Closed Chance meeting (Hazel)

[Gris Steele]

“It was a song my mother would sing to me and it came to mind. As for my dagger...You want me to give you my only weapon as you are fearing what? That I will murder you when you are not looking. Look we can fight it out once we are closer to the city but right now I would rather have my dagger in case I need it. Besides do you even know how to use it?”

He asked her without even glancing at his dagger since he knew what she meant. At least that is what he hoped she meant and not the leather along his hands but he doubt she would think that would do much to her due to his the state of his body.

He saw her hazel eyes glaring at him as she demanded his weapon but he did not back down to that. He would hate to fight it out now but if it came to blows he would. His own body standing up slowly as he found he could give more weight to his foot. If it was healing or not he was not sure as it could have been the fact this would come to blows and he did not want to be on the ground for that.

He knew she was tired and getting more tired. He knew this as he saw she almost tripped near the flames but his light blue eyes just locked onto hers as his own muscles flexed. His stomach tightening, his good hand flexing into a fist as his feet moved a bit apart. It was a basic combat stance but a combat stance nonetheless and that would tell anyone he knew how to at least handle himself in a small fight.

He had about ten inches of height on her but she uses her body once before to get away from him so he knew she how to run but would she run away now? He was not sure. He even was not sure if she wanted to take this into a fight right now but he clearly saw this was not going to end well for any of them if it came to blows.

“We have almost 12 Bells before the sun will come up give or take. We can either stand here and fight each other or we can start trying to trust each other.” He did not yell. He did not even raise his voice this time to her as he spoke softly and evenly as he looked her down.

His size only could have been intimidating if he was not weak from the days events. Or the fact his heart was still racing and he did not want to fight her. Hurt her on some level yes but he was getting over that. Yet she could still have been a random mass murdering bad thief but he was trying to get past that idea of her. Even if she was not helping right now.

“So Hazel, I am going to ask you this. What is it going to be?”

[Hazel Richardson]

"I don't want to keep it, if that's what you're thinking. It's just... can't you just leave it somewhere?"

Her voice was less of a demand now, and more of a plea - but although her tone had changed she still stood her ground. She didn't like the way she had to crane her neck to look him in the eye, or the way he was moving in a fighting stance. She had no intention of fighting - and never would. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd been in a fight, and she'd never been much of a puncher, anyway. Violence wasn't something Hazel reacted well too, and she knew he'd most probably win if it did turn to a fight and she couldn't manage to run away. She wasn't stupid.

The area had been plunged into almost total darkness by now; the trees loomed gloomily overhead, their moonlit shadows casting patches of grey amongst the dulled colours of grass and leaves. The fire was the only source of light, and even that was beginning to dwindle (she had been much too distracted to add any extra wood to the blaze). Her ears picked up the sounds of night creatures beginning to move, although none of the noises were near by, other than a slight rustle now and again and the soft twittering of birds. Hazel felt a lot more at home than Gris must have, but even she was still nervous. She felt vulnerable in the black of night with only her weaker human eyes. But it would have to do.

"So let's make a deal... you leave that dagger somewhere you can get it back again in the morning, and I'll make sure we're both safe."

Hazel's posture relaxed a little as he spoke with more of a soft tone. But she still stayed still, watching him with a careful patience. Her eyes twinkled a little mischievously as she spoke, and a small smile crossed her face - a smile which suggested she knew more than she was letting on. She knew it was probably unwise to risk aggravating him, but she was at such a point of exhaustion that all she wanted to do was sit down and rest, and had no spare energy left to hide her emotions as she had done so well before.

Because of this, a little flicker of hurt had been on her face at the way he was so eager to fight her - but the smile quickly erased this, and made her face light up.

"So, is it a deal?"

The smile was still there as she turned her hand to the side - as if reaching out for a handshake. She was much more likely to trust the man when he was unarmed, and couldn't imagine her tensed nerves allowing her to sleep when she knew he had the means to kill her on hand.

[Gris Steele]

He just sighed at her. They were getting nowhere it felt like as they ran around in circles by debating this. Gris just was not good at words like he wished he was and he really lacked any other real social skills, which clearly were being shown to her as once again he just took the dagger from his belt and stuck it in the ground about six feet away from them.

He did not say anything to her as he went back to where he was before he placed the dagger into the ground. Nothing had to be said other than she won. He did not have to like it but that was how it was right now.

He just stayed on the ground looking at the fire that was slowly fading as he placed a few more twigs and the rest of his ripped up tunic inside it to feed it. It would not last much longer. He knew that but maybe that would be a good thing. Clearly they were not bonding over anything so maybe the blanket of darkness would make things better. At least he did not think they were bonding but maybe inside her was different.

He did not know what they would do or what she meant with what she said. At that point he just did not have the energy to care all that much. Only thing he knew was he would go back to doing his job and head by the KRI to check up on the building and see if they needed any more room before heading back to the city.

Even if that meant dragging her along just to keep safe since she kept boosting about her skills in a way. He let his eyes close and let out the breath he was holding. This was going to be a very long night. He knew this as his stomach made more sounds of protest but he did not even care about that. He just wanted back in his bed or at least drawing up new blueprints for the city.

With that simple thought he let his eyes open as he grabbed a small stick and started drawing in the dirt near him. It was a simple horizontal line that was about six inches long. On the end of that he draw a single vertical line that was the same length before another horizontal and vertical forming a simple box shape in the dirt.

Within the top right he drew another small box that was only an inch in size with the same along the top left. Within the lower middle of that box he drew a rather long box that was more vertical than horizontal in terms of length with a tiny dot on the right hand side.

On top of the box was a large triangle before he put down the stick. It was crude but he smiled at the little “house” he made that had a roof, sides, windows and even a little door. He made crude drawings like this when he was younger to pass the time and it was one of the reasons he became what he did in terms of careers.

With a shake of his head as if trying to forget the past he just ran his hand along the drawing clearing it from the dirt. In place of the “house” he started drawing something else within the dirt with his newfound tool called the stick.

One line that was seven inches long across with another line under it coming to a curve. The shape was a half circle. Little boxes were drawn into the half circle on top with a large T on top of the line of the circle. This was a very crude ship.

The boxes were windows and the large T was for a mast and sail. When he first came to Ravok he got a job as a shipbuilder while he waited to become a citizen of the city. It was hard work but after a day of doing it he felt like his pay was earned. Even if he made more now than he did he still enjoyed getting his hands into it.

He just cleared it again as he threw the stick into the fire and looked up towards the sky. “So where did you come from?”

[Hazel Richardson]

Hazel couldn't help but feel a small pang of guilt. Perhaps, she had been a little too hasty when it came to her demands, and now she felt bad about it. She had always found it hard to connect with people - never mind people she had attempted to steal from and was now stranded in the middle of the wilderness with. But part of survival was adapting to the situation at hand, and maybe she had to admit to herself that she was being a little bit more difficult than needed.

So, silently, she sat down as Gris began to draw. She watched the lines in the earth move as he dragged the stick into the ground, and she couldn't help but smile a little. Although they weren't exactly in a great situation for drawing, the way he manipulated the lines to form a house seemed to be the mask of some talent he had within. She stared at the lines so intently, that as soon as he scrubbed the drawing away with his hand she flinched ever so slightly in surprise. She needed to calm.

So, as she began to prepare to answer Gris' question, she found her own stick of similar size, and began to draw in the dirt. It was not as easy for her to control the movement of the tip of the stick, as she looped lines beneath her, but eventually, after a few frowns and scowls at what she was doing, she managed to draw a very messy, child-like drawing of an outline of a tiger.

"From Ravok. Born and bred. Rather boring, actually," she murmured to Gris, as she rose from her seat to fetch her cloak from where she had left it earlier. After hurrying back over, she rested the fabric gently on Gris' bare shoulders, only just noticing how cold he must be, despite the warmth of the flames. It was much too small for him, but it was the best she could do given the circumstances. "My parents were slaves to some old guy who'd lived here for years. Poor fellow, really, he never married - and so when he died we were granted our freedom."

Hazel couldn't help but blush a little, as she always did when revealling to humans her past. She knew some would frown upon her, so she was careful to continue hiding her kevlic origins, although he was more than likely to guess them. Absent mindedly, she scuffed her foot against the ground, wiping the pitiful tiger drawing away.


"How about you?" A genuine smile crossed Hazel's lips as she turned to face Gris, head tilted ever so slightly to one side with her mild curiousity.

[Gris Steele]

“Syliras. I came from Syliras and was born into a middle class family. Father and I never got along, I did with my mother but not a lot to say with that. Last I heard my sister was in Riverfall. Came to Ravok a few years ago and became a citizen. Been working with the CEB since.”

Gris told her as he smiled as she placed her cloak on him. It was a nice offer but he knew it was just too small for him. “Thank you now come sit down Hazel.” He said as he felt her still behind him. He did not judge her by being a slave since he grew up without them. If he was born in Ravok he might have seen it differently and would try to put her back into the slave class even if he knew slaves were treated nicely within the city limits.

He could have seen her as a slave. It did tell him why she was living around here, stealing and the like. “So you are a slave by status and not a citizen?” He asked her after awhile of thinking about it.

Being a citizen within Ravok was different than a slave. Everyone knew that and even if she was a citizen without the paperwork that could have been a lie. Not that Gris would care either way about it.

“So who are you really Hazel? What lies behind that cute smile of yours that makes you feel so at ease within this moonlit night? Did you train to kill and are a really good fighter or were you trained just to deal with common things? Why are you not fearful of what lies outside?”

Gris asked as he looked towards her even if that meant standing up and looking at her in case she did not sit down.

[Hazel Richardson]

"Syliras... is it nice there?" Hazel said quietly, just loud enough for Gris to hear. Hazel had always wanted to travel, and the idea of new places relatively close by always taunted her. But, although she didn't like to admit it, she was still quite dependent on her parents when it came to their guidance, and preferred to have their permission and thoughts on such a prospect before taking a leap into such an unknown. Of course, they would never approve, they expected Hazel to lead lives very similar to their own.

Silently, Hazel settled back down on the ground. For a few moments she simply stared at the flickering flames, listening to Gris as he unravelled questions beside her. It took her a while to think of answers - she was unused to speaking so much to someone outside of her family, and for a while the words did not come to mind, until eventually she turned her head to face him, with a grin.

"Oh, you think my smile's cute, do you?" She couldn't help but laugh. Only a few bells ago she had been scared that he might beat her to a pulp, and now he was complimenting her. She continued to chuckle for a few moments, until she gently wiped her eyes and began to speak - slightly more confident than before.

"I used to be a slave. My parents were bought by a man who lives in Ravok. He was very solitary, and the only people he ever really spoke to was my family. I didn't do much work really, mostly the man thought of me as his own little project - he helped me to read and write, to see how much I could learn." Hazel shuffled a little uncomfortably as she spoke, she very rarely spoke or even commented on this story, and even when she did, it was with her parents only. "But he passed away of some natural cause, and as he had no immediate family my parents and I became free. I'm a real citizen now, although my parents still search for work."

She smiled a little apologetically, shrugging her shoulders. "As for why I'm here, I just like it. It's very free. All the animals, and everything." As she said this she curled the toes of her boots into the dirt, fiddling with a lock of her rather messy hair with one hand.

"What about you? Why are you here? Something about a job?" She vaguely recalled what he'd said before, although the night had gone in a whirl and her memory of it was a little vague.

[Gris Steele]

“You did not answer me Hazel. Tell me please.”

Gris said as he smiled to himself as he gave thought to her questions. They were rather simple ones but ones that needed to be asked.

“At first I was a shipbuilder here but after a year I became an Architect for the city. Right now I am low end for the CEB but I plan to work my way up and try to make a name for myself.”

It really was not that grand and if he went into details he knew it would sound very boring and dull. It was not the best starting point in getting to know someone.

“Are your parents still alive? What do they do?”

It was to pass the time. Back and forth on the questions and answers and it did help get to know her. Maybe after a few more Bells of this things would be different between them or at least not as tense.

He turned to her, his eyes looking up and down taking into her face, how her body was curved, how the clothing clinged on to her. Even how she kept her body positioned with her arms and hands. He was not sure why he was trying to take in every detail of her being but he was trying. If he was being subtle that was another story.

A part of him wanted to know what went on in her head. Maybe he would ask or she would share somehow. If he took a guess it would be another ten bells before the sun came up.

"So Hazel? Lets play a game of Truth or dare. Pick one."

[Hazel Richardson]

"If you mean about the fighting, it's a natural gift I suppose." The same mischievous grin was on her face once more. She laughed a little to herself again, as if having a joke with herself in her mind. Although she felt a lot more trusting of Gris, she wasn't completely sure she wanted to give away who she really was just yet, and for the moment it was amusing enough to have a giggle at her own private jokes.

"My parents live in Ravok. They mostly do odd jobs to earn a bit of money, but really they'd like to have a master again like before. It was a much simpler life, I suppose. Knowing who you are and not having to go off searching for work every time one job is completed." Her eyes were steady on the fire which was beginning to dwindle to a low glow of ashes and a few small flames. The area was darkening, and with it the noise of mysterious creatures grew louder and louder, each animal seeming more confident than the next. Hazel just smiled at the commotion around her, feeling at home as she immersed herself in the sounds. Mainly it was just the twittering of birds or the crunch of broken branches as smaller creatures moved around out of sight, but now and again there were odd sounds which were loud and out of place amongst the tranquillity of the night.

She waited a few moments longer before turning to Gris once more. She caught him mid-glance, although she had no idea what he was looking at, and immediately turned her head around to see what was behind her. After finding nothing, she gave him a slightly curious glance, before raising her eyebrows and shrugging.

"Truth or dare?" Hazel felt she had spilt enough of her truth tonight. In fact it was quite exhausting, going from being quite a closed person to spreading her history out before Gris in the space of one night. So, with a slight sheepishness she replied: "Dare, I suppose."