The Failure and the Brat... What Could Go Wrong? (Zozee)

[TheHighwayman]

Thriv stepped back from the fire, satisfied that it'd keep burning for a bit. "There we go." The young man turned back to Elizabeth and nodded. "Sure I can, just give me a quick minute. Have you got the tea-leaves? And the water?" Thriv pulled off his gauntlets and removed Spire's saddle and his saddle-bags. "There ya go, big guy. Bet that feels better." He hefted his bedroll, gave it a good shake to get most of the dirt and rocks out, and spread it out next to the fire. Then he scooped up one of the smaller bags and started off back into the foliage, shooting Elizabeth another one of his stupid smiles. "Just a minute or two. I need to set a few snares real quick."

The young man was still barely visible through the trees when he stopped and began setting up the traps. He'd have to remember to rise early the next morning, to check them- he didn't really want to bother the girl with the sight of skinning rabbits. Fortunately, she didn't seem like the sort who'd be up at the crack of dawn. "Oh, by the way miss," he called back towards them. "I just remembered I've got a shortsword in my saddlebags. I hardly use it, but it should be light enough for you to carry around as a precaution if you want. I could even teach you the basics of how to use it." Thriv didn't think she'd take him up on the offer, but it didn't hurt to ask. Besides, the young man personally thought any traveler should be armed in one way or another, bodyguard or no.

[zozee9]

Elizabeth started searching through her bags when Thrivaok asked her about about the tea-leaves and water. She grabbed the teacup, which still had a teabag resting in it, and found one of her gourds of water after a few more seconds of looking around. Then she grabbed a black blanket and laid it on the ground before putting the other items in her hand down on it.

Looking up, she realized that Thrivaok was no longer near her. She was just about to call for him when she noticed him in the trees. Setting up snares, she realized. He had just said that beforehand.

Sitting down on the blanket, Elizabeth scoffed, "You? Teach me sword fighting? If I had any interest in learning it in the first place—which I don't—I surely wouldn't have you teach me." She stuck her nose up in the air. Then, after a few seconds of pondering, she hesitantly added, "But... if you can find a way to keep it on Snow, I don't suppose it'll hurt me to keep it with me." After all, she didn't quite believe in her bodyguards strength and ability to fend off danger.

[TheHighwayman]

Tying off the last of the snares and grinning broadly, the knight started back. "Alright then miss. Now let's see here..." From the pile of saddlebags at Spire's feet, he grabbed a small bundle of cloth. Carefully unwrapping it revealed a rather ornate sheathe, black with silver patterns weaving around the image of a horse. The blade itself, when Thriv drew it, proved well made as well- if in a sturdier, deadlier sort of way. The whole thing was in stark contrast to the longsword Thriv wore at his belt- which was held in a simple brown sheathe and didn't seem to have any decoration whatsoever. "If you don't want me to teach you, then just stick to rule number one- pointy bit towards the enemy." Thriv smiled and sheathed the weapon, handing it hilt-first to Elizabeth along with a small strap. "Just tie it onto any of your other bags."

That business done- and Thriv feeling a little bit safer about the lady- the knight sat down and began tending to the tea. It was simple enough; bag in, then water, then just hold it over the fire until it was hot. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable, miss." He started to hum, but then remembered the young woman hadn't really appreciated it earlier, so instead he thought of what he'd tell his family about the encounter when he returned home. He was immensely proud of his ability to fend off the cat- even if Spire had saved his neck twice, he'd still held his own against a creature twice his size. He wouldn't even have been hurt if Elizabeth hadn't stopped. The knight looked at his shoulder and winced again- he didn't really blame her, but it certainly didn't help him feel better that the pain was almost entirely needless and avoidable.

[zozee9]

Elizabeth accepted the weapon and pulled it out of its sheathe. It looked so... sharp. And dangerous. Just holding it gave her an odd sense of thrill. Sheathing it again, she admired the casing as well. While she would have preferred it to be pure white, like Snow, it was much prettier than she had been expecting. Especially based on what Thivaok's looked like.

She set the sword down next to her, deciding that she would tie it to her bags later. She was just about to tell Thrivaok to stop humming when, miraculously, he did. Elizabeth laid down, her poofy dress spreading around her. She wasn't paying enough attention to notice her bodyguards pain, not that she would have cared much. And he already rejected her help, so if he got in trouble because of that wound, it wasn't her fault.

Gazing at the sky, Elizabeth impatiently asked, "Is the tea almost ready?"

[TheHighwayman]

"Patience," Thriv stated calmly. "I'm Connlaothian, you expect me to wave my fingers at it and be done?" The young man sat in silence for a short while before checking the pot and nodding. "There. -Now- it's done. Here you go miss, I trust you can pour for yourself." Thriv sat the pot down on the blanket and stretched, lying back on his bedroll. "Ah, now that was an eventful start to the journey. At this rate we might very well see a dragon before we even reach Adela." Chuckling, the young knight folded his hands behind his head and wondered what he'd do if that happened. Probably hope it was friendly or run, if he were being honest with himself.

"You think that cat will live to cause any more trouble around here? It was hurt pretty badly, but I don't think any of those wounds would be enough to kill it." Thriv sighed, imagining some poor other traveler being ripped to pieces by the thing. "Maybe I should go hunt it down, make sure it can't." Though now they were both injured, and Thriv figured the cat had a far better chance of sneaking up on him than he did of sneaking up on it. "...No, it's probably hidden away in some den somewhere. I doubt I'd be able to find it. Besides, I should probably focus on the job at hand."

[zozee9]

Elizabeth had a frown pasted across her face as Thrivaok told her to be patient. People weren't supposed to tell her what to do... unless she asked or it was an emergency. Nonetheless, she gladly poured the tea for herself. And, if it even mattered, she did so with grace and elegance. Tea was something she was quite good at serving.

In fact, she even managed to not spill when Thrivaok made his comment about the dragon. She put the teapot back down and sipped her tea, trying to calm down herself. If a dragon came for her, she'd let it eat Thrivaok while she rode Snow. The thought successfully calmed her down.

Elizabeth was just about to rebut his idea about chasing the cat when he denied it himself. There was no way she was going to have her only bodyguard go off on a wild goose hunt just to possibly kill a cat. She could get robbed or kidnapped or even killed in the time that he was gone. She took another sip of her tea.

[TheHighwayman]

Thriv just continued to lie there contentedly until Spire walked up and nudged him. "Alright, alright, I'll do it. Angsar, leave it to Father to get me a horse that'll pester me to keep practicing." Grunting, the young man climbed to his feet and grabbed his shield-which, if the girl cared to notice, also had a silver horse painted on it- before moving a short distance away from Elizabeth before he took a stance.

Drawing his sword, he began swinging at imaginary enemies. One, two, three. Duck. Raise your shield. Parry, riposte. Push forward with the shield, force the opponent off balance. Watch the footwork, be sure to keep your own. One, two, three. One, two, watch the feint. Block, counter, sidestep. Use their momentum against them. Shield bash and thrust. When the sequence completed, Thriv started again, paying no mind to the pain in his shoulder or his weariness. It actually wasn't a bad bit of fighting- a little clumsy, and not the fastest swordsmanship around, but the form came naturally and without effort, as if it were something Thriv had been doing for a long time.

[zozee9]

Elizabeth noticed that Thrivaok got up, but didn't really bother to watch him. She made sure he wasn't going off into the woods and leaving her all alone, then drank more of her tea. After she finished drinking three cups of tea while he practiced, Elizabeth dumped the rest out and grabbed the gourd of water. She rinsed out the teacup and teapot, dried them with the blanket, and returned them to their bag.

Then she took all of her bags off the horse. That way Snow could sleep and be fully rested for fast traveling in the morning. Elizabeth grabbed another black blanket (while she didn't love the color black, it was better than getting her white blankets dirty on the floor) and laid it next to her other one. Then she laid down on it, closed her eyes, and, within a matter of minutes, was deep asleep.

[TheHighwayman]

While the others all nodded off, Thriv continued his practice for another twenty sets or so. Wiping his brow, the knight sat down and took up a silent vigil. Once in a while he'd stand and stretch to keep himself from nodding off, or he'd move about the clearing a bit, or add a few bits of wood to the fire. After a few hours with no sign of the cat's return or any other trouble, Thriv was about to deem it safe for him to get some rest himself.

Thriv slowly worked his way free of his chainmail suit, set aside his shield and sword, and slipped inside his bedroll. The young man had just drifted off when he heard an ear splitting wail from off in the distance. Shooting awake and immediately grabbing his sword, he peered frantically around for the source of the sound- and came up with nothing. Whatever it was seemed to be a ways off.

"Elizabeth," he hissed, taking the chance to quickly get his armor back on. "Wake up. I heard something-" the young man's warning was interrupted by a crashing in the trees between them in the road.

"Why'd anyone hurt Ripfang, Mug?" a loud, guttural (but somehow also whining) voice shouted- or said, but whatever said it was loud enough for it to sound like a human shouting. Thriv tightened his grip on his blade and nudged Elizabeth with his boot, needing her to get up now but not wanting to alert whatever it was.

"Because she tries to et em', Crug. I tol' you to keep 'er tied up, but did ya list'n? No!" The second voice was firmer, irritable, and perhaps most worryingly... getting closer. "Oye, is that a fire I see o'er there? And I smell 'orses." This was followed by two very large (each about twice Thriv's size), and very ugly ogres crashing into the clearing. They had no weapons, but given they both looked strong enough to splatter a man's head with a careless flick, that wouldn't exactly be comforting...

Thriv took a stance in front of Elizabeth, shield raised. No chance of not being spotted now, might as well try to negotiate. "Stop right there," he shouted. "Stay back! What do you want?"

((OOC: Feel free to take over for them at any time))

[zozee9]

The two ogres, upon seeing the boy, stopped walking. Not out of fear, but to observe the situation.

After eyeing him up and down, Crug asked, "Think he's da one who hur' Ripfang, Mug?" His loud voice was serious but sad. It echoed through the woods.

Mug, looking at Crug, replied, "I dou' it, Crug. He dun look tha' strong." Then he laughed and patted Crug on the back. The pat made a resounding noise and it was clear that it would've whacked any normal person out of the way.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was slowly starting to wake up. The loud sounds hadn't helped her beauty sleep, nor had Thrivaok kicking her. But what really got her to sit up straight was that god awful smell. Turning around, she saw her bodyguard in a protective position. Peeking her head out from behind him, she spotted the two giant, ugly, smelly ogres and did what Elizabeth did best: screamed. This scream was somehow louder than the one she had let out when discovering the centipede on her. After all, not only were ogres disgusting and smelly and possibly the grossest humanoid creatures out there, they also could squash her as if it were nothing. And then eat her—raw. Or so she had heard, at least.

So the high pitched scream also echoed through the forest and Elizabeth hugged herself. Then, remembering that there was a sword beside her, she quickly leaned over and grabbed it, now hugging the sword. She didn't stand up, in hopes that the ogres wouldn't notice her. How that logically made sense ofter that scream of hers is unknown, but Elizabeth's mind is a bit strange. She looked up at Thrivaok's back, and hoped that he was strong enough to defend against those horrible beings in front of them. Even with that injury of his.

Normally, she might have gone for Snow and took off. Unluckily for her, the horse was between Thrivaok and the ogres. And while she might be awake, Snow was as frozen as a statue. Partially because she was scared out of her horse mind, and partially because she was hoping (like Elizabeth) that the ogres wouldn't notice her if she stayed still.

[TheHighwayman]

Ripfang... that must have been the cat from earlier. Thriv took a step closer to the pair and grit his teeth. "I said stay back. What do you want? Food? I've got some spare beans and chicken. You can have that, but you're spooking the horses-" well, horse would have been more accurate, as Spire looked completely calm about the situation. If anything Elizabeth's screaming bothered him more than the ogres. "-so we can't let you share the camp."

The ogres, meanwhile, growled, covered their ears, and howled at the scream. "Arggh! It hurts Mug. Make 'er stop!" Crug cried.

Mug glared at Thriv and Elizabeth, stomping forward menacingly. "Get ou' of the way, tiny-man. Tiny-girl shut up! Or Mug'll crush you!"

Thriv didn't budge from his spot, though he didn't know how much good he could do here. "Elizabeth," he whispered. "Try not to do that again." He didn't mind fighting if need be, but this was far worse than the cat had been. Best not to tick them off if they could avoid it.

Crug, while his larger, uglier friend worried about the screaming girl, was looking at the ground. More specifically, at the trail of blood Thriv had left on the way. The knight could almost see the wheels in the monster's head turning. Slowly, slowly, this wasn't good, and... "He's da one! Look Mug! Blood! He's da one who 'urted Ripfang! Should we smash 'im?"

[zozee9]

Elizabeth trembled as the ogres spoke. She had made them mad at her, which freaked her out. But at the same time, she was somewhat proud that she had managed to hurt the ogre, as strange of a method it was. Perhaps it was better to stay quiet after all, Elizabeth decided. Though as scared as she was, she doubted she'd even be able to talk.

Mug turned to Crug and replied, "I dunno, Crug. It cou' jus' be blood from somethin' else." After a moment of pausing, he added, "But I we cou' smash 'im jus' to be safe." A smile spread across his face as he and Crug started walking towards Thrivaok.

Snow was still frozen and Elizabeth was still trembling. Maybe it was all just a bad dream, she decided. All of it. She would wake up in her bed, same as normal. Her dad would be selling potions from his completely legitimate business—the only one he had, of course. And she would get ready for the day, eat some scones, and this would be forgotten by noon. Because dreams are forgotten, and this was just a bad dream. But no matter how much she thought this, Elizabeth knew it wasn't true.

[TheHighwayman]

Thriv gulped and hoped his luck from earlier would hold up. If there was only one of them he might have considered fighting, but that was out of the picture with the both of them there. He couldn't run and leave Elizabeth- who looked frozen to the spot, as did her horse... If he could get to Spire he might have a chance at keeping them busy, but he needed to find a way to buy time. They seemed stupid, maybe he could trick them? But how... Thriv looked at the horses, then at the ogres, then... at Elizabeth.

"Stay back! I mean it!" This time he brandished his sword, though his tone was more cautionary than frightened. "This woman is a demon! A banshee! She'll curse you! If she screams again the sound will burrow in your ears, and you'll hear it for the rest of your days! I've seen it drive man and beast alike mad!" It wasn't exactly a great act, but there was just enough panic in the man's voice to make it convincing... plus ogres weren't known for being bright.

That reputation seemed at least partially earned, as the ogres stopped their stomping march towards the pair and gave each other a worried look. "Is dat da truth, Mug? Can she do dat?" Crug shivered. "I dun wanna 'ear her f'rever!"

"Dunno Crug. Dink da little man's lyin', but not sure I wanna chance it..." Mug scratched his head and growled. "Oye! Little man! I dun think she's really a demon! Why're you with 'er?"

...That, was a good point. Thriv grasped at straws, trying to find an explanation for that. Demon, demon... why would a knight be traveling with a demon... oh wait, he was a Mordecai. That worked. "Because I'm immune to her powers! She can't be killed, so it's my job to keep her in line- which you two are interfering with!"

[zozee9]

It took all of Elizabeth's will to not defy Thrivaok. A banshee? Her? She was perfect, not a stupid demon banshee. But if she said he was wrong, then they would definitely both die. However, the fact that the ogres seemed to at least somewhat believe him was not very pleasing.

Seeing as she couldn't run and couldn't fight, Elizabeth finally chose to act. While she was still scared out of her mind, the thought of the ogres eating her from dinner was enough to get her to help Thrivaok. So she would go along with his horrible lie of her being a banshee.

Elizabeth undid her bun and leaned her head down so that her hair fell over her face. Then she slowly got up while quietly muttering, "He oh kian wa yi pol twenui kwa..." Her voice was strong but crazy sounding, as if she was actually speaking some kind of spell. She repeated it over and over again, getting fiercer every time but never louder. Elizabeth raised her head (though her hair stayed over her face) and looked Crug in the eyes, still muttering the words. Then she changed her gaze to Mug, a wild smile on her face while she chanted even more. She kept looking between the two of them, repeating the phrase, and planned to continue doing this until Thrivaok told her to stop.

[TheHighwayman]

Crug just stared at the crazy banshee lady, terrified out of his small mind. "I dun wanna stay here,  Mug! I dun wanna hear that anymore!" The ogre turned and ran. uprooting a couple of small trees in the process. Mug gave one last look at the pair, growled, and followed suit- perhaps with a bit less terror and a bit more anger. After a few moments, the loud stomping of their footfalls faded into the distance.

"Whew, that could've gone a lot worse. Nice acting, miss Elizabeth. Almost had me convinced." Thriv shot the girl a grin and then looked up at the sky. "Hrm... still dark. You could go back to sleep, or we could get out of here before they change their minds. Your call miss- personally I'd feel a little more comfortable on the road again." Thriv slung his shield over his back and sheathed his sword. He wondered if trouble like this was going to be a regular occurrence. On the plus side, at least his shoulder didn't hurt so much anymore.

Spire trudged over to the pair of them and nudged his saddle, making his vote rather clear. "Think the big guy is with me on this one."

[zozee9]

Elizabeth was glad when the ogres left. She felt as if she was going to collapse, but stayed up straight to keep up her 'strong' persona. She silently listened as Thrivaok talked, debating what would be best. While she loved her beauty sleep, she wasn't exactly tired anymore.

"Let's go," Elizabeth stated before folding up her blanket and sticking it in the bag. Then she tied the sword to the horse, like he had recommended. "You owe me for saving your life, though." Technically, he had saved her life, too. And he had saved it before, with the cat. But Elizabeth didn't focus on those parts. That was his job. She did this out of the good of her own heart. If she had just wanted to save herself, she could have convinced the ogres to kill him with that amazing act of hers.

Elizabeth stood by Snow and fixed her hair, putting it back into the nice bun. Then she mounted the horse, ready to move. "I want to sleep at an inn next time," she muttered, mostly to herself.

[TheHighwayman]

"They might have one in the next village. We'll see. And if not, the next town probably won't have ogres at the very least." Thriv carefully strapped on Spire's saddle and tossed up his bedroll. The man himself followed a moment later, stretching and smiling. "Well, it's a long way to Essyrn. Let's get moving!" Spire snorted, rolled his eyes, and trotted off, quickly kicking some dirt in the fire to put it out. The knight stopped when they hit the foliage just long enough to pick up his snares- which hadn't caught anything, and then decided they'd best make it a point to keep moving until they were well away from this bit of the country.

Hopefully the rest of the trip would be less eventful- if they kept running into things like giant cats and ogres, eventually something was going to get the better of them. Good practice though, and it'd make quite the story when he went home.

"So, miss Elizabeth, mind telling me a little bit about yourself? You'll probably be stuck with me for company for a good while, after all. Might as well be friendly about it." If the woman didn't want him humming, he had to try and find some way to pass the time. Besides, he was genuinely a little curious.

[zozee9]

Might have an inn at the next village? though Elizabeth. What kind of villages will we be traveling through, impoverished ones? Well, anything would be better than staying in the woods. Especially woods infested with ogres. Snow obediently followed Spire. She wouldn't be making an escape like earlier any time soon—now she knew the dangers of the woods and would rather have sacrifices kept with her.

Elizabeth glared at Thrivaok once again when he started speaking to her. "Didn't I say no talking?!" she snapped. She hated talking and had to do enough of it at all of those social gatherings her dad used to have. Pretending to be the perfect little girl was a pain in the butt. Thinking about it now, she wondered with horror of the people she had talked to had also been drug dealers.

With a sigh, she decided to respond anyway. Silence would be unnerving in these woods. "My dad is a potion trader, as I said. My mom died of childbirth, so my dad raised me. Well, he raised me alongside my nurses. I am an only child and am from Serendipity. What else would you like to know?" She never understood why people wanted to know about others. Everybody's life was so boring. She had heard too many of the exact same stories to even care anymore.

[TheHighwayman]

Thriv scratched his chin, wondering if she was always this irritable or just in a foul mood at the moment. "Well, what do you think about this whole thing? The trip I mean. Did you want to go? Do you like it in Serendipity? Got any friends back home?" The knight shrugged and turned his head, looking at the faint first hints of light in the distance. Good, they'd not be riding in darkness for too much longer. He yawned- Angsar, he'd just realized he'd not gotten any sleep the night before.

As the sky began to brighten, Thriv noted a small side at the sign of the road. "Medrist, Two days from here. That's probably on foot, so we should get there before we need to stop for the night. Looks like you might have your wish of sleeping in an inn after all!" Thriv grinned and gave Spire a little nudge, telling the horse to put a little more spring in his step.

Thriv was glad of the news himself- he'd been on the road for a good while, and it'd be nice to get a chance to relax and not need to keep an ear out for trouble for just one night. He'd be happy even if it was just a pile of hay some farmer let him sleep on.

[zozee9]

Elizabeth kept glaring at Thrivaok as she replied, "Of course I have friends!" This wasn't really true, but she wasn't going to let him know that. "But I don't mind staying with my family. They're... nice." Interesting would be a better description. She sighed. Why did all of this have to happen to her?

At least the light was coming out. She hated riding through the dark woods... it was scary, especially with everything that had already happened. Maybe her bodyguard just attracted bad luck. If she thought he was any smarter, she would have been convinced he was hiring people to attack them just so she had to pay him extra.

The information of an inn did succeed in putting a smile on Elizabeth's face, however. Snow sped up, hoping that there would be a nice stable with high quality apples for her. That being said, neither Elizabeth nor Snow would probably manage to stay awake all day. Not after the almost restless night beforehand.