Flashback Waste Another Night Or Two

[Sigriet]

Date: Fall 83, 508AV
Time: Late Night

There was simply no denying the fact that Lhavit was a breathtaking city, especially at night, when most of the inhabitants roused and became active. There was almost no limit to the amount of things that could be seen and done, especially after dark. However, sometimes, the sheer amount of activities and beautiful scenery wasn't enough to make someone satisfied with the place that they had called home. Sometimes, there came a time when moving on seemed like the best possible option.

Sigriet sighed to herself as she prowled down one of the many streets, finally returning to the residence that she had called home for as long as she could remember. The young woman was bored out of her mind and returning home early: it wasn't exactly uncommon for her to be bored and restless in the middle of the night, especially given the fact that she had been an insomniac for quite a while, preferring to roam the streets in search of something to occupy her mind with until she was able to return home and finally rest. However, that night was different. No amount of roaming and looking, stargazing and window-shopping had worked. She was bored, restless and just plain not tired.

Perhaps if there hadn't been much on her mind, she would have been able to sleep easier. But such things were neither here nor there. Finally, she returned to her residence and entered through the low window that she had left open. Perhaps she'd just laze around and draw for a while; maybe that would help her become tired. She had no idea and wasn't entirely certain if it mattered much. The day had been rather wasted and she'd made a point of making herself scarce; the evening had been the same way. What better method for dealing with such things than by lazing about further? She couldn't think of a better thing to do. And that was just what she planned on doing. Once she was certain that her entrance had gone unnoticed, at least.

((Yay for not-so-great first posts! As always, following posts will be much better!))

[Myrios Aelammur]

As the time of rest faded and the city came to life, so too did Myrios. He near rolled from his bed with a stretch of his back, his fine-fit half Isur frame flexing and relaxing with a sigh. As usual he slips on his undergarmets, trousers and tunic before heading out into the common room of their parents' house. As usual he had kept his door locked, what with his sister in the house and his sleeping nude. It was only in kindness, of course. In the family's common room where the structure was more sturdy, a thick punching bag hung by chains tied around one of the rafter's cross-sections. A good post-rest exercise always helped him wake up. The first punch brought a tingling to his numb arm, the second only mirrored the effect. Two more from each fist made the feeling almost unbearable, but he continued on. That was just the sleep leaving the tired muscles, as far as he was concerned. He turns into a strong knee to send the bag swinging back, then with the other leg he caught it with a strong kick to redirect its path. When the door opens he spared only a glance. He already knew it was Sigriet, who else would be awake during the rest hours? He could not help but feel sorry for her, that bothersome sleep illness kept her almost wired long after she should sleep. Maybe that's why she's so mischevious? The thought brought a grin to his lips. After another strong open palm jab to the hanging bag, he caught it on the return against his chest. "Welcome home, Sig. Enjoy your walk?" He spoke with a glance over to her, feigning a lack of interest. In truth, he had to be interested. Knowing her there was a high chance the next time she entered it would be in a roughed up state. Always looking for trouble, he thought. By now, he was used to it. At least she had branched out. Back when they were younger, he was her primary target. Those were definitely not too pleasant.

[Sigriet]

As Sigriet kicked her boots off and slowly closed the common-room window she had entered through to refrain from disturbing anyone, a smirk curved her lips at a very familiar sound that reached her ears. She wasn't the only one awake; but that wasn't necessarily surprising. In fact, it was only expected, for in the city, there was usually no better time than to be awake. It was such a shame that she had been unable to catch Myrios off-guard; he was just far too fun to pick on when she was able to.

Were the truth to be known, she actually enjoyed her sleep illness most of the time: it made it easier to come and go as she pleased without disturbing anyone. She shrugged and peered about the dimly-lit common room, pretending that she hadn't even heard his question, then sighed, flopping unceremoniously onto the threadbare couch. "No," She admitted at last, "Not this time, Myri. Have you ever noticed how boring it is here sometimes?"

Indeed, she'd been out prowling for trouble and looking for danger; neither of which she had been successful in finding. She'd have enjoyed herself immensely if she had managed to instigate a brawl or would have stumbled across something that she shouldn't have seen. Of course, she was alluding to something with her question, but she actually was interested in hearing his opinion at the same time. She couldn't have been the only one who thought the whole city had become immensely boring.

In a way, she wished things had remained the way they were just a few years ago. At least back then, she could have satisfied her desire to have fun by simply picking on Myrios. In recent years, she swore that he had somehow learned to watch for the signs that she was plotting something that he might not have enjoyed. Or perhaps she was just starting to become paranoid and disillusioned. Regardless of what the truth of the matter was, she wasn't entirely certain that it mattered either way anyhow.

She shrugged and shifted to a more comfortable position, flinging her legs over the nearest arm of the couch, pretending that the shadows that flickered and danced across the ceiling were the most interesting thing that she had ever laid eyes on. Sig wasn't picking an argument yet, but the question she was awaiting a response to could very well have been a loaded one.

[Myrios Aelammur]

Oh no, another one of her mysterious questions. Every time he answered one of these, it ended up biting him in the backside, usually more than once in fact. He sighed as a way to prolongue his time to think. Turning back to his punching bag and throwing a few fist its way, he shrugged as it swung away. With a kick sending it to one side he stole only a glance back, with it he offered two words. "Can't say." It was true. This place had its ups and downs, but it was bearable. "I like the naps and the celebrations." Of course he did, between working at the forge and punching things, he'd look for any excuse to sleep or party without making his mother mad. He was the goody-goody to his sister's naughty streak. Another kick with the sole of his foot pushing the punching bag back gave him another moment to glance her way. "Why do you ask?" That should keep my rear safe... Of course, it was only assumption his answer had been neutral. He had picked out only two things to defend an entire city, but he had not said anything otherwise wrong about it. Maybe, just maybe she'd simply speak her mind. Who am I kidding? This is a cat and mouse game all over again, and I'm not the one sipping cream and living large. Funny thing was, he could remember times when he'd played the war-dog for her snarky tail only to become the mouse again the very next day. Still, he stood his ground. If he was anything, it would be steady. She played the roof, always on top. He was just the pillar to keep her up. Myrios returned his focus to the punching bag just before it had hit him. Using his brow to bash it back then doubling with a high knee, he attempted to make himself look as casually disinterested as possible in her questions. As far as he could tell it worked.

[Sigriet]

Catching on, are you? That's not fair! It seemed as though Myrios had learned the dual nature of Sigriet's seemingly innocent questioning; that nothing could ever really be the way that it seemed with her. She snorted and shook her head, not fully believing the perfectly non-committal answer he'd given. "Really?" She inquired, a bit of amusement and disbelief coloring her voice, "Of course you can say... unless you'd like me to start giving your opinions to you when I ask for them?" That question was deadpanned; though she was beginning to entertain herself with the inquiries she was posing. There was a reason behind them; a couple of reasons actually, but she wasn't going to make things easy.

The city wasn't as boring as she made it out to be; not by a long shot actually. Not only were there the festivals and celebrations, but the marketplace was rather large as well and the taverns were nicer than most. However, Sig wasn't the type who could be contented to work, sleep and go shopping, or sit around at one of the taverns and converse or catch one of the latest rumors. Boredom sat in far too quickly with her, especially when she was having difficulties finding or instigating trouble. Most nights, she would have just settled for brawling, but sometimes tavern patrons just weren't drunk enough or in the mood to brawl with anyone, no matter how loud-mouthed she was. The festivals and celebrations were fun, she had to give it that much, though.

When she wasn't drawing something, etching her designs into one weapon or another, or just aimlessly roaming in search of excitement, she was horribly, almost painfully bored. Sleep meant little to her and she honestly could not see what anyone could find appealing about a city that was, for the most part, rather peaceful. Of course, there was always the fact that she was great at getting into trouble with her mother, especially when she decided to stay away from home for a few days at a time. Or when their funds would turn up missing and mysteriously, Sig would be in possession of something that she purchased on impulse. Never once did it cross her mind to consider how much of a headache she was to those around her; such thoughts simply did not matter to her.

"Why do I ask?" She asked again, sitting up properly at last and leaning forward a bit, that smirk becoming an odd little smile; yes, she was plotting something. Of course she wasn't just going to speak her mind; there would have been no satisfaction in just admitting what she was thinking, or coming right out and spilling her plan. No, she wanted to see Myrios squirm a little before she did something like that! If luck was on her side, he'd rise and take the bait like he had before; it was always fun when he tried to stand up to her. "Why do I ask? That is a very good question. If you got out more often and bothered to do something fun every now and again, you'd see for yourself!" It wasn't that strong of an attack. Yet. But it was building up; she was just guiding him in the direction she wanted to go, getting ready to pounce.

Sometime later, when the opportunity arose, she would bring up her underlying scheme, her one major plan. But not right now, there were other things to do. It was just the way that she operated, concocting schemes woven in amongst other schemes and ideas, until they formed a convoluted and tangled web that usually began and ended with some sort of excitement or at least a bit of danger. "Would you stop playing around and pay attention?" She demanded at last. "I don't think you've even bothered to do anything interesting in a very long time, so you'd better get ready." It was just one of her many schemes that night. She was going to take (or drag) Myrios to one of the taverns, something that she didn't believe she'd tried to do before; or at least she didn't remember trying. Perhaps that would prove to be amusing enough, if the idea played out in her favor.

[Myrios Aelammur]

Amusing, huh? I can already see this going horribly wrong. The thought made him sigh as soon as it popped into his head For the moment all Myrios could do was get a few more licks on the punching bag before she did something crazy to stop his early exercises. "I have fun all the time. I enjoy my job, my room, my life." I even met someone yesterday. Of course, he would not give that bit of information to her. That would be relationship suicide... "If you weren't such a weird thrillseeker you could be happy too. Who can you hurt for your pleasure, and how can you involve your heavy fisted little brother into your games." That was exactly how he saw it. He even had the feeling she was going to drag him along... Sigriet had never managed to coax him on one of her trips. As soon as he could walk he was aware that Sig was not the type to follow, she would lead you right off a cliff if it looked fun. "Just get to the point, Sig, before the next rest comes around, preferably." Myrios stated when she told him to stop with the punching bag. For the moment it was giving him focus, letting him think clearer, answer and retaliate sharper... He always spoke easier with a heavier bloodflow, when his muscles worked and his heartbeat quickened. "I have done a lot of interesting things, Sig. Yesterday I started making a heart shaped shield for that human couple two blocks over, which you haven't started the designs for." Of course he'd try to turn it around, but he doubted it could be so easy. Sigriet had a knack for turning the tables on him with wordplay. Usually she'd have him backed in a corner, boxed in and unsure which way was up or down by the time she was finished. Today was just one of his good days. "Why don't you just say what's on your mind and I'll think it over. Who knows, if you make it easy on me, I might even say yes." That was one way to try and coax her out of this little headgame she likes to play. Make it easy on me, and I might say yes... That sounded something like she would say... That thought made him near shiver. OOCMan, I just can't seem to keep up in post size! I'm trying not to be repetitive or jump too far in each post, but trying to keep up with you is quite difficult. >_< Hope you don't mind the shorter posts.

[Sigriet]

Wait for it, just wait for it, the chance is coming... She reclined on the couch, her expression bland, bored even, despite the thoughts that whirled through her mind. Patience was not one of her greatest strengths by any stretch of the imagination, especially when she was in the mood not only for mind-games, but for seeing just how far she could push him before eliciting a response that she would have deemed satisfying. She couldn't help but laugh at his explanation, shaking her head almost helplessly. Sometimes, she could have sworn that he was hopeless. "The job's great, I'll give you that much," She replied, a hint of amusement coloring her voice, "But what could possibly be so great about your room?" What had started out as her weird, twisted way of teasing and building up anticipation began to dissipate, annoyance beginning to color her voice. "There's nothing weird about wanting to have fun!" She snapped, "What's weird is your refusal to try something different for a change! If you would loosen up a little bit, you'd see that there's more to life than sleeping and working, it's meant to be fun! Of course I want to get my little brother involved, you need to learn what it means to enjoy yourself!"

Of course, she had absolutely no idea what Myrios' social life was like; nor did she think he knew what she did for fun, other than the times when she'd sneak back in, battered, bruised and -on at least three separate occasions- somewhat bloodied. She'd never ended up convincing or cajoling him into joining her on any of her adventures, no matter how oftens he had tried to. It was actually a good thing that she wasn't followed; she would do anything, so long as it sounded like fun or she thought it was a good idea at the time, regardless of how dangerous it ended up being. Picking a fight with the largest, angriest group of drunks in a tavern, plunging headfirst off a cliff, rushing straight into the mouth of a cave: she'd probably do all three, if the thought crossed her mind. Ever since she was a young girl, there was something about her that just needed thrills in any way that she could get them, regardless of the cost and with absolutely no regard for the repercussions.

"Have you?" She inquired with feigned disinterest, not believing his statement at all. When he brought up work, she rolled her eyes and heaved a long-suffering sigh. "I thought you'd get started on it as soon as you got the order," She raised a hand and made a dismissive gesture when he reminded her that she had yet to begin the designs for the shield, "But they're not expecting it for a few days and I'll work on it later." With her, "later" could have been within a few hours, or right before the human couple would be expecting to pick up their order. Responsibility always took a backseat to laziness, she'd get around to it when she was good and ready, not beforehand.

Then, she couldn't keep from laughing when he suggested that she spoke her mind, promising to think it over. It seemed as though she had caught him on a "good" night, one in which he seemed to be more than willing to verbally spar with her, which was always entertaining. Oh, she'd usually lead him on for a while, until she decided to completely turn the tables. But she had the bad habit of prolonging things when he was actually willing to match wits with her, just because she enjoyed backing him into a corner and trapping him. By that point, she was leaning forward, staring directly at Myrios rather than pretending that something else had caught her interest, fighting not to grin. 'If you make it easy on me, I might even say yes.' Now, where have I heard something like that before? It seemed as though her little brother was picking up on a few of her phrases; which did make her proud, even if she would never come out and say something of the sort.

"Tell you what I'm thinking and you'll think it over? that won't happen. Whenever I come up with something that I think we'll both like, you always say something like that, but you never do think about it at all; you're never any fun and you're not the least bit fair. The only things you ever think about is work and sleep, it's no wonder that people think you're strange, it's because you are! It's about time that you started thinking about what other people wanted to do, what I want to do. You've called me selfish before? Well, let me tell you something, you're so selfish that you can't even be bothered to think about going somewhere with me and doing something new? And you wonder why I never try to tell you anything! I'd have better luck talking to and getting your slag pile to do anything!" She was just started to get warmed up, her voice lowering a bit, even as the cadence in which she spoke gained speed, her right foot beginning to tap in time with her words. She was only just starting to warm up and were the truth to be known, she wasn't really even too frustrated yet; she was simply starting off by throwing a series of low and cheap verbal blows to warm up with.

[Myrios Aelammur]

] For most of her chatter he kept his focus on his exercises. By now he'd already passed his usual finishing point, but given the situation he thought it best to keep going. He was on a winning streak right now, even though his punching bag was making up for it with a little extra wear and tear. Myrios did sigh when she decided to continue on the verbal warfare, but realized he should not have assumed any easier. With two kicks of his right leg without the foot touching the ground, then a jump kick from the left, he gave himself a moment as the dummy swings to consider his next move. It was never so easy. Sigriet continued on, this time fighting below the belt to try and pick at his already shaken pride. He knew people would think of him as weird, simply because he had the natural born ability no one else in the world had... He could put up with Sigriet's rambunctiousness. There was also a reason he never went anywhere with her. She was the sly and limber type who could slip in a small nook to hide when she was in trouble. what about him? He was a five foot seven inch piece of bulk. He could not hide in a covered cart, much less whatever Sigriet could. "You know I have nothing against spending time with you, dear sister, but it always has to be on your terms. Name one day when you came to work with me and ENJOYED it? Or how about one of my walks around the city, have you ever walked with me without causing trouble? How about that one time, you know, with the girl from down the road? I brought her flowers... and what did you do?" He let her finish that one... There was a reason Myrios was cautious with his social, and to greater extent, his love life. The reason was a thin insomniac with a masochistic tendencies. He threw another open palm thrust at the swinging punching bag before stepping in with a sharp whip-kick that sent it in an orbit around his body for a moment. "You know, I really liked her. If memory serves, her father said he would snap my neck if I ever saw her again." That was right before they moved clear across Lhavit... Of course, Myrios forgave Sig. He had no idea why, but to some degree it felt as if it were his own fault. "So tell me what you want to do, and promise me nothing will go horribly wrong. That includes being chased, beaten, or banned from any of the places I like to go..."

[Sigriet]

Sigriet bit her lower lip to bite back a grin as she impatiently awaited Myrios' response to her verbal onslaught. She was only getting started and while her blows had been a bit too fast, hard and low, she could have easily continued the attacks, cutting deeper with each instance that she chose to spoke. There was just no way that she would back down and let him have the upper hand; that completely went against her way of thinking and verbal warfare was one of many things that she enjoyed a great deal. Unless she would gain the upper hand or there was something that she would gain by backing down, the last thing that she would do was let anyone off easily. Unlike Myrios, or their parents, she wasn't the least bit concerned with how other people viewed her; she didn't think she had any reason to worry-- let them think the way they would! If the people she encountered talked about her behind her back, well, she only hoped that the rumors would be interesting enough to leave a mark somewhere. The reason that she never really put much stock in Myrios' trepidation about going anywhere with her was because it just never crossed her mind that the hiding places that she could find and fit into would not suit him. She did understand that the differences in their heights and girths meant that he couldn't exactly hide in or beneath a covered cart, or even a small shed; but she didn't see how such things could stop him from having fun. After all, she didn't have half the strength that he did, but she did enjoy brawling even if she lost over half of the time. He had the strength to enjoy a good fist-fight, she just didn't understand why it seemed as though he didn't like such things.

"Somehow, I just don't believe that. Of course it has to be on my terms, Myri. If it wasn't, we probably wouldn't do much of anything at all. One day when I came to work with you and enjoyed it? That's an easy one. Do you remember four days ago, when those two women came in with their order to have you make them matching daggers? I enjoyed engraving the feather patterns on the hilts quite a bit. I also had fun when we re-designed that one older warrior's sword and shield... I forget his name, he's the one who lives four blocks down. Once I can think of something, I'll enjoy coming up with the design for the couple's heart-shaped shield. Just because I don't like constantly being asked if I'm finished with something, when I've got time to do it in, doesn't mean I don't enjoy the work. When I say I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it." She sighed as she leaned back again, her voice resuming its normal cadence as she finished her explanation. However, her forehead furrowed again and her foot had not ceased its tapping as he continued his line of questioning. Though she did owe him something of an explanation for being a saboteur most of the time -and she owed the same explanation to their parents as well- it did not mean that she liked being questioned about anything. "Walking around the city is something that anyone can do any time, there's no harm in looking for something fun when you're walking around and that's all I did."

Then, he brought up a certain girl who she remembered quite well, her lips curving into a smile. That was one explanation that she'd have no problem giving at all. "Oh, her? She was pretty, but there was something about her that bugged me. So, when you weren't home and she came to visit, I 'talked' to her for a while, that's all. I can't help what her father said, but I was just looking out for you." It wasn't a lie- she had only talked to the girl; but she'd never tell just how much she had terrified the girl and made her fear for her own life. Her words were punctuated with mirthful laughter as she dragged a hand through her hair, only serving to dishevel it even more than usual. "But you know, when I brought people home that I liked, you chased them off as well."

She shrugged. Her tone was more conversational than anything else. She was curious about why he had chased away two of her three most recent potential lovers; she was interested in hearing the explanation as it was and probably would find it to be entertaining. She had her reasons for dealing with Myrios' potential lovers: the sadistic and masochistic young woman, in her own twisted way, believed that she was actually protecting her little brother when she saw something she didn't like about one of the girls that she'd end up becoming acquainted with. She honestly didn't think she was doing anything wrong at all and she couldn't fault Myrios either; she just thought he had poor taste in women. "I know you won't come with me to Scholar's Demise, so let's go to the Plaza, there's always something happening there and you've got my word, there's nothing that will go wrong at all." A promise from Sig was never worth very much, but she had to try to put Myri's worries at rest at least until they got there. Her reason for wanting to go was simply because she didn't want to just stay at home until after the next rest; there could have been any number of interesting things going on at any time. Besides, it was a better idea to be away from home when she sprung her newest idea on him, so neither one of them woke their sleeping parents with the arguing match that could potentially ensue.