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Post by Tristan on Feb 3, 2007 15:23:04 GMT -5
Tristan wasn't the biggest or strongest hunter out there, but he almost made sure to have the best information, and it always paid off for him. That was probably why he felt so out of his element with this Nymandine around. He was fairly familiar with them - had killed a few before, actually - but there were nothing like this one. They all seemed much more likely to collaborate with dark beings than to cut them down. And now she was offering her cleaning rag?
He was so taken aback by this gesture that he forgot how much he disliked his name, and how stupid it would probably sound to her. He took the cloth with a barely audible "thanks" and started to care for his weapon first. "My name is Tristan." He almost winced as he said it. The worst thing about is was that his features were strongly Albian... most people could tell they were a bit off, but once he has to introduce himself, they know he's a deus for sure. Biting his lip and preparing for whatever snide insult she'd give, he went on tending to his weapon, trying not to look at her reflection in the blade.
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Syn
Novice
Devilsbane
Posts: 75
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Post by Syn on Feb 3, 2007 18:17:15 GMT -5
What sort of person would Syn have been to have insulted him over his name? A pretty crappy one. Luckily for Tristan, she honestly didn't give a damn over what his name was. She was already placing bets with herself on how long it would be before the poor kid (he was an adult, that much was obvious, but he was still fairly young, and by far younger than her, especially as a Deus) got himself killed or something.
"You're welcome," she said offhand, cringing at her own politeness before she spoke again. "I'm going to guess you to be either a devil hunter, a mercenary, or some sort of misguided paladin. Am I right?" Gods, smite her now. Let her rue this day, the day she attempted to make a joke to try and perhaps be civil towards another living being that wasn't on four legs..
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Post by Tristan on Feb 4, 2007 1:04:05 GMT -5
It was so odd to hear her welcome him - this whole scene was rather bizarre, actually. Never did he imagine that at the end of it, they'd be having a somewhat polite chatter while she used one of the dead things as a seat. Unsure of how to respond, he merely watched her for a moment, until he'd finished with the rag that he was now holding out to her.
"Your first guess, as they tend to be, was the best." He bore a sort of righteous fire inside of him, but it didn't bloom under any deity. He hunted for profit and fame, but he'd never killed a human being in his life (Nymandines don't really count). That must put him into the only other suggestion, and it suited him fine. Devil hunter was a title he'd wear proudly. "One of the previous occupants of this village made tracks to a nearby hovel before these things could get him. Regrettably, he was scarce on the details, but I happened to be in the area and hoped I could sort it out. Wasn't expecting competition, though." He actually smiled at her, a meek sort of thing that suggested he didn't do it very often.
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Syn
Novice
Devilsbane
Posts: 75
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Post by Syn on Feb 4, 2007 2:02:52 GMT -5
"Well, there's a first time for everything," Syn replied, taking the rag again and stowing it away.. somewhere. The many different leathers of her clothing concealed many small pockets and hiding places, and she knew them all well. It was almost a sleight of hand trick to be able to produce items and suddenly return them without fully showing where they came from.
She stood, cracked her neck, and looked around them. Yup, everything was definitely dead. Her work here was done, so to speak. She returned her gaze to him, and while there was less edge to it, she was still bearing the air of a wild animal that might strike at any moment if mishandled.
"I can't say I've ever met another devil hunter," she said. She wasn't liking how hospitable she was being, and the honesty she was now employing sickened her. "You could say that I literally just happened to be in the neighborhood. I found tracks not too far South and started following them. I figured they'd either be zombies because of how they shuffled their feet, or they'd be people who needed help, or.. something.."
Ugh.. And now she looked like a good person. Geez, this was annoying.
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Post by Tristan on Feb 4, 2007 5:12:10 GMT -5
If he hadn't let his guard down so much with this woman, he'd probably think she was trying to trick him. At first there'd been such open hostility from her, and now they were conversing as if they were equals, discussing their line of work. Tristan was, however, being pretty careless. In fact, he'd started to become less sensitive to the predatory air about her, seemingly more pleased that he had what was more or less a kindred soul to chat with.
"I must apologize. I had you pegged as someone more likely to have caused this damage than to do any help in repairing it. That's obviously not the case." He gave another weak, I'm-trying-as-hard-as-I-can smile, brushing some straw-yellow hair back. "I should probably compliment your fighting ability as well. A little... unrefined, but the effectiveness speaks for itself, I think." He gestured to the carnage around them.
(... I'm just waiting for one of them to say the wrong thing so they can go back to hating each other.)
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Syn
Novice
Devilsbane
Posts: 75
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Post by Syn on Feb 4, 2007 17:58:16 GMT -5
"Not to fret," Syn replied. "I had you pegged as some fool-hardy child rushing into a battle they couldn't win. Good to see someone who knows how to not die very easily. It's quite refreshing."
She debated whether or not to mention that her style was unrefined only to the untrained eye, but decided not to. How she fought was definitely not as pretty as your fencers and knights, but it was practical, and it made quick work of whatever was in her way.
[Same here XD;; No worries, it wont be hard <3]
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Post by Tristan on Feb 6, 2007 1:25:59 GMT -5
Well, this turned out better than he'd expected at first. This woman - Syn, was it? - wasn't nearly as unpersonable as she presented herself to be when they met at the end of a quick and bloody struggle. "Well... I'm glad." He actually seemed to be blushing a bit. He didn't make a lot of friends, and received even fewer compliments.
Their work seemed finished here. Unsure of where to progress past this point, he had a thought and projected it with a quality of confidence in his voice. "So... there's not much more reason for us to stay here. Why don't we ride to town together? I can get my reward, and maybe I could buy you a drink?"
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Syn
Novice
Devilsbane
Posts: 75
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Post by Syn on Feb 11, 2007 22:26:59 GMT -5
Syn tensed at this and frowned to herself, definitely not used to the show of kindness (or, at least, the attempt), and was quiet a long moment before she stood, and crimson eyes bored into the deus's own. "Can't," she said. Everything about her from the way she stood to the way her voice seemed harder screamed discomfort and even something of danger as she always seemed, yet this was the danger of approaching a frightened animal that knew how to bite.
"I'm not much of a people person, and you wouldn't want some blood-thirsty savage like me in a place full of them," she said, collecting her things and checking the pockets of the dead before them. She found nothing of interest. "Besides, I'm sure a reward would be better spent on yourself than me."
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Post by Tristan on Feb 12, 2007 18:18:06 GMT -5
While his pretty face showed some initial disappointment, he was half-expecting such a response. Despite that, he couldn't help but look a little agitated. He'd made some gesture of kindness, an extension that he could rarely ever offer, especially to what were more or less complete strangers... and it'd been turned down. She was right about the reward, but he could be - hell, actually wanted to - a generous person sometimes.
Tristan sighed quietly, watching Syn attempting to relieve the once-again dead from any of the possessions they might have, eyes down. "It's not like you have anything better to do, right?"
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Syn
Novice
Devilsbane
Posts: 75
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Post by Syn on Feb 13, 2007 22:27:34 GMT -5
Blue-black shoulders shrugged at this, light reflecting off of the exotic Nymandine flesh in such a way that it was almost as if she were some sort of artistic masterpiece. Almost. She turned, crimson eyes wary and still a little confused, but showing no sign of anything less than determination. What it was for was anyone's guess, but when she spoke, it became apparent that it was for finding out his intentions and about himself in general.
"You sure you're up to that?" she asked. She really had little ground to stand on, especially with his last argument, but she was bold and wild and had no intention of being tamed anytime soon. "Not many people are up to having a Nymandine hunter, let alone huntress, in their company in public. And you already know that I'm not some proper lady about to doll myself up for anything less than battle."
And damn did she doll herself up for battle when she knew it was coming.. That was a sight for another day, though.
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Post by Tristan on Feb 14, 2007 1:16:48 GMT -5
She made a very good point, but might not be aware that she was playing into one of the half-elf's many personality flaws. A logical person would reason that Meridian was such a massive place that you'd have to drop a disgusting amount of Ka for someone to remember your name (or at least your money), or that if they stopped in some nearby village, there was little reason to care anyway because you were already in some no-name hovel. Tristan, under normal circumstances, would be repulsed at the idea of spending leisure time with a Nymandine. However, it felt like a challenge to him, and he lived to prove people wrong... even if it contradicted other parts of his mind. There was a determined look in his eyes as they narrowed at her.
"Do you think me some kind of coward? Lesser men might think that way, and while I'm sure you've driven away such before, I'm not so easily cast aside." He wasn't really sure what she meant about dolled up, though. She looks fine to me, he thought, and blushed for no real reason. "Of course I'm up for it..."
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Syn
Novice
Devilsbane
Posts: 75
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Post by Syn on Feb 14, 2007 8:01:17 GMT -5
Syn snorted in amusement, shaking her head. "Gods be damned," she said as she stood fully, finishing her spelunking. "Someone with a spine.. You're either very brave, or very stupid. Fine, then. If you're buying, I suppose I can't refuse any further."
Ah, yes.. A real lady, she was.. Ha! She listened around them, removing one of the wax plugs from her elongated ears to catch every sound better. What was it she was looking for..? Returning the plug to its place, she whistled a sharp, loud whistle, and waited, looking Tristan up and down a second time, a little less threatening but still cautious. "And where is your mount?"
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Post by Tristan on Feb 16, 2007 11:38:56 GMT -5
Now that he'd finally gotten her to accept his invitation, he immediately started to wonder if it was a good idea. Nymandine were notorious for behaving poorly in public, and he had a reputation to maintain; not only that, but Syn looked like the sort of woman who probably drank the same way she fought, and he expected a huge tab in a matter of minutes. He didn't want to spend ALL of the reward on drinks...
Regardless, it was his fault for being so persistent. He'd humor her for a bit and if it turned out that she was a terrible drinking partner, he'd just make up something about having to be somewhere. Tristan gestured toward the top of the hill, where a stark-white horse seemed less than interested about what was going on down in zombie land. "Looks like he's bored already. Maybe I should just meet you there, since it looks like yours is indisposed of at the moment." Syn was here before him, so he didn't have a chance to see her steed, and as far as he could tell, it was nowhere to be found currently.
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Syn
Novice
Devilsbane
Posts: 75
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Post by Syn on Feb 16, 2007 17:20:31 GMT -5
Syn snerked a little, one of those I-know-something-you-don't-know sort of expressions on her face. A second later, hoofbeats sounded, fast in their tempo, and then a large, gorgeous black stallion appeared, pausing a second to view the carnage before trotting up to his mistress. He was laden with what seemed to be traveller's gear, but nothing too heavy for his strong form.
"He likes to wander," Syn said to Tristan as she ran a surprisingly delicate-looking hand along Slainte's jaw and neck. The horse seemed somewhat intelligent, eyeing both Tristan and his mount before deciding that if Syn had not killed them, then they must not be enemies. Yet. "Would you like to venture to the tavern now, or would you rather we wash the blood from ourselves first?"
It seemed natural that Syn be covered in the blood of her enemies somehow, but it felt strange to her to see Tristan bearing it, probably because he struck her as a neat freak.
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Post by Tristan on Feb 16, 2007 20:22:27 GMT -5
Blood? Oh... he'd completely forgotten. Syn was right about him, at least to an extent - he liked to be clean, but the events of the last few minutes had been so strange that they completely struck the thought from his mind. "Huh...? Oh. Right. I suppose that would be appropriate." It was bad enough that he had to be seen in public sharing a table with a Nymandine, but he simply wouldn't do it covered in blood, especially not zombie blood.
"I'm not terribly familiar with this area. I imagine you wouldn't bring it up unless you knew of a place where we could accomplish this?" His glittering amethyst eyes watched her curiously. Tristan would've been more unsettled by the woman's horse if he hadn't been expecting it to be black as night.
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