You think you're scary? (Hyran)

[Nascha]

The 68th Day of Spring, 510 AV

“For the tenth time, go away.” Nascha would have yelled had her nature not been calmer. Too soon after trekking away from the gates of Riverfall in search of a quiet stream, she had encountered an Akalak who was, evidently, both very bored and very lonely. She walked on despite him following her, the crow on her shoulder protesting at her sharp speed.

“But how can I leave when in the presence of such beauty?” The Akalak grinned, his sapphire skin seeming to glow with the thrill of annoying Nascha. “I can’t leave you to fend for yourself. Come, I’ll show you some of the more fun past times of my people.”

A muscle twitched in Nascha’s jaw. She would have snapped his arm right then and there if she could. Unfortunately, he had the advantages of height, strength and skill. As it was, she stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. “As I said before, I’m not interested in wasting my time with you. Go find another who will give in to your charms. A deaf girl, perhaps, so that she cannot hear your irritating voice.” She spoke coldly, regarding him with cool malice.

“Ah, so it is my voice you dislike. Does that mean you are only attracted to my looks, then?” he smirked, taking a step closer to her. “For the pleasure of your company, I would keep silent for years.”

Nascha sighed, casting around her for a way to distract or scare away the Akalak. The only sight which greeted her was the path on which she travelled as well as the grass lining either side. She could feel from the air that a small stream was several paces from where they were, which furthered her resolve to lose the one following her. All she had wanted was to spend the day swimming alone, then perhaps return to her room at the inn in Riverfall and have a quiet supper. No such luck, apparently.

[Hyran]

The splash of water in his face was incredibly refreshing, and without a second thought Hyran decided to simply dunk his head into the chilly stream. When he came back up he shook his head with dog-like playfulness, throwing most of the liquid out of his hair and showering the area around him. The Cerulean splashed up some more water, rubbing his arms, neck and chest in an attempt to wash off some of the sweat and dust that clung to him after training. The cold was soothing to his sore muscles and heated skin, and Hyran just sat there on his knees for a few moments, closing his eyes and breathing in heavily, content with just the stream and this little moment.

However, the serenity was quickly broken. The wind carried voices his way, and Hyran’s brows curved to form a frown. The frown was swiftly turned into a wide grin though, the conversation he could listen up on turning out to be quite amusing.
He leaned over carefully, grabbing his backpack and waterskin and placing them over his shoulder. The voices were louder now, and he was able to distinguish faint footsteps. They were already coming pretty close to his location.
Not wanting to waste the element of surprise, Hyran did not wait for them to find him. Instead he rose up and into vision, suddenly standing tall in the high grass, and smirking with delight at the pair of surprised faces.

‘You know,’ he started, cocking his head while he stepped closer, and gazing at the young woman in front of him. ‘I don’t think your stingy remarks are going to scare him away.’ His smirk grew wider, the Cerulean tattoo’s covering his face making it appear almost vicious.
‘Boy,’ he said than, turning his attention to the younger Akalak male. ‘You have to kill a Zith before you mount a woman, and it’s clear to anyone you have no experience in either.’

The veil of mockery hanging around his words did not take away from the threat that lied within them. Leave now, was the message in his glare, and the younger Akalak in front of him understood. He seemed to have some trouble with it though, clenching his fists and opening and closing his mouth a few times, as if trying to keep back a good amount of scolding. After allowing him a few moments of hesitation, Hyran moved slightly in the male's direction, and the younger Akalak made his decision by quickly stepping back. ‘If you’re wise, you keep your distance from this guy,’ he hissed, giving the girl a last warning before turning around and hurrying away.

Hyran tried to keep his imposing attitude intact as long as possible, but his laughter burst out just before the younger male was out of hearing range.
You’re an ass, a voice inside his head stated. Hyran wholeheartedly agreed, being an ass was fun though.

[Nascha]

The crow on her shoulder noticed the new arrival before Nascha did, giving a squawk. She cursed herself for not having sensed the presence before now and turned slightly to regard him. Great, another Akalak, she thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Maybe she should have skipped Riverfall on her journey.

This one was different, though. Nascha quickly took in his darker skin and tattoos, wondering what they meant. Regardless, he did make an intimidating picture, even when he was smiling. Evidently, though, he was just as cocky as his younger counterpart. The exchange between the two males was amusing to her, though she didn’t show it. Instead, she just threw a sidelong glance at the crow perched on her shoulder, her eyebrow raised. It sidled closer to her neck, as if suddenly uncomfortable in the new Akalak’s presence.

“If you’re wise, you keep your distance from this guy.”

Nascha watched the young Akalak scurry off, concern showing in a small crease between her brows. This Akalak was obviously bad news, but there was little she could do at that point. Besides, he didn’t seem that scary.

Lifting a hand to soothingly stroke the crow’s belly, she turned to face him. Her concern dropped further as he burst in to laughter, making his face look far younger. She noticed then that he was wet, his hair shining darkly in the light of the sun. It appeared he had been to the stream before her.

“Thanks, but I had the situation under control,” Nascha informed the Akalak in front of her, then moved forward to brush past him. There was still time to get to the river and enjoy what was left of the day. Regardless of whether this Akalak was good or bad, she wanted to be alone.

[Hyran]

Hyran tore his eyes loose from his retreating brother and instead settled his gaze upon the young woman in front of him. Chaktawe, he recognized. He’d seen two, maybe three of them in his younger years, but her clothing, dark eyes and copper skin were an easy give-away.
The Cerulean let out a short throaty laugh at the girl’s comment. “Right, you sure had.”

The cynical undertone of his words didn’t have much of an effect on her, though. If anything, she seemed to regard his presence as just as much of a nuisance as the one he’d scared away. So much for a little gratefulness.
Hyran sighed when the Chaktawe female brushed past him, the crow on her shoulder squawking a little agitated at the close distance. The Cerulean gave the animal a glare, which was returned with the same intensity.

Ouch. It was at that unfortunate moment that he realized he hadn’t filled up his waterskin yet. After hearing their voices, he’d forgotten his further purpose by the stream. There was also the painful realization that stepping after her right now, would make him appear like an even bigger fool than the one he’d scared away. But he really couldn’t afford to go without water.

Hiding his discomfort with the situation, he plastered a look of nonchalance on his face, trying to make it look perfectly normal that he was now following in her footsteps.

[Nascha]

A short-lived feeling of relief passed through Nascha’s mind as she made her way past the Akalak, ignoring his sarcasm. It was good to know that she would still be able to salvage the day, despite both rude interruptions. Honestly, what had she been thinking, going to Riverfall? Well, she knew that her stay there would not last long if she could help it.

Her optimism was shattered when she sensed the Akalak following her. Great, she thought sarcastically and turned around to face her new problem. Yes, he was a bit more intimidating than his younger counterpart, but that didn’t mean she would allow herself to feel any fear when glaring up at him. The crow perched on her neck was shifting uncomfortably, as if wishing it could fly away. Unfortunately, its broken wing hadn’t mended enough. Nascha ignored its unease, sure that it was just being paranoid.

“Akalak,” she began, working to replace the annoyance in her voice with calm “go away. Your friend didn’t stand a chance with me, and neither will you.” As a somewhat desperate afterthought, she added in her coolest voice, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

[Hyran]

Hyran squinted his eyes slightly when he measured up her stature. Sure, she looked harmless, but he wasn’t familiar with what the Chaktawe were generally capable of. She was young however, and whatever skills the girl might have, they probably needed honing before she’d be able to live up to her threat.
When she added a last, mostly unnecessary remark, a familiar smirk crawled back onto Hyran’s face. It was obvious now that she was bluffing.

“I’d like to see you try,” he answered dead-serious, the smirk still plastered on his face. The Cerulean took an imposing step forward and eyed the girl sharply, wanting to spot any change in expression she might have, if only for a second.

In the shadows of his mind, someone tensed. Hyran, leave her alone.
Hyran verbally ignored his other half, but he dropped his smile and clenched his jaw. It was merely a second though, before he relaxed his face again and let his waterskin slide from his shoulder.

“But would you really try to harm someone who has a legitimate reason for heading in the same direction? You ought to know not everyone can go without water for a week.”

[Nascha]

“I’d like to see you try.” At these words, Nascha steadfastly held his gaze, refusing to waver. Simultaneously, she measured the Akalak up. So he had a height advantage, and a weight advantage… and then there was the superior strength. While she could defend herself against common thieves, she doubted she would be able to hold her own against a trained fighter.

The crow let out a small croak of surprise, suddenly, as if sensing something Nascha couldn’t. She watched the Akalak’s expression change from one of menace, to one of annoyance, and finally to an almost acquiescent one. Wow.

Immediately, Nascha felt like a fool for not noticing the empty waterskin on the Akalak’s shoulder. Due to her solitary lifestyle, it seldom occurred to her that other races needed to drink several times daily to survive. Making sure she looked irritated rather than embarrassed, she tried for sarcasm. “Oh sorry, you must have intimidated me in to forgetfulness.” With that, she turned and continued on. The stream was close now, only around ten paces from them, and well-hidden behind some shrubbery. “You’re welcome to follow me to the stream,” she called over her shoulder. “Just don’t talk.”

[Hyran]

Oh, so he was welcome to the stream. Seriously. Hyran huffed out an irritated breath of air when he closed the last distance between him and the water, and kneeled down to get his waterskin filled up.
The Cerulean cast a rather aloof, sidelong glance at the Chaktawe girl and her crow. He’d found their encounter amusing at first, but her pretentious behavior right now was getting on his nerves pretty bad. This girl needed to get her perspectives straight, he thought, or else she’d be unpleasantly surprised one day. His previous teasing might have failed to make her pick up the message, his annoyance right now fueled a desire to simply show her what could -
You’ll do nothing.
Hyran growled. ‘You think you’ll stop me?’ He shot back at his mind.
If I have to. Kahn sounded calm and controlled, but Hyran shook his head with a melancholic smile. ‘Still as presumptuous as ever, aren’t you? Maybe she’s not the only one who needs to rethink their position.’

He did nothing though, simply hung his waterskin back over his shoulder, staying down on his hunches for a while. And for now, Kahn was wise enough to stay silent, knowing one wrong placed remark could push his other half into action.

[Nascha]

Nascha reached the water’s edge just before the Akalak did, gazing at it wistfully. Any minute now, she would be free to dive in to its depths and simply relax in the pleasant trickling sounds made by the water. In preparation, she gently relocated the crow from her shoulder to a nearby branch, making sure it had good purchase on the limb before hanging her cloak beside it. “You’ll watch my cloak for me, won’t you?” she asked the crow quietly, without expecting any response.

A quick glance at the Akalak showed that his waterskin was full, but he was apparently resting at the river’s edge a bit longer. Grudgingly, she could understand that. Deep down, she knew that the stream was more his than it was hers, but she also felt she deserved some time to herself after spending the night within Riverfall, surrounded by so many people. Regardless, she decided to leave him and his thoughts alone. As long as he didn’t talk to her, his presence at the water’s edge wouldn’t bother her too much.

Unable to wait any longer, she waded in to the water at a distance from where the stream’s other guest was crouched. Once she was in about waist-deep, she dived forward in to the water, submerging herself completely. Immediately, a feeling of real calm washed over her, wiping away the exhaustion of the journey across the Sea of Grass.

When she emerged, Nascha was fronted with the unfortunate reality of the current having been stronger than she thought. It had carried her closer to the very part of the stream she was trying to avoid. In other words, she rose from the water about a pace from where the akalak was. Thrown by the serenity the water gave her, as well as the suddenness of the proximity, she regarded him carefully for a moment before asking, somewhat bluntly, “What do the markings on your face mean?”

[Hyran]

She had caught him completely off guard with her blunt question, and Hyran raised his brows in disbelieve. The Cerulean had not expected such straightforward curiosity, and it seemed to have tempered his annoyance for a bit, though it was still lurking under the surface.
He stared at the Chaktawe for a while, unsure where her sudden change in attitude came from, and considering his possible answers.

Go ahead, tell her. Kahn’s voice was bitter. Hyran did not respond, eyes fixed on the dripping feathers in her hair. He did not mind being honest with the girl when it came to this question, but his answer could evoke more questions that he might rather not reply to. In the end, he could downright refuse though, it was not like he owed her an explanation.

“They’re a warning.” Hyran lifted a hand to trace some of the lines with his fingers. “My behaviour has been deemed dangerous enough that people should be warned about it.”
Out of habit his fingers had lowered to his neck, playing with the thin bone necklace that rested on his collarbones.

“As you could see, if I play my part just right, they’re great for keeping unwanted company at a distance. Maybe you should consider getting them too.” A slight hint of a smirk had returned to his face.