500 miles away from home
Noah!
Seren Taliesin


Age: 25 | Height: 5'7 in (170cm) | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 16 - Int:
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#1
Dark hair for catching the wind, not to veil the sight of a cold world
"That should take care of it. But don't overdo it again, girl, or I won't patch you up the next time." The glow faded from the healer's hands, and Seren breathed a sigh of relief when hands ceased their firm grasp on her face. The ache behind her eyes was already fading away, and the nausea seeped off along with it.
"I won't, I promise," she murmured, fervent enough that the wrinkled old lady nodded in satisfaction.

Listening to the receding footsteps as the healer departed, the starchild slumped back onto the bed with a deep sigh. For what felt like the hundredth time she counted the boards in the ceiling. There were still the same number of slats separating her from the sky beyond. Almost equal to the days she had been gone from home, but unlike the days the roof did not expand as she lay prone and did nothing. The problem, she thought, was that she didn't know what to say. All the explanations she had thought out only sounded like excuses. Would her father ever believe that she hadn't meant to do all this? Be gone so long, get so lost, wind up in Halo of all places. And that wasn't even the worst part.

Groaning to herself, Seren heaved herself up from the cot and reached for her coat. Tumbling down the stairs, she struggled to get all the knots and buttons right while at the same time dragging information from the bartender. Whatshisname who put her up here, where could he be found? Oh at home, great, and where was that? Directions, vague and unhelpful were offered, wonderful, thank you; but off she went anyway, in search fo this Noah who had saved her life. Three times she went the wrong way, and had to stop a stressed-looking mother of two along the way for help.

By the time Seren knocked on the door to the man's house, she realized she still didn't know what to say. Gratitude was in order, of course, and yet... All she could think of was the utter mess he had landed her in. (Like she hadn't done enough on her own.)
Seren
Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
Noah Olson
the Forsaken
Hunter

Age: 34 | Height: 6'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 9 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 47 - Endr: 46 - Luck: 47 - Int: 1
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#2
NOAH

Noah was not expecting company when she knocked on his door. Eira perked up first, alert but not aggravated. The griffon chirped and stood on the back of the couch she had been curled up on. She looked out the window with bright, golden eyes and sent the image to Noah of who was standing outside their door. The hunter finally turned from his task at the image in his head. Their proximity made it quite clear who had knocked on his door. Setting his filet knife down on the board, Noah moved into the main area of the house, wiping his hands as clean as he could on the apron strung around his waist.

Noah opened the door without hesitation, smiling brightly at the young woman. "You live." He had no doubt she would, not with the gifts and strengths of the healers here in Halo. "How are you doing?" His eyes were kind and he smiled in a way that made them wrinkle. Eira chirped loudly behind him, her tail twitching. She wanted to see the woman she had been told about, the one that Noah had saved. She dropped down from the couch and trotted towards Noah's side, her talons clicking against the hard floor boards.

I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm

Don't worry I'll keep you warm
Seren Taliesin


Age: 25 | Height: 5'7 in (170cm) | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 16 - Int:
UMBRA - Mythical - Dragon (fire breath)
Played by: Chan Online
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Posts: 1,447 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#3
Dark hair for catching the wind, not to veil the sight of a cold world
Steps approaching her from the other side of the door made her heart beat faster in an unexpected onset of nerves. When it creaked open, she was surprised. The man was taller than she had thought he might be. Lighter too, in hair and eyes. And the smile he leveled at her was so warm that she faltered and found herself returning it a little shyly, unable to hold on to the peeve she had worked up.

"Ah, yes. As you can see." Holding out her arms, Seren did a little pirouette on his doorstep to show that she indeed was very much alive. The hood of the coat fell off in the twirl, spilling dark hair out across the shoulders. "I'm feeling much better. The healer patched me up nicely." Twice, but she didn't mention that. It was her own fault for trying to do too much, too soon.

"I, eh..." Tucking a coil of night behind an ear, she tried to remember what she had come to say. It had been something about portals and rivers, but it felt much too ungrateful now that the man who had saved her life stood there smiling at her. She was distracted - gratefully so - by the approach of a small ghost behind his feet. Brigthening, the girl hunched down and held out her hands towards the griffin. "Hello you!" she cooed softly, the awkwardness falling away as though it had never been there. "Aren't you beautiful... What's your name?"

Flicking a curious glance upwards, she included the man in the question. Of course she already knew, from explanations given by others, but it felt polite to ask anyway. Introductions, yes. That was a good place to start. "I'm Seren Taliesin," she offered. "I came to say thanks..." Maybe she should have brought a gift. What was appropriate to give someone who hauled you out of a river and brought you halfway across the world?
Seren
Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
Noah Olson
the Forsaken
Hunter

Age: 34 | Height: 6'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 9 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 47 - Endr: 46 - Luck: 47 - Int: 1
EIRA - Mythical - Griffin (Venom) VI’ADORE - Mythical - Unicorn (Healing)
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#4
NOAH

He chuckled some as the young woman twisted around on his front landing. She seemed to be doing quite well, actually. Despite having been in and out of consciousness for a few days as he brought her to the best healers he knew. "I am glad you're doing okay." He wiped his hands on his apron again, suddenly very aware of the amount of blood on it. He went to take a step back and invite her in when she crouched to get a better look at Eira.

The griffin, ever willing to accept love and admiration, chirped brightly at the young demigoddess. She trotted over carefully and reclined on feline haunches, wings tucked at her sides but beak elevated to receive her scratches. She made little, happy sounds as Seren touched her, basking without shame in the attention the woman gave her. Noah snorted out another laugh, shaking his head slightly. "That's Eira."

"And I am Noah Olson." While normally he would extend his hand out to offer a shake, his were still dirty from the processing. Not to mention that, just a short time ago, Noah had his mouth over her's to help dislodge the water from her lungs. "Would you like some tea?'

I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm

Don't worry I'll keep you warm
Seren Taliesin


Age: 25 | Height: 5'7 in (170cm) | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 16 - Int:
UMBRA - Mythical - Dragon (fire breath)
Played by: Chan Online
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Posts: 1,447 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#5
Dark hair for catching the wind, not to veil the sight of a cold world
The griffin was adorable. Pale-spotted fur ran smooth as silk through her fingers, deep and plush enough that Seren wouldn't be surprised to see her whole arm disappear into it. Owl-beaked and snow-feathered, Eira was a ghost made flesh, and the girl fell in love instantly as she was allowed to cuddle.

"It's very nice to meet you," she smiled, mostly to the griffin, "properly." She added the later with a light laugh and awarded Noah a lopsided grin. "Thank you, tea would be nice. I don't want to disturb you though, if you are busy?" The glance she threw at his red-stained hands was merely curious, stranger perhaps for its lack of alarm.

Still, Seren was curious and soon rose to follow Noah inside. Blue eyes absorbed the surroundings with bright curiosity. To her it was rustic, practical and simple in a very cozy way that contrasted greatly with the stern stones of Stormbreak, and the haphazard charms of Torchline. Breathing in the scent of wood-smoke and furs that permeated all of Halo, she found herself missing the fresh tang of green leaves and salt. A rustle in the rafters above made the young woman look up; a bird sat perched in a corner, so dark against the dancing shade that she would never have spotted it if it hadn't moved.

"Why do you have a raven in your ceiling?" she asked, more amused than judgemental. Maybe it was another companion?
Seren
Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
Noah Olson
the Forsaken
Hunter

Age: 34 | Height: 6'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 9 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 47 - Endr: 46 - Luck: 47 - Int: 1
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#6
NOAH

Noah stepped back from the door and gestured for Seren to come inside. Eira followed at the heels of the demigoddess, her tail curling around her legs as she walked into Noah's home. It was warm inside, and surprisingly bright. The murals that Delphine painted still covered the wooden walls. Vivid greens and blues of places she had seen in her time before Caido, as well as some images from the place she lived with her daughters, and some of the jungle of Torchline. All of it was dampened, though, by a beautiful painting of the fangs that covered the space above Noah's hearth.

"Not with anything I can't finish later." He closed the door behind the young woman, and turned to take off and hang his apron near the door to the newly remodeled butchery. "I have two kinds of tea. One is a fruity tea I traded for in the Hollowed Grounds," He grabbed two mugs as he entered the kitchen space, setting them on the table before two chairs for them to sit, "and one is fairly sharp. I got it from Torchline."

Seren's attention was instantly drawn to Korbin, and as Noah lifted the kettle off the table to fill with water, he let his eyes move up to the bird momentarily. He hoped that the presence of the girl did not panic him. It was not Delphine, so that was good. He knew Korbin would not have stayed with him if the blonde woman still resided here. "That's Korbin." Noah said, looking to Seren to see her reaction. The hunter introduced him the same way he did Eira, hoping that the raven would stay at ease even with her here now. He turned, then, with a full kettle and set it on the hook above the flames to start it on heating.

I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm

Don't worry I'll keep you warm
Seren Taliesin


Age: 25 | Height: 5'7 in (170cm) | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 16 - Int:
UMBRA - Mythical - Dragon (fire breath)
Played by: Chan Online
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Posts: 1,447 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#7
Dark hair for catching the wind, not to veil the sight of a cold world
"Alright then. Thank you." The woman smiled as she entered, ghosted by the gryphon. Awkward though she may be, there was an ease about the way she carried herself, that made her seem just as at home in this strangers house as she might in her own.

Given the option to choose, Seren didn't have to deliberate. "I think I'll go with the Torchline tea," she smiled, bowing her head graciously in thanks. "Can I help with anything?" It would be preferable over getting the guest treatment. Noah moved about with purpose however, and she suspected that any task would be more swiftly done if he did it himself. Still... it always made her restless to have her hands empty while others worked.

Foregoing the chair for the opportunity to look around, she was drawn towards the bird. As she approached, it stared down at her with wary eyes. Seren's skin prickled upon noticing how bright they were. Blue, not so very different from her own, and somehow... other. "Korbin..." she repeated softly, still gazing upward. "Not any regular raven, are you?" The raven clapped its beak but did not respond in any way she could discern. When it shuffled further off into a corner and tucked its head beneath a wing, Seren took the hint and left it alone. Questions burned in her mind, but Noah had not answered her... and intuitively, Seren felt that it might be a sensitive subject.

"You have a beautiful home, Noah," she remarked instead, turning her attention to the painted walls. Admiring the artwork, she glanced at her host with a smile - always smiling, was she, now that there was no more blood or water to choke on. "Is it common, for Halo houses to be painted like this?" The walls of the Kraai didn't have anything like it, but it might be reserved for private homes.
Seren
Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
Noah Olson
the Forsaken
Hunter

Age: 34 | Height: 6'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 9 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 47 - Endr: 46 - Luck: 47 - Int: 1
EIRA - Mythical - Griffin (Venom) VI’ADORE - Mythical - Unicorn (Healing)
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#8
NOAH

As Noah got the tea set and ready, he hoped that Seren wouldn't focus on the topic of the raven too long. Glacier eyes moved towards the raven and back to the girl, "Ah, well, you could say that any creature in Halo, human or not, isn't entirely regular." He gave her a half-cocked smile, hoping it was enough to dissuade that particular piece of conversation.

The hunter turned then and grabbed a damp towel from the sink basin, and wiped his hands down. The blood was sticky in his fingers, but came off with some friction easily enough. When Seren commented on his home, Noah's half-cocked smile turned to a warm grin. "It's a generational home," setting the towel down, he turned to face her again, "My grandather's grandfather built it, and Olsons have been living in it since." She stepped into the main room and looked around, rather than taking a seat at the table before the mug. Noah watched her for a moment, leaning against the back of the tall wooden chair where he had placed his own mug.

"Uh, no, I think my house is unique that way." He tried to make his statement a little vague, a little unknowing, but the truth was the hunter was confident: there was no home in Halo that donned such masterpieces as his. "Someone I once knew painted them for me."

I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm

Don't worry I'll keep you warm
Seren Taliesin


Age: 25 | Height: 5'7 in (170cm) | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 16 - Int:
UMBRA - Mythical - Dragon (fire breath)
Played by: Chan Online
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Posts: 1,447 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#9
Dark hair for catching the wind, not to veil the sight of a cold world
If anything, the attempt at subterfuge only made Seren more curious. Had she not been indebted to this man already she would have insisted on asking more questions. But between the raven's wary posture and Noah's apparent caution, she decided to leave it. "I don't doubt it," she replied, with a playful wink in his own direction. "I would love to know more about all of you, in time." It was completely true, double meaning aside; already Seren was falling for the austere landscape and the cold climate. It was everything she had imagined it to be, even at a surface glance.

Turning back towards Noah from the murals, she nodded understanding with even more appreciation. "It must be a remarkable person. It's so skillfully done!" Then she paused, belatedly registrering the nuance of what he had said. "Are... they still around?" she asked, far softer than before. Expecting tragedy, hoping for mere mundane departures. But Caido was rarely merciful like that.
Seren
Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
Noah Olson
the Forsaken
Hunter

Age: 34 | Height: 6'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 9 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 47 - Endr: 46 - Luck: 47 - Int: 1
EIRA - Mythical - Griffin (Venom) VI’ADORE - Mythical - Unicorn (Healing)
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#10
NOAH

The heat of the fire did not take long the warm the water. The kettle whistled behind the hunter and he turned to grab it. It was a practiced motion that he hardly had to think of. Grab the pot holder, grab the kettle, pour the water. The hunter did this in what seemed to be one fluid motion, filling each of their mugs to the perfect point with tea bags floating on the surface until saturated enough to sink down into the near-boiling water. The mugs were large, definitely needing two hands in Seren's case to hold, but Noah held it out to her nonetheless. "I liked this blend quite a bit." he regarded of the Torchline tea, the hints of clove strong in it's scent.

"Halovians love Halo, and there are plenty of old men in the library of the palace ready to give anyone who walks by a history lesson." He laughed, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with his -- mostly -- joke. It was true that there were a few men who, pushing into their 70s, loved talking about Halo's history. The majority of Halo's people, however, were still standoffish towards outlanders and would share very little. Noah felt them warming up, in general, but it was slow. Such was the way of this icy world.

"Uh, no, she's not." He said, turning briefly to look at the painting on the south wall. "She left a while ago."

I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm

Don't worry I'll keep you warm
Seren Taliesin


Age: 25 | Height: 5'7 in (170cm) | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 16 - Int:
UMBRA - Mythical - Dragon (fire breath)
Played by: Chan Online
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Posts: 1,447 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#11
Dark hair for catching the wind, not to veil the sight of a cold world
Coming over to Noah as the tea was offered, Seren reached up to accept the cup. Slender fingers brushed against his in the exchange, and a touch of pink colored her cheeks under the freckles. "Thank you," she murmured and hastily bent her nose over the steaming rim, to breathe in the scent. To steady herself too, perhaps, and shove all recollections of rivers and warm lips as far from her thoughts as possible. "I grew up in Torchline. It's a nostalgic flavor."

Thinking of libraries helped. Thinking of an artist departed was sobering.  
"I would love nothing better than to bury myself in a library," she admitted, daring a smile and a quick peek up at the Olson. "Or even better, to go exploring and see it all for myself. Though maybe not alone, this time." It had not gone too well last time.

Lifting the mug to her lips, the girl made to sip, then changed her mind. Lowered her hands, and made herself look straight at the man. Noah. With blonde hair and pale eyes and a smile that looked warm and open, but perhaps was more reserved than it first appeared. He had red crescents beneath the fingernails and callouses on his hands, and he had hauled her out of a river. A complete stranger, yet he had done it anyway.

"You saved my life," she said quietly, and not for the first time felt a shudder of terror and awe at the words. The implications, the likely outcome had he not been there. "I don't... even know how to thank you properly. Except, well, thank you." But words were so inadequate, and did nothing to diminish her debt of gratitude. Could anything?
Seren
Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
Noah Olson
the Forsaken
Hunter

Age: 34 | Height: 6'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 9 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 47 - Endr: 46 - Luck: 47 - Int: 1
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#12
NOAH

Noah smiled as the girl reached for the cup. He did not notice the way the color filled her freckled cheeks, though even if he had he might have brushed it off as nothing to note. Taking his own cup, then, and taking a sip, he listened as she spoke. "I'd rather be out on the tundra than in the library, myself. But there are far more dangerous things out there than rivers. I wouldn't go alone, and I wouldn't go without a natural." The advice was not meant to scare the girl, merely to inform. Many, many people lost their lives on the tundra simply by taking a wrong turn, or a change of direction in the wind. It was a treacherous place. While it was beautiful, and there was plenty of awe to experience in it, it was still dangerous.

Noah set his cup back on the table, letting his eyes follow it. "I couldn't leave you there. The river would have taken you." He said, the true humility of his spirit evident in every word that he spoke. "There is not need to thank me." Noah would have done it for anyone. Even someone he regarded as an enemy -- which, at this point in his life, he did not have any.

I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm

Don't worry I'll keep you warm
Seren Taliesin


Age: 25 | Height: 5'7 in (170cm) | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 3 - Strg: 16 - Dext: 20 - Endr: 30 - Luck: 16 - Int:
UMBRA - Mythical - Dragon (fire breath)
Played by: Chan Online
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Posts: 1,447 | Total: 5,764
MP: 1897
#13
Dark hair for catching the wind, not to veil the sight of a cold world
It was good advice, and Seren took it to heart. Even though she was as much a natural as any born on Caido, she was not natural born of Halo, and unlike Torchline's sunfilled beaches where life was easy, that mattered here. Unaccustomed to the cold, to the weather, unaware of all the tips and tricks required to survive in a hostile climate, she would not survive long on her own. "I will remember that," she said, and meant it. Her careless trek into the Wilds had not been for nothing; lessons had been learned, for what it was worth.

Yet, the question of paying the price for that lesson remained unresolved. It seemed that Deimos had been right in his assessment of this hunter; Noah quickly dismissed the gratitude, and Seren was glad she had forgotten to buy that whetstone. It would have seemed so... cheap.

"But I want to thank you," Seren persisted with a smile quirking the corners of her lips, as the humble man tried to wave away the reward for his actions. His humility impressed her, but it left her without a way to repay him. "If you had not been there, I would not be alive. I would not be here." Drinking tea, admiring art, breathing and speaking... it was all owed to this man. "Is there something I can help you with? And if not me, I'm sure my father, Ronin Taliesin, would be more than happy to lend you aid. With anything."

Her gaze was earnest. Seren meant every word she said. She would need to return to her family after this, but she could come back if Noah did indeed have a request. If not... well, this was not the kind of debt that had an expiration date. "If you ever find yourself in need, you can come to us. To me. I will help you."
Seren
Starlight (Passive) | Starfilled night billow around her like a veil as she moves. It is more noticeable in daytime and when she make sudden movements.
Noah Olson
the Forsaken
Hunter

Age: 34 | Height: 6'2 | Race: Demi-god | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 9 - Strg: 49 - Dext: 47 - Endr: 46 - Luck: 47 - Int: 1
EIRA - Mythical - Griffin (Venom) VI’ADORE - Mythical - Unicorn (Healing)
Played by: Time Online
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Posts: 2,011 | Total: 2,363
MP: 1005
#14
NOAH

Glacier eyes shifted back to the girl as she pressed her thankfulness. Noah's face remained neutral, though his normally colder eyes had softened with her words. The mention of her father directly by name felt as though it was supposed to mean something to the hunter, but it did not. He could not recall a man by such a name, other than brief words of him being touched by Safrin. His path had not crossed the attuned man's, and he wasn't sure if it would any time soon. Noah was not going to go out and seek the favor of the man, he didn't feel it was necessary. Saving her was the right thing to do, and Noah was raised to do the right thing. "Thank you." He said nonetheless, letting a small smile return to the corners of his lips. "Where will you return to?" It was a casual question, an attempt to brush them off of the gravity of what Noah had done for her. He felt uncomfortable beneath her gratitude.
I'll follow you down through the eye of the storm

Don't worry I'll keep you warm


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