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Post by Elvander on Jan 29, 2020 22:56:43 GMT
"You can call me Trys." She supplied her name, and opened the front door. "Hound!" She beckoned him into the warmth, hoping he would pick up Ike's scent and that that would be enough for him to enter. The horses, both of them, had long since fled to the shelter of the stables Trys had built nearby. She closed the door when Hound came bounding in, and looked back at Ike. "And what can we call you?" She questioned, looking to Kiona. The poor girl had gone through a lot. "Mead, anyone?"
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Post by starrea on Jan 29, 2020 23:19:38 GMT
Something inside Kiona snapped when Ike dared mocked her. She had survived the massacre of her family, escaped into the wilderness, walked from their capital to across the border with no help from roads, trails, or people, foraged for food, and withstood the incredibly unforgiving climate. She didn’t know many other people who could do all of that in the span of five days. She stormed over to Ike, no longer afraid.
“They underestimated me too, and I was the only one who survived. Underestimate me, please, hunter. We’ll see which one is us walks away.” Her voice was cold, her eyes hard. She might have been smaller than him, but she had already proven herself a force to reckoned with.
The knife clattered to the floor. She wanted to hurt him with her bare hands. In one fluid movement, she crashed her knee into his balls and followed that with a punch to his face. Once she started, she couldn’t stop. Images of her dead sisters and parents flashed through her mind, fueling her rage. She continued to rain blows down him, sacrificing strength as her attacks grew more and more desperate. 7
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Post by Val on Jan 30, 2020 0:11:34 GMT
Ike watched his shivering dog scramble into the cabin, narrowing his eyes at the cowardly mutt as it slunk toward him with his tail tucked, avoiding Aloy at all costs. He opened his mouth to reply to Trys, but was cut off by the princess as she approached him defiantly. He stared her down as she ranted at him, his eyes stony and uncaring. When his groin was struck for the second time that evening, he collapsed to his knees with a loud grunt. He took the series of blows with gritted teeth, remaining hunched over until the pain of his manhood ebbed. Then, swinging his legs out from under him, he hooked Kiona at the knees and dragged her down to the ground. With his arms useless, he used his powerful legs to pin her to the ground at her waist, effectively subduing her tantrum, "Stop now or I'll break your fucking ribs," he snarled, putting pressure to prove his point.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 30, 2020 1:43:12 GMT
"Both of you stop!" Trys snapped and grabbed Kiona, hauling her away from Ike, shoving his legs aside. "This is my home, goddamn it. Kiki, you are my guest. Bounty hunter, by a series of unfortunate events, you are my captive. But as long as you don't cause trouble, you won't be harmed. You'll both be fed, watered, kept clean and warm. And if either of you try anything, I'll be forced to become unpleasant." Trys pushed Kiona down onto a couch. "Now, would you both like some mead?" she repeated her question firmly, resting her hand atop Aloy's head to calm the puma, whose tail was lashing viciously from all of the tension.
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Post by starrea on Jan 30, 2020 2:09:05 GMT
One second Kiona was on top of Ike punching him, and the next she was on her back. The fall knocked the air out of her lungs and his legs pressing down on her lungs prevented her from sucking air in like she wanted to. She glared up at Ike hatefully but stilled her struggles beneath him. A second later his weight was removed when Trys knocked him and Kiona scrambled up and away from him as if he carried something contagious.
The way Trys spoke to them reminded Kiona of when her mother would scold her and her sisters for fighting. The thought was comforting at first but then only served as a reminder of what she had lost and her anger was renewed. Still, just as when her mother had scolded her, she backed off and shot the hunter another hateful glare.
“I would like some, please.” She found herself saying after she sat down. The whole situation felt surreal. Five days after her entire family is murdered, she is sitting in a cabin in the middle of the woods with a stranger, a bounty hunter, a puma, and a dog sharing a bowl of mead. It almost sounded more of a fever dream than reality.
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Post by Val on Jan 30, 2020 2:37:13 GMT
Ike righted himself, leaning his back against the wall with a huff. He'd taken some nasty injuries through all the commotion and it was finally starting to catch up to him as he was forced to sit still. Hound, who had taken refuge under a table during the commotion, crawled over to Ike and began licking at his face incessantly, tail thumping against the floor. Ike shouldered him away, feigning annoyance, unwilling to show any softness in front of the two women. "Yes, mead," he relented, eyeing the girl with the same amount of hate and distrust. He didn't like the idea of being tied up at the mercy of a demon. "What is your plan when the storm passes, Trys?" he pressed, purposely not offering up his name as he eyed the formidable women.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 30, 2020 19:03:12 GMT
Trys relaxed as both parties did as they were told. She pondered Ike’s question as she poured three cups, passing one to Ike’s bound hands, one to Kiona, and keeping one for herself. She settled down across from Kiona on a chair, watching the girl with compassion. “I don’t believe I should share my plans with you, hunter. But I will keep the girl safe.” Trys took a long sip of mead and watched as Aloy curled up at Kiona’s feet, acting like a guardian. “We’ll be here for awhile,” she turned her attention to Kiona. “I think it would be best if you could tell me the truth, dearest. What happened to you?” She asked gently, and earnestly. She wanted to know as much as she could. It unsettled her that perhaps Ike could be right- that Kiona could be a monster. She didn’t want to believe it, as scared as the girl was.
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Post by starrea on Jan 30, 2020 22:49:37 GMT
Kiona sipped the mead, unable to stop herself from making a face as the alcohol burned her throat. Alcohol had been strictly prohibited in her family but she knew what it did. The rumor that it numbed the kind of pain that didn’t show on the outside was the one that appealed to her but she wasn’t sure she could force herself to choke down enough of it to forget the reason she was drinking in the first place.
The thought of what was going to happen after the storm passed hadn’t yet occurred to Kiona. For the last five days, she had lived moment to moment, only focusing on surviving. She hadn’t the luxury of being able to think much further ahead. But now she was able to see how grim her situation was. If released, the hunter would continue to track her and if he caught her, they would execute her. He probably wouldn’t be convinced to just turn around and go home, which meant that the only way to get him off of her trail would be to kill him, and the idea of killing someone made her stomach turn. Either way, she was looking at the rest of her life being on the run.
The question startled Kiona and her gaze briefly snapped to Trys before settling on Ike again. He didn’t so much as twitch without her noticing.
“They executed my family, and they want to execute me. They think that I am a monster, but they are wrong.” Her words were fat and emotionless for describing an extremely emotional moment. Even though she knew what had happened, the last five days hadn’t given her time to process and grieve. She didn’t offer anymore explanation. Instead, she raised the glass to her lips and took a long sip of the mead and reveled in the pain as it burned down her throat.
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Post by Val on Jan 31, 2020 0:26:58 GMT
Ike lifted the cup to his mouth and drank quickly, draining the cup with a few loud gulps. He wasn't usually one to indulge in distracting substances, but the situation was causing him an unusual amount of stress. Hound curled up at his master's side, pressing as close to him as possible while his floppy ears splayed out on the floor like mini carpets. He had barely rested his head on his paws before he drifted into a deep slumber, exhausted from the day's events.
As Kiona told her story, Ike stared adamantly at the floor, jaw tensing. Either she was a liar, or she wasn't aware of what the hell she was. Then again, he hadn't seen the monster for himself. But he believed the many, many people who'd confirmed it. Perhaps unconsciously, he rested his bound hands upon his dog and stroked his fur, seeming distant and detached from their conversation. She wasn't the first person to witness their family get slaughtered, and she surely wouldn't be the last. Not when demons continued to exist.
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Post by Elvander on Jan 31, 2020 5:16:51 GMT
“So you hate those with magic?” Trys focused on Ike, feeling anger rip through her. She gazed upon Kiona with compassion and leaned forward, giving her knee a reassuring squeeze. “Monsters aren’t born, they’re made. The only monsters are the ones who kill indiscriminately because someone told them to.” She narrowed her eyes now at Ike. “Kiki, please make yourself at home here. My food, my bath, a bed. They are all yours. I’m sorry for your family. I would never judge you to be a monster because of something you were born with. Unlike some, I can think for myself.”
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Post by starrea on Jan 31, 2020 5:30:13 GMT
“I don’t have magic!” Kiona exclaimed, exasperated. She didn’t miss the way the hunter stared at the floor and she glared at him, growing braver now that Trys seemed to side with her. “Look me in the eyes, hunter. Look at me and tell me I deserve to die for something I am. Look at me and tell me my family deserved to be slaughtered for something that you believe I am. Look at me you coward!” Her voice rose with each word and she leaned forward, furious.
Now that she wasn’t actively fighting for her life, it was hard to ignore everything that she had been ignoring for the last five days. Her exhaustion, her hunger... but most of all, her anger and grief. And staring at Ike, it was coming over her in waves. She didn’t want him to see her cry though, so she choked back tears. He already thought she was some stupid spoiled brat and she didn’t want to show him any more weakness than she already had.
“When this storm is over, I’m going to go on my way and you are going to return to Grovakha. Without me.” She knew she couldn’t ask him to call off the hunt because she knew he wouldn’t be able to. A part of her didn’t want to kill him. She could probably hold her own for a minute or two but he larger and stronger and would probably beat her in a fight. But another part of fantasized about plunging a knife into his neck, the same way they had killed her mother.
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Post by Val on Jan 31, 2020 6:00:13 GMT
Stupid, naive woman. Trys would get herself torn to pieces defending this girl, and he would not feel sympathy. Foolish, emotional girl. Kiona had no idea what she was capable of, or what was coming for her. He lifted his gaze to stare at them hatefully. First, at Trys. "You don't know me. You judge me the same way that I judge her. You may think for yourself, but you are gullible. You see what you want to see." he seethed, voice low and resolute.
Slowly, his cold gaze shifted toward Kiona, looking directly into her eyes as she so requested, "You think you're the only one to have watched your people, your family, get slaughtered by monsters?" he scoffed, clenching his bound fists, resisting the urge to yell back at her with the same intensity, "You may not deserve it- yet- but you will return to Grovakha, and you will die." he promised.
Ike rolled onto his side, facing away from them, removing himself from the situation. They could berate him all night if they wanted; he would not change his mind.
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Post by Elvander on Feb 1, 2020 20:10:24 GMT
They could go round and round like this all night. "Look, you don't have to like each other. Emotions are high right now. Let's eat, drink, and get some rest." Trys rose to stoke the fire, stirring around the stew in the pot. She ladled several bowls- one of each of the humans, and one for Hound. She handed Kiona her bowl, and approached Ike and Hound with the others. "Hungry?" she asked softly, crouching down at Ike's side, setting the two bowls down. "Kiona, would you like me to draw you a bath tonight?"
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Post by starrea on Feb 1, 2020 23:01:00 GMT
Kiona almost rolled her eyes but didn’t. It had been a habit her mother had always hated and years of being yelled at for it had finally broken the habit, at least most of the time. Ike’s behavior was nothing like she suspected. The more she was around him, the more she saw how childish he acted. He didn’t seem that scary at all. Kiona had never had much faith in herself but if she could make it through the last five days, then Ike didn’t seem that big of a challenge.
Her attention was redirected by the aroma of food. Her stomach was still digesting the food from earlier but her body was in desperate need of nutrition. She graciously accepted the bowl and wasted no time in devouring it. It was only after the bowl was empty did she realize that perhaps she ate too much too quickly as nausea settled in.
The sound of a bath sounded delightful, heavenly even, but Kiona hesitated when offered. She finally shook her head, “Not right now, but thank you.” In the end, survival won out. She couldn’t put herself in vulnerable positions. She knew Ike was after her and even though Trys seemed very nice, she couldn’t afford to hand out trust.
“I would like to rest, but I would feel more comfortable if he was more secured. Considering me wants to kill me and all.” She would feel better if he was kicked out of cabin into the storm but she doubted Trys would go for that. She seemed too nice for her own good.
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Post by Val on Feb 2, 2020 2:03:14 GMT
Ike grunted in response as Trys placed the bowls down, refusing to look in the general direction of the women. This had never been part of the job description. He wasn't a sociable guy by any means. Most of his days were spent alone in the wilderness, not cooped up in a cabin with the enemy. Perhaps he'd become emotionally stunted, but he would never admit to such a thing.
Hound's ultra sensitive nose began to twitch as the aroma of the stew drifted toward him, drawing him out of sleep. He scrambled awkwardly to his feet and hunched over the bowl, lapping the food up with haste. Ike, on the other hand, ignored the food as he endured the gnawing hunger as punishment for his failure to complete the mission.
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