PM to join Taking Cares (Sloane)

[Konrad Venger]

15th Bell - 63rd Day of Winter, 516AV - Pridesun Pavilion, Endrykas

His snares were improving. The dead thing in his hand was proof of that.

"How's that rabbit coming, Hans?"

"Finish in chime."

Same for his Pavi. The fact that Sedon didn't just blink at him, then nod and smile was proof. The cook went back to his stew pot and Konrad did his best to sneak glances at the bubbling pot, while he finished the task at hand.

Said "task" being the wild rabbit now limp and fluffy between his fingers. He gathered up the fur on its back, fingers seeming to knead and caress but in fact pulling it tighter and tight. His other hand felt its belly, and the strain of the taut fur was clear even to him. He took his blade, made a shallow cut just under the chin and sliced down-

-under the fur-

"Shyke..."

-not quite far enough. Sedon looked over and chuckled at the cursing wahlak, busy fussing with his knife over a half-skinned prairie rat. The pot was bubbling away, stew inside fat with flavor courtesy of his loving hands, onions and carrots and corn bobbing in the broth like lures in a pond. All that was missing... was the meat.

"Getting better, though," he said as he walked over, Konrad finishing the job by finally just ripping down the tear he'd already made and yanking most of the fur off the flapping carcass. "No-one's a master at this stuff right away, y'know."

"Slow it down, will ya?" Konrad said with a disgruntled growl. "Ain't that savvy with yer words yet, am I?"

Sedon's smile just broadened, and Konrad felt no real emnity to reinforce his scowl. His handed the headless, footless carcass over and Sedon waddled back to his pot. At least he'd handled lopping the extremities off well enough. He watched the Drykas cook make another slice and spill the guts of the rabbit into a bowl, then hack it apart with a cleaver... to go with the parts of the other one he'd found in his snares that morning.

Konrad smiled to himself under his hat. Aye, he was improving. Mite by mite. He settled down outside his tent, legs crossed, breeches and sleeveless vest and black hat and duster jacket all-but-forgotten. The heat was still too much to wear that thing. He wondered idly, cleaning his snares and readying them for the night, if he looked like a Drykas, to one not educated otherwise.

Well, you're in Endrykas. Their city. And you're human. What does that tell you?

Couldn't argue with that logic, after all. He took a rag and gently wiped any blood and sweat from the little wire death traps. His eyes were improving, he was happy to find. His knowledge of tracks was still meagre, but once he found a couple, he didn't often lose the trail. Then it was just a matter of placing the snares and hoping. Some days that paid off, and others... well, there was his bow, after all.

Not today.

His mood darkened a touch. Hmm. Fair point. She was a little late. But she was... well, she hadn't promised that prompt a fixing for his coyote-chewed shortbow, but Konrad was hoping... that he'd have his bow back. That above all. Drykas or not, one couldn't survive in the Sea of Grass without a bow, or a horse. All right, pony in his case, but either way-

"Oi, Hans?" He peered up from under his hat and found Sedon with a most suspicious look on his face. "Someone to see you."

Konrad got "see you" from the babble of Pavi and frowned... and then Sedon's look went from odd to just plain lecherous... and "Hansel" rolled his eyes as he hefted himself to his feet.

Gods damn it, why couldn't she just wait for me to come to her?

[Sloane]

It had been a long, busy day for Sloane, the Duskstep Pavilion buzzing with customers and weapons orders, to the point that she'd barely had time to pause in her work. Usually, it wouldn't have fazed her, but the unseasonable heat had been magnified by the constant stream of customers, and had then been trapped under the heavy tarps of the businesses tents. And so it was a relief to finish her work and finally leave for the day, enjoying the cool afternoon breeze that had picked up outside.

As usual, she made her way by foot, only ever travelling by horse when she truly had no other option. The Pridesun Pavilion wasn't particularly close, but Sloane enjoyed the chance to explore more of Endrykas, even it it was only a small portion, as she made her way through the tent city. The young walahk seemed to be truly settling into life with the Drykas, she'd grown used to the people and the atmosphere, and she had even been sleeping better.

Hansel's bow was back to working order, the wood coated in a thick resin that filled and fortified the gouges and scratches, and then buffed down to give a textured grip. Sloane was proud of her work; though she'd crafted plenty of bows from scratch, she hadn't had the chance to repair many at all, and the job had turned out to be an interesting one.

Pridesun was far larger than the majority of other pavilions Sloane had seen, brimming with activity, Drykas and walahks alike going about their business, herding children, plying their trade and tending to animals. Sloane walked slowly through the tents, casting her gaze around as she went, searching for the familiar broad hat and scarred face. Her search coming up empty, Sloane looked instead for someone to ask.

A rather stout man sitting by a boiling pot caught her attention, and Sloane moved in his direction. Surely a cook would know a fair few of the pavilions members, and hopefully Hansel was among those few. "Hello?" She called to the him, trying to get his attention. He looked over, eye's narrowing on her curiously. "Where Hansel?" She asked, her Pavi blunt and carefully pronounced. The man didn't respond for a moment, gaze blank before he seemed to realize what she'd said. His brows rose rapidly, face twisting in a disbelieving smirk. "You want Hans?" He barked, but waved off her response before she could give it, gesturing for her to stay put as he turned and moved deeper into the camp.

Sloane sighed, unimpressed by the dramatic response, and paced a small circle, taking the time to check over his bow again while she waited for Hansel. Her knife was secured at her hip, exactly as he'd shown her days prior, and Sloane desperately hoped he'd still be willing to teach her, ass she was eager to explore the new skill.

Common ~ Pavi ~ Thoughts

[Konrad Venger]

"Haven't youse got some stew t'be watchin'?"

"Oh, it can keep for a... while."

Sedon's words died on his lips when he saw "Hansel's" expression. He'd grown fond of the walahk. He was a scary-looking sod, for sure, and Sedon wasn't fool enough to think the man didn't have souls on his conscience. But he was quick to learn and seemed useful. He never made a threatening move against anyone in the pavilion, but sometimes... sometimes...

That was one of those times. His expression shifted like he was taking off a mask, letting Sedon take a peek at what was lurking under it. Konrad didn't like intimidating people when he wasn't being paid for it, just like he didn't kill without coin promised to him, but sometimes... sometimes...

"I, er... maybe I should-"

"Aye. Mebbe so."

Konrad watched the man thump back to his stew pot and turned his gaze back to Sloane. She held his bow. She'd been true to her word, and timely into the bargain. He managed a smile across the good side of his face, though the scarred side remained frozen in a permanent half-sneer.

"Dun' mind 'im. Nosy bastard. Dat fer me?"

He took up his bow without another word, noting as he did the knife strapped to her waist... and exactly as he'd told her, too, with the bladed edge facing outward. Konrad let the smile grow a fraction and perused the surface of the bow. Yes, he could see where she'd repaired it. The streaks and marks in the wood where resin had been applied and then rubbed smooth, but... they were hardly even scratches. Roughly polished, perhaps, but when he pulled experimentally and listened for a warning creak... nothing.

"Good." He said, even bothering with the one-handed Pavi gesture for the word. A rarity, since he didn't usually bother learning that part of the language. "Good working."

He smiled and she smiled and it was nice until he realized they still had an audience. Drykas and walahk alike were milling around, doing their chores and yet seemed to be slowing their steps around them. Konrad was, after all, one of those oddities that they were all unsure about. Horribly scarred, taciturn, mysterious and pretty obviously dangerous. But there he was, making eyes with some young thing who was-

Not making eyes. Not thinking of her lips or her cunny or happily ever sodding after. Why do people already bloody mistake that?

She calmed him. She relaxed him. Just like Coryn did, once or twice before, and he couldn't evne have that without being stared at.

"C'mon," he said lowly, gesturing to the space beyond the tents and pavilion, where Endrykas ended and the Sea of Grass began. "S'find some targets an' we'll put yer work t'the test..."

He waited, sadistic prick that he was, until she may have lost hope... then nodded at her waist.

"... an' we'll keep goin' with that, too. What? Din't think I'd fergotten, didja?"

[Sloane]

Sloane couldn't help the amused grin that spread over her face as she watched Hansel and Sedon interact, though she kept any comments to herself. When Hansel turned to her, she held the bow out for him to take, setting her now empty hands to her hips as she watched him examine it. "It may feel slightly stiffer than usual, but that will ease with time." She explained, beaming with pride as he expressed his satisfaction with the bow. She hadn't been particularly worried he wouldn't be, but it still gladdened her to return the bow without any hiccups along the way.

She fell into step beside him as they walked, smirking up at him as she went. "Do you really think I'd let you forget?" She asked in return, eyebrow quirked. "You may not think so, but I can be a force when I want to!" She continued, feeling quite chatty and bubbly. She doubted Hansel would appreciate it, but as far as she was concerned, if he had a problem he could - and probably would - tell her to shut up, or merely to go away. "Would any boring old girl ever dream to travel from Syliras to Riverfall? No! Granted, it didn't work out, but I'll be damned if I don't get there... eventually." Sloane walked quickly, eager to find somewhere to set down their belonging and excise her bountiful energy with some practice. She felt at ease in Hansel's company, able to let her guard down and truly enjoy herself, chatter away about whatever she wished and not worry so much about what he may think.

"Have you been well?" She asked curiously, casting her gaze over him in search of new any injuries that he may have sustained. He seemed fairly well, and Sloane wondered if he'd deliberately stayed out of harms way while she'd had his bow. "You seem well liked at Pridesun,is it... good there?" Sloane asked after a long moment, suddenly hesitant. The Firelash Pavilion wasn't so bad, but Sloane couldn't help but consider other possibilities, despite the fact that she doubted Kadir would even let her leave his pavilion.

Sloane quietened as they walked, mind stewing over the issue and whatever Hansel would have to tell her. Once they were a fair distance from Endrykas, she cast her gaze around, looking for a suitable place to stop. "How about over there?" She pointed ahead of them at a few sparsely placed trees, that thickened in the distance to form a meager grove. The few trees were tall and straight, widely spaced and leading away from Endrykas.

Common ~ Pavi ~ Thoughts

[Konrad Venger]

"Aye, well, I wuzzun' 'bout t'call you old, at any rate..."

He couldn't fail to see what she was doing; what she had been doing since that first, tense meeting of their while he was practicing his archery. It started with insults and sneers and ended with something... that Konrad did not recognize, for it had been so long. Now every time they met, he could feel her wearing him down, like waves lapping against a cliff, grinding down with patience and softness what sheer force would have no hope of breaking.

As they walked, as she twittered, Konrad just smiled to himself, and enjoyed the isolation of it all. Just her and him, Endrykas growing softer behind them as they went. No prying eyes or pricking ears, whispers at the edge of his mind that he had to glare at to silence. Just the wind whipping through distant leaves, and pleasant company.

Konrad had long believed that the latter was beyond him.

Change of scenery counts for-

Then she mentioned the Pridesuns, and Konrad's smile froze on his face. It didn't fade, not really, but it became... immobile. Fixed as if in wax and his eyes lost that dancing light Sloane had grown used to since they'd grown beyond captor and captive, and into friends. His gaze seemed to swivel inwards, perusing problems and concerns that drew the blood from his face-

He gripped his bow tighter. There was anger there, too. Stilted and buried and hidden from her sight, but there. There and burning.

"S'all right," he said with a shrug, bobbing of his shoulders breaking up the stiffness across his face. "Get two meals a day, share me a tent, learn plenty a' shyke 'bout survivin' out here... hells, beats how I was when they found me, y'know?" He snorted and looked down at her for a moment, smile twisted in rueful recollection. "Kinda like youse was, now I think about it. Only I was banged up a shyke-sight worse, knowwudahmean?"

He looked to the trees, and he sighed. Something weighing him down, obviously. A feeling he'd rather be rid of.

"So I owe 'em fer that, I guess..." The girl spoke and Konrad didn't look away; he was already fixed on the copse, just like her. Straggly and sickly things though they were, trunks were targets, and the smaller ones were actually better for them. "Aye, good idea."

They kept walking until Konrad halted, maybe ten yards from the copse. He swept his gaze across the tree trunks and walked sideways like a crab, side to side, until-

"Here'll do." He bent down and to his side, pointing out so she could follow his finger, looking down his arm like an arrow. "See that tree? Aim fer it, an' if y'miss, arrow'll hit the those trees behind it. Means we ain't gotta be searchin' through shyke-tons of grass t'get them back. Now, 'old up..."

He strode through the grass, drawing his kukri as we went. Metal scraped across wood, gouged through bark and Sloane would be able to see a white, livid X carved into the tree trunk he'd pointed out. Then Konrad was walking back her way, holding out his hands.

"Gimme the bow, girl!"

She tossed, he caught, and he turned... no, no, he wasn't about to try some slick Drykas trick shot yet. He squared his stance like he'd learned: left foot pointing towards the target, right facing his side. Notched an arrow in the string and-

Pull with your back, not your arms.

-gods, she wasn't kidding about the stiffness. It was like the bow was either brand new or a hundred years old, untouched in either case. He pulled harder, lips pressed together. It was the same as before, all those dozens of times, just a little harder, and when one eye closed to squint-

-it was down the shaft of the arrow, with a goose feather tickling his cheek, and the white X staring at him from across dirt and air.

Konrad breathed in, and as he exhaled-

TWANG

THUD

Not a bullseye, but within what Konrad would... generously say was the target area. He lowered the bow and nodded slowly, lips curled upward in quiet approval.

"Not bad." He offered her the bow. "Hope fer youse yet, I guess."

[Sloane]

The tone had changed after Sloane brought up the Pridesun Pavilion, loosing the light, comfortable air that they'd enjoyed before, instead gaining a tense edge. Sloane sighed, rubbing at the back of her neck, only perking up when Hansel mentioned how he'd been found. She raised her brows, gazing up at him incredulously. "How the hell did they find you?" She asked, wondering how severe his injuries must have been. Hansel had been irritatingly tight lipped about his own past, giving away only the very bare bones of why he was in Endrykas. Sloane had tried her hardest not too prod and poke at the matter, but she was a curious soul and couldn't help herself for long.

She studied him thoughtfully as they walked, fighting back an array of questions, wanting nothing more to let loose and interrogate the walahk. She was distracted from her thoughts as Hansel stopped, shuffling back and forth to find the perfect position to shoot from. Sloane stepped closer when he pointed, gaze fixing on a tree a short distance away nodding her understanding. "Makes sense." She muttered as he strode off, knife drawn to slash at the trunk of the tree, marking out an approximate ''bulls-eye''.

Sloane watched, eye's sharp and assessing as Hansel drew back on the bow. The body of the bow bent smoothly, the upper and lower limbs moving perfectly symmetrically to one another. She ignored the arrow as he fired, first studying how the bow limbs recoiled, eyes searching for any irregularities and listening for any signs of strain. Satisfied that the bow was working perfectly, Sloane smiled, glancing around to see how his arrow had landed.

Hansel held out the bow, and Sloane took it with a grin, stepping forward to take up her own stance. It was basically the same to how Hansel stood, side on to the tree, left arm holding the bow out strong and straight. She pulled one of her own arrows from the quiver hanging at her left hip, and nocked it, hands curling loosely around the grip. She drew back, grunting at the force she had to put behind it, pulling back until the fletching brushed the corner of her mouth. His bow was far stiffer than her own, not to mention too large for her, and Sloane's arms trembled as she aimed. She loosed the arrow, fingers sliding off the string quickly.

Her aim was off, the arrow thudding into the tree a good foot below Hansel's. Sloane dropped her arms quickly, huffing out a breath as she shook out her strained arms. "Yeah, I'll leave that one to you." She chuckled, handing Hansel back his bow. "I don't think I have the muscle to put behind the draw." She stepped back and out of the way, making room so that Hansel could take another turn if he wished.

Common ~ Pavi ~ Thoughts

[Konrad Venger]

Shyke, walked into that one.

Konrad could have winced at just how easily he opened the door for her next question, but reassured himself a tick later. After all, it wasn't too far into the past she was delving, and even then...

You are not ashamed. You do not feel guilt. So why do you hesitate to tell her?

"Blind soddin' luck, tha's how they found me," he said as she gave back the bow, as much to drown out his own thoughts as anything else. "I was bleedin' out inna' Sea like a trussed pig. Had a knife in me back, belly carved open, leg and shoulder cut up..."

Konrad shook his head at the recollection. It seemed much longer ago than it was, that distant day that seemed fuzzy most times but all he had to do was ghost his fingers over the scar tissue Three Eyes had left him with and-

"That shoulda' been it. Shoulda' been when She came fer me."

He was only half-aware of speaking. Nocking the arrow, drawing the string, it was as mechanical and meditative as incense and oils for a man like him. His lips barely moved and the words spilled out, but he caught himself before he could let anymore out. Instead he aimed down the shaft, squinted-

TWANG

THUD

"Heh. Definitely gettin' better," he said with some pride, smiling at the feathered arrow tail vibrating in the trunk, a little closer to the bulls eye. He pointed at her own with the bow, smile threatening to break into a grin. "Dun' be too hard on yerself. That one? Woulda' made the bastard a woman, ye ken? Trust me, good as puttin' it through his soddin' heart."

He allowed a moment for a chuckle, for the tension to ease out of the air between them after his little trip down memory lane. But Konrad knew what question was coming next, and before Sloane could voice it-

"Was me partner, cut me up like that," he said, voice worryingly matter-of-fact for a man talking about death and treachery. Unless it was from a man one knew to be steeped in such. "Turned on me fer money, while we were out on patrol in the Sea. But he was too busy jawin' on an' savorin' the petchin' moment, so..."

He bent to his side and pulled the throwing knife Sloane had become so familiar with. He let the light catch the blade, striking silver across the Syna-bleached grass.

"He put this in my back. Pridesun found me with it still in there, so when they patched me up, I decided to keep it. One just like it was in me shoulder, but I oulled it out, lost it."

Steel vanished back into his boot, and Konrad's voice didn't change when he added-

"After I used it t'open up me partner's throat."

She wanted to know, so he'd told her. Nothing about her liking what he heard. But even a man innured to violence like Konrad could tell that it disturbed her, turned her stomach, and after a moment he scratched under his chin, a touch too hard; a nervous tic he couldn't quite hide.

"C'mon," he said with as much fake joviality as he could muster, offering her back the bow. "One more, an' then we'll get back to her dagger trainin'. S'why yer really here, ain't it?"

[Sloane]

Sloane listened, silent and still as Hansel finally revealed something of substance about himself, wary of doing anything that may cause him to stop or cause him second thoughts about sharing the information with her. To think that someones partner would turn so easily, Sloane wondered again what on earth he'd done before joining - or being rescued, she supposed - by Endrykas. With each little ting she learned she could feel herself getting closer to the knowledge, and even at that moment Sloane had a few good guesses under her belt. They were on patrol... Maybe guards of some sort? She wondered, fingers falling to her arrows and running idly over the feathers. Or bounty hunters of some sort? To betray him for mizas...

Blue eye's caught on the throwing knife as he drew it, and her mouth twisted unpleasantly as she thought about how much pain and suffering it must have caused him. And then for him to want to keep it... Sloane wouldn't have wanted to ever see the thing again, where she in his place. The wounds he described sounded horrific, and she was truly stunned that he had survived, and that he was still able to get around at all.

Sloane wanted to ask more, but she restrained herself, partly because she doubted Hansel would tell her anything else, and partly because she doubted she could process anything else at that moment. She looked away from Hansel, gaze drifting out across the Sea of Grass as she thought, tried her best to sort through everything he'd just told her. To have your partner betray you, nearly kill you, and then have to finish the job by killing him? Sloane couldn't imagine the toll that would take on someone. She knew enough about Hansel to tell that he didn't find violence difficult or disturbing like most, but even that was something different. Sloane heaved a sigh and shook her head slowly, turning back to Hansel as she did her best to banish the dark mood that had come over them both.

She, waving away Hansel's bow when he held it out to her and pulled her own off of her shoulder. "I think if I try that again I'll end up pulling muscles before we really begin." She said slowly, a quiet laugh escaping her. She took her stance, feet set shoulder width apart and back straight, spine perfectly aligned. She raised nocked her arrow and raised the bow, and this time drew back on the bow string as she moved, reaching full draw at the same time that she brought her bow arm up horizontally. She rotated her elbow outward, and made yet another mental note to buy an arm guard before she stripped the skin of her forearm to the bone.

Sloane sighted down the arrow, breaths slow and deep as she eyed the mark in the tree, attention totally focused on pulling off a good shot. Long, callused fingers released the arrow smoothly, and Sloane watched as her arrow zipped across the clearing to thud below the mark, far closer to the cross than her first shot had been. Sloane smiled, satisfied with her work, and turned back to Hansel. "We both did better that time around." She chirped, a small measure of cheer back in her voice, though the weight of their conversation still lingered in her eye's.

Setting her bow aside, Sloane's hands got to work unfastening her quiver. While she tugged at the stiff buckles she glanced up at Hansel, smiling softly at him. "Do you want another go, or are you ready for me to kick your arse?" She joked, excitement and nerves both warring through her at the thought of using her dagger again.

Common ~ Pavi ~ Thoughts

[Konrad Venger]

Konrad could almost see them, circling and waiting and buzzing with anticipation. The questions. The queries. Patrolling where? What was his name? Who did you work for? How long? What did you do? Every question breeding two more, spreading like a rot over the clean, easy thing they'd made for themselves without even trying.

She was no fool: she could see as well anyone that his life, his profession, his very being was steeped in blood. But that alone... that wasn't what stilled his tongue. There was a difference between a man who defended his home, his family, his honor and his gods, and one who slaughtered for pay. And once again, that alone, mayhap she could understand, but...

She would want to know how much. How often. How little. How old. How many men have you killed? Can you even remember? How many have you tortured to death? How many have you crippled, ruined, scooped out their livelihoods and their futures with shattered kneecaps and severed hands?

How many children, Konrad?

No. She was not ready to hear that.

He wasn't stupid, nor a stranger to deception: he'd thought up a lie for most questions, and if not, could toss one out on the fly, if he had to. But doing so to her, looking into her trusting eyes and polluting them...

He wouldn't enjoy it. But he would. He didn't need to be scaring her off just yet.

Right. 'Need'. That's why you're pursuing this.

But like a storm blown off course at the last moment, whatever questions she had stayed within that pretty head topped with curls, bobbing and waving in the breeze. She turned away and took one more shot, doing better but... gods, she really didn't have much muscle up there. She looked about ready to throw out her shoulder and Konrad couldn't suppress a smirk, inadequately hidden behind a hand "rubbing" his face.

"Oh, aye. Much better..."

But it wasn't as if they were fated to spend much time with bow and arrows that day. He could see something else, too. Excitement. Impatience. The feral glee of a new discipline eagerly being learned, all of it spilling out of her eyes and her body almost bouncing on her heels. Konrad smiled back down, and felt the gesture seep into his eyes and warm them, if such icy shards could be warmed by anything.

"Be sure y'go easy on me," he said, with utmost seriousness, as he just happened to rear up to his full height... and let her take note of the full foot he topped her by. "m'an old a feeble fella, after all..."

Not even he could stop a smile splitting his face in two before the sentence was even out in the air. He chuckled lowly and gestured her to follow, seeking some shade in the scarce trees. They'd be moving fast and hard, and he didn't want untrammeled Syna scorching them within ticks, nor leeching them of water.

"A'right," he said as he turned to her, arms crossed over his chest. "Show me what y'learned last time. Then we'll see about this time..."

[Sloane]

Sloane laughed as Hansel returned her joke in kind, shaking her head at the mere idea that he could be old or feeble. She drew the dagger as she'd been taught, bladed side facing down and out, forming a right angle with her forearm. She'd grown fairly comfortable with drawing the weapon, and did so with a comfortable speed. Striking and slashing with it however, she was more cautious with, carefully controlling all of her movements. She jabbed the blade down in a stabbing motion, picturing her imaginary opponent before her and aiming or his stomach. Sloane repeated the blow a few times more, before moving on to the slashes Hansel had shown her. She slashed the blade up and across the her left, and then back down and across back to her right hand side. Again, the blade was brought up quickly through the air, Sloane's expression serious and full of concentration.

Another few repetitions of the moves, and Sloane finally paused, breath coming slightly quicker. "That's about it, I believe." She called over to Hansel, shrugging slightly, rubbing her free hand over the back of her neck. A small part of her hoped she hadn't looked too stupid, flailing around with a weapon that Drykas children already used better than far better than she did. If she really thought about it though, she supposed he'd probably seen her make a fool of her self at least once already. Sloane couldn't help but grin at that thought, and she relaxed slightly, comfortable in the fact that she didn't particularly mind if she did look ridiculous.

Sloane bounced on her toes, watching Hansel closely. "Are you really going to... spar with me?" She asked slowly, unsure is sparring was even the right term. The thought worried her, instantly conjuring images of one of them being injured. Naturally Sloane didn't want to be hurt, but more importantly, the thought that she may accidentally do something to injure Hansel while he was trying to help her turned her stomach. She chewed at her lips nervously, glancing from Hansel down to her dagger. She'd never spared with anyone before, and before the dagger she hadn't even picked up a weapon other than her bow. "What if something happens?" Her excitement to learn was tinged with uncertainty and worry. "I don't want to petch up and hurt you."

Common ~ Pavi ~ Thoughts