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Post by okami1reeka333 on Aug 7, 2021 17:08:15 GMT -6
As the rain poured, no thunder sounded. yet it was a rather heavy spew of water. . . . there seemed to be a threat of more to come, yet it was as though this was as bad as the rain becomes. . . . in the distance in the mountains. . . there was the odd sound of music that played in the echos of the woods. . . hidden in the thicket, a lone instrument played its solitary melody.
zavijah:
She sat apon the base of a elder ashen tree. . . waiting for the rain to finally subside. . . she liked these trees- from what she has seen in her travels, they were not as conductive as the trees around her. . . if anything, they do tend to push metals away from themselves. . . either out of the way of the roots or away from the tree- itself. . . she assumed its from a sap secreted from the tree. . . . .either way. . . it in a way does make the trees around her more electrified, though this was to cause the deaths of surrounding trees to better its chances to grow. . . .
Luckily, the thunder had not made its presence known. . .so no danger from what she saw was there of being struck. . . one of the times she has her straw hat. She stabbed a summoned wooden shield into the tree to act as an umbrella for herself, so she could summon and play her instrument. . . . . a Guzheng that was although rather decorated, the oriented areas were smooth and flat. . .
Whether she thought it was quiet, or thought it quiet- living and spiritually speaking, or simply found it peaceful here, or sought to use herself as bait- it was not known. She wanted to test how the sound played in the area- seeing metal would of surrounded the tree's roots like a bowl. . . perhaps to see if this was a suitable ground to train Hau in. . . . the vast root system and the odd nature of the tree would be of interested to teach her student.
For now, she can think of how she can most effectively train her student. . .
And how to increase the difficulty without killing him. . . seeing he seems to have grown bored of her lessons already. . or rather seems to have grown comfortable. . .
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Post by Vaitris on Aug 11, 2021 5:23:49 GMT -6
It took a moment to filter through the steady patter of rain but Kazan could faintly sense the twang of chords from somewhere deeper in the woods. He stood still a moment, listening intently. Who would play an instrument so beautiful out here where it might be damaged by rain? The centaur changed course, following the softly attractive melody, picking his steps carefully to avoid the mud.
As he walked he took a white snake from where it was settled around his neck. Within his hands it melted and morphed into a familiar avian shape. His shikigami had grown a touch too large to mold comfortably with his fingers and he was missing the hands-on approach of reshaping it. Perhaps he would try his hands at traditional sculpture to ease the itch. His puppet took flight and he stopped, now watching from the view of the bird as it circled and honed in on the source of the music, alighting in a nearby tree.
Kazan’s curiosity turned slightly sour as he spied the feral halfling child. She must have fled from her keepers yet again, as no halfling he had met would let their child run rampant through the woods as much as this one clearly did. He pulled his senses back to himself and continued at a sedate pace till he found the little one seated beneath a large tree.
“You will ruin that.” He stated from the edge of a small clearing, crossing his arms as he observed her. “And you should not take things that do not belong to you.”
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Aug 11, 2021 7:51:20 GMT -6
The root system had a fairly uneven terrain, some of the roots having bulged at random places. . . an idea place to train an unsuspecting fox that would keep him busy.
zavijah:
Her ears twitched at the approach of another as she played. . . .she was not keen apon moving immediately, seeing the being kept his distance. . . though the accusation of her instrument being 'stolen', she did not appreciate in the least. Perhaps he was blind as to not see the shield stabbed into the bark above her head, acting as a shield against the rain. . . . it may be a wooden shield, but tis clearly a different color of wood. She was rather protected from the rain as is her instrument. . . hell, this was not even the original one she was gifted- that one stays home where she plays it and cares for it. . . this one was a created copy of such. . . though she doubts this one will ever be as worthy to the one her old friend had gifted her. . .Unless he was concerned about the shield? she sighed. "Child, what do you believe to not belong to me? " she asked.
"Do you have a habit of assuming what you do not understand as stolen? Such would explain the false leg. " she sighed. she had not glanced up apon the being, but had heard the difference between the flesh and blood limbs verse the false one. . . She eventually did glance up. . . before noticing this one was a familiar aura. . . the one that assumed her a child when they were learning under the officer's wing apon using the machine, and the recipes apon the potions he made. . . .
It was that one. . . what was his name? Kazi. . .Kazun . . .kazmon?. . .no. . . Kazan. He had introduced himself to Officer Lucidus apon the first 'class meeting'. . .
"what purpose do you hold to want to approach me? " she asked.
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Post by Vaitris on Aug 12, 2021 20:40:18 GMT -6
Her way of addressing him as "child" didn't strike any nerves, Kazan was by now used to being looked down upon. Many here treated him as an animal merely because of his resemblance to one. If he were to anger every time and lash out, he would never get anything of worth done.
“False leg?” There was still very real flesh and bone within them, but this was hardly the first time they had been taken as such. “Are you saying that my braces are the result of retribution for some assumption I made in error? That is quite a leap of your own.” He felt a chuckle bubbling up in him at that, but didn’t let it emerge. A wry smile crept onto his face however. “I would not have them in the first place but I was not given any choice in the matter. They are hardly a consequence of revenge, but of war.”
He eyed her “umbrella” dubiously, it was a crude way of creating some shelter from the rain and inadequate for her current activity. Even his shikigami dropped from its perch to land on it, claws digging into the edge of the wood as the puppet peered over the edge at her. “I am here because I am concerned for the instrument you hold. The moisture will warp it and damage the strings. It clearly does not belong to someone so young who would use it so recklessly.”
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Aug 13, 2021 6:14:26 GMT -6
To the shikigami's perspective, the wood within her hands was getting wet from water splashing back onto her after landing near or around her. . . But it seemed more lively? as if the water revealed a different kind of wood, where the colors seemed to inhale in the vibrancy of life. . .As if the wood the tree was made from was not normal. . .The shikigami would also see a glimpse of a rather horrific scar apon her left shoulder, just peaking from underneath her coat and shirt. underneath the collar of her shirt, there were bandages? as was apon her arm, hidden within the sleeve of her coat.
zavijah:
She had now stopped playing, seeing that this was not going to cease. . .she sighed. " . . . your presumption is off in my own. Your arrogance is the reasoning I see- not that of revenge. Though blaming war as to give yourself excuse to act as your rear end seems to be accurate in this case. " she replied frankly. So it was within a 'brace'. . . It took her a moment to hear the blood flow inside of the odd sounding leg. . . perhaps the damage was horrid enough to have disrupted the flow of blood- where it did not sound as though it was living. One of the damaged limbs definitely sounded worse off than the other . . but seeing he was closer, it was loud to her. "They have healers among the WSDA whom can aid you in improving the blood flow within your braced limbs and fix the damaged tendons. " she stated.
True, She even might be able to look at the limbs and help improve the blood flow via alchemy- though for those to come to her for such, it would imply they know, and they are desperate considering how excruciating the ordeal is. In her eyes that's not healing, that is replacing. This one needs a healer, not an alchemist. Then there was this one's arrogance. He was younger than her and acted as such. . . She was not obligated to help him. She did not want to help him, hes fine on his own.
There was another aspect at least where she hailed from, that war has brought, rather welcomed. Some kingdoms had believed in their ability to control demons, where she had to be included to kill off the demons- protect those fighting for their countries. Seal the summoned demonics away to where they can never cause harm again. . . .She could not imagine how soldiers or knights felt being ensnared in such battles, They both experience their own version of hell, as she sees it. Did not excuse Kazan acting as he was, not in her eyes, at least.
When he stated his reasoning as to why he was there, she sighed- does not seem to be the reason. Though, it seemed he was attempting to earn her ire. " hmmm. . . so in your eyes, I am not worthy to hold an instrument I've carved, made of wood that requires the instrument to be stored in clear water, because you assume twas made of Oak or Cherry?" she asked.
She sighed, glancing down at the instrument, carefully running a hand along the face of the wooden Guzheng. "You may of had a point, if this was of wood that grows commonly here. . . then again, I despise thieves and children who feel they have a right to what they see." She replied. " If I am too young to wield my instrument, you are far too young to be trusted with a sword, little alone to have headed towards war. . . "
She sighed, and moved to desummon her instrument, before standing- no point in giving him the chance to 'claim' it, or steal it from her. she then grabbed the shield via placing her arm within the brace and grip of it before forcing it out of the tree. She was not keen on the little being or its larger anal gland of an master staring her down. . . she did not trust what they might do.
" Tis obvious I hath overstayed my welcome. If such is your only reasoning, then I will move on from here. . .farewell. " She spoke, before turning to leave the two. . . .a shame, she will have to find another trip-dangerous area to go train her student if these two have claimed this as their homestead.
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Post by Vaitris on Aug 16, 2021 17:56:11 GMT -6
Kazan’s eyebrows perked. She was certainly a wordy one. He had not gotten that impression at all during the alchemy class. The centaur was also aware of the WDSA’s ability to potentially heal his legs, but had chosen not to. It was his own poor choices that had gotten them broken in the first place, he viewed this as his penance. And he would rather not go through the trouble if in the end they weren’t able to do anything after all.
Zavijah - as he’d heard Agent Lucidus address her a few times now - appeared to be mistaking honesty for arrogance and was reacting with a great deal of defensiveness. Perhaps she had read more in his voice despite his even tone. As much as she claimed him to be the younger, Kazan had only known children to ask questions then depart in a fit at the answers. Grown ruha had more pride than that. “Whether you believe I have been to war or not does not change the fact that I have in fact been there.” He was unsure what point she was trying to make, there was no logical connection between the sword and a musical instrument.
When she departed, Kazan watched her go without a word, considering the situation. The instrument had disappeared. Tucked into a bag? He had missed whatever she had done with it. She was probably off to roam the woods more. With a meaningful look at his shikigami, it took flight, following in the direction she had gone. Perhaps this was not as subtle as he was hoping. Back home his puppet would blend in more with the expansive population of white birds in his native woods, but maybe there was still a chance to glean some information on where the child was hiding.
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Aug 16, 2021 19:01:55 GMT -6
zavijah:
As she walked, she could sense and hear rather loudly the being send his bird after her. . . .something she was not keen apon at all. Though she sighed. . . If he wished to follow her and do her harm, then she will travel to where it would be difficult for him to traverse. . . .
Perhaps a lesson could be learned in this, for whom, she knows not. Though this one seemed to have taken offense, she did not care.
The point being made of being old went over his head, for one who assumes to know many things, he missed many details. She knew the bird will be following her, but was not going to lead it towards either the tree where she had set up a safe haven for kira or the fire home. . . she was not going to lead him towards any other typical places she goes, either. . . she walked for a good while, stopping every once in a while to grab some berries. . .collect them from some bushes. . .what berries they were varied, some were edible and some where not. . .
What she planned was not clear in the slightest. . .
She then finally stopped at another large tree and climbed up the trunk. . . this area had plenty of potholes and boulders for Kazan to traverse that were hidden by the foliage. . . the ferns provided a nice cover for the traps laid by nature. She sat herself at one of the Hollowed out knots of the tree. . . similar to a owl or any other woodland creature who would take advantage of a formation. She pulled out a hide and moved to place it where it covered the gap where she crawled in from . . .Some of her white hair seemed to poke out from the edge of the fur before another hide seemed to be produced from underneath. . . perhaps acting as a blanket. . .
To be fair, the distance from the ash tree and where this tree was should she have gone in a strait line was not too far off. . .to a trained soldier, she was either one who lacked literal direction or one who was easily distracted. should someone decide to, this hole was low enough for someone taller than her to simply reach in and grab her. and when the wind blew, it appeared as though the halfling had curled up and went to sleep to either take a nap, or to sleep for the night with her back turned to the hole in the tree.
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Post by Vaitris on Sept 16, 2021 8:31:30 GMT -6
Kazan followed in Zavijah’s wake, moving without any real urgency or intention to close the gap between them. To outside appearances it looked as though he were only taking a casual stroll through the woods, stepping carefully around obstacles and mud and pausing every now and then to refocus his senses on his puppet. The shikigami pursued the little halfling, fluttering from tree to tree and branch to branch. It watched her from above as she meandered and stopped and started again before finally finding her way to a large tree where she hid herself within a hole in the wood.
The ground around the tree didn’t escape the centaur’s notice when he arrived. While spotting such hazards would have been primarily his scout’s job, Kazan would have made a worthless soldier if he wasn’t able to detect such pitfalls himself. He stopped at the edge of the rough, stony area of land, weighing the effort of maneuvering through it against what he might accomplish, before finally deciding there was no reason to cross.
His puppet, on the other hand, perched above Zavijah’s hiding place. It collapsed in on itself, took the form of a squirrel, and descended the trunk to crawl beneath the first layer of fur and observe just what was concealed there.
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Sept 16, 2021 15:47:56 GMT -6
As the shikigami descend into the cavity of the tree where the halfling was at rest. She seemed to be asleep? chest was rising and falling calmly while a jade stone was clutched within the right hand. It seemed as though she had changed into a different attire, perhaps one meant to rest within rather than the normal garb she had on. . . .it was darker and wood colored- perhaps to make it easier to blend in with the surface area she was resting within. It seemed egg shaped, but it was in half, as if someone had sliced an egg perfectly length wise. . .
There were some intricate carvings along the surface, but nothing telling- depictions of spider lilies and other flora.
zavijah:
She remained hidden with the snake talisman in one hand, and the other half within the other hand. . . . . apon the branches she quietly crept away. Careful and soundless steps as though she mimicked death in its silent gate. She has had to learn how to silently approach demons whom were of far more sensitive hearing than hear. . . Failure of such has marred her body in the battles she has fell into in the past.
She glared at the half pony then to the little sliver of aura? that had landed apon the tree's main trunk before slinking inside.
It was curious what the creature inhabit. . . It has no blood. Not that she could hear.
Glancing back towards the half pony. . . She took note of the distance he kept. . .Perhaps not as unwise as to charge in to pull her out of the tree. . . well, what she had left within the cavity of the tree. . . She will need to move where she will not be immediately seen when she deactivates the snake talisman. . . Rather persistent If he looked to protect a mere instrument.
She stopped in her tracks. . .
She can't venture too far from it. . . not unless she wished to prematurely cut the tie. . . though She will need to move where she would be out of the half pony's sight. . . Then theres the question; Why did her persue her? What does he want?
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Post by Vaitris on Sept 26, 2021 20:28:50 GMT -6
Through his puppet’s eyes, Kazan could see the interior of the tree. It was dark but not enough to blind the shikigami as it cautiously investigated the aperture, clinging to the wood of the interior. The fur wrapped round the halfling obscured most of her details, but the gentle rise and fall of her chest was barely detectable. She appeared to be curled into a ball beneath, dozing.
How odd that she had hidden and then promptly fallen asleep. He had not been very subtle about his pursuit, a stark white bird could only blend in so much against the dark green foliage and the overcast sky. Was this simply the carelessness of a child? He didn’t normally concern himself with halflings, but this one seemed different. A youngster, unbalanced and alone. She should probably not be left to her own devices.
The centaur pulled his senses back, blinked as he woke to himself again. He noted the area around him, any landmarks, his own estimate of how far he had gone. This was not an area he was overly familiar with, but it would be good to mark the child’s hiding spot, for reporting to someone later. Or for his own investigation, he hadn’t quite decided yet.
Something about this spot did feel off however, but Kazan could not put his hoof on it. He took a few steps back, scanning the area high and low. The birds had quieted. Because of the rain? A bough shifted. Was it the breeze or something else? He didn’t recall his shikigami quite yet, there may not be need to, but he stood alert, waiting for the subtlest clue he might be in danger.
Meanwhile, without the influence of Kazan’s consciousness to guide it, the white squirrel twitched its tail and looked about. It crept forward, sniffed the body before it, placing tiny paws on the edge of the fur as it leaned close. It looked for any trinkets - buttons, jewelry, anything small and perhaps shiny - and if it found any it would grab it in its teeth and try to steal it away.
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Sept 27, 2021 9:10:22 GMT -6
Within the cavity of the tree, the only thing shiny was the green stone carved within the halfling's hand. . . .she seemed to only possess things carved and made of bone, hide, cloth, leathers. . . the shiny green stone was fairly well gripped within the halfling's hand, she even seemed to stiffen and shift at the grapple of the stone.
zavijah:
She laid and waited to see what Kazan will do. . . for the time being, he seemed to merely stand watch. . . she glanced back at the tree in thought. . . It wasnt until she noticed he seemed to come to and she felt the stone being touched. . . . Perhaps they had picked up apon the ruse. . .
Should it release the stone before she does. . . she did not want to be forced into the body of what she had left within the tree, designed to die, before to be ripped back into her original body. . .She drew her knife. . carefully with what fingers she could spare seeing she was holding the snake talisman. . . . Better to undo it before the toy of the half pony forces the thing to release the stone. . . . she then threw the jade talisman up into the air, grabbing the blade from the occupied hand with her freed hand before striking it with her blade. . . .it broke like glass before it turned to ash. . .
Within this instant, the shiny green rock the shikigami found clutched within the halfling's hand, started to turn black. . .all the while the girl, herself suddenly struggled to breathe, stifled cries of pain. . .the body shook and convulsed. Becoming still when the stone clutched within the girl's hand became ash as well. Even the last breath taken by the girl seemed stiffened with pain, so suddenly taken. . .
zavijah quietly sighed as she sheathed her knife, she will need to move. . . . glancing at the snake talisman. . . perhaps tis wise to let it rest as well. . .true, it was fine on its own for extended uses. . but she may need it in short bursts. . .
So she walked further along the tree away from the trunk. . .at the edge, she waited for his attention to be towards the tree before she deactivated her snake talisman and dropped down as quietly as possible. . becoming visible once again within a blink of an eye. She moved to hide behind the treeline to watch and see what was to unfold. . .if he were to give case or have noticed her, she will need to run. . . but first to destroy what she had left inside of the tree, so she summoned a dragon bow as well as an conbustion arrow and moved to take aim at her 'hiding spot'. . .
Perhaps he will leave if he thinks theres nothing to bury. . and the bodily make up of the thing she left will burn up and destroy quiet nicely. . .even destroying the bone matter. . perhaps it would be kind to destroy it before he gets too close. . . .She will move to desummon the dragonbow and run after loosing the arrow. . . only lingering to make sure it struck and combusted. . .
no need to remain behind and gloat. . . .
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Post by Vaitris on Nov 11, 2021 18:43:51 GMT -6
After another taut moment of watching, Kazan slipped his consciousness back into the shikigami for a peek into the tree. What greeted him was the sight of the child stiffening and seizing, a green stone in her hand dissolving suspiciously into ash. He snapped the connection, slinging his consciousness back and putting a small, dour frown on his face. Fool, he chided himself, drawing back a few measured steps.
Inside the hole, his shikigami split down the middle, features stretching and distorting as the two halves pulled away, folded in on themselves, and created two smaller songbirds. The pair arrowed out of the hiding place, forms blurred and glowing with light, leaving two darkened smoking holes in the hide covering behind them. They arced back to Kazan and began to circle. At some unseen signal though, they stopped and fluttered in place, normal-looking once again.
The tip of the centaur’s tail lashed side to side behind him, restless despite his attempts to still it. “Child, I know you are there.” He spoke, broadly observing the woods around him. “That was an impressive trick. Perhaps you want to explain how you did it.”
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Nov 11, 2021 19:16:26 GMT -6
When the arrow zipped past Kazan and struck its mark, the explosion although was not a large percussionary boom, it was a hell of a fireball that quickly turned the tree into a furnace. Becoming very hot and very combusted very fast. . .
zavijah:
She desummoned the dragon bow, the obnoxious poof she pray did not give away her position assuming the arrow did not do so already. . . . .
She merely moved to leave. . . She did not verbally answer him. . . . Just merely watching him before backing into the treeline. . .
Should he caught wind of where she was, she was still in her garb, with her hat and cloak on. . . This was was hunt, who was the hunter and who was the hunted?. . .
She needed to get away from the half pony . . . .whatever reasoning he has for pursuing her, she did not like at all. . . .she doubted it was over an instrument. . .Perhaps she should use a stench bomb on him if he gets too close.
That arrogance he has about him reeks . . . Removing a limb or causing damage to his body she feels will do nothing. . . .
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Post by Vaitris on Nov 17, 2021 20:36:10 GMT -6
Hearing the faint twang of the bowstring, Kazan automatically stepped away from the path of the arrow, his birds lighting up and coming to bear but just too slow to intercept. Heat washed over his flanks as it exploded nearby. Sniper tactics. He knew these and should have been prepared, shame he was without his squad and his scouts. But he could see her now in the shadow of the trees. That shot had given away her position.
Still burning with power, his birds shot off in her direction. One cut effortlessly through the tree trunk closest to her, wings sharp as blades, felling it across her exit path. The other sheared a smaller oak from its roots and brought it down at an angle from the first, creating a thick leafy barrier. The shikigami were nearly as fast as thought. She would have to be exceptionally quick to get away before she was hemmed in by fallen trees.
Kazan’s forehead burned. The new horns were thrumming so faintly, like the tines of a tuning fork. This was their first real challenge and so far they were performing beautifully. A small smile quirked his lips. The centaur stepped carefully in Zavijah’s direction, picking his way over the rough ground, approaching but with no intent to come in too close. Distance was his friend right now but he wanted to keep an eye on this child.
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Post by okami1reeka333 on Nov 17, 2021 22:02:38 GMT -6
zavijah:
She merely jumped back apon the fall of the trees. . .before simply jumping on to the fallen trees. . . Just because she can't run across the ground does not mean she cannot traverse the trees. . . Though it does mean she will need to hide her presence again. . .
Damable horse attempting to pin her, is he? . .
As she moved, she moved to summoned a jade bowl like talisman. . . .rather large in size. . . "áwæcnan(awaken)" she casted the talisman towards the forest floor. . Using the almost blanket like leaves to cover from him her actions. . .
The talisman itself taking a moment before like a muscle apon the beach that was exposed, dug itself into the ground. . .
a situation like this. . . There's Gúþhelm. . . That blade may do. . . She did not intend on killing him. . . . But his insistence aggravated her. Though she will await to see if she truly needed that blade to cease the pursuit of this being . . .
She summoned Waxaii, the bo staff she has come to favor using to train Hau with. . . She moved along within the treeline. . .seeing he almost crushed her with the falling trees. . . . She will take advantage of this distance he seems keen on keeping. . .
Let's see if the little pony wishes to play the games of fools. . . .
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