Leafblade & Freelight: The Barracks

Remaining in the grass staring at the sky above, he laughed softly. "Living the way you do only leads to bitter ends. I may be younger then you, but I've shared my own hardships and regrets." Silence engulfed them for several minutes before he continued. "I lived on a farm with my parents when I was younger. My father died in a fire at our farm while I was away at town selling our crops. Not a day went by that I didn't constantly blame myself. Why didn't I stay behind while he went to sell, or why didn't I offer to sell our goods another day? Maybe then the two of us together could have overcome the fire. I realized something though. Living in the past, beating yourself up for it, or regretting it gets you nowhere. I don't know what it is you did... but you should keep your eyes forward to the path ahead."

He set up then and shook stray twigs out of his hair. "I think it's your turn to get some sleep now." A warm smile took over his features as he watched her.

[ 06-15-2006, 11:55 PM: Message edited by: Leafblade ]

[mistral4543]

”Yes, I think I will.” Her tone was subdued as she bowed her acknowledgment and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders more closely. As her eyes closed, she felt her mind debating over his last words and winced with the effort of sweeping these provoking thoughts away.

The last words she murmured before she drifted to slumber were these:

“My eyes are focused on the future… the future that Death brings.”

ooc: I'm off to bed now. [img]smile.gif[/img]

He wasn't sure if his words had any affect on her as he watched her sleep. Then again, who am I to try and be open with her? We've only known each other for a few days and she probably finds me annoying... Sighing, he reached inside his shirt again and grasped the pendant. It was comforting to have as a reminder of his father, and also the things that had passed. No matter how often he held it, or it rested against his chest, the metal always remind cold to the touch. Letting it fall back against him, he settled in for the rest of the watch.

A warm breeze came in the following morning. Stretching, he glanced over at his companion and noticed sleep still had its hold on her. Deciding now would be as good a time as any; he made his way back down to the stream. He quickly pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. Clamping down his teeth, he splashed the cold water against his face and the rest of his upper body in an attempt to clean up. The breeze against his wet skin caused him to shiver a little as he rolled up his shirt into a pillow. Lying back down in the grass once more, he idly watched the clouds float by as he waited for her to awake.


[ 06-16-2006, 02:29 AM: Message edited by: Leafblade ]

[mistral4543]

OOC: Goodnight, Brian [img]smile.gif[/img] Larry – Feel free to jump in if you’re game to join us

At the sound of spritely feet squashing some of the dried leaves scattered across the damp earth, the first ripples of consciousness stirred her from her dreamless rest. Still, she clamped her eyes shut until she could sense the fledgling’s presence no more.

Slowly, she roused herself upright, craning her neck sideways to rid herself of the crick. Swinging her arms freely, she surveyed the surroundings. The daylight seemed to expel the previous night’s morose settings, and the air smelt clean and refreshing.

I’ll bet Rehan is raring to go. She smiled despite herself. Such an earnest, likeable lad. If he doesn’t have to swat off his admiring rabble in a couple of years, I’m not Acacia. She began to stroll down the path towards the stream.

The leaves of the trees rustled softly in the gentle wind as she moved ahead, viewing the horizon with untarnished pleasure. What a lovely secluded spot it was! Infinitely superior to civilization and the evils it bred. Do I really have to do this, Grandma? Do I really have to leave the peace and quiet? Once again, there was no answer. She had all the power in the world to decide what was expected for herself; why did she choose the difficult path? I hope this is what you want, Grandma. Already, the heaviness was returning to her heart as she caught sight of the topless fledgling sprawled upon the grass.

The sight brought some amusement to her troubled face.

“Oi there!” She cleared her throat so that he would not be too startled. “Be thankful I’m no blushing young lass, you flasher!” Impulsively, she stooped down and, grabbing a handful of earth and grass, flung it at his direction. “Time to get dressed, boyo, and head for your moment of glory!”

ooc: Going to be leaving in an hour and a half or so. Feel free to drag my character along if you want. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

He grinned at her roguishly as he stood up and pulled his shirt back on. "You seem to be in a better mood this morning." Rehan commented offhandedly as they moved their horses back to the trail.

It was an uneventful trip the rest of the day. Night soon took over the sky, as they grew closer to their destination. The village seemed to have a surreal glow as the moonlight bathed it. "I guess we just go on in." Not waiting for her reply, he gripped the reigns and nudged his horse to continue forward.

[mistral4543]

OOC: Not a chance, boyo. This ain't a solo campaign [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Keeping an eye on Rehan's enthusiastic intrusion into the community, she took a deep breath and her nose wrinkled. Clearly, there were some marshes nearby which lent the air its tinge of mild stench. As she bade her horse on its way, she caught sight of a humble-looking signpost at the entrance to the village.

The Village of Lomton.

The lamp-posts stood stoutly in the face of the horrors that surrounded this settlement, and at this time of the day, such valour was doubly commendable. As she glanced around further, she was struck by a phenomenon.

The streets were deserted, and doors seemed to be tightly shut.

I don't blame them.

Hurrying towards Rehan, she motioned for him to follow her and they made their way to the nearest tavern. To her relief, there seemed to be some activity going on inside and she half-dragged Rehan to the bartender.

"Excuse me. Can you tell me more about the disappearances that have been taking place here?"

"Eh?" A disapproving, suspicious look greeted her.

"I know I'm probably raving like a lunatic here, and you all don't know me, but it's really important. I need to know what's going on here..." Take a deep breath, girl; you're still not making sense. She counted to five before speaking again... quite a feat, by her standards.

"I've been sent by Captain Tarnik Orman to help uncover the mysterious disappearances of some of the villagers." She heaved a sigh of relief as the bartender's frown diminished somewhat with her improved coherence. "Do you know who I can speak to, for more information?"

"Well, now... there's plenty of people you can ask for details. But the most recent case was Jared's poor old mother. That was a particularly sad tale... they were really close, and she left him a whiff of smoke, just like that." He snapped his fingers to illustrate his point.

"Is he... is Jared here?"

Absently, she took the pint of beer placed before her and began to sip it slowly.

[ 06-16-2006, 01:06 PM: Message edited by: mistral4543 ]

[Larry_OHF]

The bartender looked her over, as though he were trying to judge whether or not this was a joke. Here she stood, seemingly clueless, and the lad that was with her was certainly a wet-behind-the-ears recruit. Why did the city not send real professionals to investigate this matter? He knew why...because the city gained nothing from helping a bunch of outcasts who seldom came to town for anything, so their lives were expendable. Forget the fact that they lived on government property and were expected to pay the taxes required of them...but now his mind was wandering off again on tangents...

"Look ere, if ye go out the door and turn ye left, ye'll pass by four buildings on yer right. Pass the fourth one and turn right and walk out that way for about a mile...ye'll see a road...and the only farm house ye'll come to is Jared's place. He's a head taller than me with 30 years on him, and dark hair. This time of day, ye'll see him out in the field tending to his corn."

He still could not believe that the city cared so little as to send such as these...and they were not the first! Everybody that came here seemed to be nothing but the bottom of the barrel picks...as though they lost some contest and the losers had to come smell the marshes. To hell with them all. And he turned to answer a call for another round of corn whiskey.

[mistral4543]

OOC: Got your PM, Larry [img]smile.gif[/img] It's the the first flush of a renewed love affair with RP-ing that's rocketed us to speed-writing (lol), but we'll slow down for you

As the bartender shifted his attention to another patron, she finished the rest of her drink in one gulp and slammed down the glass. Even they know.

Should they proceed to hunt down this Jared character right away, or look out for him the next day? After all, they had spent the entire day travelling and by the looks of her companion, he looked as if he could do with more rest. Yet they might not get to catch him tomorrow, not unless she approached the bartender again... another glance at his stony profile decided her against this.

"Let's split up for now, Rehan." She turned to him. "I'll go and interview this Jared character, while you can mingle around with this crowd here and pump as much information out of the villagers as possible. We'll meet here again in say, 3 hours."

As she got up from her seat, she patted the young man's shoulders reassuringly. He'll be safer here... I hope. Without giving him a chance to protest, she avoided eye contact with him and made her way out of the tavern, her left fist clenching the hilt of her longsword tensely...

Moments later, she stood amidst a field, her eyes squinting in the dim light.

"Hello? Jared?"

The echoes of her voice sounded eerie in the nothingness that seemingly surrounded her.

[Larry_OHF]

The day was drawing to a close and it was time to end his labors for the day. Worrying about his mom kept him more busy these days, trying to keep himself from thinking about it too much and losing hope that she actually might still be alive and the fact that others had vanished months ago and never were found did not mean that she would not turn up.

Just then, he heard a woman's voice.

He looked back as he was trudging through the corn and squinted against the setting sun, seeing somebody on the road calling out to him. Still too far and not enough good light kept him from seeing her well. Who was that?

He waved his hands where he stood to show where he was and came stepping out of the field, brushing off the dirt from his hands where he'd been weeding and walked closer to the figure that stood on the road in front of him.

His steps took him to a woman who appeared a bit younger than he was with long black hair that was wind-swept and out of place, and had tints of burgandy whispering here and there. She was pale, but not in the sickly manner...rather like what you'd find in the aristocratic company who tend to protect themselves from the sun to not appear like the commoners. Her eyes were black and alive with promises of stories she'd probably never tell. Her lips were pink but pale to match her complexion. Most of all, she looked both tired from her journey and somewhat cautious as to approach him.
Oh...and she was most likely a member of the royal guard since she was wearing the attire. He understood why she had come and his welcomed smile turned serious.

"Yes, I am Jared. You are here because they sent you to come find my mom...the most recent person to go missing after we all thought that this nightmare was over. I've seen your fellows come around here trying to find clues about the others too...and they've never found anything and this plague just keeps growing. But I am not going to give up hope, nor will I allow you to work without me. When you find her dead or alive, I am going to be there. That's no problem is it?"

[mistral4543]

The soft breeze ruffled the tanned farmer's dark brown hair so that they drew out the slightly bushy eyebrows framing his gleaming hazel brown eyes. The intensity of those eyes, coupled with his assertive voice, overcame what seemed to be a handicap - a lanky figure, instead of a muscular one. Still, the dirt-wiped hands seemed to be powerful ones and as she stepped back a little, the picture before her looked reliable enough.

Besides, what more can you ask for, at a time and place like this? It was not everyday that someone offered a hand in such a futile task. Just the thought that this fellow wanted in was enough to halt her resilience from ebbing away.

"I suppose there's no harm in you joining us." She pronounced the words in as non-commital a manner as possible. "But I need more than a pair of hands here. You'll have to tell me more so that we have a clearer idea of where to start."

Start what, Acacia? Start uncovering those corpses? For what hope really was there that they were still alive, if these people had gone missing for so long? It was mildly disturbing that she was letting these thoughts creep into her mind, without any aversion. Have you really gone beyond death, Acacia?

Suddenly, another thought struck her as she looked almost pitifully at Jared.

These two men... they're filled with such optimism. It'd be too cruel to shatter their hopes and dreams. And she felt a twinge in her bowels.