PM to join Pulling Rank (Thane)

[Azira]

x

Her triumphant mood soured quickly. The man was not willing to accept her arguments it seemed. His laughter stung, the girl becoming more irate with each passing tick. He had the audacity to laugh off points that were perfectly sound and then to add insult to injury, he had the nerve to refer to her as a child. Such speech struck her dumb, the huntress unable to come up with anything at all to say, too shocked by his unfounded insults. It was his way at biting back, for avenging the true words that she had spoken to him. Apparently the truth stung and the stranger just had to take it out on her. Counter remarks would no doubt be wasted on him, a waste of breath. Or so she told herself as he walked away before she had the chance to recover her wits.

Azira stared after him, feeling for all of Mizahar liked she'd been slapped in the face. At least if he'd hit her though her reaction would have been obvious and she would have hit him back readily but this? The huntress just didn't know how she was supposed to react. She wondered how everyone seemed to manage to touch on the point of her being a loner, even when they were complete strangers like this man. Was it tattooed on her forehead and she was just unaware of it? She certainly wondered.

Now that she'd recovered herself she couldn't even get back at him. He'd stopped to talk to another man who had all the appearances of being an Endal. If that was the case - and they appeared to be friendly - then mouthing off against her would be saviour would probably not work out for the best. That meant that the Avora was left to silently fume with no way to vent the emotion that lingered after the encounter. It didn't help that her head was really beginning to throb as well, reminding her of her failure to pay that Chiet back in kind for his treatment of her. Petch them all.

The young woman turned away, ready to head off and collect her gear from where she'd left it, her features full of resentment. The stranger just couldn't let her go though, words intruding rudely into her dark thoughts. She looked coldly in the direction of the pair, considering whether she should actually go to them or not. No she wouldn't, at least not straight away. The huntress allowed her steps to divert to the spot where her hunting gear had been discarded when she chose to intervene in the Processing Centre, taking the time to place it securely upon her person before moving towards the pair.

"You didn't call me, did you? I would have thought that you had but I don't go by 'kid' so I couldn't be sure." Azira's tone was cool and indifferent as she addressed the other Avora, hardly giving the Endal more than a cursory glance. Her stance was one of readiness, the girl prepared to leave at the earliest opportunity and that would be clear to read in her posture. It wasn't flightiness but rather a show that she had no desire to be there. She was only suffering their company until she could leave it.

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Nari | Common

[Thane]

uggggghhh

There was an itch lurking inside Thane's head which refused him to leave the girl at peace. It was more of an unyielding force that drove him into this certain mood. Thane was never often a person who batters continuous insults at people but the act he just displayed had decorated him a horrid imagery, at least from the views of the female Inarta. There wasn't a necessity in doing all of this but being called a hindrance seemed too much for him. It was more like the only insult which fueled his bitterness and seeing that he doesn't usually take criticisms on a serious note makes it a rare occurrence. But still, Thane just couldn't stop himself from continuing. Now that the words sprung out from his mouth, there was no reason on taking them all back.

He watched as the girl inched a movement. The smug on his face slowly faded, its sulkiness losing its trace. After hearing out what the girl had said, an exhilaration rushed within him. Something told his mind that he wasn't finished with his insults yet. Convinced with her calm tone despite of not coming up with a response, a smile was drawn upon Thane's face.

"You're not sure? So now, you're trying to act clueless?" His voice sounded like a screech of mischief. It was unpleasant for certain. Even Thane himself found it painfully annoying. "You're the only kid here, it's not that hard to tell but judging from how you reacted I can't decide for myself whether you have a decent mind or not. And I honestly, truly think that you're a clever one." For a moment, he held himself for awhile. There were streams of words gushing from the back of his tongue, all of which were ready to be battered out. But he was so satisfied with what he was going to say next that he ended up chuckling in his mind. He took another glance at the girl, his expression riddled the trouble that could possibly follow up. Thane was out of his mind and getting back to himself would probably take more than being satisfied with his insults.

"And... you're leaving? I thought you didn't want to. Of course, the fray is gone but I thought you're going to show that shallow bravado of yours, hm?" His words alone had left a trigger. A trigger which would spark a brawl if ever it was pulled. All of Thane's attempts were but to taunt the female Inarta. He was eager to see just how much she was capable of. From her swaggering display of bravery and not giving a single sight of fear, Thane was certain that she had experienced events which forged her as the person she currently was. 'Where is it then? Don't tell me that you're holding it back and just walk away. Come on!" There was no holding back, his words just demanded for blood.

Morgis, even being puzzled recently, finally knew what was currently happening and he certainly wasn't in favor of it. Still, he had no plans on stopping Thane, seeing that it wasn't his business. "I'll just....head back and help the others" Without waiting for a response, he marched swiftly away and back to the mess that was being cleaned up. Thane was more focused on how the girl would react towards his words. Still waiting, but his senses were prepared.

[Azira]

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The man's attitude was starting to get on her nerves. He had to turn everything that she said against her. He probably thought himself clever, maybe even witty but Azira couldn't say that he was amusing. She couldn't tell whether he was trying to insult her or compliment her but it seemed to be both at the same time. How many years did he have on her? It couldn't be many, he still looked young so he perhaps he had some sort of need to feel superior because he really felt inferior. It could be something that could be turned on him if that was the case.

He seemed to be trying to goad her though, twisting things that she'd said in an effort to insult. Her expression became one of disgust as she looked at him. Was that really the best that he could come up with? Was he looking for a fight was that it? If he was, she wasn't going to give it to him. There was no point rising to the bait that was so poorly concealed. The last comment was the most obvious of all, so obvious that his words clearly begged for her to attack him. The Endal seemed to pick up on his mood because he awkwardly excused himself and left the two Avora to their business, whatever it was. For a man who'd seemed so eager to avoid conflict before, he seemed all for it now. Well if he was trying to provoke her, he'd be in for a wait; she wasn't going to let him.

"Well, I don't know how old you think you are but if you want me to be a kid then I'll go along with it, old man." Her voice became sneering as she continued. If he wanted to be clever than she'd reply in kind. "And my bravado as you call it was no such thing. I just didn't choose to act like some scared, clipped idiot that tried to run away with their tail between their legs unlike someone that I could mention. And if you want me to get into a fight with you then save your breath. I'm not wasting my energy on the likes of you."

Her look in his direction was one of pure contempt. The young woman wouldn't strike him but that didn't mean that she was above the chance of mental jousting. If the huntress could insult him back then she most certainly would. "Have the need to prove yourself because you failed so miserably in there? Didn't have the stones to take on some Chiet and Dek so now what? You've got to try to provoke someone smaller than you so that you have a fight where you can prove yourself? Real show of manliness that. Pathetic really." The huntress kept her voice cool and level. She could remain calm, she could remain collected and all in the face of any anger that she might provoke. It was sure to cause offence and if he chose to shoot insults back at her, the young woman was on her guard to try to remain the calmer of the two, the one who came out of this encounter better.

x

Nari | Common

[Thane]

uggggghhh

The girl's words felt like it was being spat in front of Thane impertinently. There was just an ounce of it that he just couldn't withstand any longer no matter how hard he'd try. All of his attempts were something he realized to be pathetic but somehow, he just wanted to continue on. Thane wanted to prove something that wasn't known to him, something that didn't matter that much. Instead, he ended up burning himself with his insolent actions, not knowing how much he'd assume to know someone without thinking for possibilities. Thane had lost but he wasn't about to let the girl's sharp tongue leave without setting it with fire. He wouldn't let the girl win that easily but he just couldn't think of any response to come up with. The words spoken were just sharp enough to put him into silence and realizing that it was quite a fact made his anger boil inside.


Thoughts were slowly overran by rage as Thane absorbed the spoken words phrase by phrase. Each of them were enough to fuel the flames burning up in his volatile Inartan temper. But something was preventing him from going any further and still, he couldn't explain what it was and how it was dragging him away. Thane tried to fight it, he wanted to get the girl, he wanted to let her know what it's like being a hindrance. If his words weren't enough, then it would eventually end up brutally. However, he kept a single thought about how much he had done and said. Knowing how desperate he was acting just reminded him about not being himself. It was obvious to know but he didn't want to focus his attention to that particular matter as of now. There was just a lot to settle but going back through the girl's words just made his sanity snap.

"Have the need to prove yourself because you failed so miserably in there? Didn't have the stones to take on some Chiet and Dek so now what? You've got to try to provoke someone smaller than you so that you have a fight where you can prove yourself? Real show of manliness that. Pathetic really."

Suddenly, an image flashed inside his head. He remembered what happened at the mines, the casualty caused and blaming his own irresponsibility for it. There was an instant stream of negativity gushing through him and Thane couldn't actually have more swarming him any longer. The words alone were battering him too hard. Perhaps he was boastfully proving that he was capable of holding any kinds of situation by his own hands. Still, even if he believed it to be true, he knew that he was just being honest about earlier, about how he couldn't handle a swarm of angry workers or at least that's what he thought. And even though he tried to give out understandable reasons, the girl was just being a complete annoyance. Thane was provoking her because he wanted to force out an appreciation, an appreciation that would've acknowledged his efforts. But what he heard from the girl's mouth was something strongly displeasing.

Thane couldn't hold himself any longer. His anger felt like it was about to boil out from his head, and it eventually did once he uttered a loud grunt. "You.....little piece of shyte!" Thane's voice sounded murderous. It felt like his anger was taking a different course to his actions. He tried his best to take control but it was too much. His eyes struck an ominous glare which he hoped to let a frightening image scare the girl. But to be honest, his attempt was quite pathetic, he knew that it wouldn't easily intimidate the girl. He bent to pick up a metal shaft from a broken object caused by the fray. It was at that moment that he completely lost control over his actions. While the metal shaft was held, his mind was curious to know how much damage it would inflict to the girl's tongue. It was demanding for it to either be thrown towards or just run directly to the girl and strike her head directly. He shook his head a moment after, discarding that thought. Truly, he didn't want any of this to happen but he just couldn't stop now that his anger had taken over.

Thane raised the metal shaft in the air, aiming it towards the girl. If it was thrown then dodging it would be easier than expected. But Thane's thinking wasn't functioning properly at that moment while he was enraged. "I dare you to even speak after your undersized brain is crushed!" He raised his voice louder than his previous one. After a short growl, a hand reached to him. Stopping his attempt on throwing the metal shaft. Thane turned over his shoulder and saw Morgis once again. "Let me go!" He pleaded violently, struggling to free his arm.

"No, I won't. What you're doing shouldn't be done at any case. You should leave, now!"

Suddenly, those words made him a lot angrier than he recently was. Is it because she's a girl? that's why you're making me stop this?

"Listen Morgis," For a moment Thane let himself cool down for a while. "I won't leave. And if you won't let go of my arm--"

"I won't. Sorry friend, but you need to leave now and calm yourself down." With Morgis not letting Thane finish made a vague notion for violence.

So be it

While Thane's right arm was suppressed, he abruptly inched himself sideways. He aimed his left elbow against Morgis' midsection and delivered a striking blow. A a grunt of pain was uttered and once his right arm was freed, Morgis slowly descended to the ground. Thane's sights went back to the girl, with eyes as menacing as it was before. He slowly moved directly towards her, seeking for the words to be taken back. By now, Thane's mind was completely clouded with violence. It was as if he was infected by the fray.

oocSorry, I had to do this to hopefully make things interesting

[Azira]

Provocation was what she'd aimed for and it was what she'd achieved. It might have worked a little better than she'd anticipated though. Anger that seemed to fill him spilled out with explosive force and she was set to be on the receiving end of it. If it had just been insults then it wouldn't have been too bad but that look in his eyes suggested that he was going to take it further than trying to injure her with words. As soon as the metal shaft found its way into his hands, Azira knew that she'd pushed him too far. She'd always considered herself as being quick to a temper but although is anger was extreme the threat of harm was very real.

The huntress took a careful step backwards, her hands held out in front of her in a placating gesture. "Easy now, big guy. You don't want to start waving that around, you might hurt yourself." The distance between them grew as the young woman continued her cautious retreat, making sure to keep as much space between them so that she'd be safe from any blows that he might consider raining down upon her. Although it was looking more and more like he was going to fling his weapon at her, which meant that she needed that space so that she'd have some hope of avoiding being hit.

His yelled threat would have quickly led to violence but her would be attacker didn't notice the return of his Endal friend who restrained him forcibly, ensuring that he couldn't cause her any harm. The look in his eyes didn't diminish but instead intensified, giving the Avora reason to believe that he wouldn't be held. He was going to get her and nobody was going to stop him. How she'd managed to offend him so greatly the young woman didn't know but there seemed to be nothing she could do about it now. Running seemed a good option but it might only make matters worse, make her more enticing prey. Predators liked prey that gave a good chase after all. She didn't feel much like running away like a scared rabbit either so standing her ground was the only way.

The inevitable thing happened, the man broke free. He attacked his friend in order to get away and Azira knew that she was in a lot of trouble. She was no friend of his and if he was willing to do that to his friend... it didn't bode well for her. She had her bow but in close combat she knew it was useless, remembered how it had failed her during the riots and so the young woman looked for anything she could use to defend herself with. The wood of her bow could catch his blows but he was no weakling and she could imagine the wood shattering but she removed from her back slowly anyway, gaze fixed on her adversary. The sight of the weapon was sure to set him off but she had no other option. Idly waiting for the man to hit her was not a choice that she was willing to make.

The wood was held in front of her like a club although she could slide a hand to either end if she needed to use it to clock his blows. Even as she held it ready she tried to appeal to any reason that might still remain. "Don't you think that your overreacting just a little bit. They say that the truth hurts, right but that doesn't mean that the truth about you is supposed to hurt me. Just put it down and nobody has to get hurt."

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara

[Thane]

Thane wasn't worried, he had reached far enough to even consider on backing off and especially when he knocked Morgis down to his feet. His mind raced for violence and these instances were one of the rare episodes that'd turn him into a person who others wouldn't expect seeing. The actions he displayed would surely be placed in regret once everything ends but in the mean time, he wasn't about to reflect back and see himself on a makeshift mirror. Whatever had been constrained out of the female Inarta's words certainly had penetrated through Thane's strong will to withstand criticisms. He despised it to an extent where he couldn't calm himself down by just contemplating over his morals. Sure he was an Inarta, with the typical bold and ill-tempered demeanor but through that, Thane promised to grow up differently and this occurrence wasn't living up to that promise.

Eyebrows were lowered to reveal an uninviting glare of his eyes. The veins on his neck battered with striking throbs while clenching his jaw. The metal shaft was still at his grip and was about to tighten his hold against it. He squeezed his palms while trembling in a slight motion. His level of anger haven't been rising but hearing the female Inarta's supposed plea exhilarated him to a slight a mount, prompting for the metal shaft to either be thrown or struck deliberately. "Overreacting? Well, this is just a polite gesture." Thane mockingly said as he sneered down at what he conceived to be as an assertion of pardon. He then raised the metal shaft with his right arm, deciding to throw it successfully as he aimed it in a careful glance. Thane wasn't a fool and even when having a sliver of chance to succeed his attempt, he was certain that he would end up claiming that victory.

Suddenly, a hand reached for his right foot, dragging it by force to the point where he almost fell. Thane turned his sights from behind only to see it was Morgis, trying what he could to stop everything from turning worse. He was constantly gasping for air, the blow Thane delivered must have been quite compelling than what had been expected. "Let go. You can't stop this now." said Thane, sounding as if he was noting for a warning that'd threat Morgis' life. However, he was persistent and instead of losing his grip on Thane's foot, he tensed a stronger force to pull him aside. "I said let go or you'll be the one who'd get hurt instead!" His demanding shout wasn't telling a lie and if it was driven desperately, it could truly mean that Morgis would be the one who would get hurt. Still, the Endal haven't said a word but his actions were telling that there was something that was about to come up, something that would require Thane's cooperation but only if the message was delivered at the right time.

Nevertheless, Thane aimed the metal shaft whilst being dragged from behind. He loosed his accumulated strength and applied it at his right arm, hurling the shaft in a reckless pitch. The object whirled violently as it was thrown, hovering in the air with a speed that wouldn't be brought to a standstill unless by a fast reaction. Then it descended, falling rapidly towards the female Inarta but as it continued itself downward, it missed and didn't hit her but someone else instead and it was from her behind. A cry of pain was shrieked but it was quick and didn't last long, not after being struck instantly by the flying object. Then the person slammed himself to the ground just after the metal shaft landed. Thane squinted his eyes to the scene if he ever was successful on his attempt and once he peered over, he saw the man whom he unintentionally has his sights set on. The person lied unconscious, his face buried to the ground with the metal shaft sitting beside, presumably it was one of the Deks and Chiets who managed to get a good sneaking. Even when his sights were far away, the knife that was held seemed clear enough, apparently assuming that the person was attempting an attack to the female Inarta from behind and it failed once after he was accidentally hit by the metal shaft. "Thank you. I guess, you're quite quick to get the message." Morgis complimented as he released his grip onto Thane's foot. Thane furrowed his brow, shrugging at a sudden confusion. "What message?" He said. His anger drifted quickly the moment he was read with questioned expressions.

[Azira]

There was every suggestion that she'd driven the man in front of her past the boundaries of reason. There was murder in his eyes and her pleas to his rational side were probably only fuelling him right now. Running away seemed the only way out of this situation safely but it could also provoke him into a chase. She didn't like her chances for being able to outrun him and while she might be a harder target to hit on the move, she'd be a very easy one when he caught up with her.

There was a moment where the girl felt completely cornered, looking around her for any hope of rescue or help. She was almost desperate enough to grab a Chiet or Dek to use as a human shield but there didn't seem to be any members of the lower castes at hand. There was going to be no outside help either as no one was likely to intervene on the behalf of the huntress. The only person who might have was stretched out on the ground where this other Avora had left him and it was doubtful that he'd recover any time soon. She'd just have to be very quick on her feet and hope that that would save her from the worst of what the other might inflict upon her.

The girl balanced herself on her toes as best as she could, hoping that it would allow her to move more quickly to evade any blows that were aimed her way by her incoming attacker. By his words he had every intention of causing her harm for her suggestion that he'd been overreacting. She doubted that she'd get away with a few blows for that one if his level of irritation at that one comment on her part was anything to go by.

Before her evasion skills could be put to the test though, help came from an unexpected quarter. The Endal that had been laid low had grasped the man around the ankle and seemed determined to drag him down or at least to unbalance him enough to stop him from attacking Azira. She watched, her posture tense as she awaited the outcome of the move. The image of the metal shaft crashing onto his head was one that she could quite easily imagine. Belatedly she realised that that moment of distraction could have allowed her to get away but the teen only realised it when he turned his attention back to her and raised his weapon.

The shaft was thrown at her, the huntress shielding herself with her arms from an impending blow instead of trying to dodge it. The shaft cut loudly through the air but the anticipated hit didn't come. The shaft certainly hit something the metal crashing into a body and eliciting a shriek that was almost immediately cut off. Azira risked a glance up and found her would-be attacker talking with her protector. Her eyes then went in search of the shaft only to find it - and its unfortunate victim - lying behind her.

The downed individual was regarded silently, the Avora registering the knife in his hand and the shabby condition of his dress. A Chiet by the looks of him and one who had been sneaking up behind her. Judging by the blade he certainly hadn't had friendly intentions towards her. Had her attacker seen the Chiet coming? Had he aimed at him on purpose or had he aimed at her but missed? Her gaze returned to him, regarding him warily. He no longer had anything that could harm her, except possibly his fists, and so surely there was nothing that she could say to him that would infuriate him again. A cautious step was taken in his direction.

"Were you aiming at me?" she asked carefully, the wariness and uncertainty still clear in her eyes. "Or were you trying to help me? I don't know what you were doing because you certainly seemed like you wanted to hurt me only a tick ago. Not that I did anything wrong in the first place." Her mouth was getting away from her and she knew it. She shut it smartly, not wanting to drive him to rage once more. The girl would take her cue of what to say and how to act by the other Avora's response. If he responded poorly then she was going to take her chances and run, at least he wouldn't have anything to throw at her this time.

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara