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Have you seen snow?
Topic Started: May 21 2010, 11:33 PM (722 Views)
Hobo
Zera had snuck out. Again. It wasn't hard. Devall was a drunkard and a fool, he would sleep twenty four hours a day if he didn't have to cut meat to make his obscene wages. Today was a day of resting, as far as the old man was concerned, and Zera had free reign to do as he pleased. He hadn't heard from his brother all day, so he chose to walk out to the Marshlands. He stood atop a larger rock outcropping in the middle of the swamp. Mud and gunk clung to his boots and pants. He didn't mind, kneeling down and gripping one of his brown leather belts tightly. He had been watching the same small animal for a while now, quietly observing its movements. It was a way for him to get his mind off of all the problems in the world. This wretched world. This stupid world. He spat at the murky water and the small animal scurried away.

He heard the clopping of hooves against a dirt path and ducked down, glancing at the artificial path that cut through the swamp. His brilliant blue eyes narrowed with spite at the noble in his carriage. The mustached fellow in the fine garbs had his nose turned up and away from the swamp and the people wandering by. The plague had hurt so many people, and the Nobles had the money and the magic to deal with it. It disgusted him that they didn't share in the least bit. He reached up behind his head and grabbed the long hilt of his large blade. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath.

"You bastards..." He hissed under his breath, glaring at them as they trotted by. "You sick..." He took a breath.

It was hard for him at times to control his anger, he admitted it. He pulled his hand away from the hilt and ran his fingers through his short blonde hair. If he was caught with the weapon on his back he was as good as dead. He knew that the guard would hang him up by his feet, and his grandfather would be happy to lop his head right off. Oh how he despised the man. The thought of Devall brought fresh hatred into his blood. Zera reached up and grabbed the blade, he swung it around, practicing the forms he read about in the book he stole. He swung hard, upper cutting and slashing about himself. Zera was tall, five feet eight inches, and his muscles were beginning to develop. He would be a big man when he got older.

He spat at the ground, his blade still in his hand as he tried to relax, his muscles tensing and un-tensing. He reached up and slid the blade back into its holster.
Edited by Hobo, Jun 2 2010, 08:42 PM.
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Haine
Zamia saw quietly against the base of a gnarled tree, staring at the mossy grass growing on the ground in front of her. She was dressed in nothing but a white dress that was simple but obviously well made falling about her knees, the brands on her arm covered with bandages as were her palms and feet. The dress was a reminder of who she was staying with. A noble. Something she didn't enjoy. She'd been staying with Fay for several days but she hadn't got much better. The illness was gone but her weakness from the climb still remained. She could stand now but even that took effort, by the time she'd made it out to the tree she actually needed to sit down both from fatigue and her feet. She was worried. How long was she going to be like this? Was she forever going to be dependent on Fay for her needs? What if he got bored with her and threw her away like most nobles did their toys? As it was she'd die. She was too weak to work and no one would want her as she was, at least not anyone she'd willingly go with.

She looked up and saw the sun come out from behind the clouds, illuminating the area around Fay's home. Somehow the noble had managed to find a patch of marsh above the low water with little trees. If she only looked up it was almost nice. Almost. She closed her eyes for a moment and her memory of Jast, smiling at her before letting go of the edge of the wall and dropping out of sight flashed through her mind vividly. She frowned and looked back at the ground. She'd made it out of the hell she'd been falsely put in and now she was more miserable then when she'd been there. She was all alone. She sighed and opened her eyes again, looking again at her surroundings and noticing some movement.

She looked more carefully and noticed a boy, fairly tall and half hidden by the trees swinging a blade around. He had power but that was about it. She'd grown up in nowhere, she knew when a fighter was good or not. For now this guy wouldn't last a second in nowhere. "You're not very good are you?" She called to him, eyeing the blade in his hand. He was too young to be a soldier and he didn't look anything like a noble. Must be just another kid looking for glory. She shook her head went back to looking up at the sky and clouds. Something she'd missed while stuck in the house. She closed her eyes again and this time no memories tormented her as she finally managed to relax.
Edited by Haine, Jun 1 2010, 09:58 AM.
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Hobo
Her voice was sweet, to say the least, she was a plainer looking girl from the ones that he saw on the streets usually. Though she was pretty in her own way. He eyed her for a moment with a pair of piercing blue eyes. They were sky blue, his appearance on closer inspection reminded one of some of the pure blood nobles. Possibly a half-breed? He didn't really know the answer to that question himself. He was an orphan after all. Son of a prostitute. He smirked and looked up a bit. "What do I care what some prissy noble with nothing better to do thinks of my practice?" He grunted, straightening up his stance. He knew he wasn't very good, and if it were to his brother he'd even admit it. He wouldn't last a second in the badlands and Nowhere.

He plopped down and pulled a loaf of bread and an apple that he had stolen earlier and began to munch away. Fruit was rare, especially clean fruit. His grandfather was connected enough to be able to get both. He stole it from the drunkard with relative ease. He ignored the girl, eating to his heart’s content. He hadn't yet touched the apple though, always saving the best for last. Those damn nobles, they gotta ruin our lives now they interrupt our private lives? He cursed inwardly, glancing up at her. She was rather pretty, and there was something about her, he couldn't put his finger on it. The way she sat, her physique, it wasn't exactly noble.

"You're a bit tough lookin for a noble now that I think of it." He blurted out.
Edited by Hobo, Jun 2 2010, 08:43 PM.
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Haine
Zamia listened as the boy flailed around for insults with a mix of amusement and annoyance at being called a noble. "Quite observant aren't you? Was it the bandages that gave it away? At least you work better with a sword then you do your brain....though, that's not saying much now is it?" she said as soon as the boy had finished his own ridiculous question. She'd been frustrated as it was before the boy showed up and now he had the gall to call her a noble. How many nobles had he ever seen banged up? Or without jewelry or shoes? Hell when was last time he saw a noble outside relaxing? She’d never seen a noble that hadn't done those things. If she'd had more energy she probably would've done more, maybe said more but she didn't feel like it. She wasn't at all impressed with the boy, not the way he sneered at her without knowing she was a noble and definitely not the way he tried to mock her by eating in front of her, or trying to anyway.

"Now are you doing being an ignorant jerk or do you still have some left in you?" She asked him, her voice full of scorn. She didn't have a problem with people hating nobles, she hated them herself. What she had a problem with was someone who simply assumed others were of the type they disliked and then treated them like it. It was bad enough she was supposed to be a fugitive for something she didn't do; now he was going to compare her to a noble. She thought about it and nearly laughed at how bad she must seem. Nice clothes and clean. First time in ten years. Add in her newfound weakness and she probably did look just like a noble. Of course that didn't mean she had to act like one because she sure as hell wouldn't.

If Fay offered his help she'd take it, the moment he required her to do something out of character she'd be gone. She didn't care if it killed her......She didn't care if anything killed her. In the past few days she'd thought more and more about it. What did she have to live for anymore? Dead friends? No. They were dead, obviously. She was here, alone in a house she couldn't leave with the type of person she despised the most. Several times she thought of ending it in the bed, joining her friends and leaving this miserable world......She sighed and leaned back against the tree, closing her eyes again and trying to find the relaxing peace she'd found before the boy interrupted her. She tried and tried but couldn't find the feeling again. Her thoughts were those of death and despair. Great.
Edited by Haine, Jun 1 2010, 09:59 AM.
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Hobo
He cringed, feeling the flame of another series of insults rising up in his chest. He opened his mouth to lash out. His brain started to say 'Well at least I have something going for me you plain bint, are you just another one of us lumps of human trash who happened to get lucky and stole a dress?'. That’s what he wanted to say, he wanted to say more. For some reason he... He placed his blade back in its holster and approached her, he sad down a few yards away with a grunt and reached across his chest unbuttoning the straps that held the blade in place, it fell to the ground behind him and he stared at her for a long moment. "I..." He said after a long, awkward pause, staring at her bandages and sickly form. "I'm sorry..." He said finally. Again something inside him was rubbed deeply the wrong way by uttering the apology. "...I..."

The look in her eyes was fierce and indignant, but full of sadness. From what he could see at least. He'd seen it before in the eyes of the branded. Of his own 'brother'. It was a look that only untold human suffering could bring about. Zera was young. Fourteen years old to be exact. Yet his heart hard become as hardened as a soldier as he lived with his grandfather. It was often difficult for him to look past the surface and see the truth. There were many things he hated. Ignorance was one of them. It was his own ignorance that he hated most of all, he despised himself sometimes for his thoughtlessness.

He shifted uncomfortably and tried to smile, his young, but handsome face warming up a bit. "I'm Zera." He said, he didn't have a last name so that’s all he could give her. "What's your name?" He asked.
Edited by Hobo, Jun 2 2010, 08:44 PM.
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Haine
Zamia blinked as the boy apologized and sat down next to her. That she had not been expecting ... And still wasn't. “Are you sure you want it? Apparently I’m just another prissy noble." She responded when he asked her name. The apology and lessened her anger but it hadn't gotten rid of it. She did not like being compared to them, those who knew no suffering and got all that they desired. She took a deep breath and sighed as her anger slowly melted away before relaxing a bit. “The name is Zami. Sorry for the banter but I’m not exactly in the best mood of my life." she told him adjusting her seating at the base of the tree. If Zera had said anything other then what he had he'd probably have ended up getting slapped, though that probably wouldn't have been very good for her either....Damn she hated being this weak... She couldn't even smack a guy when he deserved it. Damn it.


She shook her head a moment before looking back at the boy and looking him over again. He was tall but young looking, maybe about her age. He wasn't bad looking but he obviously wasn't a noble based on his dress and he was carrying a sword....." What are you doing out here swinging a sword around anyway?" She asked him staring at the blade. It was big for a sword, hell it was nearly as big as she was. She looked from the blade back to the boy and then back at the blade again. How could he carry that thing? Even at her normal strength the sword was probably too heavy for her to drag let alone lift it. Furthermore, if he was just a peasant how could he afford such a large piece of metalwork? Even small swords were fairly expensive as far as she knew.

She stared at the boy with a bit of suspicion now. If he wasn't a noble had he done what he accused her of? Stole the sword from whoever had originally owned it? Though if he had stolen it he had likely done so from a noble and she didn't see a whole lot wrong with that. Hell she doubted if some nobles would notice if you stole a whole damn house from them they had so many possessions. Still though she was cautious around the boy. She didn't know him and if he decided he wanted to do something bad there wasn't much she could do to stop him. She glanced back towards Fay's Cabin nearby, keeping an eye on the door in case the visit changed to not quite so friendly.
Edited by Haine, Jun 1 2010, 10:01 AM.
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Hobo
Zera looked at her carefully. Now that he was closer he saw her in a slightly different light. Her eyes were sharp, she had intellect. She was also hurting, internally and externally. He smiled and nodded. "Its a good name." He said at once, pulling his blade up into his lap. "Its alright, I apologize for my rude greeting, Its become habit." He conceded, and blushed a bit, looking away. He felt the heat on his cheeks and refused to show it. It faded quickly enough as he spoke in response to her first question. "I've been practicing for a while... this blade is the only possession I have, might as well learn how to use it." He said with a smirk, turning back to her, from the look in her eyes he had answered more than just the first question with that statement.

He looked her over. "What... happened to you?" He asked, hurriedly adding. "If its alright if I ask..." He said, a faint blush appearing again on his face. He wasn't used to talking to women, most women he knew were older, and far more... loose. They'd have to be for what they did with his grandfather. He blocked the thought from his mind, he needed to stop that, going on mental tangents. It was beginning to become a problem. He focused himself on the situation at hand. Her hands. They were bandaged and from the looks of it, heavily scarred, though one hand was suspicious in the deliberateness of the scarring. "Your hand in particular..." He observed.

He watched her eyes move and her nervous glances. She obviously didn't trust him, which was a given, he didn't trust her quite yet. She kept glancing at the nice old cabin nearby. He'd seen the place several times, though he'd never bothered to investigate it. A mistake on his part, he was usually more careful. "Do you live there?" He asked, motioning towards the tent.

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Haine
Zamia looked to the ground as Zera commented on her name. Jast had named her. Jast was dead. He went on to tell her about the blade but he still seemed to avoid exactly how the sword became to be his only possession. Zera asked what'd happened to her and she blinked again. Also not something she had expected him to say. Seemed he was full of surprises. She didn't reply to the query, thinking about what kind of lie to give him or if to tell him to mind his own business. She couldn't tell him the truth; she'd scaled the Wall and was a branded runaway from nowhere. Even if he wasn't a noble he could still treat her like an animal, or even worse he could tell an official or Fay and have her taken back...He asked if she lived in the cabin and a mixture of distaste and amusement crossed her features. "No, I’m being held here against my will.........well if that were true it would be so much easier" She said tiredly.

A few days ago a friend and I were traveling and we had to climb a cliff, I passed out and fell but he caught me and carried me to the top. I woke up to see him slipping off the edge.................. After that I stumbled through the marsh to a town about half a mile from here and he found me. The owner of the cabins a noble named Fay who for some reason wants to see me better. I don't want his help, I hate him.....but I need it." She said sighing and rubbing at her eyes tiredly. If Fay got bored of her while she was still healing and kicked her out then she'd be good as dead or worse "so now I’m stuck here on " the good masters" mercy" she said bitterly before stretching out and laying back against the tree. “What about you? I get the practicing bit but why are you in the middle of the marshlands?" She asked. She was warming towards Zera a bit but she still didn't trust the boy
Edited by Haine, Jun 1 2010, 11:07 AM.
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Hobo
He answered her last question first. "I'm the grandson of a butcher in town. Though I'm more his slave than anything else." He snorted, running his fingers through his hair. He was warming up to the girl. Something about her reminded him of his brother, Nostus. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not though, he trusted Nostus implicitly and he was afraid that this would cause him to blurt something out he rather wouldn't. He'd have to watch himself here.

He looked at her quietly as she spoke, leaning back against the tree behind him and relaxing a bit, putting his sword to his side. As she spoke he listened, analyzed, considered. He looked down at her hand again, a small gash still visible but mostly covered by a heavy bandage. He thought about it for a few minutes and then nodded. "You're a branded then." He said finally, not moving an inch and just keeping his eyes on her. He was considering the fact that she may become hostile by his statement, but he needed to get it out in the open first. "You climbed over the wall from nowhere..." He said as well.

He let her speak her peace.
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Zamia could sympathize with the boy’s upbringing and she relaxed a bit, but as the boy began to speak she got a bad feeling in her gut. He guessed she was a branded who'd escaped from nowhere. He waited for her to say something but she didn't. She went into fight or flight only there was no running from this. The boy needed to die. He could do whatever he wanted to her without repercussion or have her sent back. She wasn't going to be able to run from this place, not as weak as she was. Without hesitation she stood and took two steps forward kicking the boy onto his back and going for his sword. She struggled to lift the massive blade but could barely get the hilt over her shoulder. She sank to her knees and tried to lift the blade only to collapse under its weight and cry out as she fell and was pinned beneath the heavy steel.

Panicking she struggled to push herself up and get the blade off of her back but quickly as she rose she fell back onto her stomach with the blade thumping painfully into the small of her back. She was breathing heavily, her arms were burning and her right arm throbbed painfully as her injured muscles protested. She stopped struggling and despair began to set in. She looked up with fright at the boy she'd just knocked down. “Please, don't tell them. I don't want to go back.........I'll die first. I won't go back to that hell." She said pleadingly as tears began to fill her eyes. She was terrified and the sword on top of her was beginning to feel painfully heavy.
Edited by Haine, Jun 1 2010, 11:09 AM.
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