Completed Peeping

[Aoren]

1st Day of Summer, 510AV

Aoren was perched atop one of the stone edifices in the Warehouse District of Syliras gazing in the direction of the Bronze Wood. Though he couldn’t see it from where he was seated Aoren knew that the Watch Stone atop the tower at the outpost there had turned a brilliant golden yellow signifying the change of the seasons from Spring to Summer the night before.

“Summer.” He took a deep breath of the warm air. It wasn’t stifling or oppressive but within the depths of the castle the subtle heat would grow to be uncomfortable on the warmer days. Aoren was thinking long and hard about his plans for the future. It was something that was beginning to weight down upon him more heavily as time crept onward. He was beginning to feel that his time within the coastal Fortress City of Peace was drawing to a close. At least it would come to close very soon. While he felt no sense of urgency he felt that everything he was doing would lead him to another place one way or another. At least for a period of time. Aoren couldn’t see himself abandoning life in Syliras forever. There were a great many things he wanted to do and see in his life before old age set in, most of those things he would never be able to do in Syliras and would require that he venture elsewhere. In his heart however, Aoren knew that no matter where he went, Syliras was his home. He may end up leaving it for a time but he would return.

“Avalis. Guide me. Where am I supposed to go from here?” It was a question he asked of both the goddess and himself quite often. He looked up into the heavens neither expecting an answer nor any sign of one. Not immediately anyways. Of all the dieties in the pantheons of the world Avalis had always been the one to answer his prayers in one way or another. Her voice was never loud or intrusive but it was always clear when she answered his questions. He looked down at his right hand admiring the Seer’s Lily. Barely a day went by when he didn’t wonder what plans the goddess had for him. He had learned a long time ago that such questions were always answered in their own time. For the time being he rose from where he was seated into a crouched position then peered over the edge of the building he was atop.

It was not a long way down and he was sure of his footing. The whole of Syliras was kept in a fairly good state of repair that loose stone was not common in the inner parts of the fortress. He eyed the crates stacked on the side of the building and gauged his chances of landing on them gracefully. After a moment’s hesitation he eased over the rooftop using the stones on the edge as a means to keep himself steady. Once he was safely over the edge he let himself drop landing with a less than graceful thud onto the crates. They groaned and creaked in protest but held firm. Aoren landed firmly on his feet dropping to a kneeling position so as to not fall flat on his face from the momentum of his fall. He then hopped off of the crates and set off down the alley between the buildings. There would be no sleep for him tonight. He was always restless at the change of seasons. His bones tended to ache and his dreams were less than welcoming.

He reached beneath his shirt and toyed with the necklace he always wore. It was the only memento to his family that he owned other than his life. He made his way toward the gates of the city. He would need to get away from Syliras today. It was always harder to ignore the threads of fate that were woven around people during the change of seasons. Ileera was out training to become a Knight. It had always been her dream to become a defender of the weak. She hated bullies and all who preyed upon the weak. Aoren hadn’t quite decided what he wanted to do with his life but he would figure it out somehow.

For the time being he stopped by his apartment and grabbed a few things he would need to keep himself occupied while he worked through his distress. He picked up his pack and grabbed his quarterstaff making his way to the gates of Syliras. The Knights on duty didn’t even give him a second glance. As he was walking out of the gates he did however bump into a woman. He sighed internally. Aoren really needed to work on his observational skills. He bumped into people far too often. He mumbled an apology to the dark haired woman and stepped away from her. When he was finally outside the gates he took a deep breath and began running toward his favorite clearing within the Bronze Wood.

He ran. And ran. And ran until his lungs began to burn. As he ran he took in the scenery around him. The Bronze Wood was always calming enough compared to the crowded hustle and bustle of the fortress city. He stopped when he finally reached the clearing. His chest was heaving slightly and there was a sheen of sweat on his brow but he wiped it away with the back of his hand. He took a deep breath looking around the clearing. It was exactly as it always was. Strangely peaceful and ever inviting. Aoren sometimes believed this was a place that Avalis herself had created for him. He was always able to think most clearly here. Leaning his quarterstaff against a tree he walked to the center of the clearing he dropped down to his chest and began doing push-ups. He kept his gaze focused on the only tree in the entire clearing that seemed to be unable to bear life. It was a twisted and broken oak. The only blight on the face of the clearing.

When he was finished doing push-ups he turned over onto his back and brought his knees up to his chest for a moment before dipping down and beginning a series of crunches. There was a pristine calmness about doing physical activity in a routine pattern. He was able to focus just on the workout and push himself as far as he needed so that he could sort out his thoughts. When finally he felt that he’d pushed himself enough he stopped doing crunches then stood up taking a deep breath stretching his limbs so that he didn’t grow sore. He folded his legs beneath him and assumed a meditative stance. As he exhaled he heard the shifting of leaves against the wind and immediately tensed. Jumping to his feet he took a defensive stance and glared in the direction from where he heard the noise.

“Who’s there!?”

[Raven Nightfoot]

It was the first day of a new season in the stone city of Syliras, summer had finally arrived and as usual the citizens were buzzing from point to point like worker bees gathering honey. The city was always teeming with life, the sounds and the smells of people filled the summer air and although most may have grown accustomed to them, Raven always felt a little overwhelmed. She had always felt restricted in Syliras, the city was far too crowded and uninteresting to her and she tried her best to stay out of everyone's way. Her parents were still hounding her about joining the Syliran Knights just as they had, but she had no interest in doing so...in fact she didn't have interest in anything really. Raven often flitted about putting the minimum amount of effort into everything she did. On this particular day the young woman was making her way out of the city gates toward the Bronze Woods, it was the nearest and safest place to get away from the city and all it's activity. She was dressed in her usual tight black leather outfit, pants, boots, corset...all matching and figure hugging allowing for ease of movement. Her amber eyes not focusing on anything in particular as she walked on, her deep red lips in their familiar flirty smirk. Just as she had exited the gates, she was bumped into by someone from behind, she turned her head to see who had broken her daydream and why, but the man, or young man had already passed in front of her. She looked on in annoyance as the young man walked on for a short distance and then broke into a run. "I wonder why he's in such a rush?" she said to herself as she watched the man running off into the distance. Eventually her curiosity had gotten the best of her and she had decided to tail the young man out of a mixture of boredom and intrigue. "Well, I've got nothing better to do." she said with a shrug before breaking into a steady jog. She made sure to keep a rather large distance between the two of them, although never allowing him out of sight. Raven's curiosity was something she could hardly ever stifle, more often than not it got the best of her and she found herself on the path of random people who seemed suspicious. She had discovered a few pickpockets and adulterers during her escapades although she did nothing with her discoveries. She wasn't sure whether it was the chase or the answers she was drawn to, probably both. She would even go so far as to call it a hobby. She had been jogging for a while now as they went further from the safety of Syliras and deeper into the dangerous woods. Raven considered turning back but quickly dismissed the idea, it was too late, she was...curious. "I'm following a stranger deep into the woods...definitely NOT the best idea...but what could he possibly be doing this far out?" she said to herself as she tried to solve the mystery in her head. Meeting with bandits, or enemies of Syliras? Or perhaps a secret lover? She let out a silent laugh at her guesses, she'd just have to wait and see. Finally after lots of running, the man seemed to slow down and have reached his destination with Raven not too far behind. The moment he stopped she went into stealth mode, slowly, silently stalking closer and closer to her target, hiding from tree to tree until she finally arrived at a rather large tree only a short distance from the young man. She was thankful that it was summer and not autumn, the fallen leaves would have made it very difficult to sneak up on anyone. After taking a moment to calm herself, Raven curiously poked her head out from behind the tree trunk in order to see what the man was doing so far from the city. He was in a clearing, it seemed both pleasant and innocent enough, except for one dark looking tree that grew in it. There the man was, doing...push ups? Raven's eyes scanned his form, a small frown finding it's way to her face, he had come all this way to work out? Perhaps someone was still coming? She'd need a better, closer point to watch from. Slowly she snuck to the next nearest tree and pressed up against it's trunk before peaking her head out once more. This tree was significantly closer than the previous and she could see just fine from here. Raven's amber eyes glazed over the stranger in the clearing, examining him properly. He was young, probably not far from her age...and he was fit. She watched with guilt as he finished his push ups and began doing scrunches, admiring how his muscles moved under his firm skin. She still hadn't seen his face since he was facing away from her as he did his exercises, until finally he turned around. He was...handsome, perhaps the most handsome man Raven had ever seen. She stared on in awe for a while before finally snapping out of it and coming to her senses. The young man was now sitting, cross-legged and meditating , his lack of movement presented her with the perfect opportunity to gain an even better view point. She reached her hand up to the nearest branch and began to pull herself up into the tree, but unfortunately she was too careless and hasty and her hand slipped sending her silently back to the ground. She landed quietly enough, but the branch shook triumphantly at being released, causing it's leaves to rustle a bit TOO much for her liking. Raven did not wait for his reaction to hide, the second she had landed she pressed her back tightly to the trunk, slightly nervous at the possibility of being found out. Surely the handsome young man wouldn't take kindly to being spied on, would anyone? Sure enough, she could hear the man had been pulled from his peaceful state as she heard him call out, wanting to know who had made the noise. Raven stayed there, frozen, she didn't dare move and risk making her presence known. She hoped that he'd just assume it had been one of the forests many natural sounds and go back to his meditating . After what seemed like a whole day, Raven finally mustered the courage to take a peak, and to her relief the young man was meditating once more. Raven decided that was enough for one day as she carefully backed away from the clearing and the man until she was at a safe distance to relax. She made her way to the road and back to the city, a proud, self satisfied smirk on her face the entire time. "That was fun, I think I'll try it again tomorrow." she told herself as she strolled on. She was excited, that was easily the most fun she'd had in weeks.

[Aoren]

Aoren had stood there waiting to be ambushed and attacked by a lurking predator for what seemed like an hour. When he heard the rustling of leaves and the dull thump of something landing on the ground he turned his head in the direction the noise came from. His cobalt blue eyes rested upon the tree that seemed to be the source of the noise. Whatever it was that had caused the disturbance had been too big to be a bird that much he knew. Aoren stared at the tree for a few moments. When nothing charged out at him from the underbrush of the forest he eased his posture allowing his shoulders to relax and his stance to slacken. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief. While he knew that there were dangerous things to be found within the deeper parts of the Bronze Wood this particular clearing usually wasn't frequented by the nastier of beasts that prowled the forest. He'd had to fight off a few wolves and had been lucky enough not to get eaten by a bear once before but aside from the more common forest animals he was not far away enough from Syliras and the purview of the city hunters that he wasn't relatively safe.

He walked up to the tree with an air of caution being careful in case the source of the noise happened to still be lurking in the shadows. He stepped up to the large trunk looking over the worn bark. Aoren ran his fingers over the wood. It was ridged, jagged and bumpy beneath his fingers. He smiled for a moment. The tree was old. It was likely one of the elder trees in the forest. He had a feeling most of the trees that surrounded this clearing were. He shook his head.

"An old forest in a new world. If only my teacher were here to debate the philosophy of that." He chuckled to himself turning away from the tree letting his hand fall away from the bark. As he dropped his hand something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head toward it focusing on what appeared to be a long black strand of hair that had stuck to one of his fingers. He furrowed his brow and looked around. There was no one else in the clearing. He walked around the tree. There was no one behind it either. Aoren looked down at the strand of hair.

"Probably from someone who visits this clearing as much as you do, Aoren. No need to get yourself worked up about it." He mumbled to himself and shook his head allowing the strand of hair to catch in the wind. Returning to the center of the clearing he took a calming breath. There were still a few exercises he wanted to do before he went back to the city. Stretching his arms and legs he bounced up and down on the balls of his feet before walking to the opposite edge of the clearing. He turned on a heel to face where he'd laid his quarterstaff against a tree then took off at a run. When he'd reached the center of the clearing again he propelled his upper body into a forward tumbling motion whilst lunging forward with his legs. He flipped upwards but only enough that his legs were now up in the air. Jutting his arms forward he continued the rest of the movement by pushing upwards with his hands planted firmly on the ground so that the weight of his lower body was carried forward. He completed his first front-flip when his feet rested on the ground but he didn't stop there. He continued flipping toward the opposite edge of the clearing doing a total of three more flips before coming to a halt right in front the tree where his quarterstaff rested.

Aoren gave a firm nod. He turned on his heel darting forward and jumping into the air. Mid-way through his upward lunge however he twisted his abdomen allowing the momentum of his forward motion to carry his legs upward so that he performed a back-flip instead. While his form was a little off and he landed standing slightly sideways, Aoren was pleased with the accomplishment. The only way to get better was to practice and he needed as much as he could get. He continued doing back-flips until he returned to the corner of the clearing where he'd started. Aoren turned sideways kicking his legs up performing a cartwheel but half-way through the movement he swung his legs around and pivoted on one hand before pushing upwards with both hands springing forward and landing on his feet in a crouched position.

Aoren continued his exercises doing somersaults, tuck and rolls, cartwheels, front-flips and back-flips for the next hour or so. He stumbled a few times as his muscles protested against the radical movements he was forcing himself to do but the only way to stay nimble and limber was to practice and he pushed through the soreness until there was just a dull ache in his shoulders and legs. When he was finished practicing his acrobatics he stretched in order to make sure that he didn't cramp up then walked over to his pack taking out his water skin. He drank from it heavily gulping down the water until the skin was half-full. He wiped the sweat from his brow happy with the workout he'd gotten. Breathing at a more elevated rate he picked up his pack and grabbed his quarterstaff walking to the center of the clearing where he dropped down into a meditative pose.

Aoren's legs were folded beneath him. His hands rested on his knees palms down. His back was straight and his head was held even as he stared directly ahead. Taking a few deep breaths he allowed the natural wall of silence peppered with the music of the forest that could only be found outside of the city, wash over him. After a few moments his eyes closed as he entered a clearer state of mind. Aoren would try to stay in that state for as long as possible. He could never maintain it for long periods of time. He was by far no master of meditation but for those quiet, peaceful moments where he did manage to empty himself of all thought and simply observe his surroundings by focusing on nothing at all he was very grateful.

When he finished meditating he rose to his feet dragging his pack and his staff up with him. Turning his head skyward he judged it to be late afternoon by the position of the sun and the rise in temperature from the cooler morning. It wasn't uncomfortable but after hours of intense physical activity he noticed the change. It was time to head back to the city. With that he set out for Syliras at a run. The day wasn't over yet and why not make the most of it?

Tomorrow though he would return to practice a very different set of skills. Ones that were more reliant on his willpower and strength of mind than his body.

[Raven Nightfoot]

It was the next day and Raven was already near the city gates waiting for her prey, she was a far enough distance from the gate that if he passed he wouldn't see her, not that he would be looking. She had slept quite well that night, satisfied with her day, she assured herself it was strictly recreational and held no other value and so...here she was waiting for the handsome young man to show up. "I hope that wasn't a once in a while thing, hopefully he does it everyday...Where is he?" she said slightly agitated, she had been waiting for quite a while, leaning against a wall that was covered in shadow, not to stay hidden but more to keep cool and out of the sun. Then, as if to answer her question she saw him, handsome, well-built and headed out of the city. She watched as he passed through the gates and down the path and decided to follow casually today since she was pretty sure she knew where he was headed. "Let's see what you have for us today handsome." she said casually as she began walking down the road. When she arrived near the clearing she once again switched to stealth mode as she slowly and quietly stalked closer to him. Today she chose to hide behind a different tree, slightly further than yesterday's but not too far. She wasted no time in silently climbing the tree today until she was several feet above the ground and sitting comfortably in the tree. It was a good spot for spying, if she needed, she could easily jump off and leave and he still wouldn't see her, plus while in the tree she was hidden behind it's lush green leaves although she could see past them just fine. There she sat and watched the handsome young man, curious as to what he would do today. Her deep red lips curved into a smirk as her amber eyes focused on the scene ahead. Once again she assured herself it was purely for entertainment and nothing more.

[Aoren]

2nd Day of Summer, 510AV

He had gone to sleep that night with peace of mind knowing that he'd expended enough energy to at least afford him a clear head. He hadn't been inundated with an endless stream of thoughts as the exhaustion from a long day's work set in. For that he was very thankful. He always loved and hated the change of the seasons. It was always when he was at his best and the most restless. When he'd woken up he had already felt the gnawing need to roam around and get outside. So that is exactly what he'd done. He'd gotten up, washed himself, pulled on some clean clothes, packed a few essentials, grabbed his staff and headed out of the city.

He'd run with his usual fervor to the clearing that served as his favorite spot to meditate, workout and practice his more physical skills. Today however, he would be practicing something best done away from the general populace of Syliras. He didn't want to incur the wrath of the Syliran Knights. Besides, Aoren had no desire to hurt anyone out of recklessness. When he reached the clearing he deposited his pack and quarterstaff nearby and walked to the center of the field of grass. Pulling off his shirt he folded his legs beneath himself and assumed a meditative pose, inhaling and exhaling in steady rhythm. Aoren continued this pattern until his head was as clear as it was going to get. With the ease of having done it dozens, if not a hundred times, he reached within himself and drew upon the fire of life. The drive that inspires all men and women to do passionate, wild and indeed sometimes great things.

Aoren's shoulders lost their tension. His brow smoothed and his face went serene. This was always the most incredible part to Aoren. He leaned back as if he were about to let himself fall flat on the grass but at the last moment he flung his arms backwards and kicked his legs upwards bounding to his feet. He brought his arms forward as if he were taking a fighting stance but as he brought his hands up he swept them in a wide arc swirling them as if charging some unseen energy in the air. Just as his hands came together he lowered the wall that was carefully constructed around that spark inside of himself allowing his Djed to take form as Res. It flowed out from his hands, the clear liquid covering each finger and spreading outward to cover his forearms. He closed his hands into tight fists then thrust them forward with a commanding shout. Through all of this Aoren maintained his concentration on the energy of the fire inside of himself. With an unspoken command he concentrated on igniting only the outer most layer of his Res into azure blue fire.

Were there any onlookers it would appear as if Aoren's hands and forearms were wreathed in dancing blue flames. To an experienced Reimancer they would know that Aoren had carefully constructed layers of Res to cover the skin of his hands and forearms. The construct was three layers thick with the outermost layer having been ignited, the middle layer serving as a buffer between the final layer and then his skin. He had ignited only the outermost layer of Res and while the flames themselves were not exceptionally hot they could still burn Aoren. Of course, the more Res the flames had to consume the hotter they burned. For today Aoren was only going to work with igniting one layer instead of two. He never ignited the third when performing this technique as that would mean setting himself on fire.

Aoren crossed his forearms and lowered into a crouch. After a moment of concentration he leaped backward propelling himself up into the air twisting his torso at an angle so that he could complete an unassisted back-flip. The magical fire wouldn't burn Aoren so long as it didn't touch anything not shielded by the Res he hadn't ignited but grass was still just as affected by the flames as if being put to the torch by a normal fire. As was wood. Once he landed firmly on his feet he pivoted on one leg swinging the other outward doing a grounded round-house kick. He then punched outward suddenly attacking an invisible foe. He jabbed at this foe with his right fist whilst simultaneously blocking with his engulfed left forearm. He ducked low, dodging an imagined kick to the head.

Aoren pulled his fists in as close as he dared. He could feel the heat of the magical flames aching to lick at his exposed torso but it wasn't long before he thrust one fist forward and then the other going into a barrage of punches to an equally, albeit imaginary, torso just in front of him. He did an uppercut then thrust a knee into his opponent's unseen stomach, punched into his invisible face and brought both fists down onto his imaginary skull. Aoren did another unassisted back-flip by just lunging into the air, somersaulting away from his recovering foe. He could feel the heat of the fire close to his face but was careful not to bring his arms close enough to burn unprotected skin. When he landed on his feet he held his arms out to his sides with his palms upward and fingers grasping the air like claws. He growled low in his chest the corded muscles along his strong torso flexing. His arms were straining as if he were fighting against unseen chains trying to pull him down to the ground. He planted his feet, spread his legs roughly shoulder width apart and crouched slightly.

Clenching his fists he took a deep calming breath, a lethal clarity evident on his face. His cobalt blue eyes seemed to glow, highlighted by the azure flames that engulfed his arms. Bringing his arms up and sweeping them low, Aoren began to gesture as if he were conjuring some beast from the far reaches of some otherworldly realm. The fire around his forearms snaked down into his now open palms collecting there to form two spheres of dark blue fire. Aoren added the rest of the Res that he'd conjured to the fireballs then pressed the two flaming orbs together to form one large fireball. With a warlike cry he jut both arms outward sending the fireball rocketing forth toward an unoccupied tree. The fireball splashed against the trunk in a brilliant explosion of orange and blue flames. The grass immediately caught fire and the wood of the tree began to burn in quick succession. Aoren didn't seem worried.

He walked to the center of the clearing and raised his arms high conjuring his Res once again. He willed the fires in the clearing to be drawn to his Res. Like fireflies being drawn to a torch the fires that had begun to spread flung themselves at Aoren's upraised hands. The Res he'd conjured was immediately ignited upon contact with the natural fires. He made a slicing motion with both arms and the fire dissipated into the air like a web being broken by the breeze. Ash and embers drifted away on the wind. There was a fine sheen of sweat upon Aoren's brow and his torso but he smiled and gave a firm nod as if deeply satisfied with the display of power he'd just performed.

"Now if I could just do that on my legs without setting my pants on fire." He placed his hands on his hips with a sigh and looked down at his feet. He shook his head before running his hands through his short-cropped hair. He returned to the center of the clearing and seated himself assuming his meditative pose once more.

It was time to work his the second element he could command.

[Raven Nightfoot]

Raven was neither expecting nor was she prepared for what she saw, she had to stifle a gasp when she first saw the man emitting the glistening magical substance, he was a mage! After coating his arms in the substance they burst into flames and Raven held back another gasp while she watched in awe as he went about his training. Most citizens of Syliras were suspicious of people who practised the mystic arts, but Raven figured like most of the other things they were suspicious of, it was probably something they just didn't understand all to well. As she watched the 'heated' scene ahead, she felt a small pang of unease, it clearly wasn't the best idea to be messing with a mage. Who knew what he was capable of, or might do if he found out she had been spying on him. But, although there were definite cons to the situation, she still couldn't bring herself to abandon her new little hobby, it was much too enjoyable to give up just because of a little danger, if anything the danger made it MORE enjoyable. Once the mage had finished his rather impressive display of acrobatics and 'fire magic' and had come out of it seemingly unscathed, Raven figured that was enough stalking for the day and began to slowly descend from the tree. She climbed down from the tree with relative ease and began to sneak away with a minimal amount of noise. That was until she stepped on an unseen fallen branch which sent a rather loud snapping sound through the area as it broke. Raven winced as the sound reached her ears, she wasn't naïve enough to think the handsome mage hadn't heard it, even though she was a reasonable distance from him. "Petch!" she muttered under her breath as she ducked behind a nearby tree, but it was too late he knew someone was there...and so, without a second thought, she fled. She broke off into a sprint through the forest, she didn't know how he would react to being spied on, but the odds were that he wouldn't be happy. Couple that with his magic, and the fact that Raven was a young relatively helpless woman in the middle of the woods with no would-be rescuers within earshot and the solution was obvious...run. As she sprinted through the forest, she made sure to put every tree she passed between her pursuer in an attempt to avoid being seen. She didn't know whether or not he had seen her, or gotten a good enough look, or even if he WAS chasing her but she was taking all the precautions. "Safety first." she said to herself as she ran, not daring to look back. She had to dive over several bushes as she fled, landing with a roll and getting right back into her run..."Is he even chasing me? This better not all be for nothing." she said between breaths.

[Aoren]

Aoren's ears perked up at the snapping of the branch breaking his meditative concentration. Without a second thought he grabbed his quarterstaff from where it lay on the ground and jumped to his feet dropping into defensive stance. He waited for a moment bracing himself for what he believed would be the inevitable ambush of some wild beast. That was when he heard the muffled voice of a disgruntled person and suddenly someone was dashing away from the clearing with wild abandon.

Aoren wasted no time in pursuing whoever it was that had been creeping up on him as he practiced in the clearing. How much had they seen? Were they a bandit? He'd heard rumors of a band of brigands terrorizing the countryside using guerrilla tactics to avoid the Syliran Knights. He'd be damned if he was going to be their next victim. Maybe it had been a scout. Dashing into the woods he kept his eyes and ears on alert. Whoever was running wasn't trying to escape him very stealthily. They were running as if Rhysol himself were on their heels. Using his quarterstaff as an aid he bounded through the forest leaping over rocks and tangled roots on the ground that would have otherwise tripped him. He jumped up to grab a hold of the branches of a tree and using his forward momentum he leaped from one sturdy branch to the next amongst the tightly packed webbing of trees and branches of the Bronze Wood.

Aoren chased the would-be spy, catching glimpses of him in the underbrush or hearing his hurried footsteps not far from where he was perched. He landed on a branch of a tree and stopped there for a moment listening to the sound of the forest. The supposed bandit scout, or at least that's who Aoren assumed it must have been, had managed to lose him. He frowned and with surprising grace for such a big man he dropped onto the ground landing firmly on his feet. He was surrounded by the trunks of trees and bushes bearing many dark purple berries. Aoren knelt and placed a hand on the ground looking for any sort of tracks that might lead him in the right direction. He swept away dead leaves and some dirt to reveal a footprint in the ground. The slightest of indentations that told Aoren this person, whoever they were, was very light footed. He stood up looking in the direction that the footprint was pointed.

"Where are you?" He mumbled to himself narrowing his eyes. As he stood there something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. There it was. Much like the day before. A single strand of dark black hair made obvious by the way it caught the light of the sun. Aoren caught it in his hand. This was definitely too much of a coincidence to ignore it. Aoren stared at the footprint and the strand of hair. He had all he needed. Resting his staff against his shoulder and staring at the strand of hair he brushed the fingers of his opposite hand over the shimmering Seer's Lily that was emblazoned on the back of his right hand.

The Lily glistened more brightly, catching Syna's light with delicate beauty and Aoren heard the familiar chime of the winds as they seemed to sing with the music of another world. Aoren's eyes glazed over. The cobalt irises went cloudy and he found himself walking a very different world where time and space meant nothing. To the casual observer it would appear as if Aoren had simply gone very still and entered a deep meditation. He took in a deep breath, the threads of destiny continually spiraling around him. He was quickly approaching the thread he needed to find. Guided by the strand of hair clutched between his fingers it would not take him long to find whomever it was that had been following him.

Like a dream, Aoren suddenly saw where he was standing, his body lost in the Ukalas as he divined the Chavi. Then the scene panned away from Aoren following a trail through the forest blazing past trees, bushes, and coming up behind a shapeless person crouched behind a tree and there the vision ended. Aoren blinked a few times as the music and beauty of the Chavena faded. He took a calming breath and looked in the direction the vision had guided him.

"There you are." He released the strand of hair and quietly followed the trail that had been set out for him. He walked as silently as he could manage knowing that he would be coming up behind whoever it was that had been spying on him. Within short order he heard elevated breathing. He heard the distinct mumbling of...a woman? Aoren dropped to a kneeling position behind a bush not far from where the woman was hiding.

"Is he even chasing me? This better not be all for nothing."

Aoren set his quarterstaff in the dirt. If she meant him harm he had other means of defending himself. Taking a calming breath he quietly got into a crouched position then without any hesitation he pushed himself up into the air jumping up over the bushes only to land on his feet in the dirt directly behind the woman, albeit a few feet away. As he landed he dropped his knees slightly to absorb the impact then rose to his full height of six feet and three inches. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at the woman hiding in plain sight behind the tree.

"Chase. Over."

[Raven Nightfoot]

There she was, crouched against a tree, catching her breath. Had he seen her? Had she lost him? Was he even chasing her?...Raven's head was a whirlwind of questions with no answers. "Chase Over." With those two short words all her questions were answered, although she wished they hadn't been. Her entire body froze in fear as the words reached her ears, dread washing over her. What was she going to do? She could fight but he had magic and she certainly wasn't fire-proof, she could run...but again she wasn't fire-proof and besides, he had already caught her once. She would just have to surrender and accept her fate, or at least try and stall until she finds another opportunity. She took a deep breath to calm herself and finally stood up, arms raised in surrender as she turned to face her pursuer. "I guess curiosity did kill the cat after all." she said as she stepped out, her voice cautious but it still had it's usual flirty confident tone. There he stood, topless with arms crossed, even with the threat of impending doom looming over her, Raven couldn't help but be attracted to the handsome young mage. Her amber eyes trailed up hIs muscled form until they reached his, those eyes, deep blue like the ocean, contrasting her own. There she stood, eyes locked on his as she awaited her fate.

[Aoren]

"Then it is a good thing you are not a cat." Aoren eyed the dark haired woman. He arched an eyebrow at her strange attire. The sleek black leather that clung to her athletic figure left very little to the imagination. He shook his head banishing any lewd thoughts. The normal attire for both men and women in Syliras was far more reserved. The sight if what she was wearing threw him off kilter for just a moment.

"Why were you spying on me?" The whole point of Aoren going into the wilderness was to get away from people. He had no desire to endanger people with some of the techniques he practiced. There were days where he conjured whole gale force winds capable of ripping through a lightly armored man. Other times his fire technique didn't go so well and he quickly needed to extinguish the flames. On the days when thunderstorms rolled through the region he combined the elements of Fire and Air and brought down spears of lightning, testing the limits of his power and endurance. The first lesson he'd ever learned with magic was that it was an inherently wild force that required an iron will to control.

"You do realize that I could have hurt you?" He sighed dropping his arms to his sides. Regardless of why she had been spying on him it didn't matter. He needed to get back to the clearing and gather his things. Now that he knew who had been peeping on him he didn't feel as threatened. Whoever this woman was she obviously hasn't been interested in attacking him otherwise she wouldn't have run from him. He shrugged his shoulders then went to the other side of the bushes he'd jumped over to collect his quarterstaff. He picked it up then turned back around to face the woman. He leaned on the staff for a moment, studying her face scrutinizing it for any sign of danger. If he truly wanted to know her intentions he only had to meditate for a short while. Aoren avoided such intrusions into other people's pasts if could help it.

"If you wanted to train or to just watch me practice you could have asked." With that he that he kicked up the butt of his staff, twirling it in a dexterous display of proficiency tipping his shoulder that he may loop his arms over the shaft taking a leisurely stance. He quirked his head at her for a moment awaiting her answers to his questions.

[Raven Nightfoot]

Raven nervously pulled at a strand of her dark medium length hair, her amber eyes still locked on those of the handsome mage. His reply allowed her to relax almost immediately since he had at least implied he wasn't about to kill her. Then came the obvious question, which she had been expecting. "Spying? That's a bit extreme, it was more like watching." she teased, a small smirk finding it's way to her face. it wasn't exactly a lie, she was after all just watching, spying implied there was an agenda. "I'm more worried about what you're 'planning' on doing, not so much about what you 'could' have done." she replied as she watched him unfold his arms and relax. His calm demeanour annoyed her somewhat, it was as if he didn't feel threatened by her in the slightest, probably because she was a woman. The mage had dropped his arms and turned around to pick up his staff completely carefree, to which Raven reacted by crossing her arms. She ignored his comment about the training and voiced her thoughts, a hint of annoyance in her expression and voice, "What? Now that you've seen I'm a woman you don't feel threatened anymore?" In all honesty, she wasn't much of a threat at all, but the mere fact that he had just made the assumption within seconds of seeing her was what hit a nerve. For all he knew, she WAS spying on him to gain information to use against him or to tell her gang, she could even be a mage for all he knew(assuming mages cannot instinctively spot other mages that is). His lack of caution just seemed a bit arrogant to her.