By the side of the Fire (Open)

[Aello]

A mercenary? Interesting Aello thought, silently believing that the world had more than enough of those around, and that their kind seemed to be somewhat... shady, for a lack of a better term. After all, they essentially took money to fight alongside people, and knock others off. Wait, the second was more true of bounty hunters... nonetheless, they took money for services involving fighting and violence, and most of the time, if not all of the time, as soon as the coin ran out, so did the mercenary's allegiance, which could truly leave one in a sticky situation at times. Truly, it seemed as their kind was run off of nothing but their own greed and material desires. What sad excuses for human beings, Aello thought, as she caught a flash of metal upon Robert's person. Daggers maybe? Aello thought, as she turned her gaze away from him again.

"What are you fighting for?" Aello asked. "Other than the money I mean. Do you have a family? Something you are saving up money for? Any sort of ambition whatsoever? Or would you simply want to go around Mizahar capable of saying that you have tons of money within the confines of your pocket? Or perhaps, although I doubt it, you are merely saving up so that you may one day be charitable, and give back to the poor, in attempt to cleanse your hands of all the sins that blackened them during the time you rendered mercenary services?"

Aello took a deep breath now that her mouth had gone dry. She turned back to face Robert, raising her knees to her chin, and tucking her legs into her body. She wrapped her arms around them, and rested her cheek on the top of her legs, so that she could semi-rest, look at Robert, and listen. The fire's light licked the top of her forehead, the top of her hair, her legs, and nothing else, she seemed to have been dragged into the darkness, and at times, she wondered if Robert could even see her.

Aello raised her right hand and ran it through her hair, smoothing it out against her head, and ripping through the knots and generally tangled masses. When she was finished, she wrapped her hand around her legs once more. "Is there such a thing as a kind mercenary? Do you know? Do you consider yourself one?" Aello asked, just beginning to wonder if what she had said would be considered rude, or what the man normally dealt with. "Not only that, but may I ask what you are doing out here, when you have home to go back to back in the city?"

[Robert Cithon]

Robert was busy adjusting himself into a more relaxed position. He did not catch the way Aello was looking at him. Yes he could tell she was not fond of him being a mercenary. Many in his line of work were dark character indeed. He himself had run across more than a few, who in a tavern would drunkenly brag about the day he turned his sword upon his own blood for the highest bidder. Robert himself would never, he loved his family. Though he had none left, to his knowledge. His father was killed in the field, his mother dying of grief two months later. That was when he had originally set out on his own.

Aello began to question him, questions he had heard a thousand times before. He chuckled audibly. It was hollow and meaningless, he was not really amused by the questions. “All very good questions my dear.” He said flatly. He began to respond to each one in turn. “First and foremost, I fight for myself. If someone tries buying my services, well then I will use them. But for the most part, I fight for life. Those less fortunate will die by my sword when the time comes. And vice versa when my time comes.” It was an obvious answer, one he doubted she would like very much. “And no, I have no family any longer. My mother and father both died when I was about 18, I have been on my own ever since.” He paused for a moment, taking a long slow breath. He had loved his parents dearly, and every so often fond memories crept into his mind. They were troubling at times.

“And to answer more in depth. My ambition” he said the word with enough pronunciation to get a point across. She had come of rude, but he was used to it.”is to one day build my own keep. I will raise an army of mercenaries. You see it is better to have one massive source of servicemen, then hundreds of small groups wondering about the world. I can keep a tight grip on them, teach them to how to be more respected. I will offer services and protection to those who cannot afford my help. And follow the same rules I do now. A man shall never fight against his own blood, knowingly. Accidents of course do happen.” As he was explaining his goals, a smile was beginning to show. He truly would not quit until he reached his expectations in life. And that is what drove him to be so money hungry.” And any man I call my own shall have loyalty solely to me. No under the table contracts. Another huge factor in the future, my main loyalties shall lie to whoever allows and or helps me in accomplishing my goal. I will protect that land with every drop of blood in my veins.” He paused, his smile fading from his lips. Robert had wrote to dozens of wealthy merchants and city councilors. No one was up to the challenge of having a mercenary army at their doorstep. Robert understood, but he explained the landholder would have a say in which contracts they accept and decline. Still not a sole responded to his pleas for an audience.

Robert let one of her last questions go unanswered. He refused to discuss his “sins”. He felt no guilt in anything he did. Robert was not a religious man and did not believe in sins or higher beings. He believed in what he saw, in flesh and blood. Show him an almighty being and he would kneel, and perhaps believe in them then. Once Aello had adjusted herself to a comfortable position, Robert answered her last question. Which was an odd one of sorts. “A kind mercenary you say?” He had never heard that one before. “Well depending on your definition of kind, it is really your opinion miss. I mean, I won’t kill unless forced to. I have left plenty of men and women who could not properly defend themselves with mere scratches and a warning to disappear or they would hire someone else to finish the job. I prefer physical labor jobs, they seem more pleasing. Plus the people who ask for those have reasons for the need. Wealthy merchants and such hire hundreds of mercenary to slaughter each other all the time, merely for a squabble of no importance other than pride.” He cleared his throat. All this talking was parching his throat, he needed a drink. “But once you know me a little better, you determine if I fit into your group of “kind mercenaries” Robert leaned upward, resting one arm on his knee. With a little grunt he forced himself up to his feet again. “And what brings me out here? Well that is simple. I went for a little hike, to escape the hustle and bustle of the city life. I lost track of time and soon began wondering through the icy darkness, then I caught sight of you fire and followed it here. And, well here we are now.” He laughed then, full and hearty. Looking back over the events he sure seemed a fool. Robert began walking to the tree line to gather snow from the surrounding area.

[Aello]

Aello watched the man disappear into the line of trees, without any sort of explanation as to where he was going, or what he would be doing. How strange, Aello thought, as she remained in her spot by the fire, allowing it to keep her body warm. She could still hear the man's heavy footsteps upon the forest floor, and knew that he couldn't be very far; but even so, she could not see him. Surprisingly, this did not make her nervous, instead it made her merely curious. What was he doing? Aello wondered, when he didn't come back for what seemed like a long time, and his movements began to die down, rendering her incapable of determining where he was standing.

"What are you up to?" Aello asked, too lazy to get up and investigate for herself. "And aren't you getting cold?" she inquired, her voice being carried away on an icy cold breeze that had just swept through the forest. Feeling like she was asking a million questions of him, and finding it surprising that he hadn't bothered to ask much of her. "You know it's not polite to simply get up without excusing yourself or providing some sort of explanation," Aello called, "but then again, I couldn't honestly expect your kind to know that," she finished, mumbling the words under her breath. Aello sighed deeply, the air was cold, and for the most part, the forest was eerily silent, it sent shivers up and down her spine. She supposed she wished to get back to the city soon, even though it did seem creepy and slightly claustrophobic at times.

"You know, I still don't get why you'd come out here for a simple hike. Didn't you have more purpose within your actions than that? Surely you were out hunting... or perhaps, looking for something?" Aello's voice trailed off for a split second before she continued speaking. "Or... do you simply not have a home? There is no shame in that you know, just means you're more of a traveler than anything else. You have a heart for adventure, and cannot be tied down by conventional means, or even unconventional ones sometimes. But that's alright, just means you're a lot more fun I suppose... in all honesty, I don't understand people who don't bother to travel, even if it's not a lot, there's simply too much to see."

[Robert Cithon]

Aello would likely think Robert a fool for his actions. He was stumbling in the dark looking for fresher patches of snow. He would then take a nice handful of freshly fallen snow and pop it into his mouth. He liked the added texture of the sow melting in his mouth. It was a thing he had done since he was a kid, never quite growing out of it as he aged.

“My aplogies miss.” Robert spoke of handedly toward her from the tree line. He was slowly returning to camp. The icy chill settling into his bones more demanding of the warmth then his mouth demanding of the ice, “And yes, it is very cold outside of your fire light.” He was slightly shivering as he began to settle back down into a comfortable sitting position. Something that was not so easily done. Robert did not hear her last words spoken, he might have been slightly taken aback by her words if he had. Robert had hoped he had come off as a different kind of man than the usual mercenary.

Robert had just found himself in an almost comfortable position when Aello began bombarded him with more questions. She was a curious one he thought silently. Why must he have alternative motives? He couldn’t have just gotten tired of smelling the city air, hearing the people all day and night long? No she thought he was a typical mercenary. Out running amok in the forest for some mall fee or favor. “ What I told you was the truth. I was tired the city life, I am not used to that sort of thing.” He paused for a moment. “But technically, yes I am homeless. I have a place to reside in the city. An old family friend. But I have no family left, no place to go and relax, no one to miss me while I am away. I am alone, with nothing left for me but to live through the current day.” Robert was not sad about this, he was used to being a loner.


(OOC Sorry for the crappy post and it taking so long. I have been super busy of late.)

[Aello]

The fire was starting to go down, as though it had used up all its energy earlier in the night, and was finally stretching its arms up to the sky, yawning heavily, and declaring itself ready for a well-deserved nap. Not wanting it to go out and for her and her companion to freeze however, Aello got up and walked over to the opposite side of the fire from where she had been sitting. There was a small stack of twigs and branches that she had gathered earlier in the night, before the sun had gone down, and the moon ruled the sky. Picking a few up, she tossed them on the fire haphazardly, and watched the flames swirl and dance around them, before consuming the wood, causing the edges to grow black and curl inwards with the heat; giving the appearance that they were spindly brown fingertips, beckoning to whoever caught sight of them to walk into the flames. A thin line of grey-black ash dusted everything that the fire consumed. Aello watched the fire burn for a few moments, before turning back to face Robert.

Aello wasn't sure why she felt so strongly, but for whatever reason, she simply could not bring herself to trust him, whether it was because he was simply a stranger and nothing more, or because he was a stranger AND a mercenary as well, Aello could not be certain. Finally, making up her mind, she decided to delve into the man's aura once more. Slowly raising her hands and pressing her fingertips lightly to her temples, Aello simply stared at Robert's face. Watched the firelight cast most of it in shadow. She allowed herself to clear her mind, to breath slowly in through the nose and then out through the mouth as she concentrated as deeply as possible, and entered a trance-like state. Within a few seconds, Aello could see an indigo-colored mist swirling all around Robert's body, snaking its way around the edges of the fire, and dancing with small wisps of smoke. Although difficult to see, Aello could just make it out of the night, and this surprised her. Not the part about it being difficult to make out, but rather what it meant. Robert had been telling the truth after all.

Aello closed her eyes for a moment, breaking her concentration. The aura faded away instantly, mixing with the dark and the smoke that surrounded each of them. Aello's eyes had begun to feel heavy again with her magic use, so she ran her right hand through her hair, stifling a yawn. "Fair enough," she said, as the yawn escaped her lips, and she rushed to cover her mouth with her left hand so as not to seem rude. "Oh dear, I do seem to be tired today, it must be getting late," she commented, deciding it best to sit down again, she quickly returned to a sitting position, in which she kept her legs crossed.

"But how do you and your friend know each other?" Aello asked, as she emitted another loud yawn, this time, forgetting to cover her mouth. She had always been interested in stories where people met, she felt as though it gave various relationships "true character," and in some cases, could even determine the outcome of the relationship itself. "Or is that too personal a question to ask?" Aello paused. "You don't have to answer it if you don't want to, you know. But if you want to, no one is going to stop you... always did like a good story before bed," she finished.

[Gabriella Ishira]

Gabriella had had a long day, yet no one had seemed to need her help. As always she was accompanied by her large mastiff named Apollo who always stayed by her side. She never went out side of the city much, but she should could use some herbs for her medicines, so she decided she would go out herb hunting. Grabbing her basket, she grabbed a torch and headed down toward the gates of the city. Keeping her purple hood up, it was slightly chilly outside, not the best night the a hunt, but she could sure use it. As she left the town and entered the dark woods, Apollo started to sniff the ground. She had thought him to allow her to know when there was danger, or any kind of large animal near by so she could leave. Holding the torch toward the ground so she could see where any of the herbs were, she started to her voices. She stopped for a second and listened. They weren't to far off and she could see a little light borrowing through the trees. So she decided to investigate, her dog didn't seem to be growling so maybe it was safe. As she came closer to the fire, the voices grew louder. She tip toed trying not to make any noises to startle the people by the fire. Suddenly she broke the distance between them, she saw the back of one of the people and hid behind a tree. She sat for a second and waited for the right time for her to approach them. They seemed to be having a normal conversation and she figured at some point they would notice the torch's light reflecting off the trees. She then turned and took a breath taking a step back, walking forward she held up the torch trying to make it look as if she was looking for something. She stepped into the area and stopped. "Oh, hello there, i'm sorry to intrude, i was just looking for some herbs." Hoping they were good people, she put her hand on top of her dogs head, in a way of saying, if you try and harm me he will attack.

[Robert Cithon]

Robert was still sitting at ease by the fire, looking over his new potential friend or foe. The night was still early and things could turn just yet. It would not have been the first time he trusted a pretty little thing, only to be awakened with a knife at is throat. No, he would be cautious this time around. There was not a chance that he would doze off first. He doubted she would trust him either, and might be planning the same thing.

He was thinking things over in his mind when Aello stood up an walked toward a small stack of twigs and branches. Robert thought he could have added some to the fire while he was up mere moments ago, but the thought never crossed his mind. He watched he fluid movements of setting a few more twigs to burn. But to his surprise, instead of her heading back to her side of the fire she put her hands to her head and stared at him flatly. Robert felt awkward and on the spot. He had no idea what she was doing. But she was certainly pushing herself more on the untrustworthy side this night.

Then within a matter of seconds, she broke her concentration to his delight. He was about to bluntly ask her what she was up to, but decided to let it be. Best not poke a dead beast he thought silently. “Fair enough what” He responded without thinking. And a slightly embarrassed look came about his face. “Err..nevermind” He did not want to know anything that would put him on edge tonight.

Robert decided to move on and answer her other questions before she could respond to hi previous statements. “My friend” he put emphasis on the words. “is an eighty one year old woman. She was my mothers godmother. And took my mother herself in when her mom passed due to illness. My family and I had always visited her when we came this way. My father and me attending to the needs of her small home. Repairing what is worn out, broken or comes up missing. While my mother re-supplied her food, seasonings, fabrics.” He paused for a minute, he heard someone approaching rather loudly from outside of the firelight. But he thought it best not to alarm Aello, she was quick to react with her bow. “And now, my father and mother have passed. And I perform all the tasks I can for her. And out of generosity, she allows me to come and go as I please. She knows what m profession is, and does not hold it against me as some would. Isur is an extremely polite and knowledgeable woman, perhaps you should meet her one day. I guarantee she has some amazing stories for your curious ears.” The whole time he was speaking Robert had slowly began to edge his hand toward his sword hilt unclasping the leather strap that held the sword into place. And with a final unnoticeable move, he slipped the weapon under his leg, easily concealing the length of metal and easily positioning himself for a defensive maneuver. He had know idea whether Aello was aware that they were no longer alone, so he did the best he could to alert her to the presence with simple head nod and a stern gaze. “Your move” He whispered barely audible to his own ears, he would follow her next decision. Whether it be to attack the new arrival, or let them appear and explain themselves.

[Gabriella Ishira]

Noticing that she was being watched carefully, she took down her hood as a sign of no threat. Apollo put his head down slightly growling a little at the mans motion of his weapon thinking that his master was in trouble. Getting down on her knees, she pet his head softly and he laid down and set his head in her lap. She set her basket down next to her and set the torch down in the fire to preserve it. Taking the large staff that was strapped to her back off, she set it next to her basket. "I'm awful sorry to intrude. But i offer no threat to either one of you. I was just gathering some herbs." She motioned toward her basket full of plants."I just need to sit down for a little bit if you both don't mind, its kind of cool out here and my basket is a little full." Reaching for her bag, she pulled out a small bowl and tool she used to crush the herbs. "I could start mashing them to make more room. If you need any, i'd be glad to give you some once i'm done." She spoke softly trying to show that she truly did offer no harm to them and was a very kind giving person. Smiling oddly, she was very nervous about the two of them. She had no idea still if she were in any danger, so she just tried to be as nice as possible. The images of her parents death ran through her head, but she knew she would be more prepared than they were.

[Aello]

Aello sighed, and yet another person seeks out her company simply because she was smart enough to start a fire, and no one else was. Or perhaps they were simply too lazy too. Another poor quality in a person, Aello thought; laziness, and this city, or rather this forest, seemed to be filled with people who possessed it. Either way, she was too tired to be too mean to the newcomer. "Welcome to the fire blondie, take a seat," she said, gesturing to the fireside with her right hand. "Ohhh nevermind, seems like you already made yourself comfortable," Aello mumbled under her breath as the woman began to set her things down.

Blondies, always think the world revolves around their pretty heads, Aello thought, having only had experiences with them before in which men seemed to fawn over them. What was so great about them anyway? What made them so special? So what if their hair was piss-colored instead of chocolate colored? Or a deep, fiery red? Did such a thing really matter? Aello wondered, as she absentmindedly ran her right hand through her tangled brown lockes, feeling slightly more self-conscious now that the woman had shown up at her fireside.

Deciding that she wanted to look into the woman's aura too, Aello finally brought herself to stare at the newcomer. All she saw was a over-sized, mangy-looking dog sitting next to an abnormally pale woman with light-blue eyes and white-blonde hair. Finally, after a few minutes of deep concentration, Aello managed to look into the woman's aura. A mixture of bright emerald green and indigo were swirling around the woman's body, like a large whirlpool. Tiny sparkles- like silver-colored glitter, or the stars within the night sky glimmered from time to time all throughout the aura. The aura was beautiful, and rather mesmerizing. Aello had a difficult time pulling her gaze away. But when she did, finally, the woman's aura instantly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Aello's hand stopped running through her hair, instead, it braced her forehead as another wave of exhaustion overcame her. She shut her eyes, trying to block out the strange pulsing sensation that was going on behind each of her ears. As though her blood were pumping too fast, trying to supply that portion of the body with more and more in a short period of time. That was another thing she hated about magic- as soon as she started using, the greater her desire would become to use it all over again. For the time being anyway, she could stop herself from using too much, but she feared for what would happen in the future.

Sighing heavily, Aello contemplated the aura's meaning. Indigo meant that the woman was being honest, the emerald green- a healer, a loving personality. At least she seemed to be someone she could trust, Aello thought, and not someone that needed to be taught a lesson; like that stupid Dhani she had booted earlier in the night.

"There will be no need to share... never did catch your name?" Aello said, before pausing a moment and waiting for an answer before continuing. "I have no need for such things, mainly because I have no idea as to what to do with such things, and thus not knowing what you had supplied me with, wouldn't be able to use it properly." Aello paused again before adding, "what are you making anyway?"

"And Robert, you may want to stick her torch in the ground, otherwise the fire may snake down the wood and burn the grass, and since I don't know of a nearby stream or anything, I think we'd have a heck of a time trying to get it out without burning a good portion of the forest down or getting hurt," Aello said, "and yes, I think I'd like to meet your friend sometime," she added, as though it were an afterthought.

[Gabriella Ishira]

She felt as though she had been intruding but she didn't care, she needed a place with other people as she was brave but, everyone gets scared sometimes. As she started to grind the leaves in, she looked at her counter parts as the fire glared off their faces. The woman was strong looking, like she could very well handle herself, strong yet she had a beauty to her, she knew she had her soft side in her, they all did. Then looked at the man, a handsome masculine man, a bit rugged and his blue eyes made an odd warm sensation enter her cheeks. She looked away and down at her bowl as she grounded her plants. "My apologize, my name is Gabriella, I am a healer, you can call me what ever you like. And this is my dog Apollo. I keep him for company and protection." She pet the dogs head then put her bowl down and put her hands in he lap. "I'm not really making anything right now, i'm just mashing them to make more room."