Spirits of the Earth

It felt good to be home. Akenu had finally got herself to go visit her parents, whom she had stayed with for a few weeks to replenish on supplies, catch up on stories, and help with whatever needed help with.  It was calm and relaxing; she always felt a sense of ease back at her home that she never felt on the road, though the forests offered their own sense of sanctuary that civilization would never bring about. However, the woman had to pick up on her journey again, so here she was at the other side of Ketra.

The woman was reluctant to let her horse, Elyin in the safety of the stables.
Maybe the wild has made me too paranoid, she thought as she walked into the pub area. Marik curled on her shoulders, knowing that she would scold him if he tried to do anything mischievous. Best to stay where she could see him , if she needed his assistance.

She liked it at the brothel. The woman wasn't of...that sort, but she liked how it was quieter, where her ears wouldn't be troubled by the constant deep vibrations of the loud market place noise. More over, Akenu was feeling in the need of a bath and food, and where was a better place to go than here? The woman walked over to the nearest couch and sank into it. Having been on her feet all day, this felt like something close to paradise.

The constable never gave chase this persistent before.  Dram had been running for longer than he cared to tell, but they were close to catching him this time and he was getting desperate.  Every which way seemed blocked off and if there was anything that made him panic, it was being cornered with no way out.  He wasn't getting caught this time!  He wasn't going back to prison if he could help it, damn them!  He'd get away if he had anything to say about it.

He was a bandit, and a good one at that.  He wasn't the King Hawk's right hand man for nothing!  But it seemed like it was getting more and more difficult to rob things these days.  Everyone was so paranoid, had their stuff nailed to the floorboards, locked in enchanted chests, or just plain hidden so well, not even he with all his skill could find it.  He got what he was looking for, a ruby necklace with a stone in it nearly the size of his fist!  Yeah, he got it...but like hell if the guards were going to let him get away with it!

Dram needed to get away and fast, and lo and behold, a horse!  Just waiting in these stables.  Well, nobody ought to mind right!?  This was Adela, there were horses aplenty and surely whoever owned this beast of burden, could get another one without a problem.  Right?  Right!  Dram knew the shape of the building that came up by the horse.  The Randy Peach.  Not that he would boast every going in there, but no doubt that owner of the horse would be very busy and probably wouldn't notice that their horse was gone for a very long time.

He ran for the stables as fast as he could, when he saw the coast was clear.  "Okay, c'mon, Mr...errr," he looked underneath the horse, "I mean Miss.  I know you don't know me, but I need you right now.  So, why don't we go for a nice little getaway ride okay?  Easy, girl, easy."  Dram put his hand tentatively on the palomino horse, which spooked the creature.  The horse neighed wildly.  "Whoa!  I said easy!  Hey!  Calm down!" Dram shouted out.  But the horse didn't listen.  Every time he tried to reach for the powerful animal, but she stood up on her hind legs and thrashed her legs at him.  He dodge a short blow to the head, but fell back on his rear.  "Hey!!!"  Oh damn...he knew he was going to die some day, but damn he never thought it would be because of a loud, neighing horse.

The breeze blew in through an open window as Akenu closed her eyes. It brushed against her cheek lightly and began to speak to her through its images. The outer world was shut out from her consciousness as it swept her through the city with its' tales. She couldn't control these brief and quick visions- they came and went.  

A priest was walking solemnly through a garden, observing the flowers..Children helping their parents run a dimly lit candle and soap shop...A man running through the streets with treasure in his hands as he raced towards a stable....

Akenu was jolted out of her vision with the sound of a high pitched and frantic whinny.
The woman's blue eyes widened in anger.
Elyin!
With lightning fast speed, the woman jumped to her feet and bolted out the door. She hid by the entrance of the stable and wrinkled her nose. It wasn't the smell of animals that bothered her; it was the sickening smell of iron. Still, it wasn't like it was up in her face; it reeked,but it wasn't enough to start making her nauseous, at least. the woman quickly observed the man attacking her mare. Elyin was a sturdy and strong breed, and she was fighting off her attacker, admirably.
That's my girl.

Merrik gave a growl as Akenu entered the stables, a hand on the hilt of one of her daggers. This man, who ever he was, angered her. How DARE he try to steal her companion? More over, who was the stable hand around here? They ought to be whipped for skipping out on their duty, if things like this were to happen. The huntress eyes were cold and hard, her stance rigid.
"Step away from her. Now!," she barked in crude Common.

Dram had never had a moment where he was afraid for his life.  He'd been to prison time and time again, but that he could handle.  He'd fought rival bandit clans, successfully escaped the jaws of a basilisk, braved hordes of guards, goblins, trolls.  You name it, chances are he's probably killed it....  But never did he ever think he would get killed by a horse.  And with how pissed off this animal was at this time, for a moment he swore he could have seen his entire life flash before his eyes.

He just lay there on the ground, his arms over his face, trying to protect himself as best he could as the horse kept rearing up and trying to crush him.  Before he knew it he heard a voice, something that seemed incredibly muffled and dull, but demanded without a second that he moved away.  Anything you say, sister, he thought as he rolled away the instant he had a chance.

It was an odd woman that greeted him with her demand and his heart was beating awfully fast by the time that he got to his feet.  "She tried to kill me!" he said haggardly and his hand reached for his kopis, though he didn't pull it out just yet.  "What the hell is her problem!?"

"Get out," Akenu warned, not bothering to lip read his words. What was there to read but lies, any way? Instead, she made towards Elyin slowly as she observed the would-be horse thief. He was an elf, though he couldn't have been from Serendipity...His skin was too dark. The woman also noted his fiery hair and the  tattoo on her shoulders, though whatever significance any of this had escaped her. She tried to read his movements. The elf looked like he was in a casual position, but she knew he had a weapon, somewhere. Akenu kept her left hand firmly on the handle of  a dagger as she reached out to pet her mare's face.

 Quickly, her eyes looked over to Elyin. Akenu cracked a small, weary smile. She loved her mare, and was proud of her ferocity, even though she was usually quite peaceful under normal circumstances. She knew her companion would have been able to fend off a stranger for a while, but the attempt scared the woman, and the warmth of Elyin's nose comforted her.  But why had that elf tried to steal her horse? Horse thievery wasn't that common, after all. He must have done something dire. Or was an idiot.  As if to answer her question, a guard ran past the stable door, causing Marrik to react. However, Akenu was so busy staring at the odd looking elf that she ignored this reaction. The dragon stretched its wings a little in frustration.

Moreover, the woman felt as if she were in a delima. Could she really stay here, now, or she have to avoid this city? Ugh, this was troublesome.
All thanks to him.
"What stupidity made you want to steal her, ah?" Akenu asked.
She didn't really want to make much small talk and nor did she want to bother much with the guards (she didn't really like them, much) but if the woman had to, then she would.

Dram knew this looked bad and knew she wouldn't be quick to favor him or his side of things.  But he was running out of time and he had to think of something fast or he'd get caught and strung up for good!  He knew also that he didn't look like someone immediately trustworthy; he looked wild, ragged, and extremely desperate.  And why should she trust him?  He just tried to steal her damn horse!  He couldn't blame her but he had his reasons....

"C'mon please," he murmured, half-begging, but his tone could not be readily heard over the march of boots coming past the stable door, yelling, shouting about where that damn thief went.  He twitched and his heart pounded so loud it may as well have been in his ears.  Dram only grimaced and knew that there was no time to answer her question.  In an instant he pulled out his sword, the kopis that would save his life and might end hers if she wasn't careful.  He stepped closer and grabbed the reins of that horse roughly, showing her who was boss, holding the sword between him and the strange woman.

"No time to talk," he said harshly.  "You're coming with me.  Now get on that horse!"

OOC: I Noticed i left out an important detail; her wares. However, I'm going to be sneaky and pretend they're in the stable with the horse because the stable hand was supposed to take care of things sooner. So there.  :mrgreen:  

IC:

          The elf was doing everything he possibly could to not win her over. He said something and seemed to be distracted, if not scared of something.
So someone is chasing him, Akenu thought.
She was going to say 'no' to his request, anyway, so when he pulled out his sword and pointed it at her, she scoffed. Secretly, however, the smell of the iron irked her and his hands roughly grabbing the reins of Elyin bothered her. There was no way he was kidnapping her on her own horse! The woman didn't trust the man a second; he didn't deserve to ride Elyin. Furthermore, her livelihood was on that mare. If he took Elyin, he took those, too. Not that he would be able to break through the locks, (then again, he might) but he would still have them in his hands. Actually, wasn't the stable boy (if there was any) supposed to take care of these things? Akenu could see that they were still with Elyin in the stall; the stable hand clearly wasn't doing their job properly.

No, she refused to obey. Without a moment's hesitation, she pulled out  her left handed long dagger with the silver  blade and pointed it at the elf as she took a step closer to her mare. Marik growled and shot towards the elf's face in an attempt to distract him. With her free hand as the dragon made his attack, Akenu moved forward to swiftly punch Dram in the gut. In the meanwhile, outside, the guards were close, but starting to move past the stable.  Two had entered the brothel in an attempt to look for his whereabouts, but to all this was the woman oblivious.

[Lol.  Tis alright.  Let's just assume the stable-hand is upstairs, trying to get lucky instead of trying to keep his job.]

Dram was going to get away, even if he had to knock her out and take her with him to do it, gods dammit!  But he was quick to see that she wasn't going to make this easy on him.  Especially when she pulled out a blade of her own.  Great just what he needed, another would be hero and her little dragon trying to give him hell.  Dram swatted at the damn dragon and struck him with the flat of his sword, only to be struck in the gut with a rather good punch.  But he was fit enough to take the blow and the breath wasn't sucked out of him as much as it might have.

Dram stepped back and slashed his sword at her in a downward  arc, and spun on his heel, to slash at her from the side.  He moved fast and deftly and if it was a fight she wanted, hell it was a fight she would get.

OOC: sorry for the wait. last two weeks of the semester, yo; thing's have been busy. also, she's not on the horse yet, just sayin'. XD I'm guessing this is going to end with her  wounded and him getting the girl and the horse...lol

IC: Marik provided enough of a distraction for Akenu to firmly grab onto Elyin's reigns with her right, free hand as she stepped back from the downward arc , barely missing the blow. It was true the elf was fast, but the woman had nymph blood in her veins that allowed her to be fast and agile. Unfortunately, it was that same blood that would make her feel sick on top of being wounded if his blade touched her skin. The woman knew it was best to just get away rather then full out fight an elf in the stable.

However, this goal was going to be a challenge; Dram's next blow took her by surprise, and she barely was able to block the blow with her left knife; the block kept his blow only a hair away from her skin. Only just.
Damnit, she thought; he was fast, if not faster than her AND stronger. Not good.
Akenu growled as she drew back and moved toward's Elyin's side as she switched her long knife  to her right hand in order to climb up with her left. Dran wouldn't hurt Elyin, after all; he needed the mare as a ride. Meanwhile, the dragon Marik perched himself on top of Elyin's head, keeping himself out of the way, and let out a loud, shrill cry.

Damn that little dragon!  Dram slashed at the thing with every intention to scare it away.  It's shriek made the unwanted voices of guards suddenly turn and gain an interest in what was happening in the stable.  The time he had was running out and the sand was slipping through his fingers at an increasingly accelerated rate.  Dram was no longer interested in fighting and as soon as he saw the woman climb atop the mare, he jumped too, and quickly as his body was trained to do.

He ignored her knife hand for a slit second perhaps he shouldn't have, but he quickly went around from behind and tossed himself into the saddle as well, wrapping his sword around, by her neck and reaching for her knifehand with the other.  "Ride," he said.  "RIDE!  Or I'll cut your head clean off!"  He nudge the horse harshly with his heels to command it to bolt out into the night.

The sounds of guardsmen with weapons drawn were right around them, intending to surround the building and cut off the escape.

Not a moment after Akenu was in the saddle did she find herself taken captive on her own horse. She let out a cry mixed with angst, shock, and anger as the elf held his sword up to her throat and kicked Elyin into motion. This couldn't be happening.  All she wanted to do was take a bath, and  then this happens!?  The spell of iron filled her brain, causing her to blanch a little.
If Elyin bolts, I may as well be dead, Akenu thought with utter humiliation.
"Get that thing away from  my neck!" she spat as she grabbed hold of the reigns with both hands after sheathing her knife.

Elyin broke  into a gallop  out of the stables and past the guards. Akenu's white hair  and head scarf's tails violently lashed behind her, though she was thankful her vision was clear. Marik soared over head, though he occasionally went down to nip at Dram's head, particularly his ears. The woman's eyes widened as they dodged past the angry guards.

What did he do to attract so many? she thought, horrified.
Some city dwellers have watched them rode by; Akenu could always come back and claim she was kidnapped, but she didn't want to be associated as this thief's, this...scumbag's assistant! Her family lived outside the city, after all. She might never be able to come back, if that happened.

//idk how to delate these things...><

triple post fail lol

[Haha, no worries (:  And you can't delete your posts because the admins disabled it.]

That little shit!  Dram pulled the sword away from her neck when she requested it, but not because she requested it but because he was trying to slash at that little dragon that was biting at his ears.  He'd clip it's wings if he had half the chance, but it wasn't before long before he was holding an arm firmly around the woman's waist as the mare bolted out the stables and past the guards.  He held on like his very life depended on it and ignored any continued attention the dragon might have at his ears.

"Damn them.  There's so many," he cursed.  "To the left!  Dammit to the left!"  Dram reached around and tugged on the reins to lead the horse down the directed path, heading out of the city and away from the passel of guards that had blocked the way on the right.  He slapped the horse on the rear with the flat of his blade to get it to go faster.  "Make the right move and I'll spare your life woman," he ordered, still holding the sword close just in case.

The guards were thickening and they were surrounded on all sides.  Dram slashed one of them out of his way, making the guard scream in agony as he went down.  "HURRY!" he yelled.

Akenu gritted her teeth as the elf took the liberty to hold her firmly around the waist as Elyin flew out of the stable. She didn't really care where they were going at first. Part of the woman wanted the guards to catch them as they almost ran into a pack of guards. However, the grabbed hold of the reigns and tugged it go towards the left. Akenu practically growled as the elf slapped her mare's rear with the sword, mentally insulting him  with as many colorful words as she could muster. How dare he abuse Elyin like that?
She  gave out a cry as she watched Dram kill a guard.
I'm so sorry, she thought as she silently said a prayer.

The woman gritted her teeth at Dram's command; Akenu didn't have to hear it to understand his intentions.
"Talking to me like that won't do you any good," she spat as she rode Elyin skillfully through the streets of Ketra. She might as well inform her oh-so-brilliant kidnapper about her deafness if he was just going to yell like that behind of her back.
"I can't hear you; I'm de...Agh!"
Out of nowhere were arrows being aimed at them. Most of them missed, though one of them hit her square into her left shoulder. A red and black feather adorned the end.

Akenu yelled in agony as she clutched the reigns, enraged and in pain.
What sort of solder carelessly attacks a victim!?
Where's the dumbass, the woman thought as she wildly scanned the area, searching for their attacker as Elyin charged forward. However, she had no time to check, and thus it appeared as if they had passed the sniper, for arrows were still coming from behind. She kept as low as she could with that arrow; to hell with what happened to the elf!   Akenu patted her horse on the side, trying to keep her calm. Adreneline shot through her body, making her shoulder feel numb and her senses heightened. It was as if a very hot fire had spread throughout her body, but she tried to ignore the pain and the sick feeling she was developing in her gut.
I'll take care of myself, later.
They were close to one of the city's exit now, for the woods beyond were in sight.

Dram ducked at a horde of arrows that came flying their way.  He grimaced and snarled in their direction, wherever they came and slashed at them uselessly.  He held onto the woman tighter and threatened to crush her underneath his grip but it was firm enough so that he didn't fly out of the saddle.  The guards kept up their pursuit and he warded any away that threatened to overtake the horse.

He did not hear her under the roar of his own yells and that of the guard.  Dram kicked off a bastard that attempted to overtake them with a lunge.  A lance cut through the flesh of his arm, sticking him like a pig and he cut down the lancer in one full blow.  "Go Go GO GoGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGO!" he cried hoarsely and kicked the horse to go faster.  In a clash of hooves against stone the mare burst through the gates just before they closed and continued to thrash the ground in escape.

When they were far enough away from the city, and the horse was finally tired, she stopped and Dram dismounted.  He slid off with ease, nursing his wounded arm and glanced up at the woman.  "Thank you," he said.  But she didn't look well and he looked at her closely to notice she was bleeding.  "You're hurt!  Get off.  Let me see that."

The rest of the ride went by as a blur to Akenu.  She was enraged,  in pain, hot, nauseous, kidnapped...Not to mention the shock of everything had made the woman feel so numb. All she could do, really, was ride, and ride hard as the thief dealt with the solders. Akenu gritted her teeth as Dram shouted in her ears. She couldn't hear him, but she could feel the vibrations, and it only annoyed her further. For the most part, the woman tried to pretend he didn't exist, though the notion was ridiculous as his arms were around her waist and him apparently shouting whatever into her ear.

Her ancestors must have been watching over her, for they made it out from the city more or less whole. Akenu slid off Elyin as Dram addressed her, panting hard.
"I'm deaf, you know,"  she said with a hiss, "Can't hear you."
Despite talking to the elf, her eyes focused on her knees. With a deep breath, she grabbed the arrow and clamped her eyes shut.
One..Two...
She yanked it out with a yell, blood pouring out, causing Akenu to feel dizzy. A hand covering the wound, she used the the other to support her weight as wobbled a yard away from her goods and the elf to throw up at the base of a tree.  
I hate iron, she thought, grimly, as she wiped her mouth. Hate, hate HATE it.

Still, she didn't feel as hot or dizzy, now.
She grimaced as she turned around to face the elf and her things again. Akenu now noticed the wound on his arm and groaned. Great; she had to take care of herself and him, too. The woman thought about how much of a waste of supplies that was as she plopped herself down on the ground again and removed her head scarf and secured it around her torso. It was a crude bandage, but she needed time to prepare some medicines. However, she would have to go into the larger sacks on Elyin; her pouch only had minor things, though there were some roots in there that helped with pain.  It was bitter, but Akenu liked it because it also helped when dealing with iron. The woman pulled out one, broke it in half, and handed it to Dram.
"Chew it," she ordered, "Get water and  cut up something to cover those wounds. "

The woman took her half and grunted as she started to remove the sacks by Elyin's sides before she took out the box with the lock for her own personal medical purposes. In it would have things more appropriate to treat the two of them.
Then he had better leave me alone, she thought as she pulled out a pot and handed it to the thief, as well. He wouldn't steal that, would he?
"I'll get a fire started," she muttered.

Dram stared at her with narrow eyes for a moment and mouthed the word 'deaf' to himself.  So that would explain the lack of communication.  "What the hell you mean you're deaf?" he asked, then smacked himself with his palm.  "Oh right.  You can't hear, duh," he said and wiped his face clean.  "Wait, what are you doing?"  He watched her take a few steps away before getting enough guts to pull the arrow in her out herself and he hardened his jaw  and he gave a nod as she endured the pain.  She wretched her guts out by a tree and he turned his back on her and peered toward the horse.  She got stabbed with an arrow, he got jabbed with a lance.  This wasn't a good day for both of them was it?

Damn well not, to be sure.  Dram resheathed his sword, the glinting steel flashing in the moonlight.  He stepped back when she returned to the mare and pulled out something she then snapped in half.  He stared at it stupid.  "What the hell she expect me to do with this?" he muttered to himself.  "Stick it up my ass?  Psht, I don't need this."  He chucked the root and watched the blood draw out from his wound.  He had his own gear to deal with things like this and he did as he was told.

She had a lot of guts telling him what to do after he tried to steal her horse, attacked her, and basically just was an all around asshole to her.  But Dram knew also to count his luck when she hadn't yet bothered to bolt for her life.  Any smart person would have done just that.  But he supposed she just had her own brand of stupid to contend with.  He returned with the  bucket of water and dropped the thing by her side, spilling of the water on the ground.  He took a seat by her and looked at her, gesturing to her ears,  "Now what?"

Akenu practically growled as the elf thief wasted perfectly good medicine. Didn't he know what was best for him? But of course he didn't.While he was gone, Akenu assembled enough wood to attend to a small fire. Furthermore, she was mashing together herbs and roots of various kinds. The woman wasn't a doctor, but she had been taught to tend wounds by using certain herbs to make wounds heal better. However, before she could that, they needed to be cleaned. That's what the water was for.

Her jaw hardened in turn as the elf dropped the pot to the ground, spilling some of the water. Furthermore, he had the audacity to gesture towards her ears, as if they had to do with anything. It was, perhaps, a natural reaction, but it was a personal pet peeve of hers non the less, and he was already pulling practically all the wrong strings.
"Just let me do my work and tend to us both, alright?" Akenu snapped ask she grabbed the pot and placed it over the water. When it got hot enough to make bandages and good rags, she grimanced as she started to undo the scarf that was wrapped around her. At this point, it was stuck to her tunic and her body, as the blood was sticky. Carefully, she peeled it off from her tunic, and tossed it aside. The material was too thin to be used as bandages. Thankfully, she did have some rags to help clean their wounds, but not enough to make good bandages, especially around her torso. As the water started to boil, she scooped out some of it to mix with her herbs to create a sort of paste that would help to close their wounds cleanly. There was enough in there for him; she could make more for herself soon.
"Spread that all over your cuts and make bandages for yourself," she said.

Without another word, the woman slowly began to remove her tunic by sliding her arms out of it, using her right hand to help ease out her left. The woman was raised to not be so terribly conscious about modesty; besides, her chest was covered with red cloth bound around her, so there wasn't really a problem. Her tattoos were fully visible, and her belly piercing flashed in the light of the fire. The wound, with caked blood surrounding it, looked nasty, but worse than it actually was. She began to tear long strips of bandages at the hem of her tunic and threw them into the pot to sterilize them. Afterwords, she dipped a clean rag's edge in the water, folded it and wait for it to cool a bit before using it to clean herself.  It took her up to ten minutes, but by the end of it, she, too had the cool, healing paste on her wounds and was fully bandaged.

Akenu tucked her hair behind her ear. It was late; it was dark out, she was hungry and needed to recover. She could set aside her pride for this one night to deal with this...thief.
"Just to make this clear," she said, "We part ways tomorrow. I don't want to be any more involved with you or whatever it is that you stole that got us into this mess in the first place!"
However, the woman probably wasn't as intimidating as she wanted to have been as her stomach growled at that moment.

Dram just sat and stayed quiet while she work.  She seemed awfully in a hurry for someone who couldn't hear, and certainly refrused to communicate with him altogether, if she was capable of communicantion anway, he didn't know.  He didn't even bother to ask.  And for all the rudeness she showed him now, he knew it was only fair that he accept it, though he didn't want to.  He had half a mind to leave her here to tend to herself.  She would be fine anyway by the looks of it.

He didn't know why but he stayed sitting and just looked at the fire.  That was until she addressed him again, ordering him around some more.  He grimaced and shook his head.  Perhaps he was too prideful, but he didn't need anything from her he determined.  He just watched her, barbarically tear up her own clothing and try and clean her own wound like a novice.  "It's still going to get infected," he said briefly.  He scoffed at the site of her shirt.  Dram reached into his utility belt and plucked from it a roll of bandages ready to be used with the cut of a blade.  Dram took a dagger from his boot and held it over the fire after he cleaned his wound with some of the water.  When the blade when to enough, he pressed the blade over his wound.  He did not scream from the pain, only holding in a deep breath and releasing it when the wound was cauterized and the bleeding stopped altogether.

He tossed the dagger into the water which gave a sizzle and steam upon impact.  Afterward, when it was cool enough he cut strips of his own bandages and dressed the wound around his arm tightly, making sure it was snug around the bulge of his arm.  He clenched his bicep to make sure the pressure was enough and he unflexed it before his ear twitched at the sound of her stomach rumbling.  He simply stood then and walked away from the fire, away from them altogether and disappeared easily into the shadow.

A half an hour passed before rustling occurred in the brush.  And he emerged with something slunk over his shoulder.  It was a rabbit.  No two of them, tied together by some twigs and he slapped both of them down in front of him before he immediately gutted them without saying a word and began to take out the entrails.  He made a mess of it on the floor but began to skin the creatures without needing to say anything.  It wasn't like she could hear him anyway.  Maybe she could read lips, he didn't know.  When the rabbits were both skinned, and he pulled two nearby branches from their holds and skewered each animal, throwing one at her, uncaring if she caught it or not.

"Food.  Eat," he said simply and cooked his own rabbit.   He waited a while before he looked at her and viewed all her tattoos in curiosity.  They were quite elaborate and he wondered where she got them but would not say so, knowing she would not answer.  But there was at least one question he could ask that she may be inclined to do so.  "Name.  Do you have a  name?"

Akenu wrinkled her nose in distaste as the elf rejected her medicine. It was bad manners is what it was, but she made no more fuss about it.
I'll just keep it to myself, she thought as she bottled the paste up and locked it in her box after she was done attending to herself. The woman didn't even know why she bothered, really. She had no business helping out a man  of his stature out!  Akenu sullenly watched him quietly make his way into the woods. She had felt her belly grumbling; was it possible he left because of that? No; he probably just left to continue on his journey.

However, curiosity got the better of her within the next ten minutes. Bored, Akenu lifted her head towards the wind and tried to get a connection, a hint of his whereabouts.  It took her a few tries, but, eventually, she got a quick image of him hunting down a rabbit. So he really was getting them food. The baffled woman looked at her dragon, thoughtfully. She was pleased he was at least a bit of a decent creature, though that doesn't excuse his past actions or his dishonest occupication. Besides, who asked him to hunt? She could take care of herself. Content at that thought, she waited by the fire for his return.

By the time he came back, the  pot was removed and the fire was open to cook the meat. Akenu watched as he skinned each rabbit, unflinching. He made a mass, and the stench of blood filled her noise, but she ignored it. Marik, on the other hand, went practically berserk with glee and went for bits Dram discarded.
At least it won't go to waste, she thought, grimly.
Akenu caught the rabbit and began to cook it on a spit.
"Thank you," she said.
As they cooked, the woman noticed that he was staring at her body. No, not her body- her tattoos. She watched out of the corner of her eyes  as his gaze traced the lines on them; the sun on her chest, the leaf on her hip, the wings on her back, and the others. He seemed to want to say something about them, but didn't.  As he began to speak her head turned, almost sharply, so she could catch his words.

She hesitated before speaking.
"I do," the woman replied, cautiously. If there was another thing she hated the most, it was being taken advantage of. Akenu wouldn't mind sharing her name if she wasn't being conned or would be because of the information.  "What's it to you? What's your name?"

Dram turned the skewered rabbit in his hands like a spit, cooking the animal all around.  He reached out and plucked some meat off the leg of the rabbit and put it in his mouth, chewing it lightly.  He didn't realize how hungry he was too.  Usually he made sure that he ate before going on the job just to make sure that he wasn't distracted by anything that wasn't stealing or breaking and entering or getting away.  But his stomach rumbled furiously too and he took another piece off his rabbit.

At her words, the way she spoke, it was so unusual and he barely understood her.  But he made an effort.  He nodded.  "Only to know who it is I have to pay back for stealing your horse...and kidnapping.  I am Dram, if you wish to know.  That is it, just Dram.  If you do not, then forget you read my lips...  If you can read lips that is."

The corners of Akenu's mouth twitched, as if to almost smile. He didn't really apologize- he didn't say 'sorry', after all- but it was some effort. It would have to do. The woman nodded, curtly. She was still upset. After all, an apology couldn't fix what had happened in the city today. Besides, he was acting kind, now, but he had been hostile back then. And the name he had given her..Dram. It was simple of a name enough, but who knows if it was his real one or not? Still, she saw no reason to not tell hers.
"As you should. It's Akenu Felit,"  she replied, a little amused at his confusion if she could read lips or not.
"And I can read lips."

She said this last bit almost smugly as she, too, tasted the rabbit's meat.  It was good, but not quite done. Marik tried to get a bite, but the woman swatted him away; he had enough and there was more for him in the forest. Elyin was grazing on a patch of grass nearby; Akenu didn't have to worry about her picking at her food, at least.
"What's the tattoo on your shoulder mean? " she boldly asked as she finished cooking her food.

"It is good to meet you Akenu Felit," Dram said after a while, unsure if she heard him or read him, whatever it was that she did.  The circumstances between them weren't so good and Dram knew that there wasn't much he could do to pay her back for everything that he took from her.  Which may as well have been her whole livelihood.

When the rabbit was finished, Dram tore into it without a second thought and paused when she took it upon herself to speak to him.  But he only narrowed his eyes at her.  "That's nothing," he said sharply.  "None of your business that is.  Just a tattoo, means nothing to you, woman.  Now just be quiet and eat your food.  If you're too prideful to eat, then give it to the dragon."  He didn't like being asked questions that were too invasive and if he didn't know any better, he'd say she was trying to ruin his evening just as much as he'd ruined hers.

He was about to eat again when he paused midbite, he heard something in the air, like a quick whistle and he felt the hackles on the back of his neck begin to rise.  In less than a second he dropped what he was eating and threw his arms around Akenu and yanked her to the ground, falling with her as an arrow zipped over them and dug into a tree behind them.

"Gods be damned.  Bounty hunters!  They must have seen the fire!"

As the rabbit finished cooking, Akenu blew on it a bit before carefully eating. The meat wasn't bad; it could use some spices, but this would have to do. She was famished.  It was lucky she was for she would have snapped otherwise at Dram's rude response. "Just a tattoo"? The way he responded looked like it did mean something. It really was a pity, because her mood was lightening up some, but no, he had to go ahead and be such an ass. Akenu supposed it really wasn't her business and that she would have responded the same way, but that only seemed to put her off in a worse mood.
No way I'm like him, she thought, stubbornly.

The woman was too busy eating to notice that Dram had suddenly hesitated. Thus, she let out a muffled cry of alarm as he pounced and pinned her to the ground. Her heart started to beat faster....There's no way that he was that low and stupid? No, that thought was quickly dismissed as her eyes observed his face. His body was blocking her view of the arrow, and she couldn't clearly lip read him. However, she could guess, and what she guessed wasn't pretty.

"Let's go," she grunted, squirming her way out of his grip.  At most they had a minute and a half. Without  hesitation, she ran for her  medicine box , pot, and scarf, and shoved it all into her merchandise bag. The woman was lucky she hadn't removed the saddle off of Elyin. Akenu hissed as she tried to hook it up, trying not to reopen her wound. It pained the woman to know that she would have no time to hook up her second sack to the mare; there was no time. Actually, it was stupid of her to salvage what she did, but if she lost it, she very well might have lost her livelihood.
There's no way I'm leaving this behind, she thought, stubbornly.
Not to mention the items were too valuable to leave behind for the guards to take.  With a curse, she opened  the second sack and salvaged the most important items; her bow and quiver and her cloak. A second arrow came whizzing by, followed by the arrival of one of the bounty hunters on a horse. He was about to shoot another arrow directly at Dram when Akenu swiftly drew one of her own arrows and shot it.  

The man howled in pain and fell to the ground. The woman silently cursed; now she had marked herself as a fugitive. She quickly prayed to his soul for forgiveness. Though they had to keep running; that man couldn't have been alone. Without another word, Akenu mounted her mare.

Dram let her go, knowing explaining things would only take time.  Luckily carried everything he needed on his person without the need for too much baggage.  There wasn't much time to grab everything and go and certainly the rabbits he'd hunted only for a short moment would go to waste.  What a shame, but there was no time to worry about food!

Dram's heart beat out of his chest and he felt adrenaline rush through him as another arrow whizzed past him.  Horse hooves were nearby and Dram only watched Akenu draw her own bow and aim it in his direction before he had time to register someone was behind him.  He heard the groan as the arrow tore through him and Dram whirled about.  "Shit!" he yelled before he grabbed up Akenu's second sack, threw it over his shoulder and ran after her.

Just as the horse was about to take off, he put one hand on Eyliin's rump and vaulted himself up behind Akenu, kicking the mare to begin escape.  Just then the sounds of more horse hooves came up behind them in hot pursuit.

Fly, Elyin, prayed Akenu as the mare galloped hard.  into the shadow of the forest. Her night eyes were good, but Marik's was better. They moved down the road, though the woman knew they would have to divert into the forest in order to avoid the bounty hunters.
Isn't there a cave a mile or so off the road, she thought, her mind swirling, unable to think clearly. The woman didn't want to keep on killing just to save their skins.  However, it was very likely that there was someone already waiting to close them off further down the road.  She tried to use her wind speak, but the circumstances prevented her to.

The woman gritted her teeth. The trees near the road were near impossible to ride through. However, there was a path that lead deeper into the woods that she knew of further down the road.
Just a little further, she thought, gritting her teeth.

Dram couldn't say he didn't know what had set these bounty hunters off.  Was the price of the amulet really worth the price of his head?  Or maybe the owner was just a greedy bastard that would pay twice as much just to have the head of the thief that took his prized amulet.  Dram almost reached into his belt to pull out the jeweled amulet, wondering if tossing it would bring the bounty hunters off their trail.  But as the horse was bounding off as fast as she could, there was no question in his mind that he would toss away all he worked so hard for.

"Ride, come on, horsie, ride hard!"  he held onto Akenu as she steered her horse masterfully, but the trained arrows of the bounty hunters seemed to be far better aimed than the guards had been.  One embedded itself right into his back and he yelled out and seethed in pain as the arrow entered his shoulderblade, right where he couldn't reach it.  He held on tighter with his his good arm and buried his face in her back.

"Please," he pleaded in a fashion so unlike him.  "Please!"

Akenu didn't dare to look back, but she could feel the elf shudder and cling to her harder. She didn't have to hear or see to know that he was in pain; the bounty hunters were getting onto them. The woman hardened her jaw and dug her heels in tighter and turned to her dragon. She hated to do this but they needed a diversion. Akenu pointed the opposite direction.
"Go that way and make some noise. Catch up with us later. Do you understand me?"

Marik gave a sad coo before he zipped through the trees. The woman prayed for his safety; she wasn't sure if what she was doing was the right thing, but the dragon was agile, dark, and small. He would be impossible to hit in the darkness.  
Besides, he'll meet up with us later, she thought, determinedly.
The path she was looking for in the road came up, and Akenu drove Elyin straight into the woods. She tried to lay as low as she can to her horse to avoid branches; cutting them down would only make a more obvious trail. She hissed as the occasional branch brushed past her, causing herself to scratch her face or arms.
"Almost there," she said, reassuringly.

Dram thought he could get used to pain, but getting stuck in the shoulder blade with the arrow as deep as it was only made his eyes roll back in his head and he sucked in breath sharply as he put his head up.  There must have been something on the arrow because he was starting to get dizzy and the trees were spinning around them.

"Hurry," he breathed against her back.  He didn't know how much longer he could hold onto her.  The sounds of hooves compounded in his ears harshly.  "The hunters....they're..."  He didn't register that the hooves were gradually fading away at the sound of a disturbance nearby, and their yells and whoops only echoed deafeningly.

Without Marik by her side, Akenu couldn't tell if the hunters were still on their trail or not. However, there weren't  any more arrows trying to hit them, so she assumed they were falling behind more and more. All she knew was that they needed to get to their destination quickly; she could feel Dram's body becoming slacker. He needed to be treated as fast as possible.

They got there faster than she had anticipated. The 'cave' wasn't really impressive; it was a small den that was abandoned by bears a long time ago for some unknown reason. The hunters wouldn't be able to find it so easily, for it was sheltered by the neighboring trees. Akenu gave Elyin  a pat to slow into a trot towards the stone entrance. Once they were in the back corner, she drew into a halt. Finally, she turned around to face the elf and hissed. He had an arrow in his back and he looked sick.
A poisonous sleeping drought?, she wondered, cursing their bad luck.
Slowly, the woman slipped off Elyin before hoisting down the elf. She let out a grunt as she tried to support his weight in her arms; Akenu was strong, but men were so heavy.

Akenu set herself to work over the course of the next few minutes. She laid him on his back on her cloak so that she could yank out the arrow and begin to treat his wound. After she got the wound to stop bleeding by applying pressure to it, the woman wiped her hands of his blood before rushing for her medicine box. She pulled it out, as well as a water skin, and quickly returned to his side. With skill and practice, she mixed an antidote, which she hoped would worked, with the water. The drink was supposed to be taken down hot, but they would just have to improvise.
"Here, drink a little of this," she coaxed firmly as she held the waterskin up to his mouth.

Everything was so blurry and the trees looked like they were dancing.  No, not just dancing.  Twirling around and swinging their branches and leaves in a mamba.  Oh yeah, a mamba and Drams' blurry sight only made him smile in humor.  "Oh how pretty.....such pretty leaves," he muttered before he slumped completely against her back, knocked out.

He came too here and there and there were flashes of action before his eyes, faintly registering that they stopped by a cave somewhere and he saw the horse and Akenu moving around in the background.  And there was a great sting in his back.  He didn't know if he was still holding that sack that belonged to her, and murmured something incoherent about big breasts.

"cows, y'know...  Oi," he said.  He was dizzy and he didn't know what was going on after that.  Only that something was at his mouth remotely spout shaped and someone told him to drink from it.  He did, though some of the liquid came out of his mouth.  "Oiiiiii.....I don't feel good...  Who, are you again?"

Akenu tsked as Dram started to sprout nonsense. She ignored it for the most part; she had to take care of him, not try to decode every little thing he said. The woman quickly felt his forehead; it was a bit clammy and hot.
"Just relax. Drink more," she mumbled not really sure what to say to him as the woman tried to help him take a few more gulps down. She wasn't a doctor, after all; this was the first time she had treated someone else other than herself. After that, she got to work on treating that wound a bit more. Shamelessly, she removed his belt, set it aside, and began to pull his tunic up over his shoulders.

I need to clean this, she thought and once more ran to Elyin's side.
Now that some of the urgency was taken care of, Akenu hastily removed the sacks from her horse and the saddle.
"Good girl," she muttered as she clutched her own wound.
It hurt badly, and she couldn't afford to let it reopen. The woman needed rest, too, but first she needed to treat Dram.  
At least I have some luck, she thought as she rummaged through the sack.  In it was a small jug of beer she had been saving.
Not the most sanitary thing in the world, but it would have to do.

She brought over and popped it open. Akenu swung a gulp, thirsty, before pouring it over Dram's skin to clean the blood. After that was done, she  brought out the paste the elf had previously rejected. The woman couldn't help but to give a smug grin at her small victory as she gently placed some over the wound. Remembering he had bandages, the woman reached out for his belt, and began to rummage through his things for it.  The first bag she opened contained the amulet. The woman took in a sharp breath.
So this is what he stole, she thought with alarm, giving him a swift, curious glance.
Deciding to inquire about that later, she moved on until she found the roll.

Triumphant, the woman sat in front of the elf's head and turned him around so he could face her.
"Try to sit up," she ordered as she tried to help him with the process by hoisting him up underneath the arms.

Whatever was in that crap he drank, it was starting to work.  Well it must have been because Dram's vision was staring to clear.  He could vaguely feel someone undressing him.  And if he'd been in a normal state, he would have quickly been alarmed at such a thing, but he had no way of knowing who it was or why they were.  Only that suddenly something stung in his back and he yelped outloud at the burning of alcohol in his wound.

"GAH!"  He seethed and sucked in air sharply through clenched teeth and bolted up when she tried to help him.  His head hurt massively and he groaned as he slouched over.  "Aye, aye, I'm up.  W-where am I?  How did we get here?"  Dram looked over to the side and noticed his things were scattered around.  "What are you doing with my stuff!?" he growled angrily.

Though it was a little too dark to tell, Akenu's face grew  a bit red as the elf seemed to gain compete cautiousness so quickly. She knew the medicine worked fast, but she never known it to be this fast. Without meaning to, she slapped him across the face as he growled at her, both flustered and embarrassed. It wasn't a full force blow, for she was too weak at the moment, but it was enough to sting a bit.
"I was trying to find your bandages," she snapped, "Now  stay still!"

 The woman began to wrap the man's torso with the bandages. Every so often, Akenu would yank at it as she cringed in pain from her own wound. She gritted her teeth as she felt her face become hot with anger and frustration.
"Look," she said slowly, "You got hit by an arrow and it had poison on it. I was just...helping...Ugh."
With a sigh, Akenu had finished wrapping his wound.

She sort of wanted to wait, but now that he was so jumpy about it, she might as well address it. Akenu reached for the bag with the amulet in it, and dangled the jewel in front of her.
"What is this?" she demanded as she squatted by his side, "And don't  you damn well tell me it's none of my business, because  after what just happened, it is, now."

Dram was incredulous at the slap and looked at her like a complete idiot, not knowing what to do and just let her do her work.  She worked fast and was good with her hands and he just sat there like a dumb child, unsure of what he did wrong exactly.

Ahh, the arrow.  Now he remembered.  He reached back a little and glanced over his shoulder to inspect her work.  The wound was tightly secured and he could still move.  Maybe he was wrong to doubt her before.

But then she pulled out the amulet and his heart suddenly leapt into his throat.  Immediately he lunged for it.  "That-that's mine!  Give it back!"

Akenu gave a mischievous smile and held the jewel out of his reach. She took a little pleasure out of knowing that she had some power over him. It was about time she got some answers, after all. Instead of immanently replying, however, she placed the necklace around her neck and slowly began to get up. The woman bothered to tell the elf to not move; he should have enough wits to know not to. Instead, she walked towards the sack with her personal belongings in it. She was grateful that the elf had loaded it on for her, despite his attitude. The woman found a warm, dark blue tunic that fell to her knees, and carefuly pulled it on, without bothering to adjust the lacing at the neck, yet. It was cold outside, and she had so generously rested the man on her cloak.
I want that back, she mentally noted.

Cloathed and warm, she pulled out another cloak, this one older and worn thin, to rest her head on for the night. Now that she got her things taken care of, it was time to deal with him.
Akenu squatted next to the elf, letting the amulet dangle over her clothes. She played with it with her fingers as her eyes kept steadily on the elf.
"Tell me," she demanded, "Tell me what makes this jewel so important that we almost died? The reason that I killed a man, that now I'm a fugitive in my own kingdom...Shit."
The woman hissed as she could feel tears building up...Tears! She quickly wiped them away, and bit her lip, her eyes never leaving Dram's.
 He was going to have to fight her to get that thing back, which would probably just reopen both of their wounds.

Dram narrowed his eyes at her.  She was toying with him and he couldn't say that he liked it.  "What's your game woman?" he said with a clear and utter frown.  It was not difficult to see that he was upset.  And it made him even more uncomfortable to see her play with the thing.  A bad feeling squirmed inside his guts and already he forgot about his headache.  He kept his eyes on that amulet, watching her like a hawk.

He waited until she sat down beside him and he still had that nasty look on his face.  "It's mine!  And you have no right to wear it!  I took it and that's that.  If you got in trouble that's your own fault.  If you'd have just given me your horse, I would have been over the horizon and beyond instead of sitting here talking to you.  I would have given her back!  But no, you gotta give me trouble.  Now give me that amulet that I went through all this trouble to steal.  Or I'll beat it outta you!"

OOC: I realize I didn't have her remove her quiver or bow from her back while she was getting dressed...Not really an important detail but w/e. It's fixed..magically. XD

IC:
Akenu let out a broken, hollow laugh. Did he really have the audacity to say such things? She should have known.  
"'Given her back?' How would I have known, with a sword at my throat, that I would have gotten my friend back? And besides..."
She picked up her medicine  box, closed it, and got up to put it away in one of the bags.
"If I haven't gotten through the trouble, we both would have been dead. Or did you want to be  killed?"

The woman reached for her own belt in the sack and and gently placed it down  next to her other cloak as she slowly sat down again, making sure to keep it within her reach, next to her bow and quiver. Akenu took in another breath before speaking again. She hated repeating herself and speaking for such a long period of time. However, Dram was so stubborn. Akenu observed the necklace's details. It was masterfully crafted and would have been worth a fortune...Either a wealthy rival wanted it for sentimental purposes or for magical purposes.
"In any case, just because you're feeling as lively as ever doesn't make you in a fit condition to beat others for your toys. That'll just undo my entire work. So you will tell me what this amulet is. Is it magical? Cursed?"
She arched an eyebrow.
"Or are you so stubborn because you don't know?"

Just then, a rush of wind approached as Marik flew into the cave. Akenu had watched him out of the corner of her eye, and gave a broad smile as she embraced her little friend, overjoyed that he was safe.
"Thank you, little one," she said as he nipped at her hair.
The woman quickly scanned his body; there were no injuries of any kind.
Thank the gods.

[Lol!  There's no harm.  Don't worry about it xD]

Dram glared at her with his red-eyes.  His dark skin was now beading in perspiration and his heart was beginning to pick up speed.  Even though he knew she was deaf, he still feared  that she could hear the compounded echo of his heart as it did so.  He was so cool under pressure, or so he thought he was.  He took interrogation beatings without so much as a whimper.  But this!  This was torture, watching her wear that amulet he worked so hard to get, wear it like little more than ballroom jewelry, easily discarded for next seasons fashions.  Dram wished just looking at her could kill her, because then he could just take the amulet and run.

That had been the plan all along after all.  And he'd run, ran fast until he knew he needed a horse to get away.  Sometimes escape wasn't so easy...  If only he had Bane with him now.  But that stupid giant eagle was probably grooming his feathers back at base instead of being with his rider!  Oh if he got out of this, he'd strangle that bird with his bare hands.

Dram grimaced at her question and didn't even want to give her the time of day.  Why should he!?  It was his and that was that!  Didn't she get it?  Was she thick-skulled as well as deaf?  "I could still beat you with my good side," Dram growled at her again.  "I don't need both hands to kill you, though it certainly would be faster.

"And I don't care if it's magical or otherwise.  What matters is it's worth a buttload of gold when I sell it to the right buyer.  But until then you better give it back now before I make your life a living hell.  Last warning."  Dram got up on his knees and perched himself as if he was ready to pounce.  He'd been in enough fights to know he didn't always need both arms to win.

Akenu, with Marik perched around her neck, leaned against the palm of her hands as she patiently lip read the now furious Dram. She almost felt sorry for him; the woman knew she was scaring him with her questions, with her possession over the necklace. However, she knew better than to not take him seriously. There was a grim determination in his  eyes and body language that let her knew he wasn't kidding. Akenu sighed. The sad thing was, he was probably right; he could very well beat her in a fight, though she considered herself pretty deadly, especially with her weapons. But she had had her fun as well as her answers. Besides, she was tired of talking.

"So it's for personal reasons, more or less," she replied coolly as she removed the necklace, and set it down gently in front of him.
I hope you're happy.
Akenu gave a grim, disappointed smile and shook her head. She tossed to him  his tunic, and mentioned towards her good cloak, which he was sitting on.
"Put your shirt back on and use that as you will for the night. I want it back in the morning, though," she warned quietly as she picked up her own stuff and shabbier cloak.
"Good night."

The woman slowly got rose to her feet, and sat in the shadow of the den's entrence, pulling her knees up to her chin. She was exhausted, beyond it, but it would take her a while to fall asleep. Akenu rocked a bit in place. She needed this time to both think as well as to keep a quick look out. So much had happened that evening, so much...And all because he could his expensive trinket for whatever stupid reason? She didn't know why she was this upset- everything made sense, if she thought about it, hard enough. It didn't make it any less frustrating, though. Akenu moaned a little, a sound mixed with physical pain, frustration, and anger.
Stop acting like a baby, she mentally spat as  Marik cooed, trying to cheer her up some. The woman gave her friend a small smile and pet his head, a little bit more comforted as her thoughts wondered off to more important things, like where she would go next and how she would get there.

Bout damn time she gave it back to him.  Dram didn't like playing games, especially when it came to things that were no toy after all.  She mentioned magic or if the amulet was special.  Now that he thought about it, he thought it was curious that the bounty hunters had pressed after him so hard when they did.  What was another lost jewel to some rich snob that could easily replace what he'd stolen ten times over!  It wasn't like he stole the man's wife or anything! (He just took an innocent bystander when she tried to stop him from taking her horse was all, completely different right?)

He only grunted and snatched his shirt and the amulet back.  He threw the cloth over his head and began to fiddle with the thing.  It didn't look any different than any other piece of jewelry he's stolen before.  Maybe the massive ruby in the middle really was worth more than he thought.  If that were the case he wondered if he could get more if he just sold the jewel in pieces rather than as a complete article altogether.  Damn shame because it looked real nice too.

Dram took a dagger outside of his boot and began attempting to pry the ruby from the center of the amulet.  Damn that thing was secured on way too tight!  He pried harder and tried to jam the blade underneath it, but it still didn't budge.  He set the jewel on the ground and put the hilt of his dagger underneath his boot and started to kick on it.  The first kick sent the amulet flying in a sudden burst of electricity, zapping it off the ground and flying towards Akenu.

"HELP ME! HELP ME!  Please!  I'm trapped inside the amulet!  Please me out!"  a woman's voice cried from inside the amulet.  "Please!"

Dram stared wide eyed at the jewel.  "Did that thing just...talk?"

"Agh!"  Akenu gave a startled howl as she rubbed her head. She had been so lost into her thoughts that the woman had been completely ignoring the thief and his pointless actions. It had scared her so much that she instinctively out a silver dagger and pointed it at Dram, her heart racing. She didn't say anything; her wildly puzzled and annoyed expression spoke for itself. Her gaze shifted towards the ruby next to her thigh, which she picked up. The woman arched an eyebrow.
He got all mad at me for wearing it, and now he was pulling it apart?

Dram stared at the amulet, still unsure if what he heard was completely real.  If it was he just felt his blood run cold and was suddenly swimming in a whirlpool of confusion.  Dram's whole body locked for five seconds straight before he registered that Akenu was reaching for it.  "Oh gods," he breathed, still clearly in shock.

"No, don't touch it!" he yelped.  "It spoke!  That thing SPOKE!  There's somebody trapped inside!"  He gave a horrified expression and scrambled toward her.

Akenu squinted her eyes as she tried to lip read Dram in the dark. He was terrified...About the amulet? It was hard to, at this distance, but what she made out didn't make sense.
What?
A person? Trapped in the jewel? Talked?
The woman scowled at the thief and gave him a questioning glare before holding the amulet up to the moonlight. She closely peered at the mysterious jewel.  Akenu twisted and turned the thing in the light and was about to dismiss the thing when a tiny face appeared before her. It was faint, like a ghost, but a sad, feminine face with wide eyes was speaking.

The woman inhaled sharply as Marik grabbed the jewel in his jaws and flew over to Elyin. He shrieked gleefully, playing with the shining, beautiful jewel. A ruby with a woman inside it.
"Marik!" she barked, sharply, and snapped her fingers. The dragon whimpered as she shakily pointed a finger at Dram, to  whom the dragon flew over and reluctantly dropped it into his hands.
Akenu found her body shaking, and hugged her knees to keep herself   from shivering severely.

"What was that?" she whispered, unconsciously signing her question out of habit. With a hiss, the woman sheathed her dagger,  held her things close to her body, and slowly walked over to Dram's side, again.
What in the name of the gods and all the spirits of this earth did he steal?

"A voice," he said, closer to her face so she could read his lips.  "Wait, you saw it!  You saw it didn't you!?  Did it say something to you too?  Maybe you can feel the vibrations or something."   Dram took the ruby and shoved it to Akenu's ear and held it there as the voice continued it's plea.

"You have to help me, whoever you are!  You have to get me out of here!  Annic will stop at nothing to see that I am returned, please help me.  You have to.  By the gods, you have to!"

Dram just stared at the jewel, then looked back at Akenu.  "What!? I didn't know it had a woman trapped inside of it!"

Akenu shook her head and sullenly tried to push the thieve's hands away from her ear as Dram spoke. He had good intentions, but it simply didn't work that way. Instead, she  tried to guild his hand towards the light so she could get a better look of the woman's face again, and try to catch a word or two. Akenu's plan was met with mixed success. She managed to pick up some words, though her understanding wasn't beyond that of she was trapped and wanted their help.
This means I'm going to be stuck with the elf for a while, doesn't it? she internally complained.
Way to go, princess.

She sighed and and turned her head away, a little embarrassed. The woman hated, hated relying on people like this, especially Dram, but it was dark and she had no choice.
"I have no idea what's going on," she whispered, "But it's ...it's too dark for me to understand her. Who put her in there? How? Why? Who is she, anyway?"

Dram rolled his eyes in frustration.  He wasn't gong to make things more difficult for her because she couldn't hear, but it seemed her lack of hearing was certainly going to make things more difficult for him.  He sighed and thought quickly.

"Oi, this could work," he said before he unsheathed his sword that was on the ground and angled the blade against the moon so that it could reflect the moonlight.  After a couple of tries he was successful and angled the light against the ruby, revealing more of the ghostly face of the woman trapped within.

"Whoatever you are, lady, I did not understand what you said," Dram remarked to the ruby.

"Annic," she repeated the name.  "You have to free me, or he's going to destroy my soul.  You have to get me out of here!?"

"Why?  And who are you?"

The woman in the amulet fell silent and began to utter sobs.  When she regained herself, she looked up at him, "My name is Andreya Thornblood...and I was his wife."

Akenu watched as Dram sighed in frustration, but then quickly seemed to have an idea. She watched him questionably as he unsheathed his sword, which caused her to again reach for one of her daggers, though the woman didn't unsheathe it. Akenu watched as he twisted the blade in the moonlight and nodded in approval; he had enlarged the image of the woman's face so that she could lip read it. The traveler observed her features in the blade; she looked of Serenian birth with her delicate features.

Akenu quietly mimicked the amulet's woman's gestures, determined to understand her fully.
The woman's name was Andreya Thornblood, married to Annic Thornblood, a man who was trying to destroy her soul.
Thornblood, Thornblood....
Akenu's mind whirled as she tried to remember that strangely familiar name. Where had she heard the name Thornblood before?
"He's that alchemist," she muttered as she cradled her head in her hands. The woman had defiantly conducted business with him before. At least, she conducted business with his servants, selling them herbs and medicines, mostly. She didn't know too much about him personally. He was rich and was nobility all but in title and had an eccentric and expensive taste in jewelry. Yes, that was it....Akenu had remembered him observing her earrings and had deemed them "insufficient." At least, that's what she thought she had lip read, but he wasn't that pleasant of a customer.
He had a wife? But why would destroying her soul profit him?
"How do we do it? Do you know why?" she asked.

The woman doubted the woman would know (or she could be lying), but it was worth a try. As Akenu expected, Andreya didn't as she shook her head, to which Akenu responded with a tsk.
She turned to Dram.

"We need to figure out the properties of this amulet before we can attempt to free her," she suggested as she  started to prepare her cloak as a pillow. The woman sighed, irratated.
"Until we get her freed, I guess I'm stuck with you," she muttered as she laid herself down, her hands folded across her chest.

None of this was making any sense to him.  He didn't know who this Annic was and knew only that he must hate his wife an awful lot to want to trap her inside of the jewel.  Dram wondered how he was even able to do that!  Did he stuff her whole body in there?  Did he kill her first and work out some weird enchantment!?  Was Annic some nutjob that needed to get offed lest more innocent people get trapped in jewels?  And the more he thought about it, he figured this Andreya must have done something awfully bad to piss her husband off enough to wanna kill her?  For all they knew, maybe the damn woman deserved it.  Dram couldn't say he blamed him.  He had enough crazy women in his life.

But it seemed that Akenu had all the answers.  "An alchemist you say?  Ah, now that I think about it, I remember seeing something of an alchemy lab around his home.  This jewel was hard enough to get as it was and now it makes sense to have him want to send bounty hunters after us...well, after me.  But damn if he wanted to get rid of this woman, wouldn't he be glad that I took the amulet?  That just doesn't make any sense," he said clear to her face.

Andreya looked at Dram as her face slowly faded from the ruby amulet.  Dram set the jewel down on the ground and glanced at Akenu with wide eyes...  He still shaken up an confused from the whole thing.  "I guess so," he muttered...  "Um....can you hold me?" he said with wide eyes.

"I don't know," Akenu replied to Dram's question about Annic. This whole situation just left her all the more sullen. It didn't really make all that much sense to her at all, not to mention she didn't want to be reminded of that evening's misadventures.
I'll ask Dram whom he stole the ruby from yesterday, she thought, determinedly, for that was another thing she didn't have an answer for.   It was also true she had just jumped on the wagon to help save the woman, but how did she know if she could really trust Andreya Thornblood's word? Not to mention she had a business to run...Akenu rubbed her temples and yawned.

She opened her eyes to find the elf giving her a pleading expression. Akenu rolled her eyes and made a rude noise. In response, Marik playfully landed on the thief's chest.
Traitor, Akenu thought with a scowl.
"Leave him alone," she muttered as she closed her eyes and, before long, drifted off to sleep.

Dram didn't know how he did it but somehow he scooted close enough to her and buried his face in her hair.  He didn't put his arms around her but instead slept with his arms around him.  He fell asleep quickly and without too much movement, and woke up just before dawn.

He started a small fire and looked through Akenu's things to find cooking utensils to spice another rabbit he hunted that morning.  When he heard stirring, he looked back and nodded.  "Good morning, sweetness.  Breakfast is almost done."

Akenu woke up with a jolt. She couldn't sleep all that well, and her chest hurt, even more so because she had stupidly bolted. The woman curled up in a sitting position with a hiss, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It was past dawn- she had woke up late. Why did she wake up late? Her eyes found Marik first, who was nipping at her tunic.
Good morning, she thought as she sniffed the air.
Something was cooking, and it smelled good. Alarmed, she quickly looked towards where Dram was sleeping- he wasn't there. Instead, he was ...cooking.
Bewildered, the woman with bed head and wide eyes could only gawk at his question.  

Wordlessly, the woman slowly rose to her feet to join him by the fire. Not even bothering to speak, too tired to process he probably didn't understand what she was doing, she signed the word "Thank you" before taking the rabbit into her hands, diligently. She nibbled at it to find that he wasn't that bad of a chief and dug in. Akenu was raised to be practically a lady, but she was famished. As she ate, she noticed that he had rummaged through her things to get the stuff needed to cook the meal. She shot him a questioning glare.
You better not have stolen my stuff.

Dram grinned at the woman for half a second before munching into his own meal.  The meat was good and filled the coldness he suffered in the night for not having finished the rabbits he'd hunted before.  He hated wasting perfectly good food.  But he blamed the bounty hunters that had interrupted their meal and the woman in the amulet, that he'd tucked away, for making him feel sick.

Dram looked at all her things rummaged through on the ground and he glanced at her, swallowing on a dry throat.  Stay cool, Dram, stay cool, he told himself.  "Okay!  Okay!  I took some rings you had," he bellowed after five whole minutes of saying nothing.  He pulled open a pocket on his utility belt and took out three rings.  

"They were banged up anyway!  It wasn't like you were gonna miss 'em!  Don't look at me like that," Dram said and bit down into a leg with irritation.

Akenu didn't have to be told he took something from her; the guilty expression on Dram's face told her all she needed to know. She gave an annoyed frown as he spoke, finishing up her rabbit as well. Finally, when she was done, Akenu quickly leaned forward and slapped Dram right across the face as she snatched the rings.  They were undercoated, steel belly button rings; she had been meaning to fix them up, but never had the time to.
"Idiot," she scowled as she pulled up her tunic to reveal her belly button piercing to illustrate her point.  "They're bent like that for bellies. Attempt to steal from me again, and I'll cut something of yours off, and don't count on me to heal those wounds, you understand me?"
Akenu glared at him to make sure he got the point; really, she was treating him like she would a very ill-behaved pet.

The woman sighed as she went back inside the den to clean up her stuff, as well as double check on everything. Dram was at least honest; that was all he had stolen. Thankfully. After Akenu finished cleaning, she the woman strung her bow and quiver over her shoulder and went outside, past Dram. She had a somewhat embarred look on her face. The woman needed to saddle up Elyin, but first, she really, really had to go pee.
"I'll be back in a minute, then we can leave," she muttered as she quickly half jogged, half walked into the forest with Marik on her tail.

Akenu returned two minutes afterwords, and wordlessly saddled up Elyin and hooked the bags to the side of it. Before she jumped onto her mare, however, the woman turned towards Dram.
"Where do we head first?" she asked, "I think we ought to ride to Arca, which is a good week's ride north from here, if not more. It'll probably be easier  for us once we get to the border... "

Oh she was asking for it, if she was going to slap him like that.  He didn't take much abuse, he wouldn't stand for it if she was going to treat him like that.  He'd had enough of that kind of treatment in his youth and he was a grown-ass man to be letting somebody come and smack him like that.  He wouldn't hit her now, but if she didn't watch her step, he wouldn't think twice about hitting her back.  Dram only glared at her and shrugged about the rings.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Sorry," he said, though his tone didn't sound like he meant it.  He didn't say anymore before he stood up and stretched, letting her leave without another word and grabbed his own gear from up off the floor.  He didn't have much on him and he looked at the amulet, thinking it was strange that the woman didn't appear there this time.  He tapped the surface of the ruby and frowned when nothing happened.  He just wrapped it up again and tucked it in his belt.

He strapped his sword on his back, tying the strap across his chest and looked at her when she came back.  "Why do we have to cross the border?  What's in Arca that we can't find here?"

Akenu  shrugged, a bit defeated as she started to collect the utensils Dram had used, and wiped them off as best she could before packing them, making a mental note to clean them more thoroughly later.
"There's probably nothing for us back in Ketra," she said, slowly.
"I figured Serendipity would have places that have enough magical knowledge to help us, let alone not having the fear of bounty hunters on our trails. Though..."
The woman paused. It was true she felt that way; furthermore she wanted to feel safe and not have this additional hassle in her life. Furthermore, there was the issue about Andreya. She claimed she knew nothing, but that could have been a lie. Not to mention the only lead they had was a name of a powerful enemy. Akenu silently cursed in her mind as she got on Elyin, giving the mare a  gentle pat. Marik flew over to her shoulder, ready for the journey.
"Unless there's a closer destination you have in mind," she added.

Dram made raspberries at her and shook his head.  "Those bounty hunters will go wherever their target is, laws and borders notwithstanding.  Haven't you ever been chased down before?  Oh, pfft, what am I saying, of course you haven't," he said clear to her face to make sure she caught everything he said.

"I don't have a closer destination," he said as he vaulted onto the back of Eylin.  "I have a further one.  It might take some time, but if we're going to figure this out we'll need to go to the one place where magic runs stronger through the veins of it's citizens than any other.  We should head to the north, to the ice, to Darken Vei."

"Because they never had a reason to!" Akenu snapped back as Dram stuck his tongue out at her.
You know NOTHING about me.
However, though she felt as if he was in the wrong, the elf did had a point; of course bounty hunters would chase them wherever they went.
Great, she sarcastically thought. The woman was going to have to fear being hunted for  what could possibly be the rest of her life. How comforting.

Akenu made a frustrated noise as Dram continued to speak as he hopped onto Elyin. Behind her. Where she had to  turn around as much as she possibly could in the position they were in just to make out some of his words. The woman was really only able to make out his last ones.
Darken Vei?
The woman bit her lip. Darken Vei was perhaps a better place, it was true, but it was so far. It was going to be a long, long journey.
"Fine," she agreed as she turned around, "But we're going to be passing through Serendipity, anyway. We might find a clue or two there. Try talking to her, again."
Akenu added these words rather stubbornly as she shook the reigns and dug her heels in. They were off.

Dram had visited the frozen place before, though why he had he couldn't even remember.  All he knew was that he met two worthless nincompoops that tried to drive him crazy with their stupidity and constantly getting in his way when all he wanted.  He was glad he put them behind him now, but the thought of returning to that place did put a small chill down his back.

As they started off, he held on and unwrapped the amulet he had tied to his belt.  "Erm...lady Thornblood?" he asked.  Nothing happened.  "Andreya Thornblood!"  Still nothing.

"Oi!  Wake your ass up!"

There was a spark, a stirring and a face appeared in the ruby.  "Have you found a way to free me, yet?"

"Not yet, Thornblood.  But I think first you're going to have to tell us about this husband of yours.  Why would he want to destroy your soul?  What would that accomplish?"

The lady in the ruby shook her head.  "I do not know for sure.  Perhaps it is what I know.  Perhaps he fears that I will haunt him when he enters the afterlife.  Maybe he's trying to take what power I have to take it for himself.  It does not matter.  But you must free me; it is the only way to destroy him."

Dram looked at Akenu and told her everything the lady said, angling his head to get in front of her face as possible from being behind her.  "Well, would that be a clue?"

At first, they lead off in a gallop. Akenu tried to organize everything in her head. There were villages, provisions, and business to consider...Furthermore, there was the factor of getting caught. The woman was pretty sure there was a village two days journey away. They probably couldn't stay long, but if she disguised herself well enough, Akenu figured she could slip in for an hour or two to trade for the things they needed and be on their way. It was too dangerous to consider inns this close to Ketra. Her mind slipped back to The Randy Peach.
Dram owns me a bath, she darkly thought.

At that moment, he brought his head forward, to talk to her. The woman slowed Elyin down to a trot so as to lip read him better and not get hit in the face with incoming branches. She frowned at the so called 'clue'. What sort of response was that? It told them nothing, but only lead her to more questions.
"That's not a clue, but a riddle," she responded with a weary sigh.
Either he's a raging lunatic, or was right to damn her, she mused.
"What sort of power that she possesses would he want, anyhow?" Akenu added, turning her head to see Dram's face more clearly.
This is madness.

Dram was used to being hunted.  It was a daily thing for him and he knew the persistence of paid bounty hunters and mercenaries well.  And yet, he knew their persistence wasn't always as rewarding as they assumed it would be.  If there was one thing Dram was good at, besides taking what he assumed others no longer wanted or needed and what certainly didn't belong to him, it was hiding out until the heat passed over.  At least he had something to offer Akenu and himself that went beyond his fighting abilities and smart mouth.

Dram was starting to feel very suspicious about this whole endeavor.  What good was it to hold onto this amulet when all it seemed to bring was trouble?  He half considered slipping it into Akenu's pocket and simply ditching the thing with her. It certainly would save him half the battle of getting those bounty hunters off his back and certainly do her a favor of learning to live by the chase.  Dram grinned at the thought and was half tempted to do so until she asked him a question.

He repeated the question to the lady in the ruby and she looked at Dram with some irritation.  "What does it matter?" she snapped.  "All you must do is release me and I'll deal with him.  I was always stronger than he was anyway.  I could always summon faster, my fires burned longer and hotter.  I'm almost offended that you've never heard of me.  I was a great wizard before he shoved me in here!  If anything, he would only use my power for destructive purposes, perhaps destroy the continent if he got his hands on it."

Dram looked taken aback, not expecting the reaction, but he repeated the words to Akenu, careful to leave out the ungrateful and sassy tone.  It would do none of them good.  "She says she was a powerful wizard.  Burned lots of stuff down, summoning, you know that crazy devil-stuff," Dram said.  "She thinks Annic wants her power because he was jealous and would use it to destroy the world or something to that effect.  Does that help?"

Though Akenu didn't say anything to Dram's somewhat bewildered explanation, it was clear  through her expression that Andreya's answer had off settled her. She nodded, and focused on the path ahead of them.
Destroy the world, indeed, she thought.
Her answer seemed almost cliche, like out of a book she had read when she was a little girl, cozy in her bed. If anything, Andreya sounded worse than her husband; had she really been out witted? Or was this all a scam?
Akenu gritted her teeth, clearly wanting to say something but restraining herself. Despite not liking to bulge into other's business too much and in exchange, nobody bulging into hers, the woman did enjoy to live on edge a little. Especially when they presented themselves in a situation like this. Besides, even if they did discard the amulet, either what the lady had said would come true or some idiot would pick her up and fall under her spell to do her bidding. It probably was an exaggeration, but Akenu just couldn't let either of those things happen. People were so dimwitted, after all.
Elves, too.

Her mind wondered into her thoughts. For the next few hours, it was almost as if it was just the three of them, Marik, Elyin, and her. Dram and the amulet were shut out as Akenu pondered. It was  a bit awkward, in truth, to ride for so long without any communication, Akenu knew, but she didn't care. This was normal for her, after all.  Out of the corner of her eye, she observed as Marik was cruising by the horse. Akenu was grateful for this; if he flew too high, the bounty hunters might track them down. The woman frowned at the prospect of forbidding him to fly high, though he loved it. She gave a small smile as she watched him, though, all of a sudden, he seemed to dart into the forest.
"Agh!" she exclaimed, directing Elyin to follow him. However, the dragon didn't stop or slow down until they had reached  a river.
"Oh," she exclaimed, a shift in mood over coming her. Akenu loved rivers. Not to mention she could actually bathe. The woman turned towards Dram.
Just not nude.

Besides, it would be a good opportunity to talk  where the amulet lady couldn't...hear them. She wasn't so certain how it worked, but Akenu needed to ask him something she wasn't too comfortable Andreya potentially hearing.
"Elyin needs a  quick break," she declared, hopping off.
She lead the horse to the river side, and stroked her mane as the mare eagerly drank. Akenu then pointed towards the jewel, and indicated for the elf to leave it somewhere on the horse before walking backwards a yard or two, her eyes still kept on Dram. After all, he was still on Elyin; the woman didn't want to be delayed in shooting him in the exact same spot where she had healed him if  he tried to run off with her.

Dram grit his teeth and reminded himself why he despised magic so much.  It was so unpredictable, so destructive.  Even those with good intent and masterful skill often over looked things that were vital to the incantation and execution of a spell that often there were dire consequences that were otherwise unforeseen.  Dram put the amulet away as the vision of the ghostly lady vanished like a gust of wind.  This was all too quick and unsettling for him.  Yet he seemed he had no choice but to go along with it anyway.

Dram was grateful for the silence, mulling over all this information, and watching the birds as he did so. The hours passed by like minutes and Dram blinked stupidly when Akenu suddenly got off the horse.  Oh they had reached a river.  Duh!  Dram too slipped off when she moved the mare.  His legs and rear were sore from the travel but he only nodded to her and more than agreed to place the thing on the horse.  Anything to get it as far away from him as possible.

Dram slunk away from her and walked towards a tree.  He looked up at the leaves branches and immediately began to climb the thing until he lingered on a thick branch that could support his weight a few feet ahead.  He had a strong body and climbed with ease and he sat on the branch, legs dangling, swinging them like a child.  After a moment he glanced at Akenu and called her name so that she faced him.  "What were you doing at the Peach?  You don't look like that type of girl."

Akenu's posture relaxed once she saw Dram following her instructions. The woman sank to her knees by the river bed, and began to wash her face, welcoming the rush of the coolness. With a short, gleeful laugh, she began to fill up her water skins, though shortly after filling her first one, a 'loud' vibration hit her ears. A started Akenu surveyed the area before her blue eyes caught the elf in the tree.
The woman made a face, her cheeks flushing at what he was suggesting.
"Of course not," she sharply replied as she tightly shut the first skin and opened the second. After doing so, she placed them in her lap before taking her hands and cupped them around her ears, moving them back and forth.
"Cities are loud. Full of vibrations. I have to shout a lot, too," she explained, "It sometimes hurts, so I go there. Good food, baths, people."
Akenu grinned as her mind filled with nostalgic memories.
"There's a man there who can sign in Common, too."  
The woman didn't want to add that she might have had slept with him once or twice.  
After all, it really wasn't Dram's business.

Akenu didn't bother asking why Dram was in the stables; she knew that answer, well enough. So, she went back to filling up her water skins. It took her only a few moments longer. With a sigh, the woman impulsively got up and walked a few feet away from the bank before collapsing to the ground again, cradling her head in her arms. Unlike the hard, stone floor of the cave, the grass felt nice, and she was a little sleepy. Marik playfully zoomed up to where Dram was sitting and nipped at his ear, again. However, he still didn't quite like the elf , as the little thing  hopped down to the branch and moved away, glaring at  the thief. Akenu observed all of this with a smirk, her eyes shifting towards Elyin, who was settled peacefully by the river's edge. The woman frowned and reluctantly rose to her feet to stand besides Dram's tree.
"Should I go up there or are you comin' down?" she asked, almost coyly. Almost.

"What the hell is sign?"  Dram asked.  He made raspberries and rolled his eyes.  It was the silliest thing he ever heard.  What was it anyway?  And why did it matter if somebody knew it?  He didn't know it was a way to communicate with your hands, nor would he probably have cared.  The only way he knew how to communicate with his hands was by either offering the finger or flashing his steel to meticulously remove someone's head from their body.  That was all his hands had ever been good for.

Dram looked at her with some confusion.  "I'm fine in my tree.  You got a problem?  Take it up with the warden, chief.  Now you should take a bath.  You look like shit.  Like someone just tried to kill you.  Don't worry, I won't watch."  He scoffed at her and peeled a twig from the branch and began to pluck the leaves from it."

OOC: the internet at my house isn't working atm and idk how long it'll be between posts but I'll still try to get to them asap~

IC:

Akenu narrowed her eyes and practically puffed out her cheeks in indignation at Dram's rude reply about signing. Didn't that dim wit of an elf know anything? He lived on this earth for HOW LONG, and he never ran into a deaf person in all that time!?
"It's how deaf people communicate!" she practically snapped, signing the words frantically.
"And it's useful when you don't want people to hear what you're saying, but of course you don't know anything about that, would you!?"
The flustered woman almost growled at his next check.  She didn't bother to respond; she was too pissed at his attitude.
I swear.... she thought with a humph as she stalked over to Elyin to get out the soap.
It was true that she wasn't clear in her intents. But just when she was trying to be nice, he had to be rude all over again!
This is why I travel alone, she thought as she dragged the horse's reigns into the river.
Though he said he wouldn't watch, Akenu wasn't going to count on it.

With her back turned towards the tree, Akenu removed her quiver, boots, and belt, and left those items on the bank. Next, she removed her tunic, which she draped over Elyin's back. Off came her leggings and finally her strapless top.  Akenu gave a  glare back at the elf in the tree before sinking into the water. the sun light danced on her back, making the wings on her back look like they almost moved.  The woman squatted in the water, the river going up to her shoulders. She gave a sign of content, letting go of some of her tension, and began to scrub all over her body. After her body was clean, the woman dunked her head in, and began to wash her hair. Content with the result, the woman took her clothes and scrubbed them a bit as well. Normally, she would dry her clothes out  as she would bask naked in the son, but since she was with company, the woman put on her underwear, tights, and the top. She left her tunic by the river side to properly dry. Soap still in hand, Akenu walked up to the tree and threw the bar directly at Dram, hoping to hit his face.
"Your turn," she said with a grin as she twisted her  damp, silvery- white hair to get the water of it.

As Dram had said, he didn't watch her.  He had no reason to and carved something into the wood of the tree branch he was sitting on, waiting until she was done when he suddenly had an object thrown at him.  Dram ducked and shot daggers at her.  "You little bitch," he growled to himself and resheathed the knife.  He held onto the tree with both hands and rolled backwards, swinging his legs overhead until he somersaulted off the branch and landed in a crouch.

He stalked away from her towards the waterside and tried to hide himself by a tree, making sure she wouldn't peak either.  He took off his tunic and the sheathe on his back and carefully undressed, placing his clothes on the roots that stuck out on the waterside before slipping in himself.  He cleaned himself thoroughly, though the tall stripe on his head suddenly went south when he dunked his whole head underwater.  "Dang grimy women trying to tell me what to do," he said with increasing irritation.

When he was done he got out in all his glory and let himself air dry, shaking off the water like a dog.

Akenu gave a coarse laugh in delight at Dram's surprise, shaking her hair out.  As the elf walked away to go bathe himself- she hoped the creature knew how- she went back to Elyin's side. She had left the bags still hooked up onto her saddle, not knowing how close by bounty hunters were. That, and her wound...The woman set her jaw as she began to take off the bags from the saddle. Wounded or not, it was irresponsible  for her to have  left them there. She placed them gently on the ground. A satisfied Elyin whinnied and went back to grazing. Akenu petted her mare's main gently before walking over towards her clothes, where she kept her medicine pouch. While washing, she had washed her wound, which was now an ugly scar. Now, she attended to it quickly by applying more balm and binding it with more appropriate bindings. The woman considered discarding her now ruined head scarf, but decided to stow it away and throw it out later. Leaving it here would only make tracks.

Satisfied with her work, the woman rummaged through one of her sacks for another head scarf. Finding one of blue and green to match her tunic, she left her goods under the watchful eye of her mare and sat down on a rock several yards away from her things and the amulet. Akenu wrapped the scarf around her head,  making sure to keep her bangs out of her eyes; they annoyed her throughout the entire ride.
She gave a sigh as she watched the river's water flow. The woman observed small fish swim frantically every which way. A dragon fly buzzed past her, making her cringe; she hated it when bugs flew too near.
I need to search the area, she thought, grimly.
It was a bit risky, considering how Dram was near by, and there were some things that she really did not want to see, but it was business that might as well be done now.

Akenu started with the earth. It was easier to talk to, more straight forward and patient, if not a bit slow. Sliding off of the rock, she sat down on the grass, palms  and forehead pressed against the moist ground as she tried to track the bounty  hunters. A deer had passed by. Squirrels. Small animals. No, that wasn't what she was looking for.
Men, she asked. I'm looking for men.
There had been a few. Two or three, all mounted. They traveled together, like wolves. They were hungry and tired, but also focused and determined. Their mounts were weary  as well. The pack did not strike it as unkind, though kindness, or the lack of it, didn't concern the  hunted. They had came to rest, but continued on with their journey; the had not stayed here.

Thank you, she told the earth before getting up. She wiped her hands on her leggings and her forehead with the back of her sleeve.  
Akenu bit her lip; they would not be bothered here, but whose to say what would happen a mile or so up the road. It occurred to her that they might not have been the hunters, but a pack of thieves or wanderers. Still a bit paranoid, the mage scryed the wind, just to be sure. Akenu tried to let her mind wander as far out as she could, which she had approximated to be three miles. That 'pack of men' were no where to be seen, but she did find a pack of travelers to the west. To the northwest, a thief. In the east was a road, so it didn't surprise her to find some people wandering on it. In the south, a grim, clean traveler was travelling down the road. Akenu pulled her mind away.
A little exhausted, she sat on the rock, and tilted her face towards the sky.
That man could be a bounty hunter, though she wasn't sure. In any case,  the elf and her had  miles to their advantage and they were off the road. Still, they would have to continue soon.

Akenu frowned as her mind turned towards the amulet again; she didn't really look forward to bringing the issue up to the elf when he was done with his bathing, but it had to be done. The woman mentally cursed to herself as she looked towards her drying tunic with a mildly disgusted look on her face.

Dram never took too long to bathe.  Not necessarily at the risk of being looked at, but life as a slave taught him that speed and opportunity went hand in hand.  He didn't know when he had another chance to do so again and he'd grown used to seizing the moment.  Chance was a slick bastard that would sucker-punch you if you didn't know when to seize it like an unruly horse.

He dried and dressed himself quickly and stepped toward the mare, brushing Eylin's side with an wary hand.  The horse looked like she wanted his fingers for a snack after scaring her half to death and yanking her from the warmth and comfort of a brothel's stable.  He glared back at the animal before kneeling beside Akenu.

"So what now?  We wait for them to catch up with us?" he asked, facing her to make sure she could understand his lips.

Akenu jolted a little as she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye approaching Elyin. It was only a reflex; she instantly relaxed when her mind processed it was Dram.  He didn't look like he was about to run away, either, so she turned her attention back towards the river. Marik, having had his fun in the trees, was now playing by the water's edge, trying to snap at a small fish or two.
He's always hungry, Akenu thought, a little impressed.
The woman's attention was turned back towards the elf, as he approached her and talked to her directly.
She shook her head, her expression wary.
"No," she replied, "There's a traveler passing through this way in less than an hour. There's a group of men ahead of us we ought to watch out for, too. And a thief."
The woman added this last bit as an afterthought, though it was clear an extra thief was the least of her worries.

Akenu shot her bag where the ruby necklace and amulet was hidden a look before looking at Dram directly in the eye again.
"It's Andreya," she said in a lower tone, signing every word.
"I don't trust her. She could be lying, but she's caught my attention and I just wanted to know what you think...before we move on," Akenu added with a hint of frustration in her voice. She had a feeling they were dealing with something that was beyond their abilities, but they couldn't just ignore it...couldn't they?

"Really?  You found all those people near here?  How did you go about doing that?  Not some magic I hope.  But if it is, just don't be doin' any weird hocus pocus mumbo jumbo.  I don't trust that stuff as far as my arms can reach," he said with an ignorant glare to his eyes.

Dram looked around them, feeling as if they were being watched for a second or two before leaning in to her.  He didn't understand what she was doing with her hands, gesturing something that made absolutely no sense.

"I think she's a right nut, personally," he said after a moment of thought.  "What kind of man and wife are at each other's throats like that?  Unless it was never about love...and more about power.  I don't think Andreya is lying...but nor do I believe she is being entirely honest.  There's something she's not telling us.  We just better find out what that is sooner rather than later.  Maybe now is not the time, but I think this Annic fellow can provide some answers that she's not telling.  But those bounty hunters will no doubt be expecting that, I think."

Akenu gave a sly grin as she nodded when he suggested she used magic and shrugged at his ignorance. The woman didn't feel like bothering giving him a lecture; she had conducted business with people less tolerate with magic and had learned to keep her opinions about such matters to herself. Just like dealing with the fact she was deaf, Akenu figured Dram was just going to have to get used to her using her scrying powers, whether he liked it or not.
Perhaps his view will change, she idly mused.

The woman watched patiently as the elf looked around, just as she had moments ago, and spoke his opinion. Not wanting to say anything, Akenu just nodded, to show that she had lip read him. His response relieved her a bit. The woman felt better that her sentiments weren't alone, and that she wasn't bringing up something that there was no use wasting words on.  Dram also brought up something she had forgotten- the bounty hunters.
Of course, she thought, feeling foolish for not realizing it. It would explain why they were so persistent, harboring poisonous arrows like that. Her stumach churned with sickness when she also realized that another reason it was going to be harder for them was because she killed one of them.

With a faint groan, she gave the river one more glance before hoping off of the rock and walked over to where her things were. Without bending over, she clumsily put on her boots before finally crouching to pick up her mostly dry tunic and put it on. She then reattached her belt and finally slung her quiver and bow over her back. Akenu clicked her tongue to get Elyin's attention as she just as carefully and slowly hooked the big sacks to her saddle.
Her work done, she climbed onto the saddle. Taking it as a signal, Marik reluctantly flew over to land on her shoulder. Silently, Akenu crocked her head, indicating for Dram to climb on so that they may continue their journey.
We need to find a route to avoid the men further up the road, she thought, mentally mapping out the area.

Dram climbed on without a word, following her example and wrapped his arms around Akenu to hold on better.  Horses were nothing like birds at all.  He didn't know where Bane was or why the giant bird was so eager to fly off and leave his rider with a sarcastic, deaf woman and with an amulet he knew he was better off without.  It couldn't have been that hard to stay close by, but perhaps Bane took the term 'bird-brained' far more literal than necessary.  He grimaced.  He was going to kill that stupid bird.

"Have that dragon of yours fly up.  Maybe he can do that distraction thing again that can help us get around them," Dram suggested, leaning his face over her shoulder again.  He hated talking to people with their back to him, and the fact that she know hear anything he said without his face having to be right in front of hers.

Dram looked around them, knowing something was amiss however.  The air was always quiet like this whenever trouble followed close.  In this case the trouble was close enough and small enough to fit right in Akenu's saddlebag pockets.  As they moved quietly through the trees, Dram's nerves were on end and his head kept swiveling about them, feeling intently as though they were being watched.  "Something's not right," he mouthed.

Akenu leaned to the side to see Dram's face better, realizing that communicating like this was going to get really old really fast. She caught most of his words, and turned her attention sharply back to the road as she thought about it. The woman shook her head quickly, reluctantly. Marik was her ears, her companion; last time they had been truly desperate. What if he got injured? Besides, she didn't want to have to rely on Dram....
You're going to have to learn to trust him, she thought with dread.
The woman surveyed the area. She felt a bit uncomfortable, though she had been ever since the previous evening; this was nothing new. The elf's words were lost on her, but  the magic was tugging at her, too.
Akenu addressed the small dragon.
"Marik," she said, "Fly ahead a little. Keep close to the north, and try to stay hidden."

He cooed before jumping off of her shoulder and effortlessly darted into the trees.
Akenu shook her head and silently said a prayer in her head as she followed his trail as best she could. They were alone...Weren't they? She tried to scry the wind again, just to be sure. She received nothing except, for a scant second, an image flashed in her mind, an image of a man in his late thirties, early forties. He was pale, his grey eyes deep and sullen, as if he hadn't slept in days. His hair was brown and thinning, and his face was in need of a shave. Thornblood. He looked like he was searching for something, gazing into a bowl, until his eyes found Akenu. The woman gasped,  her heart pounding.  She didn't say anything for the following few minutes, though the woman removed her bow from her back and grasped it firmly with her right hand, getting prepared to fire, if necessary.  Akenu didn't say anything, not willing to speak about what she had just saw to Dram, not yet.
Was Thornblood...tracking them? Could he even do that? Or was it the wind playing tricks with her? It did that, sometimes.  
That's all that was, she thought, sullenly.

Suddenly, the branches of a neighboring tree rustled as Marik darted straight out of them, letting out a small cry of alarm. Akenu tsked, getting the meaning, and stirred an alarmed Elyin towards a more northwestern route. They were racing against something  now, that was for sure.
But why couldn't I scy them, she thought, confused. They didn't pop up in in radius.  Why?

She narrowed her eyes as they moved faster and faster. There was no point in asking Marik to take a different route at this point.  They rode like this for little less than  a mile when they ran into what Akenu had saw as the thief. The man was a middle aged Adelian of a stocky built. He wore pants , boots, and a vest as well hard, stone cold eyes. He certainly looked like a thief to the woman, with his rugged expression, his little luggage and shifty gaze, and his avoidance of the main road. However, he looked amused by their presence as he twisted his single handed sword idly in his hands. The sound of approaching horses was getting closer.

"Give me the ruby necklace. Give it to me, love," he said, reaching out for it. The man looked towards Dram and gave him a winning smile.
"Tell her, sir," the man said, "Everything will be a lot easier if you did. No harm done, eh?"
His voice was like honey, smooth and persuasive.
"Don't listen to him!" Akenu hissed  towards the elf.
 He clearly was a mage whose powers dealt with entrancing people, bending them to do what they will; Akenu didn't have to hear to understand this. Even his scent was becoming stronger and more appealing, and his gaze did not escape from the woman's, as if he was commanding her attention. Had it been just his voice, she would have been totally immune. No; it was his entire being. He tried to reach into her mind, but Akenu fought him, silently, as she reached for an arrow, aimed, and fired. Her senses were a little muddled; she wasn't so sure if her arm had been true.

Dram kept his eyes around them.  He didn't know whether she heard him or not, but he could tell Akenu was as alerted as he was.  Thank whatever foolish gods there were for the fact.  Maybe she wasn't as stupid as she looked after all.  And if that was the case maybe her magic abilities to detect things would work out more in their favor than he originally considered.

The miles went by them and he could not have failed to notice the overwhelming sense of eyes on them, as if they were coming from all directions.  He did not feel the lulling feeling that Akenu seemed to pick up on, but the hair on the back of his neck was starting to stand on end until he saw a man quite a ways down their path.  "The hell..." Dram muttered to himself, squinting his eyes to get a better view of the stranger.  He certainly looked like woodland rabble, a common highway robber.  But there was something mystical about him that Dram instinctively knew not to trust.  Magic never settled well with him, in any of its forms.

As they drew closer, Dram could feel a coldness in his gut grow sharp and painful, and he knew without a doubt that was not magic.  Call it a gut instinct, but he knew trouble when he saw it.  "Give me the ruby necklace. Give it to me, love," the thief said.  Dram squinted his eyes and tilted his head thoughtfully.

Suddenly there was a twang in the air and Dram watched as the arrow was aimed straight for the thief.  The thief, it seemed had seen it too, and was about to move out of the way, but the arrow was faster and grazed him harshly across the face, opening up his cheek in a wide gash.  The thief fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding face.  He had yelped in pain but now peered at her in anger.  "I'll kill you!"

Akenu grimaced at the man's wounds, though was secretly glad that she hadn't murdered him. She was also glad that the arrow was in sight; it was embedded in a tree three yards behind him. The woman motioned for Marik to fetch it, which the dragon gladly flew off to do. They had no time, but arrows  were expensive. Besides, the bounty hunters could use it to track them down, maybe.
The woman boldly rode Elyin until they were by his side.
"What's so important about the necklace? Who hired you?" she spat, putting away her bow  and drawing a silver dagger.
The man cursed as he weakly pointed the blade in her direction, still lying on the ground. Akenu made a disgusted face. It reeked.

"I ain't tellin' you that, ya little c*nt," he sneered, eyeing the blade with  a greedy eye, trying to get up.
Whatever, Akenu thought with a scoff; it was clear they weren't going to get anything remotely useful out of him. Besides, they needed to go, and he probably didn't know anything about the piece. Why would he? The woman grabbed the retrieved arrow from Marik's claws before turning towards Dram. The wounded man swore and called her rude names loudly, though Akenu didn't bother to look at him to figure it out.
"You okay?" she asked Dram before flicking the reigns. They still needed to get rid of the mounted hunters...

Dram nodded as he found he was clutching his arms tighter around her waist as the foulness in his gut began to dissipate gradually before they began riding off again.  The sound of hooves were fast approaching, but instead of coming up from behind as he expected, he had a feeling that the sound was coming from ahead of them.

Before he knew it, two riders came into view, riding harder as they caught the sight of them.  Dram looked up and suddenly leapt off the back of the horse.  "Ride!" he commanded as he pulled out his own sword and slapped the flat end of it on Eylin's rear.

Akenu drew Elyin to a halt, and tried to turn around when the two riders came into view. They were going to have to give chase. She hadn't been expecting them to come from that direction, which annoyed her; the woman didn't much like being caught unaware. Her alarm was only increased as Dram jumped off of Elyin and whacked her behind with the blunt side of his sword. The mare gave a shrill whinny before bolting off in the opposite direction; it was all Akenu to do to keep her focused. The woman hadn't quite caught Dram's words, but she figured she didn't need to.
I'll give him ten minutes, she determined. Then she'd search for him, if he hadn't found her by that point.

However, as she rode deeper and deeper into the forest to the north, she wondered why he would pull such a feat. It seemed rather rash and stupid to her, but Akenu was forced to trust that he would triumph, and at the very least get out alive.
What are you playing at? she thought.
Finally, after a few minutes, Akenu found a darker, more secluded area of the forest. She jumped off of Elyin, and with Marik curled onto her shoulders quietly  stayed put, a silver knife in hand. For now, she would wait; the woman didn't want to resort to scrying until it was more needed.

If he could pause for good long moment and look outside the scope of himself, to view the situation as might a third party, Dram would very well say that yes it was rash and yes it was stupid, to leap off the horse like that and attempt to take these riders head on.  There was as much a chance that they were ordinary travelers going on about their way, but Dram could tell by the way they so closely lingered by the thief that they were all in league with each other.

The two riders glanced at each other and exchanged grins.  The first one nodded to the other one to give chase while he and the thief took care of the dark elf.  Dram held his sword steadily in front of him, the thief standing there with a grin on his face.  He made the first move, dashing towards Dram with his sword raised high.  Dram, being a man of action, foresaw such a move and promptly rolled around him, raising his sword across his shoulder before slashing the thief in the back with a backhanded stroke.  The man screamed, and fell rolling to the ground.

The first rider had his horse to his advantage and charged Dram quickly.  He did not spring away in time to miss the rider's blade that slashed across his left shoulder.  He lost his balance, sprawling on the ground while the rider stopped to turn back around and come at him again.  Dram knelt on one knee and nursed his wound.  The cut was not deep but it was quite painful, enough to make him bide his time as the rider came galloping back again, sword out to the side to cut him again.

But he was ready for him this time, standing in the path of the horse rather than to the side.  When he was in range, Dram stepped quickly to the right when the rider expected him to go left and grabbed onto the saddle for dear life.  The horse whinnied wildly at the extra weight, and the horse was thrown on its side.  The rider came off it with a yelp, crashing to the ground as Dram rolled along with him.  The bandit stood quickly and leapt onto his enemy, plunging his sword deep into his chest, through his padded leather armor as roughly as possible.  The rider gurgled as he struggled against him, but didn't put up much of a fight longer before the life drained out of him.

Dram looked up and saw that the horse had not run away.  Immediately he pulled the animal to his feet and mounted.  With a sturdy nudge, the horse bolted off.  Surely the horse was no eagle, but he could ride just as well and he pushed the horse hard as he chased down the second rider.  It wasn't long before he saw the second rider in the distance and pressed the horse even harder.  The animal chuffed with the effort and eventually caught up to the enemy.  Dram held out his sword and before the man could turn, realizing he was not his friend, he dug his blade quickly and powerfully through his neck, beheading him in a single swipe.  Blood sprayed across his face and Dram yanked hard on the reins to pull the horse beneath him to a complete stop.

Dram paused and looked around him, listening around him.  As he kept his eyes to the ground, he sheathed his sword and searched for tracks of a horse that didn't belong to either of these men.  It was deep in the  underbrush, but he found soil uplifted and began to follow, still riding the horse he'd stolen himself.  He didn't call out, knowing Akenu would be unable to hear him anyway.  Up ahead of him was a shaded clearing, but she and her horse and that pestering little dragon of hers remained out of sight.

The seconds and few short minutes that Akenu  waited in anticipation were awful. She spent the whole time being on guard, waiting for Dram or one of the riders to follow her tracks to the point. She hissed as Marik gave out a cry and flapped his wings, restlessly. He was reacting to something he had heard, she knew, but it was what that was the question. The same energy seemed to sweep over Elyin, as well, as she whinnied softly and stomped, though the mare knew better than to make a loud fuss.
Hurry up, Akenu thought; she was rather restless, too.

After what seemed like an eternity, Marik began to sniff the air and nip at Akenu's ear.
"Ow," she muttered, though the woman took it as a sign to get on her horse. Sheathing her knife and pulling out her bow, Akenu gestured her head for Marik to lead the way. The dragon lead her less then a quarter mile to a part of the clearing that they had passed through. In the middle of it was a figure on one of the rider's horses. It took a moment for Akenu to process that it was Dram.  A wave of relief rushed through her as she solemnly put away her bow.
"You took your bath too soon," she said, wrinkling her nose at the sight and smell  of the blood. Her eyes scanned his face, arms, and torso for wounds, landing on the gash on his left shoulder.

Dram saw her coming towards him and loosened the tightened grip he had on the reins, ready to bolt in the other direction if need be.  The horse underneath him chuffed and whinnied lightly at the sight of another horse and trotted forward.  Upon meeting the young filly nuzzled noses with Eylin and wiggled her nose in excitement.

Dram looked dazed a bit and shook out of it when she spoke.  "Can you sew?  I have some needle and thread to take care of that gash, but I'll need you to do it.  I needed one anything.  But blood is good for the body.  We should get away from this place as far as possible.  I think I'll keep this filly.  Less weight on your mare."

OOC: where's the map of the world, again?
IC: Akenu also watched, somewhat amused at the two mares getting to know each other, but she was more focused and worried about Dram. She nodded curtly at his question.
"Yes, but can you wait for a bit? Put some pressure on the wound; let's go," she replied,  ignoring his  comment about Elyin. Of course she was heavier; she was bigger and a bit more muscular, and that was all right with Akenu. It was also a relief to her that there was less weight on her mare, though she said nothing about that, either. Instead, she clicked her tongue, and started to pick up a brisk pace. Nothing frantic; they weren't being chased by the nose. However, they needed to put some distance behind them before she attempted to fix Dram's wounds.

Finally, after a while, they broke out of the dense forest. The sight of some mountains was beginning to break in the horizon.
We should be in Serendipity in a week, Akenu mused.
It was a relief; the villages in the north were rather isolated. Bounty hunters shouldn't trouble them as much, or , at the least, the people wouldn't have been warned of their faces. Akenu pointed to a small settlement in a clearing up ahead. It looked to be of a small farm of sorts.
"We could ask them for shelter in the night, if you'd like. Get you fixed up," she suggested.
She gave Dram's face a thoughtful glare. His face was more recognizable then hers was. Especially those ears...Maybe they could hide them, somehow?

[ Here's (//http://spiritsoftheearth.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=142&t=4549) a really old and outdated one.  Not sure when the new one will be up though.]

He nodded.  She had a point.  Dram could ride just as well with one hand as he could with both and held onto his shoulder with the other before nudging the horse off again.  The trees were starting to look more and more similar or maybe he was just getting tired of the terrain.  He cursed himself for not bringing his stupid bird along.  At least they could travel faster than these four legged beasts.  He wondered how Akenu would react to flying.  But that was a thought for later.

As he looked up, blood seeping through his fingers even as he put pressure on his wound, Dram looked at her with some exhaustion in his face.  "That place is as good as any.  Look, there's a barn over yonder.  We don't need to ask permission to hide from people trying to murder us.  Just break in, it's easier.  For all we know, these people could be in on it too."  Maybe it was just the delirious paranoia speaking, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

[whoops!]

OOC: Thanks! My geography in the real world is iffy , let alone this one.
IC:
Akenu shook her head, thoughtfully.
"We have two horses with us; they're bound to notice," she said.
Suddenly, she had an idea. The woman turned towards Dram and gave him a grin.
"We don't have to hide," she said.
The woman rumamged through one of her sacks, briefly, and threw it to Dram.
"Put this on, and hide your ears. Keep your head bowed at all times; don't let them see your eyes are red. Keep quiet, and be polite."
Slowly, the woman rode them towards the farm. They were greeted at the door by a gruff and hard worn man with a wife behind him, and two, wide eyed children.

Akenu gave him a professional looking nod.
"Hello," she said, "My names Yari, and my hubby there is Darren. We're merchants on our  way to Summervale."
She tsked and gave Dram a worried glance. Yari and Darren was a couple her parents were friends with. They were the only names she could come up with at the moment. The woman tried to conjure up how Yari spoke.
"Poor dear, we had a bit of a run into a pair of bandits."
"Bandits?" the man stiffly asked.
Akenu bobbed her head, her eyes widening up as she reached out for his shoulder, which he reluctantly let her touch. His wife drew the children inside.
"Yes, and they had bounty hunters on their tail. They came to rescue us in time, thank goodness," she replied, "Luckily, the idiots are headin' towards Ketra, so the hunters told us, though I'd keep a weary eye out, if I were you."
"How do I know you're not one of those 'idiots'?" the man replied, eyeing her weapons, Marik, and her somewhat muscular figure.
Akenu scoffed and pointed to her bags.

"I told you; we're merchants. And Marik here is harmless. He's friendly. Anyway, you can check our ware, if you like. Mostly in locked boxes, though I'll happily open them for you folk. Mostly herbs and jewelry. I fancy myself as a bit of a tattoo artist, myself."
Akenu ran towards Elyin's side, opened a satchel, and carefully pulled out her box full of piercings. She then approached the gruff man , unlocked it, and turned it towards him.
She could tell he was impressed by such items, but only nodded. Akenu grinned in return; this was the response she needed. Quickly, she shut the box.
"Anyway, we were wonderin', my husband and I, if we could please take shelter in your barn?" she asked, pleadingly, "He's hurt, and I need to attend to him. We'll gladly pay."

The man looked back at his wife, who nodded. She said something, though Akenu didn't quite catch it, and ran back into the house. The husband sighed, and turned back to Akenu.
"Just tonight," he said, outreaching his palm in which Akenu slipped in several copper coins.
"We're forever in your debt," she replied.

Dram would have been quick to defend his thought.  He thought it was a pretty good idea himself.  Why not?  It was a little risky sure, and it wasn't exactly honest, but it left you with a place to sleep and a roof over your head for no cost but your discretion.  He was beginning to see that Akenu was one of those honest types that was probably going to clash with his increasingly dishonest behavior.  He didn't mean to be that way, it was the only way he knew how to survive.  Why pay for something when they could save a few coins and get it for free?

But before he could contest her decision she threw something at him that resembled a hood and he looked at her with some perplexity.  Hide his ears and eyes eh?  Pfft, what did she think he was, a constant face on a poster?  The nerve of this woman.  But he did it anyway, pulling the hood up over his eyes and keeping his head down, watching the ground as they made their way to the house.

The air began to grow chiller as afternoon faded overhead and a light rain began to fall.  Little more than a drizzle but it made Dram shiver nonetheless.  Throughout her explanation, Dram did as he was told, keeping his head low and his eyes half-lidded, viewing only the feet of the farmer who owned the house and the wife, who stood a little more back from the door.  Behind her he vaguely saw the two little feet of the children that hid by her apron skirt.

He held his breath through all the questioning, feeling the cold was making his nerves a little more on end than usual.  When the husband finally disappeared from the door, Dram glanced carefully up at her from his hood and made a face.  "Husband?" he questioned harshly.  If there was ever a terrible lie it was that.  He'd never marry someone like her!

Akenu scoffed at Dram's perplexed expression, and shrugged.
It was clear that she didn't much like the idea, either, but it was at least a respectable alibi. Besides, it was all she could think up of, on the spot like that. He should be grateful that she got them lodgings!
The woman began to lead both his and her mare to the stable, when the wife came running out of the house, lantern in hand.
"Here, take this," she offered, "It's dark in there."
The woman looked half startled, and peered at Dram's hooded face  before  returning back into her home.
"Thank you," replied a somewhat confused Akenu.
She hoped they wouldn't be bothered again; talking this much was tiring her.

As the rain began to pick up, the woman bowed her head as she quickened her pace; she didn't want to get caught in the incoming rain, either.
She opened the barn's door and allowed the creatures to go into the dark barn. It wasn't empty; a  cow was resting in it's corner. When she found a suitable camp in the back corner, the woman carefully set down the lantern and unload Elyin's back.
She gestured for Dram to get off and sit somewhere, as she began to rummage through her belongings for a suitable needle, tread, a water pouch, rags, and medicine to numb the pain.

Dram kept wondering to himself when the insufferable married couple would just go away, so he could take this damned hood off and get warm in someplace dry.  He only grunted a thanks in response to the woman, nodding at her when she tried to look at him.  Thank goodness for the falling of the light and the darkness of the hood.  He kept his eyes low so even they would not reflect their redness to the woman.

Once they were in the barn, Dram let out a sigh and finally took the hood off as he dismounted from the filly.  The horse shook itself all over as Dram went around to get the equipment off her back as Akenu was for Eylin.  "You need a name, bubby," Dram commented, smiling at the animal.  He pat the filly's hide firmly and brushed her face.  The animal turned about and walked toward what fresh hay was in the corner.

He'd done all that mostly with one arm and used that same arm to undo the straps of his sheathe that clung to his back, dropping that by the filly's saddlebags.  His shoulder hurt like a son of a bitch and he made a face from the soreness of the wound.  The cold didn't help and he had chills all over.  Dram had trouble pulling off just the shoulder of his tunic so he just settled for taking the whole thing off, having a seat beside Akenu.

He saw the items that she was getting out and eyed the medicine suspiciously.  "No," he gestured to the medicine.  "Nothing to numb it.  Just sew it.  But the metal first if need be, but I can take the pain.  Just get it over with."  The gash had widen from all the movement, and the bleeding had yet to cease.

Akenu made a disapproving noise at his discontent  at the medicine, but she said or made no other gesture to go against his wishes. If he wanted to be all macho, that was fine with her, but the woman didn't want him  rolling on the ground with angst. She took the clean rag and damped it with water and began to clean his wound, her blue eyes narrowing as she began to focus on her work.  To disinfect the needle, Akenu opened up the lantern and heated the needle carefully over the flame. When the needle started to become uncomfortably hot, she pulled it out in a sharp gesture, and waved it a bit to cool down.
Even with her keen eyes and the lantern, the barn was dim, and it was hard to properly thread the needle.

With a sigh, she scooted herself closer to Dram, bringing the lantern to a more favorable angle. Brushing her hair out of her face, she used her left hand to apply pressure to his wound with the rag while also keeping his arm in place.
"Try not to move," she said, almost gently, and then pierced his skin with the needle. Akenu worked as swiftly and steadily as she could. In the end it had taken her nine stitches to completely close the wound. She cut the thread with her knife.
"Where are you bandages?" she asked as she finished cleaning the wound, knowing better this time than to search for them herself.

A knock on the barn door interupted them, once again. Akenu gave a moan and looked down at her soiled hands. Taking the rag with her, she approached the door and opened it to find one of the children, the elder boy, with two large bowls of broth. His tawny face was covered in freckles and his nose was sun burnt. His black hair was wild and his eyes wide and innocent. The boy couldn't have been older than nine, and he looked at her hands with interest.
"Ma told me to bring this to you, ma'am," he politely said.
Akenu gave the child a weary smile.
"Give her my thanks," she said.
The boy nodded, though he seemed hesitant about something. Marik flew out of the barn, and landed on Akenu's shoulder, peering at the lad.
Not now, she thought, but the boy seemed delighted by the creature.
He reached out to touch him, which Marik gladly obliged to.
"I wanna become a dragon rider, one day," he boldly declared.
Akenu had trouble lip reading him, for his attention was all over the place. So instead of giving a response, she just silently walked back to Dram and handed him a bowl.

It wasn't a macho thing if that's what she thought.  But Dram couldn't be bothered to explain it to her.  He may not have been very grateful to her, or been kind at all now that he thought about it, but he realized that she'd shown him enough kindness to last a year of his life.  He was no used to generosity, or congeniality.  The world he knew was dog eat dog, and it was usually the smaller dogs that got eaten first.  He used to be one of those, he used to be the one of the wasted ones.  Maybe he was more of a jerk than he thought he was.

Dram had a high pain threshold and when she stuck the needle in him, he made only a face and said not a word as she sewed the gash shut.  It stung like hell but at least it would be closed up.  Dram did not move his shoulder after she finished and only looked down to admire her work before she asked for bandages.  He produced the from his belt, a smaller roll than he'd last remembered.  He set it aside before the barn door was knocked upon.  Instinctively, he hid in the shadows, looking out beyond them warily towards the boy that appeared when Akenu opened it.

Brief words were exchanged and Dram held his breath again.  Damn he hated all this hiding and counted down the seconds until the boy was gone.  Dram appeared a little when Akenu returned and took the bowl in their hands.  It was warm and he was honestly starving after all the traveling they did.  He sniffed it suspiciously at first before scarfing a good chunk of it down and eying Akenu with an apologetic look.

He set the bowl down on his thigh and picked up the bandages.  "I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time, Akenu," he said, the words of an apology feeling so strange on his tongue.  "You do good work, patching me up.  And I'd like to repay for all the trouble I've caused you.  And will probably cause you more in the future once we get to Serendipity."

After the boy left, Akenu returned to Dram's side and placed her bowl down. The woman carefully scooped out a few chunks for Marik, but gave him a look that clearly said punishment would ensue if he touched the rest. She cleaned her hands with some more water from the skin before reaching out for the bandage's in Dram's hands.
The woman was startled at his sudden apology. She wasn't used to such situations, either, and right now was certainly a mixed bag.  On one hand, she was shocked that he had actually addressed her by name and that he was actually being... polite. On the other, there were some things time was needed to blow over, and possibly ruining her chances to freely roam her birth kingdom was one of them. However, with a sharp, if not confused breath, the woman nodded and began to awkwardly work on wrapping his arm.
"'Repay me'?" she repeated with a questioning glance.

This part had been easy. As soon as she was done wrapping the bandages around  his arm, she picked up her own bowl  and began to eat it properly, remembering her manners, if not a bit rushed. The bowl was large and the broth good. As she ate, Akenu observed Dram's new mare. She was younger than Elyin, though rather lean and muscular. She was built for speed and endurance, that's for sure.
"What's her name?" she practically whispered.
A hard day's journey , surgery, and good food  all combined often did make one sleepy. Her voice was also growing wary, though Akenu usually strained it more during market days. She suspected she only felt exhausted from all that excitement.

Dram actually felt embarrassed for having muttered those words to her and immediately regretted them right after he said them.  He blushed and thanked himself for the darkness of his skin that concealed it.  There were few people he could ever be thankful for, and even then he usually never voiced it.  He preferred to speak through actions.  Maybe that would have been considerably less embarrassing than speaking it was for him.

He huffed and got over his flustered feelings, observing his surroundings.  He had a careful eye when he wasn't in the heat of the moment, and he had always been a quiet observer.  At her repetition of his offer to repay her, he only nodded and said nothing more of the fact.  He always paid his debts, no matter who they were for and what it entailed.

Dram finished what was in his bowl, warmed from the heat and no longer as chilly as before.  He looked at her and actually grinned.  "I don't know.  I've never actually owned a horse of my own before.  All I've ever ridden is an eagle for the past century or so.  His name is Bane.  He's a big lug of an idiot, you'd love him.  But I don't know where he is," Dram said to her, making sure he was looking at her face to face.

"Maybe Sascha."

He admired the horse for a few moments longer.

"How do you that thing with your hands?" he asked in abrupt curiosity.  "I don't think you like reading lips all the time do you?  Could you teach me how to...what did you call it 'Sign'?"

Akenu nearly choked on her next gulp of her food at the mention of Dram's eagle named Bane.
What!?!?
The woman could only gawk at the elf in wonder. She had seen eagles before, and thought them to be majestic creatures. Of course, the woman was born in the land of dragon riders and thought them to be just as fine steads. However, had always been a land based creature and never really took to the skies. Besides, she loved her Elyin, and traveling by ground suited her just fine. Still....she had never heard of an eagle big enough to act as a steed. And Dram...as a rider? How did THAT happen?
Akenu narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" she quietly asked, getting out of her initial shock.
How could he lose a friend like that, if they traveled together so? Did Dram not take care of him?
Unlikely, the woman thought , observing the way he admired his horse. He was alright around animals. Marik liked him enough, anyway. She frowned at the memory of him spanking Elyin with his sword...twice.
Maybe not that great.

The woman tried to pronounce the name he had given his steed. "Sc" combinations were always tricky.
"Sa...cha?" she slowly whispered, when she was addressed with yet another shock.
Before, Dram had insulted signing. Now he was actually...being kind and asking properly. However, she was grateful for his question, and glad to have a willing student. After all, he was going to have to learn, sooner or later. That she had decided earlier, right?
"I don't mind reading lips," she replied, "It's just a bit tricky at times, is all. And , yes, I did. Here..."
The woman slowly spelled his name out loud, while signing it with her hands.
"You try."
She figured she should probably start with teaching him words they would need to tell each other in a bind as well as names.

Dram just smiled at the question.  "I mean I ride an eagle.  I do not lie, Akenu.  Not if I can help it.  I might be a thief, but I do my best to remain an honest one," he said simply.  

Dram paid attention to the signs she made with her hands as she spelled out his name, though he did not know his name.  He followed suit, messing up on the second and fourth letter, making what looked to be more of an obscene insulting gesture without meaning to.  He blushed and tried again, having closely studied what she'd done.  "Like that?  What does that mean?  Was that a whole sentence or just one word?  How do you sign your name?"

Akenu tried not to judge Dram too harshly as he messed up terribly on his name. She bit her bottom lip in an attempt not to laugh as she shook her head.
"This is mine," she said as she slowly spelled it with her hands.
"Let's start with yours, again..."
The woman reached out for his, and helped the so called honest thief again sign out the letters to his name.

She then proceeded to teach to teach him how to spell Marik's, Elyin's, Andreya's, and Sascha's, though she had accidentally left out the 's', making it "Sacha".  Further, she started to teach the elf signs for words, such as pronouns and things like "Good morning" and "thank you". She also started on phrases such as "someone is coming" and which direction, "Stay still", and  "hurry". The woman  supposed she should have had taught the alphabet, as well, but by the end of the lesson, the candle in the lantern had almost melted the entirety of its candle.

Akenu had been yawning every so often throughout the session, but now they were coming more and more frequently, and her eyes were getting droopy.
"That's enough for tonight," she said as she rolled her neck and rubbed it a little before getting up to retrieve her bedding in one of her sacks.

Dram was a quick and diligent study, listening carefully to everything she taught him.  At first he had his doubts about this 'Sign' thing.  He didn't understand it, how it could possibly be useful, but this definitely was the first time that he'd ever really come into contact with a deaf person.  Could she truly blame him for being so close-minded before?  In the same turn, however, he was rapidly learning, absorbing everything that she had to teach him.

He nodded when they were done, though he didn't feel tired enough to sleep.  "You go to sleep.  I'll keep watch for tonight," he said, nodding to her.  He leaned against one of the barn pillars and practiced the signs to himself little by little, going over in his head what she had directed him.

After a while, putting away what he'd learn in his mind, he glanced over at Akenu.  A curious gaze went over him, as he recalled the number of tattoos on her body.  She seemed to have quite an inclination toward ink and piercing, though he wondered why.  Carefully, a stray hand reached out to her hip as she slept where he recalled seeing a tattoo there on her belly.

Akenu gave Dram a questioning glance at his desire to keep watch. The day had been exhausting for both of them, and who knew what the next would hold. Rather, all of them, for the animals were already asleep. The horses slept next to each other on the other side of the barn, but Marik perched himself on a board over head, occasionally sneezing or tossing his tale about. Dram wouldn't be hugging her back anymore, now; she needed him alert during the day. However, the woman decided it was best not to question his attentions. After all, he knew better than she the limitations of his body. Security would be a nice thing to have, too. So instead of protesting, she set down her bed roll, made sure all her equipment were by her bed side, and pulled her good cloak over he shoulders, using it as a blanket. She signed good night with a small chuckle, and closed her eyes.

The woman was a quick sleeper, and drifted off within minutes.  Akenu often started off sleeping on her side, her head cradled in her hands. She didn't wake up from Dram's touch, not yet. Instead, her arm moved, as if to brush him away. Under the cloak did her body rustling a bit, as if shaking off something. She made a soft moaning noise, somewhat similar to the ones she made when she was annoyed with Marik's activities. It was probably why the wanderer didn't wake up in the first place, so used was she to her dragon companion.

Dram took his hand away momentarily as he looked at her as she brushed him away, thinking little more of it.  He was warded off only for a moment before he looked over her again.  He touched the tattoo on her hip once more, tracing the lines of it, curious as to its origins and wondering what it meant to her.  In a way he was almost envious.  Having never known his native home, a part of him always felt as if he was missing something.  Inspecting her tattoos was a part of that something he felt was vacant inside him.

Dram adjusted quietly, saying nothing after he no longer inspected the tattoo by her hip, and moved to look at the one on her back, moving up the cloak to get a better look.  Here was one much larger than the leaf on her hip.  He pressed a cool hand up to the small of her back, tracing the lines again with a curious gaze.

OOC: Post 100 :D :D
IC:

It was the combination of the steady, light pressure on her back from Dram's fingertips, the coolness of his hands, and the absence of her cloak over her legs that slowly rose the sleeping woman. She blinked in the darkness, temporally  dazed, before she started to draw conclusions. Akenu jolted upright and faced Dram, panting softly from the fright he had caused her. Her icy blue eyes were narrow and hardened.
"What...the...hell...were...you...doing!?" she whispered, signing the words with a frenzied anger.
She hoped it wasn't anything vulgar; she wouldn't be able to sleep in his presence, and he really didn't want her sleep deprived. Akenu supposed he could have been just waking her up, but if so, why touch her lower spine and not her shoulder, like normal people did?

Dram flinched back slightly but didn't budge from his spot beside her.  He withdrew his hand and laid it on his lap instead.  He looked at her with such a curious gaze.  He gestured to her tattoos, poking them abruptly.  "Your tattoos," he remarked.  "Where did you get them?  Who gave them to you?  I wasn't trying anything, I swear...  I'm not-um-like that."  He bit his lip and poked them again.  "I was...just curious.  They're very well done."

Akenu's glare or posture didn't soften until after Dram finished speaking in entirety. When he was done, she sighed, and ran a hand through her hair.
He couldn't have asked me about them when I was awake? she mentally lamented, but the woman decided not to push it. It was late, and she wanted to sleep. It was painfully obvious how much tact this elf lacked, but at least he wasn't a pervert.  The woman pointed to the sun on her chest, tracing out the main spiral, and then to the wings on her back.
"My mother," she gently said, "She was my teacher...."
The woman then lightly touched the leaf on her hip.
"This was Chel's," she whispered, as if pained.
The leaf tattoo  was her constant reminder of him, and the only bit she had left. His death, or the  rumor of it, had reached her a few years ago. Maybe two, maybe three; the woman didn't bother to count. Akenu shook her head to chase out the bad memories.

The woman lowered herself slowly so that she was lying on her back, tucked underneath her cloak. She gave Dram's tattoo a glance, remembering his anger from before.
Ah, well, she thought. It didn't really concern her, now, did it?
"Night," she muttered, again, and drifted back to sleep.

Dram nodded in understanding.  Yes, this had been the very wrong moment to ask her about such a thing, but it seemed it was only now that he noticed the painful reminder that he would never know where he came from, unlike Akenu.  They were supposed to be a part of him, he knew, had a feeling in his gut, but couldn't shake the fact that he might never understand it.  Learning that her mother had taught her how to make them, gave some glimpse of light into that dark space that separated him from where he knew he should belong and where he found himself in now.

"Okay," he nodded to her, signing how he knew how, having been practicing.  "Good night."  And he leaned back against the pillar, looking over on his shoulder to peer at his own tattoo.  It was different, this symbol.  It was a brotherhood and sisterhood, a family of a different sort.  Dram might have been a part of them, but he always felt different in some ways, separated.  He sighed and laid his head back, looking around him and finally feeling his own eyelids close.

He felt asleep keeping watch and his head dipped against his chest as he slept lightly, long ears flicking to the rustle of wind through the slot between the barn doors.

As the doors creaked open, the gentle rays of the just rising sun rippled into the barn. The light roused the sleeping Akenu. She gave a low groan, as she peeked from under her cloak at the somewhat startled figure of the farmer's wife.
"Oh...Hello," the woman said, forcing a smile, clearly not used to having guests in her barn.
Akenu gave a nod in return.
"Good morning," she croaked as she rose, rolling her shoulders. The woman rose to her feet and began to get dressed.
Instead of giving a chipper response, the farmer's wife gasped at the bandages around Akenu's chest.

"W...what happened?" she asked, though she found herself tempurarly ignored as Akenu pulled her tunic over her head. It was only a half minute later when Akenu dropped down to put on her belt did she notice that the woman was gawking at her. At first, she was alarmed, wondering if she had done anything wrong, when she noticed that the wife was looking at her chest.
Oh.

"New tattoo," Akenu lied with a bright smile as she attached her belt, "This one is working on it as we go."
She looked back at Dram, trying to remember what names she had given them.
This seemed a satisfying answer enough to the woman, for she nodded and proceeded to pull up a stool and get to the milking.
With a sigh, Akenu quickly readjusted her head scarf, pulled on her arm gauntlets,  put on her boots, and strapped her quiver and bow onto her back. The early morning was chilly, so she drew her cloak over her shoulders.
That all done, she rubbed Dram's shoulder.
"How are you feeling?," she asked.

Dram awoke with a neck cramp as she touched him.  He jerked in reaction.  He always did and would never get used to contact in his sleep.  He gasped and a hand immediately went up to his neck.  He cracked it roughly and glanced suspiciously at her.

"Like I slept in a barn," he said simply, a little irritably.  He didn't have a bedroll like hers.  "The hell is she doing here?" he whispered, jerking his head toward the farmer's wife.  "I don't like the look of her.  Feels like we're being watched."

Akenu rolled her eye's at Dram's response.
Not now, she thought. They had to convince the farmers just for a little while longer that they were married- did he really need to give her this attitude now?
"I meant your arm," she replied through clenched teeth,"Don't be rude. Get up..."
The woman gestured for him to put the cloak she had given him on.
Satisfayed that he was awake and whole,  the woman began to saddle up the horses. They needed to get out of there, fast.  Never mind breakfast, though Akenu doubted they would even be offered some. Now that Dram was awake, his elf features were more obvious.
She didn't bother to answer his questions, as he could figure that out himself.
The farmer's wife began to hum a folk song as she milked the cow, occasionally shooting Akenu and Dram occasional glances.

Bickering.  Isn't that was normal married couples did?  Well, what did he know.  He'd never had a long-lasting, even remotely fulfilling relationship in his life.  Bickering was normal for him; bickering between partners was not.  But as long as she required it, he would fill whatever roll she set him in however best he could.  Though kept in mind, he was not an actor.

He got up, cracked his neck again.  Dram watch the wife continue her task with cow milking, the cow mooing as she got much needed relief.  He frowned and tossed the cloak over his shoulders.  "I hate this thing," he murmured.  The wife quietly stood and turned towards them, holding two cups filled with fresh milk in her hands.  She paused, peering at Dram and staring at his ears.  He returned the gaze as he tossed the hood over his head, dropping the front before his eyes.

She stepped forward despite herself and handed them the cups.  "I thought you could use something refreshing.  Here," she said.  She gave Dram his own tentatively, trying to peer under his hood again.

OOC: should we make a new thread for where ever they're going, or keep it here?
IC:
When Akenu was done saddling up both of the horses and loading her things, she turned around to find the farmer's wife standing near Dram with a pair of bowls. She took in a sharp, short breath, a little surprised by the new development.
What's going on? she thought as she approached the two.
The woman stood next to the wife as she looked into the bowls; they were filled with milk.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, a little dumb founded.
She really hadn't been expecting this.

The wife handed over her own bowl, which Akenu accpted with a quiet word of thanks.
In return, the wife nodded and turned to face Dram once more.
"Why do you have a hood on like that, Mr. Darren?"  she asked, "You're not hiding anything in there, are you? I can't see your eyes that well, and I don't like it. Though I could have sworn..."
She sighed.
"No matter," she said with a wave of her hand as she picked up the buckets full of milk. She turned towards Akenu.
"When you two are done with your breakfast, I except you be off," she said, and promptly marched out of the barn.
Marik gave a low purr, which caused the woman to give the dragon a questioning glare.
"Yes, ma'am," replied Akenu, who quickly drank half of hers.
She then placed the bowl on the ground, allowing for Marik to drink out of it for a few moments. After the dragon had its' fill, the woman began escorting Elyin out of the barn   ; they needed to put some distance between themselves and this kingdom, fast.

[We can make a new thread if you like.  That might be better actually.]

Dram cleared his throat rather harshly and glared at the farmer's wife from underneath the hood.  "My ears get cold pretty easily," he grunted in response, but his tone had been so low he was sure that what he'd said was nigh completely inaudible.  Whatever, he didn't need her approval, the wench!  Dram drank the milk, warm and fresh and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand when he was done.  He checked his shoulder once more before leading Sascha out as well.

He mounted after Akenu did and was off behind her as well.

Here we are: viewtopic.php?f=210&t=12836 (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=210&t=12836)