Closed There's a world out there.

[Adara Meadows]

Adara Meadows ---- There was the sound of scuffling feet, quickened breath, and soft grunt of a female. What was going on? Adara was practicing her boxing. What did you think it was? She was in one of the walls of the giant castle. Her breeches were rolled up to her knees and her shirt was tied firmly in a knot below her breasts, exposing her stomach. Dark orbs were narrowed in concentration as she glared at some unseen enemy. Her breaths came out ragged as she shuffled to one side and then the next throwing punches, ducking, squatting, and spinning. Her black hair flew around her like a wild animal making every movement last for a moment longer. Sweat rolled down her bronze colored skin, being wiped angrily from her brow. Lurching forward Adara swung at the air with a powerful punch and a rather loud and firm grunt. Chest heaving the mixed blood took a step back, her breath making clouds in the air right before her as she stood there trying to cool off. Walking over to the edge of the wall she stared down at the ground far below trying to slow her pounding heart and soothe her raging lungs. Eyes closed, hair draped over her face, and arms spread out. What she really needed was a boxing partner. ----   Skills Skill EXP Total Proficiency Cooking 5 SP 5 Novice Dance 9 SP 9 Novice Medicine 10 SP 10 Novice Seduction 5 SP 5 Novice Tattooing 5 SP 5 Novice Boxing 10RB, 16SP 26 Competent [/tab]

[Roderick]

4th of Fall The scraping of boots on the dirt and the panting and grunting of a woman brought Roderick to a gradual stop, his original plans forgotten. Curiosity almost immediately took hold of him, and he found himself heading off in the direction the noise was coming from. While he doubted it was anything of any particular interest, he couldn't help himself - a quick glance would sate his interest and let him know whether or not it was worth his time. It took a bit of wandering for him to work out where all the sounds were coming from, and when he did come across their owner he raised an eyebrow questioningly at the girl, noting how unusual it was for a woman to take up boxing. Then again there were stranger things in the world, so in the end this wasn't all that surprising, really. "Mornin'." He greeted her casually, "Havin' fun, are we? You certainly seem to be into it. I would not want t' be on the receiving end of those punches." He walked around her, so he would be standing directly in front of her. When he was directly opposite her he started taking in all the details that were visible; she'd been here for a fair while, judging from the layer of sweat that coated her exposed midriff and legs. The woman was panting away, her hair disheveled by her repeated movements back and forth and she boxed with an invisible foe. Yet despite that it was easy to see that she was an exceedingly beautiful woman, which made her chosen hobby all the more surprising. "Sorry for being abrupt, but I've never seen a female boxer. Name's Roderick, good t' meet you." Right now his people skills were exceedingly awful, but he didn't particularly care if she thought him odd - he just wanted to have a conversation at that moment. "Most of the girls I know wouldn't like to be punched in the face. Then again I doubt you'd find anyone that'd enjoy that." OOCIt's rather abrupt and awful, but I wanted to get the thread going quickly so I've cut to the chase so I don't have to sit and mull over all the details for three days before I finally post.

[Adara Meadows]

Adara Meadows ---- Her nose gave a little startled twitch as a voice suddenly sounded from behind her. Turning around her dark orbs narrowed in suspicion, spotting the male now before her. How odd indeed for him to stop and talk to her. Most just gawked as they walked past, a few older women occasionally said a silent word of discontent. Shoulders straight and chest heaving Adara took a moment to catch her breath and gather her thoughts before saying a single word. He was rather thin for a male. At first she wanted to think there was no strength in him with muscles like that. Then of course she remembered her own younger days when the city boys would tease her skinny arms, that of course was until she threw a powerful shut into their faces and shut them up. So, perhaps this stranger had more strength then what his body was letting on. Head tilted to the side in confusion as well as curiosity. What did he want? One did not just stop to chat with strangers, unless perhaps something was wrong with them. He had to want something. "Morning." She said after such a long moment of silence it could have made this all very awkward. Adara glanced over her shoulder at his first words, as if searching for the invisible foe whom she was rendering the punches to. Drawing her dark orbs back to the stranger she simply shrugged. "I suppose I enjoy it." She had been doing it long enough that is was more like breathing and eating; a part of her that would always be there. "Yes.." Adara said slowly to his comment about female boxers. Her gaze shifted towards the ground for a moment, staring at his shoes. "It is not something women find an interest in it seems." Their loss of course. "Roderick. I am Adara, Adara Meadows. Female boxer I guess." There was even a hint of a smile with those last words. Her eyebrows rose a little though at his last statement for she found it rather amusing. "The point is to not let them punch you in the face." ---- Skill EXP Total Proficiency Cooking 5 SP 5 Novice Dance 9 SP 9 Novice Medicine 10 SP 10 Novice Seduction 5 SP 5 Novice Tatooing 5 SP 5 Novice Boxing 10RB, 16SP 26 Competent

[Roderick]

She seemed somewhat uncertain of him - and rightfully so; a man suddenly introducing himself from nowhere wasn't the sort of thing someone expected. But then Roderick prided himself on being more than a little unpredictable. When he made the comment about her being a female boxer she dropped her eyes to the ground for a few tics before finally answering. "No offense meant by that." He reassured her. Telling her his name she spoke it aloud, then told him her own; Adara Meadows. It was a nice name; not too fancy - but not exactly plain either. It sat nicely in the middle. He told her as much. At her last words he brought one brow up and gave a slight smirk, "Doesn't matter how good you are; you're always going to get a fist to the jaw sometime" He shrugged it off though, leaning against the wall as he fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt; it was fairly warm in the city, so he decided to roll his sleeves up to his elbows so he the breeze could flow over his arms. In doing so he exposed the multitude of tattoos laid out over his skin. They were thickest on his left arm, which he'd covered from wrist to shoulder. Some of them had special meaning to him, but others had been for fun - things he'd gotten to remember an amusing event, or because he'd simply wanted another one. Regardless of the reasons he'd used his flesh as a canvas and it was decorated and ornamented with various images. He could see that Adara had some interest in tattoos herself, judging from the small ones she had on her hands. He returned his thoughts to the present, "You'd be better of practicing in the Fighter's Pit. The knights won't appreciate you standing around punching the air, good as you are at it." For that matter he probably should have walked away, given the odd looks he was now receiving from everyone else. One man kept his gaze on him too long and Roderick shot him a threatening glare. Perhaps it was his disheveled appearance or the tattoos all over his arms, but the man actually withered under Roderick's eyes and quickly walked on. Funny how some ink can scare people.

[Adara Meadows]

Adara Meadows ---- "I suppose you do." Adara commented simply with a wry smile teasing at the corners of her lips. "Are you a boxer?..." Her gaze shifted over his frame for a moment more. "Or perhaps you just have some common sense." That was when she noticed the many markings on his arms and her eyes lit up with excitement. Disregarding the fact that this man was still a complete stranger Adara jumped forward and reached out to grasp one of his arms. "Who did these?!" Eyes roving the shapes her fingers delicately traced the markings, grazing his skin as they went. "What are they all for? I once met a seaman from Zeltiva and he had markings like this on him. Each one meant something to him or protected him from some kind of monster on the seas as he thought." She was so entranced by his tattoos that she did not hear his last comment until later. "What?" She asked, glancing up to meet his gaze. "Oh, the pit yes, well.... Not everyone enjoys seeing the female boxer there. I detest drama so sometimes it is jut best to stay away." Adara frowned a little as she saw the glare Roderick bestowed upon the passerby and dropped his arm. "Sorry." She muttered, taking a step back. ---- Skill EXP Total Proficiency Cooking 5 SP 5 Novice Dance 9 SP 9 Novice Medicine 10 SP 10 Novice Seduction 5 SP 5 Novice Tatooing 5 SP 5 Novice Boxing 10RB, 16SP 26 Competent

[Roderick]

She asked him if he was a boxer and he found a smile on his lips at the idea, "I know how to throw a punch, but I never trained professionally for it." She spoke further and he nodded, folding his right sleeve up and out of his way, "I like to think I've a fairly good head on my shoulders." She was watching him as he straightened out the fabric of his shirt, and suddenly she leaped forwards, appearing right in front of him within a heartbeat. Seizing his arm and holding it in a strong grip she seemed exceedingly interested in his tattoos. He blinked down at her as she asked about the artist that had inked him. "Some are from artists in Zeltiva; there's at least three from one of my friends, though." Her fingertips brushed along his arm, tickling his skin as she became immersed in his ink. "What are they all for? I once met a seaman from Zeltiva and he had markings like this on him. Each one meant something to him or protected him from some kind of monster on the seas as he thought." She kept on running her fingers over his arm. "You'd be surprised how many were for fun. A bunch are just mementos." Sadly for her the majority of his his tattoos were just things to remind him of past events - and he wasn't going to tell her about them. She ignored when he told her that she should relocate herself to the Fighters Pit and continued looking over his tattoos in a trance. When she finally answered she still sounded a little distance, but soon shook it off and spoke more confidently. Looking away at the man who was staring at him and sending him away with a dark look, he felt Adara's fingers slipping away from his arm as she took a step away from him and mumbled an apology. "You've nothing to apologize for; I'm glad you like them so much - I was beginning to think I was the only one with any." He gave her a smile, "All the same we really should move somewhere else. Those two women have been giving us dirty looks for the past five chimes." Roderick looked over at the two females in question and held his gaze on them until they averted their eyes and pretended they hadn't been staring. "So do you actually work as a boxer, or do you make your money in a different way."

[Adara Meadows]

Adara Meadows ---- "Ah," Now his comment about boxing made her laugh. "Why do people think all there is to boxing us punching peoples faces?" Her head tilted to the side, but for the most part her face was riddled with a smile she was desperately trying to hide. Her head tilted to the side with curiosity as she listened to him claim the artist of his tattoos. "Is your friend here? If so I would really love to meet him. I have an....interest in such things myself. There is just no one in the dull city that likes such things." "You'd be surprised how many were for fun. A bunch are just mementos." Oh, she could only image that one. Adara herself had one of two that were simply made because of her liking the pretty design or wanting practice; so hence making her skin her canvas. She decided not to question exactly what were those mementos for prying had never been something she liked very much. "You've nothing to apologize for; I'm glad you like them so much - I was beginning to think I was the only one with any." "Well you are not alone with those thoughts." Adara said with a cold laugh along with it. "This city is as dull as the walls that protect it from all the monsters and wonders outside." She perhaps should not have said such things in front of a complete stranger, but here she was throwing caution to the wind. Her gaze shifted to the women he was now glaring at. "Oh them? What, you don't think I could take them on?" She clenched her fists as if preparing to go after them. She simply just gave Roderick a smile and started to walk away. "Oh no! As I said, this city is too dull for that. A female boxer would not get anywhere far here, nor a tattoo artist. My job is as dull as the rest. I am a healer the Soothing Waters. My father was in debt when I first started working so I took the highest paying one I could; and that is where I have been ever since." She did not really enjoy her job, unless she was caring for little children. It paid the bills though. ----

[Roderick]

"You can't deny being smacked in the face is involved."[/b] Her head turned on its side as he mentioned the tattooist that had put their artwork on his skin. When she asked if she could meet him he felt a slight amount of pity for her, though it was only in passing, "He's back in Zeltiva. You'd have to make the trip there to speak with him. And I can imagine why they'd be disinterested.." His explanation on the meanings of his tattoos seemed to satisfy her, and she asked nothing about what exactly the more personal ones were about - he was glad for that. Adara seemed to be extremely bitter about being walled up inside the city - as though being safe from the wild beasts outside was somehow a bad thing. This one's never spent more than a few hours outside the walls... After he pointed the two muttering women the boxer made a joke of it, raising his fists as though she were about to go over and clout them. Instead she simply grinned at Roderick and started leaving, calling out an explanation on her work as she went. So she was a healer? A female boxer that spent her days patching people up at a bathhouse - as always the people the hunter met were an interesting bunch. The news of her father's debt invited a small amount of pity in him again and he started walking after as he let the feeling pass; no use dwelling on someone else's problem. "I'll remember to stop by if I need help." They were walking at a leisurely pace - where they were going exactly wasn't clear just then; Adara seemed to be leading the way and Roderick decided he'd just go along with it for the moment and leave the girl to her own devices. "Other than your work and boxing, what do you do with your free time?"

[Adara Meadows]

Adara Meadows ---- She went at a pace a tad bit fast perhaps, but now that she was on the go Adara did not feel like stopping. Walking along the cities walls for a moment she moved towards the nearest staircase and descended. She glanced over her shoulder at Roderick once or twice to see if he was still coming along; or perhaps he thought it safer away from the little wrecking ball. Zeltiva, now that seemed like an interesting city. She had heard a lot about that place, talking a lot with the sailors that docked there. It seemed a lot more exciting then the cage she was in now; plus, they allowed tattoos. Seemed perfect to Adara to be honest. Though she was not a fan of seafood. "Alwats Zeltiva, I think that place will have to be on my map." She said with a firm nod; more to herself then her new male companion. Her mind started to drift a little, of what she thought the port city was like. Of what wonders such a place would hold for her. It seemed to have more to offer then this giant castle. Her attention was directed back to the present. "I'll remember to stop by if I need help." "Ahhhh," A frown formed on her face and her nose wrinkled up in distaste. "I am and never will be the most compassionate healer. I tend to slap some balm in their hands and tell them to suck it up. Not what most are looking for." Her shoulders moved up and then down in a small shrug, her dark gaze flickering back towards Roderick before shifting into the hallway they just entered. "Well, I am not that interesting really. Working, eating, and sleeping is how I spend most of my time." Adara paused for a moment as a small smile snuck it's way across her mouth. "I do enjoy dancing quite a bit. What about you? What do you do for a living? Any hobbies other then covering your arm with tattoos?" ----

[Roderick]

Adara was steadily walking faster, legs carrying her swiftly through the streets. There was a very noticeable stink to the area - the collected musk of a hundred sweaty bodies and the dirt from stamping feet. In the time he'd been in the city he'd grown used to the smell - though given the stink back in Zeltiva he was used to these things Roderick fell into step beside her, matching her hurried pace and listening as she commented on the need to mark Zeltiva on her map. For some time her mind seemed to be elsewhere as she began thinking long and hard about something - what Zeltiva was like, he presumed. In those moments where he said nothing he left her to her musings and simply enjoyed the dull, rhythmic sounds his boots made as he walked with her. When he commented on stopping by when he was injured the girl frowned and wrinkled her nose; she wasn't a kind healer, as it turned out, something which the hunter couldn't abide by; if he was paying someone hard-earned coin to mend his wounds, he damn well expected them to treat him kindly. Maybe if you stopped being a little brat you could make some good money. He found he wasn't particularly surprised about how her routine was. Working, eating and sleeping. Real interesting. The fact she enjoyed dancing did prove to be a mildly entertaining idea, but the possibility that she might ask him to join her in the activity was not a welcome one. He was secretly grateful when she turned the subject towards his own work. "I'm a hunter. Nothing particularly grand about it, but its got its perks. Fighting for your life against a wolf is more enjoyable than you'd think." Funnily enough that he wasn't jesting here - the rush of almost being killed always left him with a buzz afterwards. "As to hobbies... archery, I suppose you could say. Good fun and its useful for my work."