Flashes of Silver [Open]

[Lysander]

Elizabeth sighed. The Modercai was squatting next to a river, eyeing its glassy surface. Every now and then she would dip a hand into the waters, breaking its deceptively smooth surface. Ah, what she wouldn't give to be able to take a bath right now. Travelling was a pain; her hair felt oily, sticking to the sides of her face in an utterly gross manner, and the bright midday sun was not helping matters any.

After a few moments more of indulging herself, Elizabeth leaned over the bank of the river and started to fill the five bottles beside her. Dallying any longer would probably invite complaints from the others.

[Arkarian]

The white hare infront of Naoki was fast he would admit that as he ran, chasing his next meal. The chase was exhilarating the wind flowing through his fur, the sun glinting of the silver parts and his paws dappening from the moisture in the ground. He loved to hunt in his fox form just for these experiences.

The form of a human came into view in the distance , not wanting to be seen he quickly halted in his tracks and went into a stalk like pose, Naoki knew that he stood out in the green grass, but still slowly stalked towards the human figure, His fox like curiosity taking over.

[Lysander]

Elizabeth felt a prickle running down her back. She ignored it -- who on earth would be watching her? This was Sirantil Valley, not Reajh. Home to insects, grass, more insects and grass, there was absolutely nothing to be stolen. And she certainly hadn't done any pilfering recently either. Not too mention this was the uninhabited part of the valley.

Filling up the last bottle, she added it along with the rest to a tether on her belt and straightened. Elizabeth straightened, twisting her upper body slightly from side to side to work out the stiffness. From the corner of her sight, she caught a gleam. Naturally the Mordercai stopped her stretches and  turned fully to see what it was.

It was a fox. A silver fox. Silver and black to be precise, but the silver was really what made Elizabeth's mouth fall open to form a small "o". The fur looked gorgeous in sunlight and against the grass blades of grass, its glimmer shifting as Elizabeth moved, almost unconsciously, forwards.

[Arkarian]

Naoki could hear the clattering of the bottles at her belt as she tied the last one up with the others. His eyes now completely focused on the movements of her hands, he knew that he was being overly cautious but he didn't exactly plan on dying just yet.

He remained completely still in the same spot as he continued watching her. He watched the woman stretch and turn to look around at him. Figuring he had been seen Naoki got up from his current position and lowered himself into a sitting position in the damp grass, his tail moving slowly from side to side hoping for a friendly response.

Unsure of the persons intentions he cocked his head sideways, but preparing to flee he looked for a quick escape route if something unexpected was to happen.

[Nemo]

Summer sucks.

No, really. Nen did not see the big deal - so its bloody hot all the time? What's so awesome about that? Not a thing for a girl who was better off in Hyoite. She was born there. She was raised there. And for some reason she had a body type better suited to... THERE. Summer made her go a bg rubbery one. She was perpetually uncomfortable, and nothing on this gods forsaken green field of dullness could make it up to her.

Except, of course, for smithing!

Sweet steel never let her down! She'd spent some time getting and cleaning some water, making a clay mold, she'd gathered some sheets of stone from a pit she found, and had made something of a forge from the contents of her bag. She was eager to use that hunk of iron ore she'd bargained for at last... It needed some serious love - but that was why she was getting the stuff at such a great price! She was just about to start working the crucible when... Lo and behold, something caught her eye!

The hooded woman looked up and squinted through the grass and the copse of trees she'd been making her forge in, right beside a stream... When what did she see but a woman! This place was secluded, far away from towns and cities... She'd chosen the place specifically for these worthy charms! What business was it of some girl to be out here? Except...

Mordecai were a worry in this part of the world. In this arcanopathic backwater, Mordecais were judge, jury and executioner for magic users. The whole country hated her kind... And as a precaution, she'd bought one of these stupid patches... A holy symbol? Oh really? A holy sign that she worshipped a god that said the gifts of magic were unholy, that would turn away the healing magic that could save his peoples' lives, even try to kill the mage that tried it? And mages were expected to love this god? In a foul temper, Nen put on the wretched thing, and set back to work... At least for a minute or two. Right about there...

She realized she'd need to make charcoal, if she didn't plan on using her own flame. That meant getting wood. That meant making a charcoal oven. That meant more work in this godawful sun, damn and blast! Unable to control herself, the frustration of the heat and the situation got to her and she said, at the top of her voice,

"DAMNIT!"

[Lysander]

Elizabeth had been about to make her move, when she heard a sound coming from the grove of trees nearby. She couldn't quite decipher what creature the sound belonged to. After a brief moment of motionless hesitation, the Mordecai broke into a run, heading straight for the silver-furred fox.

Hunters? Predators? No way, I'm going to get this for sure!

[Arkarian]

Naoki sat waiting, still slowly swaying his bushy tail side to side curiously looking at the mordecai. he wasn't sure what he was expecting at the time but as a sound came from within the nearby grove, he briefly broke his sight from the still standing mordecai to see what caused it.

In that brief moment of looking for this cause Naoki was shocked to see this woman, that he had done nothing to, was running towards him quickly closing the small gap between them. His first reaction was simply to flee as fast as he could from the approaching mordecai.

He ran towards the nearby grove of trees that the sound that had most likely caused all this to happen came from.

[Nemo]

Nen looked up, and saw... well, she saw a woman running towards her sleekly, like she was trying to be careful not to make too much noise but wanted to move quickly. There was a certain... predatory intention to the movement, too, and it immediately put Nen on edge. The woman must be a mordecai or something, and she must be after her. Nen stood, clapped soot off her hands, and moved out from around the forge she'd made, standing in front of it as the Elizabeth drew near, hand drawing the simple forged steel hatchet from her hip, grasping it near the head.

She didn't even notice the cute foxling bounding through the tall grass in her direction - her gaze was firmly fixated upon Elizabeth and absolutely not happy.

[Lysander]

While Elizabeth was quite fixated on chasing the silver fox, she wasn't completely oblivious to the presence of others. Particularly when they were acting in a rather hostile manner. What? Did the silver fox belong to this strange woman? What was she doing out here anyway? Elizabeth didn't think forges would get any kind of meaningful business out here in the wild.

Had she been in casual attire, Elizabeth would have definitely chosen to ignore the woman and continue her chase. Unfortunately that was not the case. The silver lily so proudly stitched over the front of her tabard meant that she couldn't act recklessly. Elizabeth slowed down her pace to a very brisk walk. She pointed to the moving patch of silver half-obscured by blades of grass.

"That! Is that yours? I want it!"

[Arkarian]

Naoki was so completely oblivious to his surroundings that he did not hear the mordecai stop nor did he see the forge with the woman holding a drawn sword at the front that was straight infront of him.

All he could think of was why this was happening, had he done something unexpected, or does she just hate foxes that much. Suddenly his head had rammed into something, he first looked around himself noticing that the woman had stopped and was now pointing at him, and that he was standing in front of another woman.

Unsure as to what was happening he simply sat to the side of the person he was closest to and watched what would happen between the two hostile woman.

[Nemo]

Nen blinked. The anger went 'WHEEEE' and ran off squealing into the sunset. The woman WAS a mordecai... But she wasnt after her, she was after... This fox? She looked from the woman to the fox, then back again. Why would a mordecai be after a fox...? Unless... She hesitated only a moment, then rallied magnificently.

"Yes!" She said, her chest held proud as she stared at the armored woman. "He is a friend of mine. But he doesn't belong to me - he belongs to him, miss" She said, and rarely had so much disdain been put on an innocent word. She didnt sound beligerent or hostile at all... But the way she held her axe at her side by the wood just beneath hos head gave the subtle impression that threat and hostility... Was a future option.

"Who are you?" She said, somewhat rudely - disapproval of the girl, thin, pretty, and... Mordecai as she was oozed from every inch of the mage's features.

[Lysander]

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes as she listened to the strange woman's nonsense. The mordecai's posture was one of stiffness, kept that way by a curious mixture of pride and unease. She'd noticed that the woman was armed, and that the fox had stopped by her. Were the two really friends? Friendships with non-humanoids was a foreign concept to her.

"Is it not polite to introduce yourself first before asking the name of others?" Elizabeth's voice was flat and on edge. "Elizabeth is my name. Well, since the fox isn't yours, I suppose I am free to skin it, then?"

[Arkarian]

Naoki had been surprised by a complete stranger regarding him as a friend, but he had been absolutely shocked by what this Elizabeth said. She wanted to skin him the utter thought of being skinned caused a whine to slip out of his mouth.

Scouring up the courage to speak to the two woman Naoki tried to speak in the calmest voice he could possibly manage "excuse me, but I will not allow you to touch a single hair on my skin." His voice had cracked due to fear as he spoke but was confident that they had understood him.

[Nemo]

((I do apolagize ^^; perhaps a basilisk or sommin could attack us to interrupt this happy-ass moment of tension? Oooh or some bandits! :D Nen may be a grouch and... Opinionated, but I like Elizabeth! :3 a stranger troupe of adventurers we could scarce find!))

Nen took her eyes off the mordecai for not one moment - a testament to the swamplands she grew up in and the nature of her own self - and adjusted her grip into a somewhat - if that was possible - less friendly position. She looked about to use it, or at least get on with menacing the Mordecai a bit. Her eyes glinted with the reflection of firelight that was not in fact present, and the hair on the back of her neck (and probably anyone near her) stood on end as the power came when called. She didn't use it... But there was an animal tension in the air, like she would attack at any moment, like danger was just around the corner - a bit like being really uncomfortably close to an active volcanic vent.

"Well now." She scowled. "I'm not in the habit of sharing my name with murderers. I don't hold with Mordecai nor your mad god, and I certainly don't hold with you." Her voice said, dripping with ice and distaste. The robed woman's eyes glinted. "And there's at least two things to stop you - he can speak... And I can cut iron with this axe like wood, I forged it myself so this would be so."

She didn't sneer... She didn't exactly threaten... But if the mordecai stayed close, there was a pretty clear impression that things would get... Terminal.

"So, Elizabeth" she said, the girl's name dripping with distaste "I expect you'll be off, then..."