there's a mutiny below [hiya]

[Anonymous]

His chest heaved up and down silently as he pressed his body flat against the large cobwebbed tree, waiting. Watching. Listening. Angered footsteps kicked at the boulders, while a snarling voice shouted at the trees, hoping to bait the eighteen year old out of his hiding place. He had known it was a bad idea to come back here, he had knew it all along. Yet how could he leave such memories behind? Sekani had to return to Zantaric one more time, before finally leaving it forever. Yet, perhaps the dark-skinned lad should've known that he would run into some enemies of his here. People he had pissed off in Zantaric were pretty plentiful, but honestly, he didn't feel like playing hide and go seek at the moment. It seemed like he just couldn't go anywhere without being noticed and hunted down. Such was the life of a petty thief.

"Come out, you coward! Show yourself! You think I don't know what you stole three years ago?"

Oh, like Sekani could remember three years ago. He gritted his teeth, wondering if it would be best to take his chances with the complete stranger – who could be much stronger than Sekani could ever hope to be – or he could run, like the street rat he was born to be. Sekani wouldn't call himself a coward really, just someone who would rather be left alone, especially when trying to get back to the ruins of his home. The lad grit his teeth while turning towards the large tree, letting sandaled feet help him ascend the mighty oak, trying to forget his fear of heights as he did so. Maybe he could make like a spider and use the canopy to get back home, but to be honest, he highly doubted that. This guy really seemed ticked off, and the funny thing was that Sekani wasn't even sure why.

"You think I can't see you lurking in the shadows, you damn rat? Come out where I can see you!"

Before Sekani knew it, a barrage of daggers was sent into his direction. Panicked, he crouched down into the treetops, letting the bloodthirsty weapons zoom past him. A swear ripped through the canopy as Sekani held his breath once more, keeping still as he watched the frustrated man pace back and forth through the forest floor. Shit! How far was the village from here? And would he even make it there before nightfall? Lavender eyes searched the sky, saw the sun just about ready to head back to bed. Navigating the depths of Zantaric after nightfall would be nearly impossible, especially since he was so far away from the main village. Cursing to himself, the blonde dusted off his ripped khakis and tugged on a lock of platinum blonde hair in frustration. This was going to be harder than it appeared....

"Damn you to hell, you bloody thief! Don't make me have to come up there in those damn trees myself!"

Would he? He wouldn't! But just to make sure, Sekani eased himself down from the tree, using the vines to ease his way downwards. As his feet touched the ground, the eighteen year old heard the stranger's breath quicken, as if he had heard his descent from up above. Clenching his teeth, Sekani tiptoed through the keeping himself hidden in a nearby cluster of trees: he was practically back to square one. But he couldn't stay here forever – how could he? He needed to go back to that damn village one more time before he left it forever... But destiny was never at his side, not anymore. [/list]

[Anonymous]

She couldn't tell you how long she'd been looking at the paper in her hand. Large ocean green eyes looked at the world around her. Yisa realized she was walking in a new land that was strangely beautiful. A wide smile came to her face as she took in the sights and the sounds. Her right hand clasped onto reigns which she discovered lead to a chestnut horse. Contrary to normal ways, the horse was leading her as if it knew the path like an old friend. looking behind it, the blonde could see a cart attached to it. It was covered with a deep brown cloth. It didn't seem like it had much in it.  Her smile dimmed as she wondered what could be underneath it, but didn't have the urge to look just yet. Her eyes returned to the paper in her left hand. the word 'ZANTARIC' was written in medium sized letters. She noticed there were more words written and slid her hand to see. This proved to be a mistake as the ink smeared. Bemusement danced on her features as a perplexed look settled upon her lips. "Well that's unfortunate," she said to herself. As she folded the paper and stuck it in a deep pocket, she looked at the pretty horse who carried on. "You seem to be a good girl though. Hope you don't mind he hangin' around a bit." The horse gave a sound as if she didn't mind, keeping her steady pace the whole time.

Yisa's smile came back on her face, but a much milder version than previous. The feel of the cooling air felt great on her bare arms. The forest green vest fit just right, letting the breeze dry the sweat from it and the darker shirt she wore below it. Her long beige skirt danced in a gentle wind thanks to two slits that seemed to be made from a jagged cut than a seamstress. Her boots were  weren't hurting her, but her legs did seem weary. Just how long had she been walking? Before her mind could shrug off the thought, she heard shouting and an need to head in another direction. Immediately, Yisa's took lead of the horse at an angled direction. The mare followed without qualm. The shouting got louder, and soon enough she saw a man yelling at the trees. Quite odd if you'd ask her. Once under another large tree, Yisa let go of the reigns. The horse instantly stopped and waited, taking a glance around before nibbling on some grass and fixing her eyes on the teenage girl moving toward the yelling man.

"Damn you to hell, you bloody thief! Don't make me have to come up there in those damn trees myself!"

"Excuse me, sir?" She stopped a decent distance away from the man. Not too far to be rude, not to close to invade his space. She waited until he was looking at her to smile and give a mute wave. "Hiya. Do you need help with something?" Her voice and manner were not ill meaning. However it might be hard to ignore the sword sheathed on her hip and the large clothed item on her back. Also the bracelet she wore didn't seem much of child's play. Regardless of how the shopkeeper felt about her, Yisa waited with innocent patience for his reply.

[Anonymous]

Where would he be safer — in the trees, or skulking about the forest floor? Either way, it still bothered him that he had to lay low, when really, all he wanted to do right now was show that damn shopkeeper a thing or two about how keeping a three year grudge could be bad for one's health. But no matter how much Sekani could talk tough, on the inside he was a lover, and not a fighter. Especially not now, when this whole ordeal could be avoided with him slipping through the treetops and stealing off into the evening, just like he had always managed to do. Right now, he hid himself atop a tree, the branches and leaves concealing him from the rest of the world. The real question here was how he was going to manage to climb from tree to tree, all the way back home? It was a challenge, quite certainly, but a part of him was too lazy to be bothered...

He was lounging back in the branches of the trees when he heard the sound of a horse's hooves, clopping in a bored fashion against the grassy dirt. Sekani perked his head up from his lazy spot up above, raising an eyebrow as a bubbly-looking girl with a sword strapped to her side. Sekani brushed aside leaves and twigs that had dug his way into his clothing in order to get a better view of this stranger who had marched her way into the small clearing. What was she planning to do? Lavender eyes analyzed the sword she kept on her side, and wondered, with just a small amount of optimism, if she was planning to send this guy packing just by revealing her blade... or something along those lines. Although, he wasn't sure if he wanted a girl to fight his battles, especially one that couldn't been fought himself.

The shopkeeper seemed to have a much negative reaction. He took one look at the sword she was toting and narrowed his eyes at her, his face painted with disgust.

"And why do you care, huh? You're probably just another bloody thief as well. Bet you stole that damned blade there, nicked it straight out of the cart of some poor ol' shopkeeper like myself, who's just tryin' to make an honest livin' in a hell hole like this. Damn you all!"

With this, he spat at her feet, showing no signs of wariness, except for when his beady black eyes laid eyes on the blade. It was true, even Sekani had to admit that the weapon looked exceedingly powerful, but as long as it was sheathed, the boy wasn't sure how much trouble would come from it. By the look on the shopkeeper's face, all it would take was probably a bluff to scare him away, but his eyes tried not to portray that, looking indignant as ever as he held his ground. Sekani took a seat on a lower level of the tree's branches, amused at the show. Maybe he was going to get home after all?

[Anonymous]

Despite the obvious fury in the shopkeepers voice, Yisa's smile didn't fade. It was still displayed on her lips, even as he spat at her feet. She moved her head to watch it's path not moving an inch out of the way. Silently she willed it away from its target. She really didn't want that to hit her boot. Oddly enough it seemed to bounce back a few inches away from her, landing on the a splotch of dusty grass in between the two. Hmm. That was strange. Not one to dwell on things, she focused on the man once more. Only to find his eyes glancing at her side. This got the smile off her face. Now she was just perplexed. The blond followed his gaze.

In wonderment, Yi' looked at the impressive sword. As her eyes fell on it, she could almost feel a pull towards it. She lifted up arm and she pushed her hip to the side a bit more to get a better view. The hilt was a the darkest brown she'd ever seen, with silver and an orb of blue on the end of it. The guard had a larger blue orb caressed by two fin-like fixtures. It's sheath was a shade of dark brown as well. Intricate details could hardly be seen at a distance, but up close the deep groves of hieroglyphics could be easily seen in it's black hue. She didn't understand its meaning, but felt a strange need to protect with it. But who was around to do that with, other than the shop keeper?

"Actually, i just sorta kinda found it there," Yisa said in a cheerful tone. Her thoughts were not displayed on her voice nor clearly on her face. In her investigation of the pretty weapon, she saw the tip of something on her back. "What do we have here?" Letting her arm fall back to her side, and her feet as evenly as they could be on the ground, Yisa reached behind her back to feel what was there. She couldn't see it, so her eyes settled on the tree's leafy branches while her hand explored what was there. The shopkeeper was still in her line of sight, though it wasn't her conscious intention. She thought she saw a branch move suddenly. Her eyes began to focus on finding its source...

"Aha!" she said joyously as her hand clasped the hilt of the item. All thought in her mind returned to it. The coarse covering fell to the ground behind her as she drew the double edge sword from over her shoulder. This jian was not as powerful looking as the other one, but it had a deadly elegance to it. "Hmm. Seems i've found this one too," Yisa said idly as she pulled the weapon close to examine it's gold tassel, decorative blue hilt, and silver edges. She focused on a streak of dark red her the center. "Is that blood?" She questioned aloud to herself.

After musing about it for a moment, she slashed the sword through the air, as if to get rid of the splotch. It was quick, but not blindingly so. Perhaps the shopkeeper would beg to differ as he was standing close as it was. The sword didn't touch him though. Instead, it rested gently on the ground as her hand held it to her side. "But anyways," she began in a bright voice, smiling features returning once again, "I'm no good at thieving. All that stealth and stuff. I'm more straight forward. Get things done out in the open. Honest and to the point, you know what I mean?"

Maybe he did in the way she meant it. Maybe he did in the way nearly everyone else would see it. To Yisa, she was just a blond 16 year old was holding pleasant conversation. The situation could easily be interpreted as her planning to off the man, either because she was crazy or dangerous.

[Anonymous]

The stranger, oddly enough, did not back down from the rude shopkeeper. On the contrary, she continued to stand there with that smile painted on her face, completely unfazed. Sekani had to grin at that – if he had been down there, he surely would've socked him in the face by now. The only reason for his sneaking now was that he didn't have the time to ignite a battle. His goal was to get back home, as quickly as possible, before the sun started to set, which would make it wholly impossible for him to navigate through the forest.

Apparently, the girl had just sort of 'found it there,' which made Sekani wonder if she really was a thief with a bad cover-up. But no, that innocent smile etched all over her features said differently. If anything, the girl was probably just passing through, but at a fortunate time for the thief who stalked the trees. As the girl reached behind her back, attempting to grab something strapped to her back, Sekani watched onwards as her ocean blue eyes scanned the trees, almost stopping at the tree he was held up in. Jittery, the darkskinned lad accidentally kicked at a branch, causing the leaves to shuffle. He groaned to himself, wondering if the shopkeeper had seen – or the girl, for that matter.

Out of nowhere, the strange girl pulled out a double-edged sword, inspecting it nonchalantly, as if having such a weapon out was completely normal. The shopkeeper's eyes bulged at the sight, swallowing his tongue as she asked if there was blood on the sword. Obviously, the persistent, beady-eyed man was incredibly freaked by now, and it didn't really help that she flashed the sword around like it was a play thing a little too close to his face. He barely even heard what the girl said about her not being a thief – it didn't matter now. All that mattered to the shopkeeper was living to see another day.

"You... you f-freak! Damn crazy girl, swinging a sword around like that... probably tryin' to play mind games with a p-poor shopkeeper like meself! Damn you! Well, you're not gettin' your filthy mitts on me, no s-sir! You don't come any closer, you hear! Stay back! Crazy sword-swingin' psycho!"

He backed up slowly, before turning tail and bolting out of the forest, only to run deeper to it, and nowhere near the village of Zantaric itself. A shrill cry could be heard into the forest, birds flying off their perches and into the night at the sound. Sekani couldn't help but laugh in his spot amongst the leaves, shaking his head at the sight. He let his feet dangle from his spot amongst the branches, judging how far he was above the ground for his jump. The lad sprung down from the trees, landing like a cat onto the forest floor, flashing a grateful thanks at the girl, even though she probably didn't mean to scare the shopkeeper off.

"Who knew a girl like you could be scary without even trying, huh?" he joked, shaking his head. "Thanks for that, I probably would've been up in those trees all night..." He stretched his arms above his head – tired from the skulking he had done for the day. Although he was curious about this strange girl, he wasn't sure what to ask her about first, or if he should ask about anything really, his eyes drawn to the sword at her side. Sheesh, he could practically feel the power radiating off of that thing! What was she doing, with a thing like that?

[Anonymous]

When the man ran away would be when her facial features changed. She had a thoughtful confusion in her eyes as her thumb and index finger settled on her chin. Maybe she should've paid attention to his tirade. "Guess he doesn't need my help then," Yi' stated to herself. Her focused returned to the tree and the laughter coming from within it. From the person in the trees no doubt. It was a darker fellow with a lot more height to him than she. The protective feeling returned, and a dull pressure building in the back of her mind. Under normal situation, his smile would've been contagious at first glance. With those feeling, Yisa did almost the opposite. Her expression became one of thought an analysis. As if sizing him up and looking for something familiar. As the cries from the shopkeeper died out, the feeling subsided. The pressure at the back of her head did to. She shook her head slightly in relief. A warm smile returning to her features just as he started speaking.

"Well, I'm glad to have helped somebody out," Yisa said with a happy tone. There was jolt of sensation to her left. It was startling and pulled her attention to it right away. The calming, cool wave was feeling was coming from the sword. After a moment of pondering, she looked at the other sword in her hand, then to the cloth behind her.  "This isn't right..." she said aloud to herself before plopping down on the sandy ground. Her hand went to the course cloth, and she felt there was a sheath there as well. In a quick manner, as though she had done this many times before, she undid the sword at her side and wrapped the cloth tightly around it. As she worked, she spoke. A smile constantly gracing her face. "Staying out here all alone in the dark and cold wouldn't have been fun at all. I'm on my way somewhere if you want to tag along."

Her offer was sincere and care-free. She laid the covered sword on her lap, then tried to wipe the streak off of other sword. While sitting there, she innocently took in the rest of him. A few extra meals wouldn't hurt him, not that she was one to talk. She had a feeling any food he had would go to energy well before they were stored. His hair seemed to be the same length as hers if it was down, but had many different hues to hers. His eyes were a brilliant shade of lavender. She nodded to herself. Maybe that was why the sword was reacting as it did. "She likes your eyes," Yisa simply stated as she inspected the unsheathed jian. With her other hand, she tapped the clothed sword. "This one here." Reaching around, she grabbed the other sheath and slid the jian into it before grabbing a hold of both swords and standing up.

"My name is Yisa. You wouldn't happen to be the thief that man was talking about, would you?" There was excitement in her voice. Meeting new people was a great joy of hers. For the most part, there was not a hint of anything besides joy in her voice.

[Anonymous]

There was something strangely refreshing about this stranger, although Sekani could not figure out for the life of him what that refreshing characteristic was. Perhaps it was her seemingly endless smile – the fact that she was so willing to be so gracious towards him, even though he had been sitting up there in the treetops while watching her verbally duel with the shopkeeper down below. If she had been the more suspicious type, she could've easily labeled him as a dishonorable thief, ready and willing to loot her after appearing out of the shadows. It was strange to see someone like her in Zantaric, but Sekani was not one for questions.

Lavender eyes scrolled down to her side once more, noting the girl fiddling with that strange sword again. Sekani had never really been one for swords, although he would admit that he did like to look at them from afar. He recalled days when he'd sneak through the marketplace and steal glances at blacksmiths welding fresh new swords out of almost nothing, proudly setting them on display. However, Sekani could not ever recall being so drawn to a sword like this one before. He told himself that it was nothing – he only fancied it because of the overwhelming aura that radiated from its being. And also, he was a thief – it was only natural for him to be attracted   to shiny things, expensive things, powerful things...

She plopped down on the floor, tending to it, like a mother would a child, although the girl seemed to be skilled in the art of multitasking, asking if she wanted to tag along with her on an errand. Did she have business in Zantaric? The thief bit his lip at the thought –  knowing that now, facing his past would be inevitable. Did a part of him hope that he'd be holed up in that tree for the rest of the night? Would that have been better than going back to face memories? Who would know now... Plus, she did do him a favor, even if she wasn't even aware of it. It was best to return it –  he'd be killing two birds with one stone!

He grinned good-naturedly, folding his arms round the back of his neck. "I might as well, huh? I do owe you one after all... Plus, it isn't really safe to go around these parts at this hour..." He was one to talk, seeing as how he did that sort of thing all the time – but he was a veteran at avoiding danger, right? Well, tonight would've proved differently, and he wouldn't be surprised if she pointed that out, either.

Strangely enough, he wasn't really prepared for what was to come next.

"She likes your eyes," was her quip, to which Sekani blinked blankly at, trying to sort out just exactly what she could mean by such a statement. The stranger seemed to be referring to her sword, the strange one, to which Sekani laughed, not really sure what to make of that. "Didn't know swords had genders," he joked, shaking his head. "Tell her I'm flattered, then – it's not every day I get complemented by a sword."

Again, Sekani found it odd how he was taken aback by the pure euphoria in her voice – the sheer undiluted joy of merely meeting someone new was not a trait he found in most people, especially not around these parts. "I'm Sekani," he introduced. "The no-good thief that shopkeeper was after, of course – and damn proud of it!" She seemed so carefree about his 'occupation' – did she not worry that she would be swindled? "You alright with that? Hanging around a thief, that is?" It never hurt to be sure – better to find out now rather than later, when they grew a conscious and found themselves better than his company. It had happened too many times before.

[Anonymous]

This was an honest fellow. Confident, but not arrogant. Those aspects of him retreated to the back of her mind behind a veil she had yet to penetrate. The imprint was there. Her subconscious knew. So did she, for the moment. A toothy grin was accompanied by a nod. "Of course I am!" Yisa replied in earnest. "I protect what's important to me." She returned her swords to the places that felt right to her. The tassel swung from her jian on her hip, while she secured the now covered sword to her back.

Her grin toned down to a softer smile. As her eyes settled on Sekani, a part of Yi' was relived that the pressure was subdued and not trying to assault the forefront of her mind. A partial fist propped itself on her free hip. "I'm glad you're tagging along. It will be nice to have a companion into town." With her other hand she thoughtfully tapped her chin while her eyes idly wandered to the sky. "Wonder if there's a way to get there before it gets much darker...."

There was a low whicker behind her. Confused, Yisa turned to look at a beautiful chestnut mere with perked ears looking right at them. A wide smile broke out on her face as she moved toward the horse who in turn moved towards her. They met halfway. Yisa outstretched her hand to show the horse that she came in peace. The taller animal just nuzzled her hand until Yisa gave her a good petting. "Well aren't you a beaut? You wouldn't mind taking us to town would you?" The question was responded with a exhaled breath in her bangs that made her giggle a bit.

After petting her nose a few more times, Yisa started on the side of her until she noticed that there was a cart attached. She excitedly rushed to have a look. Lifting up the covering on top she was able to see a stash of food, clothing, some medicine, and even some dolls and play swords. It was hard to tell if her eyes out shone her smile after seeing such a thing. "What Luck!" Her eyes went over to Sekani. "Looks like everything one needs to be set for decent traveling. We'll be good no matter how far we are from Zantaric! Say, how far is Zantaric anyways?"

[Anonymous]

[ ooc – bah, i'm insanely sorry for making you wait so long! forgive me? ]

She was a strange girl – but not in a way which alarmed him, which was something to celebrate. She had this unnatural sort of positive energy just leaking off her very presence, something most people these days seemed to lack. It was almost too easy to be around her, like she was a friend that he had lost many, many years ago. He couldn't say that he was surprised to hear that Yisa didn't mind being around him, something told the thief that she wouldn't mind being around anybody, as long as those 'anybodys' were good people to be around. Looking back at how she had dealt with that man, he wondered now if she had even meant to scare him off. Perhaps the young miss was sincerely trying to hold a decent conversation with him? The thought almost made Sekani laugh, but he traded that for a mischievous grin instead. "Well, congrats – you're probably the first who's never thought anything of it. I gotta say, it's a nice change..."

Even though he was putting up a front of escorting her into Zantaric because he felt indebted to, in reality, Sekani wasn't sure if he wanted such good company to leave just yet. It had been awhile since he had found anyone to share a few moments with – and there wasn't a day that went by where he didn't regret leaving his band of thieves, back in Essyrn. Sure, he let the memories slide past him, but sometimes they hurt, dug into his skin to the point where he felt like he was being tormented by demons of the past. Looking at this carefree young girl, the dark-skinned lad wondered if she had such problems. Was it all but a façade? Was there a lone wolf under that sheep's clothing? The very thought piqued his interest – that is, until Yisa spoke cheerfully of how she was glad to have some company tagging along. He smile, biting the inside of his cheek while rubbing at the back of his neck with an idle right hand. "It's nothing... really! 'Sides, I bet you get company like this all the time, huh? Zantaric ain't really a place I'd feel good about letting someone wander into all alone anyway. Don't think I'd get any sleep if I did that." Lavender eyes traveled about the forest floor, preoccupying his mind with the wonder of how they were ever going to get to the village...

The soft whinnying of a horse broke his thoughts and caused him to spin around, spying Yisa petting a chestnut horse, a carefree smile etched onto her features. Lavender eyes widened at the sight – Kani had never really been good with animals, and couldn't help but smile at how easily Yisa interacted with the horse. He stepped cautiously towards it, like one would sneak around a lion's den, and took good care not to look it in the eyes. Seems like they'd be riding into the village on horseback – which would do them good, it would take less time that way. Perhaps there really was a god, if such a coincidence could pop up to help them like this... Or maybe it was Yisa's good karma. It couldn't be Kani's, he probably had more bad mojo than anyone he knew, on account of all the things he had stolen in his lifetime.

"Looks like everything one needs to be set for decent traveling. We'll be good no matter how far we are from Zantaric!" Sekani breathed a sigh of relief at that, muttering, "Well, maybe there is a god..." It was mostly meant for himself, but was loud enough so that Yisa could've heard, should she have paid attention. It was then that she inquired how far Zantaric was, to which Sekani had to cast lavender eyes across the trees and scattered mountaintops. "Probably about a three miles or so, give or take," he estimated with good faith. It had been a while since he had roamed these lands, but he had known every bridge and crevice and juncture this area had to offer for a long time. It was like riding a bike, one couldn't ever forget one's home. He turned lavender eyes back to the horse, still skeptical. "You sure it's okay to ride this thing? How do ya know it won't go insane and throw us off or something?" His tone was wary, mixed with a panicked laugh, as if he was trying to blow off his small phobia. He knew the only way to get to the village before sundown was by horse, but why was it that when that horse looked at him with those beady eyes, it was looking right into his very soul?