Return of the Emblem Chapter Eleven: Unleash

[Mercakete]

As he was relaxing, watching the pegasi graze, Norbert heard some sort of commotion nearby. Glancing sidelong over to where Aneda and Hannah were, he was soon looking full on in that direction. There was some woman talking to Aneda and that was probably her pegasus nearby. She was talking to Aneda, so she probably wasn't hostile -- which was good, since he didn't feel like fighting at the moment -- but she was definitely not someone he recognized. How many mercenaries is Raquel going to bring on? And just how many have we picked up since leaving the fortress? How are they finding us? Just another concern he'd have to address later.

That pegasus, though... He'd heard of black pegasi, but hadn't yet seen one. He was certainly impressive. I have to keep an eye on Rizen and Rika for now, but I'm definitely going to have to talk to that woman at some point. I missed my chance to talk about desert breeds back in Sanctuary -- I'm not passing this one up. For the time being, however, he just reclined onto his elbows and let himself take deep, slow breaths. It was a fairly peaceful night and he intended to enjoy it while he was at this easy task for Luka.

[ReformBlade]

Looking at the pegasi in a bit of disbelief but fairly certain this wasn't actual aggression of the menacing sort, Aneda returned her attention to Calumeina, "Lumi, ok, works for me. If you're not comfortable taking your partner into battle, don't feel pressured. Hell, if he's not used to it, it'd most likely spook the shit out of him, Hannah's my Pegasus from when I was in the military for the one brief year. I'd assume she's simply used to it at this point, but I certainly try and go out of my way to not get her harmed. That said, I trust her to take care of herself even if I'm not always aware of the danger. We watch out for each other."

Completely caught off guard by the headbutt and his approach it seems, Hannah neighed in surprise, backing off a little and stomping the ground. What a rude dude! She sort of chomped at the guy, not sure what it'd accomplish but chomping all the same. She was tempted to fly off, but no, she wouldn't get to see his entrancing coat. Glorious.

[scorri]

"I, uhm," Lumi blushed slightly, "I think he's trying to flirt with Hannah. He hasn't been around grown pegasi since... well, since over a year ago. And since he was so young when we left home, I don't think he has any clue what he's doing. But if I had to guess---" She was interrupted as Star Hunter came and headbutted her, nipping at the pouch she had attached to her belt. "What? I gave you sugar not long ago. What makes you think I'll give you another treat?" Star neighed and tossed his head towards Hannah. "What? I... oh, well fine. Here you big dummy." Lumi reached into her pouch and handed him a lump of sugar. Star Hunter carefully took it and walked over to Hannah where he gently placed it by her feet. Standing back up, he neighed triumphantly. Surely now she would see how wonderful he was. Lumi giggled watching all of this then paused as a look of slight horror came onto her face. "I hope you don't mind that he's doing this! I can get him to stop if you do, I just thought it was amusing and didn't think to ask you. Please don't get mad at me, it's just been so long since I've seen anyone who has a pegasus, I've completely forgotten my manners."

[Snike]

"Wasn't intending on it," Blake responded back icily, as the knight walked away. Damn, was he mad, after that exchange. It was like talking to a wall, at points. He took a moment to at least mask his expression with one of indifference, then returned to the camp and began to help with setting up the tent. Maybe that would distract him.

***

Alright, Lumi took off, now time to ask about the bandits.

"Are you folk expectin' any trouble tonight? I know you must've been attacked earlier on today, judgin' by what Lumi said, but we weren't sure if you just scared 'em off or or not," Pete said, before the sound of a flute reached his ears."And if it is the case, idiot over there's gonna give your group's position away."

[-Cynthia-]

Connor

I have no idea how to teach magic, especially the combat kind. he thought to himself, but he decided not to mention it and just continued pondering Faatina's lance.

Nadya

Nadya continued attempting to arrange the tent poles. She thought she was almost done, but then realized the remaining poles didn't fit together at all. "<Son of a bitch,"> she muttered, starting back from the beginning.

Veronika

"No, I'm not expecting who we fought earlier today to be following us. There's always the possibility we might be attacked of course. Our group is large enough to deter most bandits, but also large enough that anyone looking for us has little trouble finding us," she admitted to the man.

Edited May 25, 2013 by -Cynthia-

[Phoenix]

Camp

Oh look, another distraction for you. That's convenient, no?

Mmm ... Raquel picked herself up as Gytha began to head off and then said, "Hold on, Gytha," hoping to stop her before she was out of earshot. "I'll hear it now. I can't do much else right now anyway. Lead the way, but don't take us too far from camp. This area's anything but safe."

Reign glanced back at the damaged wagon and frowned a bit. "I guess the Dauntless won't cut it anymore ... not exactly." When it became clear that they had to start over, Reign almost laughed. "Why don't we mark these for future reference once they're figured out?"

Mushirah meanwhile managed to get up and asked if she could help out in some way. Shadrak could think of two good things right off the top of his head, helping with either setting up camp or hunting, though he felt a bit awkward about sending off a tired and hungry person to hunt with a shot put. It could have also gotten lost, so he didn't even mention the hunting thing in the end and instead stuck with camp setup. "Well I can see some people helping to set up the tents. We could help out with that to try to keep our minds off food for a bit." Then a thought occurred that he was so surprised at, that he said everything aloud. "Wait, we have tents and haven't used them yet?!"

[Snike]

"I have my blade handy, so we can just carve into the sides of them," Blake said, in a near monotone. He began to help with resetting the tent poles, so as to continue to distract himself from the earlier argument.

***

"You'd be surprised what bandits would try," Pete responded, dryly. "Right then, I suppose I'd better sleep with one eye open. Anyone in your group who we should be aware of, in the sense that they're dangerous?"

[Mercakete]

Gytha had only taken a couple steps into her wandering, when Raquel told her to stop, at which point, she did. Apparently now was a good time after all. That did help Gytha's mood some. With a nod, the mariner led Raquel to a secluded spot that wasn't too far from camp, but far enough for her to feel relatively secure with what she was about to share.

"Thank ye fer havin' me along. I know I can be trouble sometimes," Gytha started the conversation with a bit of a sorry smile. That changed to a serious frown, however, as she continued, "What I'm about t' tell ye ye can't tell anaone else, though. This secret o' mine could cause a lot o' trouble if word gets out about it. Yer me captain, though, n' have been fer a while now, so ye have a right t' know. N' I think...I realla owe it t' ye t' tell ye."

[roymbrog]

“Yeah, I can help out with hunting. It might be kind of hard to spot stuff at night, but… Well, actually I think Volga could help since it’s dark,” Kat replied. “Umm, friends what?”

[Snowy_One]

"Hugs are always necessary. What can I say? I'm a physical person when it comes to displaying my emotions. At least... Ummm... With the girls. I'm not so sure about how to express myself to boys. This doesn't matter anyways. We have books to shelve!" said Tia, dismissing the topic as she went back to putting books into the shelves.

---

"Are we friends? And do not worry. I know how to spot at night. It is not hard once you know what signs to look for." said Robin encouragingly.

[roymbrog]

"Oh, that's what you meant... Well yes, I think," Katrina replied. She didn't let her other friendships dictate who she was friends with most of the time, but it did feel weird being on good terms with Robin after the confrontations she'd had with Zachary. "So, did you want to leave now, or are others also going? We should probably get at least one more group if we want any chance of feeding most people."

[Snowy_One]

"Either is fine. If we get more people we lose time and people may be asleep, but more food. If we leave now, I may catch something while most people are awake, but we can carry less. I would like to bring one of the mages along, but I do not know whom."

[-Cynthia-]

Nadya

"Er yeah, good idea," she responded to Blake, feeling a little embarrassed. Weird Ursian tents... she grumbled mentally.

Veronika

"Almost everybody here in dangerous, in the sense that they can kill you if you give them a reason to. There shouldn't be anyone you need to worry about though, we don't attack people unless they start it," she assured him. Her mind recalled a few incidents like Rook and Robin and Gabriella and Shadrak, but he didn't need to hear all that.

[Phoenix]

Camp

From the sound of things, Gytha was about to reveal something important and very personal. Raquel was both honored and very unnerved but kept a straight face for the most part, or at least as straight as she could manage in her condition. "Okay, I promise to keep this just between us, Gytha," she replied, her attention dividing between the matter at hand and her ever worsening hunger pains.

Meanwhile, over by the makeshift tent assembly line, people were still working and the suggestion of marking the poles with a knife came up. Reign replied saying, "Sure, just don't cut too deep, and either use numbers or shapes for them."

Edited May 26, 2013 by Phoenix

[ReformBlade]

Helping with tents seemed like a good idea, and apparently her only option. "Well, let's do that then." said in a rather sleepy yet cheerful voice. Taking some weary steps towards those building tents, Mushirah spoke up a little, "Hey, anything we can do to help you guys out with this?"

Laughing and holding her stomach since it was hurting from said laughter, "Lumi, Lumi, dear, it's fine, ahahaha!" Aneda spurted out, "Really, if he's flirting, I think that means Hannah's still got it goin on, ya know? You go girl!"

Hannah was less amused than her owner. Amused, but just a little less amused. The other Pegasus was able to produce a treat, something Hannah wasn't really expecting, but did give it a lick and decided that it wasn't a trap. Neighing in the utmost of pleasures, Hannah flapped her wings rather softly towards Star hunter, very pleased was she.

[Mercakete]

Gytha gave Raquel's promise a bit of a nervous smile as she nodded. "A'right, I'll trust ye on that."

That said, Gytha took a deep breath, then began, "Well, ye see... Fer me whole life I've had a close bond with me father. I'd always be waitin' in port, dreamin' o' sailin' with 'im n' lookin' forward t' when he'd pull inta port. He always had th' most amazin' tales t' tell! Tales o' close calls, distant, strange lands, n' even just day-t'-day ship life. He was always kind t' me. Easy-goin' man, though it'd ruin his reputation if word got out about that, heharr!"

The mariner's face glowed with the fond memories. "Never once did I doubt he'd return when he was out at sea. He's a strong man with a good crew o' strong people. Never disappointed me either on that. He's th' one who gave me me bandana n' me pistol." Gytha's smile faded, however, as she went on. "I haven't seen 'im in years. Ye see, one day I managed t' join me first crew. Th' captain was an old shipmate o' me father's. I was so excited... But... Right superstitious crew, it was. Because o' th' myth o' women bringing bad luck t' ships, I was blamed fer th' days we had without wind. It got so bad that a fight broke out among th' crew, some wantin' me cast off n' others -- th' captain included -- defendin' me stay."

Gytha's brow furrowed. The next part of her story she was clearly bitter about. "Our side won, but when we stopped fer supplies near Fairgale Port, I was left b'hind. Didn't even realize it until I came back n' th' ship was gone." She relaxed a little, though still wore a grimace. "So, I went t' Fairgale n' took work as a mariner. Knew me way around a ship well enough n' I could use a sword n' pistol. I was angry at havin' been double-crossed by those good-fer-nothin' pirates, too. As I worked fer th' merchant ships, though, I began t' see th' other side o' piracy... How it hurt those just tryin' t' make an honest livin'. Even if some were a bit grumpy from their troubles, they were mostla good, honest people."

Her frown deepening, Gytha's eyes, which had wandered to the ground, went back to Raquel. "See, I'm not a pirate...anamore. Never actualla committed ana acts o' piracy either while I was on a pirate ship. I grew up in Stubbsgrit, a pirate port city. N'... Me surname's Thirdgem. Not sure if it means anathin' t' ye, but...me father, Captain Reese Thirdgem, is a famous n' feared pirate. N' bein' a mariner, I kill pirates. So, I haven't known what t' think o' 'im since I started fightin' pirates t' protect merchants. He's a good man, but...he's still a pirate."

Resolve hardened in Gytha's eyes as she pushed the complicated thoughts to the side. "See, that's why I can't let anaone know about it. I don't want t' be used t' bring harm t' me father n' I don't want t' be hanged fer bein' 'is daughter. N'...that's why I started followin' ye. Ye n' yer father have such a strong bond...r'minds me some o' me n' me own father. I guess I figured if I could help th' two o' ye, there was hope fer me n' me own father. That n' I couldn't stand t' see a father n' daughter with such a good r'lationship torn apart. I'm sayin' all this now, too, b'cause... Well, I thought ye'd appreciate knowin' that yer not alone. Yer father joined up with yer own set o' pirates. I know how that feels."

[scorri]

Lumi just managed to turn a brighter, deeper red at Hannah's reaction. "Uhm, really now Star, not now. You just met her. I'm sure she thinks you're great, but leave the poor girl alone!" Turning back to Aneda, Lumi glanced over at the man laying down next to two pegasus. She smiled at Aneda and said cheerfully, "Well, it was nice meeting you. I'm going to go introduce myself to that rider there. You can come if you want!" Walking over to Bert, she paused and then said with a deep breath, "Hi, uhm, are you Norbert? Veronika said that I was looking for a man with blue hair who went by Norbert, but I don't see anyone over here with blue hair and since you're the only other one by a pegasus, I figured that you must be him. Are both of these pegasi yours?"

Star had heard the order to back off, but saw no reason to. She was clearly starting to like him! Now was not the time to leave! With a snort at Lumi, he turned back to Hannah and casually attempted nudge her neck to see what she thought of him.

Edited May 27, 2013 by scorri

[Mercakete]

Norbert looked up to the lady that addressed him. Huh. That's interesting. Guess she wants to talk. "Yeah, I'm Norbert," he replied before sitting up and, from there, standing and dusting himself off. Blue hair, though? Eh, I can see how she might mistake it for that. Crossing his arms and nodding towards Rizen, he answered, "The one with the black leather armor's mine." Technically it was charcoal, not black, but he didn't sweat stuff like that even if the author did. "I'm watching the other for one of the other riders. Any particular reason you were looking for me or did you just want to talk pegasi?"

She was talking to Aneda earlier... It probably has to do with pegasi...or their riders. He was a bit uncomfortable that she asked for him by name and failed to say her own. This was especially true since most of the people in the group didn't tend to use his full name, instead just calling him "Bert."

[scorri]

"Hi, uhm, Veronika pointed you out. I'm Lumi, and I just joined up with you guys along with Pete, my friend. I was just wanted to meet you because, well, it's been a long time since I've met other pegasus owners. I like to hear about how other people take care of their pegasi in hopes of picking up some tips or passing off some knowledge of my own. I used to help train pegasi but then... well, then Star Hunter and I started traveling on our own, and now we're here. And oh. Veronika didn't mention another rider... What's their name?"

[Mercakete]

That was odd of Veronika not to mention Luka or Luke or whatever his name was. She seemed pretty thorough usually. Maybe she was just distracted. It sounded like this rider would be travelling with them for a while. He also felt a little better since she said her name. "'Star Hunter', huh?" Bit flowery, but it is a nice name over all.

Norbert looked back over to the stallion. He seemed to be showing an interest in Hannah. "He seems to be in good health. You obviously take good care of him. He has an interesting coat coloration, too. I've heard of black pegasi but this is the first time I've actually seen one. I'd appreciate anything you can tell me about them," Norbert complimented, agreeing to the exchange of pegasus info before moving on to her actual questions, "The other rider's name is...Luke? Something like that. It may have been Luka. He's around here somewhere. Long, pink hair. He's resting right now, but he'll turn up for Rika eventually."

Feeling the need to clarify, he did so. "Rika's his pegasus. That's her over there by Rizen. Rizen's mine, though...I never actually trained her," he admitted, his face shifting from neutral to a slight frown. "She was wild when we met and I never really felt the need to change that. She obeys me and knows riding commands and such, but she still pretty much does whatever she wants." That reminds me I should see about picking up a chain of my own so I don't have to keep borrowing one whenever I have to tether her...

Edited May 26, 2013 by Mercakete

[Snike]

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to weaken the poles themselves," Blake said absently, as he continued to work. The carving would come once the tents proper were pitched.

***

"Right, well we don't intend on starting anythin', so that's good to know," Pete said, before finally extending his arm. "As my companion said, I'm Pete. Hope our travels are uneventful."

[Eail]

Zach had been dozing for most of the trip, there really wasn't anything else to do and there certainly wasn't room to be practicing his magic in the wagon. Once they finally stopped though, he was more than ready to be out of the confines of the Dauntless. Exiting out of the front near the driver's seat and stretching, the sage noticed that a certain fox woman was seemingly resting on the top of the wagon, just the person he needed to talk to. Hoping up to the roof of the wagon, he sat opposite of Kit, cross legged and chin resting on his palm until he was noticed.

____

Luka, on the other hand, had been sleeping heavily. Not even turning until the wagon had come to a halt at it's destination for the night. Long hair a mess, and having trouble staying awake, the pinky slowly got out of the wagon. Cradling his stave in his arms, he walked a bit to find Norbert talking with some other people "Hi Nor...*Yawn* Norbert, do you know where Rika is right now?" The healer asked while rubbing the sleepies out of his eyes with his sleeve.

[Ether]

The fox-woman didn't give much reaction to the approaching sage... a slight twitch of the ears as he came close, and as soon as he was deemed not a threat, back to a deeper slumber she went, tails flickering about in the breeze.

***

Now to try to find something to do whilst weaponless... which means training was out of the question. Deciding to make her way over to the tent-pitching gang, as there didn't seem much else productive to do at the moment.

"You guys need a hand?"

***

Seems that privacy wouldn't be acquired within the vicinity of camp... that was lousy. In that case, Arietta would need bring her trusty maul along with her as she changed into something presentable... hopefully find some sort of stream about to wash up in, and if anyone would think to encroach upon her in the process, well their bodies could have a nice, tender date with hard steel.

[Mercakete]

Speak of the pinky, here he was. "Hey Luk..a? Are you sure you got enough rest? You still look like you're about to collapse..." Norbert asked, his brow furrowing in concern for the younger rider. Admittedly, Luka looked a lot better than he had previously. Now he just looked sleepy.

"She's over there, though," the other male pegasus rider relented as he pointed Rika out. They weren't that far away, but it would still take some walking to reach the pegasi.

[Eail]

"Oh...*Yawn* thanks for looking after her." Luka said with a tired smile "Who is the new girl though? I haven't seen her or a Black Pegasus like that around here before."

_____

Well, Kit had reacted for a moment to his presence, but it appeared the woman had no intention of waking up just yet.... Despite probably being able to kill hi with a simple flick of her wrist, the fox girl looked to be pretty open at the moment, with the way her tails were laying about, those things had always interested him. Did they feel like a normal foxes? Were they actually organic or part of some strange dark magic artificial limb? Well, only one way to find out....

>Touch fluffy tail