The Little Things in Life [Dris!]

[Anonymous]

Daza was content with her little camp. She had spent the entire day setting it up and she loved it. It was far away from any human settlement she knew of, but best of all it was quiet and calm. Everything was set up now, her little branch-covered shelter was now solidly reinforced. Her small stash of provisions were stowed within and her little cooking pot was set up over the fire, a few random veggies boiling nicely for an easy dinner after her long day of work.

She did not like to live among large groups of people. She felt safer by herself or in a small group, but being around the more populated areas really got to her now. It was not all that bad, though, she thought solitude was quite nice now that she'd gotten a few days of travel to herself with not a single encounter along the way. Yes, Daza felt she could get used to this; Every day and night to live on her own and listen to the sounds of the wild...especially the birds. Thoughts like this actually brought a smile to her lips as she looked above the trees to the setting sun, her fire beginning to throw shadows about the little clearing she'd set up camp in.

This place is nice... she found herself thinking as she went to sit by the fire, the warmth of it quite welcoming.

[Anonymous]

The sun had spent its energy moving across the sky, spreading its light across the land. Now, it had begun its slow descent, not yet the evening, but not yet the afternoon. The sun had changed from its bright yellow light to a less blinding color of light orange. The wispy, gray clouds walked lazily across the sky, the perfect breeze, which ruffled the tree branches causing many leaves to come off its perch on the tree and saunter vaguely downwards. A leaf landed quite close to a squirrel which hopped onto a rock and watched a young man walk among the trees. It was a perfect day for a walk . . . in a forest . . . to get lost . . . again . . . for possibly the third time in the same day.

Ayran Saes heaved a deep sigh. This day had been possibly one of the most annoying days of his life. He had run into so many people, about five, none of which could really direct him out of the forest. There were places he wanted to go, to see, to explore, and he could not do any of that without first getting out of this damned forest! He loved it though, the tranquility, the natural sound of life. Heaving a second sigh, he continued along his walk.

Finally giving up, he decided to see if he could see a way out from a higher place. He nimbly climb the tallest tree he could find, or the one he could actually figure as the tallest tree for a while around. He was at the top in moments, and as far as he could see, no exit. What he did see was smoke billowing up. He decided to see just exactly who it was. Jumping quickly tree to tree, he made it there in a matter of minutes. He peered down at the camp and was suprised to see a girl, maybe around the age of fifteen, his age setting up camp.

She was pretty, Ayran couldn't help but notice that. She seemed to be enjoying the music of the forest, with a stunning smile on her lips. He was so intently staring at her that he slipped and caused the branch to snap. He cursed silently and looked for a way out without moving too much. Then it came to him when a squirrel appeared next to him. He picked up the squirrel, using his fast hands, and quickly put it on the branch lower where the pretty girl could see.

He decided to also wrap his brown cloak around him trying to blend into the tree, not moving at all. He also whistle a short tune that the birds around here did, making a perfect duplicate of the sound, he was after all, a genius in music, or so other people said. He completely stilled after the tune and even closed his eyes, a small smile for his quick thinking. Now all that needed to happen was for the girl to miss him and forget about the sound.

[Anonymous]

She'd slowly become captivated while staring at the flames dancing before her and almost in a trance until...she heard something. Quickly, she snapped her head back as she straightened up, eyes scanning her surroundings until they settled on a squirrel that sat staring right back at her. A squirrel could not have made such a loud noise, she thought, but she could not see any other movement as she looked around again. Relaxing a bit, Daza walked towards the squirrel in hopes of catching it for a little meat in her dinner. The squirrel had other plans, though, and quickly departing into the higher branches of surrounding trees. Shrugging, she turned to walk back to her fire and watch her soup but when she moved she was able to see the freshly snapped branch stump facing the shadows.

Quirking a smile, she altered her path yet again and walked closer to the tree. "Anyone here?" she called, a hand on the small dagger that she always kept in her pocket just in case. She stopped her movements for a moment, completely still as she listened for anything to hint at another being in the general area. Of course, she was listening for the usual sounds of snapping twigs and crunching leaves as someone tried to make a hasty get-away, but suddenly a different sound caught her ear. A tune much like that of the birds she was so used to hearing by now but much...louder? Yes, she was sure it was louder. Would a bird get that close to a fire? She wasn't sure, but she followed the sound in slow, creeping motions all the while looking around for any signs of movement.

In just a few moments she knew she was upon the source but nothing was there that she could see. "Hello?" she whispered to the bird song, realizing now its crisp sound that was unlike the birds she usually heard from afar. Then she saw it. A brown that stood out from the brown of distant trees among the shadows. Carefully, she reached out a hand, along with her dagger in case whatever it was attacked her, and touched the odd brown with just a brush of her fingertips. Daza grinned when what she touched was a soft fabric instead of tough bark and she quickly made it known that she'd found the intruder to her camp. "Who are you?" she asked, keeping a hand on the cloak she'd touched as a precaution should whoever had their back to her decide to make a run for it.

[Anonymous]

ooc: Posted for Dris temporarily, received via instant message.
bic:

It was her look that caused himself to slap himself. She had probably listened to so many bird tunes like the one that he had just whistled, that because he was a human, elf actually, it sounded different. He mentally kicked himself in the ass for being such an idiot. And he believed that he was a genius in problem solving. What a stupid mistake! This was not going well, the pretty girl had already made it clear that she knew that someone was lurking about her campsite, and with her fierce look, he doubted he could get away without having a dagger through his stomach. Sighing for the third time, probably not the best thing to do, since sound could give him away, even the slightest of noise.

 If she was hostile to everyone she didn't know, he was going to be in a bit of trouble. He was nice to everyone, even those that don't deserve it. So he might as well try. Now how could he do this without getting himself killed? He pondered this, seven ideas came into his idea almost instantaneously, but only two could possibly work well. He decided that to get this right, his idea and the way he brought forth his plan would have to be flawless. He slowly took out his violin and got ready to set his plan into motion.

With a sudden motion, he jumped from his tree to another, causing as much movement as he could. He circled the campsite as fast and fluid as he could, trying his best not to drop his violin or trip over his twin swords. Then he suddenly stopped, but since he had caused so much disturbance, the trees were all still moving when he stopped. There he began to play a calming song, a sad melody yet if you listened closely, you could hear the hope that was hidden inside it. At first he played quietly, then as the song drew on and the trees slowed, he began to play louder, more boldly. That's when he jumped. This time not to another tree, but to the ground, using his mind to very slowly put him onto the ground, all while still playing, his eyes closed and his violin moving back and forth. Then, he stopped, very suddenly, at the same time snapping his eyes open. He waited only a second before going into a flourish of movement and gave a very fancy bow, his violin carefully held in one hand, his bow in another, both arms spread like wings, one leg foward a little, his head tilted down.

"The name is Ayran Saes," Aryan said, standing from his bow and smiled brightly, tilting his head a little to the left. "Sorry for the startle, miss . . . ?"

[Anonymous]

It moved! Daza gasped when she lost the grip she had had on the fabric, though in her own defense it wasn't the firmest of grips thanks to the height difference between her and the branch. Suddenly there was a flurry of movement all around her and she stepped back towards her camp to keep herself from being completely cornered if whatever it was attacked. Dagger outstretched, her eyes grew wider as she tried to pinpoint the location of the thing that was moving so quickly through the trees. Maybe it was a mistake to grab it, she thought when the motion stopped. She was tense, ready to fight, but suddenly there was music in the air and it caught her completely off guard.

This was a first for her, the idea of a musician sneaking up on her like that was quite absurd to her. Then again, it did explain the whistling that had caught her attention before. She stayed on guard with her little knife but tried to take in the sound of music that was such a rare thing for her to experience. It was not long until a sudden movement caught her eye and then the music stopped shortly after. By the time her eyes had focused she was able to make out the being that stood before her and then it was...bowing? Huh?

Daza was a bit confused but she lowered her weapon a bit as she stared at him in such a formal position. When he straightened up she blinked a few times, only now realizing that he had been the one making noise. "Hm," she grumbled while taking a step towards him. "I don't startle, but you did alert me to your presence," she said with a cocky grin. "I'm Daza... Why are you here?" Her question was blunt, as she usually was with strangers.

[Anonymous]

Ayran had decided with the more dramatic entrance. Not exactly the best idea with someone who had both a young girls beautiful looks and a dangerous glint in her eyes. He was trying to be gentle, not like an idiot barging around, also trying not to get a wound from being cocky. Obviously the girl was not taking his advice. Ayr took off his case from his back and opened it before throwing his violin and bow into the sky while swinging his case, Both of which disappeared as they neared the wooden case. Slowing his swinging to a halt, he kneeled down and latched it. Then he swung it back onto his back before finally deciding on an answer to the girl, Daza's question.

"Enchanted to meet you, Miss Daza," Ayran said politely, though Daza herself had been a bit rude, well, more cocky then anything. "It seems I was wandering this forest when I got lost, and your camp seemed like a nice place to see if there were any humans around."

He was laughing with a single smile, at when Daza had said that she didn't startle but was alerted, it was probably true, startling does seem to alert you of someone's presence. He quickly removed the thoughts from his mind, trying not to look like a rude idiot. The dagger of Daza had lowered a bit, and Ayran was going to use it to his advantage.

"Well, It seems it is getting dark, do you mind if I stay here with you, Miss Daza?" Ayran asked, also removing his twin swords from his belt, he flourished them around so the handles were now pointed at Daza's direction, holding both swords lightly on their sides, like a knight to his master. He even copied the head lowering and a slight kneel. "I will even relinquish my weapons."

Though he failed to mention the twin daggers in each of his boots.

[Anonymous]

She regarded him silently for a moment while listening to his story. Smirking as he put away the instrument, a violin she remembered it was called, Daza chose to put on an appearance of indifference towards the situation to mask that the display had impressed her. Elf, she thought to herself, coming to this conclusion after considering his fluid movements and shown abilities along with his appearance. To her,  though, his politeness seemed almost too...well, polite. His weapons, she thought, were being given up too easily and too soon after meeting. He's hiding something...but what could it be?

This boy was certainly the type to be polite, as he had shown, but she wondered about him still with his sudden appearance, wondered if the story he told was true. "You may stay, I do not own any of what is here but my provisions, though I must tell  you that you relinquish self-defense far too quickly...keep the swords." You're hiding something... she thought, thinking of places on his person that weapons could be concealed. She did not take his offered swords because she did not want to come off as defensive toward a stranger, it might give them the wrong idea about her. "I haven't seen anyone besides you in days, where did you come from?" she asked, slowly backing toward the fire so she could sit down again. "Rather, why were you wandering?"

[Anonymous]

Elfy, Ha. Too elfy . . . hahaha, thought Ayran, laughing at the word elfy, he wasn't even sure it was a word. He had been too . . . elfy . . . It kept bringing him back to that word. Too elegant? Too smooth? Too elfy? In his head he laughed again. His thoughts were in complete pandemonium. It was strange. He had never been like this before. He had always been level-headed and strangely calm and normal. But it seemed he had finally lost it. Shaking his head hard, he removed his thoughts, trying not to look like a retard once again.

He looked up and found that Daza had turned toward the fire after allowing first of all, to stay in the camp, second, to keep his swords. Taking his swords back to hold them in a more comfortable position, Ayr walked forward and to the other side of the fire where he impaled both swords into the ground so they were crossed and then removed both daggers from his boots and showed them to Daza before putting them into the sheaths of his swords.

Then he decided how he should answer this prettiful girl's questions. Once again his mind went bizarrely crazy. Prettiful, Ayran thought, is that even a word? Once again he wiped his mind and tried to think of a reasonable and slightly coherant answer. He shook his head slightly before he thought up of an answer that didn't make him sound weird.

"Well, if you mean where I come from as in literally, where I come from, I come from a land with no name, not like you would know it anyway," Ayran said. "Now I think you meant where I came from recently into here, the forest?"

"Well I am here because I was being stupid and followed a pretty girl, like yourself, into the forest then go lost." Ayr said, a bit embarrassed. " I have been wandering ever since, looking for an exit, I probably would have gotten out a land time ago if I were a normal human or elf, but I have a horrible sense of direction, every time I think I am almost out, I actually have gotten farther in and more lost."

He paused and decided to fall onto his back and look into the colorful sky. It was extremely pretty, just like Daza . . . GAH! Thought Ayran, stupid brain. "So what about you, miss Daza?"

[Anonymous]

This boy seemed very jittery. It was making her feel like she should be more concerned about whatever he was doing, but he did seem genuinely lost; at least he seemed like the type to get lost, like he had said. She thought he might be a bit dim as well, elf or not, for getting lost while following some girl, and even for following someone without knowing where he himself was.

Adjusting her sleeves as she watched him lay back and look up at the sky, she wondered why he felt comfortable enough to become that physically vulnerable to someone who had just held a knife in his face. He surprised her, though, by asking about her, why she was in the forest. She chalked it up to polite interest, since she'd asked him the same question, and not a genuine interest. Shifting her feet inside her boots, digging the toe of one into the dirt as she thought about how much she should tell him, Daza glanced over at his form lying on the ground.

"Me? I came here to spend some time in the forest. It's a nice place, I like in out here. Being in nature helps me feel calm, I guess."

[Anonymous]

Perhaps he should have elaborated more on who it was that he had been following. It did make him sound like such a doof. Not that it mattered, he really didn't care too much about what others though about him. Oddly though, he was a bit flustered. Maybe Daza was getting to him. He tilted his head from his position to look at Daza. It probably wasn't the best idea because it brought color to his checks. Really now, why did he have to act like this? After so many years of nothing?

He sat up and positioned himself in front of Daza a few feet away. "Yes, forests are nice places aren't they?" Ayran grinned. "It does give you that feeling of calm, that sensation, tranquility." He paused. "While I may have followed her in here, it seems I have found people that are far more interesting." It was quite obvous who he was talking about. Who else was here? "As for who the 'she' is, it was my lover back when."

It tilted his head back to look at the sky, not trusting himself to look at Daza's face. "Do you think I am too trusting?"

[Anonymous]

Observing him, for he had laid himself out only a few feet away, Daza saw him flush a bit, or was that the fire? She wasn't sure, but if he had blushed, she wondered if it might have been because he was embarrassed for having to seek camp with a woman instead of having his own because he was lost. Typical male, she thought. Needing to feel superior. Of course, she wasn't entirely sure, but she had the idea in mind.

He surprised her, though, with his agreement about the forest, that it was calm and peaceful. It did bring a twitch of a smile to her face, though she did not entirely trust him yet because he was still a stranger to her. Daza did not know he was referring to her when he mentioned "more interesting" people, but instead wondered why he bothered coming into her camp if he had met others who were "more interesting" than she. Puzzled by this, as she did not think of herself as anything near even vaguely interesting, she listened as he went further, elaborating on who he'd been following. His girlfriend, of course. She managed to roll her eyes a bit, knowing that good-looking men never stayed single.

Figuring he would be gone by morning, though, she decided not to put too much into it because it didn't matter whether he was single or not if he was leaving. Then, he asked something of her, bringing her back to the conversation right in front of her. "Hm? Trusting? Well, maybe a little, you did offer me your swords without knowing if I would kill you on the spot or something." But I'm not a killer anymore, she thought, slightly pained by the brief reflection on her past. "I'm not sure if you're too trusting, though, since we've just met,...Ayran, right? Your name is Ayran?" She felt a little dumb for possibly forgetting his name already, bringing a slight blush to her cheeks.

ooc: Sorry I haven't posted in so long, Vince. ><

[Anonymous]

Oh the irony. Chasing a woman into a forest . . . who you were trying to help because they were sick and you had just retrieved the cure . . . and meeting up with a beautiful young woman named Daza. He would eventually still have to find that woman; the disease was life threatening. But at the moment, he could care less, they could survive for a night and day, he had time. All he wanted to do at the moment was stay with Daza just a little bit longer. Maybe he was in love, a crush. He couldn't tell, love was complicated, it made his head hurt to think about it.

There were perhaps many reasons to interpret what he had said. Elves were tricky fellows, their words always a bit . . . strange and sometimes people could not truly understand what they were talking about or who they were implying. Maybe Daza didn't understand that those "interesting people" was intended for her. After all, she was very interesting. At least to him. She was a withdrawn one. Well, she didn't open at all to strangers so far. Maybe he could change that. He was one to be totally outrageous. It was how he lived, his way of life.

He chuckled softly, as if not to hurt Daza's feelings. "Yes, my name is Ayran," he said, noting the slight flush in her cheeks. Probably from almost forgetting his name. "The reasons I would do so is because I am a trusting fellow, if I believe that you are someone worth talking to, someone worth trusting," he said, "Usually I am right, because of all the people I have met so far, you are probably the one that I can trust the most even though you believe yourself to be someone in redemption because you used to be a killer." Ayran shrugged. "We were all once someone different in this world, but the fun part of our lives is that we meet people, interesting people," he paused and stared at Daza for a long moment, hoping this cleared things up. "and we change, we befriend, we love."

"It doesn't matter who you are, we all can change, because we are flawed, and that allows for change."

[Anonymous]

She could not have known his sudden feelings, that he found her to be quite beautiful, for she herself was in a bit of denial ever since she'd started living on her own. She also did not know the circumstances surrounding his following another woman into this forest. Perhaps, though, in time, she might find out.

Daza was a bit relieved that she hadn't gotten his name wrong -that would have been embarrassing! She sat quietly as he spoke, staring at him as he talked of his trust and how she was so trustworthy. You're wrong, she thought, a little uncomfortable with the idea that she could be so trusted. It surprised her, though, when he mentioned that she was seeking redemption for her past sins. How does he know?! Can he read my mind? Is it that obvious? She had so many questions and she was becoming a bit uneasy; Daza felt a bit exposed if he truly knew of what she'd done in the past.

Slowly, she adjusted her sitting position and hugged her legs close, resting her chin upon her knees, still looking at him. Listening to him, she wasn't sure if she should be happy or scared for his words; he seemed to know so much, as if his knowledge was well beyond his years in appearance. It seemed to her, though, like he was trying to comfort her in some way, let her know that she could be different. Nodding a little, she finally shifted her gaze to rest upon the dancing flames. "Ayran...how did you know?" she asked softly. "Did you ever hear about me? How did you know?" Though she tried to be strong, the fact that he knew or guessed so well about her past did shock her a little.  Normally it would make her even more wary, but now it only placated her.

"But...you're right, I guess. People do change." His words made her wonder what his own problems or flaws were, though she didn't want to pry too much. Nonetheless, her curiosity did finally get the better of her. "You say 'we are flawed'. What are your flaws?" she asked, letting her eyes rest upon him once more, watching him carefully for any change in expression.

[Anonymous]

He could tell that she was just a bit relieved that she had not gotten his name wrong. He flashed a quick smile to himself. Perhaps she was not as up-tight as she thought herself to be. Maybe she had already changed but couldn't see it for herself. Life was life, and moving on from the past was something that everyone would have to do.

Ayran watched Daza closely as he spoke. He noticed Daza's surprise and . . . exposed. Perhaps he had said too much. After all, he was always talking people to the edge of their patience. Was it because he was being too trusting? Maybe, but Ayran believed that the true reason was that he had guessed the truth about her. Redemption for passed sins . . . for killing it appeared. Everyone had a past to be afraid of; even people who were happy with the past. There are always obstacles and pains in the past, no matter how happy it had been before. Pain was a part of life, a part of everyone.

Everything Ayran had said was to comfort Daza. He couldn't help but stare at her without his heart beating a bit faster. The more he talked and watched her, the more he could almost feel her shock. It made it harder for him to listen to her and to answer. All he wanted to do right now was give her a big hug. Not that he would ever do that unless she asked for it. "How did I know?" Ayran grinned, a glint in his eye. "The trees told me all about you."

He let that sink in before he chuckled slightly. "No, that was just a joke, the truth is, it wasn't that hard to figure out." Ayran looked at the stars before he spoke again. "You did say that I did not know whether or not you would have killed me. Right after that, I noticed your pained expression and I deduced that you had once killed and now you were trying to redeem yourself."

"Of course people change . . . but I haven't," Ayran closed his eyes. "You want to know what was wrong with me? There once was a time where I had not been as trusting as I had been now. A time where I killed and killed and let blood soak the ground. At first, it started with revenge for my father, but soon I couldn't control it anymore, I stole, I killed, I tortured and I laughed." A painful expression washed over him. "Then something happened, I don't know what, but one time, I was supposed to kill a child, and I could not do something as heartless as that, even for someone as cold as me."

There was a long silence before Ayran spoke. "While I have stopped for now, I cannot know when I will revert back, to a killer, to someone who cared less about others, and the only reason I am still fine is because of the little child's face, watching me. Ever since then, I have tried to right my wrongs, helping others, trusting them, not that it always helped me, but I would do so, because it is right." He sighed. "It was not hard for me to see those that were once like me, though I very much doubt you were even close to how I was. How horribly cruel I was."