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Post by ☾ ահﻨรթεгﻨռց ოօօռร ☽ on Sept 12, 2017 10:24:05 GMT -5
Here we go. C:
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Post by ☾ ահﻨรթεгﻨռց ოօօռร ☽ on Sept 12, 2017 10:58:06 GMT -5
-- (( = OOC = )) --
I can post first. And I'm fine with any post-length, mostly. It usually depends on how much is going on, but on average, I can usually reply with two or three paragraphs.
-- (( = IC = )) --
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Post by ☾ ահﻨรթεгﻨռց ოօօռร ☽ on Sept 12, 2017 13:17:42 GMT -5
-- (( = OOC = )) --
I hope this is okay! I was thinking we could start when they meet in the forest. Sorry it's not too long. I didn't want to get carried away with little details.
-- (( = IC = )) --
The kingdom of Nuvii was tiny. A small castle made of stone that the royal family called home. Pathetic, wilting farmland that wasn't half the size that it should be. Even its citizens were small, all skin and bone, dying slowly of starvation or disease. A new sickness had swept through the mountains, claiming lives, both young and old, by the hundreds. The country was filled with death, the feeling of sadness and crushing fear hanging to heavily throughout the kingdom.
There was only one thing in the entire country that wasn't small by any means---the forest. It was large, so vast that it would take only moments for an unfamiliar traveller to get lost within its dense trees. Large and, in many ways, horribly dangerous. It was where the locals rarely ventured, where monsters and witches were said to lurk, waiting for some unexpecting fool to walk by. The darkness of the night was only worsened by the lonely, dreadful aura that the woods seemed to hold. No birds chirped, no insects sang; nothing moved under the dark, dark shadows. Nothing but a single pair of footsteps, quiet and almost soundless against the forest floor, leaves crackling gently against small feet.
The figure was small and short, perhaps a little over five feet, though it was hard to tell in the dark. A woman most likely, judging from height alone. A hood was thrown over her head, the cloth the color of crimson, and a mask of the same material pulled high above her mouth. Although it was only early autumn, a sudden chill had fallen over Nuvii, coating the forest in frost and turning the figure’s breath into small clouds. With a wooden bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows slung across one shoulder, the woman loaded an arrow against the bow, raised it up high and held it at eye level. Nothing moved in the darkness. There was only silence.
The stranger's own soft, muffled breathing, but silence around her. No animals, no insects.
And then, in the distance, the obvious sounds of a person making their way through the undergrowth. Well, maybe a person. She couldn't be certain just yet. Staying low, and staying quiet, the woman made her way closer to the noise, following it with certainty and confidence. Arrow at the ready in her hands, waiting to be fired.
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Bisexual
Kurai
I can't answer why... I'm a blackstar...★
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Post by Kurai on Sept 12, 2017 14:35:44 GMT -5
Nuvii had been beautiful once. That was the thought that ran through the Prince's mind as he looked out ofthe window of his tower bedroom. Now however the kingdom was a shriveled mess, a maze of muddied cornfields littered with weak sickly crop. The small village looked equally as sickly, the mud huts were crumbling and decrepit, their inhabitants skeletal. He heaved a sigh, turning away from the depressing view in to his own quarters. A fire crackled in the hearth, despite that day not being particularly cold. One wall was partially lined with books, fiction about fantastical beasts and tales of magic. Stories his mother had told him when he was little more than a babe. He selected one now, a maker opening on a tale of a Witch, who had helped a man stave off his hunger.
That was what this Kingdom needed, something fantastic that would solve their problems. Some miracle that would allow the fields to produce enough grain to get them through the winter. It was a fools hope, but what other choice did they have. Praying to any form of God didn't work, moving to new soil didn't work.
He pulled on his leather jerkin, and long riding boots, fastening his fine blade at his hip. If no one else would do anything for the kingdom that was not only his birthright but his home, then he would.
With that thought in mind he hurried down the stairs, taking the winding descent at a reckless speed. He slowed as he passed his Father's office, not wanting to invite unnecessary questions, only to pick up a run once more the second he was out of earshot.
He reached the stables and saddled his mount, a handsome grey charger with a long flowing mane and soft, dark eyes.
It didn't take long for the duo to reach the outskirts of the village, the horses loping canter carrying them effortlessly in the direction of the forest. He had always been told that Witches and beast lived amongst those dense thickets, it would be here that he would find the answer to all their problems. Of that he was certain.
He left his horse at the edge of the trees, proceeding on foot, carefully brushing low boughs out of the way. Progress was slow, and he was reminded of all of those times as a boy, playing in the smaller copse in the castle grounds. Pretending to be an adventurer. Now he really was and with a fierce determination he pressed onwards.
It was darker than he thought it would be, the canopy overhead was thick and blocked most of the days light, one could believe it was dusk not the middle of the afternoon. These woods weren't like those where they would hunt, there was no sign of life, no tracks or careless rustle of branches as birds took flight. It was ominous. Somewhere ahead came a sound he hadn't expected, were those footsteps? As he drew closer he was sure, there was certainly someone else here. Perhaps he could get the jump on them. But what it it was a Witch?
Now he knew he was being paranoid. Instead of some magic staff he rounded the trees to come face to face with an notched arrow, quickly throwing up his hands to show he was no threat.
"I come in peace" He said carefully, already beginning to study the slight figure before him. Most people in the Kingdom were small, so this strangers height was not unusual, if anything the Prince's height was the more uncommon factor. What was unusual was the thought of someone else being here, so deep in a forest that even the elders feared.
"What are you doing out here?" He quizzed, staring along the shaft of the arrow with the fearlessness that came with youth.
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Post by ☾ ահﻨรթεгﻨռց ოօօռร ☽ on Sept 12, 2017 15:09:45 GMT -5
-- (( = OOC = )) --
-- (( = IC = )) --
Ah, so a human after all. A living,
breathing person, though in the woman's eyes, he didn't look like much. One couldn't judge only based on looks alone,
though, which she knew well. Her arrow stayed up, pointed sharply at the man's chest, her fingers curled tight around it. Would she truly shoot him, after he claimed to come in peace? Maybe. It was hard to tell who could be trusted, no matter what they said. She said nothing back to him, watching instead of his expressiom remained one of foolish fearlessness. She could kill him, yet he wasn't afraid; she'd met few people with his kind of fearlessness.
In the eerie silence of the forest,
the woman listened to him ask his question. What was she doing here, in the dark woods, where few dared to go? She could answer the question, but something in her gut told her not to, so she followed her instincts. Without moving a muscle or lowering her weapon, she asked, her voice smooth and quiet, "Are you not you afraid of the dark?" Her voice held an odd accent, the way she pronounced the words rather strange. Like she wasn't used to speaking the language.
Villagers in Nuvii didn't usually go out at night. They feared the dark, the forest, and the horrors that they thought it might hold. She had never run into anyone out here---not anyone like this man, anyway.
After a couple minutes of studying him suspiciously, she lowered her bow a little, then completely. She places the arrow back into her quiver, letting the bow hang by her side. She pulled down her hood, revealing short, silvery blonde hair that curled just below her ears. Women with short hair were uncommon around here, though not unheard of. The moon was beginning to rise, but the trees blocked whatever light it may have offered. Yet, her eyes still glittered an unusual gold in the shadows. "You should return to the village," she spoke up, breaking the silence again. "People disappear in this forest. Someone may miss you."
This was true. Hundreds of people had gone missing in the very place they stood. It wouldn't be odd if this man became another poor, lost soul. It wouldn't bother the woman if he never made it home, but there might be someone else who cared.
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Bisexual
Kurai
I can't answer why... I'm a blackstar...★
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Post by Kurai on Sept 12, 2017 15:36:58 GMT -5
Of course she didn't answer his question, choosing instead to respond with one of her own. He had concluded he was speaking with a woman before she had even spoken, not that he could see much of her in the murky twilight of this deep forest. It was a simple train of thought, starting from her hands, they were small and nimble, with elegant fingers that reminded him of his mother. Even with a hood up he could imagine a finely featured face with bright eyes. He shook his head, chasing these thoughts away, his imagination frequently took its own path and dragged his thoughts away from the present.
"The dark never hurt anyone. Its more the things you can find in the dark that you should be afraid of." That was something his father had taught him when he was young, not that he had ever been afraid of the dark unlike most of the people around him.
He felt his breathing return to a more normal level and his heart rate slow when she lowered the arrow. Surely that was a good sign. Her accent has caught his attention, he had never heard a voice like that before. Not only did it confirm his thoughts that he was talking to a woman but also that this stranger wasn't from around here. He'd try again.
"So why are you here? You're not from the village." The latter part wasn't a question, more of a pointless statement, but he hoped perhaps she would elaborate on her heritage.
(Sorry its short, Dinner time)
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Post by ☾ ահﻨรթεгﻨռց ოօօռร ☽ on Sept 12, 2017 17:03:40 GMT -5
-- (( = OOC = )) --
It's fine!
Sorry for my short reply.
-- (( = IC = )) --
No, she certainly wasn't from the village. She wasn't too familiar with Nuvii and had only visited the village a handful of times, though she wasn't going to admit that to this stranger. He had a rather kind appearance, from what she could see of him. He wasn't intimidating or threatening, much different than many of the men she'd met in the past. A part of her wanted to relax in his presence, but she was smart enough not to. Whether he seemed nice or not, he was still a stranger, and it was a bad idea to get too comfortable.
So, how to lie? Tell him she was a visiting relative of some poor farmer? Or that she was just a traveller who'd been in the area for a while? She thought about it for a moment, watching him silently.
"I live around here," the woman answered vaguely, which still wasn't much of an answer, waving her hand around the forest. She seemed to like being vague and answering his questions with more questions. Taking a closer look at his clothes, she decided he couldn't be a common villager. A merchant's son, maybe. The son of someone who had enough money to afford decent clothing. "Are you a nobleman? Have you brought no servants along?"
She didn't usually ask about such things. Or care. But if it helped her avoid his invasive questions, she had no problems doing so. Besides, he did look like a nobleman, or at least middleclass. She knew the difference between the social classes incredibly well.
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Bisexual
Kurai
I can't answer why... I'm a blackstar...★
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Post by Kurai on Sept 12, 2017 17:33:55 GMT -5
She seemed to carefully consider any reply to his questions. It made him suspicious of her, although he didn't feel that she was directly a threat to him. She had lowered the arrow after all. Of course he was curious about her, his sheltered life meant he had never really met anyone who wasn't gentry or of noble blood. He'd met Lords and Ladies, Generals and Knights. But never any 'real' people. He stayed on alert either way. His years of training had taught him to always be vigilant even with people you thought you could trust.
He certianally didn't believe she lived around here, but he would let that slide for now, I mean you couldn't expect the strange woman you met in the deep dark woods to tell you the truth on the first try could you? Her next question could be dangerous, to answer truthfully could lead to a kidnap, people desperate for money wouldn't think twice about ransoming him back to his family. "My father is a lord." He said simply. "So I guess a nobleman in training." The lie slipped off his tongue easily. In a way it was a truth, but a lords son was far less valuable than a prince.
"What are you doing in the forest? There is nothing to hunt out here. I don't know why but the animals don't seem to like this place." He fully expected another lie in response, folding his arms across his chest.
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Post by ☾ ահﻨรթεгﻨռց ოօօռร ☽ on Sept 12, 2017 18:05:53 GMT -5
-- (( = OOC = )) --
-- (( = IC = )) --
A nobleman's son? It was a believable lie, certainly. He was dressed well enough to pass for a nobleman's child. Still, she wasn't sure whether or not she believed him completely. The man could be a criminal, a thief who'd stolen some poor noble's belongings and coins. Or he could be a con artist, a man after her own money and items. Whatever he really was, it was too early for her to decide whether or not he was worth trusting. Most people weren't worth trusting, even the ones she met outside of the ominous forest.
"A noble in training," the woman repeated quietly, with a tiny smile. It wasn't unfriendly, but it was a cautious expression. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Sir Nobleman in Training." There was a slightly teasing tone in her voice, though her smile never grew any bigger and mostly stayed the same. The forest was a strange place to meet a supposed nobleman;
it was even stranger to meet one in this specific forest, in the dark of the night. It wasn't the strangest thing she'd experienced, however. Strange things always happened to her.
What was she doing in the forest? The man seemed to honestly want to know, but she was hesitant to tell him. He was a stranger and her reason for being here was even more odd the the wood's absence of animals. She, as the man had noticed,
paused and carefully thought of a response that didn't sound too weird. "There are many things to hunt here," the woman answered at last, blinking. "You just need to know where to look."
Normally she wouldn't care too much, but she was curious about why this odd young man was here at this time of night as well. What reason did he have for being here? Was he looking for someone? For something? People didn't come here. They were too afraid to. "And why are you here? Going for a nighttime stroll? Out here, all alone?"
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