Closed [Bronze Woods] Expect the Unexpected

[Roderick]

Roderick's arrow missed the squirrel by a hairs breadth, the small animal shifting slightly so the projectile went past its head and flying away into the sky. Frowning in annoyance at his failure to hit it, he was planning a second shot when something large and heavy came hurtling at him from one side, slamming viciously against his arm so that the muscles spasmed and his fingers loosened on his weapon. His bow hadn't hit the ground when his attacker - a man he could see now - slammed his hands against him again, one of the attacks to the back of the neck. Abruptly, as though someone had pulled a lever, the hunter found he couldn't move - or breath. Lying in the dirt he tried vigorously to bring life back to his body. All that escaped was a series of small, horrid, wheezes. Looking up at the sky he saw the man that had put him in this position looming over him. He spoke, his voice dangerously low and filled with all manner of unsaid threats. Bondmate? The squirrel! So she's a Kelvic? Taking note of that simple piece of information was harder than it would have been otherwise, as Roderick found his chest tightening at the diminishing supply of air that was reaching him. Head spinning he felt bile rising in his throat as he was roughly dragged up and pinned against a tree, feet hanging in the air. The man said he wasn't in the mood for cleaning up a murder, and Roderick knew from looking at him that his attacker was more than capable of doing such a thing. Digging his fingers deep into his flesh the archer felt the pains in his chest wane and let several wrenching gasps explode from him as life returned to his body. Breath rasping loudly in his ears his vision turned dark for a few tics as his mind recovered from the ordeal, the man's features sharpening into focus as the hunter's senses returned to him. The stranger was speaking to him again - demanding information. Who was he, and why was he shooting at the Kelvic. "I'm a hunter..." he said slowly, "I kill animals. She's an animal right now. Work it out." Now that he'd recovered - somewhat - he looked over at the Kelvic, who was scolding him loudly, "No one asked for your input you filthy little rodent!" he barked at her, turning back to Daniel, "I swear if you don't put me down right now I'm going to do things to you that'll make Ssena herself run away screaming!"

[Daniel Connor]

Daniel could see where the man was coming from, after all, when his parents had died, he had been left to fend for himself. That kind of life was a hard one, and so he had sympathy for the man in front of him. His eyes faded from red, becoming a chocolate brown. Then the man had to go and shout at his bond, calling her a rodent. While it was true, is was still said in a derogatory manner. Yes, he decided, this man had a death wish. Instead of punishing the man further, he flicked his forehead. Now, a flick normally does not hurt much, in the big scheme of things. But when owner of said finger is wearing metal plated gloves, and is a Flux user, that is some pain. He smirked as the man's eyes rolled back into his head, then slowly came back into focus. "Are we done being an ass? Good, that is what I thought," Daniel growled, still managing to sound melodic as he did so. He did not notice it, but people really did enjoy hearing a Vani accent. "Tichi? I think you can come meet our guest now," he called in his native tongue, throwing the bag of clothes next to the tree where she hid. She soon came out, dressed, putting her arm through his. "This is my bond Tichi. The fact that you missed her pretty little head is the only reason why you alive right now," he pressed his lips on her cheek before continuing. "Now, I know how hard the life you lead can be. Which is why, since you did not catch anything, I wish to buy you a meal at the Stallion. I will do this, as long as you are sure, in the future, that you are not killing a Kelvic," he offered the man, "What is your name, archer?"

[Tichi]

"No one asked for your input you filthy little rodent!" he barked at her, turning back to Daniel, "I swear if you don't put me down right now I'm going to do things to you that'll make Ssena herself run away screaming!"

Filthy? FILTHY?

Then to make matters worse, the hunter had the gall to threaten Daniel. Red flashed across Tichi's vision and she crouched, preparing to shift...then hesitated. She could feel Daniel's emotions shift through the bond, and the urge to redecorate the hunter's face with her teeth and claws subsided. Daniel tossed her the backpack and she dressed, taking a few moments to settle the new clothing properly and run her fingers through her hair in lieu of a comb. Her own emotions could be mercurial, and self-grooming was a habitual way of trying to calm herself.

Guest? she wondered, but she came out to stand by Daniel's side, giving the hunter a scowl. She sniffed in disdain. "Filthy rodent indeed. I smell better than you do, human."

[Roderick]

For a short time it seemed as though the man had been won over, and to Roderick's surprise the man's eyes - which he realized were an angry red - shifted to a cool brown. He'd heard something about that, but right now the knowledge evaded him. Sadly some of the red formed again as the hunter shouted out at his bondmate, and after the thoughtless anger the hunter had projected, the man seemed to become annoyed again. Holding him with one hand he used the other to flick Roderick on the forehead - it should have been mildly painful, but for some reason the entire world went black for a moment, before everything came rushing back to him in a flood of light. That was the second time the man had disabled him. There was a growing urge to pay the man back for everything, but then it would get him nowhere. Instead he listened to the man's words again, pleased as he released his hold on his shirt and called the Kelvic - Tichi, he now knew - over to them. Taking a chime or so to dress herself from a bag the man threw, the squirrel stepped out as a young woman, a scowl fixed over her face. She commented on his odour. A typical thing to do. He'd found out long ago that smelling nice and killing prey simply didn't miss; they could smell the soap on him before he could take them down. The result was that, while he did wash himself, he usually did so with water alone. Thanks to that he always smelled like a forest. "If I smelled like a bathhouse you'd have caught onto me long before you did. Besides, it could be worse; I could smell like a quagmire." He looked back at Daniel, who was sharing more information. It seemed he'd been a hunter at some point, as he empathized with Roderick on how things were for him. He felt the urge to rebuff the man's offer of a free meal; he was more than capable of getting food on his own. The pain in his stomach was still as bad as ever, though, and refusing such a generous gift was foolish no matter what way one looked at it. It was on the condition that he would make sure he never struck out against something which he believed was a Kelvic. "Roderick Vandenberg." It felt odd to say his full name - and to a stranger too. The idea was to perhaps provide some good results by seeming trustworthy. He thought about why he only ever used his forename; it occurred to him that it was simply because he'd never found someone in the city who he trusted enough - but then even Sei was in the dark as to what it was. That was more to do with him forgetting to mention it, though. He returned his mind to the present. As to the condition of this arrangement; He was unsure of how he could determine whether or not he was striking out against a Kelvic or a regular animal, but either way he agreed with the sentiment, if only to ensure that his belly would be cured of its aches. He looked over to where his bow was lying, then back to Daniel, then returned his eyes to his weapon again as he stepped slowly away to the side and began moving towards it, one eye always locked on the two strangers. Plucking the length of wood from the ground he immediately felt better about himself. The presence of his trusted weapon returned his confidence, shaken as it was from being defeated so easily. "So now I know her name, and you both know mine. What's yours?"

[Daniel Connor]

Grinning at the man, Roderick, he replied, “I am Daniel Connor, formerly Skyglow, of Avanthal.” His eyes faded into their normal, if Vantha eyes could ever really be normal, blue grey. He ran a hand through his hair, causing the soft blue/green streaks to shimmer. Well, now they were all friendly, he did not really know what to do. He had made it awkward by punching the guy, but people were usually happier when they had a nice, hot meal in them. “Well, we should head back to the castle if we want to catch supper time. I would not want them to run out of the special,” he said with a hint of amusement. The did have quite a bit of walking to do, which was not necessarily a bad thing, as he enjoyed walking through the forest and knew that Tichi did to. He sent a pulse of love across their bond, letting her know that despite the unexpected company, she was still his main focus. “Shall we be off?” he asked rhetorically, starting to walk back the way they had came at a slow, leisurely pace. Daniel cast his head up to the canopy, oh how he loved how the trees turned brilliant reds and oranges. Not like up North, where everything was covered in a blanket of white. Leaves drifted down around the trio, crunching underfoot. While a lot of the trees were evergreen, there still was a good amount that were casting away their usually green appendages. There was a nip in the air, but he hardly noticed, his blood was very thick after all. He smiled to himself, lost in thoughts of home.

[Tichi]

By now, Tichi's mood had shifted yet again, and she walked along happily by Daniel's side. After all, the hunter hadn't known she was Kelvic, so why hold a grudge?

And besides, everything had worked out. She wasn't hurt. It was a beautiful autumn day, and it had been a wonderful run in the fresh air. Her bondmate was at her side, and with the warmth of that connection, it was impossible not to be cheerful.

"I'm going to have to be more careful, aren't I? And alert. I was working on my running today, but I think I need to focus on being aware of what's around me. I mean, it's not like we can hang a sign around my neck that says 'I'm Kelvic, please don't shoot me' or anything," Tichi chattered.

[Roderick]

The grin that spread over the man's face was a reassuring one. Roderick heard the man's name, Daniel Connor, formerly Daniel Skyglow, and committed it to memory. There was a slight shimmer of colour in Connor's hair as he ran a hand through it and declared that they should return to the castle soon if they wanted to get their supper. Setting off with them at a good pace, the hunter felt the near crippling pains Daniel had gifted him with throbbing through him - a trip to Silria might be in order. As they walked the Kelvic began chattering excitedly to them, explaining that she would have to be careful from now on. He agreed fully with her assertion that it wasn't possible for people to notice the difference between herself and a natural squirrel - not that Kelvic weren't natural. With a slight smirk Roderick nodded his ascent. Now that the tension had largely leaked away he found that the two strangers were not quite as bad as one might have thought. Recalling Daniel's eyes and the city he'd mentioned earlier he found an interesting thought welling up; he remembered the people that this man belonged to. "You're one of the Vantha." The hunter said factually "That city - Avanthal. I remember my mother mentioning it to me a few times - she said I was born there during a blizzard. I knew I remembered eyes like that from somewhere." It had taken two years for them to move on, on account of their fear for their infant son. His father's continued travels had made the process drag on somewhat, but when they'd grown restless the family had finally packed their things and moved on. "What brings you this far south, if you don't mind me asking?"

[Daniel Connor]

Daniel could tell that Roderick was slowly warming up to him and Tichi. For that he was glad, as it allowed them to engage in small talk. Light pleasant fluff that meant nothing, but also symbolised that they had, for the most part, gotten through the unfortunate circumstances of their meeting. He rolled his eyes, people did know know much about the Vantha people, “Yes, I am a Vantha. Eyes are the feature most people notice,” he teased with a wink. On a more somber note, he answered the man’s question, “Well, after my parents were killed, there was nothing for me there but sad memories. I have not even played my horn in years. I was then left to fend for myself on the streets of a town a bit more South than Avanthal. I was beaten and robbed many a time, so I learned to fight. My master, or rather teacher, taught me Flux magic. When he died, I moved on, slowly, to here.” Daniel noted that this was basically a summary of his entire life, except for more recent events. He did not go into his connections with various powerful gangs and criminal organisations.

[Tichi]

Listening, Tichi took Daniel's hand as they walked along. She already knew where he was from, of course, but she liked to hear him talk.

Predictably, her own silence didn't last long.

"I'd like to see where you grew up, can we go sometime? Where are you from, Roderick, here or somewhere else? I've never been anywhere. Did you know there's a place called the Spires where they built their city right in with the trees and stuff? At least I think so. My reading's not good enough to be sure I understood the book I have, but from what I can tell it sounds beautiful. I'd really love to see it. Hey, does this mean we're all friends now? Can't have too many friends!"

[Roderick]

Holding Daniel's hand, the Kelvic seemed completely at ease now, the events that ocurred earlier slipping away from her mind with a surprising level of speed. While she held her tongue for a few chimes, it seemed she couldn't resist the urge to begin talking once again, breaking the gentle silence that had fallen upon the wood. As the bronze leaves slowly drifted down to them she chattered away excitedly, asking her bondmate if they could go to his home city some time, then asking the hunter where he had grown up. He found her chattering rather amusing. In particular her mention of the Spires caught his notice, and he nodded along with her as she described it. "That's what I've heard as well. It'd be interesting to see that, some day. As to where I'm from - that'd be Zeltiva. It's east of here, on the coast. If you go there you should just stand and look at the buildings - some of them are massive." The talk of home brought a smile to his lips. She asked if they were friends now, and for a moment he wasn't entirely sure. Roderick felt that you had to get to know someone fairly well before you could begin calling them a 'friend' but he decided not to correct Tichi in this; brokering anger from her or her bondmate was something he wanted to avoid for now. Daniel's mention of the Flux interested him, especially since he was developing an interest in magic. Maybe he could learn a thing or two from the Vantha? Either way he just gave a little laugh at the Kelvic's excited chattering and continued walking with them, letting the sun shine down on him and wash away all the thoughts in his head, so that the only thing on his mind was the drumming of his feet, the chirruping of birds and the thought of the warm meal awaiting him at the Stallion.