PM to join Been a while. (Yoona)

[Marcus Drago]

10th Winter, 514 AV

"Here is to another great day! Cheers!" A man said as he banged his drinking glass against his cohorts'. Ten other men joined in the cheers, screaming until their hearts were content. Almost every man with a happy face where either dancing or drinking their fill. It was a hysterically happy sight that brought about cheers to almost every being in the room. From the lovely ladies that served dinner to the old men who could barely walk without a cane. These men brought about smiles to everyone in the little establishment known as the spot.

Marcus was staring at them, smiling along with everyone else. Some gents played a thrilling instrumental, getting everyone in the bar even more psyched for dancing. The place was driven mad with happiness. Marcus clapped his hands and stomped his feet to the beat, enjoying the small festivities. Soon, he got a little tired of being around so many people and decided to get a little fresh air. He stood from his seat, Scimitar blade proudly worn on his waste, and moved outside to enjoy some time to himself.

He slowly strolled towards the edge of the lake then stopped to lean on a wooden rail. His white hood that covered his face every day slid off his head with the help of his fingers. As his golden hair moved in the cold breeze, Marcus looked up to the sky, thinking nothing but happy thoughts. His expression was relaxed, full filled, and emotionally tranquil. Marcus stared at the bright moon that illuminated over Ravok, his mind in a world full of ecstasy.

[Yoona]

Yoona let her legs dangle over the creaking, wooden boards of the docks. Below her mindlessly-shifting feet, the murky depths of the lake sat, its waters as cold and uninviting as the weather was, itself. In retrospect, the Chaktawe woman supposed that she had no business sitting so close to the edge—she couldn't swim, so she'd be more or less screwed if she happened to fall over—but her hands were at her sides, gripping the boards to keep her body still. That, and the fact that it still managed to amaze her; the sheer amount of water that surrounded the city, that was. Though the lake had fought hard to rob her of her life a season prior, she had to admit—never out loud, of course—that it gave the unpleasant place a smidgen of value. The people were horrid, ill-tempered fanatics and liars, but the lake was just...there, keeping them all afloat.

'Wouldn't it be a shame if this all just sunk, one day?' Yoona mused, smirking a little to herself. 'No warnings, no omens, no nothing...but that's probably wishing for too much. The wretches here pray hard enough to keep a dozen cities floating. The day that they stop is the day Hai freezes over.'

A sigh escaped her lips, just then, and she leaned back a bit, lifting her arms to wrap them around her chest and aggressively hug herself. 'Damned cold...Eloab felt better than this at night...'

"If you're freezing so much," a voice suddenly asked, sounding curious. "Why don't you just go inside someplace? Y'know, before your feet turn into blocks of ice."

'I'm fine, Ruki,' the Chaktawe woman inwardly replied, turning her head to look at him as he faded into sight beside her. He was sitting, and his back was hunched and his hackles were raised, quivering.

"Sure it is...so what, you're going to sit here for bells and do nothing?

'...no,' she sighed. Yoona was more bored than she'd let on, and the feeling was gradually consuming her whole. 'But what the hell else am I supposed to do...? Count snow-drops? Go for a swim?'

He didn't reply to her right away, glaring before rising onto all fours and looking around. They were on the outskirts of shops and pubs, but one in particular seemed to be making a lot of ruckus. Ruki's ears twitched and turned, perked in the direction that the cheerful yelling and unmistakable clinking of glasses was coming from. "How about we go there? It sounds like a pretty lively place."

'That's because everyone in it is roaring drunk,' Yoona silently grumbled, though she was already twisting around and getting up. Bars were odd, uncomfortably-busy places, but the Chaktawe woman didn't have many other options. If she was lucky, the droves of people inside would be too occupied with their drinks to pay her any attention, and she could find someplace to seat herself. Just what was it that they were celebrating in there, anyway? An execution? That would pass for entertainment here, wouldn't it?

Her thoughts wandering, Yoona distanced herself from the fringes of the docks as she followed Ruki over to the pub. Her focus briefly shifted over to a figure nearby, a man who stood leaning up against a railing, his shoulder-length hair the color of wheat. He seemed mostly content, and she didn't dwell on him long, but something in the back of her mind suddenly told her to take a closer look. Squinting, the Chaktawe woman focused on him as she kept walking. Come to think of it, the man looked vaguely familiar...

And then it hit her.

She slowed to a stop once she was a few feet from him, her void-black eyes widening in surprise. "Marcus...?" she said, his supposed name warped by the thickness of her accent so that it was more of a Mahr-koose, with emphasis on the "ah". Perhaps it was the wrong way to say it, but if it truly was his name, it didn't matter. The memories were flooding back, now, and it all seemed like it had happened ages ago. He was hard to forget, however. It wasn't like the Chaktawe woman was the most social of beings, and the group of people whom she'd come to know was an incredibly small one.

"Listen to me" - 'I'm thinking'

[Marcus Drago]

Marcus gazed into the shallow waters of Ravok. Its flow was still, its animals dead. He could not see a living, swimming, fish withing the lake. Maybe it was because of how dark it was, how dim the light of the street lanterns seemed. When he found no living soul within the waters, he looked towards the sky. There were birds. Some flew past the moon, showing its vibrant and magnificent shadow among the illumination. 'What a beautiful night,' he thought to himself. 'Seems like there can be some good things about this city.'

He could hear the party inside the tavern growing louder, music beaming past his ears and to the ones across the canal. He stayed his position, despite how deafening the music had gotten, and continued his skyward gaze. While he did so, he thought much about his father. He thought about how free his deceased pirate father was, how strong, courage's, kind, and manly he seemed. Then, he thought about how he could be free as well. Soon his eyes shifted towards the buildings in front of him. His body stayed in Ravok; however, his mind and eyes flew to the Suvan sea. The enriching smell of lake water turned salty, and the moon became a yellow mass of pure heat, larger and shinier. The wooden rail now belonged to a ship, a very large one with sails, a deck, and everything else. The cheers and celebration became the cheers and celebration of his crew. Musicians playing on the front deck while everyone danced on the poop deck. Marcus imagined himself far away from where he was, and even though his imagination was a dream he thought it to be his future.

While he dreamed, something called forth his name, dragging him back to the lake city. Marcus blinked then turned his head slowly to the side to see who had called him. The voice was female with an accent that reminded him of someone, some woman. When he turned he looked the opposite way, seeing nothing at first, then he turned towards her. Standing behind him, nearly close enough to grasp, was a woman he had long since forgotten, but suddenly remembered very well. His baby-blue eyes met her void-black eyes, then he grinned at her. This was not a cocky nor sensual grin, but a genuine ecstatic one. He was happy to see her, happy to know that she was still alive.

Marcus turned fully around then leaned his back against the rail. His shoulders folded and his right leg rested on the wooden stand, showing non verbal signs of comfort. Marcus scabbard made a thumping noise as it hit the railing. He got a good look a her then teased: "Hey there gorgeous, long time no see. Glad to know you're still alive, Yoona."

[Yoona]

A smile grew on the man's face, and Yoona took it as a sign that he did, in fact, remember her. Which was good, she supposed. Things would have quickly become awkward if he had no clue who she was or, even worse, if she'd actually mistaken him for someone else.

Then he spoke, and she willed herself to overlook his initial, joking quip in favor of taking in the rest of his words. Hearing that he was apparently glad that she was alive was...strange, for lack of a better term. At least, the Chaktawe woman felt as such. Truthfully speaking, she hadn't really expected Marcus to remember her after they'd parted ways, that day; she'd only offered to help him with his issue because he would have gotten himself arrested, otherwise, or killed depending on the moods of the stiff men in black armor. That emotion-fueled recklessness wouldn't do much for him, so they'd plotted and carried out their little mission. And by the time that it was all over, the two had fled their separate ways, leaving little time for any goodbyes.

It'd been a while since then and now, but the man still remembered her and her name. Hadn't she only said it once...?

Yoona stared blankly at him for a moment, confused as to how she was supposed to be reacting. It was somewhat...nice to know that the man had bothered to care about whether she'd lived or died, since then. It was even nicer that the fact seemed to make him happy. She assumed that she should feel the same way, though with how clean their getaway had been, the possibility of the man dying or falling into the Stryfe's hands had never occurred to her. What reasons did she have to worry about his safety? He was a Ravokian citizen, wasn't he?

"It's...good to see you, too," the Chaktawe woman replied after a few ticks of stunned, awkward silence. The appropriate thing to do would be to return his smile, but for some reason she couldn't. Which was odd, really; she was genuinely pleased that he was alright, but...her face seemed to be refusing to show it, the corners of her lips keeping themselves slanted in a semi-frown.

Ruki had nothing to add, and had taken up a position beside the woman's legs, sitting on the ground and looking up at Marcus with wide, observant eyes.

Yoona fell into another silence, clearly struggling with what to say to the man. What kinds of things did one even say to a person whom they hadn't seen for a while...? A decent person, at that?

"So...ah...how are things...?" Yoona began, letting her pupil-less gaze drift until they'd settled on Marcus, again. "You been okay? And your mother, she is okay also, yes...?"

"Listen to me" - 'I'm thinking'

[Marcus Drago]

Marcus raised his right brow, a reaction he would normally give in odd situations. The woman in front of him, who he was just talking to, suddenly stopped. It was as though all sapien function had haltd for her; all she could do was stare and grimace.

'Did she not like it when I called her gorgeous?' Marcus thought as he continued to look her way. 'Maybe I shouldn't call her that or any other objectifying name for a while.'

"It's.... Good to see you, too," she said to him after her awkward moment of silence. Although her words were the proper reaction, Marcus felt that what she said she did not mean. Maybe it was the frown on her face or the way she hesitated, but Marcus guessed that their meeting made her feel uncomfortable.

She allowed a few more ticks of silence to go by before she began to speak again. Marcus thought to interrupt her quiet moments but he didn't know what he could possibly say to make her feel comfortable. He, possibly like her, was very lack lustered about speaking. What could he say? How would she react? It was very frustrating to think about, so he decided to not think.

"So...ah...how are things...?" With her thick accent, Yoona spoke out. Her words played as music to Marcus, for they broke the uncomfortable silence that flowed within the air. She continued speaking by asking how his mother and him was. He turned his head to the side then looked down. His eyes turned sad as soon as she finished, but he did not allow the quiet air to return. Instantly, he rid himself of his thoughts again and turned to her to smile. "I am good, she is good; but how are you? You don't seem like you want to talk to me. Is something the matter?"

[Yoona]

Though "good" was pretty vague, it was pleasing to hear that the man's mother was doing alright. When the Chaktawe woman had last seen her, she'd been fairly skinny, her face gaunt with exhaustion and her eyes somewhat sunken in their sockets. Marcus hadn't told her how long he and his mother had been separated, but Yoona hazarded a guess that it'd been a few years. A life of being bartered and sold from one heartless wretch to the next had taken its toll on the woman.

"You don't seem like you want to talk to me. Is something the matter?" Marcus continued, and he may as well have pinched the Chaktawe woman on the arm with how she reacted to the words. They stung a little, though she wasn't sure why, and prompted her to glare at him.

"If I didn't want to talk," she retorted, her eyes boring into his. "Why would I be here? Is waste of time, yes? I saw you and remember your name, so I thought I should say a thing. Anything."

Puffing up a bit, Yoona crossed her arms over her chest and tore her gaze away from him. For all the world, it looked as though the man had managed to offend her so greatly that she refused to look at him, any more, but it was nothing but the sudden indignation spurring her on. Was something bothering her? What had possessed the man to ask such a silly thing? If there was something troubling on her mind, she doubted that she'd tell him about it, or even bring it up to begin with in his presence; her troubles were hers and hers alone to deal with. And besides, what issues could she be having, at the moment? Sure, Marcus' reappearance had thrown her off, but other than that she was feeling fine.

"...I didn't think you would remember my name," Yoona matter-of-factually added after a few chimes, still unwilling to look at him. "It surprise me. But that's it. Nothing wrong at all. What you been doing this whole time...?"

"Listen to me" - 'I'm thinking'

[Marcus Drago]

Marcus tried to back away but noticed soon that he had no room to leave. While Yoona's eyes were digging into his skin, Marcus was trying anything he could to show her that he meant no harm.

His arms came up to his chest and he began to lightly push the air away, almost like he was pushing Yoona's rage away. Somehow he had made her angry, clear signs shown from her reaction to his question.

"If I didn't want to talk, why would I be here? Is waste of time, yes? I saw you and remember your name, so I thought I should say a thing. Anything." She said all this then turned away from him as though she was offended.

Marcus face turned stiff with an awkward smile. 'How was I suppose to know that? I am not a mind reader...' Marcus thought, never even wishing to be too bold enough to say that to her. 'Why is she so angry anyway? I showed a concerned for her health or our relationship! The least she could do is say I am fine, or something other than this!'

"...I didn't think you would remember my name, It surprise me," she continued and Marcus nearly fainted from the amount fear and stress Yoona just caused him. If Rhysol ever wanted a 'The Voice' who could make men tremble, Yoona would definitely be an option. The only reason he stayed erect was the possibility of having more fear come his way.

She ended with, "Nothing wrong at all. What you been doing this whole time...?" Marcus sighed in relief. Somehow she had seemed to go from completely dysfunctional to crazy hot fury in less of a chime. He knew that there would probably more of this, so he decided to choose his words carefully with this woman.

"I... Um... I have been training to get stronger and doing jobs. And... Uh.... Yeah, of course I would remember someone as impor- someone who helped me out greatly in my life. You have left an unfor- remembera- an impact on me, so you are never forgotten." Marcus nervously chuckled after speaking, his body parts seeming to sweat even though no bodily water showed on him. The weather was cold, and yet this woman somehow managed to make him feel like he was inside a volcano.

"So.. How are you? H-how have you been? What are you or were you up to?" He said these things but realized soon that he had just screwed himself. Obviously, this woman did not like questions, and he drilled her with three. He might have just unintentionally fucked himself.

[Yoona]

Yoona said nothing as the man tried to defend himself, inwardly smirking a little when he began to trip over his own words. As far as she was concerned, she hadn't asked for much from him; just a simple question of how he'd been spending his days since they'd met, both to settle her personal curiosity and pave the way for more of a non-awkward conversation. It only made sense that they should keep talking, now.

"You have left an unfor- remembera- an impact on me, so you are never forgotten," Marcus spluttered, and the Chaktawe woman raised an eyebrow at him. Had she really done that much by helping him out? At the time, Yoona hadn't seen it as something particularly huge; she'd merely acted on a whim, and had doubted that a single other soul wandering the wretched, lake-bound city would have done the same, in her position. Why would they? Slaves were beneath them, and therefore undeserving of their concern.

It was that reality and that alone that had spurred her on. Apparently, the man had taken it more personally than she'd expected. Seeming to think that he'd explained himself well enough, Marcus then went on to ask her how she was and how she'd spent her time. And for a moment, Yoona looked as though she was annoyed with him, a sour expression emerging on her bronze-skinned face. Then it softened a little after a few chimes.

'I guess it's only fair...I asked him the same thing, anyway, and he gave me an answer. It could have easily been a lie, but...eh.'

"...good, I guess," Yoona said, her arms still crossed as she gave him a nonchalant shrug. "New 'mistress', now...old wretch of a master is gone. Back with the Stryfe where he belongs. And the girl is...nice."

It was a casual admittance, and about as close as Yoona would allow herself to get to outright claiming that she liked Vera. The girl was kind-hearted and impressively sly for her age, qualities that were pretty refreshing after all of the filth she'd had to deal with during her time in this place.

"I don't really do anything, now, but it my job to keep her safe. A lot of...stupid people try to bother her, sometimes," she continued, quietly deciding not to start talking about the incident at the Temple. It made for an interesting tale to tell, but Yoona wasn't one to go around and blab about other people's business, especially with how complex things had seemed to her, at the time. Inodar certainly had his fill of enemies...and not just in Ravok.

"Listen to me" - 'I'm thinking'

[Marcus Drago]

As she listened to him ask her questions, Yoona gave a very annoyed look. Did she honestly not like him asking her questions? There were people in this world who kept their privacy towards themselves, especially in this city. Keeping secrets was probably one of the only ways of surviving. But this woman seemed like she purely hated anyone who got in her business. Does she prefer being alone?

Marcus tried to evaluate her, guess who she was by what she did, not what she said. If he tried to guess her by her words, he would probably be taken down by her words, or maybe her very robust muscles? From the way she acted so far, Marcus guessed her to be a little uptight. Strong in both interior and exterior. To her, weaklings would probably look like pests, bugs for stepping but not associating. Marcus had showed his weakness towards her already, but she didn't seem annoyed by it. Maybe she liked being dominate over someone for a change? She was a slave after all, being above someone else would be a great relief to ones mind, one fact Marcus knew to be true. He was a slave before, so of course he would know.

After a seemingly long chime, Yoona relaxed her facial muscles a little and answered his question. "...good, I guess," she shrugged nonchalantly. "New 'mistress', now...old wretch of a master is gone. Back with the Stryfe where he belongs. And the girl is...nice."

Marcus calmed himself and slowed his heart beat. It appears that he had survived Yoona's rage. For some reason, he considered this a grand accomplishment, but how long until he made her angry again? Only a woman can make me this concerned about angering her, Marcus thought to himself.

She continued to speak about how she had to protect her master from really stupid people, and about how this was her job. This sparked a smile from Marcus he thought he would never have again.

"Oh really?" He said, trying to sound less of an asshole than he was raised to be. This was very hard for him since he was made to disrespect anyone above him. Some called it cockiness, most would call it stupidity, but Marcus called it a defense mechanism. A way to cope with the fact that there was someone higher than him. Was she higher than him? Maybe so. There would be only way to find out.

"Well, maybe one day you and me can spar. Hand to hand, weapon to weapon. That is, if you believe that you can handle me." He picked his words carefully, tried to sound as genuine as possible, but not even the way he said these words would make her happy to hear them. He at least had to try and lighten his relationship with her, test his boundaries. That was what all children did with grown ups, all boyfriends did with girlfriends, all slaves did with masters, and all subordinates did with leaders. They tested their boundaries to see how far they could step. Once they met the limit, they would never go pass it, not for a long while at least. So what was her boundaries?

"Could make you stronger, or hurt you pretty bad." His eyes closed as he said this, not to avoid her dead gaze which he clearly remembered, but to keep his heart rate down. It was crazy how he had to do this. This woman was that influential to his emotions just from her words. His mother called this a woman's greatest strength, his father called this a woman's deadliest weapon, aside from her body. Marcus was starting to like his fathers definition better.

[Yoona]

Spar...? What, just for the hell of it?

Yoona kept her eyes narrowed at the man, glaring steadily at him as she tried to pick his words apart, like a taxidermist peeling away at the layers of their chosen subject. The possibility that Marcus was posing a challenge to her didn't occur to her mind until he had finished speaking, his almost cheeky addition of "if you believe that you can handle me" seizing her attention. A challenge...really? He was challenging her to a test of physical strength? The Chaktawe woman could acknowledge that she didn't know much about him, nor could she guess what sort of feats of physical prowess he was capable of—that robe of his hid pretty much everything—but it didn't really matter, since he was in the same situation. He knew next to nothing about her; not the number of struggles she'd been forced into, not the many failed escape attempts she'd dealt with over the seasons...

Marcus spoke again, and Yoona's glare turned cold. Oddly enough, he'd closed his eyes, as if he suddenly couldn't bear to meet hers. 'It could help me, or it couldn't...does he even know what he's saying?' she mused, glaring at him nonetheless. 'Challenging me to a spar, out of the blue.'

At least he had familiarity on his side. The Chaktawe woman doubted that strangers randomly challenged other strangers to fights...well, sane ones didn't, anyway. It was more of an undertaking for those who were acquainted with one another, like a teacher and a student, or friends who sought to train together. And Yoona wasn't sure that she considered Marcus to be a friend, but she'd been giving training some serious thought ever since she'd been assigned as a "bodyguard" for Inodar's little protege. She was comfortable with the skills that she'd amassed thus far, but honing those skills sounded like a really good idea...the better her unarmed combat abilities, the better she'd be able defend the girl and herself.

Unexpected as it was, an opportunity had presented itself, in the form of a frankly confusing challenge. And she was a little annoyed, but she supposed that there would be no harm in accepting it. If anything, she would get some well-needed practice out of it, and a chance to show the man what she was capable of.

Yoona's lips curved into a smirk. "Why wait? We could try one, now," she said to him. And then, as a slightly-mocking afterthought she added, "Unless you scared to get beat by a woman."

"Listen to me" - 'I'm thinking'