History sticks to your feet

[Anonymous]

The sun hung peacefully in afternoon sky, shining through the treetops, beaming down on Ashara and her partner as they made their way through the Niahi Forest. As usual, Ash's steps were energized, despite how long they had been travelling, and nevermind the fact that the ground they had slept on had been particularly bumpy last night. It had been a while, though, since they had seen any other people on this path – it was as if the forest had been emptied of all other humans, and there were none that they could stop to speak to their quest about. It had been a little discouraging, but their lack of good luck only made Ash more determined to keep up her steady pace.

In the distance, through the treetops, one could see the makings of a town – buildings and houses, adults and children, all bustling and going through their daily motions. It was a small place, but at the very sight of it, Ash's mahogany brown eyes widened at the sight of it, and she stopped dead in her tracks, standing on her tippy toes, to make sure she was really seeing what she thought she was seeing. A town! Civilization! She looked back towards Ritva, grinning like a child.

"Rit, look! There's a town up ahead!" she squealed, bouncing on her toes. "C'mon, let's stop in town for a bit – we could grab something to eat while we're there!" She took hold of Ritva's hand, not really waiting for a response. "Its been forever since we've been in a town, hasn't it? I wonder what the people will be like there... Maybe we'll even find someone to plant a sapling!" Her eyes were wide with the possibilities, and she was talking a mile a minute, as usual – it was hard to keep her quiet when she laid eyes on a peaceful town.

[Anonymous]

Unlike Ash, Ritva was enjoying the empty forest. She liked the peace and quite, just her and Ash. Though, the lack of people did make her nervous. Time was ticking down, something Ritva had never been aware of until she found out Ash was the Martyr. Now suddenly it seemed all important.

Curling her white hand around Ash's, Ritva snorted, "Oh god. Another town full of people. They smell! How you can be so excited is beyond me."

She would find the first sacrifice here. No matter what, she was going to have Ash complete her task. Reaching over with her free hand, she tucked a strand of Ash's rich auburn hair back behind one of her ears, "Calm down or you'll wear yourself out before we get there."

It was hard for Rit to judge human endurance, so she tended to treat Ash like she was frail.

[Anonymous]

Ash squeezed Ritva's hand, laughing. "Oh, they're not so bad, Rit!  You've just gotta get used to 'em is all," the Martyr assured with a nod, looking with bright eyes toward the little town. Every now and then, Ash liked to immerse herself in amongst people – while being in the forests had its own charm, one that she had gotten used to during their venture, there really was nothing like just relaxing in an idyllic village.

The Martyr wrinkled her nose playfully as Rit told her to calm down. "Pfft, I'll be fine!" she assured, swinging her hand back and forth while changing her gait to a childish skip. "It takes a lot more than a little excitement to wear me down." As Rit tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, she couldn't help but grin a little at the feel of her hand against her ear.

It didn't take long for them to reach civilization, and Ash's skip slowly down to a walk, her eyes taking in everything. Nowadays, she didn't take anything for granted, so she took in the whole of the village, before looking to Rit, eager. "Are you hungry? 'Cause I'm starving – maybe there's a tavern around here somewhere..." Too bad Ash had an affinity for getting lost in new places, especially when it came to new towns...

[Anonymous]

"Oooh. Food. I would love food!" Rit perked up at that mention, smiling at Ash and enjoying the feel of the human girls hand in her own. The pysical contact helped, made her less prickly as they entered the town.

The fae drew a number of stares, her inhuman appearance a rarity, though she paid them no attention. Her beauty deserved to be looked upon. Tugging lightly on Ash's hand, she turned a corner, "I smell bread over this way."

[Anonymous]

As Rit tugged her hand and turned around the corner, Ash eagerly obliged. She was the kind of person who would easily get lost in town if she had to navigate one by herself. "Oh, I smell it too!" she noted, realizing they were getting closer. "Oooh, it smells freshly baked, too!" she went on, bouncing on the tips of her toes.

She couldn't help but notice that all eyes had been drawn to Rit, but as usual, she didn't pay any of them the slightest of mind. "Looks like everyone's got their eye on you, Rit! You always steal away poor villagers' hearts without even trying~" she teased, shaking her head. She couldn't blame the villagers, though – seeing a dryad waltz into a town must not be an everyday occurrence for them.

Finally, they closed in on the source of that freshly baked bread smell – a small little tavern, cozy and warm, displayed itself to them. "C'mon, let's go!" she urged, a skip returning to themselves. "I'm so hungry I could eat everything on the menu!"

[Anonymous]

"Of course. It's because I am beautiful." Rit grinned, flashing her white teeth, almost the same shade as her skin. She let Ash drag her into the inn, her dark eyes scanning the room to make sure there was no danger.

Finding none, she rocked on her heels, bear toes wiggling, "Let's eat then. We have money?" Paying for things was a strange concept to Rit, but it was one she had learned over the years. She was utterly awful with it though, lacking a real concept of the value of things.

[Anonymous]

Ash bit her lip, patting her side in search of the little pouch that she carried her money in. After a minute, she grinned, finding it strapped to her side. She held up the little pouch triumphantly, grinning easily. "Yep, we've got tons!" she assured, but jingled the pouch in her hands a little, her smile growing sheepish. "...Well, we've got enough to have a hearty lunch, anyway!" Which was better than nothing, Ash figured – the allowance they had received from the Hierophant before leaving was starting to run dry, but that was something she'd worry about later.

She took a seat at the bar of the tavern, motioning for Rit to do the same. From there, she could smell the fresh bread baking, and see people hustling back and forth, preparing stews, meats, and other tasty dinners. The barkeep, who had been cleaning a beer mug before, turned his gaze towards Ritva instantly, his gaze fixated on her, before he remembered he had a job to do. "What can I get ya?" he asked, but Ash was still hard at work, thinking.

"I definitely want some of that bread," she was murmuring, tapping a finger to her chin. "But bread alone doesn't make a meal... Maybe some stew would go good with the bread? Or some soup?" She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. "Actually, there's not really a big difference between soup or stew... What is the difference anyway? Huh... But I wanna make sure I choose something really good! I dunno..." She was really bad at making little decisions...

[Anonymous]

Rit didn't pay much attention to the man, brushing her long hair aside and taking a seat next to Ash, her legs swinging, "I want cider and bread." She turned her strange eyes on the barkeep, who was still staring, "You have a vegetable soup?"

Rit only rarely ate meat and she only ate it raw. Cooked meat was disgusting and she refused to even taste it. The man nodded, "Sure sure. Wife's got some on the pot. Ain't got stew though, if that's okay. Just the soup and a bit of bacon."

"No bacon for me." Rit wrinkled her nose, making a face at the word.

[Anonymous]

Oh, so the man didn't have any stew? That was probably for the best, though – the less food he had, the easier it would be for Ash to choose. "I'll have the soup too!" she chimed in, finally able to make her order. "Along with some bread, and to drink, ah... water will do fine."

As the man mentioned that he had a bit of bacon, Ash's eyes lit up. "Oh! I'll have some of the bacon, if Rit doesn't want it!" she exclaimed, eager to have a bit of meat. Ever since they had left Baile, she hadn't been able to eat cooked meat as much (it was such a hassle to prepare!), so swiping that last bit of bacon was a plus for her.

The man left to retrieve their food, and Ash placed their pouch of money on the bar, so she'd be ready to pay him when he asked. "You should really try bacon one day, Rit! Maybe you'd like it, who knows~?" Granted, she knew Rit hated cooked meat, but it was always fun to tease her.

[Anonymous]

"No!" Rit looked as if Ash had asked her to eat dung, working her mouth as if she had eaten something gross, "Meat should not be cooked! It was meant to be eater raw! Charing it ruins the flavor."

She shuddered, turning away from Ash to face the bar, "Will you ask him? To plant the sapling?"

[Anonymous]

Ash couldn't help but laugh at Rit's aghast expression. Her vehement reaction to cooked meats never failed to amuse her. But, at her question, Ash bit her lip, looking back towards the tavern owner. The man was ladling their soup into stone bowls, humming a merry tune under his breath as he did so. He was painfully ordinary, just a man working hard to take care of his wife, and maybe kids, if he had any.

She looked back at Rit, shaking her head. "Oh, I dunno... He doesn't seem like the type who'd be interested," she noted, a little downcast. A working man would probably not take thirty days off to water some mysterious tree that would suck away half of his lifespan.

But, speak of the devil, he had soon returned with their meals – the soup, bread, and their drinks. Ash grinned, picking up a slice of bacon and chewing a piece off, chewing it overeagerly and heartily, in a playful attempt to annoy Rit. "Mmm~ bacon suuuure is tasty~" she exaggerated, laughing.

[Anonymous]

Rit just continued to stare at Ash with a look of disgust, "It is crunching! Meat is not supposed to crunch!" With a shudder, Rit turned away and focused on her soup, using the bread to soak it up. She always had a weakness for soft, flaky bread, so much better than pottage, but much more expensive. Bread and sugar and cream. The fae could put away horrifying amounts of sugar.

"No wonder you are so short. When you eat that filth!"

[Anonymous]

Ash burst out in a fit of giggles at Rit's horrified expression, it was exactly what the Martyr had been fishing for. She put the bacon down — it had served its purpose well — and focused on her soup, sopping it up with some of the freshly baked bread.  

At Rit's comment, however, she wrinkled her nose playfully. "Hey! C'mon, I'm not that short!" Ash huffed, shaking her head. "Well, it's better than being too tall! Like a—" She waved her hands in the air, searching for the word. "—like a tree!"

 ...Ash wasn't even sure where she was going with that argument, but seemed like a satisfactory comeback at the time.

[Anonymous]

"And what is wrong with being like a tree." Rit gave Ash a flat look, unimpressed with that statement, "If more humans looked like trees, your race would be much more attractive." She shifted a little in her seat, unsure for a moment, something she rarely felt.

Leaning close, Rit peered at Ash with her odd eyes, "Do you think I am too tall? Too tree like?"

[Anonymous]

Okay, she had a point there! Ash was always horrid with arguments— she could start them well enough, but she could never finish one. Her comebacks had all dried up, but it wasn't like her comeback had been impressive to begin with.

Ash: 0, Ritva: 1.

But then Rit looked at her, and almost seemed hesitant, before asking if she was 'too' tree like. At that, Ash shook her head, almost laughing. "Whaaaat? No way! Being tree-like is totally what makes you so pretty in the first place!" she gushed, being completely honest. But then— ah!

"Oh, but you'd still be pretty if you weren't! You know?" Rawrgh, okay, why wasn't anything coming out right? "Bottom line— I think you're perfect as you are, Rit! C'mon, you know that!" Aaaand awkward Ash was shutting up now.

[Anonymous]

Awkward as it was, it seemed to sooth Ritva and she quickly recovered, her normal confidant arrogance back, smirking and tossing her head back, her long, pure white hair shimmering down her back, "Good. I am quite beautiful. You are too, despite being so short."

She shifted a little closer, peering at Ash, not as confidant as she was trying to appear, "So, you like how I look then? Honest?"

[Anonymous]

Despite how garbled Ash's recovery had been, it seemed to do the trick to bring Ritva back into her normal, confident spirits. Honestly, the question had come out of nowhere, really! She was sure Rit knew how pretty she was— such a question was unnecessary! At Rit's complement, Ash's eyes lit up, laughing a little. "Hey! I think my height is kind of a plus, don't you think?" Or rather, her lack of height...

Rit came closer to her, asking if she really liked the way she looked, to which Ash giggled.  "Seriously, Rit, we all know that you're the prettiest druid in the whole guild! You're totally gorgeous!" The Martyr placed her hands on her hips, peering at the dryad. "I could go on, you know, if you want me to. Shall I ramble on awkwardly about your long ivory white hair, or gush on about those stunning onyx eyes of yours?"

Ash's face flushed— while it was no secret that she thought her partner was beautiful, she did not normally complement her so fervently. She humbled the back of her neck bashfully, casting her eyes elsewhere. "...I could, but you know, we'd be here all day!"

[Anonymous]

Rit perked up, making a pleased sound as Ash complimented her. She knew that Ash thought she was beautiful, after all, who could not think she was beautiful? But she always liked hearing complements and they were even better coming from Ash.

Reaching over, Rit stroked the other girl's hair and nodded, "Yes please. I like hearing those words from you. Tell me more!"

[Anonymous]

Ash laughed a little as Rit strokes her hair — honestly, she was too easy to please! Granted, Ash could understand where she was coming from: she loved it when Rit doted on upon her, so it was only fair for her to do so as well. But at this point, Ash was wondering if she had run out of complements.

"Ah...hmm... I dunno! You're so pretty, Rit, I don't think there are any words that can properly describe you!" Ash went on, crossing her arms over her chest and nodding firmly. "Anything I told you wouldn't be able to describe your beauty properly, you know?" She laughed a little, grinning. "Words don't do you justice!"

[Anonymous]

"Well, of course not. But it's still nice when you try." Ritva beamed and started tearing up bits of bread, dunking them in the soup and pressed one to Ash's lips. She liked fussing over her partner when she got the chance and her often awkward social skills meant that her attempts often came off oddly.