Completed Escape (Beodan)

[Roselina]

30th of Winter Regret wasn't something Roselina felt often, but she was definetly feeling it now. Her mind was full of curses, ones that she would of spoken, but couldn't because of her lack of breath. She panted heavily as she ran away from the angered man. She knew she shouldn't have tried that trick, not on a bartender, not on someone who knew what they were buying. It was idiotic, really. However she had been having a bad day, and it was a bit of fun which she craved. She really enjoyed seeing people falling her her tricks. This person hadn't. Roselina had tried to sell him a bottle of drink, which she had filled up with water. He did, and then when he found out that it wasn't, he was furious. The man wasn't one to go to the knights,so his sheer stubbornness caused him to find her and want his money back. She had ran, her cloak flapped behind her, and she stumbled on her skirt, her hair tangled and messy from the wind. It's a good thing that Morwen didn't bring winter this year. Roselina thought to herself, or she wouldn't be able to run this fast. She continued to run, a while away from Syrilas at this time, but she knew she would need to stop soon.

[Beodan Clathony]

The Herbalist had been blessed with a mild start to winter, at least when it came to plant care. No unexpected frosts or anything of the sort. Which was why he still had not unpotted his more fragile herbs to be dried and kept for when he needed them. No, as long he was able to stretch his harvest, he would do so. Which is why he found himself trudging back from Sahfri’s place in the city, with a pack that felt considerably lighter than when he had started

A soul pair of moccasins clomped against the road methodically, the muffled clinking of many hefty glass jars accompanying each step. One of the straps to the pack hung, broken, at his side, one shoulder baring the entire load. He really needed to learn how to sew better, but for now he was stuck carrying it in human form, for he could not strap the broken pack to his other form by himself. Dan grumbled, he could have been there and back four times by now had he hooves instead of clumsy shoes. His coat was doing a good job of keeping him safe from the nip of winter, though given half a moon that would change. Perhaps some professional clothing repairs, and, indeed, new clothes were in order! What else would he spend his gold on? Expensive seeds that were beyond his skill level to cultivate and inevitably kill. Right.

Hearing the patter of running feet behind him, he cocked his head, the hair on his neck standing up. He shuffled a bit faster along the road unconsciously, a bit of nervousness coming over him. They were almost upon him now, and seemed to be heading directly at him. He dodged one side without looking, but it seemed the runner had had similar plans, and it seemed fate made a collision inevitable. His hands scraped against the cobble road, drawing some surface scratches on his palms as he caught himself as best he good. Enter pack, whose lopsided center of mass pulled him to one side where he landed with a sharp exhale of air.

Blinking, Dan shrugged off his pack and rolled onto his back, looking up at the sky wearily for just a moment before struggling to his feet. He dusted of his trousers and extended a hand to his partner in stumbles, “Sorry ‘bout that. M’ hood does a pretty good job making sound come from every which way. You alright there, miss?”

[Roselina]

She hit the ground with a thud, and a sigh, of course now would be when she ran into someone, she had glanced behind her at her chaser, and had collided. She had took minor scratches to her hands and legs,but those didn't bother her, she was used to them. She accepted the hand and smiled at the man thankfully, she looked at him, no one would underestimate him, he appeared to be quite strong. The man who had been chasing her wouldn't want any witnesses either. He should be deterred from chasing her for now. She winced and cursed under her breath as she stood she stood, realising her ankle was twisted, so even if the man did follow, she couldn't run away. Roselina looked at the man, he didn't appear to be that dangerous, less dangerous than people she had been against before anyway. So she responded to his question politely,though she was having trouble hiding her annoyance. "I'm fine, just a twisted ankle. Really sorry by the way, I got into a tad of trouble that I needed to get away from, are you alright?" She was a young girl, about 20, and of normal height. She was thin, she looked a little underfed, but still she looked normal for a poor person. Roselina didn't appear to be threatening, but she had a dagger on the inside of her cloak, which was currently on show, as her cloak had been twisted upon her fall. Glancing behind herself slightly worriedly, she noticed the man had gone, and she let out a slight sigh of relief.

[Beodan Clathony]

The Kelvic frowned, looking down to her wounded ankle. It would start to swell soon, but perhaps later than usual because of the low temperature. He cocked his head, a tad of trouble? How much trouble was that to have her running away from the city? “Yeah, just a bit scraped up” he replied, freeing his hair from the hood and giving it a ruffle. “What kind of trouble are we talking here? I suppose you’d rather not go to the city in any case. Come to my Abode, it’s in the woods not too far from here. Might be tricky with that ankle, but we’ll stick to the paths,” he offered, gesturing off the road to the northwest. He offered her an arm for support, if willing, lead her along the road away from the city.

About 15 chimes later, they entered his clearing. A large tent sat at the far end, tied to many sturdy trees along its edge. To the left of the entrance flap sat many plant pots in a range of sizes, some empty, some overflowing with greenery. On the left side sat some beds of plants, and a few small trees. A fire pit sat empty with charred logs and ash lining the bottom, polished logs arranged around the edge to provide a place to sit. Dan spoke, “Home sweet home. Would you like some peppermint tea? I’ll get a fire going in anycase, you must be cold in that dress.”

Spreading some of the ash aside, Beodan unearthed an orange, softly glowing ember. He fed it dried moss, and two lungfuls of breath later the coal’s appetite for consumption had awoken, and flames licked up the sides of the mossy ball. He strengthened it with kindling, until it was powerful enough to consume a large split log. Fire made, he heated a kettle filled with rainwater next to the fire, and set about picking out herbs for the tea. Peppermint, of course, perhaps a little comfrey for health, and just a hint of dried chamomile petals. These went to the bottom of glazed ceramic cups, weighty but not to the point that heat would not seep into your fingers through the glass. An overall homely feel.

Sitting down with a contented sigh on the log across from her, he asked, “So, what brought you here? What's your story, miss…”

[Roselina]

Roselina smiled at him, deciding, against her better judgement to trust the man, she wasn't sure why, but she did this anyway. "Promise you won't report me to the knights?" She winked at him and chuckled slightly. "I'm a con-artist, I know I don't look like I would be, but I am. I mean, I'm not a terrible person or anything, and I won't con you, honest. " She paused for a moment and then continued " A man figured out I'd tricked him, and he wanted his money back, I ran, he followed, with a knife." She leant on his arm, greatful for the support, and smiled at him. Once they reached where the man lived, she looked around. It was much different than her dim apartment back in the city, and she liked it. Nature was a thing she liked to be in, but not something her job permitted. She took a seat and spoke in response to his question "Yes, that would be nice." She took a sip of the tea when she was given it and chuckled a bit at his question " My story?" She smiled at him curiously, avoiding the question , not wanting to speak of her past. "We only just met, and I'd more like to hear yours. Let's start with names, I'm Roselina. "

[Beodan Clathony]

“Wouldn’t dream of it! Knights tend to be a little wary of Kelvics, makes interaction a little odd, though I do have a few friends in the force. Mostly through work though,” Dan replied to what was probably a rhetorical question. He rubbed the stubble on his chin, trying to recall if he had ever met a con artist before. A con was bad, but maybe a con artist meant something entirely different? Like painting some kind of clay? Having nothing that obviously disproved this theory, he was happy to live in his own little version of reality. She took his arm, smiling up at him, her green eyes flashing through fringes of washed-out brown hair. He began form a grin in reply, when a strange, and all too familiar feeling swelled in him. A gripping at his heart with cold steel, seeming to draw him close to thrust him upon his company’s soul. Fearful, he looked away, gulping. Somewhat forced, he chuckled to play off his odd moment. Hopefully she would attribute it to a racial quirk, as so many often did in the city.

Back in the clearing, soon after he had asked his question, the kettle steamed aggressively from its place near the glowing coals. With a cloth, the Herbalist grabbed the handle and winced at the heat of it despite the insulation. In a frighteningly short amount of ticks, both mugs were full, leaves swirling around their depths. It was almost as if he had done this before. The sweet smell of peppermint soon wafted around the clearing, mixing with the crisp air and cedar smoke to create a delightful medley of scents if one was inclined to notice and enjoy such things.

Dan nodded in a manner that betrayed his equestrian half, happy to talk about himself if that is what he wished. Roselina. “That’s a rather pretty name. Should’ve made rosehip tea instead!” he teased, though not quite joking. He did have some lovely rose hips and petals kept with that purpose in mind. Third shelf on the right, second and third place. Compulsive, perhaps. Organized, definitely. Looking into his cup, the light of the fire dancing across the surface, he introduced, “I’m Beodan Clathony, but call me Dan, pretty much everyone that knows me does. Best herbalist horse in Syliras! I mostly make money either treating folks or selling herbs in the city, though as you may have noticed I don’t really have much use for money other than food, tools, and some of the more rare plants that people bring in.”

The Kelvic looked up at her then, the warm light of the fire causing her eyes to shimmer, and her features to soften. She was wiry, perhaps a little too much so, but it was hard to tell with the cloak adding bulk. “Anyway, I…” he trailed off, shaking his head. He felt turned around all of a sudden, abdomen growing warm. Had he put the wrong herbs in the tea? Impossible, surely! Perhaps she could feel it too, he met her evergreen gaze. Ah! He felt a great needle pierce his soul, stabbing right through with a thread trailing behind. Somewhat panicked, he resisted the strings progress towards Roselina. He felt the icy hand start to tighten its grip on him. No, it was time. He exhaled a breath he had not known he was holding, and the metaphorical thread completed its journey. A gasp, as emotions that were not his entered his mind in a flood, he blinked.

“Oh.”

[Roselina]

Roselina felt a strange feeling come over her, perhaps she was sick, she thought to herself. She saw him look puzzled and giggled slightly "You seem confused, a con artist isn't a good trade, if that's what your confused about." Strangely enough, she felt an urge to be truthful with him, though she spent almost every day of her life telling lies. He looked away, and then chuckled. Maybe it was his a thing Kelvics did, but it seemed as if he was hiding something. She then felt strangely drawn to the man across from her, like something was tugging at her soul. She took a sip of her tea, and smiled at him as he talked about her name, she laughed "You must have an impressive selection of herbs." Roselina felt it again,a strong tug, yet it was more urgent than before. She frowned for a second before masking it with a grin "I like your name, sounds fancy." She tried to speak agin, yet found she couldn't. She was feeling, awful, for she had no better word to describe it. It was strange, she had never felt it before, but with each second she felt more attatched to the Kelvic across from her. She began to feel different emotions, ones that weren't hers. She sputtered, panicked, losing the front she often kept. "What was that?" Her tone was calm, too calm, but her face betrayed her true emotions.

[Beodan Clathony]

The poor Kelvic blushed at her question and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Knowing exactly what had happened and knowing just how entwined their paths would be in the future did nothing to stop his sudden self-consciousness. He had been on his own for a long while now. He did his best to send Rose some feelings of calm contentment, but it was likely tainted with the nervousness and excitement for the future that was rapidly filling up his body. He had a bondmate! Torn between jumping for joy, embracing his new partner of soul, and/or having more tea, Dan decided that it would be best to answer her question, at least as best as he could. In this, he believed that feeling was more important than any amount of words he could say, even if he was good with them.

“Ah, that was...err… the bond forming. I don’t know if you’ve met many Kelvics, but you’ve met me, and.. Oh..well. We need a bond to live in perfect health, generally speaking,” he started, furrowing his brow and taking a deep sip of tea as if that would help ease his thoughts in their quest to leave his mouth. “Bother, I’m not good at this. I honestly don’t know how any of this works, but, the divines have decided we are a compatible duo,” he admitted, scooting closer to her, gesturing with his hands to punctuate the point he was trying to make. Continuing, he met her wild green eyes, “It means we will always have someone there for us, someone to lean on when life throws obstacles in our way.” He chuckled genuinely, at the fact that she already had leaned on him. Perhaps, with the universe’s sense of humor, they were given a blessing for their future.

Beodan shuddered, unused to sharing in the emotions of another. It was not a bad feeling, not at all, just a different one. This emotional link is what would bring them closer than any two people could ever hope to be, for it ensured honesty and intimacy. How could you willingly hurt someone that you shared pains with, after all?

“How do you feel?”

After a few chimes, a desire to know more about her struck him. “Where do you live? Do you have any family in the city?

[Roselina]

She smiled faintly at him after he explained the bond, she still felt worried, perhaps a bit more because he was nervous aswell. Roselina didn't feel that bad if she was honest, she felt a mixture of emotions, some good, some bad. She hadn't even had a friend since her brother died. She smiled at him, regaining her confidence again, "I feel strange, though I'm sure i'll get used to this." She felt a pang of sadness, at his question, but smiled again "I live in an apartment deep in the city, its not a nice place but I have a roof over my head.“ She paused for a second, thinking of how to answer his question. ”All the family I cared about died long ago, so atleast in my opinion, I do not.” She was silent for a while before turning to him “What about you then?”

[Beodan Clathony]

OOCIn general, I and probably the vast majority of mizahar prefer for you to post half as often and write twice as much. Depending on the Grader, Graders will get upset if the post length is too short. Try to shoot for 350-500 words at the very least, and detail will spawn detail! You will enjoy the thread more for your investment, I promise!

The Bonded Kelvic nodded vigorously, affirming, “You will get used to it quicker than you think! It truly is the most natural thing in the world, when it comes to Kelvics at least.” He took a sip of tea and set the cup down close to the fire to reheat. While still not truly cold, the cool wind was still able to make perfectly hot tea lukewarm in a matter of ticks and nobody wanted that. He chewed a bit of peppermint, his teeth causing a rush of a sharp icy sensation to slide along his tongue. As he added another log, a feeling of sadness from the new link caused him to pause just before the flames and look at Rose with concern. Set at ease with a smile, he tossed the log into the pit to a chorus of pops and snaps as tree sap ignited within the wood.

Dan hummed his agreement; the appartments were far too stuffy and enclosed for his liking. The only thing that made them bearable was the quality of the company he kept. Come to think of it, they were pretty cosy with the right furniture and decorations. Flowers were best, especially tasty ones (though those never lasted long, for some unknown horse related reason), they never failed to liven up a room. He figured he was safe, the countless hanging herbs excused his need for decoration as you could hardly see across the room most of the time. At her next reply, he frowned. Putting a hand on her arm, he said softly, “I’m sorry. Never really knew my parents. I’ve a brother, though he never stays put for long, so I don’t really see him.”

Warming his hands by the fire, then reclaiming his tea, “I’ve friends in the city, but no family. Some of them I’m close enough to that they could be family I suppose. My friend ‘Lira works up at the spa, such a nice girl, always seems to have time to try out some new concoctions of mine,” he laughed then, “Come to think of it, I almost gave her trouble one time when I put in the wrong ingredient! The senior healer caught my mistake by the smell though, never made it again.” And it was true, he hadn’t. The thought of hurting his friends had been a powerful motivator, on top of his already burning passion for all things green.