Travels of Kindred Souls [ValamLym, Blink]

[Squishy]

His feet had grown tired and painful over the days they had spent walking since they decided to group up for a while. As always, he was walking more behind the two others as he liked to keep his distance. He had met the two of them a couple of days earlier while he was traveling alone, looking for quiet places to train and read, which were basically the only things he ever did to keep himself busy.
He did however welcome their companionship when they offered, as he had been traveling alone for years, only sometimes visiting towns for food and supplies just like they were about to do again now. He did not talk much unless they were camping somewhere or when someone talked to him and this worked perfectly for him. It gave him the chance to read and wallow in his past.

The only times where he was actively talked was when the woman called Jallil asked him about his past and where he actually opened up slightly to her, telling her about his brother and the fate that befell him. He however still had not told her about his blade and  how his brothers soul was captured inside it. And especially not how his "brother" sometimes spoke to him.
He knew the spirit of whoever or whatever was in his blade was trying to control him, his ability to corrupt his Ki into an extremely powerful hellfire burst was evidence of this.

He has known both women for a while now and has traveled a great distance with them, but he still feels like he knows almost nothing about them. The one he has gotten most friendly with so far has been Jallil, as he had told her of his past. She is quite a looker, looking quite exotic even for an Elf but almost never showed emotion on her face, even less so than he does. The other one, called Arianna, was a much more outspoken girl, almost never shutting up which annoyed him at times but he could also appreciate it. One thing about her always bothered him and that was her perfectly flawless skin as it didn't make sense for someone like him, who was covered in scars of past battles.

Today they were just about to arrive at a nearby town to see a couple of stores and buy food and other things they might just need. The only reason he wanted to be here was for food and maybe a new pack because the one he was using now was worn out. After he got his supplies he was thinking of visiting a tavern of sorts to drink, since he hasn't gotten the chance to do so recently.
Raising his head up and looking at the backs of both women in front of him he finally said something for the first time in hours.
"So does anyone know what this town is called? And if there is perhaps a tavern here?"

[Blink]

As Arianna walked arm in arm with Jalil she could feel the eyes of their new travel companion judging her. They were about to enter a town to restock on supplies before continuing on with their lives. Because of this Arianna felt the need to wear her blindfold and portray the image of 'the blind girl' once more. It was almost a relief every time she had it on, not having to see beyond this realm. The vivid colors and constant flow of energy almost gave her sensitive eyes too much to handle and often resulted in a headache should she leave it off for too long. Of course as they walked she could feel the earth beneath her feet, even sense the trees and other obstacles in her path but this was just easier.

Over the years Arianna had grown quite fond of Jalil, always able to depend on her when she needed it most. Even now walking with her arm wrapped around hers she was completely comfortable. "I am sure there is a Tavern somewhere around here, it would be silly for there not to be." She turned her head back towards their new friend, simply on instinct. Even if her eyes were covered she still liked to at least act like she could see through it. "And I am sure this town has a name too... but its irrelevant information." and with that she turned back to facing the direction they were walking, never missing a step for the entire conversation.

The closer they got to the settlement the more she could feel the energy swarming ahead. "I sense a tavern may be located in that direction." and then she pointed her hand towards a run down looking building with barrels stacked beside it. Her declaration would then be confirmed when a drunken man would stumble out the doors before making his way to wherever it was he was going.

"Jalil... I want more sweets. We must find a decent bakery somewhere in this pathetic 'town" Arianna really had no need to eat, but still found joy in many of the pleasantries of food. In fact one of the best ways to make her happy was to simply place a plate of anything sweet in front of her. "Shuunosuke you should gather any other supplies you think we may need." and with that she reached to her side with her free hand and pulled a pouch of coin from her belt. From there she flung the pack over her shoulder at Shuunosuke assuming he could catch it. "We can meet up at the tavern when we are done. Maybe even find an inn so that we can all sleep in a real bed tonight."

Shifting her head upwards towards Jalil without her blindfold she would have been looking directly at her. "Doesn't that sound nice!? A fluffy pillow and warm blankets!" Her smile could not be denied as images of a night in a warm room crossed her thoughts. "We could all share a room and snuggle together!" From there Arianna shifted her head back forwards and she walked with a bit more of a bounce in her step. "Oh! Maybe a bath house to! Find one of those Shuunosuke!"

[ValamLym]

Jallil was enjoying today, much of it didn't show of her face, but Arianna could no doubt feel it, their travels had rarely been peaceful and today was a lovely exception. She softly stroked Arianna's arm as she held hers, pretending she was supporting her oh so blind friend. Naturally Arianna wasn't blind, but she knew that she enjoyed teasing and fooling others, such was her nature. Having spend years by this girls side, Jallil had come to love most of her silly antics, in her eyes, she could do no wrong.

Tracking Arianna's hand she smirked, almost giggling when she noted the drunken man stumble outside ''That's a tavern alright.'' she then turned her attention to Arianna directly, looking her in the eyes(or where they would be.) ''I would love something to eat myself.'' she stated simply, further emphasizing this point by placing her free hand on her stomach, rubbing it gently.

When Arianna looked up at her she simply smirked at her words, Arianna one of the few people who could get a visual reaction from her ''Sounds like fun..'' she then poked Arianna in her side with her free hand, teasingly. She couldn't help but enjoy the girls sillyness.

Eventually, as they kept walking they came up on the bakery Arianna had wanted to visit so badly. Looking over all the delicious breads, cookies, cakes and even pie Jallil found herself getting even more hungry ''Take your pick your highness.'' she spoke teasingly, poking Arianna yet again. She knew Arianna couldn't see much, but she also knew Arianna needed little help with finding her favorite types of food. She herself was more interested in meat, her species being heavily carnivorous, her teeth showing it by having almost wolf like fangs and more smaller teeth solely meant for cutting.

[Squishy]

Catching the coin pouch from his companion he quickly weighed the contents and noticed it was actually quite a bit, enough to get drinks and buy some other supplies. He had to buy some new clothes, some light armor if he could find any decent ones here and finally get to the tavern and mingle a bit, maybe find something to keep himself busy. There was almost always a job a person like him could do, all he had to do was to find it. That was the hard part however, since he isn't exactly the type of person to become all friendly and buddy-buddy with complete strangers.

A job was a job I guess. He was also asked to find a bath house, which actually sounded like a pretty good idea. He hadn't had a proper bath in weeks, all he got was rivers. But first things first, he had to see if there were any stalls around or stores around selling armor. He preferred leather and cloth since it allowed him to stay as fast on his feet as possible. His current armor was starting to become worn however since he wears it all the time, even when sleeping.

Walking slightly behind Jallil and Arianna he kept his eyes on the other people walking around them, both to keep his eyes off of the clingy couple of women and also to find someone shady. He knew the best stuff was bought on the black market and from thieves, so he wasn't planning on buying armor pieces from legal merchants. This town won't have any particularly good stores anyways. Looking around him as he was still walking behind the two following them into town he noticed a person in a back alley sitting on a box, which could either be a robber or a fence.

"I'm going to check this one out, I'll meet you two at the bar... Try not to eat each other."

Shrugging off their extreme closeness like he always did he turned towards the alley and walked towards the shady figure. Turned out, he really was a fence but he didn't have anything Shuunosuke needed, he only sold cutlery and silverware. It was a waste of his time basically.

Walking back towards the main street he notices the two women walk into a bakery before turning around and heading back towards the tavern to look for both information and something to eat and drink. It was a shitty establishment, but the amount of drunk people usually means the booze isn't too bad at least.

He asked around for a bit to find out if there was any work to be done around here and if there was a bath house nearby. Sadly there weren't any particular high earning jobs around, but there was a bath house on the other side of town. Making a mental note of this he finally headed back to the tavern keep.

"Give me something strong, I can already tell I'm going to need it."

[Blink]

The smell of the sweets in front of her could not be denied as she tried to distinguish them individually by scent alone. Her nose did eventually lead her to that of one resembling apples perhaps with a bit of other spice. "This one.." she motioned towards where she thought the smell was coming from. "Its fruity and I think I smell cinnamon." Her mouth was practically watering as she held her hand out for the baker to place the sweet in her hand. She was sure Jalil would pay the merchant, only because she had given Shuunosuke her entire money pouch.

From there Arianna would wait for Jalil to lead her away from the shop and on to the tavern they all agreed to meet up at. With her free arm not wrapped around Jalil's the girl would take small bites of her new treat trying to savor every moment of it as they walked. Although she could not see it Arianna could definately sense they were getting closer to the establishment. The energy of several people alone was enough evidence, not including the sound they made. "I wonder what if feels like to be stupid Jalil." Her out loud thought had a hidden meaning behind it.

Ever since Arianna could remember she had not been able to take joy in the most mundane things. She could taste, but never be full. She could drink, but never grow drunk. The only things really she shared with mortals was for some odd reason the need for sleep, and even then she did not require near as much as most. This was why she took joy in the things that most took for granted.

[ValamLym]

After paying for the food and escorting Arianna to the tavern Jallil quickly moved inside, her friend in tow. When she arrived at the bar, she pulled Arianna onto one of the bar stools and eventually sat down beside her, eager to get herself something.

''I'd like some wine and food.. do you have bread and deer?'' the man behind the counter nodded ''What will your friend have?'' Jallil snickered in response ''She can handle some wine as well.'' the man nodded again, before disappearing into the kitchen. Turning her attention to Shuunosuke she winked at him ''Found anything big guy?'' she then turned her attention back to the counter as the man arrived with their drinks. ''Thanks!'' she simply stated as she gave one to Arianna and kept another to herself. She knew Arianna didn't like alchohol, or at-least, it didn't work. But she also knew Arianna hated being left out.

Taking a sip from the cup of wine she turned to Shuunosuke again ''I don't think we'll stay long. I still got several contracts left.'' just as she said that the man returned once more, her food in tow. Placing the large plate before her she quickly paid the man and dug in, as if she had been starving.

[Squishy]

As he was drinking his ale he noticed his two companions finally coming in. He himself had been drinking for quite a bit already since he didn't find anything in this shithole of a town. The only thing he had found out was that there was a bath house of sorts here, but that's it.

Hearing her question about what he found he turned towards her halfway as he was drinking before putting it down. "There IS a bath house on the other side of this town, but that was all I could find in this shit hole."

Going back to his own drinks he quietly watched the other patrons in the tavern. There weren't any special figures around except for the three of them, everyone in their group stood out in this group of peasants.
Suddenly feeling his blade tremble lightly as he heard about the contracts he knew exactly what the thing inside it thought. It had been a while since the last time they cut something down and he knew his brother was aching for blood. However he would have to wait, they still weren't out of town.

"So are we going to go to the bath house first or are we gonna go for the contracts? I could use a hunt right around now."

Laying his hand on the hilt of his blade he continuously opened and closed his hand as if squeezing the blade, which  was his way of calming it. He hoped they would go for the latter but because the other two wanted to go to a bath house of sorts, he might just have to wait. Or he could find someone in an alley to cut down, it wouldn't make a difference for him.

[Blink]

Listening as Jalil ordered Arianna could not help but smile at how she ordered her a glass of wine as well. Wrapping her fingers around the glass she lifted it to her lips taking in a long whiff before bringing it fully to her lips. Tipping the glass she let the red liquid touch her lips before lowering it once more. Her attention then turned to Shuunosuke as he spoke of finding a bath house. Arianna practically spit her wine out when he mentioned it from the pure joy it brought her.

"Then the obvious answer would be to go collect contracts first. I am sure this town could use some cleansing."

With that Arianna got a whiff of whatever it was that Jalil was eating, it smelt delightful. Without even asking she reached over and plucked a peice of meat from the plate before plopping it in her mouth. "Mmmm" `The only sound she could possibly make to express how delightful it tasted.

[ValamLym]

Taking one of the contracts from her bag but side with a free hand she simply offered it to Arianna, somewhat absently mumbling something about checking it for a proper pay. She then quickly continued with her food, not minding arianna stealing some of it, she was done relatively quickly and whiped her face with her arm, turning to face the rest of the tavern, finally speaking to both of them ''The contracts here are easy, especially for folks like us. If you want bigger game we'll have to keep tracking to better lands.'' she shrugged, noting how most of the contracts in her bag were about werewolves and vampires. Werewolves she could understand, they were not in control, but she never could understand why anyone would want to harm a vampire, worst case scenario it bit someone to drink and that person died, people killed each other way more often then a vampire did.

''So I guess since you two want a hunt we can do that. But not now, tomorrow.'' she simply stated stretching herself. Finally turning back to the counter to ask for a room. She blindly assumed Arianna would want the same room and simply left it open to Shuunosuke. Most men would jump at the chance but he seemed somewhat reluctant about it, its not like anything was going to happen.

''Or you can go alone, either works.''

[Squishy]

"I wasn't expecting any hard contracts in this shit hole anyways."
As he took one of the contracts he picked up on the way here he looked it over. Seemed to be quite a young vampire that killed a couple of people as he was trying to feed. The pay was decent, it would at the very least pay for the lodging for these two and the food. The rest he could keep to himself to buy whatever with in this town, if there was even something worth getting here.

As he put the contract on the table he got the coin pouch that Arianna gave him beforehand and put it in front of her, as he had barely used any of it. "I'll take this contract, I need to train anyways. You two can sleep if you want." He spoke this with his almost monotone voice as always before turning around and picking up the contract from the table, putting it back in his pack and flipping it back on his back and walking out of the tavern without looking back.

He knew they would go to sleep soon. He did not need as much sleep as others, his Ki could keep him awake for days if he wanted as it could be seen as a rush of adrenaline every time he pulled out his sword. As he was walking through the roads of this crappy little town he took out the contract again and looked at the location this thing was last seen. Apparently he was thought to live in a little shack in a nearby forest, so that's where he would start looking.

As he walked out of town the voice in his blade started whispering again, and this time he did not do anything to stop it.

[Blink]

The girl could not help but frown at Shuunosuke's lack of enthusiasm. She was disappointed that he had yet to open up to either of them. She assumed he was happy to stick around only because well... he was still around. But that did not change the fact that his demeanor simply made her want to poke at him more than she would at someone else. But before she could even make another attempt at breaking past his shell he was already gone, ready to collect contracts in order to 'train'.

So this left just Arianna and Jalil, and she was perfectly fine with it if not overjoyed. Jalil was in fact someone she had always been able to lean on, a person she felt she could not live without. Jalil was not only the one who guided her when Arianna covered her sight but she trusted her wholeheartedly with everything. The friendship the two shared was more than just that of two mortal beings.. no.. it was a bond that was immortal and would live on forever.

After Shuunosuke left the tavern Arianna turned to Jalil a frown still prevalent on her face. "Shuunosuke saddens me. Does he not like our company?" Tilting her head to the side resembling that of a confused puppy she continued. "Am I not entertaining enough?"