to her hands, attempting to clean the blue stain on them. Finally satisfied, Qist looked up with a blue-tinted smile. "Oh, don't give yourself too much credit. You're less of a jerk and more of a..." Qi bobbed her head back in forth, pursing her lips together. Her eyes flicked back to Orion, ending her time of mock contemplation. "Nuisance."

Standing, the redhead peered about. Where had the next trap been? At first, she had nearly completly forgotten about the other traps; her memory needed much jogging before the directions came clearly to her. A grin rose to her features. "'Don't worry, I'll lay down.'" Qist mocked the man's voice in some sort of ridiculous pitch. "If only I had a Miza for every time I heard that." Her tone was peppered with clear sarcasm, a response that Qist found most fitting for yet another one of his height jabs. Her smile grew as she looked at Chandelier. She tossed her right arm onto her chest in protest, stringing a look of false shock and disgust on her face. "Oh, I would never!" Besides, don't you know us Inartans? Shameless is our middle name. Qist nodded.

"Sounds like a deal to me." Reaching down, though she didn't have to far to reach, Qi tapped Orion's arm lightly. "C'Mon Chandy, we have a bit of land to cover."

by **Orion Michaels** on September 7th, 2012, 11:40 am

Orion, Day of Summer 30, 512 AV

Orion shook his head as an entertained expression spread across his face. She was cleaning her hands of their small meal, and quite enthusiastically at that. Really getting into it, isn't she? He chuckled quietly at Qist. A nuisance. He supposed it was accurate. He had been the disappointment found in her trap. "You'd best hope that's all I become," he grinned, playfully biting at the air. "All that work on your hands might make it hard." He'd need to be careful with her. If she decided to try and leave him, what was he to do? Doctor her into submission?

A laugh escaped his lips as she mocked his words. Self depreciating humor was something he often employed. She may have been just as good at it. No matter, it was sure to be a good time. "I'm sure you'll have earned a few more by the time our encounter is over." And how many times had the young physician heard that one? 'Oh, I would never.' They were the wildest he had found. Only time could tell. "Oh, don't sound so disgusted. I know."

He started to stand as she patted his arm. "Alright, Qist. I'm in your hands." Now fully standing, he realized just how short the woman was. His eyes widened, his cheeks flushing. Surely had been flirting with a child. Standing at six feet tall, Orion towered a full foot and a half over the Inarta. He brought a hand up to his mouth, stifling a laugh. "No way. You're kidding right." He wrapped his other arm around his waist as he bent over, a few chuckles sneaking through his attempts. "I bet it's not more than a few hundred feet. How about you hop up here on my shoulders. It'll make the movements quicker." The doctor reached into his coins and tossed a miza her way, finally giving into the humor, his laughter echoing throughout the forest around him. Waving his hand at her and wiping his eyes with the other, Orion was sure a javelin would be coming his way. At least he would die happy.

by **Qist Tiere** on September 9th, 2012, 7:10 pm

Qist didn't wait for Orion to stand; her body was in motion almost immediately. She scooped up anything she had dropped, reattatching it to her. She lightly tugged at her equiptment, tightening loose buckles while checking if she had everything. After readjusting everything, she turned to the man, who was just starting to rise from the ground. "At the speed you're moving, I'm sure it'll be much more than a few."

Looking up at Orion, Qist took a step back. It wasn't that he intimidated her too much (though he did look like he could hold his own in a fight), but more that the height difference was staggering; she just wanted to put some space between the two, as to not look even more like a midget. It didn't take long for Chandelier to notice either.

At first, Qist was rather proud of him. He didn't immediately give in to laughter or snide remarks. However, he, like everyone else, fell into it just the same. His voice echoed around the pair, bouncing off the trees around them to come back and slap Qi in the face. She crossed her arms and pushed the weight onto one leg. The Inarta stood there, letting him work his way through the demeaning chuckles. When she had heard enough, she stepped forward. As she did so, he flicked a coin in her direction. Qist caught it, sneering at him as she did so. "You're very funny." As she glared at him, she wondered if he'd keep to those words. Traversing the forest was tiring after a while...

"Y'know what would make this even faster, though?" He's right, if you weren't so short... "Shut up." She muttered curtly to herself, pausing before returning her attention to Orion. "If you weren't here. Or, at the very least, weren't so slow." Qist skipped onto a rock, flashing a smile at her tag-along before dropping onto the otherside. Her pace was quick, not really concerned anymore with whether or not Chandy was following.

OOC :

by **Orion Michaels** on September 9th, 2012, 8:02 pm

oocActually we're time travelling, I forgot to tell you! No, thanks for pointing it out. I've corrected them!

Orion, Day of Summer 30, 512 AV

She was quick, that was for sure. Barely even gave him a chance to to stand before she was up and moving. A few quips, a few barbs, things he was used to at this point. She didn't want to be near him, that was plain enough. She seemed to be able to take his comments in stride. Surely she was used to it, and he didn't doubt she'd heard all the ones he'd thrown out so far.

And with a comment about Orion's slowness, she was off. The doctor shook his head, watching the last of her fiery red locks disappear from behind the rock. "I can literally step over that rock. One step!" He shouted after her, scooping up his backpack and beginning to give chase. He'd exaggerated somewhat about the size of the rock. He had to take a step up to get on the rock. From there he caught a glimpse of his pint sized companion, and jumped off the rock in pursuit. "What was the point of letting me down if you're just gonna ditch me out here!" Thankfully Qist's blazing red hair stood in a stark contrast to the greens of the forest. His strides were long, and his heart was beginning to beat fast. Gods I'm out of shape.

He hated to admit it, but this was actually fun. He was grinning like a fool, his tongue flying from his mouth as he ran, like some sort of awkward lanky armed giant man dog, laughing and choking as he wildly ran after his guide. "Come on Qi, don't take it personal!" And with that, he'd lost her. His confidence that her hair would make her an easy find was fleeting. She knew the forest way better than he, which wasn't saying much. He slowed to a walk, looking around for the surprisingly quick Inarta. "...Qist?" Well, at least he could wonder into a pack of wolves instead of them finding a tasty hanging treat, right?

Yeah. That doesn't make me feel any better.

by **Qist Tiere** on September 9th, 2012, 11:03 pm

It only took a moment for Qist to let her mind wander. She thought of the delectably treats that could be residing up ahead, of well-cooked venison resting in her stomach. As a hunter, these simple things made her happy; it made her smile, thinking about being a successful hunter. Let's face it, Qist: you haven't caught anything worth a petch nearly all season. Far from successful, wouldn't you say? "No, I wouldn't." She quiped, glaring at herself as she walked. "I've done well." By 'well', I assume you mean that you haven't died yet? "Well I don't see you doing very much!" Qi flung her arms up in frustration. She never really was on for arguements, nor was she any good at restraining her anger. Both these skills lessened by a great amount whenever she spoke to the voice; it rubbed her exactly the wrong-- or right, if you'd rather-- way every time it peeked its illusory head into any conversation or thought she had.

Wouldn't that be the same thing, seeing as I am you? "You are not me. So stop saying that." Actually, you're the one saying it, not me. Finally, the Inartan had had enough. She stopped, letting out a massive string of expletives. It always amazed her how she could, in just a simple exhale, let loose such a destructive force of words. Of course, her neighbors back at the castle were a little less impresssed. To top off her little cursing tirade, Qist all-out punched a nearby tree. "Petch!" Bolts of lightening shot through her hand, quickly shooting pain up her arm. "Petcher!" She lightly kicked the tree. She honestly wished she could do more damage, but, as she apparently just learned, trees will always win in a brawl. The redhead pulled in her right arm, coddling her hand against her chest.

Tears ran down her cheeks she spun around, expecting to see Chandy standing there with some look of condescending happiness on lingering on his features. "What do I d-" Her jaw slacked a little. Did I really just lose him? "Orion?" Her voice cracked as the tears caught in her throat. She had never felt so much pain at once before--at least no physical pain, anyway. It felt like every bone inside her hand was shattered. Whether that was the case or not, Qist did not know. All she knew was that she could neither feel anything but pain in her hand, nor could she move it. "Chandelier?"

Her feet moved slowly as she began to back-track. Qist wasn't quite sure why her body thought a hand injury meant it had to move slowly, but the lack of speed was starting to really aggravate her. Her foggy eyes glared at her feet, willing to move faster. Unfortunately, they disobeyed. In fact, it seemed that her body had a crude sense of humor, as she began to move even slower. "Oh, petch this." Stomping, the redhead clambered to the top of a large (to her, at least) rock and sat. She'd rather sit still and wait then move around at a below-par speed.

Thus, Qi pretended to be a beacon, or a lighthouse. She'd call out to her travelling companion, wait for a response, then shout again. She hoped he hadn't gotten lost, again, in the time that she had injured herself; she really didn't want to go out and look for him. Sighing, Qist debated whether she should just go back to Syliras and send a knight out after Orion. After all, it wasn't like he was anything more to her than a...a nuissance. Her tone lowered as she grew sleepy, though the words still came through in chopped-up pieces. "Where the petch are you, Chandy?"

OOC :

by **Orion Michaels** on September 11th, 2012, 7:00 pm

Note for STMinor modding permission granted by Qist
oocA little short, didn't want to do too much modding.

Orion, Day of Summer 30, 512 AV

Orion had wondered around the woods lost, calling for Qist when by some stroke of luck he stumbled upon the sleeping Inarta. Attempts to climb trees had failed miserably, and his throat was quite raw from shouting for her. He figured if he saw her again, she'd certainly let him have an earful about this. Even with that thought, he was relieved when he spotted her bright red hair against the backdrop of a brown and grey rock. Curled up on the stone, arm clutched tightly against her chest, it seemed that she was exhausted. The doctor had wondered how long she actually searched for him before falling asleep, betting it wasn't more than a few chimes. "You're almost a cute one when you're asleep, Qist." A smile that was on his face disappeared quickly when he saw her swollen hand. "Oh you idiot, what did you do?"

He shook his head and sat down by her, calling her name softly, trying to nudge his travelling companion awake, but she was sleeping rather soundly. "Qist. Qist. Qist. Qi. Shorty. Tiny. Munchkin. Half pint." He sighed rather dejectedly. "Nothing?" He reached into his pack and got out some bandages to use as a wrap before turning back to her. "Pardon me, missy." He reached down and grabbed her arm, pulling it from her own grasp to get a good look at her hands. Pretty bad, but i don't think it's broken. "If my height comments didn't wake you, I'm sure this will." He began feeling her hand, testing it to see just what the damage was. Tracing along her fingers down to her wrist, he looked for any sign of a brake or fracture, but none were apparent. Tendons were fine, too. The hand was just really puffed up and the skin around the knuckles was cracked with dried blood on it. "You're lucky. Probably just jammed your knuckles. Did you haul off and punch something or what?"

by **Qist Tiere** on September 11th, 2012, 9:10 pm

Somewhere between shouting for Orion and swearing due to pain, Qist found the time to fall asleep. She didn't really dream, though. It was a normal thing for her; no dreams, no nightmares, just silence. She had always wondered if she was born with the innate ability to just sleep, or whether it was a learned trait. Perhaps her mind just thought sleepy thoughts and aspirations were useless. Whatever the cause, Qist was thankful for the gift.

And maybe it was due to the internal silence that she so easily woke up. That, or it was the pang that suddenly started pestering her. Jolting forward, Qist reflexively swore. " 'The petch are you doing?!" Her face contorted in pain as she swatted Orion's hands away. "Don't touch it, Orion. Ow-ow! Stop." When fully awake, she wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, so, with sleep still clutching her brain, it took a chime or two before her mind worked up to full power. When it did, though, it brought a smile to her face. "Chandy!" She relaxed, easing back onto the stone. "Honestly thought you'd found your way into another trap." Looking down at her hand, her smile lessened. The pain started coming back in small waves, apparently cued by her thoughts.

Glancing back at Orion, she nodded towards her hand. "I guess it's payback, eh?" She recalled a "remind me to poke you if you suffer an injury." somewhere from her not-so-distant past.

by **Orion Michaels** on September 12th, 2012, 12:01 pm

Orion, Day of Summer 30, 512 AV

He let out a chuckle as his red headed companion startled awake. Maybe it he could have been a little more gentle once he realized it wasn't broken, but maybe it really was a little payback. Orion shot her a grin as she focused, realizing he was there. "Awww, happy to see me? Glad to see I made such an impression." He shook his head and gave her a playful shove on her shoulder. "You think I'm so dumb to get caught twice? And no need to answer. Clearly not, right?" Raising his eyebrows, the doctor turned his attention to her hand.

"See, the thing about that is, I'm a doctor. I should be the one messing with injuries." Acting as though he was going to poke her hand, the young doctor gave her a sly grin. "Not noisy redheads like you." The physician stood up and looked down at Qist, his grin melting away to a serious expression. "First things first, should probably get off that stone. Not that it's terribly cold right now, but that kind of surface will steal the heat from your body. Dunno how long you've been on it, but I don't want you getting ill. How I'm going to get back to Syliras then," he added with a wink.

"But more importantly, I'm going to have to deal with those jammed fingers." He softly grasped on to the wrist of the injured hand, lifting it up to his waist level. "It will heal quicker if I do it, but it will hurt a ton, and you'll probably hate me afterwards. I'm curious to see what obscenities will come from your mouth, though. I bet you've got a more creative nickname for me in there somewhere." Trying to easy her worries with humor, hoping it was working, Orion moved his free hand over by her fingers. "It's absurd for you, I'm sure, but I'll need you to trust me. I'm really a good guy. I promise I won't take advantage of you until after I've treated you." He stuck his tongue out for a moment before waiting for her reply.