building is better but breaking is easy (inland footpath, open)

[Cobalt]

Zea smiled, briefly pursed her lips in a sultry implied kiss, and then just kept on smiling. Listen to his excuses. Whatever he was, he clearly came out of the same mold as all the other mainland boys. Never their fault, never made them bad, always thinking they'd done something magnanimous by not doing worse. They all had to tell themselves something.

"It tells me you aren't done with me, or that maybe it's how you tell yourself you're still a good person." With her free leg she began tracing gentle circles on his other calf. "Do you think that makes you special?"

She raised a hand to one of his arms, just a light affectionate touch. If only she were larger, she could engulf him completely. "Do you think that any man who has defiled me thought of himself as a bad man?" She licked the corner of her mouth where nothing was, but had been often enough. "Do you think I should agree? Do you agree?"

[Ice]

Phears was frowning still as he saw her imply a kiss. He was starting to get the idea that she wanted him vulnerable. He then kind of smiled back acting like he was following her lead. He always thought that if he let a few live then he was justified for killing a hundred more. Though perhaps that was his way of ensuring that only the strong survived. Though he knew that he was only a monster to everyone else.

He then frowned when he heard her response to what he had said. Some just did not know when a monster did not want them any longer. " oh I assure you I am finished with you. I just whish to leave. " he said looking at her now. Then he felt her starting to make circles on his calf with her leg. He smiled and looked at her . " no. are you trying to get to me. Because all you are doing is ...." he trailed off being at a lose for words. What was she doing to him?

He frowned at her now and felt her touch his arm. That still was not what he wanted. He tried to move away but only succeeded in moving himself in to a more seductive position. " I am not those men . I am a loner. I do not do anything that is not necessary for survival." he grunted. " think how you like ." he stated now still trying t move away.

[Cobalt]

Zea tightened her legs when her attacker tried a little more directedly to get away from her. This was clearly upsetting him more than whatever she'd been doing before to land the both of them on the dirt. She wondered how far he'd let her go. She wondered how close he'd let her get. She wondered if she wanted to kill him badly enough to... yes. Yes, she'd get as close as it took and she would not spend a moment regretting it.

If that tactic worked, her mom was going to be so fucking smug, though. It wasn't often that she was grateful for her mother's approach to parenthood, but now? Now she could sort of see it.

She wrapped her fingers tightly in his cloak again, but didn't bolt for exposed skin just yet. "Where you going, lover? If you want to meet them, I can call them here for you. They were all good men, too, good men with needs. Do you want to know what I felt like for them? I promise you they still remember."

[Ice]

Phears was starting to feel like he was not going to escape from her. So this was how it felt to be prey. Wow that was actually quit bad feeling . He was trying not to let her get to him. It would take more then this to get to Phears. Though he was aware that she was not going to stop until one of them gave up. Besides he was no longer in the mood for this game. No he was through with her game indeed.

He moved more now trying to shove his hands between her legs and his. He has to get away from this female. She was wanting something from him and he knew it. He then looked at her when she got her figures in his robe. So she wanted to touch him again. That was something he did not want.

Phears looked at her when she called him lover. He was not her damned lover! He growled evilly at her. He was showing his displeasure. " I am not your lover. No I do not whish to see then. I want to leave here." he stated. Then he tried to moved his hand more as to shove her away.

[Cobalt]

Zea dropped her seductive pretense and growled the single word, "Why?"

He'd been the one to approach her! As his hands lowered to pry her off of him, she clapped her free hands over one to press it against the inside of her leg. He was the one who'd shown up out of nowhere, heedless of where he was and who she might be, and decided that now was the time to float out of the bushes and get inside of people who hadn't invited him. And now he wanted to go?

Men weren't the only ones who could go from pleading to snarling when denied their assumed right to entry. Zea'd seen that song and dance so many times that the steps came easily.

"You only like it inside people who don't want you?" she hissed. "Is that it? Anybody ever been inside you, lover?"

[Ice]

Phears looked at her now. He had an idea now, he would get her first. He did not say a single word to her. He simply frowned then smiled at her. When she put her hand in his he smiled even more. He gently moved his hand over her leg. The way he was doing this would have been more or less like rubbing a pet. Then he squeezed the inside of her leg and laughed.

" is this what you wanted? Did you want me to give you some attention like this?" he then moved carefully closer almost to her face. So close that she could now see the horrified look that would forever twist his features. " do you like what you see?" he hissed now.

[Cobalt]

From flattering to spiteful to apologetic to indignant to uncomfortable to smug. This boy's feelings were all over the place. How old was he? It was like dealing with powerful magic wielded by a particularly badly-raised boy of thirteen summers. Maybe all Zea had to do was wait until he came back around to greedy and entitled, since he obviously could not sustain an attitude for longer than the span of a heartbeat.

"I've seen worse and you can't imagine what I've smelled," she whispered. "I told you before to think about where you are."

She pulled again on his cloak to hold him close, hoping to keep his peripheral vision away from what she'd been burying before he showed up, away from the little motions of the dirt packed there as freshly-dead fingers wiggled their way toward the open air. "Have you figured out why?"

[Ice]

Right now Phears was putting on an act. He wanted the woman to believe that he was no longer uncomfortable. That was far from the truth though. Inside he was just wanting out of this situation. He tried to  move his hand that she was not holding further between her leg and his. He was going to get this creature off of him one way or another.  He then tried to move the other hand back to where he could get her other leg off of him as well.

He then heard what she said and kind of blinked. It was then that it occurred to him that this woman must have been of some importance here. If so he certainly did not need to be on bad side. She then pulled on his cloak and he was moved closer to her. He had to get away from her.

" you have to be someone who is highly regarded. " he stated with a frown. Then using all of his strength he tried to stand up again. This time he got to his feet and then tried to shove her away from him. He was going to get away from her right now!

[Cobalt]

Highly regarded? Maybe yes, maybe no. Maybe by some, less so by others. By the spirits, though... yes. Maybe those were the ones he had to worry about most.

When Phears stood up, a dirty brown-skinned hand was pulling itself by its fingers across newly-disturbed earth toward Zea. Its stump of a wrist was fairly evenly sawn off, clearly removed carefully rather than savagely ripped by an animal.

"You are standing near a temple to the goddess who rules and orders these lands, populated by priests and warriors and..." She flashed a smile, appearing and then gone so swiftly if Phears had blinked in the wrong moment he'd have missed it. "...a particularly disturbed researcher into... well. I don't think she'd call them necromantic arts. Not with an audience, anyway. On very good terms with the spirits of the land and obviously one of the blessed of Inima." She winked. "Or so I hear."

[Ice]

Phears was busy looking at the female now. He failed to notice the severed hand moving across the earth. He did not want to have this female on him any longer. He moved now watching the girl and listing to her. He got the feeling that she might have been talking about herself now. That was just plan creepy to him. To be able to work with what was dead. He merely dug graves not broth things to life.

" hum so I see. Well then I shall not stick around long enough to find out who this rescuers is then. Of course I am certain I already know whom it is." he then shifted his Waite and moved his head slightly. Just enough to see the approaching hand. He blinked and gave a nervous growl. He was not happy about seeing that at all.

[Cobalt]

The hand continued advancing, eventually propping it up on four fingers to raise the middle one like a questing neck which swept back and forth to find Phears and approach closer.

"You had better not," she said, still speaking from the dirt where she'd held him before this cheap little boy had wrenched himself away. "As long as you are in Thanatos, you will be followed by angry spirits who know to tattle to every soul speaker in the nation." Slowly she pulled herself up to her knees, and sat on her heels. "And you will be very unlucky if I'm the one who reaches you first. Because I can do anything I want to someone like you and no one will take your word over mine."

She hawked and spat at him.

"Get over here and give me what I want or get out and hope you can run faster than I can chase."

Then she stood.

[Ice]

Phears saw the hand and how it moved. That really creeped him out. He did not want to be anywhere near that thing. He was not sure how she did what she did with that hand but he was not wanting to find out either.

Phears then heard what she said next. That scared him even more then the hand did. He did not want a bunch of ghosts following him around telling on him. He would rather jusr have been left alone. " oh ...." was all he could manage to say. Then he heard her threat and just frowned at her. He was certain that he would not allow himself to be caught by her. " I will never allow such a thing to happen. I am not an easy target." he said still a bit nervous. He did not like where this was going not one little bit. He started to move away quickly. He was moving away from her. He did know where he did not want to be though.

Then she spat at him and he just moved quicker. This female wanted to kill him . He would not allow her to do that. He was all about self preservation . " I cant give you my life. I am not willing to die today." he said still moving away. Then he turned and smack hard in to a low hanging tree branch. He hit almost hard enough to knock himself to the ground. Man that hurt. He groaned a bit and held his head . He wanted the pain to go away so that he could run.

He then remember that she had stood up. He glanced to where she had been wondering if she was still standing there. Whatever she wanted from him he sure did not want to give it to her.

[Cobalt]

Not an easy target.

No, he'd just wander up to total strangers assuming that anybody smaller than he was must be helpless. He'd just tromp around an island of soul speakers and flesh sculptors and diviners under the assumption that his messy kills would never catch up to him. He'd just let himself get distracted by footsie from natural hazards.

If he wasn't trying to die, he must have been very very new to this whole monster business.

Had Zea been too nice?

She'd certainly given him plenty of chances to realize that he was making embarrassingly bad life choices. She'd given him a hint that she wasn't some helpless forest maid before they'd even made eye contact. She'd given him the chance to consider his context before he'd attacked her. She'd done something to him she couldn't even remember before he tried to escape that first time. Then she'd given his so-called heart an opportunity to realize the rationalizations he fed to it were the same chickenshit excuses every other garden-variety ravager told himself. And now she'd given him the opportunity to get a head start.

Why?

Something inside her smiled.

Because if he lived, there was a good chance that this way he'd grow up and see through his own flimsy denial. Either he'd discard this inane pretense of being a person with a conscience, or he'd hate how utterly common and paltry his predations were and rot inside from disgust.

That was one trick her mother hadn't taught her. Zea's mom never had the patience to get her enemies to torture themselves. But then his back was turned and Zea bolted over to grab him again to pull the meat away from his neck. Old reflexes died hard, and if she ever felt sad about having denied herself the long game, she'd console herself with jewelry shaped from his bones.

[Ice]

It was not the fact that he was new to killing and being a monster. It was the fact that on the inside he just wanted to be peaceful. Though given the fact that he had to kill to live that just was not possible.

If there was one fact to be noted about Phears it was the fact that he was stupid. He was not the brightest of creatures and he really did not seem to try to be smart. Though he was very crafty when he actually though about it. Like right now he was trying to think of a new plan to rid himself of this female.


As he glanced back he saw her running towards him. He still had a lot of pain from that bump but that would be dealt with latter. As she was almost to him he did the one thing he knew how. He flew straight up. High in to the air he rose and then watched her for a second. He knew that she would not stop with trying to kill him. However he was not going to die today. Not if he could help it he was not. Not smart but smart enough was he.

He laughed at her and then moved away from her. He was going to leave her if he could. Though he knew that she could not reach him he was still afraid to stick around in case she wanted to try something else.

[Cobalt]

When Zea's fingers closed only on air, she stared upward past the incompetent spook's feet to those ridiculous glowing eyes. Briefly she curled her upper lip to show little white teeth, but had herself back under control momentarily. She looked around for a tree with low enough branches that would let her follow the stupid thing with his burdensome alleged feelings, but by then he had gone.

"Find him," she whispered, urging the spirits around her home onward and upward.

Then she growled in frustration, kicked at the ground with one bare foot, and knelt to snatch up the hand she'd brought crawling out. Now she had to bury it all over and she was angry. Of course she was. What else would she be? What were her other options?

[Ice]

Phears moved quickly threw the sky. He had to get away from here. He knew that the female who he had attacked was wanting to kill him. He moved quickly but soon was encounter by something strange. Ghost who were most unhappy. He blinked in surprised and moved back form them. He then took off back the way he had gone from going even faster hoping to leave them behind. Though he had kind of forgotten about that angry woman he had left back there.