why am I here? (C)

[hobbit]

It was a barren land, full only of sand and the corpses of slaves running to their freedom. It was a sad land; full of memories of pain, torture…the scent of death was always present on the wind, so strong even a human’s nose could pick it up. It was difficult for the women to understand why the nomads remained in the desert. There was much better land at there, but at least here, they were safe from invaders. Who would possibly wish to claim this land, after all? It created nothing but trouble.

Which begged the question: why was she here?

River had no clue why she was wondering through the desert, a thin cloth wrapped around her head like a veil to protect herself from the sun. She was dark skinned, and did not easily burn, but nonetheless, River did burn and, to be frank, she didn’t enjoy looking like a lobster fresh from the pot. No one had called to her to wander here, either; she was simply here. However, the woman had no intention of going far into the desert. She had brought little food, and water; if she wandered too far out, and got lost, she would surely be dead. Rumors had it that some nomads did not take kindly to outsiders sucking up their precious resources.

It was not long before the heat got to her and the young woman sat down in the sand. She slipped off her shoes and sank her feet into the earth, enjoying the feeling of the cooler sand beneath the surface. She was relaxing, but still alert. An animal that slept with both eyes closed did not survive for long. River untwisted the cap off the bladder she had filled with water and took a short drink. The bladder was not a large one, after all.

As she sat, River became aware of something approaching in the distance. The land here was relatively flat, and even then, any form of life stood out like a women among the men. A frown formed on the female’s face as she stood, slipping her shoes back on. For a moment, her hand drifted toward her sword. With a light shake of her head, River instead folded her arms across her chest. She would not draw her sword…yet.

[suko]

Suko's feet pounded out a solid rythm on the sand as she ran along. Camp was realy busy for some odd reason and she had left to escape the press of the crowed. What she had desired was free space and she only knew one place to find it. The Arido desert. Open and mostly unocupied, it suit her need perfectly. She ran aloung in a gait that used little energy but consumed miles. She stayed it sight of the edge as she had packed little intending to be in her nest at dusk when it was hopefully quieter if not less dence and listen to the reason of all the comotion.

Suko raised her head to scent the breeze like many animals had tought her, not that a human nose was the best, when a figure cought her attention. It was definetly female, with a cloth around her haed to avoid the wind and a sword at her waist. Suko herself didn't wear any cloth to help her keep her vision and wore her blade on her back to help free up running. Suko was getting closer and noticed the female was shorter than herself and also human. Suko slowed her pace to a walk as she aproched the stranger. any person in the desert alone had a reason and even the nomads traveled in bands.

She stopped a yard from the figure and stood there contiplating the figure before her and gauging the threat. She was shorter, yes, but dangerous. Her sword proved that. After a while of studying Suko spoke up,

"May i inquire who you are and your buisiness out here in the desert alone with a weapon?"
Suko finished and waited for this dark skinned female to reply. Hopefully this would be a short encounter and would be no fighting as she was not in the mood for battle.

[hobbit]

Size had come to mean little to River. She was not the shortest human around, but she certainly didn’t qualify for average height. However, the lady had managed to prove time and time again that she was skilled enough to take down any opponent, no matter their size. This was why she looked up at the stranger through rather impassive eyes. The other was incredibly tall for a lady, but in a world where dragons and fairies roamed the land, one didn’t find tall women that amazing.

A light smirk painted River’s feminine features. Oh, yes, the stranger certainly could inquire. But, she found the question strange; what did it matter why she was here alone? And who wandered around alone without a weapon? River may not look like much, but she wasn’t foolish enough to believe dragons pissed butterflies and no one would attack a lady.

“Of course you can inquire. In fact, you already have,” River replied simply, “As for your question, what is so strange about my carrying a weapon? You have one too, and unless your friends are hiding, and I doubt that since there really isn’t anywhere to hide, you’re alone as well. However, for the sake of being polite and not staining this tainted ground with more blood, I’ll answer your question: I am River. I have a weapon because I understand life and am not dumb enough to think I’ll never be attacked,” she paused, eyeing the stranger for a moment before continuing, “And who are you?”

River was quite pleased with her reply. Considering how easy she was to irritate, and her sharp tongue, River normally wasn’t a person that replied as civilly as that. She only hoped that this woman would not be a hypersensitive one that either ran off crying, or screamed and ranted. She certainly didn’t mind battle, for it was thrilling and enjoyable, no matter if she was winning or losing. But, she did not wish to get wounded so far from help.

River had never bothered to learn from her mother. Therefore, her cooking and healing skills were not present at all.

[suko]

Suko grinned at her reply, this stranger was brave, if a little sarcastic. After hearing her answer Suko replied in turn,
"Its good to know there are still other females that know the harshness of reality and have enough spine to face it. To answer your question my name is Suko Wolfrunner and i am alone but like you have the strength to be that way. But you never answered one part of my question, why are you out here in the desert?"

Suko stopped and waited for the reply. If it wasn't aswered then she'd head back to camp as this conversation was realy not going anywhere. Hopefully the comotion has died down and she could find out what the couse was. She hated cramped space but she always whanted to know what was going on around her. This trait had kept her alive in many situations when the less wary would have died. She also wonderd where this females loyalties lie. If she was an enemy, Suko would kill her if not she'd leave. It was a little unlikley that she was a Grellon, as Suko had seen all the faces, or those that come into the clearing, and didn't remember seeing hers. The only way she was a Grellon is if she hid in the shadows like herself. Hopefully Suko could find her alligence to find what to do about her.

[hobbit]

Interrogations were things River had never been able to handle; there was some gene deep within her that screamed and screamed whenever she complied with so called authority figures. Most of the time, said gene won over and River would clam up or begin insulting whoever was asking the questions. Today seemed to be an exception, for River found herself answering the question (and answering truthfully): “I have no clue.”

It wasn’t a brilliant reply, and River wondered if Suko was the type that thought anyone with a single sentence response was lying…if so, River could sense a battle on the horizon. She wasn’t about to elaborate and make up some magnificent tale explaining why she was here. This wasn’t exactly territory worth fighting over, after all, so why would anyone care why she was here? River eyed the stranger for a moment before speaking once more, “Why do you wish to know?”

She did not ask the question in a manner which hinted at anger. She simply wished to know. Not that there was anything she could do if Suko did not answer truthfully- she wasn’t a mind reader, after all, and in these lands, people learned how to lie without being painfully obvious. Granted, River was pretty damn good at telling if someone was lying, but sometimes it was difficult. Primarily when a star seemed to be intent on roasting you where you stood.

Said star was also fondly known as the sun.

[suko]

Suko listend to her. So she didn't know why she wanderd here? That was normal of loners and she didn't doubt that she was truthfull. Since she wasn't lying Suko wouldn't either. Suko looked up at the sky, it was getting hot standing here without winnd movment and Suko hated the heat, hence the reason she was running instead of walking. After gathering her toughts, Suko looked back at the female.

"I wanted to know as you are close to the place i call my resting spot and wished to know if you where a threat or just a lonely wanderer who tends to be pulled to spots for no apparent reason. Seeing as your the later, if we wish to continue conversing can we take it someplace shady as the heat is not pleasent, or we end the conversation here and go our own ways to where our souls pull us."

Suko finished then looked to the trees in an obvious sugjestion of where she was planning to go. After all, even if they finish and she wished to trail her, Suko was good at loosing trails and she would never find camp without help from a Grellon. So Suko was confident that no matter what way it went she would probebley never see River again.

[hobbit]

Social awkwardness was a trait River had possessed in her youth. This trait had disappeared as she became more and more cynical, viewing the world as a glass half empty, rather than half full. A gene could not be fully erased, though, and at times she was still as graceful and entertaining as a dead cow. The thought of going anywhere with Suko was not one that River really found nice. She wasn’t afraid- she simply knew that following would require conversation once they reached their destination and River could crack jokes all day long, but small talk was not her strong point. However, River did not have anywhere to go, and what harm would it do to sit and (attempt to) chat? It wasn’t like Suko was planning some brilliant ambush, as she’d be a pretty suck person to ambush.

“Lead the way,” River said, her eyes scanning the horizon as she spoke, before landing on the only sign of life in this wasteland. She wondered how this woman had come to secure such a spot for herself; surely the nomads in this area would have loved to claim a piece of land where life was? The idea of fighting the nomads for such a precious piece of territory made her want to gag. People outside of the desert had plenty of land, after all; what did they need to steal from the desert people for?

Of course, she wasn’t assuming Suko had done this. Perhaps the nomads weren’t interested in land like that. Aside from the tales she had once heard in her village, River knew very little of the nomads, and of the facts she had gathered from the tales, most of them only applied to small numbers of people. River sniffed, something she often did when drawing herself out of thought, and her mouth parted in a long yawn as she waited for Suko to lead the way.

[suko]

After Suko got the signal to lead on, she led them to a stand of trees on the edge of the desert that would provide protection from the sun and any unwelcome eyes. As they reached the trees she sat down at the base of one that protected her on three sides. Normaly she would go up into the branches to relax, but she wasn't sure if her present company would go up a tree to talk.She waited till her guest was seated then asked,

"What is it you do for a living?"

Suko asked this out of curiosity as she had a few items in her bag that she made to be sold, but hating towns and crowds, never did get sold. One item in particular she was hoping to sell for any price as the event she got it from she had other reminders for and it was made with the intention of selling. Along with other things made for the purpose of helping the Grellons, her bag only contained a quarter of the items that she made. The rest was stashed in a natural bag that was hidden in the trunk of one of her nest trees near camp to protect it from outside thieves.

[hobbit]

Ah, glorious shade! River was prepared to throw herself on the ground out of excitement, but the presence of a woman she did not know too well was what stopped her. Like a proper lady (ha!), River sank down against the base of the tree, so that she was facing Suko, and not the sun. As she had expected, there was another question in store, and River grinned lightly. Yes, what did she do for a living?

She could tell Suko the truth- that she rarely worked. But, when she needed the money, she stole it. That, however, would mean exposing herself as a thief to someone she wasn’t sure she could trust. So, she went with half of the truth: “I don’t work.”

River’s mother had always wished for her daughter to do something with herself. Like having grandchildren a year ago, but River didn’t love children. She found most of them to be quite dirty, actually, and she saw no reason to get a legitimate job. It wasn’t like she would earn much money, anyway, being a woman from a poor village. People were lucky to earn eighty coins a month and here she was doing that in a week. Yes, being a thief had its risks, but life was full of risks and River saw no point in attempting to dodge all of them.

“What is it that you do for a living?” River added after some silence had stretched between the two of them. She doubted it was anything exciting, but figured that it would be worth asking. Who knows! Perhaps River had tripped upon someone that made large sums of money.

If so, she hoped they were stupid enough to carry all their wages around with them.

[suko]

So she didn't work. Meant she had a husband, still with her family, or was a thief. Looking at her closly and the way she acted, Suko guessed thief. Anyone that had a family would be near them and not out roaming. She returned the question to her so Suko answerd truthfully as she could.
"Like yourself i don't work. I never go into town so i dont need money, and i get what i need to survive from the land."
She shrugged to show it didn't bother her. After all, this woman brobebly didn't whant to buy her wares and if she was a thief the fact she had something for sale on her would leed to a fight which she wasn't in the mood for. She was wondering what to chat about next when she absentmindedly picked up a fallen branch and, after rumeging around her bag, started whitiling with a knife that Black star had given to her on request and payed for by one of Suko's own creations. The whitiling soothed her and soon she formed a question.
"If you dont work, how do you get money for a living space? The only way is you have a job and wont tell, or are a thief."

Suko stopped and waited patiantly for the answer, hoping this female wasn't sensitive and start a fight.

[hobbit]

There were very few people on this green earth that enjoyed being accused of lying. Granted, the young woman had lied, but still; there was no reason for anyone to accuse her. Perhaps she was simply being overly sensitive and reading too far into things, but River doubted that. Why would Suko ask how she managed to maintain her lifestyle if she was not suspicious? River, however, was not a dunce. Lies had been perfected over and over in her mind, but this question required no more lying on her part. Like the whittling woman before her, River roamed the land freely; she did not live in any one place.

“I wander, just like you,” River replied simply, “And when I must spend money, I pick up an odd job. It isn’t hard, if you know where to look,” she added, looking away from Suko as she spoke. She was growing weary of such idle chatting. River was not one that enjoyed small talk, as it rarely assisted her in any way. But, her lack of social time with other people meant that she was unable to think of any conversation starters, which would led to something she at least found mildly interesting.

A silence fell between the two, and had either of them been the type that depended upon conversation, it would have been awkward. Luckily, neither of them were people that needed to speak to feel comfortable. River sank farther back against the tree, tilting her head upward to stare at its branches, so thin compared to those of trees that lived where water was abundant. “Why do you ask, by the way?” River murmured after some time of staring at the trees, turning her gaze downward and back onto the other women once more.

[suko]

Suko found the silence nice and relaxing. Though she would never relax completly and when River asked her why she wanted to know why, Suko let the silence strech again as she finished the final touches on the carving. When she whitles like this, the result is usualy a reflection of her mind which is what happened when what she made resembled the tame wolf that roamed her village before it was destroyed. She had grown close to the wolf and it became her only friend as she talked to it easily.

Suko sighed and put both the knife and carving away in her bag and turned back to River. Looking into the womans eyes she told her,
"I ask becouse if you where a thief i might get into a fight that i don't wish to do at the moment."
She stopped and gazed back up at the trees and continued,"And like i told you before, your near my nest and i like to keep it secret."
Suko waited for the rpley for that, keeping her eyes to the sky. This conversation was starting to tire her and she wished to head back to camp and check that her nest hadn't been disturbed while she was gone. Then find Black Star and give her the items to sell, they where getting to numerous to keep and try to sell herself.

[hobbit]

Sometimes, River wished she possessed some form of hidden art talent. Artwork sold for loads of money, if one was decent, and if one was exceptionally good they barely had to make any art to survive. Well, they barely had to make any art if they desired River’s lifestyle. The term “staring artist” came about because of the greedy devils that bought expensive houses, horses, and carts before they had even gotten that famous. How they expected to keep all of those things, while eating and supplying their family, River did not know…

When Suko spoke once more, River found herself grinning a bit. “Well, no fear there. Even if I was a thief, I wouldn’t go around fighting in the desert. Not very smart,” she added, her grin widening, “Besides, do I look like a thief?”

Of course, this was a stupid question. To some, anyone with skin as dark as hers (and it wasn’t even that dark compared to her brother’s) was a thief. To others, a woman could never be a thief. She had been told countless times that she was an innocent soul by mystics she had just robbed. The poor frauds. River chuckled to herself before nodding to the wolf, “What did you carve that for?” she asked, drawing the conversation away from herself. Even when she wasn’t lying, or treading on dangerous territory, River preferred not to talk about herself. It wasn’t that she had low self esteem or anything; a person that hung around her for more than a second would be aware of the fact that River was very pleased with how she had turned out. No, she simply hated sharing her life story.

It was boring.

[suko]

She listened to River say she wasn't a thief and settled her back into the tree a little more comfterbly. Did she look like a thief? That was a question she was going to answer truthfully.
"Do you look like a thief? Honestly, no, but any good thief dosn't look like a thief or they would get cought and be in jail. As to why i carved this, there is no answer. I just did. In my mind what i carve represents my mental state at the time. This one must mean im feeling sentimental or friendly as it resembles a wolf a befriended in my youth."

Suko stopped. She missed the wolf horribly. He had no name but was her friend when she had a hard time relating to people. Suko thought for a moment longer then stood, saying,
"this was a nice chat but not to be rude, its starting to get a little boring. And i have to meet someone to arange some business but its been great meeting you and i hope to see you again sometime. Who knows when we might see each other. After all, the world has some strange ways."

With that Suko turned and walked away. hopefully she didn't hurt any feelings with the promt dissmisel, but she remeberd that there where alot of things piling up and she needed to show Black Star so they can be sold. The carving that she did today will remain secret thogh. As it was her wolf and a reminder of a chat she had.

[hobbit]

River was a person that tended to look deep into things. Psychology was something she enjoyed throughly, and loved to study. Granted, it wasn't like she could get her hands on any decent books, but most of her information came from studying and not simply reading the works of other people. There was no glory in simply reading to learn. She was a tactial learner, and if people were at that time, she would have been identified as one long ago. However, this didn't mean that River enjoyed to go deep into everything. She didn't even like to speak about things involving psycholoy, behavior, feelings, etc. The young woman would have been a liar if she had faked disappointment.

Standing, and arching her back in a stretch, River noded, "See ya," she muttered in greeting. Once the other had left, River turned to go as well. Where she was going to go, she had no idea. Her path into this wasteland had been aimless; she had simply traveled at a pace her body told her to, and she had simply followed instincts that told her to go this way and that. Doing the same, she knew, would probably lead her too deep into the desert, instead of out into a town. While River did not enjoy town life, and the hardened edges to her body positively screamed this, River did enjoy the safety a town provided. She had no enemies in the dark kingdom of Murate, but no person was safe from Magrej and getting into a city owned by the other couple would be safer than staying out here, so close to his kingdom.

River looked to the left, grinning before setting off, running this time. The bladder of water thumped against her hip as she ran; her sword threatened to fall and River adjusted it as she ran, so that it was almost hugging her side. A sword that fell when one was running was essentially worthless. There was no wind in her hair; there was not a pleasant sunshine on her face...but she enjoyed running here, nonetheless.