The Road to Nowhere

[Lion]

"I have no reason to trust you," he grunted at her.  He side-stepped a little, but not quite enough as her blade made contact with the side of his arm, cutting through the cloth of his sleeve and his skin.  He took several steps back to gain some distance between her, clutching his arm.  "Damn you're fast."

[Haze]

"I never asked you to trust me," she replied, carrying on with her advance even as she watched him stumble back. "And I can be faster." It wasn't like she could back him into a corner - there were none, but as she got closer, she suddenly hit the ground, swinging her leg out to catch his ankle, and hopefully upend him.

"But I never gave you no reason not to trust me. You're the one who started all this."

[Lion]

"You should have stayed quiet then," he snapped.  He jumped up, missing her leg.  Now that she was on the ground, she cut out most of the work for him.  In an instant he leapt for her, throwing himself at her, much in the way she did to him.

[Haze]

Ehren fell back. She wasn't quick enough to move out of the way of his lunge. But as she went sprawling onto her behind, she brought her knife up, holding it pointed squarely at him. The hood of her cloak fell from her head, and she looked at him with cool, calm eyes.

"I'm not out to get you, Bishop," her voice held a tone of warning, but there on the ground she made the decision not to fight back any longer. It wasn't her fight. If this was to be the end of her, so be it. She didn't cling to life.

"But maybe I can help you get away from the ones who are, if you'd just put that blasted knife away."

[Lion]

Bishop felt the rush of adrenaline course through him like liquid fire and already he broke a sweat on his dirt streaked, stubble covered face.  She had him with the point of her blade, but he had her as well with the edge of his knife planted at the base of her thoat.  He wasn't sure he was in much of a mood to negotiate anymore.

But something in the last statement of hers had him hesitate, though he did not alleviate the pressure he had on his knife at her throat.  Help him...she actually offered to help him.  There was no way he could fall for that!  Not after all her smart talk, not after all the mistakes he'd made thus far, bumbling around.  Running for longer than he had any energy for.  Bishop had grit his teeth at her and for a time, his expression gradually relaxed.

"How can you help me?  What do you possess that makes you possibly indispensable?"

[Haze]

Ehren knew there was no point in trying to get away from the blade point. If she tried, she was more than likely going to end up with a sliced neck - and she didn't particularly want that to happen. Her own hand stayed stilled without a single tremor. She appraised Bishop with cool eyes.

"Nothing in particular," she answered, lifting her chin just marginally, as if to submit to his knife. "Except that I have connections. I can be your ears. I'd guess that by the sounds of it you haven't the faintest idea who you are running from, or how close they might be, If you cut this out," her free hand reached out and latched around the wrist to which the knife was connected, "I can guarantee you I'll be more use to you alive, than dead."

[Lion]

Connections, someone with connections.  That sounded just like the somebody that could help him afterall, even if he didn't trust her as far as he could throw her.  He waited a good long moment before he decided that she wasn't worth killing.  Not simply because of what she said made sense but he knew in his heart he couldn't bring himself to kill her in good conscience.

He got off her and took several steps back, sheathing the knife and nodding.  "Maybe you can help me after all.  Have you ever heard of man named Siegfried Kross?"

[Haze]

Yes, she had connections. He didn't need to know they were underground connections, and that if she wasn't careful, spilling names could get them both killed. She'd worked long and hard to build a good reputation with many of the gangs in Serendipidy, and so far none of them knew she was a double-crossing penny-pinching spy for the most successful of gangs there was. She's have to watch herself.

She gave a little hiss as his weight left her, and inclined her head with something of amusement as she got herself up and dusted herself off. Slipping her dagger away, as it seemed Bishop had decided that she could be, if not trusted, then of some kind of use to him.

The name he spoke had her twisting her lips as she pondered, but eventually she shook her head. "No ... I don't think I have... wait." A look of great concentration fell into her eyes, as if trying to pull something from the recesses of her memory. "Isn't he some noble guy?"

[Lion]

"I think so," Bishop answered tentatively.  "I've never met the man personally, but I did have the honor of meeting his son.  His son is now dead."  He paused there for a while, unsure how to carry the rest of it out.  Was he to tell her now the whole story?  Everything was churning inside of him and he felt sick as if his stomach was being turned inside out as he thought about what happened only a year ago.  Had it really been that long?  Had he really been wandering all this time trying to find clues only to find that he was wandering in circles?

Bishop wiped at his eyes that threatened to overflow.  How pathetic of him to begin to shed a tear in front of this stranger?  Somehow he managed to catch them all and sniffed harshly through his raw nostrils.  "Somehow or another, Mr. Kross is out for my head when he realized his son was dead because of me.  I don't know how, but I've managed to evade whatever hunters or mercenaries have been sent my way.  And I just know it's only a matter of time before he finds me."

[Haze]

"Oh, sweet Kia," Ehren groaned, her head connecting with an open palm. So, he was on the run from someone with a whole lot more money and resources than she could hope to have, and only survived from sheer luck? This didn't bode well for her, and it was with a pained expression that she finally looked up at Bishop again. This look gave way to one of skepticism at the sight of his eyes. Was he ... was he crying?

Still, something didn't quite add up for her. She felt like Bishop was leaving something out. Why would a grown man be crying over the fact that there were people hunting him, if he was a murderer? And the question that rang louder in her head, was that of Mr. Kross. Why would Bishop know very little about the man whose son he'd killed, unless it had been an accident of some sort - or perhaps Bishop himself was a hired assassin. But then again, that didn't make sense either.

The girl gave a heavy sigh, and put her hand out towards his shoulder. "Look, I'll do my best to find out what information you might need, and to help you out. In the mean time, it'll get dark soon. Have you anything to eat?" All she had was the measly little bit of almost stale bread, but she knew if the man had nothing, she'd have to offer it up.

[Lion]

Bishop didn't know what to do for surely didn't think his tale could have been that easy to believe.  In fact, all the but contrary.  He was ashamed a great deal to show weakness in front of a complete stranger.  What chances were there that she would want to help him?  And certainly not after he'd just attacked her.  There was much he didn't tell her.  He didn't feel she needed to know the whole story.  But if she could help him find out more for himself, maybe she would earn those details.

But the possibility of that was slim to none.

He looked at her with grave eyes when she finally answered and couldn't help a smile.  It was a grateful one, but leadened by those words he could not tell her.  "I haven't eaten in two days," he admitted.  "But...you use that knife pretty well.  Maybe you can help me find something more filling."

[Haze]

"T-Two!? Two days!?" Ehren rolled her eyes, and dropped her arm with a great snort. "How you aren't dead yet, I don't know." She turned away from him then, "come on," and headed towards where she'd left her back before her hasty and ill-fortuned 'retreat' from his prying eyes had led them to this current situation. Scooping it up an searching inside for a moment, she pulled out her last little bit of bread and tossed it at Bishop. "Eat that before we go. I don't want to have to drag you back because you did something stupid for the lack of food in your belly."

In truth, she was thinking about what they could find out here. She was a pick-pocket and spy, not a hunter, and knife skills aside, there was a whole lot more to catching dinner than a few clever moved with a blade. A lot of the animals out here would be bigger than the both of them, unless they were lucky enough to find a rabbit's burrow, or something similar. "How are you with track- no, don't answer that question. Just - walk careful, okay?" She gave him a stern look, and took off into the forest.

There was something cat-like about the way she moved, set on her task, but at the same time always alert for anything that sounded out of the ordinary. At this point in time, nothing did. Ehren's eyes trained to the ground, looking out for burrows, tracks, anything that might give a clue as to a source of food. She was beginning to get a little annoyed, and it showed in the way her eyes searched frantically. She didn't like being in the woods this late in the afternoon.

Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she spotted something small, and brown and furry to her left, and she put a hand out towards Bishop to stop him. She turned almost silently, and watched with a hopeful breath held, that the rabbit's sensitive ears wouldn't hear her. It was a long shot. And certainly the longest she'd ever tried. Especially considering that the rabbit was more than likely going to be a moving target. Stilling every muscle in her body, she pulled her wrist back, and then flicked it with as much power as she could.

She didn't realise she'd closed her eyes, until she had to open them, hearing her knife drop against the brush, and skid across the forest floor. She'd missed. She wasn't surprised. She was good - she wasn't that good. Yet. With a shrug, she gave Bishop a wry smile, and went to collect her dagger from the ground, not realising that it wasn't from the sound of her knife that the rabbit had been startled and hopped away, but rather the appearance of a rather nasty looking boar.

[Lion]

For someone who really seemed to relish in silence and stealth, she sure talked a lot.  Bishop couldn't begrudge her that.  But at least she was generous and not the killer he expected her to be.  He'd learned that lesson early enough.  He took the bread without any question and munched into it.  Good thing his teeth were in reasonable shape because the bread was almost as hard as rock.  He chewed it without complaint though and followed her once he finished.

He said not a word, but kept his eyes out on the woodlands around them.  He always felt strange in the forest, detached from it in a way.  But at the same time it was as if it was his home all along.  He was not a city dweller, but neither was he bred to love the farm life.  He was in spirit with both worlds, sometimes one more than the other.  In this case, he felt in union with these woodlands and for the first time in a long time, he felt a sense of peace emanating from the trees around.  Here things were in balance with each other.  Here creatures didn't wrench the lives of others and leave them dry, but did so with the intent to survive.

Bishop stopped well before her hand, eying the rabbit when she did.  And he knew what she was going to do just before she did it.  Well, at least she tried.  Even if the blade struck dirt in hopeless failure.  But when he heard the snort and grunt of a boar, even Bishop knew there was trouble.  The animal was huge for a boar with tusks ready to maim and even kill if it got close enough to you.

"Shit!" he cursed and took off, grabbing Ehren by the shirt collar and yanking her to run with him as the boar snorted angrily and charged at them.  On the back of his belt, one could easily see the series of knives he kept on him, approximately six, though that was only half of his full set.  He pulled out two for each hand.  They were small blades, easy for handling and throwing.  He ran as fast as he could, though he knew the animal would cover the distance between them.  Ehren was faster, he knew this after fighting her and shoved her lightly on her shoulder.  "You, run off!  Lead it away!  I've got a plan!"

[Haze]

"Hey! What!?" Ehren grunted as she was yanked along, leaving her dagger lying on the ground, but from the corner of her eye caught sight of the boar, and didn't need telling twice. Her legs beneath her shot forward, spurring her onwards. The sounds of the territorial boar was only more fuel to the fire beneath her feet. Bishop's instructions were vague, and to be honest, completely terrified her, but she did as she was told. She didn't really feel like being gored just today, and to be honest, in a life and death situation, she couldn't care less about her companion.

She veered off to the left, running towards a dense cluster of trees. Her aim was to dodge and hide behind as many as she could. Especially since she didn't have a weapon. The fact that Bishop was armed to the teeth didn't get past her. She only hoped that he knew how to use them well enough so keep at least one of them alive. Preferably her. She could hear the boar's solid hooves following up behind her, and she dug her heel in, splitting off, weaving in and out. Her calves were burning for the sharp turns she was taking, but her breathing was strong and focussed. She knew she could outrun the thing. For a while, anyway.

She chanced a glance behind her. It probably wasn't the wisest thing to do. The boar was easily half Ehren's size, and right on her heels. "Bishop!" She yelled out, hoping in all that was holy, that he was about to execute said plan - and soon.

[Lion]

As soon as she did her part of the plan and he began running the opposite way, the boar began chasing after the smaller of the two—her.  Bishop stopped and rounded back as soon as the boar was in front of him now and he stopped, even as they were rapidly gaining distance away from him.  He raised one knife above his head and took a deep breath.

After several said breaths, he could hear the fling of steel on the air as the tip of the blade left his fingers.  He opened his once closed eyes only now as he saw the slender piece of steel spinning through the air.  The blade covered the moderate distance between Bishop and the boar as the blade landed squarely in the creatures' back, impaling the boar in the spine at the back of the neck.  The animal squealed and went down.  And for a moment, Bishop had to remember to breathe.

He jogged forward toward meet Ehren, hoping she knew she could stop running now.  He knelt beside the boar and took the other knife to the creatures throat, to abruptly end its life without the need for much suffering.  "I think we have food now," he called to her, removing the knife from the neck.

[Haze]

So it seemed that Bishop was more adept at knife throwing that she was. Ehren's keen ears picked up the sound of the the knife connected with flesh, and the squealing was enough to get her to slow down. She slowed to a jog, stretching her aching muscles in slow, long strides, and turned back to the fallen beast, meeting Bishop as he knelt and ended the boar's life.

She eyed the animal, and gave it a prod with the toe of her shoe. It was great - they had food now - but it was too much food for just the two of them to eat, and that meant that invariably, some of it would have to be wasted. That was something the girl hated - waste for lack of want. How many years had she spent trying to get her hands on enough food to feed her and her sister? How much time had been wasted lifting coin from pockets, and how much energy had been spent in making sure that something as meager as a crust of bread would last long enough until the next meal came along?

She tried to think about how they might save as much meat as possible - but in all honesty, she couldn't come up with an idea that didn't involve the food turning rancid. With a sigh, she bobbed down on the opposite end to Bishop, and nodded. "Almost too much. Do you think we can carry it? Or set up camp around it?" Even as she said the words she hated to think if he agreed to the latter. If there was one thing she hated above most things, it was having to sleep out, unsheltered from the elements, and the creatures and men that lurked in the forest shadows.

[Lion]

Bishop didn't know much about hiding out, but in the year since the Incident, he was learning fast and knew that making a camp here and now would leave them exposed.  But he had an idea as he looked around them.  "We can set up camp away from a cook –fire.  This will lead others astray, but we'll still be close enough to have light and warmth."

Bishop hoisted the boar over one shoulder with some difficulty due his size and slender build.  He leaned to the side heavily and grunted as he walked away a little.  "You could set up a small fire here and I'll start to skin the boar over there, just a few paces away, eh?  Aye.  I'm sure you know how to make a fire."

[Haze]

She wasn't entirely pleased with Bishop's suggestion. She would have much rather gone closer to the house ruins, than stay in the forest for longer than was necessary, but she could see the logic in it all. Ehren gave a shrug as a reply, still waiting for her breath to return to her. It wasn't without a little awe that she watched Bishop lift up the animal - he was certainly just as strong as she was quick, then. After a moment of watching him set to his task, she simply flicked the hood of her cloak up, and stepped away silently to gather up what was needed to start a fire.

It didn't take her long, but she did return to where her bag was before heading back to Bishop. She deposited the bag down, along with the wood she'd collected, and then proceeded to scuff out of spot of ground, getting dried leaves out of the way. The last thing she wanted to set the whole forest on fire. she crouched down, laying out the fire and then set to getting it lit, not without a little difficulty. Soon enough though the fire was going strong enough to start cooking.

She glanced over her shoulder at Bishop, eyes shadowed by the lip of her hood, and then she stood. "It's all done and ready. You need any help?"

[Lion]

If Bishop had any real experience with hiding out—and while he didn't now, he was starting to learn an awful lot, real fast—he figured hiding out in either the thickness of the woods or sticking close to the farm ruins had as much chance to get them discovered as anything else.  The farm had them covered on a few angles, but would be a likely target for people like them, vagabonds on the run or just other travelers looking for a place to stay.  The woods, though a little more exposed was much easier to hide in and run away from.  But they already decided it and the boar was getting quite heavy on his shoulders.

With a grunt he set it down a few feet away as she started the fire.  He got to work quickly.  He hadn't hunted in years, not since he'd gotten married.  But the skills he'd learned in youth were coming back to him quickly and he gutted the boar quickly and began to skin the animal.  He had his sleeves rolled up all the way to his armpits due to the messy bloodwork.  At the offered help, he was actually quite surprised and looked up at her.  After a few moments of silence, he nodded and smiled at her.

"Yes actually.  There's an awful lot to cut away, and I don't really plan on wasting it, especially not since I haven't eaten in so long, but I want to try and save as much as possible.  I just want to try cutting away the meat in layers and seeing if I can save the tusks.  Here," he said, and reached behind him to pull out another dagger,  "We'll find yours soon.  Y'know, we can save a lot of the meat here if we smoke it and cook it enough to become jerky.  I'd hate to waste an animal as big as this."

[Haze]

Good then, he didn't see the point in waste either - but did he know how long it was going to take to smoke the meat until it was dry enough for jerky? She didn't think so. With a narrow set in her mouth, she knelt down beside him and took the knife he offered out to her. She was not a butcher, and never hunted anything bigger than rabbits or pheasant when she was alone, and so she didn't really know how much of a help she was actually going to be.

She was glad for her forethought though, and looked across the the long thin sticks she'd collected to use as skewers. She stood again, and went over to the fire and brought the sticks back over, laying them between Bishop and herself. It was all done silently though as she set about the task handed to her, and worked with methodical care, head bent over her work. For every cut of meat she took from the boar, she threaded it on to a skewer, and then poked the end of each stick into the ground to avoid getting the meat dirtier than was necessary.

After a little while, she sat back, and flexed her wrist with a little groan. From what she could see, there was still a whole lot of work to be done, but if they didn't start cooking the meat soon, they'd be here well into midday following. "I'll start with these," she said softly, taking the skewers at her side and setting them up over the fire on the crude spit she'd made.

For the sake of not being completely cold and aloof, she spoke again. "Where'd you learn to throw like that?"