[Flashback]Off on the Wrong Foot(Ronin)

[Raiyari]

They were dead, all dead. The Yukmen, that is. Five had attacked them, and five now lay on the ground. Arrows feathered the body of one, three were sliced open with blade wounds, and one lay on the ground with his neck broken. The Acolyte paid no heed to these corpses though, only sensing that the danger had passed temporarily. She grabbed up her katana as she hurried to the only fallen body that mattered at this point. The sword was sheathed within half a second, and she knelt to the ground beside the wounded Inarta. In comparison, her wound looked like nothing more than a scratch. "Ronin!" A ripping noise whispered through the air as Raiyari tore a long strip from her robes, turning the once light-blue cloth into a makeshift bandage. The terrible expression on his face was more than enough to make her hurry with the bandage. In truth, Rai knew no more about first-aid then the next person. She was trained to give the wounds, not fix them. But he had fought alongside her, and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to offer him help. "We need to do something with your leg. Can you bear a bandage?" She held up the bandage, inclining her head towards his bloody limb.

[Ronin]

Ronin was relieved that they were all dead, but both him and Raiyari had been injured. He tore his Bryda at the knee of his wounded leg. Once he had completed the tear the whole way around he removed the tattered cloth. In the fight his backpack had fallen off and now lay a few feet from him. In it was water he could use to clean the wound.

When Raiyari offered him the bandage he should his head.
"You are wounded as well. I will not let you sacrifice your wellbeing to save me. This was my own fault, I should have paid more attention."
Ronin was indeed in pain, but he still had his pride. He did not want help if it meant her wound would go untreated. He also did not realize the severity of his wound, or the fact that he was risking the chance of bleeding out.

Ronin reached for his backpack and threw it open. After digging through it for a moment, he pulled out a small canteen of water and a small, clean cloth. With this he began to clean the dirt from his wound.
"I don't know if I will be able to guide you as I offered, but if you follow that path you will make it."
Ronin had always been an extremely proud young man, and this time his pride was getting the better of him. He wanted her to go on so she would not see him in this state of weakness.

[Raiyari]

"This was not your fault, Ronin of the Inarta." The Acolyte shook her head. "We fought together, and any fault that there is would be equally shared. But do not look back on the past, Zintila has smiled upon us, and we still have our lives and wits. That should be good for something, no?" He had fought just as bravely as the warrior he said he was, leaving no doubt in Rai's mind that this man would truly be a good protector of his people. Perhaps lacking in the discipline of a Shinya, but a guardian nonetheless. Rai shrugged, letting the man have his pride, and wrapped the bandage tightly around her arm. If they were going to get Ronin to help, there was no time to delay. "We need to get you back to your home, where you can be treated. The wound is deep, and without help you will soon die of lack of blood," Rai stated, not softening the blow. "We can try to make if, perhaps if you use me as a crutch. If not, I would stay here with you. But know this, Ronin, your fate is yours to decide. If you wish to die alone, I will leave you to your death." This was his decision, entirely his. She would not drag him back to Wind Reach against his will. It was a good death, an honorable death. Unless asked not to, she'd see him through 'till the end. Raiyari owed him that much. "What is your decision, Ronin-Inarta? Life, or death?"

[Ronin]

At that moment it truly sunk in for Ronin that his life was in his hands. He would not die for pride if he had the choice to live, even if it meant his new-found friend might think less of him.
"Thank you for your help in this fight, and I regret that I will need your assistance again so soon after it. But you are right, if I stay here I will die."
His face became paler at the thought.
"I do not want that." He said plainly.

Grabbing the cloth he had torn from his pants he quickly tied it around his leg, just below the knee. He pulled it as tight as he could, to cut off circulation, and knotted it. he grabbed the rest of his things and threw them over his shoulder.
"I will need a hand getting up." He said as he reached out his hand for her assistance.

"You are truly a great warrior, Raiyari. Priskil be praised that I happened upon you this day. My fate would be truly grim without you."
A pained smile slowly former on his face. Once he was back on his feet he place his arm over her shoulders to help him stay up and he pointed out the shortest way to the city.

[Raiyari]

OOC: Sorry for the short post, rushing off to school! Are we wrapping this up, or is there anything else you'd like to add? He had chosen life. Like any human, he did not wish to die, he'd not yet accepted the fact that death could come at any moment, from anyone. Just because an ally did not want to kill you, does not mean that they were not capable of it. But Raiyari had no intentions of killing this man, her objective was to save him. The Acolyte stood and held out her uninjured right arm, helping Ronin to his feet. She didn't see the pained smile etched on his face as they hobbled along, the smaller woman doing her best to support him. "I- I thank you, Ronin," She stumbled over the words. Compliments were rare, and the fact that this almost complete stranger had given her one was a surprise indeed. But she had too many defenses in place, too many walls between her outer self and the loneliness she felt inside. He was too much of a stranger to break those barriers down, for all that his kindness affected her. "You are an excellent archer. I owe my life to you and your bow, and I agree wholeheartedly: Our fates would have ended in an abrupt and bloody death if we had not worked together." The duo stumbled and hobbled up the trail, the air growing colder as they climbed. Like before, Raiyari started to simply concentrate on the movement of her feet. Left, right. Left right Finally, they arrived at a steel door that was placed into the very face of the mountain itself. She saw a simple metal chain hanging down from one of the columns beside it. No doubt to announce their presence? It was too obvious to be some sort of trap-device, so she went ahead and pulled it. If the rest of the Inarta were as hostile as Ronin had been, Rai wanted to make sure that they were well aware of the newcomer's appearance, so no one started a fight. And old man appeared out of the darkness, and took in the sight of the battered Inarta and Lhavitian. He moved to open the small steel door that separated the two wounded people from the city. "Hang in there, Ronin. We're here," Raiyari said, her heart thundering in her chest as she finally realized how close she was to her goal. She'd arrived in Wind Reach.

[Ronin]

OOC: Yeah, I think this is probably a good place to end. And I really like your post, so do you just want to leave it like this?

[Raiyari]

OOC: Sure, works for me. Lemme know if you want to thread somemore

[Phoenix]

Experience: Raiyari: +1 Land Navigation +2 Negotiation +2 Sword (Katana) +2 Dagger +2 Survival Lores: Persevering Through A Tough Climb, Keeping A Clear Head In Battle, The Start Of An Unlikely Friendship, Exploring a New City Ronin: +2 Stealth +2 Intimidation +4 Archery +2 Survival Lores: Defending Ones People Against Foreigners, Surviving An Ambush, Sustaining An Impressive Battle Wound, The Start Of An Unlikely Friendship Comments: I loved reading this! You two did a wonderful job. If you need a healer when you get to Wind Reach, look for Aidara or send her a PM. If you think I have missed anything, or you didn't receive XP or lores you were hoping for, let me know and I will reevaluate the thread.