Taking a "vacation"

[Anonymous]

Heavily clad boots trudged across the warm cobblestone path. The owner of the feet who eagerly tread the ground which he had not traveled before was one young but not so as to believe that he was invincible. His light tan cloak was meant to keep out rain and wind and other elements, but also light enough to be keep him maneuverable. His long steel gray hair was bound behind him with a few bangs falling into his eyes every now and then. Ryvn raised a leather-gloved hand to move his hair out of the way and to shift the small traveling pack into a different position as he continued on his way.

Ryvn looked to the sky, his emerald-scaled friend high above, watching from the clouds. His face widened with a smile before he turned back to the road. Kaio was a good friend of his and she always would be. Since he had lost communication with his younger brother, she was the only family he had left. His mind remained on his travels, having come northeast from the Thunderblacks before reaching the main trade road. Ryvn had already fought off brigands who plagued the lesser-used paths, but only twice had he used deadly force to hold them off. Sapphire blue eyes darted back and forth before he continued moving, never stopping to leave himself vulnerable to more bandits. The bow on his back was a double recurve and extremely powerful. The sword was just short of a claymore and his side-arm a dagger with a foot-long blade. All of his weapons except his bow were hidden under the cloak he bore, and hopefully they would not need to be used any time after he reached the next road marker.

Far off into the distance, Ryvn swore he could see other people, a joyous occasion on this long journey of his. For the last three days of his journey he had not seen people at all. He had encountered plenty of wolves and other wild animals, but those were all decent encounters. He could speak the beast-tongue well enough to bid the wolves good-hunting before continuing on his way. Ryvn was glad to at least imagine that he was seeing other people on the road. "Much hope that these people are not bandits." He muttered to himself, drawing a deep breath and hesitating slightly before returning to the song he had recently begun to hum.

[Anonymous]

These roads were familiar to her.  Almost as familiar as home.  The priestess walked along, placing one foot in front of the other without hesitation.  She looked as if she wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to where she was going, walking along with her eyes closed, but Syra had, as always, both ears open and listening.  To the slight breeze, the sound of her own footsteps, the birds in the bushes and air.  

She'd been lucky enough this time to not encounter any bandits, and she was frequently thanking the Mother for that.  The priestess rarely traveled alone, especially on long trips.

((OOC:  gah, sorry for the shortness.))

[Anonymous]

Ryvn continued on the path, soon coming within eye and earshot of the other traveler. He hummed a soft song as he trudged along. Fifteen seconds later an arrow whizzed past his ear and he managed to tilt his head to miss the arrow ever so narrowly. "Bandits." He muttered under his breath. There were three of them, two with hooked spears and the third with a bow and short sword. His eyes became fiery as they darted from brigand to brigand. The first move was by one of the spearmen. "Hyaa!" one shouted, jabbing. Ryvn sidestepped and grabbed the haft of the spear, yanking the man closer and punching him in the face, knocking him off his weapon.

His blood boiled with the fighting spirit so evident from his forefathers who had served faithfully as soldiers and dragon-riders respectively. Ryvn turned to the others, breaking the spear-tip off with a swift smack and turned to fight back, bashing the arms of the other spearman with his improvised quarter staff. At the same time that he was occupied with the spearman, the swordsman slipped around to try and catch Ryvn off guard. The man didn't quite understand that he was dealing with a half-elf soldier who is used to being out numbered. Ryvn knocked the spearman back and surged the quarter staff back and hit the man square in the chest, spinning around and hitting the man on the top of the head to knock him out. "And stay down!" He said, breathing labored with the adrenaline. He checked the unconscious bodies and took all their gold. "From the evil to those who would help others." He muttered to himself as he crouched down, looking at the man.

[Anonymous]

She heard the buzz of an arrow nearby, and froze midstep, straining her ears.  This was what bothered Syra, not being able to see the fighting around her, not knowing if someone was aiming something at her.  She took a deep breath, focusing on the sounds around her.  The other one on the path, who had been coming up behind her...yes.  They, whoever the attackers were, were focusing on him, not her.  She heard his soft voice.  Bandits.  It was saddening.  There was no reason for this violence.  Absolutely none.

Her hands clasped at her chest, a whispered prayer escaped her lips, directed at the man.  A plea for his safety.  Those large fuzzy ears of hers rotated, catching the noises as she turned to face the fight.  She remained standing in that pose as the brief fight waged.

Bodies hit the dirt, and Syra strained her senses.  No more rapid steps, no more shouting.  And she didn't smell blood.  So, the man had not killed the bandits.  A small smile curved her lips, the woman pleased at the lack of bloodshed.  Life was valuable.  

The jingling of ...coins.  Or other small valuables.  She was confused, at least until he spoke again, and Syra nodded half to herself in approval.  And finally she spoke above a whisper.  "Blessing to you, traveller."

[Anonymous]

Ryvn heard the statement and his body tensed up as he stood, but not yet turning to look to see the woman who had seen the fight. After pocketing the gold coins, he made sure that their weapons were hidden so that when they regained consciousness, not only would they be robbed, but missing their weapons. Ryvn decided after hefting it once that it would be wise to keep his new quarter staff. He then turned to gaze at the woman, finding much to his surprise that she was a catkin. "Thank you, I do what I can." He responded. He was about to inquire if she had seen the fight, but he decided against it after seeing her eyes. "You are blind, aren't you?" He asked calmly, pity coming through in his voice.

He smiled, she reminded him of his mother, in beauty and in personality. He found himself blushing slightly and scratching his head. "I hope you are alright. If there's anything I can do, please let me know. Oh, where are my manners. My name is Ryvn." He responded, and at that exact moment, Kaio, who still circled overhead, let out a brief roar. He smiled and chuckled, hearing Kaio's protests silently. She knew exactly how he was conversing was a result of his reaction to Syra's appearance.

[Anonymous]

"Yes."  Was her simple response to his question.  It no longer bothered her, the questions, the pity or even disgust others had shown.  After all, her other senses were intact and just as sharp as ever.  "And I am fine, thank you.  They seemed focused on you.  Do you require healing?"  True, she couldn't smell any blood, but there were injuries that didn't bleed.

Ryvn.  She liked the name, short and strong.  Syra smiled, but the expression slid off her face as something overhead roared.  Instinct made her look up, her blind eyes searching the sky as her ears perked forward, straining to catch any more sounds from whatever flew overhead. Hearing Ryvn's chuckles, she tore her attention from the sky.  "You, ah, know the ...dragon?  Overhead?" She gestured upward.  Syra was not entirely used to being in close proximity to a dragon.

[Anonymous]

Ryvn smiled softly when she responded. "I do not require healing, and I am glad to know you weren't caught in the crossfire." He said calmly before the dragon dove down, Kaio was paying them a visit. "I do know her, she's a friend of mine and has been for many years now. There was a gust of wind as Kaio swooped low and halted her flight by snapping her wings shut and letting her claws grasp the soft grass beneath her. 'You called, Ryvn?' she inquired, the question open to both minds. It was a gentle voice, contradicting the large yet slender figure before them. She was old, more than likely fifty years in age, but then again, that was not old for a dragon.

Ryvn smiled. "Kaio, I thought you knew me better than that. I never call you unless I need your help or unless I am in danger."
'Yes, but every time I leave you, you get attacked by one party or another. You're like a curious hatchling who can't seem to keep his nose out of trouble long enough to learn.'
Ryvn sighed and scratched the back of his head, giving a nervous chuckle. He knew well that her thoughts were being kept open to both of the people who had been here before she swept down to converse. "I'm pretty sure we won't be bothered by bandits much further... How'd that song of yours go? 'to feel wrath of dragon-dame?' was it?" He asked, eliciting a chuckle from the dragon that sounded more like stones grinding against one another.

[Anonymous]

As the wind from the dragon's landing ruffled her hair, Syra reached up with one hand and held the little white flower tucked in her hair in place.  If it were to be blown out, she'd have the hardest time finding it again.  

She couldn't help but smile at the dragon's statements.  Kaio seemed friendly enough.  She bowed low before the dragon.  "Greetings, Wind-Sister."

((OOC:  Sorry for the wait.  RL bit me.))

[Anonymous]

Kaio snorted once, the warm breath rustling Syra's hair as she bent close. "Greetings, priestess. You need not bow to me." She said, sniffing the girl's hair in order to memorize her scent. Her wings opened slightly. "No harm shall come to you from me, friend." she said calmly before brushing her with the wing before turning back to Ryvn.

Ryvn looked at them "Are we going to continue our journey?" Ryvn inquired,  smiling and turning back to look at Syra. "You are welcome to journey with us if you wish. I know it would be safer for us to travel as a group, because I know a group of bandits who wouldn't stop at attacking a priestess on the road." He said before resting a hand on Kaio, who looked back and brought her head low, a murring coming from deep in her throat.

[Anonymous]

Something brushed against her hair, and Syra thought for a moment before deciding it was probably the dragon.  She smiled at the reassurance, feeling a little less nervous in the dragon's presence.

She turned towards Ryvn as he spoke and nodded.  "I would be glad to accompany you.  I do not travel alone often, and I fear it is merely luck that has kept me safe thus far on this trip."

[Anonymous]

Ryvn nodded. "Luck is a fool's term to explain something that was improbable." he responded. "I've found it to be most helpful to expect nothing, but be ready for anything." He added, shifting the position his bag.

He began walking. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, where are you headed?" Ryvn inquired, his stance calm and aloof after having been attacked by bandits twice in one day. He was not yet weary, but for certain he was getting tired, he could feel it coming in his arms and legs.

[Anonymous]

She wasn't entirely sure what he'd meant by that first statement.  But, hearing his footsteps, she decided it wasn't very important, and began following him.  To his question, Syra shrugged, and spoke.  "Where ever the Goddess leads me."  She smiled warmly.  "For now, though, I am content to journey with you, where ever you are heading."

[Anonymous]

Ryvn shrugged. "I don't have a set destination either. I go wherever I feel like heading on any given day. I'm doing it simply to get away from my work for a while, so I guess you could call it a vacation." He responded to her statement. He sighed and pulled his right arm behind his head, stretching. "It feels good to be out and in society again." He added afterwards as they walked. Kaio had since taken to the sky and was now flying at a safe height high above the two walking the road below. Ryvn felt calm, at peace for once. Even in his mountain home, he did not feel one hundred percent at ease, but here, he felt immense calm, and this was something he couldn't explain.

[Anonymous]

Syra nodded in response as she followed him, listening for the sound of his footsteps.  She could easily understand going wherever one felt like, it was very similar to her own method of navigating, going wherever she felt she was needed.  "Where do you work, Ryvn?"  

((OOC:  I am really sorry about the absence.)))