Closed Simply Heading East

[Khal'iah]

Timestamp: 11th of Winter, 512 AV As another day dwindled to a close, signaled by the grand descent of the life-granting sun, the heavens above were painted in a vast array of vibrant colors. Magenta, Mandarin, Gold, and many more occupied the sky: a colorful farewell to the light of day. T'was truly a breathtaking sight to behold, especially compared to the bleak expanse known as The Wildlands, and it was upon this masterpiece that the eyes of the young Akalak were transfixed. Born to the name Khal'iah Vojak, the warrior strode calmly across the foreign landscape, his heading being that of east. Normally, he would be astride his mount: a strong, brown horse by the name "Jak", yet Khal'iah simply guided the beast by hand; the fingers of his off-hand clutching the reins as he walked. It wasn't because the male was concerned for his beast's stamina, as Khal'iah had permitted Jak to get plenty of rest over the previous few days. Nay, it was due in part to the one whom was currently astride the horse: a newfound companion gained through a conflict with some native wolves. Eight days had passed since the encounter and since then Khal'iah had agreed to travel to the nearest city with his new comrade; out of sheer concern due to the wounds accumulated during the unfortunate encounter. "You alright up there?" he inquired, breaking the silence as he came to a halt, spurning his steed to do the same. Night was coming, and with it so would the chill of winter. They would need to set up camp if they were to remain in good health for the remainder of their voyage. With not a word, the young warrior then resumed his strides, guiding Jak over to the nearest of several trees and tying his reins to one of the branches. "We need to hurry up and set up camp, lest we freeze to death this night." He stated simply. To be perfectly honest, his shortness was not due to anything more than unfamiliarity, as Khal'iah and his comrade had traveled for days with speaking no more than a few sentences here and there. Perhaps things would change this night?

[Lexa Maze]

Lexa moped quietly as she bounced up and down on the back of her new acquaintances steed. It hadn't really been a choice to travel with the purple giant named Khal'iah. As much as she disliked admitting to it, she had needed his help. Her wounds wouldn’t have been so grave had it not been for this damned scar on her back that had re-opened. She could almost hear her fathers lecture about how she hadn’t fought well enough. About how she had no choice but to succumb to the help of another. Nothing she did had ever been good enough. It had been weakness to need the help of another. In her fathers eyes, she would be pathetic, and that was how the young woman felt now. Pathetic. There had been an obvious lack of conversation between Lexa and the Akalak who had helped her. Nothing other than meek social niceties and necessary communication needed for survival. This had been partly due to the pain at the beginning, but that had began to subside within the first few days until it was a manageable ache. But, if Lexa was honest with herself, it had been her fault. She was just so bitter, not to mention she had no social skills as it was. She did not know how to fill an awkward silence, she did not know how to make ligh-hearted conversation. She would thank him when it was called for, and she would reply when he spoke, but rarely was she the first to speak out. She hadn’t even noticed the sunset till she spied Khal’iah looking up at it. It was beautiful, a time of day she often enjoyed. And the moon and the stars were soon to follow afterwards. Nighttime was her favourite. However pleasant, it wasn’t enough to steal her troubles away for long. What did bring her back down to earth was the Purple Giant’s voice from her right. “I’m fine” she replied curtly. The horse jolted to a stop, and Lexa took the opportunity to swing her legs over the side of the horse and drop lightly to the ground. Her wounds were a little sore, but her backside was far more prevalent on her mind. She stretched her legs, and moved her neck to each side, a loud crack sounding each time, then followed the giant to the base of a tree where he tied up his steed. Lexa heard him speak once more and nodded “Yes. Let me help. I can collect kindling and start a fire.” She told him as she began to look around. She spied a fallen log that was the perfect size to make the base of the fire and dragged it into the small area they had chosen as a campsite. She then began collecting sticks of various sizes to serve as Woodstock. She liked to keep herself busy. She had hated the first few days of uselessness. She could hardly bend her back without crying out with pain. Now she wanted to make up for it, without actually communicating this to him. She tried to work fast, gathering as much as she could hold and then going back for more. She spared glances at Khal’iah as she worked, feeling as though she had to make herself speak more, but not knowing what to say. She couldn’t go on like this, not if she didn’t want to be alone and friendless her whole petching life. Maybe tonight was going to be different than they seven before it. Maybe she would find out more about whome she was traveling with.

[Khal'iah]

"Alright, sounds like a plan. I'll set up the tents while you do that." Before she scurried off into the surrounding woods in search of kindling, tinder, and fuel, Khal'iah made sure to flash her a warm smile. His rationale was, perhaps he was coming off more coldly than the winter chill and that was the origin of her silence. Nonetheless, he didn't just stand there grinning like a buffoon. First and foremost, he slung his backpack off of his shoulder and set it upon the ground, rummaging through its contents until he produced the pieces to his tent set. Working swiftly, he assembled his trust shelter, putting it up a few feet adjacent to the fire pit Lexa was assembling. Once complete, he returned to his backpack and produced his bedroll and winter blanket, arranging them neatly upon the floor of the tent. He then reached over for Lexa's own pack and repeated the process, careful not to disturb any of her sensitive belongings whilst he fished out the bedroll, tent, and blanket. Khal'iah worked even swifter on her tent, erecting it in less than a minute and arranging her things within its snug space as neatly as possible. With his portion of the tasks done, Khal'iah stowed his backpack within his tent, but not before producing a piece of dried meat from his rations. He took a bite and munched on it silently, awaiting Lexa's return to light the fire. 'Oi, don't get too comfortable.' sounded the all-too familiar voice in the back of Khal'iah's psyche. A sigh escaped the Akalak's lips as his "dark" persona decided to make itself known. 'What now?' he thought in response, absently munching on his ration. 'It's been five days, it's my turn to be in control for tonight.' Ha'lik reminded. Khal'iah stopped midchew and counted the days...it had indeed been five nights and Ha'lik was due to have his evening in control. 'Alright, give me a few minutes and you can have the reins. Remember the agreement.' Khal'iah stated flatly. Ha'lik, as if hoping that Khal'iah would forsake reminding him of their deal for just one evening, let out an exasperated sigh and quoted: 'I shall not endanger our body, nor do anything that will defame our character.' Khal'iah didn't even bother responding.

[Lexa Maze]

Lexa finished what she was doing and then circled round the fire pit to find her bag. She reached inside and brought out her flint rock and striker. Sparing a glance at Khal'iah she sat down next to the arranged twigs and began striking the rock to produce sparks of orange light. After a couple of tries the nearest bunch of kindling caught alight. She picked up the pile being careful to keep her hand away from the sparks and blew on it softly, giving the flame life breath by breath. Eventually the flame looked substantial, and she tossed the pile of kindling, now aflame, into the fire pit. Soon enough the fire came to life cast a warm, flickering glow across her tanned skin. The warmth it emitted was a comfort, and not a moment too soon, as the night was beginning to set in well and truly all around them. A rumble in the pit of her stomach made her rise, unwillingly to her feet to drag out her rations. Like Khal'iah, she too brought out dried meat and began to munch on it after first, throwing her bag inside her tent. Then, happily, she made her way back towards the soft glow of the fire, waiting for her companion to sit down as well. Crickets and cicadas had begun to chirp. Owls begun to coo softly in the distance and she could hear toads start croaking and the night time slowly came to life around them. She ate in silence, feeling she should say something to end the wretched silence, but not really knowing what. She relaxed her posture, noticing how hunched over she looked and opened her mouth to speak, then, seeming to decide against it, snapped it shut and chewed on her bottom lip instead. She used the excuse of eating from her rations so as not to speak, wondering if this man would say something.

[Khal'iah]

Like a child awaiting a gift, the "dark" persona within the Akalak stirred with immense excitement and anticipation. Khal'iah, with a slight sigh, upheld his end of the bargain, swallowing down his bite of dried meat before relinquishing control over his body to the darkness. It was always a strange, unpleasant sensation, like he had suddenly been intoxicated by something powerful that caused him to spectate his body's actions. That said, Khal'iah settled in and set his thoughts on simple things, such as sword forms, tactics, and other combat related aspects to pass the time. 'It's going to be a long night...' "Ah, nothing like a decent meal!" Ha'lik exclaimed out of literally nowhere, devouring what was left of the dried meat within his hand like an animal. Anyone with half a brain would notice the change in demeanor instantly. No longer was there a calm, tactful gentleman seated in front of the fire, there was something much, much worse. Casting a glance over to the female, an "off" grin graced his features. "So, let's break the ice, shall we? Where'd you learn to fight? NO! Better yet..." Ha'lik leapt to his feat in a fantastic display of enthusiasm then, grinning from ear to ear. "Show me. Grace me with a taste of thy blade!"

[Lexa Maze]

Lexa jumped at the loudness of the Akalak's voice. He sat down and exclaimed loudly then began devouring the food in front of him hungrily. He then fixed her with a rather unsettling lopsided grin. It was met with a rather confused, wary gaze as she paused, the food half way to her mouth. What the hell just happened? It took her a while to respond to his first question, by which time, he had already threw himself to his feet and issued a challenge. Lexa just looked at him in stunned silence, eyebrows knitted together. Eventually, without moving she said "What has gotten into you?" She asked, her voice full of befuddlement. She rolled her eyes and turned back to her food. She didn't feel like randomly jumping up 'gracing him with a taste of her blade'. Especially not now that some strange and highly annoying persona had taken over the once calm warrior. How did that even happen? Lexa didn't quite know what to do, but his loudness was irritating and Lexa was not in the mood to deal with it. "I don't know what happened to you Khal'iah, but would you sit down and let me finish eating? I'm not really in the mood to deal with shyke like this tonight" With that she went back to eating calmly, keeping an eye on the akalak out of the corner of her eye should he choose to provoke her. Her katana next to her and she moved it closer just in case. Her defensive movements were subtle but could be noticed should he be looking for them. She even drew her feet closer so that she could stand faster should she need to. This man had issues if he was calm and collected one moment, and then like... this, the next. She kept an eye on him cautiously, and ate at a deliberately normal pace. She wasn't going to speed up for the likes of him. OOC NOTEI'll post now, but I'm about to watch a movie, and I won't be back for quite some time.

[Khal'iah]

Ha'lik hadn't been in control for more than ten seconds and he was already making Khal'iah look like some sort of raving lunatic. From his location at the rear of the dark one's psyche, the Akalak shook his head in disbelief. 'Reel it in Ha'lik, lest your evening be cut short.' he stated flatly. Immediately, on the outside, the change in Ha'lik's demeanor could be noticed instantly. One moment, giddy and borderline...psychotic...the next, silent, calm, collected. Of course, this was all an act, but Ha'lik was going to be on his best behavior...for the next few minutes at most. Racking his brains, the clever Akalak conjured a fitting explanation for his outburst and faced the woman, adopting a kind, warm smile. "My sincerest apologies Lexa. It's just that, we've been traveling in near silence for days now. I thought it'd take something drastic to get more than a few words out of you. I hope I didn't unsettle you too much." With that, he seated himself at her side once more, reaching for the waterskin located within his pack. The cold, crisp water that cascaded from it into his mouth was amazing...the first taste of water the dark one had the pleasure of drinking in quite awhile. Simple pleasures like that almost made being cooped up in the back of the psyche worth it...almost. "Ah...now then, I realize that you wish to eat in peace, but, I'd like to at least get to know the person who's been keeping Jak company for the past few days just a tad. What say you? Shall we talk?"

[Lexa Maze]

Lexa watched his attitude calm down slightly, and Lexa's body language relaxed somewhat in response. I guess that was one way to coax a response out of somebody. He could could have just said this directly. She knew most of the fault for the long days of silence had been hers to shoulder alone. As he spoke, she looked down into her lap before looking up to find him drinking from his water skin. After he put it down again, he looked at her once more. Smile much warmer than the lopsided grin from seconds ago. He then reverted to his former tactic: Conversation. She looked up at him, now seated beside her, carefully and said "I'm sorry for my silence throughout this trip, I am grateful for your help, even if I do not show it very well" She did mean this. She was grateful to him, she just wasn't used to needing help from others. Even now she could feel the disapproval in her fathers eyes, she could hear him say 'Now you look WEAK Lexa! Why can't you be more like Alar!' She continued despite this warning "That being said, What do you want to know, Khal'iah?" She relaxed her posture and turned so she could see him more clearly. "If you want the answer to your original question, I learnt to fight from my father. He was a master in unarmed combat, most of my skills lie in that field, he also taught me how to use the Katana." She looked down at her blade and tapped it as she spoke "Me and my three elder brothers, that is." She looked up at him again. It was nerve-wracking talking about this. She was side-stepping much of her story but all he had to do was keep asking questions. It was just too soon to talk much more about her childhood, especially with this man, whom she barely knew.

[Khal'iah]

"There is no need to apologize Lexa, I completely understand." Ha'lik began, breaking in the midst of his thought to take another swig of his waterskin. "You're in the company of one you don't know, discomfort and silence are common in situations like ours." The dark one then turned his attention to the roaring fire and reached down to the ground, picking up a small twig. He gave it a twirl between his fingers absent-mindedly before casting it into the inferno before them. "Also, you're most welcome. I make it a point to help those in need, you know?" Khal'iah couldn't help but laugh aloud at this statement. 'You lying sack of shyke!' he said, filling the dark one's ears with the sound of his amused chuckling. Ha'lik ignored him...and part of him began to realize just how annoying he must have been on a regular basis to poor Khal'iah. As Lexa spoke, however, he took his mind off of that particular train of thought and returned his gaze to rest upon her. He listened intently, smiling all the while. "A master in unarmed combat...what I'd give to go toe-to-toe with someone of that caliber." Ha'lik said softly, his mind conjuring images of an "earthshattering" contest of strengths between himself and the unnamed Master. Upon hearing the question being posed, both he and Khal'iah pondered for a moment before coming up with a decent request. "Well, let's start with the most obvious. What brings you out to the Wildlands? I know the Kelvics were headed to Zeltiva, but what about you?"

[Lexa Maze]

"I set off from Nyka. I think there was a vague plan to stop in Sylirus and then head out of the Sylira region altogether towards Cyphrus Region. I took a couple of wrong turns and I was halfway between Zeltiva and Ravok, I think.... then well, you know the rest" She had actually conjured this plan out of thin air. Her own had been a lot less though out. She, at the time, couldn't have cared less if she stumbled around forever and eventually died out there, but yet whenever she was faced with fatal danger, her instinct kicked in to save herself. She was battling everything, even herself. "How about you?" She asked "Akalaks come from Riverfall, right? What brings you here?" She asked Turning the conversation to the man before her, she looked up at him, and studied his eyes and face. He looked much older than her. Lexa was only 16, after all. But there were troubles in those eyes of his. Surely he would be more interesting than Lexa anyway. He would have many more stories and adventures than her. She continued "Do you travel a lot? You seem like you must have been to many places" Lexa had fisninsed eating and was currently drinking from her own water skin. Once she was done with that she pulled both feet up to her chest and huddled closer to the fire, rubbing her hands together so they wouldn't drop off in the freezing night air. The man was still smiling at her and she just felt uncomfortable. The smile didn't look as genuine as it did before. Not only that but his outburst eailer did.