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Post by Lin Renka (Riku) on Sept 16, 2009 20:36:52 GMT -5
Owl Bristine stood almost knee deep in the shallows of an inlet just off the River Meuse, her black hakamas held up with ties neatly strung through the hems. She was fishing through lilies, looking for the best blossom for herself as a sort of treat from the usual grasses and herbs she hunted.
For a Nordic demon the young girl was surprisingly far south from her native land. Yes, despite opposition, and much hardship, young Owl had persevered until she was accepted in the community of Domrémy. She had chosen the odd location precisely for the reason that most other demons shunned it. For here, at least she only had trouble from one side of the spectrum, instead of both demon and man attempting to tell her how she ought to act. She was who she was, thank you very much.
Over the past few days however, Owl was found to be in somewhat low spirits, which was why that morning she had opted to pack victuals to bring along on her herb gathering expedition, which she decided she would take herself farther on than she normally traveled from the village.
White tail twitching at the touch of the water, foxy ears up and alert, Owl bent down to examine a flower more closely, the sleeves of her green kimono almost trailing in the water. She started slightly as a minnow dashed from the cover of the lilypad to find safer waters.
"Dear little minnow, so quick and sharp," she smiled, talking softly to the water's surface before automatically glancing up to ensure her basket of gathered remedies and the satchel carrying her water skin and food was still where she had left them on the bank.
it was funny how small things, like a change in the wind, or the dart of the minnow made her instinctively remember her things. She felt it must be paranoia from traveling farther than usual from home.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Sept 20, 2009 11:15:03 GMT -5
It was a pleasant day for walking, which was fortunate seeing as Christopher hadn't had enough money to pay for a carriage. The sky was dotted with fluffy, white clouds that drifted along lazily, occasionally passing over the sun and causing a slight chill. The wind was only light too, enough to make the grass sway and to stop it from being too hot, but not strong enough that you had to battle against it to get where ever you wanted to go. He would even dare to say that he would have walked even if he could have caught a carriage, it gave him something to do.
He was further away from home than usual, following the trail of the legend of 'la Pucelle de Domremy'. Lately his spirtis had been rather low, which was why he had chosen a new interest that would take him away from his usual surroundings, and he hoped that he would leave all his bad feelings behind.
His head was down as he walked, gaze drifting over the text that lined the pages of the book he held. He had picked it up cheaply from a market on his way here, and he was happy to say that he wasn't disappointed by it's contents. It gave a skeleton of the legend of la Pucelle, as well as other legends and myths which were local to the area, all of which he found enthralling. Books were, afterall, his passion. Who needed to take in the scenery when you had a good book to read?
The morning was starting to grow late now, and his stomach gave a low grumble, as though to remind him that he needed to eat. With a sigh he marked his place in the book with a piece of ribbon before closing it and looking up, his gaze falling on the river; that looked like the perfect place to stop and rest while he ate, and the water looked clean enough for him to refill his waterskin.
It wasn't until he was stood on the edge of the river that he noticed that he wasn't alone, tilting his head as he spotted the young girl wading through the waters and amongst the lillies. "Good morning!" He called to her cheerily as he removed his pack and set it down on the grass. He didn't want to surprise her, but he also didn't want her to think that he was sneaking up on her...plus it was just polite to say hello when you met someone.
With that he flopped down next to his pack, leaning over to remove his shoes and roll up his trouser legs before dangling his feet into the pleasantly cool water.
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Post by Lin Renka (Riku) on Sept 20, 2009 15:03:24 GMT -5
After her habitual glance up at her belongings, Owl ventured a little further into deeper water, her sharp eyes espying a particularly promising lily. She picked it very carefully, cutting accurately with a small pair of sewing scissors to ensure she got some stem along with the bloom.
She gazed contentedly at her find, looking close to examine the fascinating characteristics of the flower. She was caught completely unawares by the approach of Christopher, and jumped at the greeting, nearly losing her balance. She cast a wary eye on the scholarly stranger.
"Good morning." she replied, keeping her voice affable after she had gotten over her initial shock. She regarded him with caution, not moving from her place in the water. He looked harmless enough, but experience had taught her to be wary.
She cast a quick glance to her basket, where her larger pair of scissors for general field work rested amongst the herbs. She took an calculated guess that she couldn't make it from the water in case of emergency, and she knew her dinky little sewing scissors would only do damage if she struck at the face.
These thoughts ran through her head in the course of a moment before her eyes flicked back to the stranger. She found herself now in the awkward situation of being unable to think of anything civil to say, so she remained motionless, and silent.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Sept 20, 2009 16:17:21 GMT -5
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He apologised quickly as he noticed how she jumped. He must have been quieter than he realised as he approached, either that or there weren't usualy many people around here, so she had expected that she would be alone. In fact, he suddenly felt as though he were intruding; maybe he should put his shoes back on and venture a little further along the river to find somewhere to eat? He didn't want to distract her from her work.
Christopher was blissfully unaware of the suspicious thoughts that were running through the girls head, withdrawing his feet from the waters in preparation to leave. "I didn't mean to distract you from your work, I was just going to have something to eat. I can leave if you like...or I have enough to share?" He offered with a shy smile. Having company was always pleasant, and maybe she would be able to tell him more about the legends of Domremy? But, like he had said, he didn't want to distract her from her work.
So now he was left waiting for her answer, letting his feet dry off again incase he needed to put his shoes back on. In truth, he didn't really want to move, he was quite happy where he was, and this spot was particularly pretty, but he didn't want to overstay his welcome. He didn't want her going home and telling her father or brothers that he had been bothering her.
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Post by Lin Renka (Riku) on Sept 20, 2009 18:02:07 GMT -5
"Oh, um... It's alright, I was just..." Owl grasped for something to say, "You don't have to leave. I had just wanted to be alone... I mean-!" Ack, she hadn't meant to say that part outloud, "I mean, I thought I was alone... I don't mind. That is..." she sighed and gave up trying, it was hurting her head.
"Oh fiddlesticks!" she threw up her hands, " I can't even string a sentance together. The point is, you don't have to leave on my account." she put out her arms for balance and waded back to shore, white ears flicking in irritation at herself, and tail twitching. Owl was used to meeting people with a counter between, and items to be sold. Her habitual shop front "mask" would have to be modified to include meeting strangers afield who weren't attempting to take her tail off.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Sept 21, 2009 6:28:10 GMT -5
Christopher waited with a patient smile as she tried to speak, finding it very strange that someone would find it so difficult to answer such a simple question, though he hid those thoughts well. He must have surprised her more than he had first expected, that would explain why she seemed so tongue tied. There was something else that he noticed as he waited for her reply, this girl wasn't human. He was too polite to stare, but if was difficult to miss her ears, and he was sure that he had caught a glimpse of a tail behind her too. How curious! He would have loved to quiz her about her heritage, but that wouldn't be very polite of him, and he had already disrupted her, he didn't want to keep her from her tasks any longer.
"Thank you, as long as you are sure that you don't mind. If I am a bother just tell me." He nodded, dipping his feet back into the water and leaning over to open his pack. There hadn't been much room for food when he was finished packing in all the pens, parchments and books that he had wanted to take with him, so lunch today was a simple meal of dry bread, cheese and a little cured meat. It wasn't much, but you couldn't expect a feast in the middle of nowhere, could you?
"The lillies here are especially beautiful." He commented, as though trying to put the girl at ease and start a little conversation.
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Post by Lin Renka (Riku) on Sept 21, 2009 11:52:35 GMT -5
Owl waved the offer of leaving if necessary aside, "No bother at all." she replied as she scampered out of the water and picked up her small boots, made especially for her size foot and shape. Oriental clothing she liked, sandals she did not.
The demon turned her back to the tale weaver temporarily as she went to retrieve her basket and satchel, before turning back 'round to trot over and join him on the riverbank.
"Yes, I think so too," she smiled shyly at his comment conserning lilies as she knelt and placed her things down, "They haven't much medicinal value except beauty, which in simplistic state generally makes others happy."
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Post by Angel ♥ on Sept 21, 2009 12:12:43 GMT -5
Chris tore the bread up into chunks before popping it into his mouth, taking care to brush the crumbs from his lap every now and again. His meal wasn't particularly appertising, but it was enough to quieten his grumbling belly, at least until he got to an inn anyway.
He looked up as she sat down by him, smiling and nodding to her. "Hmmm, I suppose that they don't have many traditional healing properties, but making people happy helps them to heal. I've heard that having nice surroundings while you are trying to heal speeds up the process. How strange is that? I suppose it will be something to do with being calm..." He wondered out loud before suddenly looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to ramble."
For someone who looked so young she seemed very serious and intelligent, looking into her eyes he felt more like he were talking to an adult than a child. "Forgive me for saying, and I hope that I'm not out of line in saying that you seem rather mature for your age..."
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Post by Lin Renka (Riku) on Sept 21, 2009 18:17:08 GMT -5
He had good knowledge and understanding, and a nice voice. Owl allowed her defenses to slip as she played with the lily in her hands, listening serenely. Yes, that funny little phrase, about laugher being the best medicine, was true in itself.
"I tend to think it motivates a body to want to get well. When there is the constant reminder of all the good that can be found, the body is less likely to succumb to depression, and ultimately giving in to despair."
She let the lily fall to her lap as she astutely noted the traveler's rather meager meal, and was just reaching for her satchel and contemplating how to offer from her own stores, without insulting his ego--something she rather stereo-typed all men to have--, when she was caught off guard by his question.
Owl burst into a fit of giggles, which she stifled almost immediately with both hands over her mouth.
"Sorry," she apologized when she had control, "It's not really that funny... I'm just so used...to...oh dear," Owl found herself giggling again, "I'm sorry... alright," she took a deep breath to get control, then started again, "I've travel widely for one my age. So I've picked up a lot of experiance before settling down... and..." she felt her initial defenses automatically going up again, so her next words she chose carefully, "I'm... kind of older than I look."
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Post by Angel ♥ on Sept 22, 2009 6:47:15 GMT -5
"That is one of the best explinations of that theory that I have heard." He smiled to her, remembering the clumsy way in which a physician had once tried to explain it to him. Some people just didn't know how to use words to their full advantage, an art which Chris was trying to perfect. Story-telling was his life, and he wouldn't be very good at it if he couldn't string a sentence together.
His eyebrows raised as she started laughing, the man seeming completly bemused as to the cause of her amusement. He didn't think that he had said anything which was neccesarily funny, or he hadn't intentionally done so anyway. Her next comment, however, explained her amusement.
Being a story teller, Chris was quite knowledgeable when it came to other races and legends, and her comment about being old than she looked didn't seem to surprise him very much. That coupled with her ears and tail was enough to suggest to him that she was a demon, and though he was extreamly curious, he wasn't rude enough to just start quizzing her.
"Ah, well that would explain it then. Where have you travelled to? I myself would like to go to Hagakarin, or maybe Ri Yan, their cultures seem facinating."
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Post by Lin Renka (Riku) on Sept 23, 2009 21:45:35 GMT -5
Owl brightened up at once when the topic moved immediately elsewhere. Whether it was because this fellow was extremely dense, or tactful didn't matter to her.
"Oh, Hagakarin I've been to, it is fascinating. I sometimes use a few of their terms of address, and small phrases," she warmed right to the subject, "Unfortunately I was still quite a rover at the time, so I moved on after a mere few months... I should like to visit again some time..." she mused a moment before continuing, "Other than that I've mainly stuck to Demia, although I first past through Aeroh and the Elven kingdom of Eria. They tolerated me... but only just... I don't remember exact names and places between that and a few others... I did such a lot of moving... met too many faces."
She became sombr then. A part of her mind kept suggesting she ask the travelar about himself, but she couldn't quite get the nerve up, for fear of saying something else entirely that might hurt the situation.*Oh dear... I've gotten onto the past now... I can't believe I rambled so much. What must he think of me?*
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Post by Angel ♥ on Sept 25, 2009 13:20:43 GMT -5
His eyebrows rose as she told him of all the places that she had visited; she really much be older than she looked to have visited so much of Syrunn. She had to be some sort of demon, you could see the curioity in his eyes, but he was doing his best to hide it. It wasn't just her ancestory that he was interested in, after all, because she had visited so many places she should be full of interesting stories.
"From everything I have read, it really does look like a wonderful place. It is too far away though. My travelling is usually restricted to Avalas, I haven't been out of Avalas in a while if I tell the truth. It's nice to see a new culture." He smiled, his dinner now gone, the grumbling in his belly settled by the little bit of food.
"Hmmm, I guess that things could get too much if you travelled around too often. Everyone needs something familiar to cling onto." Chris agreed, a far away look in his eyes as he leant back on his hands and turned his gaze to the sky. "Sometimes, however, it is just nice to get away."
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Post by Lin Renka (Riku) on Sept 25, 2009 18:16:56 GMT -5
"Mm..." She nodded in agreement, letting the silence play between them for some moments.
Which started to turn into minutes. She had to think of something, but what she wasn't sure. She could see in his eyes, a curiosity, but he seemed hesitent to ask what surely must be burning on his tongue.
She found it a little funny, for she herself was a little curious about this travelar. Where had he come from, where was he going?
But it wasn't her nature to pry, so instead she circled back around to what he wanted to know.
"There is something on your mind," she commented, "A question lingers in your eyes. If there is something you seek don't be afraid to ask. I've gotten out of the habit of being offened, if that is what keeps you back."
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Post by Angel ♥ on Sept 26, 2009 7:31:06 GMT -5
Strangely, Chris didn't seem to mind the silence. In fact, he hardly seemed to notice it. He was still staring up at the sky, a light frown on his face. All the thoughts that had been trying to run from were fighting to get back to the front of his mind, and he was doing his best to push them back again. He didn't want to think about those things now, if there was nothing that he could do to change the situation then there was no point lingering on it.
He blinked and looked down as the sound of her voice drew him back to reality, rubbing at the back of his head rather shly as she said that he looked curious. "It didn't seem proper to ask." He explained before clearing his throat and looking up at her. "I know this question will sound rude, but I can't think of a way to ask without it sounding rude, so I am just going to have to say it. What are you? That is to say, I am rather sure that you aren't human, so, are you a demon, and if so, what type?" He asked before quickly looking away. Oh, he hoped that he hadn't offended her. "But, you don't have to answer if you feel that it's inappropriate. Like I said, I didn't mean to offend you."
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Post by Lin Renka (Riku) on Sept 26, 2009 21:08:35 GMT -5
Owl smiled knowingly, "I did say it was alright," she reminded him, "But if you feel so bad, in exchange I can ask questions of you, and we'll call it even." she suggested, so he would not have to feel guilty, "Now then. I am a demon indeed, as you have clearly guessed, but not a very conventional one. I am of the arctic fox lineage, born on the fringes of Ísing, so you're not likely to see another white fox demon unless you travel much ferther north."
She smiled again once she had finished and gave herself a moment to catch her breath, "Any other questions? I'm an open book."
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