[Training] Yes. Do play with fire

"Ah, thanks." She said, wondering if her stomach had betrayed her need for food and water or if he had just inferred it from her story of how she got there.

She opened the pack and ate a small amount before washing it down with two quick swigs of water. She had been hungry and thirsty too many times to turn down free food and water.

"I uh, sure?" She shrugged, "Do you need me to strip or something?" She had no idea how healing magic worked, having never seen it in action before. She started to take off her shirt and halted as soon as she got it half-way off, showing a bruise she had received from the fall into the arena when she fell on her knee, hitting the left side of her ribs under her breast.

"I mean, im not shy." It was true. When bathing out of doors more often than in an inn, one lost sight of most senses of propriety or decency.

She felt every ache and didn't know whether his healing magic would get rid of the deep pains of stretching her magic too much.

He was a sweetheart, and she felt heat rise to her cheeks, though whether it was from the overexertion or something stirring in the background of her emotional intelligence she couldn't tell.

I have never feared the storm

Sah was glad to see Brokkrid tuck into his provisions. She had offered to train, but part of him was now wondering why she had done so, given that she must have already been tired from getting lost.

He didn't have time ot consider it further when she started taking off her shirt. His eyes widened at her question, and he flushed slightly, caught off guard. "No. Thankfully not. That'd certainly make the use of healing magic in combat far more difficult." Gods, he couldn't imagine if the only way to heal someone dying on the battlefield was to strip them down. Small mercies.

His brow furrowed as he took in the bruise on her side that he most certainly hadn't given her. Seeing the damage, Sah easily focused on the task at hand, hardly noticing the redness of her face. "I just have to touch you for a moment." Reaching out, the hybrid gently gripped one of her shoulders. Closing his eyes and focusing, he let the warmth of his healing magic wash over Brokkrid. It was the weakest of his magics, but it was still enough to fully mend her bruises and scrapes. Any aches should also be mostly alleviated.

Letting go, Sah sat back on his heels. Tilting his head, he scanned her briefly, "How does that feel? Better?" If she was fine now, he could probably start leading her out of the Labyrinth.

Sah

Brokkrid grumbled a bit, blushing under her dark skin as her naivety showed full force about magic and how it worked. As he reached out she let go.of her shirt which clung to her skin, staying up and giving her a merciful breeze. She grabbed his forearm as the warmth spread through her body, feeling like an instantaneous after-massage glow.

"Wow, a man that knows his way around fire, the sword, and can heal." She took inventory of him, his scent since he was so close, "I'm guessing there's some flaw i haven't seen yet?" She gave him a bold and open smile.

In contrast to his nigh perfect demeanor and generosity, she was a pale comparison. Almost as tall as he, she didn't have the delicate frame that was all the rage now. Which usually meant she could flirt openly with people and get away with them shrugging it off.

"I don't think i caught your name?" She said, her green eyes catching the sun making them almost luminous against her dark skin. "You're not a messenger from the Gods are you?" Certainly it wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen this week, but perhaps she was wrong.

A cool wind picked up, chilling the sweat on her abdomen and sending a shiver down her, now that she wasn't moving, the changing season's breath was cold against her skin. She readjusted her shirt, "I'm Brokkrid, travelling Smith, and wanderer for fun." She usually didn't like staying in a place too long, she had a tendency to make relationships that weren't savory. Almost no one liked it when she outplayed her welcome. When all the farming tools had been mended and horses had been shod, she knew to pull up stakes and set out again.

I have never feared the storm

Sah chuckled, "Don't worry. I have plenty of flaws." Was she flirting with him? Surely not. They'd just met! She seemed to be feeling better at least, much to his relief. He then processed her question and blinked, surprised. "I'm not a messenger of the Gods. I'm sworn to Safrin, but I'm certainly not one of her Demi-gods." It still blew Sah away at times to remember that the Starry goddess had accepted his loyalty and blessed him in return.

Using her grip on his forearm, the hybrid pulled Brokkrid to her feet before letting go. "Sah, a hunter from Halo. Nice to meet you, Brokkrid." He'd given his name earlier but with how disoriented she'd seemed to be initially, he didn't blame her for forgetting.

Sah raised a brow, "Are you ready to get going? I promised you a way out, didn't I?"

Sah

Brokkrid shrugged and nodded, it was only natural that her overt flirting that was like a brick to the head wasn't as sexy, or alluring as the subtle things other women did. She might have known, "Yeah, let's get out of here, unless there was something you needed to do here?" She asked, "I can help with whatever that was?"

He obviously wasn't stuck here like she was, so then he would have come in to do something right? Brokkrid smiled at him, then patted his cheek fondly, "You're probably taken. One lucky woman." She was unused to personal space, having lived the way she did with other nomads. Then she added, "Or man, if suppose." It would make sense with the overt flirting being turned down.

"So your choice. Don't we go out or stay in?"

I have never feared the storm

"Let's go. I can come back." Sah was ahead of schedule and making sure that Brokkrid was safe, and sound was more important than completing his task early. His eyes watched her hand as it drew closely with slight wariness, only for it to turn into incredulous disbelief as she patted his cheek.

Her words, however, had the hybrid's face burning, and he found himself uncharacteristically stuttering, "Uh.ah...tha.thank y..uou? But I'm uh..single." Seren and Maeve had never been so...upfront before. The Wild Thunder had no idea how to properly respond to such a flirtatious compliment.

Taking a step back, he cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. His ears were still red as he spoke, "Right. So, I can fly above the labyrinth and direct you from there, if that works?" From the sky, Sah would be able to ensure that they were making their way out even if the walls shifted.

Sah

Before Brokkrid could reply to him, Sah seemed to have moved on to the other conversation they were having. So he was single hmm? She gave him a little half smirk, a predatory glint in her eye. He hadn't said no to her advances but it seemed that he was about as dense as lead. She could work with that, she'd just have to be a bit bolder in her advances.

For now, however, she wouldn't fuddle his brains more so that he could properly lead her out. "Whatever you think is best is fine with me." Brokkrid shrugged and smiled at him, the predatory grin gone in favor of not turning his brain to mush, poor lamb. She might save that for later.

She doubted, now, that anything but obert flirting would get through to him. This also would give her time to figure out what she wanted out of the situation. She was so used to rejection that she didn't think about what she would do if she wasn't instantly rejected. Much like a fisherman going for a fish, ending up reeling in a shark, she didn't quite know what to do now that he was on the line.

Brokkrid shouldered her bag and adjusted it on her back, "You know, you're cute, why in Caido are you single?" She could think of a thousand women who she had sold things to that would love to drag a man half as handsome as he home, with a quarter the prowess and would marry them right on the spot. Their fathers would marry them away to a man like that too, with bells on their toes.

Wasn't there a saying? *all the good men are either taken or-* she had forgotten the rest.

Sah

The Raven must be sent
before the Dove

As Sah gathered his things and was about to shift, Brokkrid asked yet another bold question. He let out a sigh, bright blue eyes entering his memory, "I was taking things slow with someone and... well. She's gone now." Not dead, but in the stars and likely never to return. Sometimes that was worse because he could never quite let go of the hope that Seren would return. He thought he'd gotten over her once but then she'd come back.  Sah had been so happy but... now she was gone again.

Beyond her, however, and perhaps why his current company's flirtation had him so off guard, was a bit more complicated. The Wild Thunder wasn't one for shallow attachments and found that he couldn't form anything romantic with someone who he hadn't connected to emotionally first. What had one of his fellow hunters said it was called? Demisexual? That.

The hybrid also noted that in the past, even when flirting had been less obvious, such as with Maeve, it had been physical and had been the part that made the intentions of subtle words click. Bold and unashamed words were new and so far out of his depth.

He gave Brokkrid a nod, "Follow me." With that, Sah shifted into his raven form. From the sky, he was able to carefully lead his sparring partner out of the Labyrinth. He made sure to take breaks when she needed to rest, not wanting to exhaust her yet again.  Once they were free, Sah landed and shifted back. "There we go.  Freedom."

After making sure that Brokkrid was good to go, the two made their way back to the Inner Quarter for a snack before parting ways. 

-[FIN]

ominous controversy must precede
peace and the olive wreath