Solo (Flashback) What are you doing in the Wastes?

[Miria]

Summer 23, 512 AV A soft inland breeze greeted Miria as she poked her head out of her window. Her hair flowed freely today, usually a braid, now a mass of slightly curly hair. Humming a happy tune to herself, Miria ducked back into her arvinta as she gathered breakfast. Looking at her supplies she picked out an apple and two slices of bread before sitting at the table. Munching happily at the first loaf of bread Miria continued humming the soft tune to herself as she stretched her muscles in anticipation. Listening to the noises around Coolwater hold she perked up slightly hearing a voice at the door. “Miria! Are you there?”  Poking his head out a pair of friendly green eyes greeted the Coolwater as it looked through the window. “There you are! You just got up? It's already the 9th bell better get a move on. I'll see you at the range whenever.” Sending off the fellow Coolwater with a wave Miria happily finished her meal before dressing up for the day. Putting on the usual garments with varying shade of brown and white, Miria took her backpack with her before leaving her hold with a slight spring in her step. Walking the outer walls of the hold Miria closed the window from her room before heading over to the archery range. Huffing slightly as a few stray strands of hair blocked her vision she realized too late to fix her hair back into the usual braid. This situation felt odd to Miria as she considered walking back to her arvinta before going. Instead she opted to use a hair band for the day, nothing like doing something new right? The range was filled with familiar, friendly faces as she neared a group of Vantha talking in various excited pitches. Situating herself inbetween them the Coolwater felt at ease as she tried to follow what the topic of the hour was. “I just got a great deal from the merchants at the Frozen falls market.” Another voice piped in as the first was speaking “Oh yea! They were selling these lovely new otter skin shoes. They have been really picking it up as of late.” Rolling her eyes slightly Miria realizing that none of the talk actually related to archery she waited quietly for a lull in the conversations. When the chance revealed itself she started up for some target pratice. “Oh Miria are you going to start a set?” The familiar green eyes that greeted her this morning smiled as the fellow Coolwater got closer. “Yea wanna do one together?” An easy smile was exchanged between the two before heading to the line. Setting her backpack down Miria checked her equipment before they started. Her toolkit would be able to make more arrows if she needed but she should still have enough to practice with. Setting her supplies aside Miria went to work quickly fashioning eight crude arrows from some already prepped pieces. The thin pieces of wood were outfitted with arrow heads as she then attached the feathers to the other end with glue. Though she wasn't in a hurry the arrows themselves were not of the norm quality but it still beat spending miza to do something she would do in her spare time. Her companion was already shooting as Miria whittled the feathered end of the arrow to finish. “Your getting better at this” A smug grin answered her as she took aim near him. First testing her own arrows, Miria slowly aimed at the ten yard target a slow exhaled followed as she let loose her first shot. A short twang* rang from her bow as she tried to quickly set up another shot.  Taking a deep breathe, Miria pulled back the bowstring to a full draw. Practicing a slow exaggerated motion helped Miria remember the motion better until she was ready to start shooting seriously. This time she matched up the motions correctly, the arrow was sent veering near the bullseye with a satisfying twack! as the arrow imbedded itself deep into the target. A knowing smile enveloped on the Vantha's face as she looked at her companion for praise. Pouting as she saw that he wasn't paying attention, rather he was much too focused on his own target. A serious look on the Vantha's face, his bow hand quivering slightly as he struggled to keep the bowstring at full draw. Something in his form was garnering the full attention of Miria. Blinking twice in surprise Miria gasped slightly as he finally released the arrow. Her eyes turning a deep blue Miria tried to come off as relaxed as she asked. “Where did you get that bow?” “Merchants from Frozen Falls. Like the group said earlier, the merchants have really widened their collection” Still confused she stood still silently deciding what to do. “Miria? What are you-” “I have to go! I just remembered I had something to do back home.” It was quite a distance to run from the archery ranges to the frozen market especially with a back pack to weigh you down. Miria was not breathing was steady for a full minute but slowly started to strain as each step made her bag seep deeper into her shoulders. Pushing the bag upward with her palms she continued her pace to the marketplace while still giving her shoulders a break. Finally arriving at the marketplace with laborious ragged breathes she stood hunched over gasping slightly for air as she tried to find these merchants. She didn't have to look far, it seemed. It would only require you to be both blind, deaf and perhaps without a nose not to notice the mass setup these new traders had. Ranging from clothing to materials to even rare artifacts they seemed to have everything and anything an Avanthalian would ever need. A buzz of excitement surrounded the stalls, intensifying as she got closer. “Come, come! We have everything you can possibly need from the rich leather from Endrykas to the mystic tools from the arcane university. Don't be shy! Buy to your heart's desire!” Closely surveying the stalls Miria waded through the tables until she found the archer's stall. Looking through the wares she was able to see a wide variety of wares from all around Mizahar. Thin hardy bows from Kalea, thick ashy bows from Endrykas, hard yew from Syliras but the most common were the bows made from Avanthal and Wind Reach. Comparing her own bow with those made in Wind Reach they were rather similar but with one distinctive mark. The mark of both the Coolwater and Skyglow inscribed into the wood that Miria and her late husband made. Of course both Miria and Morello came up with the designs themselves as they alternated marking each bow they were going to sell. Looking before her laid a stack of bows which held only held his mark his personal symbol of Coolwater hold. Unless she was seeing it right now the archer would think the marking impossible. Morello disappeared shortly after undergoing Icewatch's initiation into the wastes and there wasn't any Coolwaters that regularly made bows. Miria rushed to the stall quickly, picking up a bow to and comparing it with her own. It only took a moment but without a doubt they looked to be Morello's markings. “Find anything you like?” A hopeful pair of eyes came into view as she set the bow aside. “Yes where did you find these bows? I haven't seen this mark anywhere except here in Avanthal but that was a longtime ago.”  “Ah yes, those actually came from a man that lives in the wastes.” “Did you happened to get his name?” “I'm afraid not. However It has been common practice to visit the man's dwellings for a night. He trades with us and these bows were of his making. Why do you know him?” “I'm not sure. That is what I'm trying to find out. Just outside of Avanthal you say? Can you show me where?”  “I can but I'm afraid I'm committed to Avanthal for the month. Perhaps you can find someone else to take you yes? Just go and find a group about to leave. Maybe you will come across him?”

[Miria]

She certainly hoped so! Miria thanked the man before leaving to find someone that could actually take her to the wastes. It did not seem that Miria had to look far as she came across a small band of people heading out of the wall. Unloading their wares into the caravan Miria walked along it's spokes until she found what looked to be the man heading the expedition. The man had coppery skin similar to other Vantha but his hair looked almost golden with the sun illuminating his head. “Do you perhaps have space for one more?” asked Miria. Looking up from his parchment the older man's eyebrows asked the obvious question. “I want to meet the man out in the wastes that provides you shelter and makes these bows.” She explained showing her own bow as an example. “He is a personal friend of mine. Since you look to be leaving already I would like to tag along if that is okay with you.” Shrugging at the suggestion the man merely pointed Miria to the front of the group as he finished up tallying his expenses and profits. What harm could another pair of eyes do in such a short trip? “Alright people forward! Our first stop is kettle run then off to the bear's refuge.” The horse drawn carriage started off as they made their way past the ice gate, receiving a few stares from the guards already stationed there. Besides her the man from earlier started to explain to her what each place was. “Kettle run is a nickname I made for the area that is frequented by the woolies you Vantha love to eat. The place you are looking for is Bear's Rest. Takes about half a day to get there on foot but if your using horses and the like the trip is shortened three to four hours.” After a few hours Miria could see small pockets of Woolies that the man was talking about. From a distance they almost looked too docile to harm. Miria gave a blank stare back at one woolie as a small group ventured a bit too close for comfort. Asides from their medium build the archer could understand why their meat was one of the more common foods around Avanthal nowadays. Still, their almost pleading moo's made Miria feel giddy inside as she resisted the temptation to hop off the caravan and hug one of the herd. “Keep your eyes peeled.” Miria hear the caravan leader said after awhile. After awhile it was hard for Miria not to stare and gape at what she was seeing.The Coolwater had never ventured this far before into the wastes and what she found was breathtaking. The tundra opened up to her, showing her small pockets of evergreens and small river formations in the background. Looking at a small body of water the archer smirked noticing how clear the reflection was compared to the real deal. It looked like that was where her journey with the group would end though. The man from before gestured her down as he pointed to a small rise in the distance. “Past that hill is where you'll find your man. I'll send someone with you but the man you are looking for should show himself after awhile.” The man explained before he made his rounds around to the group. Miria was paired with a woman carrying a few furs with her before leaving to find Morello. Reaching the top of the rise Miria froze as she the outline of the first real trouble the tundra held. A predator. Not just any predator a bear. Not just any bear. A dire petching bear. Miria nearly stumbled back at the sight, missing a breathe and almost forgetting to breathe. Her little fall perked the bear up as it looked their way. Next to her the woman stood still at the sight as Miria tried to free her bow. Seeing them now the humongous bear gave out a loud growl or roar. The archer couldn't tell, she never had a dire bear yell at her. Miria tugged at the woman beside her as she quickly discarded the thought of fighting such a beast. “Let's go!” Miria called out as the bear started in their direction. Looking back the woman scowled slightly seeing Miria's expression before walking to meet the bear. Miria was too shocked to react further as she simply stared watching the woman meet the bear halfway. Placing the furs on top of the creature it looked like the bear gave her an approving grunt as it turned around and walked away. “It is called Bear's Rest for a reason you know.” The woman called back as she beckoned Miria to her. Turning her head slightly Miria regarded the whole scene suspiciously as she eased her way closer. The bear gave a small shout before leading the pair to it's home. “It's called Bear's Rest because if you don't bring anything to offer the bear he puts you to rest.” Her partner explained jokingly. The bear seemed very well trained for an animal. Looking back it made a small open mouth gesture that almost made it look like it was laughing. If he were any other animal it might have been hilarious but to Miria it was a deathly scary scowl at the woman. Giving a glare at her Miria mentally scolded her making their way to the bear's home. A brightly lit cabin made of some of the wood around the surrounding area. It was a very crude set up that looked so fragile Miria found it hard to believe that the cabin could hold a bear. It already had a big stack of logs on the side that Miria presumed was for crafting, a small makeshift campfire and even a bear house for the bear. Though the bear house looked like a smaller version of the house without a door. There was a strong fire already going for them as she sat away from the bear. They already set up a bench for visitors to which the bear took a seat awkwardly on one side. Grabbing the furs off the bear the woman took the furs and neatly stacked them near the fireplace before setting off. Miria's eyes grew wide realizing that she intended to leave her alone with this bear. However her small cry of desperation was cut off as the bear started to growl loudly behind her. Paralyzed with fear Miria shook nonstop until another a new voice broke the silence. "Welcome!" Almost immediately Miria swiveled over to where the sound came from. It sounded familiar! Was it him?!?! Surprise!

[Miria]

Seeing Morello once more was akin to seeing the better part of herself. At least that was how Miria felt. Her compassion, the wind beneath her wings, the reason she wants to make herself a better woman. A wide smile broke out as she started towards him. “Is that really you? Morello! Your alive!” Miria cried out happily taking his hands into hers. A bewildered look came from her long lost husband as he retracted his arms. Blinking in confusion Miria took a step towards him, stopping short as he retreated a step. “Morello?” What is going on?!?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Miria cried out as Morello retreated into the lodge. Slamming the door behind him Morello left his spouse behind in complete confusion. As usual. “I'm terribly sorry I can't be bothered right now. Come back later!” A feeble response came from the makeshift cabin. Miria was shocked for sure but that did not stop her from reacting how she normally did. “Morello! Come out of there now! You have a lot to answer for!” Miria shouted back as she headed for the door. If her dear husband wasn't going to face his wife Miria was going to make him. The archer's hand went to the hilt of her sword. It was not out of anger, rather to calm her. That and to possibly help her knock down this petcher's door. Seeing this the bear went to Morello's defense roaring loudly to scare the Vantha. Behind them the woman who accompanied Miria started to run away from them screaming. Perhaps the thought of getting mauled from the bear finally came to mind. That was sorta late Miria thought as she regarded the woman incredulously. Snapping her head back to attention she heard a loud groan came from the cabin as Morello griped about the bad attention this little fiasco was going to give them. "Morello you come out THIS INSTANT!" Miria shouted. ...That and that his wife outside with little separating him and her in the way. Only his bear. Though besides that not much else. The animal before her gave her more then enough reason to pause. Bears were a common sight to Miria but she never usually had one bearing down on her. She gave the beast a wild berth releasing her grip on her gladius. The most experience Miria had with the sword was to quickly flick it from it's scabbard. Though that was just a mere bluff if anything. Most people who bothered to learn how to do the trick was decent enough with a sword. Then again those people never even bothered to intimidate a bear with this paltry trick and Miria didn't blame them. The beast was not a cuddly animal to coddle it was a fully grown mammal, granted small for it's species but nevertheless intimidating. Miria's eyes narrowed as she slowly went to her bow ignoring the bear's protest. Wait what? The familiar wood felt good back in her hand, empowering even in the face of such adversity. That kind of mindset was needed to do what Miria had planned. Her hand went up to her shoulder before the bear bum rushed her. Miria was too slow to retrieve her arrow as the bear was almost face to face with the archer. Though oddly enough Miria followed through with her plan. There is very little a person can do against a bear unarmed. Even with a sword and armor one had to contend against a few hundred pound difference in opponent. Knowing this Miria still attacked. She just hoped that her 'daring' wouldn't get her mauled too fast. Instead of grabbing at an arrow her hand formed into a fist as she aimed it straight at the bear's face. Miria's fist collided with the beast's nose earning her a yelp from the bear as it drew back shocked from the hit. Was this woman serious? Looking back at the Vantha the bear was just in time to see another attempt from Miria. Retreating a few steps Miria's swipe went wide as the rage within her opponent peaked. Letting out a primal roar Miria covered her ears, slightly regretting her course of action. Miria had actually pissed off a bear. No matter how trained it might be there was no saving her. Unless...

[Miria]

Miria's breathe grew labored as steam started to form with each breathe. This probably was not the best course of action now that she had a moment to pause and think. In front of her the bear recovered from Miria's right straight as it steadily advanced on her. Miria readied an arrow in response though what good it can possibly do even the archer was not sure. As the bear lumbered forth Miria drew up her bow as drawing a bead on the impeding wrecking ball. Miria shot but even before she had let go the archer knew her shot would miss. The bear advanced quicker then Miria imagined. Miria eyes grew as she watched her arrow fly wide past the bear's shoulders as the furry beast was upon her. A loud shriek escaped her lips as she saw the first swipe aimed at her backing up ineptly. Her feet got caught in the snow as she tried to retreat from the bear causing her to fall back wards into the snow. In almost an instant the bear was on top of her with it's unforgiving eyes. Hungry, Voracious, and with a hint of enjoyment at her demise. A voice rang out before the bear went any further. A loud resounding defiance to what the bear was about to do. Keeping an even gaze at Morello the bear relented as his companion came forth to address the situation. "You took your sweet time dear" Miria muttered laying low in the snow. The archer was still deathly scared but it seemed that the danger had passed. Steadily getting up Miria regarded the pair cool as a cucumber her hands still quivering from the earlier scare. "So this is where you have run off to huh? I thought I recognized that bear from before. He was the one that accompanied you when you left Avanthal isn't he?" They settled back on the makeshift bench with Miria on one end and Morello and the bear on the other. Sitting next to Morello the beast looked akin to a guard dog given it's posture. Miria was the first to talk. It only made sense for her to break the ice. It was her presence after all that caused this awkward situation. “So we have been living pretty well off haven't we?” Only silence answered her from Morello's end. Closing her eyes obviously peeved at his unwillingness to talk Miria continued on her eyes glowing a slight orange at the treatment. “Of course one of us did not know the other was alive until just recently. That sucker had to fend for herself since she had been apparently abandoned without knowing it.” From afar one could cut the tension with a knife as Miria furiously fumed silently at Morello across the table. “Morello I've thought you dead. I spent so many nights crying because I thought you would never come back. Now all of a sudden I find that your more then alive you have been idling around so close to Avanthals for almost two years with your pet for no reason.” ““His name is Ryan.” “What?” “His name is R-” “I heard you the first time. Why should I care about that Kelvic's name? I want to know why you left me alone in Avanthal.” “You see that's part of the reason.” Miria faltered hearing this as she turned her head obviously not understanding what he meant. Oblivious to what his word entails. Across her Miria's husband buried his hand into his face trying to hide his mixed feelings. “Didn't you think it was I was odd? Our time together? Don't tell me you it hasn't crossed your mind before.” Miria watched unimpressed at the measly excuse that was given. It did not matter. Morello was her husband and Miria his wife. What little insecurities he had could have been dealt with eventually. That was no reason to leave. “I don't understand.” “Miria. I tried to make it work but I wasn't meant to be with you. Morwen knows I have tried to do the right thing but I just could not handle it.” For once Miria was silent as Morello looked at her desperately, hoping she would understand. However Miria had made it clear that she was not privy to such talk. The archer guessed that since Morello was already talking it would be best to let him finish before doing anything too drastic. “Miria you are an amazing wife. Steadfast, supporting, loving and that's why I had to leave Avanthal. Truth is that Icewatch initiation was planned where I disappeared from your life with Ryan here.” Morello explained low before pausing in preparation. There was still something else that he left out. “Miria before I met you I was already in love with someone else. I disappeared with this kelvic for a reason. It is not your fault or anything... Miria I'm gay.”

[Miria]

Out in the open air and regretting every moment of it Morello watched as Miria's face shifted through a myriad of emotions. Confusion, realization, anger especially anger as the information finished processing in her mind. Unbelievable. Every moment every time he regarded her lovingly a lie. Miria hunched over in disbelief, her hands shaking uncontrollably. Miria wanted to cry and yell and strangle Morello at the same time. It made sense though. All this time he was thinking about that bear sitting next to him. Miria has not really made love or did intimate things with others until Morello came along so she could not tell his feelings were not sincere. Finally swallowing down this information Miria merely stared lamely at Morello, unsure what to make of the awkward situation he put them in. For some reason it always seemed like every time Miria was truly happy something comes along and puts her worse off then she was before. “Now I don't regret punching you Ryan.” Miria commented blankly. Getting up Morello walked over to Miria to put a reassuring hand on his 'wife.' “You are a wonderful woman Miria. It would be wrong of me to keep you for myself. I was already spoken for before we even met.” “So what now?” Miria asked meekly. Looking despairingly at Morello Miria was starting to realize that she was in no position to drag him back with her to Avanthal. “Live. You go on your path and we will stay here. If you need company we will always be here if you need shelter from the cold.” Reaching over to tenderly caress his hand one more time Miria moved without warning. Grabbing her man and doing what Morwen intended they do. Miria forced a kiss that lasted an uncomfortable amount of time. However that did not matter to her. As they parted her heart plummeted as she saw the answer in his eyes. Dark and void of color Miria could see traces of that familiar purple that showed after they shared an intimate moment. So purple meant regret all this time. “I would not have known any better. I loved you even if you did not return the favor.” It started to snow as Miria turned to leave the pair. Heavy flakes bombarded her as she paved a trail back to the camp. Miria had to hurry or else she might miss the chance to find a group heading to Avanthal. Darn snow always got into her eyes when she was trying to hurry along. The Vantha could swear it was almost raining given the amount of moisture clogging her eyes. “Horrible day to have it snow” Miria commented to herself. Above her was barely a cloud in sight only the sounds of someone weeping by herself in the background.

[Noblesse]

Miria Coolwater :

Experience:

• Fletching +2
  
• Shortbow +3
  
• Running +1
  
• Interrogation +3
  
• Investigation +3
  
• Observation +4
• Unarmed Combat +1

Lores:

• Recognizing Morello’s Mark
  
• Pissing off a Dire Bear
  
• Assaulted by a Dire Bear
  
• Punching a Bear on the Nose: It's Super Effective!
  
• Morello is Hiding in the Wastes
  
• Your Husband is in Love with Another Man
  
• Morello: Violet Means Regret

Notes:
Those Npcs talking about fashion was a nice touch. It reminds me that Mizahar is not all about the bad and the dangerous. There's also talk about the latest vogue too, of course. And missing-in-action husbands.

I want to remind you about the layout of the Northern Reaches in particular. These are literally ice plains that goes on and on for miles on end, so definitely no hills in sight. And it would take more than a few day’s travel south before you are able to see small bodies of water not entirely frozen by the subzero climate.

All in all though, I liked this thread and even found myself sympathizing with Miria. You kept things realistic, from the way she struggled to fight with her bow to her denial at the end of the thread, shown in the way she passed off her tears as irritation from the falling snow (I may be reading too much into this, but it’s your call). You seem to be improving in terms of sentence structures too. Keep up the good work!

True nobility lies in being superior to your former self

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out. Heehee.