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I'm high on believing - Maea - 03-15-2024
The sun hung low over the treetops. Golden hour had already passed and shadows melted into one another in early twilight. Walking away from the campsite where firepit and bedroll waited, Maea carried a bow in one hand and a quiver of arrows tied to the belt, while the light pack strapped to her shoulders swelled with the bulk of her dress.
Her breath fogged gently in the still air. Any hint of warmth faded with the light, and she was glad for the extra sweater beneath the usual coat. It would have been warmer to do this in her tiger form, but for every step she took dry leaves and twigs broke like tinder under her feet no matter how careful she tried to be. A molten tiger would be the perfect spark to set off a wildfire... and while that was well and good, she needed her game extra rare today.
Plenty of deer passed through the meadow. It did not take her long to find the tracks of one who had passed through recently; following along the meandering path, she came upon a cluster of trees near the edge of the glade. Movement within the tangle of briar and saplings had her slowing to near standstill. Crouching to make herself less visible, cold fingers fumbled for an arrow and quietly nocked it to the string. Another blur of movement, brown and white blending with the dry leaves and rough barked trees told her that her target was not going anywhere in a hurry.
Straightening in a smooth motion, she plied the bow and took aim. With a twang that shattered the quiet the arrow loosed; already reaching for another, Maea started forward with bloodlust simmering in her throat. It had been a good shot, normally the last thing she wanted was to let the prey suffer... but part of her really hoped it wouldn't be dead already.
RE: I'm high on believing - Dantalion - 03-16-2024
[say]"FUCK!"[/say]
Deer don't usually curse, though one could argue that there's no shortage of Attuned in the area that might also be in danger of being struck by Maea's arrow. Alas, it's only the Maverick today.
That's not to say it wasn't a good shot from the newly minted Ambassador - it really was - but when a fellow Ancient on the hunt is going after the same prey unintentionally... welp, shit happens. Regardless, by the time Maea comes into view it will be to see a white deer-butt fucking off (obnoxiously, one might argue) into the undergrowth and a disgruntled looking Danta with an arrow in his shoulder.
[say]"I am not for eating,"[/say] he warns her, straightening up haughtily as best he's able. [say]"...Not unless you ask nice, anyway."[/say]
RE: I'm high on believing - Maea - 03-16-2024
Fuck indeed. The outcry had Maea's excitement plummeting into cold dread. Picking up her pace into a sprint, she burst into the thicket with her breath caught in the throat and stopped dead at the sight of Danta. Color drained from her already pale face; she might have stood frozen for gods knew how long if he hadn't cracked a joke. That shook her from her stupor.
A coarse huff somewhere between laugh and snort left her. [say]"Don't tempt me. Clearly the difference between you and a deer isn't that big."[/say] If he was able to snark at her, it couldn't be too bad. Right? [say]"Maybe I should just use your blood instead?"[/say]
Still, the haste with which she came over to him and unceremoniously discarded her burdens revealed her concern. Up close the arrow looked even worse, jutting from his shoulder at a nauseating angle. Now Maea was more than sorry; she was mortified.
[say]"Gods, Danta, I'm so sorry! How bad is it – did it go all the way through?"[/say]
Reaching up to steady him, she hesitated before actually touching the Ancient man. Searching for his gaze, unclear on what he tolerated or not. [say]"May I...?"[/say]
RE: I'm high on believing - Dantalion - 03-16-2024
[say]"Maea, that insult is worse than the arrow,"[/say] Danta informs her in what he feels is a reasonable tone (the reality is a little more clipped) - he means, of course, the comparison to a prey animal like a deer. [say]"My blood for what?"[/say] Speaking of which, there's a decent amount of it streaming from his shoulder and soaking into the pale linen of his shirt, not that he appears particularly bothered by the state of himself.
[say]"Mm...? I don't know - did it?"[/say] Turning a little so she might be able to see, Maea will discover that, yes, her shot was strong and accurate enough to have skewered him straight through.
As for matters of touch, the Maverick clearly has no qualms, but considering their height difference he does back up to slouch down on a fallen log in the clearing so she might not have to reach to yank the arrow out of him. [say]"Come here often?"[/say] he asks, conversational as ever.
RE: I'm high on believing - Maea - 03-17-2024
The smile she gave him while helping him to sit was a bit tense. [say]"Good. Just focus on that, and the rest of this will be a breeze."[/say]
Kneeling by his side, Maea drew a heavy hunting knife from her belt and used the tip to cut away the cloth from around the arrow. Torn flesh and blood made the damage clear, and she bit back a curse. She felt keenly her lack of experience when it came to treating injuries; was it a good thing that the arrow had gone through? Was the amount of blood alarming or not? At the very least she didn't think leaving the arrow in until they got back to the Infirmary was an option. [say]"It did go through, yes. I'm going to have to break off the feathers and pull it through. It will hurt."[/say] Watching Isla work had taught her that much. But it was one thing to stand by and observe, and another to do it herself.
[say]"Hm? Oh, I met Dygra, when I finally plucked up the courage to visit the shrine. She granted me a quest for some armor."[/say] She tried to keep her tone light, keeping her worries to herself. Reaching for the pack, she dug past the soft folds of dress to reach the first aid kit on the bottom. [say]"I am to kill a creature, then soak that in the blood."[/say] A brief gesture indicated that to be the ash-stained cloth bulging out of the pack.
Setting a roll of bandage aside to have at the ready, Maea hoped conversation would help distract Danta from the pain as she began to carve into the arrow with her knife, to make breaking it easier.
[say]"Not so much these days. But when I was little this was the only place where I could practice magic. What about you? Been here before?"[/say]
RE: I'm high on believing - Dantalion - 03-17-2024
[say]"You're a terrible liar,"[/say] Danta snarks affectionately, but he's nonetheless still enough to let Maea make her initial inspections, shirt ripping included. To hear the diagnosis and 'treatment', he raises his eyebrows at her in a silent You're really not selling this to me before gesturing for her to go ahead. It's not as though they're anywhere near the Temple for the Infirmary to take a look at it.
Dygra, at least, does manage to distract him, the Maverick offering Maea a fanged half-smile as he gazes down at the garment in her bag. [say]"She's quite something, isn't she,"[/say] he rumbles. [say]"Though I hope you'll forgive me when I say you're sure as shit not killing me to cover it in blood."[/say] That's not to say he won't help her with the matter, but you know, first things first.
Speaking of which, he grips the bark of the log with white knuckles as she gets to work, head turned away, jaw feathering. [say]"Mm? Me?"[/say] he manages. [say]"Nah, this is my first time."[/say] It's making quite an impression.
RE: I'm high on believing - Maea - 03-17-2024
In her defense, Maea was usually more for brutal honesty and unwanted truths. Soothing others with clever understatements was not a forte - as demonstrated here.
[say]"No? That's too bad,"[/say] she half smiled at his protestations against sacrificing his life for a suit of armor. [say]"Guess I better patch you up then."[/say]
For both their sake she made an effort to be as quick and effective about the whole ordeal as possible. With a decent dent in the arrow shaft, all it took was a quick snap to break off the feathering. Maea waited a moment to give Danta a break, some time to breathe and gather himself for the really rough part. And maybe she needed that moment too; her hands kept trembling, even though her voice didn't give away much in the way of nerves.
[say]"I see. Well I recommend Flowerbirth for the best time to visit. There used to be a shrine out here, to the Old Gods, did you know? Or - mh. The Three? I hardly know what to call them anymore..."[/say] She was rambling. Praying to all of the gods, old or new, she placed one hand against the Maverick's shoulder and grasped the arrow shaft in the other.
[say]"You ready? Three, two one - "[/say] Putting all her strength into it, Maea pulled in a steady motion until the projectile came free from its casing of flesh. A torrent of bright red blood followed. Throwing the bloody thing aside she hurried to press wads of bandaging to either side of Danta's shoulder; her hands were shaking wildly now, but at least the worst was over.
[say]"There you go,"[/say] she murmured soothingly, [say]"you did great. How does it feel now?"[/say]
RE: I'm high on believing - Dantalion - 03-17-2024
[say]"How kind of you,"[/say] Danta says with a grin and a raise of his eyebrows, as if the arrow in his shoulder is little more than an inconvenience and something of a low priority under the circumstances. And honestly, for all of his dramatics, the Maverick is a pretty good sport with things like this - Deimos can likely attest, having once found him leg deep in a bear trap. Still, that's not to say it's enjoyable, and by the time it comes to the actual removal of the arrow shaft, he's coated in a sheen of cold sweat and looking not best pleased with it.
[say]"Not sure it matters. This place is for Dygra now,"[/say] he begins, before Maea is counting, and it's with a grunt of pain that Danta finally finds himself not skewered, though the spurt of blood has him wondering whether the arrow was such a bad thing. [say]"Oh,"[/say] he mumbles to see the gout of red, pressing pale and steady hands over the dressings already wadded against the wounds.
[say]"I feel like you just shot me,"[/say] he admits, barking out a laugh and tilting his head. [say]"Reckon I'll live though, long as we get some place I can have it looked at soon. Maybe we'll find something to kill on the way back to town, huh?"[/say]
RE: I'm high on believing - Maea - 03-17-2024
Guilt was a living thing writhing inside her gut. With his blood quite literally on her hands, Maea found it increasingly difficult to meet Danta's eyes. She left red stains on the bandage as she wrapped his shoulder to the best of her abilities, and hated the impulse to lick her fingers clean when she finally slumped down onto the ground at his feet. Braiding her fingers together to prevent herself from making that mistake, she pressed the butt of her palms against her eyelids.
[say]"I am so sorry,"[/say] she repeated, unable to laugh it off anymore. [say]"Nevermind my quest, it can wait. I can't make you wait around while I look for game, you need the Infirmary."[/say] Deer didn't often walk into her path, asking to be sacrificed. To even look for tracks would slow them down – she wouldn't ask that of him.
Unable to sit still for long, she was soon digging into the pack again. Putting away the kit, finding a waterskin for Danta; she would help him drink if he wanted to, and rise whenever he was ready. There honestly wasn't much she wouldn't agree to at the moment, if it helped to atone for her carelessness.
RE: I'm high on believing - Dantalion - 03-18-2024
[say]"Mm? Oh, please. No need to apologise - I literally ran in front of your arrow,"[/say] Danta murmurs, gratefully accepting the drink and finding himself unable to gesture as he'd normally like to given that one arm is useless and the other is busy stemming the flow of blood from at least one of the punctures to his shoulder. [say]"And listen, I was hungry. So let's just see what we find on the way back, mm? If we come across any more game, just promise you'll shoot an extra one for me."[/say]
Tipping Maea a wink and carefully rocking to his feet, it's only a moment of dizziness before Danta is more or less cheerful enough for them to be on their way. You know, if you discount the free bleeding and the wound to his shoulder. [say]"I'm sure I heard a few healers live out here too,"[/say] he says slowly. [say]"You never know, maybe we'll come across one."[/say]
RE: I'm high on believing - Maea - 03-18-2024
[say]"Danta..."[/say]
It looked for a moment like Maea would protest. But then her eyes flitted to the red stains that still grew on her sorry excuse for a bandage, and she bit her jaws together around the concern. It would not help anything to sit around here, either.
[say]"Fine. If you insist, so be it. Just... tell me if it feels like you can't walk anymore."[/say]
Hastily gathering up her pack and the bow, Maea got to her feet as well. Keeping herself near enough to support the man if he should need it, she led the way back towards the Inner Quarter along the fastest path she knew.
Once they made it out of the thicket the landscape opened up around them. The wind had more reign to swirl around them and drain away at any lingering warmth, but the going was easier across the faded meadows. Maea was surprised to see light still lingering on the western horizon; it had taken less time than it felt like, to remove the arrow.
[say]"Are you always this forgiving?"[/say] she eventually asked, when the quiet became too much to bear. Keeping her voice hushed just in case there was any game around still, she kept her eyes on the path. Her white hair all but glowed in the dim light, serving as a beacon for the Maverick to navigate by. [say]"It doesn't really match with the rumors I kept hearing about you on the road."[/say]
Usually not one to pay attention to gossip, it had been impossible to ignore when everyone she met said more or less the same thing.
RE: I'm high on believing - Dantalion - 03-22-2024
[say]"You'll be the first to know, I promise,"[/say] Danta says sunnily, before they're on their way and he's (somewhat, mostly) steady enough on his feet to keep a decent pace. It's both better and worse when they come out of the thicket; his feet find the going easier, having a true path beneath them, but the bare expanse of the landscape is a touch chilly even for an Ancient without a hole in (and out) of his shoulder.
Wrinkling his nose and using his uninjured hand to turn up the collar of his jacket, he tilts his head to Maea to better hear her against the whistle of the wind. [say]"No, I'm not,"[/say] he says, the blunt truth undoubtedly just as characteristic of the rumours she's heard about them. [say]"But you are on my council, a fellow Ancient, and it was obviously an accident. Why - would you like me to be less forgiving?"[/say]
Raising his eyebrows, he's more than willing to oblige if that's the case; the ongoing pain and the drop in temperature does not a happy boy make, after all.
Luckily for them both, perhaps, a flicker of movement up ahead has Danta glancing up. There in the distance, a lone elk, more than large enough to fulfil both of their needs, makes its way across the fields.
RE: I'm high on believing - Maea - 03-22-2024
Meeting his gaze and noting the raised eyebrow, Maea pursed her lips, giving it some serious consideration.
[say]"No,"[/say] she decided mildly, [say]"I would rather stay on your good side. But that's just it - I don't know far it extends yet. And I prefer asking you, over trusting in rumors."[/say]
She may have asked more, but she was interrupted by Danta's shift in focus. And there it was; the miracle she had not believed in. It was a sizeable specimen, alone, and even though it was within range it would really test her skills to make the shot.
The bow was in her hand in a second. Keeping one arrow at the ready between her teeth, Maea nocked a second and made extra doubly sure to put her revered leader behind her this time. Accounting for the wind, she sighted down the arrow - aimed - and loosed. Intense in her singular focus she followed up with the second arrow, followed the startled leap of the elk - now with one arrow protruding from the neck - and fired off a second time.
This time the buck stumbled, struggled to stay upright, but finally went down in a tangle of tall grass and brambles.
[say]"I don't believe it!"[/say] she murmured, stunned by her luck. Danta was shot a wide toothy smile over her shoulder. [say]"Dinner is served, my liege – "[/say]
It would have been far better if he was able to enjoy the whole thing properly, of course, but for now her awkward attempt at matching his mood would have to suffice. Upon reaching the elk she made sure the animal was properly dead, then opened up the belly with her knife so that Danta would have an easier time of sating his hunger. Her priority lay in hauling the dress from the pack, before too much of the blood had spilled uselessly onto the ground.
RE: I'm high on believing - Dantalion - 03-22-2024
[say]"I did think as much,"[/say] Danta croons with a smile, though the two of them are (rightly) distracted by prey on the horizon. Dropping back a step or two automatically - he also doesn't want to be in the arrow's sights this time around - he watches with a breath he doesn't know he's holding as Maea takes one shot, then the next, and the buck goes down. With eyes that almost look black in the dying light, he stalks with her towards the downed animal, injury all but forgotten in the way he moves and sets upon the creature.
There's plenty of blood and then some to fulfil his fellow Ancient's quest, he's sure, but as far as flesh and viscera and marrow are concerned, Maea will be hard pressed to get a look in until Danta has gotten his fill. Where some Ancients might prefer to be in their animal shift to partake in their bloodlust, the Maverick clearly has no such qualms, and by the time he sits back, bloody to the wrists and with crimson dripping from his chin, his companion may as well not be there for a few seconds.