|
Forever Onward:: For Life.
This is a role-play between Vivienne and myself. The general world is an overall fantasy setting with heavy magical influence. The technology, customs, justice system, and anything else could vary substantially from place to place. With that very detailed explanation done it is time to start role-playing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- She was slightly disturbed to say the least but it was a little late to get off now. The light craft accelerated to speeds faster than anything Adel had ever experienced. It was a wonder none of the passengers ever flew off, but after noticing that the sail filled with a non existent wind Adel could only assume some sort of magic was being used. Most of the other passengers were below deck for the vary reason she was not, the full experience of desert sailing. After several minutes the air blowing over her face had her eyes stinging and her face slightly numb. It was no wonder why the driver wore protective goggles. Adel's shoulder length light brown hair continued to be tossed in the winds and any styling it once had has been undone. Another five minutes of this abuse and Adel decided it was time to gather with the rest of the passengers. The wooden stairs creaked as pressure was applied to them. Adel made her way down the steps while combing her hair with a very elegant dark purple comb causing tiny sand particles to occasionally fall. Even down here it smelled slightly of desert weed, the plant their driver continually smoked. Though she did not actually mind, it has a sort of sweetness about it reminding her of some of the flowers back in her homeland. After furiously brushing her hair for a little longer she looked up and began summing up each person on board. Not that she expected to find anyone as capable as herself, and most appeared to be simple travelers needing to hop to a different village or travel across the desert. |
Though there was one that caught her eyes...
It was a rather rough looking young man, perhaps in his twenties. He was too built to be a mere traveler, and his golden skin and canvas clothing spoke of someone native to these arid lands. His attire, was in fact, rather old and mostly deteriorated. No was shirt left, just some bandages around his abdomen and right shoulder. There was a rather shredded drape of sienna tan muslin that was a pathetic attempt at remaining to be a vest of some kind. The whole ensemble gave the appeal of a ruffian or thug, but his stern face spoke other wise. Especially those bright crystal eyes. He sat somewhat apart from the others, not participating in their plant-created pleasure. His eyes seemed to gaze past the table they were directed towards. He altogether seemed to be somewhere else. What thoughts or memories caused that pensive look of his, only one could guess. The only movement that came from his was from his thumb that softly stroked the pommel of his falchion which rested near his side. |
Adel now made it her point to get to know him better, it was obvious that he would be only interesting company here and she had no one to talk to even if he was spacing out at the moment. She got up and careful made her way over to him, sitting down to his right.
Looking at him again she noted how different his clothes were than hers, perhaps he was a native. It was obvious she did not belong here, she wore clothing meant for a wooded environment. A dark green long-sleeve shirt with light brown pants and a dark leather vest and that was after she removed her coat which now sat stowed away in her pack. "Hello.", She said after a moment of sitting, "I am sorry to interrupt your thoughts but perhaps we could pass the time of this ride by talking. I was wondering if you are a local here or just visiting and if you knew the town we were on our way to." "Oh and my name is Adel." |
It took him a bit to notice Adel had placed herself by him. Her initial greeting was completely lost on him. Though as she continued speaking, he finally jerked out of his trance. The young man's sudden jump knocked his blade clattering down on the wooden floor. "Ah!" He gasped, then went to pick up his weapon. His eyes turned toward the lady at his side and he swallowed. Pulling the falchion on to his lap, he gripped the handle, repeatedly loosening and re-grasping his fingers over it's cool leather wrapping.
"Uh..y-yeah. I'm from around these parts. And yes, I know Susel. I actually have a job through there, just on my way with some of these guys to get our payment." He explained. His words had a slight awkward, or nervous flare to them. "Ah..sorry, I didn't catch your name. What did you say it was?" |
She noted everything he said especially with his talk of a job. Adel watched as he fumbled with his sword and proceeded to place it on his lap. The entire display was a little pathetic and was one of the last things she would have expected to see from this man.
"Adel", she repeated for him, "Sorry again for surprising you like this. So Susel is how you say it, good to know. What is your name?" Now being so close to him it was obvious that their ages were close when she realized this Adel took a new interest. His eyes were something else, it must be a desert heritage thing. "Oh and what is this job you have to do, does it have any other openings?", Adel asked with a smile, trying to play it off as simple conversation, "That is if you are fine with discussing it here." |
He nodded at her repeating her name. Listening to her continue on from that gave him the moment he needed to collect herself. He hated how jumpy he became around women, but he never seemed to be able to shake the affect.
"You're fine. I'm Liam." He answered. Seeing that she was studying him somewhat, Liam ended up do a bit of the same. She definitely had to be from some place northward. Her skin was much to pale, and soft for that matter, to have lived more than a few days in the blistering hot sun. Her hair was a bit of an unusual color as well, to his eyes. Most of the people around him had very dark brown to black, which did make his sand colored hair stick out. This similarity they shared helped make Liam a bit more comfortable with Adel. Though, this was only slight. Judging by her attire, Liam was sure she had to be well off. So what did she need a job for? Liam grasped the back of his neck pinching it together slowly. "Eh, it's not the sort of work a lady would be involved in, miss." |
At his last comment Adel smirked, it was obvious that Liam did not know who he was dealing with, "Nice to meet you Liam. Also I am sure I could handle myself out there."
She patted her hip which holstered a polished silver pistol with a antique dark wooden handle, it appeared to have a little use in its lifetime. Afterwords she nodded in the direction of her pack where two sword hilts could be seen just behind the leather bag. "I have been traveling by myself after-all.", Adel said before adding, "I might even be more suited than the men you have on it right now. Even if I do not seem the type I assure you that I am a mercenary by trade." |
"Well that seems a pity..." He started though more to himself than to Adel. Liam took note of her weapons, and her over-confident attitude. "Look, I don't underestimate you capability to protect yourself well enough...but this job isn't you're typical merc work either. I guess you could call us 'Pest' control of sorts, but it's neither man or vermin we hunt. There's a reason no one travels these parts unless by sand sailor, and it's not just because of the heat."
This one was a strange woman, indeed. Liam had seen his fair share of ladies who boasted their equality--perhaps 'greaterness'--to men before, but not one to this extreme. It donned on him now that she was dressed rather like a man with a touch of feminine flare. Realizing this, he had a bad feeling that she was going to wedge her way in one way or another. She had targeting him, and he'd taken the bait on this one. He only hoped now that the truth might convince her otherwise. |
A frown covered her face after this. 'What is it... some sort of creature in the desert?', Adel thought to herself, 'Whatever it is I am sure that I can handle it.' There was a force inside her that was welling, a sense of pride and the thrill that this challenge could offer.
Then a smile worked its way back on her face and she continued on almost playfully, "What is a pity Liam? That I travel by myself? You could change that Liam if you really wanted to." It was all she could do not to give a chuckle after what she said, for the moment Adel put the denial of her involvement on this 'job' aside for the moment. She was most interested in how Liam would respond to her words. |
There was nothing Liam could do to stop the blush from appearing on his cheeks, which completed his look of surprise. 'Damnit! Why am I such a child around women?!' His mind retorted. He quickly looked down to recollect himself, and clasped his hand together.
"You mistake me, miss. I meant it's a pity that woman should find herself involved in merc work at all. Seems like an awful waste to me." |
Seeing him blush slightly and the look of surprise plastered on his face had her grin growing. After collecting himself Liam corrected himself and Adel saw many different ways to twist his new comments to a more personal light but decided not to tease the poor boy to much.
"Well it is quite alright. I enjoy it, the thrills and sights of new places have always interested me. That and the blood pumping rage of battle.", Adel paused before changing the topic, "So, Liam, do you think that you would have time to show me the proper place to get some new clothes before we go off to do this job of yours?" |
Liam glanced at her as she spoke. The more she said, the more that bad feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. It made him sigh when Adel tried to cleverly weave in her intent to stay with him. Why him? There were plenty of other guys she could picked, but something had drawn her to him. Maybe it was the fact he was pretty much the only one not puffing away on a reed pipe. He pulled a hand down his face, tugging down as it went, resting over his mouth. His jaw tensed. Though, Liam could not explain why he was getting so worked up; especially over someone he'd just met. He could only guess that it was because he was still stressed...still a bit on edge over losing...'You damned fool. You had to run off and get yourself killed! Tch...and now I'm picking up your old job...well, filling in your shoes at our job.'
Liam's eyes were closed, as he sat in silence brooding over dark memories. It took him several minutes to notice the slight throb in his brow from it being pinched together. Messaging it some, he turned his attention back to Adel--who he'd briefly forgotten was there. "Look. I can tell you're going to do as you please. But I'm not going to have any part in putting anyone else in danger. I will show you around town, if you insist, but not anymore than that." |
Watching as Liam run the hand down his face and slowly slip into a silent thinking state caused Adel to raise a brow and dim her smile. She waited patiently until he finally answered her questions. Hearing him deny her of the opportunity to join the job really pushed her buttons, Adel was used to getting what she wanted. Though there was hope yet, perhaps she could convince him during their walk in town it was probably best for now to change the subject.
"Thank you for agreeing to show me around town, I appreciate it. As far as this dangerous job goes those who put themselves in the situation should be fully aware of the consequences. I put my life out there practically everywhere I lay my foot seeing as I am a woman and having breasts just another two reasons for men to doubt my abilities making it hard to find serious work at times. I assure you if you change your mind about letting me in on this job that I fully acknowledge the possibility of injury or death, you need not feel any personal attachment to anything that might happen." Adel let the words sink in just a moment before continuing, "With that said I would be glad to change the topic, perhaps to a lighter tone. I am curious about you Liam, and the rest of this crowd would offer me little more than a stick of desert weed to enjoy on the trip. If you do not mind me asking, have you lived in this desert your whole life? Have you traveled outside of it at all?" |
'Nosy woman...' Liam paused. Not many had asked him questions about himself. Well, not many who were actually interested in him and not just what he could bring to the table so-to-speak.
"Yes and yes. I couldn't tell you where I was born exactly, but I grew up with a tribe of nomads...for a while. That was before." Liam started but drifted off. His bright eyes scanned the ground to find the right way to collect his thoughts into words. Though perhaps there was more behind those eyes. "I was recruited by a group of..um, fighters so I traveled to various parts with them for a time. We eventually found our way back to Susel and picked up some odd jobs til we found this one I'm still on. Beyond that there's not much to tell." His gaze drifted away and his jaw set for a moment. Then he turned back to Adel. "What of yourself? How does a woman of your kind find her way this far south?" |
'That hesitation tells me that something might be different than it seems from this group of 'fighters' has more to than Liam is letting on...', Adel thought to herself. No matter how she pieced it together she made no progress into what Liam could be hiding. Her intrigue was caught, and despite the unease that lingered in her gut Adel was determined to go on this job whether invited or not and find out more about this group.
"Interesting. Well you should really get out there and see the world, there is much more than just this hot and arid desert. I am from a place full forests and mountain ranges, seeing everything so flat is very foreign to me. I have traveled for years now, I guess what brought me here is it is something new.", Adel seemed to be thinking to herself as if looking for more to say. In truth there was more than just that, Adel was looking for something or maybe even someone she was not sure, "Well it is good you are in a group, strength in numbers right I bet it is fun to adventure with your buddies." |
"Tch..." Liam caught himself before he could start to finish his thought. 'Buddies? She must think I was talking about these guys. Heh, guess I'll just use that to my advantage for now.'
"I'm not sure I'd call what I've been doing adventuring. Though, I suppose there's not too many dull moments on the job either. But don't tell..." He continued, but stopped for a moment as they hit a few sharp bumps. The sailor lurched towards the left as it made a swift turn. A few of the smokers fell from their seats and stumbled over each other. Liam gripped his things to keep them from slipping, and inadvertently grasped part of Adel's arm holding her in place. His expression changed. He glanced upward toward the main hatch then over to the woman beside him. "We must be getting close. Sand's getting choppy...you're gonna want to hang on to something." |
Adel lurched to the side as the 'ship' took a swift turn and Liam's arm kept her from falling out of her seat. She was not used to the sharp turns and the bumps that this type of travel was associated with.
"Oh but I've already got something holding on to me.", Adel answered after Liam told her to hold onto something. Liam seemed to shy away a bit at that but before he could get to far Adel interlocked her arm with his and with her other hand she reached out for her pack and dragged it to her side. Gripping the strap on the top tightly Adel was not about to let that start sliding around everywhere. With her space secured Adel thought out good it was good to hear that they were close, Adel was pleasantly surprised that this vehicle actually traveled as fast as their driver claimed it did. In her mind Adel began to imagine what Susel would look like. Though she had seen many places never had Adel been to a desert. |
When Adel locked her elbow with his, Liam shook off his initial reaction. Despite only having just met maybe half an hour ago, it was beyond clear to him that this woman had made it a point to push his buttons...well, at least the one she knew of at the moment. But, all the same, he had told her to hold on to something, and he figured himself as good a 'thing' as any. After readjusting his own belonging more securely, he fixed his gaze back towards the main hatch.
The sand sailor gave the passengers a little more tossing and turning before slighting into port. Most of the men below--who were not as fogged as they could be--sat in a sort of sleepy, yet idiotic stupor. Liam didn't seem to mind. He was rather used to it now, and in truth appreciated the lack of attention he gained from it. Finally, when the ship reached its destination, the captain threw open the hatch calling down to the human cargo below. "'Oy! Disembark you stoned dogs!" This sent a few elongated jeers out of the mouths of some of the slightly more sobered men. Liam gave a slight, annoyed eye roll and shifted to get up. He slipped his arm free of Adel, but helped her get to her feet. Anyone's first time on one of these peculiar rigs was bound to get 'sand legs' to some degree. Once he was certain she was stable, Liam slung his pack over his shoulder and headed for the stairs. He paused when reaching top deck to take a deep breath of the fresh air; free from the smoke of below. A sharp breeze whipped past, which helped set him at ease. Liam cleared the stairwell and waited for Adel to finish surfacing. His clear eyes scanned the busy docks. Like always, the crowds moved and shifted much like the waves of sand he was leaving behind. To even further the image, much of everything around--down to most of the people's clothing--were tans, yellows, cremes, with the occasional red, white, or green. There were a few dots of black scattered around as well, though that was mostly reserved for the city's guard. Liam noted the realization that most of the adobe dome-like buildings were harder to see from the docks, all being so low to the ground. Very few were multistory, and the ones that did were sparsely decorated. Just weathered designs from mosaic tiles that had all seen better days. |
Adel was glad to have the help getting up and to the exit of the vehicle, especially with the weight of her pack adding an extra element to the balancing act. It seemed many of the smokers had a much harder time than her and Liam had. From the disembark calling it sounded much like the pirates on the open ocean. Which made her think how different sand legs are from sea legs.
Now standing on the deck of the transport she could see out into the desert city. The people went about their daily lives moving between dome shaped buildings worn by the constant bombardment of sand. It was amazing to Adel that people would want to live in such a barren place. Without the cooling wind of movement Adel quickly felt the heat of the desert sun upon her skin. She was already starting to sweat in her current outfit which was obviously not suited for such places. "It is sooo hot.", Adel complained, "Why would people willingly live here... It always surprises me where people decide to build their houses." With that she wiped some sweat off her brow and and took a deep breath of the fresh weedless air, "I can't wait to get into something more comfortable. I really hope there is a place close by." Everyone was shuffled off the ship and into the docks. Adel easily noticed that everyone around them seemed to be giving her strange looks, probably because of the clothes she was in. This was nothing new to Adel, and she easily ignored the inquisitive eyes. |
Liam smirked a bit as the made their way out from the docks. "You must come from a very cold place to think this hot. Today's actually kind of cool."
He didn't wait for her reaction to start merging into the thick of the market crowd. Part of him chewed over various plans of how to get to his employer for his payment without Adel following him. Though, these thoughts were passive as most of his concentration was focused on picking his way between the mob of townsfolk towards the closest shop. He hoped that he could get her situated with purchasing her new attire and make his quick departure from there. Liam crossed over to the shop's entrance and turned to wait for Adel. She was actually right on toe, which impressed him. His eyes followed her as she walked past him into the store. Liam stepped in after, keeping by the door. He intended to watch for a moment to make sure Adel was satisfied with the selection and prices before making is...escape. To stay out of the way of incoming customers he leaned against the wall. As he stood quietly, he felt a touch of anxiety start to grow inside him. It set him rather on edge, though he could not place where or what the feeling was from. A subtle throb at the back of his skull, minute enough for now to go completely unnoticed but grew warmer steadily. Though, to the outside observer, nothing was going on out of the ordinary with the young man. He stood quiet and reserved waiting for Adel's attention to turn away from him just long enough. |
"I guess I do come from a much colder land, I don't suppose anyone here has seen much snow.", Adel said as both of them began to merge with the people in the street.
She easily kept in toe with him, while Adel was not used to this city she had been in many before and it seemed once you were used to navigating traffic in a city that skill carried to other places. Once inside the building Adel knew that Liam might try and sneak away from her, after all he was not wanting her to be involved in the slightest with this 'job', but there was little she could do if he decided to just run. So she did not worry about it, instead walking right past his position at the door and browsing around. The prices were just fine here, while she did not have their currency she studied what it was worth before venturing out here. The coins she did have on her though probably would be enough to get her two good quality outfits. |
As Adel perused the shop searching for the clothing of her liking, the feeling grew and nagged at Liam. He shifted up away from the wall, growing restless. The compulsion to get moving...to literally run...set his legs on fire. Trying to keep calm, Liam paced casually. But this did little to help. The throbbing on the back of his head now was to the point his whole head pulsed. His hand jerked up to scratch at the low of his back. At what he felt, he tensed and his eyes widened a bit. "Shit." He blurted out beneath his breath.
Without hesitation, Liam crossed over to a display case of cloaks. Finding one made to his size, he took it over to the shopkeeper's counter only to find Adel was already ahead of him. He winced inwardly at his oversight, but there was nothing for it now. Though, it was going to make things complicated... |
If Adel was anything it was a fast shopper. Buying frivolous things such as clothing or even base line supplies was one of her least favorite things to do, though on the occasion she got to buy something nice she would make up for time not spent. This time she had extra reason to finish up her shopping. Looking to the door she saw that Liam was not there anymore, slightly annoyed she looked around only to notice him behind her with a cloak.
That put a light smile on her face that he had not run away after all, "Yes I would like these and I will pay for the man behind me." Adel stepped to the side and grabbed the coat Liam was holding, placing it on top of her stuff, "I do not have your currency yet, but I assume you will trade yes? I have here coin from my country, made out of silver." With some bargaining Adel was convinced that the trade was fair enough. She might have been overpaying a little, but that was her fault for not going and getting her currency exchanged. After placing the folded outfits in her backpack and handing Liam back the cloak he had bought she waited for Liam to lead the way out of the store. "Where are you off to now Liam?" |
"Wha-wait!" Liam started as Adel opted to include his cloak in her overall purchase. Normally he would have pressed the point, not letting her do so, but his mind was still rather preoccupied.
Once Adel handed him the cloak, he swiftly threw it on donning the hood. The throb of his head was gone now, but the spot on the bottom of his back was burning to the point it took much of Liam's will power not to try and scratch it off. Clenching his fists at his side he walked out into the crowded street. "Where are you off to now Liam?" He paused a moment. "Away from right here. Look you shouldn't be following me right now. It'll cause..." Liam trailed off with a sharp intake of breath and stopping in his tracks. 'Shit!' He didn't have time to think. If he didn't act right then they would see him. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed on to Adel's wrist and forced her over to a thicker part of the crowd near a few vendors. Continuing as fast as he could he pulled the both of them into the first alleyway he came to. Still acting on instinctive impulse, Liam held Adel against the wall placing one hand over her mouth. He cautiously peered out towards the busy path trying to spot and track who he believed to be pursuing him--much like a prey mouse keeps track of an enemy snake. |
Adel was still smirking from Liam trying to stop her from paying for his purchase as he said that she should not be following him. Next thing Adel knew she was being dragged through the crowd into an alleyway. Before she could open her mouth to say anything Liam's hand was over her mouth and pressing her against the wall. Her heart was racing from the experience and a flare of desire filled Adel which she quickly attempted to mentally beat down.
Liam looked back towards the crowd they had come from, as if watching for something. Adel glanced over in response but only saw normal people going about their boring lives, nothing special. Over the initial shock of something like this happening Adel now waited calmly for Liam to release her, it was obvious he was not taking any other actions against her so why struggle? Besides his attention was focused somewhere else not on her. |
| All times are GMT. The time now is 06:03 PM. |