A blue horned man with horns and a talking sword in the woods. [Open]

[Valoric]

    Azul wasn't born, as far as he knows. He just remembers the first day he woke up, in the woods, with a talking sword. The sword, Perditrix, educated him as best as a talking sword could. For many years Azul would talk to other travelers and drift from town to town, but most don't care for blue demon looking fellows with abnormally large talking swords. Azul knows two things about himself for sure, 1. He needs to find out who his people are, or at least his relatives, and 2. He will become the Greatest Swordsman Who Ever Lived.
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"Sir, I recommend we find a place to safely rest. Dusk is swiftly approaching, and we don't want anything to happen like the last time, when we slept next to the river. Do we?" Perditrix remarked to his friend.

     "For a sword, you sure can't let things just go, huh Perditrix?" Azul replied with reluctant agreement. If they didn't find camp soon, then they may have unexpected troubles befitting weary travelers. That is a problem that Azul didn't want to think about, even if he was able to take care of himself. "What do you suggest? A night in the trees?"

     "A sound resolve, sir. There is an alcove there on the right, just past the honeysuckles. I suggest that would be a most appropriate camp site," Perditrix shared. He continued,"Moreover, sir, a bit of ice to interlock the branches would stop you from falling off. Again."
     
     "Peridtrix, I only slightly regret this," Azul shared as he began to swing his sword back and forth to clear a path to the suggested trees. There was still plenty of light to be had, but within the canopy of the forest it is best to be set early for evening camp since so much light is lost in the gable of the forest.

     It didn't take Azul long to prepare everything for their evening rest, being that Azul doesn't need the warmth of a fire to rest, and he had rations of berries, nuts, and dried beef in ample supply. After they were set for the night, Azul lay upon his icy branches and watched the sky change colors as he spoke his thoughts aloud to the universe and his friend Perditrix. He pondered about how strange others were, how much fun it is to be in a truly exciting duel, and about his past and family. He did this till the sky was so dark it was nearly black and faceted with the silver pearls that he knows as the stars in the night sky, only being deterred by the sound of rustling underbrush. A signal that another approached.

     "Who is there!?!" Azul clamored to the dark expanse of the evening forest.
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[JackieCat]

Meerior walked through the brush, the leaves and branches swishing around her as she walked.  She was on her way to. . . nowhere.  Nowhere, really.  She was just walking.  Soon it got dark, but Meerior didn't care.  She continued to walk, not hitting anything, event though she couldn't see.

She closed her eyes and continued to walk.  She heard a voice and she stopped, opening her eyes and raising her eyebrows.  Now who was around?  She looked around but saw no one.  Then she opened her mouth and called out.  The sound that emerged was a high keeling wail that was most un-human sounding.  She stopped the call and walked forward a bit.  She looked around, but seeing no one, she looked up.  She looked upon the young man in the tree with a strange look on her face, her red eyes pinpricks of light in the dark.

She called out again, though this time the eerie sound was quieter, and it came in short bursts, like a strange and unknown language.

[Valoric]

     Azul heard the shrill outcry of some unknown creature in the darkness of the woods. His first reaction was to grab Perditrix who was saying something about how there is no sure way that they are dangerous. The call went on for only a short while, followed by some more rustling and then a new mysterious and rhythmic chirping.
    Azul could stand it no longer. He jumped from the safety of his perch in his iced over branches and extended Perditrix as far as his arm would allow him. A combined reach of his arm and sword, over nine feet, stood between him and the creature that now was upon him.
    "Who...Who are you? And why are you making those weird noises? Out here in the dark of a large forest? Alone!?!"

[JackieCat]

Meerior smiled widely as the man jumped from the tree and held his sword out at her. "Why hello!" she said.  Her wide grin had a distinctly insane look about it, and the young woman put her hands on her hips.

She chuckled as he asked her his questions in his excited manner. When he asked who she was she nodded to him. "I'm a person, a being by the name of my name.  Which is a name that is called Meerior.  And I make sounds in my head that become sounds once they reach my mouth, and from there they fly into the winds to be heard by those near me.  Those sounds are keels and those keels are a language, a call to those around me." She continued to grin. "And why am I in a dark forest that is made of trees and underbrush alone?  I'm not alone or by myself!  You're here, and there are the other things that are here, they are all around us, all around us in this forest."

She stood there, looking at him and still grinning strangely.

[Valoric]

     It was a girl! A rather strange girl, actually, that stood in front of Azul now. Or maybe she wasn't a girl? Well, She spoke in a slightly disturbing and most definitely odd manner. Had Azul not know better, he would even say she was on the verge of patronizing him. She explained that the exotic shrills she was giving out were a language, but Azul found that hard to believe. Anyway, he stood there trying to process the situation, silent and confused until he was interrupted.
    "Sir, you should introduce yourself in return. It is only polite after she has given you her name, however odd a manner she chose." Perditrix encouraged.
    "Umm, yes," Azul started once pulled from his thoughts," I am Azul. This is my pal, Perditrix. I apologize for my poor behavior, but you startled me. It's not too often you find girls chirping in the middle of the forest as you are talking to the darkness around you. You? You are a girl, right?" Azul questioned. "I hope-"
     "Sir! I am not entirely sure that is an appropriate question for the situation at hand," Perditrix interjected before Azul could finish.
     "Yes! Sorry! I did not mean to be too forward, but I have troubles... seeing those things, ya know? I hope I didn't offend you, and if you like, you could join us in our trees?" Azul inquired, by now letting Perditrix rest at his side so as to not seem threatening or threatened.

[JackieCat]

She smiled even wider as the sword, and then Azul, spoke.  She didn't seem offended at all when he wasn't sure if she was a girl or not.

"Hello, Azul and Perditrix.  I am a girl, and a woman, and a lady and one of the female sex.  You were sleeping off of the ground and in the tree, why would you sleep in the tree?"

[Valoric]

    "Yes, Sir, why were we sleeping in the tree?" Perditrix asked with more than a hint of a condescending tone.

[Valoric]

     Azul sighed with defeat, " Because the last time we slept on the ground, I didn't listen to Perditrix. We slept next to a river and woke up with 5 rather large and hungry river monster-beastie things attacking us, and He will not let me live it down."

[JackieCat]

"River monster-beasties?" Her eyes widened, though her smile stayed. "They attacked you which was trying to hurt you which could be trying to kill you?  I suppose the Riveri, which are the river monster-beasties, which are the things that attacked you, might do that.  I am good friends of the Riveri, they are large and huge and scaly lizard-like monster creatures.  I make sounds that form into words and then the Riveri hear the sounds which are words which are communication and they understand and talk back.  But they do not talk with sounds, they talk with mind-speak.  They talk right into my head, and I can do that as well."

And then she stopped speaking, but she sent words to Azul's head.

'See?  I can talk with you in your head.'

[Valoric]

WOAH, this is weird! , Azul thought loudly (if you can do such a thing)."Can you talk to Perditrix like that? Can you hear my thoughts? Can you hear Perditrix's thoughts!?!" Azul asked in a volley of excited questions. Then with a sudden realization, Azul nearly shouted his next question "Does this mean that you can ask river monster-beasties to be your friend?" He waited with the anxiety of a pixie child, eyes wide and mind racing.

[JackieCat]

Meerior laughed, though it was more of a cackle, when he started babbling away.  "I think I can send mind-speak to Perditrix.

'Is this working?' she asked in mind-speak, sending it to Perditrix.  "And I can't read your thoughts, or anyones thoughts, unless they want me too!" As she spoke she pulled a small three-pronged fork from a pouch on one of her three belts.  "And I do not ask the river monster-beasties, which are called the Riveri for some reason that I do not know, reasons are strange, and Riveri are called Riveri and not river monster-beasties for a reason I do now know, and I do not ask them to be my friends!  Before I even speak to them they will not harm me, for a reason, her are those reasons again! that I do not know!"

[Valoric]

"I can't believe you're friends with river monst- I mean Riveri!," Azul Shouted while Perditrix was trying to reply to Meerior.
"If you are trying to speak to me with your thoughts, madam, I feel you are unsuccessful. I know not why, and I apologize that I can't participate in the conversation should it move to a story of thoughts." Perditrix reasoned to Meerior.
Azul went back to his antics, That is such a cool power! Hey! Hey! Can you hear this? , he thought in the hopes to capture Meerior's attention. If you can hear me, I want you to know that Perditrix and I can do amazing things as well! You wanna see!?! , again he asked anticipating the excitement of her answer. After all it isn't everyday you meat someone who can talk to your mind. It isn't everyday that you meat someone that is as unique as Azul and Perditrix.

[JackieCat]

"I can hear you!" Meerior said, giggling. "Though I am sorry, that is sad, which is dissapointed, that I cannot Mind-Speak with Perditrix.  And what can you do?"

She took a step forward. "I would like to know, or see!"

[Valoric]

     Azule smiled a wide toothy grin, showing his sharp pointed teeth as the whitest thing in the forest, especially against the dark blue of his skin. "We can do loads of things, like placing ice on things," he motioned toward the branches they had jumped from. Then he continued," But my favorite thing to do is this," and he lifted Perditrix straight to be pointed at the stars and asked, "Perditrix?"
    Perditrix replied merrily,"My pleasure sure." Instantly a bright light shot from the great sword into the sky, blinding Azul only slightly. When the light stopped, Azul set Perditrix in what is the shamble of his sheath.
     "Look!" Azul said, looking strait up with what is a face of true happiness. At first a few silvery flakes slowly fell from above, but quickly more came with greater intensity while Azul began to dance in the winter playground he had just made for himself and his guest. "What do you think?" He asked Meerior.

[JackieCat]

She laugh/cackled again as the snow started to fall. "That is a very interesting, that is amazing, that is fascinating thing!"

She slipped the fork back into its pouch crouched down and touched some of the snow on the ground, still smiling.  She looked down, but a second later her head snapped up and her red eyes were glowing fiercely.  She jumped up with a hiss and stepped back from Azul and Perditrix.  She was half-crouched, and her hands were up as if ready for battle.  Her eyes were filled with rage, and she hissed loudly.  It was, like the keening, an un-human sound, and it was loud and threatening.   

[Valoric]

     At first Meerior seemed to enjoy the snow Azul made, which made him happy. But unexpectedly and violently was she was repulsed and started making noises again, only scarier! "Meerior? Ugh... Did I do something wrong? I can put it back, I think?" Azul asked, nearly shaking with anxiety and fear.
     All the while, the only thing Perditrix could do was exclaim his concern," Oh dear! I think we have more than upset her, Sir."

[JackieCat]

"I will kill you!" Meerior hissed at them, her eyes still filled with rage. "I will kill you both!"

She drew a dagger from a sheath on her belt and readied it to throw, but before she could, the rage passed from her eyes, and they were clear once again.  She dropped the dagger and staggered back, her eyes wide.

[Valoric]

     Azul placed his hands on Perditrix as a reactionary measure, just to play it safe. He couldn't truly believe that this wonderful amazing person he had only just met could want to kill him so quickly. Sure there have others have acted that way, but none of them were like him. None of them were like her.
    "Meerior? Are you, are you better now? I can still try to put it back, if you like?" Azul offered as he crouched to her level and cautiously approached closer with Perditrix at the ready.
     "We truly are with regret, Madam, and we should like to make things right by you," shared Perditrix, who was trying by all means to console their, hopefully, new found friend.

[JackieCat]

She nodded. "I have a strange. . . Thing, that happens to me." she said, and for the first time, she was not smiling. "It comes upon me randomly, that is, without warning and suddenly.  I cannot control it, I cannot stop it, I cannot do anything against it.  It was not your fault, that is, not by your doing, not by your snow."

[Valoric]

      "I am happy that my snow didn't upset you, but you still seem... shaken. Would you like to sit for a bit?" Azul asked, motioning to the ledge of frozen branches once more.
     "It is getting rather late, and should you not sleep Azul, then we won't make it to the next town any time soon." Perditrix chastised.
     Azule nearly hissed in his dramatic response," Perditrix, if it weren't that I needed you, there would be days I would just lay you under a bunch of rocks and leave you there a bit."
     "You don't mean that, Sir," Perditrix said trying to not let any hurt show through. Perditrix knows how naive and immature Azule can be, but he always remembers that Azul makes up for it with his strength of heart.