[RP]Obake Blade

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo looked up to the aeromacer as she approached. "What exactly happened, do you know? Where'd the bandits come from?"

[Dark_Lady]

"I don't know where they came from," Hoshiko replied. "All I saw them doing was dragging Xan off and whacking him over the head when he said 'hey.' They must have tied him up before I got there. I must confess I am rather curious as to what they were going to do with him."

[Rogue Nine]

Carwyn took back his flask. "Glad you're looking better, Hosh," he said. "You should probably wrap the bruise or wear some extra padding around the area for the next few days." He wagged a finger at her. "And no more tussling with nasty bandits, either."

[JasraLantill]

Aya's brow furrowed. "You think they'll come back, Carwyn?" She looked out into the darkness on the edge of the camp. "Tonight?"

[Rogue Nine]

"I certainly hope not, Aya," Carwyn replied, glancing up at the sky. "I made a few rounds of the camp and didn't see any more of them. Hopefully when Xan comes to, he can tell us a bit more about them."

 

Carwyn took his bow off his shoulder and placed it next to his rucksack. "I dunno about the rest of you, but I've had enough excitement for one night," he said wearily, lying back onto his coat.

[ForceFightWMe12]

"They shouldn't be bothering us again." Kyo said, "The Black Moon bandits would use a far longer time to plan before attacking us. Whoever these guys were, they weren't the real deal."

[JasraLantill]

Aya's eyes grew wide as she saw Carwyn lay down his bow. "Bow strings!" She rose quickly. "And arrows," she said, looking at Jonas. "Sorry. With all that's happened tonight, I almost forgot!"

 

She grabbed the unburned end of one of the sticks from the fire to use as a torch, and hurried in Bob's direction. "I'll be right back!" she called over her shoulder.

[ForceFightWMe12]

"You're not going alone." Kyo returned, standing up and following her. "It's dark over there and I don't care how many times you check the surrounding area - anything could be out there."

[Relenzo2]

Even raised his eyebrows. "Not cooked?" He stopped eating the stew. "I didn't notice. Guess it comes from all the uncooked rats I've eaten at sea. I know some darn good recipes for them. Is it alright if I keep eating, or should I wait for everyone else?"

[JasraLantill]

Aya took pause at Kyo's insistence, but she didn't argue with hm. She had a flaming stick. He had a sword. It was no contest who would be better suited to deal with any stray bandits.

 

Bob whickered at her arrival.

 

"It's just me, pal," she greeted him. "And don't step on his foot like you did Carwyn's, ok?"

 

She waved the makeshift torch over the packs as she searched for the right one. "Now where did I put those strings..." she muttered to herself. "I've got too much merchandise," she said to Kyo as she searched. "I'll be glad to get rid of most of it when we reach Ryuu-Tokai. And so will Bob."

[Rexraptor2000]

Toa relaxed for a moment and looked at everyone, then smelled stew, but decided to save he stomach for the s'mores. While everyone else was talking, he got things ready for the volcanic s'mores now that he had all the materials.

[ForceFightWMe12]

He took the torch from her before she accidentally burned the horse or set her items on fire. "What do you carry in ways of goods?"

[JasraLantill]

Aya again took pause as Kyo took the torch out her hand, then held it up for her to see better. "Thanks," she said to him, then continued her search. "Well, all sorts of things really." She began naming things as she searched through the packs. "Fabrics, pots and pans, ribbons, artefacts, trinkets, a few weapons... ah! Bow strings! And the arrows! Knew I had put them in the same pouch," she said as she carefully removed a long, leather pouch from one of the larger packs.

[ForceFightWMe12]

"Artifacts and trinkets?" he asked, his interest piqued, "What sort?"

[JasraLantill]

Aya shrugged. "Well, just old things...like carved idols, small pots, beads... coins." She fiddled for the cord around her neck and fished out her good luck charm to show him. "Stuff like this,but in better condition. Last season, my father even got a hold of a couple of scrolls. Didn't sell them though," she added. "He gave them to the monks in Ackra. We were passing through," she clarified.

[ForceFightWMe12]

"Hm...I see." he said, studying the strange coin for a moment before his eyes returned to hers, "Your father was a generous man. What sort of scrolls were they?"

[JasraLantill]

"Well, they were really, really old," Aya said. "Really very delicate. Father only unrolled a little bit for me to see. They told about legends of the Old Ones. " She thought a moment as she recalled what she had read. "'And the demon god Hulbioto cast upon the sea a terrible storm...." She paused, suddenly thinking about the upcoming sea voyage. Maybe it wasn't good to tempt fate by repeating such ancient words. "Anyway, it wasn't right to sell them. They were more valuable to the monks than sitting collecting dust of some Southern nobleman's mantle."

 

She gave Kyo a curious sort of look. "You know, you don't really look the type to be interested in things like scrolls."

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo shrugged. "I suppose you could call me a bit of a...historian." he finished, pausing as he searched for the right word. "The Ancient Tales have fascinated me since I was a child."

[JasraLantill]

Aya grinned. "Yeah, they're good stories," she agreed. "Perfect for telling around campfires."

 

She looked over at their fire. "Speaking of which... shall we go back now?" She held up the pouch in her hand. "I've got what I came for. And besides, the stew should be about ready now. And I'm starving."

[ForceFightWMe12]

Kyo stood aside, motioning back to the camp as if to say 'ladies first'. She proceeded ahead of him, and the two of them returned back to the camp, Kyo depositing the make-shift torch back into the campfire.

[Jason Skywalker]

"Hey Kyo," Akira shouted out, getting up and holding his sword as he walked to Kyo, "Say, you talked about the Black Moon Bandits in a while," He said on a low tone, "Care to explain what exactly are they?"

[Master_Archon]

Xan was coming out of his unconcious state, he grumbled as his mind returned to the world around it. He kept his eyes closed and tryed to get up, only to feel a stinging pain in his head.

 

"Ow," he muttered as he reached up and found his arms more menouverable because his pauldrons were removed. He reached his hand to where the pain was, only to realize his helmet was not on his head to impede his hand's progress.

 

Xan's eyes snapped open, someone had removed his helmet. He was not someone to allow people to see his features, he was one to hide his identity. Not even Hoshiko had seen him without his armor on, and even though she was his rival, she knew more about him than most.

 

Xan calmed as he lifted himself up a bit, and found he was back in camp. He figured that someone had aided him, then attempted to heal him, by the feel of the poltice. He assumed they didn't do it out of care for him, he looked around to find nobody around him watching over him, no, everyone had left him lieing in the dirt, not even near a fire. When he thought about it, he probably got more criticism than anything else for his efforts. No, they had no care for him, they probably just treated him because it'd be inhuman to leave him wounded.

 

His eyes grew sad, 'oh well, I guess it's better than being in bandit hands...maybe not,' he thought to himself. Xan asumed no one had checked his eyes, the one thing he wanted to hide more than anything.

 

Xan shifted around until he got a good look at everyone near a fire a ways off. Everything was fuzzy, and difficult to distinguish, but this was not due to being hit over the head, though that didn't help.

 

Xan rested on the ground a little more before getting up with all the stealth he had. He picked up his scattered armor, and weapons, and quickly slipped away towards the edge of camp, where he would be more hidden by the night.

 

He slipped into the wagon he kept his gear in, and started replacing his armor, but when it came to his helmet, he found it too painful to put on his head. So he wrapped his head with a piece of long cloth, and if anyone saw him and asked, he'd say that it was for keeping the cold night air off his head and face.

 

He may not have done well with the patroling, but he still had a job, and he was going to do it. He slipped out of the wagon, and stepped outside the wagon circle into the cold black night. He started walking around the circle of wagons, continuing his job.

 

He had gone some distance from his wagon, when he started wobbling while he walked, he stopped, then tottered, and fell over on his side with a thud. "So, hungry!" He whimpered, as he layed there, his stomach growling loudly. Due to his paucity when it came to money, he hadn't eaten in days, four at most, and Irithoi was the kind of guy to pay when they got to their destination. Injury and fatigue did not help the situation either.

 

Xan got up, his legs wobbled under him as he stood there. But when they stopped he continued what he was doing. He caught the scent of food on the air, and breathed it in, he was very tempted to go over there, but it was not his place, nor his food. He weaved about in the darkness outside the camp like a drunk. It was difficult to see in the dark when your sight is blurry, but he kept his eye on the firelight, and thus was able to keep on patrol around the wagons.

[Relenzo2]

"Say," Even commented between moutfuls of stew (that tasted even better now that it was cooked) where's Can Man? Shouldn't he be having dinner with us? Or is he still on the lookout for people trying to harm us?." Even wondered exactly why he was asking, since normally it wouldn't matter to him either way.

[JasraLantill]

Aya filled a bowl with stew, picked up a spoon and was about to sit down, when she heard Even ask about Xan. "Isn't he still...." She looked over to the place where he and the oddly-dressed monk who had healed him had been. Xan and the monk were gone.

 

"I'll be right back," she said to Even, and instead of sitting down she walked over in that direction. "Xan?" she called out for him as she began to wander about.

 

She asked one of other merchants at another campfire if they had seen the guard, and they pointed her in the right direction.

 

She found Xan at the edge of camp, head bandaged and still on watch. She cleared her throat, not wanting to startle him. Not because she was worried about scaring him, but she just didn't think it wise to sneak up on someone wearing armour and wielding weapons that were nearly larger than she was.

 

"I brought you some stew," she said tentatively. "If you want it, that is. It's not much, but it's hot."

[Master_Archon]

Xan halted at the sound of a throut clearing. "I brought you some stew," said the merchant woman, "If you want it, that is. It's not much, but it's hot."

 

Xan turned and stared down at her, he let out a growl, and walked up to her, stumbling a bit. "Mmmhm?" He grumbled, as he stared down at the stew.

 

Xan reached out but halted, he was unsure if he should take it or not. He looked up at the woman, his hidden eyes searching over her. She was honestly offering him food, something he didn't expect from the lady who threw a marshmallow at him.

 

In the end his hunger won out, and he took the bowl, he gave a slight bow, "thank you," he said weakly, and quietly. He took off the cloth from his head, too hungry to care if she saw him.

 

He looked around, his eyes were dim, like a grey mist was covering his deep blue eyes. If, with closer inspection, you could see he had cataracts. He had a lean face, and peppered, or grey and white hair, his gaze was semi-focused, because he couldn't focus too well on any one thing, but he could focus his sight in general.

 

He had scars on various places of his face, cheeks, forehead, eyebrow, chin, he even had the dissapating remnants of a black eye. Xan started eating the stew as if life depended on it, but stopped as he noticed the lady still there. He slowed down, but finished quickly.

 

"Thank you again....erm, I'm not one to talk...but, I'm Xan, as you may know...erm, what's your name?" He asked shyly.