All in a day's worth [Claudia Blackwood]

by **Clemens Kos** on February 17th, 2015, 1:17 pm

For the time being, everything said and commented was done before. From the vary looks, to the somewhat hostile comments about his apperance. Kos didn't seem to be too phased by all of that, simply because he needed to live through multiple times already. The question about his mask, and the chance of being a bandit or a criminal came up every now and then as well, but Kos simply offered a shrug. He always thought that bandits would avoid wearing masks due to the fact that everyone things they were one. He had the idea that they would easily get to hide in the general population if everyone blamed people like Kos who simply didn't want to walk around with his face exposed. He guessed the logical thinking of the woman infront of him would at least show she was a bright one, getting to piece one and one together. He replied to that with the words he usually does, tilting his head to the side, and causing his hair to slightly move to the side, revealing his other green eye. "I wear it because I want to. Same reason you wear shoes or that tunic. To feel more comfortable." His comment wasn't exactly on point, but then again he learned that people like different things. Liking this partifular dress code didn't seem like too much of a crime.

As the woman removed her hood, Kos took a moment to look at her. If not else, it was slightly intimidating. She looked pretty enough, with her brown hair and those deep eyes. He couldn't help but sigh, wondering if everyone he'll be meeting is going to look that much better than he did. Not that he was feeling bad about it, but it still felt like for some reason he always pulled the shorter straw. Be it as it is, he didn't linger on that thought too long because he didn't need to. If until now everything felt like every other meeting he had with the namess people of Syliras, her next action somewhat shocked Kos. Enough to leave him there standing dumbfolded for the next few moments. Even as a kid he didn't really make a lot of friends due to staying inside, so he didn't really experience the whole 'be my friend' thing. And yet this woman just pulled that act on him, asking just like that to be his friend. Cynical as his mind was, the only thing he could think of is why one would do that. She looked like someone that didn't exactly need Kos as a friend, as she'd be able to find more socialible people. Or likable. Or simply people not Kos.

He watched her hand extend, asking for a handshake with nothing but body gestures. Trying to decipher if this all wasn't just a ploy to lure him into a false sense of security, but he didn't really find much or any clues of that being the case. As it stood, this Claudia gal had no shady itnentions but the handshake. An inner turmoil about if he should, or shouldn't trust her came to be, but it was quite quickly resolved as he closed his eyes for a second to release some of the tension that he was bulding up. He decided to go with his gut, which told him he wasn't in any danger just yet. The grip around his weapon loosened up, and he switched hands, to carry his weapon in the left hand instead, simply so he could offer his right hand to the woman. His grip was firm and tight, even though he himself seemed somewhat lost at the odd display of friendliness. She wasn't the first one to offer such, but it shocked Kos again and again that there are people like that. Almost like his own view on the world could be slightly flawed. He discarded that thought in his head, however. That was crazy talk.

"Friends? I...eh....guess we can be? That how it works?"

by **Claudia Blackwood** on February 18th, 2015, 4:40 am

Claudia shook his hands as soon as he offered his. She flashed him her beautiful serene smile as she shook his hand enthusiastically. Her father had once told her that her smile was bright enough to light up the entire room. She always always rather puzzled by that, not quite getting the meaning of it. She was ecstatic that Kos wanted to be her friend.

All lingering thoughts of Kos still wanting to kill her were whisked away by the wind, as he reciprocated his offer of friendship. Kos stated that the reason he wore the mask was because he felt comfortable because of it. Shrugging, she thought if he felt comfort from it, who was she to think otherwise. She then moved to speak, excitement radiating from her voice. "Yup, that's how its done. But its only the beginning. Haven't you had friends before? Not to worry!"

She turned her head upwards, looking at the sky. It would be dark soon in a couple of hours. The Sun would be setting soon. And one would not want to be left unprepared in the dark without a fire or a tent. She moved towards the location of the fallen stag, before turning around to beckon Kos to follow "It's about to get dark soon, would you like to join me by the fire, skinning and taking apart this deer? We could have some grilled deer steaks!" Scampering off towards the site, she exclaimed "Come on, my new friend!" With that she left the clearing they were at, moving on towards the last known location of her prey. Thankfully, the stag was still where it fell, which would not be the case in spring or summer. She hoped that her new friend, Kos would follow and join her, but regardless of whether he came or not, these were things she still needed to do before night arrived.

Whipping out her skinning knife, she started the process of removing the hide from the animal. Making a long cut from the neck down to the chest until she reached the belly, she stopped as soon as she reached the meat. Seeing the read meat beneath, she repeated the steps for the rest of the chest, and the neck.

One bell later, she had finally completed the lengthy and tedious process of removing the organs, and separating the meat from the deer's skeleton into several manageable sections. Wrapping them up gently in some old shirts that she brought, arranging them nicely before placing them in her bag.

by **Clemens Kos** on February 18th, 2015, 2:20 pm

The odd upbeat woman was an odd sight to behold, simply because most unknown faces in the town seemed to wander without a plan in sight. He didn't know why exactly, but making a new friend seemed to take more than just that for him. Or perhaps Kos was simply over-thinking the motion of what a friend actually is. He thought it was a person that shared some of your views and beliefs, and one you can trust to have your back if the need arises. Here, he knew this woman for a total of a few minutes and she was already calling him a friend. Perhaps she thought of this word than simply someone you know, but it still felt somewhat odd. He didn't really feel all that threathened as well, if simply for the fact she seemed quite innocent. Taking the sword away from her and she'd fit in that role just nicely. There was a continuing trend he realized about all these pretty girls carrying weapons with them. A hum escaped, as he thought back on his sparring practices. Quite quickly, however, his mind threw him back into reality. The woman was seemingly walking off to the location of the stag she downed, and he wondered if he should leave her be to do whatever she wanted to.

Kos was, however, asked to stay. The thought was somewhat chilling, because he didn't really wish to stay in the woods post night-time. She seemed to ackowledge the same idea and propose of a fire and grilled steaks. He blinked his one revealing eye at her, as if not really believing what he just heard. The fire and the meat would easily attract other predators due to the smell of prey in the air, and it wasn't the brightest idea, either. Kos seemed to get on edge as he watched the woman sat down without a care in the world. With his head inching to the side, he observed the skinning of an animal. Her slow yet decisive motions to remove the animal from it's hide. All he could think on was looking around, though, and seeing if anything moved in the distance. The woman herself seemed to be in her own little word disecting and gutting the animal in question, so Kos decided to take a look around. He didn't really feel like he should, but seeing someone get hurt due to stupidity would be something he'd like to avoid. He made sure to keep in line of sight of the woman and her work, making sure to scout the area they were located in. His halberd in hand, he waited for the girl to finish her little fiasco.

It felt like forever, but he finally saw Claudia start to move her things into her back, seemingly finished. With a few steps and a pair of broken twigs, he advanced back to the middle to meet up once again. Looking at her and the bag before her, he spoke out. "From silly to stupid ideas...Leaving out live bait for any wild beasts roaming around seemed to be the worst one." His tone wasn't exactly insultive, but more like a tone a parent used to scold their kids. "I do hope you're not planning on actually making fire here. Pack up, we're going back to the city before night time comes. Be it as it it, Kos tried to be the voice of reason in this ordeal, simply because he knew what kind of dangers the forest was hidding. That didn't mean he would drag the woman with him if she refused. He worked on a simple say-once rule. If she'd reject his offer, he'd leave without her. A woman wasn't worth risking his hide for, specially if he just met her.

by **Claudia Blackwood** on February 19th, 2015, 3:46 am

Claudia was all done with the deer. With everything nicely packed in her bag, she looked towards Kos as he came back towards her. She hoped that apart from being a good nice meal for dinner, the meat, hide and offal could prove to be an extra sort of cash for her to sell in the Great Bazaar, back in the city. She was running really low on money, and she could certainly use a little boost to her income. Kos then motioned that camping out in the woods was a really stupid idea, indicating that the smell of roasting fire would draw in hungry predators. She began wondering if he had came across any fierce forest predators in the past, as he seemed to be speaking as if from experience. She, however have not.

The most she had met so far, were the occasional wolves or so, nothing too terrifying so far, and a good blazing fire usually keep them well away. But her new-found friend here, Kos, wanted to leave, not liking their chances of spending the night out in the wild one bit. She could see his reason for that, and answered him "Alright, alright, I'm coming Kos! Let's go back to the city." Turning around to take a last lingering look at the woods, she left to rejoin Kos who had walked off into the distance.

As she rejoined Kos, making to move up beside him, she asked him "So where are we heading to? Do you still want roast deer? I sure do! I'm sure we can find some place to cook some of them. Do you have any suggestions?" Her rather excitable nature emanating into the air accompanied with a variety of gestures. After the barrage of questions that she fired at him, was met with silence, Claudia promptly lowered her head and quietened down, apparently abashed by the sudden outburst. She had certainly hoped she had not frightened him off with her rather talkative nature.

Kos seemed like the quiet sort, who didn't talk much. She made a mental note to reduce the number of questions she asked him unless she was told otherwise. She didn't want to lose this friend as soon she made one. That was not good, not good at all. Everyone mattered to Claudia, and she was always trying to make people happy, regardless of their status. She felt a certain warmness in her heart when she saw the joy in the people faces when she helped them.

Claudia also loved helping the less fortunate, and she could sense a deep feeling of sorrow and wariness in Kos. One that would most probably be linked to his past. From the many people she had came across, the quiet wary ones, usually carried with them a tragic life, laden with the emotional baggage of their past.

by **Clemens Kos** on February 19th, 2015, 10:15 am

His steps were sure and without a doubt he was not planning on looking back any time soon, to see what the woman decided to do with herself. He did, however, hear the footsteps that were coming behind him, slowly gaining on distance. It would seem like his little persuasion actually paid off, seeing as the woman joined him, stepping with him on the side, and heading in the direction of the city. He didn't really show much of an emotion, but part of his was happy he was being listened to for once. He wondered what the trip back was going to be like, but that was quickly answered by what seemed to be a barrage of questions aimed to strangle him where he stood. Kos never liked longer conversations, because sooner or later the topic of the past came up. And if he tried to reply to all the questions now, he'd simply give away the feeling he didn't mind answering to those. Truth be told, Kos rather spent his time in silence. He didn't mind having someone with him, but not to talk. Simply having someone by his side was enough to sate his little need for human contact he still carried with him. But sadly, he knew most people weren't that, and feeding off curiosity, they needed questions. Luckily for Kos, all of the questions he was asked now, were quite basic.

"Syliras." Was the first answer he gave, thinking it was quite straight forward. There wasn't really much if not anywhere else they could get to before the night came. The outpost was further away, a day's ride out of Syliras itself. So even if she was headed there she'd need to walk through night. And that was something that the woman had to do herself. Wandering in nighttime was just asking for trouble. From animals to slavers alike. "Unless you have a house there, the knigts wont allow us to make fire out on the streets." Was his next retort. He really felt like he was such a downer today, ruining all of the hopes this woman carried around with her from the moment he met her. But truth be told, he always looked at the worst outcome possible, and thus his dislike of the knights as a whole came out. Then again, if she sold the meat she could easily try and order already prepared meat in a tavern. Might not be home made, but it could be enough to stop the hunger. "So unless that's the case, your only choise of food is wandering into a tavern." His last reply was given, much like the last nail is hammered into a coffin. He didn't really leave much room to argue with, and even if she tried, he wouldn't start talking her out of it. He barely knew this Claudia, and if she wanted to do something on her own, she was more than welcome to try.

Kos was walking on a known path. The turn they made just before brought them on what seemed to be a road. Tracks could gesture a carriage went pass here some time ago. This was the shortest way back to the city, and the safest one, also. Animals tend to avoid places that seemed to be used by people, or at least that was his hope. Be it as it is, Kos stepped the tempo up a notch, as he looked up and realized the sun was already setting. He spent way too much time out in the woods without being productive at all. A sigh escaped his lips, as his revealed eye traveled from side to side, watching the woods as if expecting something to come out. His right hand reached back, fingers wrapping around the shaft of his weapon that was before strapped back to his back for easier transport. The air seemed eerie enough, and nothing but their steps could be heard echoing around them. But still, Kos seemed like someone who had problems calming down. Finally, he spoke out himself, with a single question in mind. "You from Syliras? Or the outpost?" Knowing that would at least make him plan his path in advance. If she was from the outpost, she'd have to make a turn somewhat soon.

by **Claudia Blackwood** on February 20th, 2015, 1:00 am

Claudia was not liking this at all. Not one bit. Things were not going as planned. All the excitement she had chimes ago had died down into a period of unbroken silence between the two, and apart from the sounds of their footsteps, there was hardly anything else. This was not how she saw it going down. Her once excitable shoulders sagged as this Kos guy shot down her every hope like a skilled hunter shooting down game birds on hunting day. Her footsteps grew slightly heavier, but no less slower.

She kept up with Kos, maintaining his speed as they continued upon a path heading back to the city. Despite her best efforts, this newly made friendship was in tatters, and its prospect was not looking bright at all. Disheartened by the fact, she let out a heavy sigh.

The guy had been quiet since they left, not uttering a single word. Their period of silence was broken by a single word he said. "Syliras." All he received was a blank stare.

A vague answer. How unsurprising. She knew that the city would be the place, but she had been hoping that he had a specific place in mind. But it looked like he did not have one as well. He then continued on, telling her that unless she had a house, her only choice of food would be wandering into a tavern. The tension in the air that hanged around after he had spoken suggested that he did not want to be argued with, and that was fine with her, as Claudia was in no mood to contest what he said anyhow. She should probably just sell what she had gathered from the deer.

The dirt path they walked on turned into what seemed more like a proper road, where carriage tracks suggested that this was one of the roads that saw heavier traffic. It was also the one that she recognised as the one heading to the city, Syliras. They should be safe from the wildlife, as animals do not usually head to roads, especially one that they know see considerable human traffic. Bandits were more of a likely danger, but even then they tend to pick on lone travellers, especially if they were unarmed.

The duo in this case, were far from unarmed. Kos with his halberd, and Claudia with her weapons, hopefully posed a significant enough threat for the bandits to avoid hassling them. It was then that Claudia saw Kos stepping up his pace a notch, realising that the sun was setting soon. She increased her pace to keep up with him, her eyes following him as he scanned the surrounding woods, his hands wrapping tightly around the haft of his halberd. He was obviously expecting something, or looking out for something. She kept an eye on his movements, but her hands remained otherwise at her side, fingers casually brushing the hilt of her sword.

This Kos guy seemed to be on tenterhooks since they met. It was starting to make her uneasy as well. Fortunately, the tension in the air was broken when he spoke again, this time asking where she was from. Claudia replied "I'm from Syliras."

by **Clemens Kos** on February 20th, 2015, 8:44 am

Kos knew he was a horrible traveling companion. At least, in other's eyes. Or, he at least ackowledged that his usual silence could be seen as rude by some people. Yet that did not mean he was going to act all sugary and cute while talking about his favorite minute in an hour for an hour straight. His public relations were horrid at best, with his social skills not lagging that far behind. The previously cheerful inviduidual next to him seemed to have lost her spark due to him not joining in the conversation. Part of him was happy, so he could finally think in peace without being interupted every second step, but he simply felt like he'd be acting quite rude if he did so. Not that there were any real things to talk about. He avoided the weather topic, because unless one was blind everyone could see what kind of sun was shinning. The only question he could ask to make this traveling less dreadful for her was about her weapon. Not that he cares a lot about the answer she would provide, but maybe this new friend wouldn't have such a long face if she talked a bit more. Kos nodded to himself at that plan, finally stopping to look around to gaze at her.

"That sword. You know how to use it?" Again, the colorful plethora of words he decided to use were simply nonexistant. Keeping as short as he could, he still emphatized on the last part, to get a coherent answer out of her. Talking about weapons was something he didn't mind. He was trying to get better with his after all. Slowly he shook his head as he sighed. The least he could do was follow up on the previous question. "I'm from Syliras too, by the way." It was obvious at his awkward word placements and his oddly phrased and late reply, he did not have a lot of meaningful conversations. Was probably due to fact he didn't want to have any, though. He found it somewhat difficult to trust people right there on the spot, and with such a bad first impression, not a lot of them wanted to see him again anytime soon, if at all. It was a somewhat cursed circle he didn't really mind yet. Sure he knew almost no one it the big city, but at least he had the knowledge that a few exist that would at least talk to him if they stumbled across him. Kos guessed that was as good as he could get with people. Yet he couldn't help but wonder what the woman next to him was thinking about right now.

The surroundings seemed peaceful enough. As they were walking, nothing jumped out of them. Closer they got to their destination, the less tense Kos was becomming. No bandit would be stupid enough attacking travelers on the road if the city could already be seen in the distance, so the man's hand was taken from his weapon, and he stuffed both of his palms into his pockets. It wouldn't be long before the two arrive, and he wondered what was going to happen then. He wouldn't be surprised the two to walk their seperate ways, seeing how cold he acted towards his new 'friend'. Lightly, Kos shrugged his shoulders. It wouldn't be the first friendship he ruined because of his personality, even though he didn't actively look out to sour people's moods.

by **Claudia Blackwood** on February 21st, 2015, 1:50 am

Claudia's face brightened a tad, at the question Kos asked, but not too much. She was still wary from their silent exchange earlier on, and was now cautious with her behaviour, hopefully preventing her talkative nature from emerging once again. It was probably for the better, as Kos didn't seem to appreciate or want it anyway. Kos had told her he was from Syliras as well, and had also asked if she could use the sword she carried.

Claudia replied in a gush of words "Well, I can use it good enough to defend myself from common bandits and thugs, and assorted wildlife, like wolves. I'm no master, not in the slightest; I'm merely a novice, who still has plenty to learn, figuring my way through the art of the weapon." Lifting her arms to the back to finger her longbow, she also said "I'm neat with the bow as well!...Well, I think. I'm also working on improving my riding. I know the basics, but the rest is pretty laughable at this stage. I'm planning to be a squire soon enough, and upon learning of my decision, my father taught me the basics of handling and fighting with a sword. She nodded before continuing "He was once a pretty successful mercenary before he retired and settled down."

As she finished, she wondered if she may have blabbed too much. She turned to look at Kos, judging his reaction, but could see none. She wondered what he was thinking, and what he liked to do in his spare time, like his hobbies. She also wondered if he always carried a sulky expression where ever he went, and if he was still cold to everyone. Claudia couldn't resist it any longer, unknowingly making a move to satisfy her doubt regardless of the situation at hand, asking "So Kos, what do you like doing in your free time? Or rather, what are your hobbies?" As soon as she said that, she had a feeling that his answer would probably be nothing, or something along those lines. Trying a different question, she queried him "Where in Syliras do you stay? Do you have an apartment in the citadel? I heard those are really cramped and stuffy!" It then dawned on her; she was at it again, throwing questions at him. Sighing, she promptly shut her mouth, trying her best to control the urge to speak further.

One thing that she noticed for sure was that Kos had released his grip on his weapon, stuffing both of them in his pockets. He must have realised that nothing was going to attack them so close to the city. She was pleased that he was beginning to loosen up a little, lifting some of the tension in the air. He must have been really eager to get back to the city. Claudia was as well, but not to the extent he probably wanted. They could already see the citadel towering in the distance, never failing to project a mighty sight to all whose sight fell upon it. The majestic and imposing main city gates guarded the entrance to the city, with several knights patrolling both atop and below the walls. She could barely make out a dotted line of people queuing up to enter the city after a much required inspection by the guards.

by **Clemens Kos** on February 21st, 2015, 8:33 am

Kos, like so many times before, listened to her explanation. Finding out the weapons of her choise were the sword and the bow, and that the woman planned on signing up with the squires. It wasn't surprising, because most of the people he met had some sort of ties with the order in one way or the other. It wasn't a surprise that the power house that they represented was an attractive prospect for the younger demographic in Syliras. He himself was way too egoistical to try his luck there. He didn't like it when people ordered him what to do, and from what he saw, the squires are bellow the knights. Kos thought about the process of joining himself, but in the end chose against it due to his nature and his dislike of people as a whole. Everyone would probably want to talk to him there, and his little silent-loving self would simply be on edge. He wasn't like most people, and it showed. Thinking about how talkative this woman was, she could probably fit right there in the group. With a single nod, he continued his stride, not showing the slight perk of interest at her father's occuptation. That was something he wouldn't mind pursuing. Soon. When he knows more about how to protect himself.

It wasn't long until the next series of questions got offered to him on a platter. Yet Kos was at fault himself for actually sparking another conversation, if only out of him trying to be nice. The question made him think, though. Hobbies. Doing something for fun. Humming in thought, he shook his head. He really didn't do much for fun alone. "I hunt, and I train." He explained, short as always, before adding something he might of didn't want to. Thinking about his free time, he couldn't help himself but blurt the next words out, his lips curving into a smile as he did so. "And I keep Nibbles company." Kos knew she couldn't know who Nibbles was, and what he actually meant to him, and unless he'd explain that right on the spot he'd be asked even more questions. In a smooth gesture, he continued on. "My pet. A rat." There. No one could ask for more if everything was already presented. He nodded to himself in the little bit of satiscation he found in managing avoid one of the endless questions she had prepared.

"I stay in the Traveler's row. I'm renting a room. Don't have enough money to afford a house." He added once she asked her other questions. He didn't feel his apartment was that small, specially for the low price that he had to pay. Besides, he was alone and didn't really need that much space to begin with. Not that he was bringing people over to his place, either. So a little bed and a table were all he needed to lie down and sleep when tired. The rest of his time was usually spent outside. With their little slowed pep talk continuing, the two finally approached the city walls, and Kos came to a halt. He turned around on his heels to meet the woman, tipping his head to the side in a curious manner. "Right, we're here." He didn't care how the next step looked like, but he still wanted to know how they are going to procceed. "You going to sell that before it goes bad?" He asked, motioning to her backpack.

by **Claudia Blackwood** on February 22nd, 2015, 7:15 am

Kos actually answered her questions. That was actually more than she expected at least. And her guess proved her wrong as well. Fancy that. Claudia thought that she might have even caught a glimpse of a smile. He said that in his free time, he mainly hunted and trained as well as taking care of his pet rat, Nibbles. If all he did was mainly hunting and training, he must not be much of a social creature, if at all. He probably trained all by himself too. If not for his pet rat, he would not have any contact with anything other than himself.

Claudia began thinking of what they would do when they reached the city gates, and where would Kos be? Would he go off on his own and head to do his own errands, or whatever it is he does, or follow her? Either way, she was indifferent to it. It did not matter to her if he followed her or not.

Chances are he wouldn't anyway. That was fine with her too, as she was planning to return home to prepare for dinner anyway. Maybe she'll even save some meat for home. Night was quickly approaching, and evening gradually turned into night.

Torches and lanterns were lighted or turned on, signalling the arrival of night. Judging from the few hours they have spent together earlier, she knew by now that he was more comfortable spending time by himself, where there was no one to pester him with conversations. Although she may not have much experience with these type of quiet characters, she knew that these type of people had more fun with themselves, than in the company of others.

And with that they arrived at the main city gates. Kos asked about what their next step would be, and if she was going sell all the items she had gathered from the stag. She answered with a "Yep." Pointing in no particular direction, "That's where I'll be heading to first. Like you said, going to have sell these before it gets bad. I'll be heading to the local butchery owned by the Alban family. It's situated near the main gates for the convenience of hunters selling their wares. It's one of the shops built into the city walls."

Reaching over to her backpack, she checked to make sure that all her goods were still in order before heading over towards the butchery. If Kos wanted to follow, he would, if not, there would certainly be no hard feelings whatsoever.

Closed All in a day's worth [Claudia Blackwood]