Middle-grounds

louie9090 · Middle-grounds

((ok, so if you want to say something not having to do with the Rping, do this: (()) around the sentance. and it's a cool tittle, huh? Very Happy

i and btw, this is not for the faint of heart...))
Aibreann knelt, awaiting her punishment. Her master, the baker Arti, had caught her with a dagger. The usuall punishment was death, but Arti had been merciful and not told the law of her illeagal activities. Instead, he was going to flog her 10 times. At least it's better then getting hanged, Aibreann thought with grim good humor as the whip came down on her back with a sickening whomp! She clamped her jaws together against the seering pain. Only 9 -whomp!- ok, 8 more to go, she thought, the long coil of cowhide coming down for the third time. She felt tears well up in her eyes, but stubbornly didn't let them fall. I will not cry, I will not cry, she repeated over and over in her head as pain shot through her back. Whomp! The pain would be ending soon, she thought as the whip struck her for the sixth time, and then the seventh. She gritted her teeth. Whomp! Soon enough she'd be back to work in the -Whomp!- kitchen, kneading dough and cleaning floors. Whomp! At last it was over. Slowly, Aibreann straightend; her back was one raw, oozing source of pain. She walked painfully back to the house, feeling the eyes of Arti The Doughnut and most of the villagers on her aching back the entire time. She wasn't sure if she could survive the stares she would get from the villagers over the next few months. What's worse, some of the soldiers had witnessed her shame too. The Doughnut may have saved her from death, but Aibreann could and would not be gratefull to him, for all the pain and humiliation he put her through.

KillerSlime

((is that what we are supposed to do?
in that case,)) Yuki goes to market, to sell various things from the forest and to buy books. along the way he entertains thoughts of packing all the books and leaving everyone behind, just going to go live as a hermit. the main problem with that, of course, is that people keep on writing important things to know in books, and he would be missing them. but with the war ever imminent, this is sounding like a better and better idea... the dealings with the various peoples are not good. in addition to books, he also needs food, which is limiting on his book-buying, which is pretty much all he is willing to go to town for. none of the people are particularly friendly, but eventually, he goes back home with some bread, some good drinks, some small food items for the Wolf, and to entice animals with, and in general a very productive if unpleasant day. come to think of it, the people in town did not look very happy, either... especially the people in the food area of the market district. but people's affairs do not really concern him... he goes home with the happy knowledge that, with luck, he should not have to come back to town for another week atleast, and that he has a new book to read. he thinks alot about moving away from the world, if war breaks out. tomorrow, it shall be a field day in the forest, for relaxation after this city full of people.

louie9090

((cool! i don't know why i started off the RPing with my grusome bit... puts people off, probably.))
Aibreann climbed the stairs leading up to her tiny attick room, a thousand thoughts whirling around her head. It had been two days since her punishment... two days of scrubbing floors with lye and cleaning the ovens. The Doughnut had to know that these tasks caused the cuts on her back to open up again, and that the lye always seemed to find it's way to the open wounds. Her hate for the baker, if it was indeed possible, and deepened. I hope he's happy, she thought with malice. Because tomarrow morning, he won't be so happy. After a another moment of dark thoughts, Aibreann sighed and pushed them away, sitting down on the edge of her bed. Hate and anger were not natural feelings for her, and she disliked the way they made her think such cruel and ugly thoughts. Instead, she thanked the baker for finally giving her the courage to do what she had dreamed of doing for years now. Tonight would be her last night in this house. Smiling, Aibreann imagined the adventures she could have, free of the Doughnut and this village. She pulled out her carefully hidden boy's clothing, and also two daggers she had hidden under the floor-boards. The Doughnut had taken away one of her knives, but she was by no means weaponless, as he thought her to be. As she carefully took off her dress, she had to bite her lips until they bleed to keep from crying out. Gritting her teeth, she ripped one of her bed sheets in half and began winding it around her middle, wincing as it came in contact with her back. Once that was done, she pulled on the tunic and britches. Now came the tricky part: fitting her hair into the cap. Try as she might, she couldn't fit her long hair under it. She groaned softly. She would have to cut it.

Sodo

Diomachus wandered the city streets, wrapped in a dark cloak. The very sight of this large man was enough to see him in the crowd, but some disguise was better than nothing. He was to get out of here as soon as possible. He wasn't of course, a stealthy man, but he was the only one fit to do the job at the time. In fact, if you looked close enough, you could see blood splattered on the cloak. However, the darkness shadowed it and made it invisible to the ignorant eye. Then, the utter silence inside Diomachus' head was broken. "STOP THAT MAN!" A voice roared. Diomachus didn't think twice, but burst into full speed, knocking over a few people along the way. He soon found himself in the market, where he hid in an alleyway. Two heavily armed men passed by and he sighed, discarding the cloak, and returning to the outside, realized he was hungry. He walked into a nearby bakery...

KillerSlime

((wow, louie, you are good at the writing... i wish i was like that.))
Yuki returned home late that afternoon. far too bored to actually do something, he greeted his wolf, who was just then coming home from the forest awaiting his arrival, and went to sleep. he liked the shape of his house; it was not so blocky as the houses in town, nor made of thick planks of wood; it captured the twists of trees. he decided then and there that if and when he moved away, he would live in a tree. with a few homely objects and minor alterations, he could find a tree more suited to living than any stone creation. tomorrow, into the forest. early the next morning he wakes. breaking the loaf from the previous day, he eats just the end and gives the wolf some meats from town. together, they set off into the forest to gather the little things to sell, as it is never too early to prepare for the next trip; if he made sure to get it all early, he could spend the rest of the week studying, and staying up late watching the sky. it was nice, the way it faded to stars; there were too many lights in town, and so much hustle and bussle, that he could not see it from there. anyway, as Yuki and his wolf were going through the forest, he decided to scope for good trees during his search. as he was gathering herbs, accompanied by various animals lured by his magic, demeanor, and bag of treats(especially the treats), he saw a tree on the side of a steep slope, with a gradual climb up to it, that looked big and leafy enough. the main problem was this; how would he disguize it in winter? maybee if he grew a hollow portion of the roots to live in in winter. you did not need magic for that, and an evergreen tree that did not belong such would be far too conspicious for him. all you need for the roots is a large object; if he could find, say, a boulder to burry for a while he could make a large enough space to work with within reasonable disance from the tree. it surprized him; he was being rather practical about such a drastic change in living environment. it takes the rest of the day, but he and some magically enticed animals manage to find a boulder and bring it up the soft side of the hill to the tree. with it sufficiently burried, he sees the sun is going to set soon, and sad with the thought of that he did not collect enough fancy things and random litter from the forest to suffice the city dwellers paying him enough to survive. atleast he got enough to eat, there... he feeds the animals, because they helped and a rewarded animal is much more likely to come back to him the next day, and leaves, knowing that his once just aspirations are becoming reality. he arrives late, and sits outside until it becomes too cold upon which he goes in and sleeps.
the next day he gets up past sunrise, after it is light out. it's a simple day, the first half spent finishing the previous day's money-getting work, and the second spent resting for a night of watching the stars. he prepares his bedding for outside warmpth, then goes out to watch the stars.

louie9090

((killerslime: thanks... it's my natural calling lol. sodo: uh... where are you? 'cause if your in my village, you're a little late for the show... and if you are, but it's after, then make the Dougnut (the baker) really pissed off and stuff please Laughing Hard

wait, you're in Prazel right? nvm, then))
Aibreann picked up a dagger and sheered almost all of her hair off. The result was rather shaggy, but it made her look like a lad. Quickly, she tip-toed downstairs, and grabbed her cloak before heading towards the door. She paused, a sudden thought springing into her mind. Grinning, she went back into the kitchen, taking everything that could fit in her pack.
Aibreann crept out the back door, keeping to the shadows as much as she could. Finally, she got to the stables. It was tucked up snuggly against the wall, and she knew that there was a secret exit hidden behind a pile of hay. She slipped out, glance up to make sure the guard wasn't anywhere near, and sprinted towards the forest. She stopped when she was safely in the forest's deapths. Aibreann sighed with relief and started walking at an easy pace, trying to get as far away from Willow's Bend as she could. She was immensly pleased with herself, having gotten this far without being seen. She came to an abrupt halt, suddenly unsure of herself. If they catch me, I'm dead, she thought with dispair. Running away, posessing a weapon, impersonating a man, I'll be a wanted person by tomarrow, she thought. Oddly, the thought made her grin. A wanted person, an outlaw, she was now. "What a lovely adventure this will be!"
she said out loud.
((if you want us to meet, Yuki, now would be the perfect time!))

KillerSlime

the following day, Yuki wakes. his wolf, already roused, is inside, awaiting him. he goes in, packs some bread and things for lunch, his foods, various things, his book to read, any spellbooks for chance encounters(well, if people were there, he would want to be able to get them if he needs to.), and sets out for the forest carying his staff. a short ways into the forest, he notices some rather noticable tracks. (('~' for thoughts)) 'ugh... i hate this part... now i have to find an animal that is intelegent, and grant it propper sentience... that is rather draining...'. baiting an owl, who was just going to a tree, he asks. the owl says basically what he would have already known, that there was someone inexperienced with the forest moving fast through the woods. fearing poachers, or other harmfull people, Yuki ends the spell, takes a moment to regain his lost energy from the magic, and follows the trail along, covering his tracks and the tracks made before him so as to avoid being followed by either, and runs. a ways on, he encounters someone waking.((question break; do you run or fight? and if you want to write the next part, Yuki would run if fought, and chase if you run. if you exhibit cruelty to the nature, the proper responce from both Yuki and the Wolf is to strike, seeing as although he wishes to avoid trouble he does not want his future home damaged or with attention drawn to it. am i dictating too much? i just thought this was what my character would do...))
((edit; i am not going to be here much at all tomorrow... WYLD things to do(gotta love acronyms... Washington Young Lawers Division[the people who talk to the people interested in law, i am going to a thing they have because i am interested]) thing from 7am-9pm, in other words, all the day. or just 14 hours of it...))

louie9090

((kk... btw, i'm making your guy tall =P and sorry if i make your guy... not your guy, if ya know what i mean))
Aibreann sat up, rubbing tired eyes. Her usually morning haze vanished as she saw a man and a wolf in the clearing with her. Swearing, she leapt to her feet, grabbed her pack, and dashed out of the clearing. How did the find me so fast? She thought, risking a lookbehind her. She swore again and ran faster, weeving through the trees in an attempt to fool her pursuer. It didn't work, and soon Aibreann's breath was coming in short, painful bursts. I should've stayed and fought, she thought, franticly searching for a safe place to rest. She spotted a pine tree that didn't look too hard to climb up ahead. Putting on one last burst of speed, she launched herself at it, grabbing a branch and pulling herself upwards. When she was about halfway up, she peered down at the man and his wolf. He was tall, wearing long robes and carrying a finely-crafted staff. He stood panting at the bottom of her tree, looking at her. The wolf eyed her too, sitting next to the tall man. For some reason, the pair of them made her flesh creep. Sighing, Aibreann shifted into a more comfertable position. Something told her that she was going to be here a while. After a while, though, she got bored with their staring match. She took out one of her daggers and started carving little designs in the tree. Below, the wolf growled, and she said sourly, "What? I'm not going to throw it at you." But she put the knife away. Within seconds she was bored again. With nothing else to do, she decided to strike up a conversation with her 'captor'. She changed position so she was balancing on her somach, and said casually, "Hi. I'm Ai- uh, Aiden." She'd almost let it slip that she was a girl. "That's a nice stick you got there. I used to have one like it, but the baker snapped it in half and used it for kindling. Said not to waste my time with foolish things like that. But of course I had to argue with him, 'cause he was dead wrong. So I say a whole lot 'bout learning to defend myself and such, but then he started hollering at me to mind my place and respect my elders and some other rot like that. Then I did an extremely stupid thing and said that I couldn't respect somebody if they weren't worthy of it. Beat me black n' blue, he did." Aibreann paused to grin before continuing. "Of course, that's nothing to a few days ago, when he whipped me. 10 times, and not a tear," she said proudly. "He was all nasty afterwards, making me scrub the floors and such. He knew that I'd be sore, too, the creep. But I ran away from him, 'cause he was mean and cruel and stuff. 'Course, that makes me a wanted person, but it's a lot more fun then taking orders, and doing all the things other people don't want to do. People call that freedom too!" she snorted. "Freedom for them who don't answer to a fat old toad. Hey, I never got your name. What is it?" ((if you're on when i'm not, you can make me say stuff if you like, but keep it simple, and make it have the same 'accent' as i do lol))

KillerSlime

((yay, i am back early!))
yuki, after chasing the boy through the forest, unhappily sees him up a tree. rather than actually climb the tree, or get at him by some other means, he decides to wait. while he is waiting, he realizes he let his immage go and gives up on it entirely, realizing that if he ran then he obviously had something to fear from him and he would do better to keep that going for a while. people acted irrationally when they feared you, but atleast he would stay in the tree. then he did something very wrong; he was defacating the tree. it annoyed them, to be poked like that. and it annoyed him to have foreign patterns on a tree, it could attract attention. and the tracks, too. this was not a good day... then he spoke, and put away his dagger. maybee, it was time to pay attention.
after hearing him speak, he realized that confronting him was not a good idea. he was obviously inexperienced, and he was not realizing what a dunce he had been if he wanted to keep from being found. i mean, the tracks... had he ever been in a forest before? Yuki obviously had the home-turf advantage, and if push came to shove it only took a little magic to make him look hostile enough to attract larger, violent animals to defend the forest. well, a moderate ammount, but not enough that he could not get away afterwords... the boy was probably from that city. stupid city... the dwellers were vandals, even unintentionally, every time they set foot in a forest. then again, it takes alot of work to be able to adapt to the environment and to be able to go through a forest without disturbing anything... but still, they could be more considerate. but he cannot stay here all day... and he did ask a question, so it would be polite to answer... maybee, a little glorification? it never hurt anyone(exept when it did), and he could use the intimidation bonus. but what to call himself? noone really owned the forest, so he could not be the owner... he was a Mage, that was a start. and he did work in the forest... "Mage Yuki, caretaker of the woods. why are you here? and what purpose do you have? if you leave peacefully the way you come without doing damage, i will give you no qualm. but stay, and damage the forest, and you will have trouble escaping me. come, let us leave now. and i would like it if you would hand over those illegal weapons for the time being; it is not very nice to go arround defacating and harming the area to which you are only visiting." said a firm believer of 'when it rains, it pours'. there are times to be showboaty; why not go all the way? and it hopefully would deter the person and send them back to the city... if they could not go, then he would have to think of a solution... 'so sad that i do not believe in killing people randomly... i hope that he would just go away... then again, if i could entice the person, they seem desperate enough, and i could use some highly sentient help with things... peraps, he will be able to help in town. maybee, even handle the trips for me... perhaps, after quizzing him, i will ask him if he would like an aprenticeship... if only my wolf could gane the sentience for the position, but sadly, it cannot speak nor does it have hands... he said baker. maybee he can bake, thus eliminating the need to go to town much! nah, i still would need ingredients for the bread, all the other things...' he thinks all this, while considering if he overdid the showboating thing... he would never agree to the aprenticeship if he hated him.((your turn! you seem to be doing well with the dialouge-writing... my character intends to travel twoards his residince, and intends to keep the knives, if he can get them, until Aiden can be proved harmless. he intends to go behind, nagging whenever damage is done to the forest, covering the trail, and attemting to set the direction they should go in. i do not know, really, how your chara would respond to the small dialauge, and how she would respond to an offer of aprenticeship. and all that...))

louie9090

((stop saying she! i'm supposed to be a boy, remember? and thank you!!!!!!))
Aibreann studied the man below carefully, knowing this was the first of many choices that could lead to her death. He -Yuki- was a mage... no wonder he made her nervous. To buy some time, she said "How do you know these ain't mine? Well, even if they weren't mine, no way would I give them to you. And be left with naught to defend myself?" she gve him a withering look and continued. "Do I look like a fool to ya? Sure, I may not be a mage like you, with all your books and such, but i ain't a dunce, neither. And another thing... how do i know you aren't going't do any of your tricks on me?" Yuki opened his mouth to speak, but Aibreann cut him off quickly. "Don't answer that. Anyway, as for why I'm here, I already gone and told you. I already told you off on the daggers, and I ain't going to harm your forest anymore, not of my accord, at least. I know what direction I'm goin' in, but that's about it." She stopped to scowl. "Stupid baker wouldn't let me out of the village, even when he went to the big cities. Maybe you're not so bad after all..." Scowling not being her natural expression, Aibreann's face broke into a mischievious ((sp?)) grin. "I bet you don't even own a whip. Yes, I think i will go with you." She half fell, half climbed down the tree, landing in front of him with the grin still plastered over her face. And so my adventure begins, she thought, the grin growing wider. ((ok, i'm done... i was going to use one of my favorite phrases and say 'cat-like grace' but it sounded corny, so i skipped it. kinda short... but i gotta go write my part of the actuall story that inspired Aibreann lol. i'll try to be on later Very Happy

))

KillerSlime

((sorry... i kept on thinking she, but changing it to he. i guess i missed some in my search. i'll fix it))
Yuki was certaintly startled. he did not expect him to agree so easily. he decided that, with the aid of his wolf, perhaps Aiden could be allowed to have the knives. they were not nice, but he was apparently very desperate. the hard part was that knives hurt alot. they are very pointy and to be honest, Yuki does not like them very much. for all he knew, this person could be trained in fighting with them, or would use them on him and things like that. they would have to be removed sooner or later, unless this person could prove harmless. hehehe... he does not know when i am doing magic? for all he knew i could have done some on her already. but nah, not really. magic is kinda taxing. hehehe... but he does not need to know that. the sooner this 'wanted person' got out of the forest... they would still search for him. i guess, this is not a good time to worry about the sanctity of the forest. it's nice that he said he did not do anything big; if he had done something really bad to the government they might even burn the forest down. hopefully, though, he could get to the tracks on Aiden's edge of the forest and clean them up nice so noone would chase him into it. but for now, it would be best to take them out of the forest. his house was the best place, seeing as noone ever came there, and it was close. "one; you are not in danger here unless you make yourself in danger. two; you have no clue if i have or will do magic on you; you'll have to just trust me on that. three; you damage the forest every time you are moving. what direction is it you want to go? in most ways, the forest will only make you slower. and anyway, what direction would a fugitive have? they'll look for you running, that's what you would be doing, right? therefore, it is much safer to lay low. carrying knives, even if they are yours and you would be allowed, would make you look conspicious; would your everyday person be carrying them? and do the people chasing you know you have them? for now, let's go to my house. it is reasonably secluded, and it probably will not be checked." 'ugh... why am i helping this person? there are other ways of making him stay out. i could make him fear the forest. so i'll have to teach him how to walk, if he ever comes back here. in fact, why not start teaching him now, save everyone some trouble?' "come, and let me tell you how to walk here. it's pretty much just being aware of your surroundings, and being carefull not to touch the ones that cannot easliy take it. eventually, if you practice it, it will be second nature."

louie9090

Aibreann liked arguing with this man. He didn't yell like the Doughnut did. "First, I can stick my daggers where they won't be easily seen. And almost everyone carries a weapon, nowadays. Second, it might be fun actually getting to learn somthin useful. And third, if I'm going to your house, it don't matter where i was going b'fore." She smiled at him, just because she liked doing it. "What an adventure i'm having!" she said happily, hoping she didn't sound like an idiot. "If my luck don't run out, i'll have seen everything i want to see afore the year's out." She grinned yet again and said dreamily "Maybe even dragons!"

KillerSlime

"believe me, you do not want to see dragons... they are very large, and generally view smaller size classes as food sources. they are not very good in a discussion, either, because the fact that they could easily eat you comes into any real contraversy. there might be nicer ones somewhere, but it's best to stick with normal sizes." yuki thought this was a strange person... he wanted to see dragons, and he had no direction. who runs away without a good direction? atleast he had the sence to not come unarmed. and he grinned alot. happy people like him are often optimists, and in yuki's oppinon optimism clouded judgement. but life is going reasonably well. noone has tried to stab yuki or anything... and hopefully, people would leave him alone. he does not have much of a reputation, and to most people his house looks shaggy, shakily built. it is actually rather sturdy, and he is proud of his work, but it is not made normally. "i've never seen dragons, really, but i have read into them. it's best to be able to defend yourself very, very well before attempting to commune with one." he said, as they left the forest. "that's my house, over there. the one that looks like it was built from a few trees, put on top of eachother sideways and wrapped arround a square." fun little design, that. if you want, tomorrow i can show you the forest, and you can practice your walking. you seem to be taking to it well."

louie9090

Aibreann smiled. "It looks nice. The bakers house was made of stone, and it was so cold i couldn' feel my own toes! It's a lot quieter here then in the city... well, 'course it is, without any people or nothin' shouting at each other." She smiled even more "Or at me. it's nce not being yelled at all the time." she looked at him for a moment before saying "You don't look like the yellin' type. Most people who yell, you can sorta see they're all mean and nasty and stuff. but the fact that you ain't turned me in or nothing yet marks you as the not-yelling type too. Most people i knew would've yelled at me 'till i was deaf, finding out i ran away and such. and after they was out of breath from all their scolding, they'd probably take a whip to me." she said all of this with the grin still firmly in place, although she winced slightly at the thought of getting beaten again after she'd been whipped only a few days earlier. All of a sudden, she was terribly hungry. She grabbed her pack and riffled through it, bringing out a slightly smushed doughnut. She smiled slyly at Yuki. "I decided i needed the provisions more then t'Doughnut did. he must be havin' a fit, finding me and a lot of his stock gone." she grinned at the thought and bit into the doughnut.

KillerSlime

"ha! if i had to live in the city, i would probably yell at people too. and, you have bread? every so often i have to go to town to get it. it's nice that you have enough to feed yourself; i would hate to have to go to town to buy more. i just was there a few days ago. not a very nice place... how on earth did you get the baking aprenticeship, if you did not want it?" he said, pondering how people actually get into those things without it. "oh, and make yourself at home." the main features of the house are a old, wooden bed with bedding in one corner, a table with bread in the center, a pile of random things such as foods and things to sell in a corner, and in a third corner a collection of books on various things, magic and stories. "can you read? i have alot of books you could look at, if you want. tomorrow, i can show you what is done for money here. most of it is just finding things people want in the forest, then selling them." it surprised him how much he had to say. he had not really talked to anyone in quite a while, aside from haggling for things, and decided that maybe, later, he could catch up on current events and things. he would be glad with someone else to share the gathering task with, even if he would not be able to send Aiden to market. ah well... tomorrow, we shall see what happens. hopefully, this new person will make good company. he seems to share the dislike of the city and it's inhabitants. tomorrow, perhaps i will show him the plans for the new home, and see myself how the roots have been growing. maybe even start work on the top of the tree, as a potential living space... alot to do. it surprized him how much fun it was having another person here, to talk to and to teach. maybe he could even learn to bake! however, he would have to find a new bed or something. sleeping outside, while fun, could get cold, and is not quite so restfull.
((what should happen next, i wonder? perhaps, something to make people move... your turn!))

louie9090

Aibreann looked at him shrewdly. "The Doughnut says it was a debt my parents left unpaid to 'im when they died." Yuki looked like he was about to say something. "Don't. Everyone says they're sorry, but they really aren't, so you can stuff it. I'm not even sorry 'bout it, except the fact that they left me ta deal with that stupid baker." she paused, a familiar sound reaching her ears. Yuki seemed to hear it to. "Oh..." Aibreann said before stuffing the rest of the doughnut into her mouth. "I think now would be the time fer you ta show me around that house or yours." she said. He quickly lead her to the ramshackle hut, shutting the door after the wolf padded in after them. He looked at her questioningly. "Look, i ain't going't explain it now, but they won't know what i look like in these clothes. Pretend... pretend i'm your apprentics or somethin'. that aughta get him off out back quick enough." She saw a table piled with books, and pulled a small stool over to it. Yuki took a chair and sat down, opening a book and begging to read it out loud when the door burst open. The wolf growld, but made no move to attack. A stout young soldier stood there, looking around him with distaste. "We're looking for a lone girl," he said gruffly. "There is no girl here, as you can see. only me and my apprentice." The man looked at first Aibreann, then Yuki, and then around the room once more. He nodded and said "Aye, i can see that. You see her, you don't let her get away, hear? She's a wanted person." and with that he left. Yuki turned to stare at Aibreann quizzickly. She squirmed uncomfertably and said "Uh............"

KillerSlime

meh. so he's a she. well, best to get that over with early. now, i know. not much difference there... but, she lied. i exadurated. were about even, ne? and if pretending to be a boy is keeping me out of a conspiracy, then all the better. and she is already attempting to disguise herself, that is good if she wants to study that. the soldier was disconcerting, though. if they have armed search parties, this 'Doughnut' person must want this person back, and that cannot be good. if she is found out of all these felonies, then he would be cited for conspiracy, and if it was found that he knew Aiden was a girl, then he would only be deeper in trouble. it seemed the longer i spend with this Aiden, the deeper i get in the conspiracy. i see that going away is seeming all the more appealing of a choice... so, she never had a family. why did she stick with this Doughnut? she had no debt to him, and he had no proof that her parents had a debt. but, touchy subjects are best left untouched. it all made alot of sence, really. who she is, why she ran away, pretty much everything. the soldier was here to recapture a slave that was lost to someone. so, there's slavery now. all the more proof we are on the brink of war, if the people cannot sort it out. and that she had not trusted him made sence, he had not trusted her and in the oposite situation he would have trusted him less. wow, this is turning into an akward silence. time to break it! "well, that makes sense. i think i understand. anyway, if you were an aprentice, it would be one less lie to account for. so, howabout it? i guess i'll go to town tomorrow, to get new beddings. so, all set?" if there ever was an akward silence, ignoring the problem always seems to break it. and he was going to ask anyway, this gives an excuse. "oh, also, would you be opposed to living in the forest? i've been looking there as a prospective home for when things heat up in the cities."

louie9090

Aibreann hesitated. she hadn't expected him to understand, let alone let her stay. she twidled idlly with one of her short strands of hair, thinking it over. after a moment, she sighed and said "I don't care. being an apprentice might be kinda nice, but there's a bit o' a problem, see... i don' know how ta read."((tehe, that rhymes!)) there was a stunned silence. Aibreann just played with her hair, watching Yuki. "Oh, and me real name is Aibreann." well, he knows i'm a girl, so why shouldn't he know my name? she thought, waiting for him to say something.
((that's all i can do right now, i have to go walk the dog and stuff. bbl))

KillerSlime

"that will not be much of a problem... the books are mainly for entertainment or magic. to start with, i was thinking simple survival training and learning how to live in and make a living in the forest, unless you want to start with something else. and if you want to read, i have plenty of letters here to study. nothing too easy, mind you, but it would be enough to get you started recognising the characters atleast. after the alphabet, words are reasonably easy, just collections of letters." hum... well, she would probably learn to read eventually. it's simple enough once you have been doing it for a very long time, and anything nececary until then he can read aloud. another thing for the apprenticeship; first teach mundane things, then reading, then magic? that seemed a good order. it's best to know what to do without magic. the real question is, tomorrow, to the forest or to town? she would not be welcome in populated areas, and would be voulerable to searches when she was alone, and probably bored, seeing as she cannot read, but he cannot really sleep outside forever. i suppose, though, that it can wait. you never know what will happen next...especially with wanted people.((now i also have to run...))
((back from school.)) alot of people would think this is not a good setup, and to be honest, yuki did not think that it would certainly work out. people are weird creatures, after all, and nothing ever goes the way you want it. a illeterate, female mage would not be accepted well. in fact, alot of things are not accepted well. ah well... life is like that sometiemes; just wait and see.

louie9090

((sorry i haven't posteed in a bit... i was brain-dead. and this won't be so good 'cause i'm so depressed... Very Sad

))

"Oh." Aibreann said. "I don' care. As long as i dont have ta bake nothin' She made a face. Finally getting a chance to look around, se saw that the hut was small, and not very orderly. She'd have to sleep outside... meh, she didn't mind. anything would be better after the cramped, dusty room the Doughnut had given her. She dug into her bag, bringing out another doughnut, this one with sugar all over it. Grinning, she took a bite. It was amzing how hungry that little disturbance had made her. "You wan' sumthan?" she asked through a mouthfull of food.

KillerSlime

"i'm fine with just this"he said, gesturing to the loaf of bread."it's the same kind i have been eating for years. i believe i have grown quite accoustomed to the taste." hum... it was getting late. tomorrow would hopefully be a better day, without the soldier. hopefully, nothing big happens overnight... "well, it is getting late. goodnight" he says as he starts heading outside, grabbing a blanket on the way. "it's not much, but you can use the bed. it's... a little old."

louie9090

((not dpressed anymore! wOOtness! now i can actually write somethign worth reading! double wOOtness!))
Aibreann choked. After a few moments, she swallowed the food in her mouth and began to laugh. "Old? ya think that'll be a problem fer me?" She'd slept on a mattress filled with moldy straw and bugs. "That's a good one! i couldn't be bothered if it was made o' stone!" after a while, her laughter died down to giggles.
((g2g))

KillerSlime

night happens. in the morning, Yuki wakes. he enters the house and starts preparing his forest things, then goes outside to eat breakfast and wait for Aibreann to wake. as she comes outside, Yuki jumps down from where he was sitting, a llittle up the roof, and the wolf comes from arround the corner. "today, to the forest. you remember the way, right? and make sure to walk carefully; if you make too noticable of a trail, not only will it not be good for the area, it will also make you trackable in the forest, and any search parties would find it and thus find you." 'straight to buisnees, i guess... a nice way to go.' he thought...

louie9090

Aibreann shrugged "Look, i'll jus' follow you, and then tell me all that again. i ain't any use in the," she yawned before continuing "morning."
((lol, shortest post ever! but i really got to go now, i'l be on around 9ish)

KillerSlime

((yay! 3 interchanges a day atleast! that will be fun. 2-person goes much slower, but more happens...))
the conversation was pretty much nonexistant on the way to and through the forest. Yuki reexplained what to do, and they successfully went back to her trail, while he showed her how to cover a trail such as that. then, he showed her the various plants and things in the forest that sell for alot. there would be enough extra, after this, with some savings, to get new sleeping supplies. that would be nice... this day is being pretty quiet, relatively. he was pleased he was not attacked in the night, although she still had the knives. maybee, something interesting will happen today, too.
((to be honest, i cannot really think of how to advance a story... while remaining within my character's preset dispositions... or what event would be good.))

louie9090

((no worries... i can do that. but now my characters short attention span will come into play =P))
Aibreann followed him around the forest, and at first payed close attention to what he was saying and what he was showing her. But as the day wore on, her mind began to wonder. She hoped nothing like yesterday would happen again. She'd never admitt it, but that encounter with the soldier had been really scary for her. Shuddering, she pushed such thought to the back of her mind and tried to pay attention to what Yuki was showing her. At least we did most of the important stuff earlier, she thought. After a few more minuets of following the mage, Aibrean said "I'm hungry."
((longer then my last post! yay!))

KillerSlime

"Did you pack some of your breads? there are the edible grasses and plants in the forest, but it is always best to have something like that to eat. actually, this is a good opertunity. we can go sit at the spot i've been attempting to prepare in the forest, as that is something i can show you without either of us having to move much at all."he said, leaving the task at hand and determining the direction. "it should be... that way, by my calculations. so, shall we go?"

louie9090

Aibreann shrugged. "It don't matter to me, s'long as we can eat." So she followed Yuki through the forest, again. After a bit, he stopped at a huge tree. She raised an eyebrow. "This where we stoppin'?"

KillerSlime

"but of course! it's a fine tree, isn't it? it could support people well among it's thickest branches; it's good hiding. you would be surprised how few people would look up. it looks like a nice place to live; i've been thinking of relocating here if the war ever heats up, or maybee without it such. the world is a changing place, but the forest generally stays the same for lifespans. noone really comes here much. the problems would be the food, books and things from town..."

louie9090

"Yea, well, it is a nice tree... i guess... an' can't you hunt or somethin? and don't you own a whole lot o' books a'ready?" Aibreann examined the tree more closley. it had a rock shoved beneath it's roots. and it was a biiig rock, too. how in the Goddess's names could he have moved it by hisself? she wondered.
((there's more then one god... hehe, too lazy to name one... wait, nvm, i've got a name!))

KillerSlime

((weird english ghrammar rule... when pluralizing things that end in s, just say ~s' instead of ~s's...))
I can hunt, but you will find that it does little good in the long run. the animals, if they see you killing like that, will view you more as a threat than they would otherwise; though they are not that intelegent, they can attack in large numbers. they also have a hard time distinguishing between humans; we're all hairless bipedials that wear clothing. though they are not nececarily going to notice so much, it is always best to keep on good terms with the other inhabitants."he said, finishing his lunch. "if you remain on good terms with the animals, then they will not attack you, and can warn you of impeding danger. here" he walks over to a tree, and waits still with a nut from his bag in his hand on the ground. "watch this. see how a squirrel is coming? they need space and you shouldn't startle them, but they are friendly enough." very, very slowly, he lifts the squirrel. he takes out another nut, holding it out slowly to Aibreann. "you try; i'll bring him over. remain very still, and his claws may hurt a little, but if you can tolerate it, you'll see the point." he slowly moves the squirrel twoards her... ((when in doubt, add a squirrel. uncultured animals are actually much frienlier than the animals in town, unless they have been domesticated; the ones in cities have already encountered many humans, and it was not pleasant for them. the other squirrels still very uncertain, and squirrels will still run to the far side of a tree if you move fast at all, but they are not quite as afraid or vicious as park squirrels.))

louie9090

((ick, stupid launguage we have... and nice bit of trivia... you ever seen the article about the evil Russian squirrels that ate a dog? it's ooold, but pretty amazing. and i won't drop mr. squirrel, i promise Very Happy

))
Aibreann liked bigger animals, like horses or dogs, better then little woodland creatures, but she decided to humor Yuki. she still liked animals of any size. they didn't expect too much of you, only that you live and let live. she took a deep breath, relaxng her muscles. she found that horses warmed up to you quickly if you were calm, because if you were tensed up, they might think something was wrong. Aibreann had learned from years of sneaking out that horses and other animals could sense things. the squirrel watched her warily, but then gingerly slid onto her hand and took the nut. ((ok, you think of something nature boy... lol. i don't know much about squirrels. just call me dragon-obsessed))

KillerSlime

((i do not know that much about squirrels... i know that they generally do not spend too much time being idle, and will deal with buizness then leave... most of this is just running on what i do know, other than that, i know very little... but who says fictional squirrels have to act exactly the same as real squirrels? that would make a usefull excuse...))
the squirrel, content with it's nuts, sat there munching for a short while; after it had finished, it scampered across Aidreann's arm and jumped to a tree. "do you understand? even if someone had come along here, and tried to kill the squirrel or if the squirrel saw a person trying to kill an animal, the squirrel would have had a bad impression of us, and that goes for larger animals as well. not to say that i would not rather have the squirrels friendly too, mind you. for instance, if a larger carnivore was coming this way, the squirrel would run. it would not be here to run if we had scared it; little things like that are very nice to have. on another note, perhaps if we started a garden here, that would help the food problem... and it's not like going to town would be imposible, but it would be slightly more difficult. so long as noone would follow either of us here, it would be resonably safe. what accomidations, if any, would you want to put here? i'm assuming beds in the trees, and some kind of insolation or something to block the wind with... if we could blend it in with the trees, that would be good. i've always liked a natural feel to houses, anyway... tables would probably not be nececary, something to protect the books, perhaps in underground storage... something easily disasemblable. we'd want to take it down, for winter, because it would get a little cold among the winds and things. a nice, small underground winter area would work well, seeing as it would be protected by the tree and as such would not attract much snow and would be sheltered from the breezes..."yuki thought aloud alot. he did not talk to too many people, so speaking aloud was a way to speak often...((i know i use elipsies alot, even though they are discouraged, but i like them as a mechanism for writing as i would speak, with all those small pauses, trailing off...))

louie9090

((do you mean these things '...'? 'cause if you do: in case you haven't noticed, i'm rather fond of them also... although, too much in a story makes it confusing. trust me, i learned that the hard way <.<))
Aibreann, not being interested in what Yuki was saying, decided to explore the tree. It was massive, so odds were something interesting would be tucked in it somewhere. Now, if only i could find it... she thought, poking around the roots carefully. that way, if Yuki happened to yell at her, she could say she wasn't hurting the tree. having a good argument was always a good idea.

KillerSlime

Yuki, after realizing he was being ignored, which took him a little while, he walked up next to Aidreann. wondering what she was doing, he walked up and asked "what are you doing? i do not think there is much there...(now i have to run))

louie9090

((ok... i can work with that lol))
Aibreann glanced at the mage and said "Just pokin' around a bit. no offense or anything, but tree's ain't that interesting, unless you're poking aroun' them." so far, she'd found a few nuts and an intersting looking rock, which she'd shoved into her pockets. she heard Yuki draw breath to say something, but she cut him off. "I'm bein' careful, don't worry." she continued poking around, and found a rather small flower tucked under one of the smaller roots. "You worry too much, if ya don't mind me sayin'. You can't worry all o' the time, or else you can't have no fun." she grinned, studying the flower more closely. "An' in my experiance, it's best to have fun when ya can, 'cause you never know when some ol' fat groutch is gunna harp on ya."

KillerSlime

"but withought safety, you would not have a certain, good future. you can plan and avoid people you do not like that way. although, curiosity is perfectly normal, and it's my favorite way to learn. if you don't look at things, then how would you know what you see? if you do not eat things, how will you know how they taste? never discount things. but when i look, there is little under trees besides rocks, dirt, roots, and the occasional nuts. there is never much of anything else."

louie9090

Aibreann sighed. this was going to take a while. "you still don't get it. it might be 'cause you're a mage,no offense or nothin'." she dug the rock out of her pocket and showed it to him. "See? i found this under one o' the roots."

KillerSlime

"in my oppinion, it is a rock. it has the same general properties as so many rocks before it... and it probably will not change. if you are interested in rocks, there are more interesting ones out there; if you find any ones that are particularly interesting, they sell for more to people too lazy to go find their own rocks. but rocks are mostly rocks; after a while, they all are just that. but if you like them, then they are a fairly mundane thing to collect..."

louie9090

"Humph." Aibreann really needed all her will power not to smack him. What can i say that will make him understand? she thought, shoving the rock back into her pocket. She continued poking around until she found another rock, but this time it looked like a little ball of fire. She rather liked it, and decided that she knew exactly what to say. "Not everythin' is what it looks like," she said. He frowned, obviously not used to youngsters telling him what was what. "You on'y see teh value. look at this rock... it's jus' a plain ol' rock, yes, ans pobably no one would want it, 'cause it ain't made of flint or nothing like that. but it'll be usefull, someday. Ev'rything usefull at one point or another." she pocketed the rock and continued her search. she was determined to find something besides rocks on nuts, even if it took her all say.

KillerSlime

"i understand that. that is what illusion is all about. but also, there is accepting that while everything is in and of itself unique there is not enough time to look at all the individuality of rocks; rocks are rocks, plain and simple, and there is not enough time in a day to look at every one. that would be something to do with imortality, but being human beings, there is not quite enough time. but, everyone has their own views as to well-spent time..." this is strange. she pulled rocks from arround the tree, and treated them differently than other rocks... this makes little sence, aside from the fact that she may feel as though she has more time than she thinks she does... but if she is enjoying herself, then it is not quite a waste...'

louie9090

Aibreann was running out of room in her pockets. She was about to turn away when something caught her eye. she bent to pick it up, and found that it was rather shiny. Smiling, she put it in her pocket. That was a day well spent, she thought.

KillerSlime

"it's getting later... perhaps it would be a good time to go home. then tomorrow there will be time to get everything new that we need, and it would probably be enough time to carry it all back..." he started walking in the direction of town. "what do you think of that? you probably do not want to be in town...

louie9090

((uh... don't you mean in the direction of home?))
Aibreann shook her head. "No, town don't sound like fun ta me, but i could always wait fer ya somewhere." She followed him, trying not to crush anything. After a few minuets, the rocks and things in her pckets started to get uncomfortable, so she took a few out to look at. The one that looked like fire was made out of dark stone, almost black. she turned it over, and found little specks of white dotting it's surface. she smiled. "A two-faced rock," she mumered to herself.

KillerSlime

((direction home~cirection town, right?))"hmm? did you say something? well, we're pretty much there. let's have an uneventfull day, shall we? tomorrow, it's just town, and an early bed today. should i leave early in the morning, before you wake, if i wake first?"

louie9090

((ok...))
Aibreann snorted. "You'd have ta wake up pr'tty early to go afore i did. but i don' care, really." she grinned."who knows? maybe i'll even sleep past dawn, fer once. 'Course, we won't know that 'till mornin'." she shoved the rocks back into her pockets.

KillerSlime

not sleeping past dawn? yuki thought that was pretty extreme, to restrict that of someone. sleeping schedules should be mandated by the sleeper; anyone imposing unsafe sanctions would be intruding on their personal health, and wellbeing, right? but, if nececary, he could make himself get up earlier. all it takes is thought... so, same arrangement as last night! an uneventfull rest, on yuki's part. early rising, as he had resolved to the previous night, he comes inside to find...((a cliffhanger!))

louie9090

((tee-hee! just like my friend who i'm writing a story with... she's an evil author. she's got too many cliff-hangers))
Aibreann was sitting cross-legged on the floor, with everything she'd gathered yesterday spread out in front of her. She grinned at Yuki when he came in. "Mornin'." he looked surprised to see her up and dressed. She'd woken up before dawn because her back was hurting, but it wasn't so bad now. "You got a stream or some'in 'round here?"

KillerSlime

"hum. turns out you did find some very nice rocks. that flower will not last even in it's state for long, though. if you flatten it, maybee, but not like it is. so, shall i go to the town, today?" he said as he packed his to-bring-to-town equipment.

louie9090

((you didn't answer my question lol))
"I ain't going into town, so i don' really care when you go. and you didn't answer my question," Aibreann said, picking up her things.

KillerSlime

"oh, that. there is a stream, a little ways behind the house, that runs into the forest. carefull, though, that you aren't caught; besides what they have done to you, i could be charged of aiding a fugitive, and quite a variety of unpleasant things. anyway, i'm off!" ((sorry, i assumed that things such as this were assumed done... that must be too much assumption. Anyway, i'll just assume that my character has been fairly cleaned and such in the past few days, being atleast average cleanliness.)) Yuki walked to town, knowing it was a little earlier than normal. he went to a cloth store and bought new beddings, and to the normal places for the normal things. the bakery was being a little slow, but they served just the same, and all in all it was a quick day. the walk back was fairly quick, too, and he arrived home easily before sundown.

louie9090

((lol, but i'm planning something. and this'll be when you're gone, i'll write more when you get home))
Aibreann walked towards where the mage had said the stream would be, careful not to disturb anything. She got there a little while after the sun came up, and saw that it wasn't very wide, but fairly deep. Glancing around to make sure Yuki wasn't around anywhere, she stripped off her clothes and gingerly stepped into the water. It was a bit cold, but it felt good on her back. She twisted around to examine it, and saw that the wounds were a little swolen and red. Great, she thought. It's not healing right. Just what i need. She'd have to ask Yuki about it later she supposed... but she did try to wash it as best as she could, even though it stung. When she was clean, she got out and realized that she didn't have anything to dry off on. "Oops," she said outloud. She sighed and put her clothes back on, still dripping wet. It would be uncomortable, but it was better then waiting to dry without anything on. She started back towards the hut, her back starting to throb. Yes, she'd definately have to ask Yuki about it.
((ok, pick up when i'm like in the hut or something))

KillerSlime

Yuki walked in to a slightly damp path on the floor. a mostly dry Aibriann was sitting in the lone chair, poking the books. when he approached, ((next part subject to extreme removal)) she said, "Y'got anythin' for makin wounds heal right? jus' wonderin..." to which he pulled out a book from the stack, flipping to a page and saying "you remember some of the plants from the forest, the ones we saw? well, some of them make things heal better. some we may want to get from someone who ships in plants from other regions, if you need it, but most simple things can be found arround here. not much aloe or anything, though... but we can look for some tomorrow. for now, a few simple things should help, if you need it." he pulls a few things out of his poket, some things he kept with him normally. "the main thing is to apply pressure, and to clean and dress the roots. healing with magic is a little hard, and slightly more dangerous, best to attempt only if you are in peril, and some things can be healed with time, and the pain dulled with a few herbs. nothing much beond that is needed. although, next time you need to dry your clothing, the sun is the best for that. magic's innificient, cloth doesn't go far, ovens work but take fuel, you understand, right? natural is a nice way to go, for drying. oh, and i plan on staying inside today, is that alright? i got some cloth bedding for me on the floor, which nothing more is needed beond.

louie9090

((lol, you did my 'accent' pretty well for a first-timer Razz

))
Aibreann shrugged, making her back throb all over again. "I don' care, it's yer house... and thank you."

KillerSlime

"your welcome. remember, the important thing is cleaning, binding and not stressing it. anyway, how would you like to finish the day, letter practice? or another early sleep?"

louie9090

Aibreann didn't feel like sleeping yet, so she answered "Practice." of course, she didn't say what kind of practice, so if she got bored she had an excuse to go do something else.

KillerSlime

"very good. <pointless monolog>you've heard of vowels before, or capital letters? they are a nice place to start. this is an A. it looks like a triangle with things on the end. you can remember that. E is just a comb, and I is a line connecting two other lines. O is a circle and U is a curve on it's back. i know it makes no sence, but that's the way it is. they have lower cases, as demonstrated here; a, e, i, o, an u. the o and u are just smaller...((etc))</pointless>

louie9090

((you weren't kidding about that lol...))
Aibreann was actually kind of interested in what Yukie was saying, for a while. But then Yukie began explaining the rules, and Aibreann didn't care much about rules. Heck, she was breaking one right now, wearing men's clothes. Pretty soon, her mind began to wander. I wonder how the baker's doing without me slaving away for him? she thought. I wonder how the horses are doing... i hope that man got punished for treating his horse like that. the poor thing was half starved and covered in scratches!

KillerSlime

"so, do you understand the alphabet? it's a little tricky at first, there are two of them and it's hard to know which, but it's a general concept nececary. or were you even paying attention? ah well, tomorrow is another day. into the forest, i expect!"

louie9090

((omg, i just realized i spelled Yuki wrong twice... sorry))
Aibreann blinked. "Uh, sure..."
((lol, short 'cause i'm brain dead and can't think))

KillerSlime

((um, yeah. night happens. then day happens. very simple that way. after all, it would have to be midwinter in northern alaska or the like for night to happen after night... and, i am sure that i misspelled your character's name and misplaced your characters apparant gender more times than that...)) Yuki is waken by Aidreann waking, standing unsteadily. he proceeds to quickly prepare for a day in the forest, being straight and to the point, but still waits for Aidreann to wake. he plays arround a little with the wolf((who has played such a minor role in the peacefullness aside from asserting the mutual fighting power...)) then greets Aidreann, moving away twoards the forest as if he expects her to follow.

louie9090

Aibreann wasn't completely awake yet, so she lagged behind him. Mindless work, she could do in the mornings, but anything requiring the use of her mind was basicly out of the question. She was aware that he was talking to her, but she just nodded every once in a while and he seemed content that she was listening. She wasn't, really; she was looking at the path, trying not to step on anything and keeping an eye out for anything interesting.

KillerSlime

"... and that's the last plant you'll really need to know. you understand? good! now, howabouts, today we start thinking about the tree... just something. unless you want to study more letters, of course."

louie9090

Aibreann nodded. still nothing interesting on the path...

KillerSlime

after they reached the tree, yuki immediately grabbed a stiff branch and swung himself up onto it, to get a better view of the tree... "no bird nests, that is good. enough room here to put in a floor... simple thick wood would probably work best... and walls can be held up by branches... probably very thin ones... the canopy above can help, and all we would need is a wooden screen or something for when it really poured... what do you think, Aidreann?"

louie9090

"Well, i don' kno-wait, you're askin' my opinion?" she asked. it had never occured to her that not every man was like the baker, or every other man in the village.

KillerSlime

"well, if i move, i'm assuming you're moving. unless you want to stay, that's fine, but i've always liked the forest, and i'm sure it is one of the safest places for a fugitive to live. i'd want a second opinion on what would be comfortable, and what you would like here, to make it more homely, another opinion on structural integrity and how it would work, everything. remember, it's hard to live somewhere you have no choice over! so, what do you think? come up here and look arround! it's not that hard of a climb, if you climb by the trunk on low branches. i'll help you if you want, but if you need help getting up, then steps shall be considered as an adition... generally, whatever you want here within reasonable doubt and budget is fine with me."

louie9090

Aibreann looked at him shrewdly. "course i can climb a tree." she climbed easily up to where Yuki was sitting. "See?" she said triumphantly.

KillerSlime

"that was simple enough to not need stairs or a ladder. so, now that transportation is established, what do you want here?"

louie9090

"uh... well... i don' care?" Aibreann had no idea how to build a house, or why he needed her opinion. he seemed to know what he wanted to do, and how to do it.

KillerSlime

"hmm... then that's all set. we can put the walls wherever we need them and the floor can go wherever! a house that is moveable. that will be good, but drafty, but in the cold season we can move underground... perfect! tomorrow, shall we start construction? we will need wood... chopping down trees would require an axe, and disturb the peace, so we can buy some from town soon... yeah, tomorrow is not a good day... then, i'm going to spend the next day or so preparing the money for wood. it's amazing what people want that's in a forest, and it's amazing that noone's found it, but i would rather keep it that way..."

louie9090

Aibreann examined the tree as Yuki thought out loud. It had braches that were intertwined near the top, but other then that, it looked like any other tree. Why Yuki had picked this one instead of another, she would never know. It didn't look like anything special to her.

KillerSlime

"hm... i wonder how far it is to town..." Yuki climbs up the tree, to the last point where his weight is supported. "huh... it's not too far, not too far at all, but it's far enough into the forest so as to not be casually observed... if there ever was something big in the city, this wouldn't be a bad vantage point, but it'd have to be rather big..."

louie9090

"whaddya mean, somethin' big in the city? like somethin' bad big or somethin' size big?" Aibreann asked. she thought she knew what Yuki meant, but she wanted to make sure.

KillerSlime

"well, i initially wanted to come here if war broke out. it's always good to view the ongoings in town; if someone was leading an army here, or if there was a big celelbration, it would be good to know of, wouldn't it? it's a way to keep safer. a long scope of sight..."

louie9090

"See, if we had ta watch an army come marchin' in on us, i wouldn' stay 'round long enough to watch it," Aibreann said before adding "Unless it was ours, 'course."

KillerSlime

"there isn't really a mine or yours, in war, i'm told. either one is big trouble, either one is just as bad. there would be too many of them to house, probably; they'd want all the resourses, and to undercharge the peasants for it. they think they deserve it; they've been working hard. there may be good soldiers, even the majority of them, but with that many people, you're bound to get a few bad eggs."

louie9090

Aibreann nodded "Well, yes, or else there wouldn' be no war."

KillerSlime

"that's debatable. war is often about resources; there's not enough to go arround, people need things, so they must fight. it's not always just random fighting. there's more to war than i ever want to experience..."

louie9090

"yea..." she paused before saying "Did ya hear that?" Yuki listened and said "It sounds like..." Aibreann finished his sentance. "Horses."

KillerSlime

jumping, suddenly attentive, he looks arround... a ways off, along the edge of the forest, a handfull of soldiers were riding twoards the city. "this is not good at all... where there are some, there are undoubtably many... well, we'll have to watch them... later, though. if the commotion is big enough, it'll make noise... just proceed about our normal buisness here in the forest..."

louie9090

[[i;m booooooooored, as usual...]]
Aibreann looked at him asi if he's grown two heads. "Go 'bout our business. Go 'bout our business? Are you crazy, or jus' stupid? I ain't gunna sit here while those dang soldiers go killin' ev'rybody in there! Heck, i might not like 'em, but i can't watche 'em get slaughtered. I'm gettin' out of here." She climbed down the tree

KillerSlime

"if you don't want to watch, you could turn away... but i suppose you're right. but let's go about it prepared, okay? i don't want to be caught on the end of a swoard.." grabbing his spellbooks and things, he and his wolf start moving into the forest, then split up. the wolf veers off twoards the right of the city, while he turns twoards his house. "you coming?"