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Post by Ru'Thor on Jul 19, 2006 9:29:34 GMT -5
OOC: This is an idea that popped into my head last night. ^^ Join, por favor. *puppy dog eyes*
IC The Marked. Every parent dreaded to hear that word said about their children. "Your child is one of the Marked." Those words spoken from the wisewoman's mouth spelled death for children.
The Syek, you see, are a very traditional race. For thousands of years, the dark-skinned, olive-eyed people have lived in the mountains, secluding themselves from other human beings while they continued to live in the way they had lived for thousands of years. The Syek valued their children above all else, because they understood that without children, their race would disappear like dust in the wind, as though it had never been. And so, any danger, any possible threat, was dealt with immediately. Strangers were not taken to kindly, and any contact from 'the outside' was stomped down hard in the dirt.
But in recent years- recent for a race that has been around since the dawn of time, at least- now and then there would come a child that bore the Mark. The legend of the Mark had long been passed down from generation to generation, and the details had been twisted and fiddled with until very few know what actually happened those many years ago. Children, upon reaching the age of six, are brought to see the village's wisewoman. Should she determine that that child bears the mark, they are to be exiled from the mountains, left to their own devices. The parents grieve for their children as though they have died, and remember them as such: dead to their people forever.
Maku knew all of this. The stories had been running through his head for ages. It was hard not to hear of such things as a guest in a Syek village. His presence had been scorned, but he had still been allowed shelter.
And then that stupid request.
Maku glanced down at the little girl sleeping between he and his mount's head, and nudged her straight with his elbow. It wouldn't do for her to fall off while he daydreamed.
Please, go with her. We cannot sit here and pretend she is dead when she still has a chance to live.
Gods damn his compassion. The woman had been in tears, while her eldest son stood beside her, one hand on her shoulder. How was he supposed to refuse something like that? Now he found himself playing guardian to a six-year-old whirlwind of energy. Thank the gods she was asleep now.
The moon had long since been out by the time Maku stopped, dismounting and carefully bringing the little girl down into his arms. "Don't go away," he said to his horse, a proud stallion called Ji. The gray's eyes stared back at him, as if to say, "I have absolutely nothing better to do than haul you and a forty-pound kid around all night."
Maku rested the girl on the ground, then returned to Ji, untying the ropes that held his bedding and blankets in place. She had automatically curled up into a ball on the grass and dead leaves, still sleeping soundly. Maku covered her with a blanket, brushing the leaves away. Winter will be here soon, he realized, wincing as they crackled loudly. Better get somewhere sooner. He glanced down again as the girl's eyes opened. "Ku?" she murmured sleepily, chopping off the first part of his name.
"Go back to sleep, Kori." She murmured an assent and closed her eyes again. Maku caught a flash of the black mark that marred her right arm as she pulled the blanket closer around her.
Maku tended quickly to Ji before settling down himself, lying flat on his back as he watched the stars. They had barely left the snowline today, and soon, there would be snow even when they left the mountains. Maku was used to the cold, having served as a soldier in the King's army for years before he retired from that life, but Kori complicated things. They would have to bed down somewhere for the winter. Maku fingered the hilt of his sword, resting beside him in the grass. Oddly enough, he wasn't tired, and his thoughts again turned to the Marked. A stupid tradition, he thought, feeling that they were far enough away from Kori's village that he could scorn the Syek. Throwing a child's life away, all because of a little black mark.
OOC: Holy crap... this was longer than I thought it would be! Eheheh...
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Post by Lali on Jul 19, 2006 14:29:38 GMT -5
OOC TEMPTATION!!! ARGH!
And besides that SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAH!! Ahem. I once had a character called Maku!!! Gwarg! Though I think I pinched it from a map, so I suppose it's fair game... ;D I'll go reply everywhere else first and see if I still have time. Unlikely. *slaps self* BAD LALI! You have enough RPs!!!
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Post by Ru'Thor on Jul 19, 2006 14:47:01 GMT -5
OOC lol. I enjoy tempting Lali.
'Maku' means wind in Japanese, and Kori means ice. Ji means character, or letter. Muhuhahaha... I have every name I need for this plot... and yes, I have a plot! MUHUHAHAHA!
There's no such thing as too many RPs.
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Post by Lali on Jul 19, 2006 14:50:03 GMT -5
OOC Ooooooooooooohhh... *stares zombie-like at screen* Must... join... RP...
*smack*
Must... not... join... RP...
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Post by Ru'Thor on Jul 19, 2006 14:53:05 GMT -5
OOC: *holds RP in front of Lali* Come on! Come and get it girl! *whistles*
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Post by Lali on Jul 21, 2006 14:35:35 GMT -5
"We're lost, aren't we?"
"No-o, I know exactly where we are -"
"It's just the rest of the map that's missing?"
"Oh shush. No. We're just a bit further north than we should be, that's all."
"How much further, Taari?"
A strange thunk as a roll of parchment was slotted into a metal tube, and sealed.
"About fifty miles or so."
Ashan stopped pacing and stared in astonishment at the shorter man. His stare was ignored as Taari, blushing, put the map away in his bag and made a great fuss about getting the flap properly tied down.
"Fifty. Miles."
Taari nodded, head firmly down as his pack became more securely fastened than it had ever been before. He didn't say anything, letting his untidy black hair fall over his eyes to hide them from Ashan as he crouched in the moonlight.
Ashan, the taller of the two, with brown hair a little shorter than Taari's - but just as much in need of some attention, and a good cut - tried to keep his face straight as he planted his hands on his hips and watched Taari pretend to be busy with his pack.
"How did you manage to lead us north for days without noticing?" he asked incredulously, lips twitching as he fought off a smile.
At that Taari glanced up, and said with a certain sharpness, "I was a little distracted."
"Are you blaming me?" Ashan enquired, moving over to stand about a foot away from him as he added, "Were the mountains not enough of a clue?"
By now Taari was blushing a nice deep red, strong enough to be seen even in the silver starlight. He'd long since fastened his pack securely, and had no further excuse not to meet Ashan's gaze. Standing up, he said, "If you remember, I told you we should be heading east, then south after a week or so. I trusted you to figure out which way was which."
Ashan waved a hand airily, saying, "So I forgot to take into account the season. So maybe it's both of our faults - but it's mostly yours."
"Charming," Taari muttered, looking aside at the drop not too far from where they'd stopped. They'd entered the mountain range from one end, walking up a gradual slope while the ground began to fall away on either side of them. The landscape, the forests and the rising hills had all contrived to hide their approach and entrance into the mountains. And they had both been preoccupied.
"I'm always charming," Ashan murmured, raising a hand to touch Taari's hair briefly. Then he grinned, and added, "But it's still your fault."
Indignantly, Taari turned to pass the blame back again, but Ashan swept him into a hug, snatched a quick kiss from his lips - silencing him before he could complain - and stepped back again, messing up his hair before he moved out of reach, laughing, "And if you think it's not, you'll just have to catch me - 'cause I can't hear you otherwise."
"Hey, that's not -" Taari started to protest, but Ashan had already darted away, seized his own pack, and headed away along the thin trail. Smiling despite himself, Taari grabbed his pack and followed his lover at a run, grinning when Ashan glanced back and sped up to keep out of reach.
The playful chase lasted for a few minutes, until Ashan stopped, turning and holding a finger to his lips as Taari caught up with him. He pointed down, and Taari wrapped both his arms around Ashan's waist before following his gaze. Down a small slope, they could see a glade, where a horse was tethered, and a man - presumably the owner - and a smaller form wrapped in a blanket, lay, probably asleep. Taari's arms tightened for a moment, and Ashan knew what he was thinking.
"It's none of our business," he murmured into Taari's hair. "We shouldn't get involved."
"But he's alone, Ashan, and he's got so much to protect..." Taari sighed back. "There's two of us. We're better off than him."
Ashan snorted lightly, muttering, "You can barely use a sword, sweet, and he'd be travelling faster than us anyway - he has a horse, remember? He might not even be heading our way."
"We can spare the time," Taari wheedled, looking up and gazing pleadingly at him. "We're not needed anywhere urgently. If he doesn't want our help, he'll say. And we can move on. But even just for leaving the mountains, it'd be safer to travel in a group. For us as well as him."
With a sigh, fingers combing through Taari's hair, Ashan said, "I like it just being us..."
"I know," Taari smiled. "I do too. But if we didn't even ask, I'd feel terrible for months."
"Fine, fine," Ashan said, giving in as they'd both known he would, right from the start. As if he would ever refuse Taari anything. But he added, "Of course, you'll have to behave yourself if we're in company," and kissed him gently.
Taari pulled away after a moment, and let go of Ashan, nodding. Without saying anything more, Ashan took the lead and started picking a way down the slope, finding that the grassy sides gave him both easy steps and silence.
OOC You were saying about things being longer than you expected? *anime sweatdrop ^_^' Eeeh*
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Post by Ru'Thor on Jul 24, 2006 9:20:35 GMT -5
OOC: Heehee, don't worry! I've never done an RP with // before, so just let me know if I do something stupid. Which I probably will. ^^""
IC As tired as his body was, Maku's mind was anything but sleepy. He heard Ji stamp his foot as he grazed on fresh, green grass, and Kori exhale as she curled up even further beneath her blanket. He didn't turn his head, still watching the night sky as a falling star flickered past. If Kori had been awake, she would have squealed with delight.
"Make a wish, Maku, make a wish!" she would be saying, laughing so hard that it would be nearly impossible to make out her words- but that was Kori for you. Incredibly gullible, childish, and stupid, but likable all the same.
Stupid. Maku sat up, abandoning all efforts to convince himself that he needed to rest. Ji paused from his grazing, looking up at him with slowly blinking eyes, and returned to the grass. Maku frowned. Ji was getting old, he realized. The next time he went home (and who knew when that would be?) he would have to retire the proud old stallion and find a new mount. Kori would like the idea of a new 'friend'.
Stupid kid, he thought again, grinning despite himself as Ji trotted towards him and pushed his nose into Maku's face.
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Post by Lali on Jul 30, 2006 14:06:20 GMT -5
OOC Mwarl. ^_^ 'Tain't that different from RPing opposite Shira and Joniak, except that Taari and Ashan are keeping it secret... And they have no plot themselves, really. They just are. So they won't get in the way of your plot. ^_^ Miaow.
IC The movement below them caught Ashan's attention, and he glanced briefly back at Taari, then sighed and carried on down the slope. They were committed now. It made no difference whether the man was awake or asleep - unless he'd seen them together. They'd been so sure he was asleep, they'd been shockingly incautious. Perhaps part of it was that they had become used to being alone together, out travelling where no-one could see or judge them. But that was a poor excuse for risking everything.
Nearing the bottom of the slope, he slipped a little, and managed not to curse, though Taari extended a hand sharply, saying, "Ashan! Are you alright?"
Ashan nodded, reaching the glade and pausing to let Taari catch up. The shorter man muttered, "Don't scare me like that," then glanced over at Maku, and hesitated, wondering how best to introduce the two of them and convince Maku they meant him no harm now that the stranger was awake. He decided that the simple truth might be best, and so that was what he said.
"We don't mean you any harm. We're just travellers..."
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Post by Ru'Thor on Aug 6, 2006 11:54:41 GMT -5
Ji looked up as the strangers approached, snorting and stamping one hoof nervously. Their sudden appearance had startled him. Maku looked towards Taari and Ashan, feeling a brief flare of annoyance. He didn't even know who they were, but if they woke Kori, he'd kill them. Maybe not literally, but every moment of silence on her part was pure bliss, and he hadn't quite had enough of it yet.
"Shh," he hissed; it was hard to tell whether he was talking to Ji or Taari and Ashan. "Some travelers," he said softly, "sneaking up like that in the middle of the night." He stood up to grip Ji's bridle, calming him with one hand while his other stayed near the saddle. His sword was sheathed there, not visible in the darkness. "Who are you?"
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Post by Lali on Aug 8, 2006 15:02:14 GMT -5
"We weren't sneaking-" Ashan started to say, keeping his voice quiet, although indignant, until Taari silenced him with a quick glance, laying his hand briefly on Ashan's arm. Then he looked back at Maku.
"My name's Taari," he said calmly. "Taari Endala. And this is Ashan Durescoe. We didn't come across your camp intentionally, I assure you."
"We're not even meant to be in the mountains," Ashan muttered, and grinned teasingly when Taari gave him an affronted look. Ignoring his lover, Taari turned his attention to Maku again, aware that they hadn't properly explained their presence yet - and the stranger looked like he'd be quite happy to kill them both if their explanations didn't come up to scratch.
Ashan left him to do the talking for once, as he told Maku, still speaking quietly, "As I say, we're travellers. If anything we're heading for Reilten, but that's many miles away, and we're not in any hurry. We were just passing through the mountains and stumbled across your camp. And..." he hesitated, eyes flicking away in embarrassment, then shrugged a little and said, "It's dangerous to travel alone..."
Before he could quite get to the point of explaining that he thought they should all travel together - although it was reasonably clear from what he'd already said - Ashan interrupted him as he hesitated again, and said, "So you know who we are. Who are you?"
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Post by Ru'Thor on Aug 9, 2006 14:56:36 GMT -5
Maku didn't say anything for a moment, then he nodded. It seemed like sneaking to me, he thought sourly, but said softly, "My name is Maku Ryu. And I'm not alone." He glanced back at the sleeping form. Her face was in the shadows, so he couldn't tell if she was awake or not- but he guessed not. If Kori was awake, everyone within a ten-mile radius would know it.
"The reason for the silence," he said, turning back to Taari and Ashan, "is Kori Rashi." He purposely left out her tribe's name (the Syek live in villages with their 'tribe'. All people in a tribe are related to one another somehow, and when a girl is married she is sent to live with her husband's tribe)- who could say whether or not these two had a rift with the Syek? It wasn't too uncommon.
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Post by Lali on Aug 18, 2006 7:41:33 GMT -5
Taari and Ashan nodded, and Taari said, "If that's the case, then perhaps we should discuss this in the morning."
If the stranger would trust them enough to sleep, that was. Though he didn't have that much choice - he couldn't stay awake all night on the off-chance that they would try to rob or kill him. Which was another point in favour of them travelling together - they could keep an effective watch all night if necessary, whereas if Maku was travelling alone with Kori, he would be forced to sleep.
Filing that point away in his mind for further discussion in the morning, Taari smiled at Maku, and said, "Is it alright if we stay here tonight?"
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Post by Ru'Thor on Aug 18, 2006 8:12:46 GMT -5
Maku looked back at Taari for a long moment, then Ashan. Finally, he shrugged. "Fine with me. It's not my land. I can't tell you what you can and can't do." He fumbled around with the saddle for a moment, then removed it, letting it drop to the ground beside Ji. The horse snorted. About time. Kori rolled over beneath her blanket, not disturbed by their late night visitors. Maku watched her for a moment, then said, "Just do me a favor and don't do anything that might wake her up. It took me ages to get her to go to sleep." OOC: Eh. Icky post. Look! I can glomph you!
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Post by Lali on Aug 27, 2006 14:18:12 GMT -5
OOC *hugs you* Icky post? Watch and learn... IC Ashan frowned, and Taari could see that he was about to ask what they would do that would wake Kori. Before he could do so, Taari quickly said, "We won't wake her. But do you want to keep a watch tonight or not?" Doubtless he wouldn't trust them enough to agree, but with three people a watch was possible, whereas with one or two it was impractical to try and keep guard over a campsite all night. But although Taari worried a little about bandits and other nightly hazards, Ashan had always been confident that they - or rather, he - could deal with any trouble that came their way. So far he'd been right, but Taari dreaded the day that a single sword wouldn't be enough to help them. Right now, however, Ashan seemed amused by his concerns for a watch. "Taari," he said, smiling, "how many times do I have to tell you not to volunteer?" "Evidently more than you have," Taari shot back, but couldn't help grinning a little. OOC Well, it improved a little with a lot of work. But I've still repeated myself from other posts. Joy.
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Post by Ru'Thor on Sept 9, 2006 10:01:17 GMT -5
OOC: lol. No worries.
IC Maku didn't speak for a moment, mulling over the idea. He hadn't been looking forward to the idea of pulling an all-nighter- again- and he wouldn't need to sleep for long. An hour or two would be enough to keep him going for quite a while longer. "A watch would be nice," he said slowly, "if you're willing. There isn't too much time left before daylight."
Besides, this would give him an oppertunity to see if these two could be trusted. There was too much on his mind at the moment. Having his mind at ease about their visitors would be something, at least.
OOC: Fudge! What is it with my un-ability to post today? *bangs head off of desk*
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Post by Lali on Sept 20, 2006 8:37:55 GMT -5
OOC *hugs* Seems fine to me. Although how much time is "not too much time"? I'm going to assume at least six hours until dawn... IC Taari nodded, smiling, and said, "Alright then, I'll go first, if you want. I'll wake Ashan in a couple of hours, and," he glanced at his lover, who nodded, "he can wake you after his watch. Fair enough?" Ashan was, on the quiet, quite amused by Taari's assuming control of the situation. It was certainly unusual for him to step forward and speak his mind rather than letting Ashan deal with anyone they met. It crossed his mind briefly that Taari didn't trust him to resolve the situation to his satisfaction, but the thought didn't trouble him for long. He'd proved many times before that he was more than capable of taking care of the two of them. "Sounds alright to me," he shrugged, even though, by Taari's arrangement, he had the middle watch, which was the most difficult of the three, as he would be sleeping in two seperate sections rather than one before or after keeping watch. Taari shot a smile at him, and then looked back at Maku, waiting for his approval of the arrangement.
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Post by Ru'Thor on Sept 29, 2006 14:10:25 GMT -5
OOC: Yeah, that's about right. Sorreh... ^_^"
IC Maku took a moment to consider it. He didn't like the idea of sleeping for a long period of time and leaving the two unwatched... but the last shift would have its benefits. If he thought it necessary, he could wake Kori and leave.
What a decision.
"Sounds fine to me," he said finally, nodding. "I want to get going again as soon as there's enough daylight to travel by." And not spend half the morning answering Kori's questions. Gods, one would think all trees, rocks, and plants looked alike, but every few feet elicted an "Ooh, what's that?" from the girl. "You can come with us from there if you want; it doesn't really matter. We're headed to Lyra- it's just a day or so east of Reilten, so it'll be on your way, anyway."
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Post by Lali on Oct 2, 2006 15:03:11 GMT -5
OOC ^_^ That's fine. It wasn't a huge issue or anything, I was just checking. (I hate being wrong, y'see... ) IC The two nodded, and Ashan said, "That sounds like a plan." He glanced at Taari, who had smiled with recognition at Maku's mention of Lyra. If Taari knew the place, then that was good enough for him - after all, even if he couldn't follow maps, he did know them well enough. The thought made him smile a little. "Alright," Taari said, with the air of someone successfully completing a difficult task, "Ashan, I'll wake you in a couple of hours. Maku, I'll see you in the morning." He looked between them for a moment, until Ashan shrugged, said simply, "Goodnight, then," and strolled over to a flat area of the grass, flopping down and undoing his pack to get at his blankets. Taari smiled a little, then glanced at Maku and repeated, "Goodnight," before moving to a couple of nearby boulders and sitting, pulling his cloak tighter around himself to keep warm and looking around, checking that he could see any approaches from his position. Satisfied, he settled down to wait and watch.
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Post by Ru'Thor on Oct 16, 2006 14:51:49 GMT -5
Maku waved a hand uncaringly in response and turned towards Ji, stroking the animal on the nose and murmuring something into his ear. The horse huffed into his face and stilled itself, and Maku smiled thinly and joined Kori beneath the tree.
The girl was still asleep; he could see only a black crest of hair from beneath her blanket. She was almost tolerable when she wasn't pestering him with question after question, or fixing him with that look she had when she didn't get her way, which was often. She was just like any other child he had ever laid eyes on, with the exception of that little black mark on her forearm and a bit more... enthusiasm... than most.
Maku leaned with his back against the tree, snorting. He was not going to spend the one night he had the chance to sleep by worrying about some crazy mountain tradition. If the folk wanted to throw away a child with an unusual birth mark, let them. He'd find a place for Kori and be back on his merry way.
Shutting his eyes, the man dropped into a light sleep.
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Post by Lali on Oct 27, 2006 15:01:22 GMT -5
Ashan didn’t sleep well. He was certainly tired, that wasn’t the problem. He just found himself lying awake for the couple of hours until it was his turn to keep a lookout. The fact that he watched Taari the whole time had nothing to do with anything, of course.
Eventually the shorter man came over and knelt beside him, seeing that he was awake and whispering, "Your turn," instead of shaking him, as he'd obviously intended to do. He waited patiently for Ashan to unroll himself from his blankets and then sat beside him, taking his boots off while Ashan pulled his on.
They swapped places and blankets, and Taari curled up, making himself comfortable and welcoming the warmth that the blankets still retained. He closed his eyes, and felt Ashan brush a gentle hand across his hair for a second, then heard him walk away to take his watch. Smiling to himself, he relaxed, and went to sleep.
Ashan spent his watch wondering about Maku and his charge. He hadn't expected to come across any other travellers until they were out of the mountains. The other man had said they were heading for Lyra, but he hadn't given a reason - of course, neither had he and Taari, but they were keeping secrets anyway, so they had an excuse. Sort of. But it did make him wonder if Maku was up to something. Kidnapping, perhaps?
Amused by that, he shook his head and pulled the blanket tighter around himself. Such flights of fancy wouldn't do him any good - he couldn't expect everyone to have some dark secret or magical quest to keep him entertained.
Glancing back at Taari, who appeared to be sleeping soundly, he smiled a little, and settled in for the rest of his watch.
Eventually, after two hours of sitting watching the stars, with nothing else happening, he got up and went to Taari's bag, fetching his second blanket and laying it out on the ground not far from his lover. After that he moved over to Maku, and shook him a little, saying softly, "Your watch."
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