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[Cyna Redsun]

5th of fall 514 AV

Cyna day seemed to go just about like any other she would wake up and thank Leth for the protection of the night and pray to Syna for a safe day in the sun. Today though she had something else in mind a fishing trip, she needed to get out of this town and get to know nature. Her mare waited for her just inside the gates and Cyna knew Rose was ready to break out into the woods. It didn’t take Cyna long to gulp down her poor excuse for a breakfast that consisted of bread crumbs and some meat she acquired from the butcher at a drastically cheap price with no questions asked. Meat was meat after all and she needed to eat like all the rest. That why today she was going to fish for lunch and supper. She couldn’t wait either her mouth was salivating just thinking about it.

Cyna grabbed her pack it contained a little bit of everything she would need to survive outside the gate, the bedroll rolled up at the top and the fishing pole attached to the side and pointing towards the sky. Her small steel shield strapped over the bad and her bastard sword in its scabbard on her waist. She let out a stretch waking her body up as she strode towards the gate.

“It’s going to be a good day” She said to herself with a yawn as she approached her mare and began strapping the equipment onto the horse. The shield and sword staying on her person, she began to ride out the gate waving at the guards with a smile. She wasn’t going far today only about 25 chimes outside of town, just far away enough where she couldn’t hear the sounds of Lhavit.

She loved riding Rose the wind rushing through her hair the feeling of freedom, she felt like she could go anywhere. Cyna nudged the back of her heels into the mare to let her know she wanted to go faster, the raced down the edge of the river watching the stream flow the opposite direction. She felt as though she was defying fate as she rushed upstream, but that feeling was short lived as she broke through and opening to her usual fishing spot. Cyna pulled on the reins slowing Rose down to a trot before the horse finally stopped letting her dismount. She grabbed the fishing pole and strung it tying the hook on the end before she gave the horse a good pat on the side and tied her to the nearest tree.

Now the fun began she thought to herself as she began digging in the river bank for bait and it wasn’t long before she had hit the jackpot pulling an handful of worms out. Cyna tossed a few into the river to bait the fish while she pierced another with the hook waiting a few chimes before whipping the rod and sent the line and bait sailing into the river.

It only took a handful of chimes before she had got a bite yanking the line and embedding the hook into the fish’s mouth before grabbing the line and steadily reeled the fish in by hand wrapping the line around each hand. It wasn’t long before her efforts paid off it wasn’t the biggest fish ever caught but it would make a great lunch a few more and she would eat like royalty. Cyna ripped the hook out of the fish’s mouth and carried it over to her mare as the animal slowly suffocated; she strung the fish on her horse sliding a rope with a big knot through its gills. It would be easy for to string a few other fish on the rope and just as easy for her to retrieve them, but the fish had no hope of escaping themselves it would be unnatural for them to open there gills up that much plus if they were still alive when she strung them up they wouldn’t be for long. It wasn’t much longer before she repeated the process catching two more fish and she was determined to catch another as she gazed out over the flowing water of the river.

[Ardan]

There were few situations where being a panther was not incredibly useful. Agile, strong, fast. Great sense of smell, hearing, and sight. Fantastic hunters, and proud beasts. The leopard has been romanticised and slandered a thousand times over, but one thing is never disputed. Never questioned. Not even an idiot could argue the one, true fact about the cat.

They love fish.

Even Kelvic cats love fish. The small creatures were tasty, and provided a challenge that hunting creatures could not pass up. It was a slow day, and Ardan could not sleep, so it seemed a good time to hunt. Hiding his possessions under a sizable rock, he changed form, turning into his natural, beast form. He stalked the shore, peering into the river, pacing as he watched for prey. The evil creatures seemed to be in hiding, or were distracted.

Ardan lost his patience, something no proud hunter would ever admit. He roared, leaping into the water, despite his feline instincts screaming not to. He looked around, annoyed, not finding any fish. With a bubbly hiss, he resurfaced. Peering across the river, he noticed what he had been to focused to see before. A young woman, fishing on the shore not far from his location. Curious to see another outside the walls, he crossed to her side.

He cautiously approached, attempting to appear as non-threatening as possible, for a pitch-black panther. He came to sit by the woman, watching as she caught several fish, obviously being the one who was stealing his prey. However, something about her prevented him from growing angry.

Ardan was not generally one to find anyone attractive, since losing his bondmate, but he could not help but stare at this beauty of a human. She was quite the sight. Letting out a purr, he cursed himself for being in this form. His clothing across the river, being a cat would have to suffice. So, he only looked at the woman, his tail swishing, as she fished.

x

[Cyna Redsun]

Cyna had caught herself another fish and seemed to have lost herself in the fishing almost gazing into the river lost in her own thoughts, her mind flashed back to another time when she had went fishing. It was almost a year ago now; it had been just another typical day at the river. The surprise had been when she had gotten back to find a man that looked like her deceased husband rummaging through her tent. She let out a small giggle as she remember accusing him of being a thief and nearly gutting him, although she did receive a nasty bump on her had that was now long gone.

That was all in the past now she felt the tug on the line as another fish embedded itself on her hook, then her horse let out a freighted whinny which snapped her attention to the horse and after a quick glance she couldn’t figure out why the horse was making so much noise. Another tug on the pole brought her back to the task on hand as she set about the slow task of hauling the fish into the shore before finally catching it.

Cyna had just unhook the fish and turned around when she had noticed a big black cat sitting right next to where she had just been sitting. She dropped the fish going for her sword wrapping both hands around the hand and half hilt. She held the sword low and at the ready as she slowly stepped to the side, Cyna did not want to be standing on this wet ground if she had to move quickly. The ground could prove more deadly to her then this big cat that seemed to sit contently in front of her.

“GO!! Sheewww” She yelled loudly at the animal waving her hand in a gesturing motion towards the woods. All she wanted to do was fish and eat and now this beast had come to wreck her relaxing evening, she knew she should have been paying attention to her surroundings she was in the wilderness after all. Somehow her thoughts had drifted and she knew she needed to better discipline her mind, even know her mind wandered in self-reflection as she faced this ferocious feline.

[Ardan]

The moment the woman noticed him, Ardan knew this encounter would go sour. She rapidly stood, grabbing her sword and aiming it at him, demanding that he leave. However, he barely moved at all, instead simply cocking his head, meowing at her. A strange sound, to be sure, but humans seemed to enjoy it.

As the woman stared at him angrily, her stance weakened slightly and her eyes drifted upwards. She was obviously distracted, with a wandering mind. Such actions seemed painfully common, even in dire situations. However, this was anything but a dire situation. He needed to make her understand that.

Protracting one of the claws on his right (more dexterous) paw, he used a trick he had picked up travelling. He began to write - albeit quite sloppily - in the dirt, as a form of communication. It was difficult and took a long time, but he eventually managed to write two things:

Kelvic
Peace

He hoped that this would be enough to show that he meant no harm. Being a terrifying creature of the night, while useful at times, was not always the best for meeting people. As a thief, it was a great boon, but it sometimes made life harder. He purred lightly as he remembered Sylrias. When he had first shown his bondmate his beast form. She had been taken aback, even afraid, but eventually embraced the beast.

He loved remembering that. The good times. So often, her memory was like poison. It felt good to still have happy memories.

x

[Cyna Redsun]

Cyna stood there shocked as the animal she just threatened and told to leave, simply meowed at her. It was cute she couldn’t deny that, but it was slightly insulting almost as if the creature didn’t see her as a threat. Cyna raised her sword she was going to show this creature that she was indeed a threat and a very capable warrior when the beast protracted one claw. This creature was it so cocky that it thought it could kill me with one claw; it never did dawn on Cyna until the black feline started to write in the dirt that his could be anything more than an unintelligent beast. Cyna took a step forward as she read the words in the dirt and brought the whole situation into a different light. She had met a Kelvic maybe once before and knew they could transform from animal to human, but that is about all she knew.

Kelvic or not it did not matter a stranger was a stranger and this one seemed to want peace, but trust wasn’t something she handed out easily and she didn’t trust anyone that hid their identity whether it was behind a hood or a coat of fur. Holding her sword still in the direction of the beast who identified itself as a Kelvic she asked.

“Show your human form! So that I may hear your story and judge you friend or foe!”

Cyna had never seen a Kelvic change forms and was curious as how that worked. She was more concerned as why this person had taken interest in her. She could not help but wonder what this person looked like as a human whether they were male or female and could not negate the fact that while this animal had an adorable meow it also seemed to have an aura of sleek elegant power that made her wonder what she could do to gain an ally. A Kelvic would make a great ally in the wild where Cyna enjoyed to stay, but that was all wishful thinking. Cyna one pawed her sword holding it causally in her right hand whilst relaxing her stance to show that she meant no harm to them at this moment.


OOCSorry for the short post, not much more I could say with out rambling

[Ardan]

Ardan frowned slightly at her request for him to retake his human form. He had carefully hidden his personal effects, and was reluctant to need them again so soon. However, this woman seemed dangerous, and he decided to avoid ignoring her request.

But he would not be caught dead before a woman with a sword without his own gear. So, without warning, he shot away, jumping across the deep part of the river, and bounding to his gear. Behind a tree, surrounded by dense foliage, it also allowed him to transform without hearing the annoying discomfort of a human upon seeing a nude Kelvic. He never quite understood why humans acted so, and it seemed that many other Kelvics didn't, either.

He shifted behind the tree, only the swirl of lights being visible from his position. He then rapidly donned his gear, a skill which he had honed through years of hiding, travelling, and need for quick escape. Once he reappeared from behind the tree, he allowed his cloak to trail behind him, his dagger hanging freely from his belt. He would convince this woman that he had nothing to fear from him, and that he had nothing to hide, regardless of whether it was true. A simple gesture like letting down one's hood or putting one's cloak back seemed to make most people more trusting.

He came to stand on the side of the river opposite the woman, his arms spread slightly to the sides, his hands wide open. "Here I am," he stated, alarmed at the sound of his own voice, and how foreign it seemed. He still had his Sylrian accent, having been travelling too much to pick up another. Having been listening to the voices of Lhavit and saying almost nothing, his own voice felt strange to listen to. He quickly dismissed his own inner musings, his focus returning to the woman across the river.

"I am Ardan Ven'Ahad," he said, with a slight bow. "Might I have the honour of knowing yours, milady?" Perhaps he was overdoing the politeness slightly, but he enjoyed it. Civilized conversations were woefully rare in the life of a mentally unstable thief.

x

[Cyna Redsun]

In a flash the Kelvic was gone, and Cyna waited a few minutes before sheathing her blade and went about gathering wood she had about 4 fish or so now. She could always catch a few more if she got hungry after gathering a few stick she dumped them on the ground before picking a thicker one and began digging a hole to help keep the fire out of any wind that decided to pick up. Dumping the rest of the sticks into the hole she grabbed some dry leaves that had recently fell the season of fall was upon us and it had begun to show.

Cyna stuffed the leaves down at the bottom and between the branches before she went to find some dry grass and rocks. A few chimes later she had a nice arm full of rocks and a handful of dry grass; she dumped the rocks next to the pit and stuffed the grass into the bundle of sticks before carefully arranging the rocks around the pit. It wasn’t as if she really needed the rocks it help to buffer the wind a little better, but she also thought it made the pit look a bit more stylish.

She reached for her flint and realized she had left it on the saddlebags on her horse, she went and grabbed that and the steel she rubbed against it to generate heat and eventually sparks. She set about rubbing the steal against the flint before striking the flint hard with the steal and throwing sparks onto the bundle of sticks and dry leaves. After a few chimes she had turn a small thing of sticks into a small blaze that’s when she remembered she had left the fish on the horse and that she needed a stick to put the fish on so that she could cook it.

She grabbed the string with the fish and grabbed another bundle of sticks picking a long and straight one to hold the fish. Sliding the stick down the fish’s throat before pushing it through the back of its skin she started to slowly rotate the fish over the fire giving it a few minutes on each side. Cyna wasn’t the best cook and ended up burning most of the fish, but still ended up with an editable meal for lunch.

It was when she started to cook the second fish that a man called out to her from the other side of the river. She couldn’t figure out who this stranger was, but he seemed to know her and after stating his name and asking for hers she couldn’t help but think this might be the kelvic that had ran off suddenly. There was only one way to find out and that was to ask, so that’s what she did as she shouted back across the river.

“Cyna Redsun, and would you happen to be the Kelvic that ran off?”

[Ardan]

Ardan smiled back across the lake, noting her confused look upon his question. She didn't know who he was. Of course she didn't. It wasn't terribly obvious. He had taken woefully long to equip his outfit, his belt getting caught on a rather annoying tree root. He had even managed to make a small tear in his cloak. Of course, his rather poor living and already ruined it; there was no reason to care about one more. Still, he had owned that cloak for most of his life. He didn't like seeing it torn.

His attention turned back to Cyna, who had just revealed her name and was asking if he was the Kelvic that had fled minuted prior. He had been right in his assumption, then. Fantastic. His observation was still keen as ever, possibly even more than before. Definitely nowhere near Safire's skill, but maybe one day.

"The very same," he answered. "That is quite the impressive catch you have." He gestured to the assortment of fish. "Must've taken a while." He began to slowly pad across the river, careful to avoid falling. It was rather shallow, for the most part, but went deep randomly and suddenly. Eventually, he reached the other side, still making sure she saw that he had nothing to hide.

"I am slightly embarassed, to be honest. I was so focused at finding fish just downriver, I failed to see another luring my quarry to their dooms. Quite narrow-minded, I acted." He stayed far enough away to avoid being threatening. He would not enter her small camp without invitation. However, he would not hesitate from talking.

"Perhaps you'd be willing to share a fish? I mean, you did steal them from me." He smiled again at the irony of falsely accusing another of stealing from him, when it was so often the other way around.

x

[Cyna Redsun]

Cyna ignore the Kelvic man’s japes and praises she knew it was all small talk, she wasn’t above it but it was clear by his return that she had something he wanted. She turned the fish over a little sooner the last fish in the hopes of not burning it, while she wondered what the man could want. Did he want information well he would be outta luck; she didn’t have anything of value what could he want. It wasn’t normal for a person to take this much interest, she had to know what he wanted maybe she should invite him to dinner. That what she would do she would try and get information out of the man and if he proved a threat, she would pierce his heart with her blade.

Cyna finished cooking the fish and dug the end of the stick into the ground holding the fish up off the ground, continued watching the man. It seemed he stayed a good distance from her was he afraid, was he stalling. She glanced at her horse that was grazing peacefully, no trouble near now or her horse would be frantic. Might as well invite him to dinner, Cyna was just about to speak up when the man accused her of stealing his fish. She knew it was a joke, but what troubled her most was she now knew what the man wanted and she almost bust out laughing a small smile on her face. HE JUST WANTED SOME FISH her mind bust with bewilderment and humor.

“You sir, are more than welcome to join me for some fish” She giggled when she said it, but she couldn’t help it. It’s not often when a person comes to inquire about fish, much less a dark tall man with eyes that almost seemed cold at times. He had such a terrifying form as an animal too; it was almost too much to take he was like a big kitten. Cyna couldn’t help but think it was kind of cute, that didn’t make her fully trust the man but she did lower her guard a tiny bit and gestured for the man to sit across from her.

“Grab one of those big rocks near the bank or roll that old log over here and take a seat, you can have this fish I just finished cooking.” She gestured to the one on the end of the stick that sat next to her.

Cyna grabbed a few more dry sticks and tossed them on the fire, before she grabbed another long straight one shoving the fish on the end of it and placing it over the fire as she waited for the man.

“Ardan? Was it?”

[Ardan]

Ardan did as suggested, pulling up a log and sitting across the fire from the strange woman. Upon hearing his request, her mood had changed entirely. From suspicious and almost fearful to welcoming and of good humor. She had probably expected him to have an ulterior motive behind visiting her camp, and was sizing him up as an enemy. Of coure, such suspicion was likely not entirely gone (lest she be an utter fool), but must have diminished at least slightly.

He had not heard her suggestion to take the slightly burned fish, and nochalantly grabbed a raw one, not entirely by mistake. Of course, digesting it would require a shift later on, but it tasted so damn good! Being a cat certainly gave one different tastes from any human...

"So, Miss Redsun, he began, "what brings a beauty such as yourself to the wild?" He was not one for flirting with strangers, but something about this woman... Petch, why was his face heating up? He was not some little boy, he was a goddamn Kelvic thief who grew up a criminal in Syliras! The most secure city in Mizahar!

"For example," he continued, after taking a quick bite of his fish to calm his nerves, "bandits seem to be quite the problem these days. I've travelled with too many large groups to be ignorant of that."

x

oocNot much to say here without more dialogue from Cyna.