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Post by Angel ♥ on Nov 18, 2007 15:21:27 GMT -5
The golden orb of the sun painted the sky a vibrant scarlet colour as it sank down below the horizon in a magnificent sunset, the type that you just had to pause for a moment an savor. Angel had paused by the waters edge in the now rather empty port, leaning back against her horses shoulder ever so slightly as she absorbed the view, pale face lit up by the dim light, pale blond hair almost seeming to be cast with the same burning orange colour as the sky as she stood silently, arms folded over her chest.
"It really is beautiful." She breathed, lips barely even moving as she whispered her words into the breeze, blinking slowly as a smile ghosted over her features as she allowed herself to relax for a moment, allowing the sound of the water lapping against the walls of the port to clear her mind of all thoughts. This was nice, but in the back of her mind that niggling voice was telling her that she couldn't stay for long.
The horse snorted and dragged it's hoof over the wooden boarding impatiently, as if to tell her to hurry up, the creature tired from it's travels. The young woman pushed herself so that she was stood upright, running a hand over the side of the horse's neck, as if to soothe it for a moment before taking hold of the reigns and leading the creature off towards the center of the town.
It's hooves made a steady thudding noise on the wooden planks as they walked, Angel reaching up to pull the hood of her cloak up over her head so that a shadow was cast over her features, obscuring her face. Being a lone woman was dangerous enough without being a young, pretty and seemingly defenseless young woman. Sometimes she wished that she could just be some plain girl who slotted into the background smoothly; but then again, where was the fun in that? Angel was too vain to be able to stand being plain.
She slowed her step a little as the shadows started to lengthen, realising that she was heading straight toward a dark patch, her path falling under the blanket of darkness which was cast by a large building. She could feel herself getting tense as she stepped into the cool shadow of the building, the back of her neck prickling with the feeling that she was being watched.
She was in the middle of the dark patch when the inevitable happened, a darker bulk moving towards her and soft shuffling sounds behind her suggesting that she was being surrounded. She stopped where she was, eyes narrowed as she fixed her gaze on the figure before her, her muscles held tense.
"Come on darlin', you can make this a whole lot easier by just emptying out your purse and letting us go on about our business." The voice was male and gruff, rather frightening actually. She couldn't give them her coins though, how would she eat or find shelter if she didn't have money? Hummm, this couldn't end well.
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Post by Chani {♥} on Nov 23, 2007 17:01:33 GMT -5
Charlie was astride his horse. He hardly ever rode her, but their supplies had ran out for the most part, so he wasn't an overload for her. Besides, they were at a slow pace. Charlie had left reality behind, wondering which way it was that he would travel next. He required a new subject for his songs and his poetry and he was too restless to stay in Hagakarin any longer. It had been fun and had lovely scenery, but so had Eria. He yearned for something of a darker nature, as most of his written works always had a shadow cast over them.
He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a bit about emptying someone's purse. The rest of the day's noises had just floated through his head without notice, but the tone in this one's voice had woken him. He turned his head toward the source and saw several men surrounding someone in a cloak. Without really thinking, he dismounted his horse.
"Stay," he said firmly, grabbing the hilt of his blade and walking forth with purpose.
"This is no b'iness o' yers," one of the men grumbled, turning as Charlie approached them and raising his scimitar.
"I beg to differ, but thievery of the hopelessly outnumbered is always my business," Charlie responded articulately.
"Yer still hopelessly outnumbered," the man snarled. "So beat it!" Charlie shook his head and drew his broadsword, holding the heavy weapon in one hand as he removed his cloak and tossed it aside with the other.
"Are ya brave or jus' stupid?" the other man said incredulously. Charlie swung without answering, and, though his bulk didn't allow for much speed and gave the man time to move his own weapon in the way, his strength was overwhelming and he threw the man to the ground. He then swung his leg powerfully, kicking the man in the head and knocking him unconscious.
Brave or stupid, that was the question! The other men seemed to register him as more of a threat and were paying less attention to Angel now. A couple started toward Charlie, readying their weapons, but he did not seem worried. Indeed, he seemed more concerned about the person in the center of these men. He turned at the last minute to thwart the blow of a mace.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Nov 23, 2007 17:35:08 GMT -5
Angel span around at the sound of metal screeching against metal, her cloak billowing out around her to exagerate the movement, her hood falling back from her head so that her hair spilled down over her shoulders. Oh drat, now they knew that she was a woman, silly hood, spoiling her disguise. It was much easier to intimidate people when they thought that you were some mysterious stranger rather than a doll faced woman.
She remained still for a moment as she watched the man, her hero by the looks of it, tilting her head as she watched the defeat of the first thief. She could just run now, while he was distracting them; just grab her horse and bolt...but that wouldn't be very noble would it? He was helping her, she could just scarper now and leave him to handle the band of thugs.
A faint, golden glow seemed to gather around her hands, the glow stretching out and solidifying into a pair of long, slender, white blades that glinted in the setting sun. One of the men gave her a side-ways glance, seeming amused by the fact that she was now armed.
"Come nar dawll, 'ow far do'ya really think ya'can get wi those things?" He mocked, a lopsided grin spreading over his features, revealing crooked rows of yellowing teeth, as he moved to attack her with his heavy blade.
Luckily for her, her boyish figure lent her speed that the other man obviously lacked. She side-stepped out of the way, knocking his blade off course with her own before moving to hit him with the hilt of her weapon; she wasn't out to do any serious injury to any of them, no matter what they planned on doing to her.
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Post by Chani {♥} on Nov 23, 2007 18:06:26 GMT -5
The glow of Angel's weapons caught Charlie's eye for a second, allowing the other man that had charged at him to stick a dagger in his leg. Charlie made a growling sound in his throat, throwing the man with the mace off of him and twirling, his blade held out horizontally, so that the man that had lost his dagger in Charlie's leg got a nasty cut in his chest. It may have been fatal, but Charlie was caring less by the second. He ducked out of another blow from the mace and ripped the dagger out of his leg with a groan. He tossed it to the ground and held up his blade as the mace was raised again.
Stupidity. Yep, it seemed that that must have been it. The mace came down, but the wood handle split on Charlie's sword and the head of it flew into his chest. It winded him and the sharp tips scratched his chest, but he took in a gasp of air and swung.
He felt something grab at his legs and was thrown off balance. He fell down and looked to realize that the man who had stabbed Charlie had wrapped his arms around the man's legs. Charlie brought his hilt down on the man's head, knocking him out cold. He climbed to his feet to see the man who had lost the head of his mace running, the splintered handle all that was left to remember him by. Charlie grinned and turned to see how the stranger was doing.
He was instantly awestruck by her loveliness. She had to be the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. He almost felt guilty that she had to witness the obscene spilling of blood, but, by her quick reaction, it seemed it wasn't the first time she had seen it. Most women stood, startled, frightened, sometimes screaming, as they waited for an opportunity to run. This... angel... had stood to fight and her weapons almost came close to matching her own beauty.
He prepared himself to help her in her own battle, but hesitated. Not all women liked being saved. He glanced at the scar on the top of his hand for a split second.
Whether she liked it or not, she was in danger. He watched the fight intensely, waiting for the right second to weasel in and rid the woman of this pestilence.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Nov 24, 2007 12:17:04 GMT -5
She was rather proud of herself for not standing and screaming really, not knowing where this sudden bold streak had popped up from, though she was quite happy that it had appeared when it did. However, she always found it unnerving how her body reacted much better to attack than her mind did, limbs seeming to be taken over by some force which stopped her getting killed. All the same, she hated fighting.
There was a sickening crunching sound as the hilt of her blade made a connection with the man's nose, the bones snapping under the pressure, leaving his nose misshapen and bloody and the man cursing at her colourfully as he clutched his nose, backing away from her slowly. He was unwilling to go to this much trouble for a few coins.
The growl dragged her attention back to her Knight in Shining Armour, her grip tightening on her blades as she made a move to step forward to help him, her eyes flickering wide as a pair of stout arms wrapped around her from behind her, pinning her arms to her sides so that her swords were useless, lifting her from her feet.
The stench of her captor made her stomach churn, a less than alluring mixture of sweat and filth, and the first thing that entered our vain little Angel's head was that she would smell like him if he held her like that for too long. No, no 'OH MY GAWD I'M GONNA DIE!' or 'This guy is going to pay for attacking me from behind', just worry that she would end up smelling like him.
She struggled against him furiously to no avail, which wasn't surprising seeing as he was at least twice her size and had lifted her off her feet like she was nothing but a feather; he even seemed unaffected when she kicked him. Well, this wasn't good was it?
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Post by Chani {♥} on Nov 24, 2007 20:34:37 GMT -5
At seeing someone coming up behind the woman, he ran forth, but the man had her captured quickly enough. He dropped his sword, since it would have no effect against a bandit hiding behind the one he was trying to save and it would only slow him down.
"Let her go," he demanded, coming to stand a yard from the two. "I was kind enough not to kill your companions when I could help it. I won't be so easy if you don't release her immediately." His expression was calm and collected, but his eyes were furious, his fists were balled, and his muscles were tensed. He probably looked quite intimidating this way, like a porcupine with its spikes bristling.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Nov 25, 2007 7:18:50 GMT -5
Angel paused in her wriggling at the sound of the man's voice, her gaze shifting to him, something in her eyes seemed to be asking him what he was planning on doing. She seemed surprised to find that he was still here; then again, what kind of a hero would leave a rescue half way through? Either way, she was glad that he was still here and she didn't have to try and squirm her way out of this one alone.
The man laughed cruelly in response to Charlie's words, seeming amused that he was still trying to save the little damsel in distress. Did they know each other? He doubted it, it seemed more like that guy thought of himself as some kind of hero when it came to saving pretty girls, probably one of those that expected some sort of reward for their services.
"Like we all'ready said, this is no b'iness o' yers, so scarper while yeh can." He spoke bluntly, having no intentions of putting her down.
She could hardly breathe with how tightly he was holding her, seeming ever more annoyed, especially when one arm shifted so that he was only holding her with one arm and she still couldn't get away. He was watching Charlie carefully, a hint of worry in his eyes. That other guy was about as big as he was, and if he attacked then he would have no option but to put her down. Well, unless he threatened her to keep her hero back.
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Post by Chani {♥} on Nov 25, 2007 7:56:54 GMT -5
"I believe I've done more than enough to make it my business," Charlie retorted, grinning, with a nod of his head indicating the two men behind him. One was gasping for air; the one whose chest had been slashed open by Charlie's blade. A pool of blood had fallen from his wound and he was choking bitterly. "Not going to run to the rescue of your bleeding friend? You know, he may have a chance at life yet... I guess there are no heroes among thieves." He noticed there was no weapon in the man's hands and that they were busy keeping the woman's arms pinned. He didn't have the agility nor opportunity to kill her before he had a chance at getting a shot in. One swing, that's all it'd take. He lunged forward, trying to snatch the man's wrist so that he could twist and break it while reaching the other hand backward, as if to punch.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Nov 25, 2007 8:31:43 GMT -5
"Who sed they're my friends?" He questioned as he tilted his head at the other man, unable to work out what he was planning on doing. His gaze flickered to his companions, a little dismayed to see the colour of their blood staining the ground. Even if he went to him infection would probably kill him.
Angel actually seemed to be the one that was most effected by the sight of the dying man, swiftly averting her gaze to the ground. Every loss of mortal life was a tragedy, in her eyes anyway, but what was she supposed to do? If she healed him then things were bound to get three times worse than they were now; mortals never took well to learning what she was.
The man seemed totally caught off guard by the attack, trying to move out of the way but his bulk didn't allow any swift movements, meaning that Charlie was able to grab his wrist, pulled off balance. His grip on Angel loosened enough for her to wriggle free of his grip before Charlie landed his blow, not wanting to be crushed under him when he fell.
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Post by Chani {♥} on Nov 26, 2007 21:51:23 GMT -5
After landing his punch on the man's shoulder (not in the face as he had wanted it, but he wasn't about to complain), he still held a tight grip on his wrist. Charlie twisted it hard until he both felt and heard something snap. The man was on the ground.
"I don't want to kill you," he said quietly. "Stay down." He stepped back until he was a couple yards out of arm's reach, keeping a wary eye on the hurt bandit, and then turned his gaze to the woman.
"Are you alright?" he asked. No matter how many times he said it, it always held the same sincere concern, though there was a slight bit of nonchalance in it that made it obvious he had done something similar before. There was some blood spatter on his hands and shirt. He decided he'd have to wash them soon to avoid questioning.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Nov 27, 2007 16:44:44 GMT -5
The man grunted in pain as his wrist was snapped, landing with a thud, his heavy form sending up a small puff of dust as he made contact with the dirt. He grumbled under his breath in response to Charlie, but he didn't seem to dare attack again, clutching his arm to his chest as he shuffled back away from them; deciding that leaving with his life was better than nothing at all.
Angel's blades faded back into the light golden glow from which they had been created, the glow seeming to be sucked back into her hands as she watched the man flee with relief. Her gaze flickered up to her savior as she decided that it was safe, reaching up to brush her hair back from her face before tugging her hood back into place.
"I am unhurt..." She told him, her voice soft and chiming, "Thank you, for helping me...not many people would have risked their own safety for a stranger."
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Post by Chani {♥} on Nov 27, 2007 17:16:02 GMT -5
"I would not have been able to live with myself otherwise," Charlie responded truthfully, watching the man scramble away before turning his attention to the beautiful woman before him. He smiled at her. "All that I ask in return is that I know your name, or anything to call you by. I'm Charlie." In cleanlier circumstances, he would have taken her hand and kiss the top of it, but this woman looked to be the type that kept herself very clean. It wasn't often that you met a traveler of any gender that cared as much for hygiene as to be as tidy as the woman he had just saved, and she seemed to him to be the traveling sort. Of course, he made no judgments without proper evidence, evidence that he hoped dearly to have the chance to obtain.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Nov 27, 2007 17:28:43 GMT -5
Clean might just have been a little understatement; cleanliness was her obsession; an obsession which was hard to keep up when you spent your days traveling through the wilderness with only freezing cold rivers to wash in.
"My name?" She asked, as if had just asked the most difficult question in the world, "You may call me Angel if you like." She nodded to him slowly, a smile ghosting over her features as she looked up at him. "Everyone calls me Angel." She added, in case he thought she were teasing him or such. Next would come the part where he commented on her name being fitting, that always came after introductions.
"Pleasure to meet you Charlie."
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Post by Chani {♥} on Nov 27, 2007 17:39:32 GMT -5
"Yes, I wish it had been under better terms, though," Charlie said, grinning. He walked over to his sword and sheathed it. It was true, he had wanted to say that her name was fitting, but Charlie had learned that women generally disliked hearing comments about their angelic traits from a man that had met only moments before. They thought him to be the type that would say those things for less conventional reasons and properly severed themselves from him entirely. Besides, he knew how nervous and awkward he felt after being told something relating to his looks. He had no reason to put her through that.
"I won't lie; I would much rather be asking you to dance at a festival right now, but, since the setting isn't quite proper for that..." He shrugged and turned to her. "Would you like to come with me to buy a new shirt?" He pinched two bits of his shirt and held out the blood-stained beige fabric. "I have others, of course, but they're dirty. Besides, I gave a good deal of my clothing to a few poor men in the last village." He found that he was over-explaining himself. "Would you?" he asked, trying to cover up his excessive babbling.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Nov 27, 2007 17:53:27 GMT -5
There were only so many times that you could listen to a man drawl the same thing to you before it became old and the mere mention of that cliche statement would grate on one's nerves. Angel was a patient person most of the time though, she had to be, if not then she would probably have to take offense to almost everything anyone said to her. She didn't want to be one of those annoyingly tense people who bit your head off for no reason.
An amused smile rested over her features as he began to waffle on, nodding to him a little as he continued to speak. "I would love to accompany you." She told him gently, and it was the truth. She was bored of being alone, some company for a while would be nice...some company that wasn't trying to lure her into rolling around in the hay in some stable with her by the end of their meeting was extra nice.
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