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[Redcoat]

OOC: Spec, Lyon, your plan is a go here.

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The watch was mostly uneventful. Most of them would awaken to breakfast, the sounds of a jungle morning, and the realization that rain was in its way. Anikus, despite his long night, was as chipper as ever, preparing a stew for the morning meal. Kaethe and Marketta were elsewhere, but the rest of the party was getting ready for the long journey ahead.

Anikus' attention turned to unconscious Thalmir. He had been fed a few minutes earlier than the rest; though Anikus' cooking was hardly exemplary, there was no way for the Ranger to complain. Privately, Anikus considered feeding him the least he could do to even begin to offset his putting him in this mess in the first place, even if feeding him wasn't strictly as necessary as the provision of fluids. It was definitely going in the notebook under "awkward experiences", but at least Thalmir wouldn't starve before his ribs became a mass of pestilence. But it was better not to think about that.

"Food!" he called, jovial. "It's a big day, comrades. We're proceeding to the Temple in a few hours. For now, let us rest, prepare ourselves, and plan."

[Lyon]

Kaethe had been up early, pacing back and forth in the camp. She had quickly concealed herself behind the bole of a tree when she noticed that Marketta was also awake. The cat-eared woman was heading off through the trees. The thief's eyes narrowed. What are you up to?

Silently she slipped from behind the tree and began to follow Marketta, keeping carefully out of sight and, hopefully, out of hearing. She hoped she didn't run into any of the strange creatures: they might take it amiss that she was stalking their new "god".

Still, if she's alone, I mean to get back at her. She had no call to be as condescending to me as she was yesterday... Kaethe gritted her teeth. Yes, taking down a peg or two is exactly what she needs...

[Durandal]

Marketta had apparently awoken before any of the others, she was used to waking early, oddly enough. She presumed her growing up in the small town contributed to this, although it was likely her good amount of sleep she had, given she slept possibly an hour before the others, although she was unsure if her estimates were correct - it drove one mad, not knowing what time it was. Nearly as basic as food, water, and shelter, and she had no way of tracking the sun's revolutions around this damned planet, although the sun's direction and color would suffice, at least she could reasonably distinguish dusk and dawn from the monotone yellow of the day. It almost made her wish she could wake up to watch the sun rise, although this bloody jungle prevented such. Digressing from her train of thought, she grabbed her equipment and left the camp.

On her journey to the herbs, she had found a rather exquisite spring, full of water. Although she dreaded whatever filled the streams of this nightmare jungle, she was safe knowing that the spring was clean of anything suspicious. It would make for a nice bath, something she had been deprived of for too long since her journey with her original crew. When she found it the previous day, she was sure Grimlain didn't see it - likely affixed to tracking any brave predators or the herbs. Looking behind and around her to assure that she was not being followed, she felt a trembling sense that she was being followed. Although her mind quickly dismissed it, her body compelled her to look again for reassurance. Looking around once again, she found nothing out of the ordinary, and set off again, no urges burdening her.

A boring walk later, she was finally at the hot spring; Although she eyed it quizzically, as if previously asking a question, she returned her eyes to her clothes as she removed them, stacking them on her backpack as it leaned on a rather sturdy rock near her. Assured no one, or thing, was around, she sunk her body into the warm water and relaxed, tension relieved from the past weeks or so without a proper bathing, letting the warm waters sweep away the oils and materials collecting upon her skin and hair. She felt herself want to drift away into a warm sleep, letting the water remove any unwanted items or bugs from her skin. sitting up in the hot spring, she began scrubbing her hair with her hands, removing anything upon her scalp, as well splashing water upon her face. The only complaint she could think of was the lack of a soap, or other cleaning material, although the water was enough to beat not coming at all. She could still feel herself being followed, but the gut feeling soon left her, her mind again reasoning with her gut.

[Lyon]

Marketta's pleasant reverie was shattered somewhat abruptly by a sarcastic voice speaking from the bank of the spring. "Well, isn't this lovely." Marketta, startled, stood bolt upright in the water, which barely reached her waist, and a dull red flush of both anger and embarrassment rose to her cheeks. So she had been followed...

"What are you doing here?" she snapped to cover up her embarrassment. She turned her back to the thief, which gave her a bit more privacy, but she still felt vulnerable. One of Kaethe's feet rested lightly on the bundle of clothes, and there was a weighing expression in the thief's eyes.

Kaethe studied Marketta's bare back with a stare that was all too frank and knowing. In fact, it was somewhat of an appraisal. "Funny. I'd have expected you to have a tail or something, at least, but those ears are the only strange bits to you." The rest of her isn't that bad, thought the thief reluctantly. I must give her that. Of course, Marketta did have the advantage of being naked in the middle of a pool, but one had to admit...

"What are you doing here?" Marketta repeated, still blushing furiously.

Kaethe's lip curled in contempt. "Did the silly city girl manage to sneak up on you without being noticed? Hmph... what a pity. Those little kitty ears of yours should have told you something, but you probably thought it was your little friends." The thief's eyes glinted wickedly. "Well, I'll tell you something," she said in a silky voice. "You may have knowledge of herbs and forests, but I don't care. Nobody treats me as badly as you did and gets away with it. Since you just embarrassed me, I won't need to collect your ears"--she laughed somewhat sinisterly, hoping Marketta wouldn't call her bluff--"but I can do something else in return that I think... appropriate for the situation." She bent down to gather the bundles.

Marketta gaped and spun around, modesty forgotten for a moment. "But you can't..." Kaethe smiled, looking Marketta up and down until the woman blushed and turned away.

"I can." She picked up Marketta's gear and started off through the trees. "Don't worry," she called. "I'll see it safely back to the camp. You can ask Anikus for it when you get back. I'll be sure to tell the others you're coming." Heaven knows none of them have seen a naked woman in long enough. Chuckling, she strode quickly away through the trees, packing the clothes into Marketta's bag and trusting on the woman's shock to give her a head start.

And that, thought Kaethe with satisfaction, should teach her a lesson.

[Durandal]

Marketta burned with momentary fury as she bolted after Kaethe, still blushing a harsh red knowing she was without her clothing; her concerns although lay in nature, than in modesty. She'd much rather have her clothes back, as whatever found their way near her could... Shuddering off the thought, she continued off towards Kaethe. "Please, Kaethe, tell them whatever you please, but this is taking it too far! I apologize for being a bit rude, but this is absolutely unnecessary! KAETHE!" her voice rose with each step she took, every step towards the camp a dreadful one. It was too late, however. Even if she listened, she was in likely no mood for compromise. If what she thought was true, and Kaethe was heading towards camp...

If she succeeded, she'd never look at them all the same way. They would obviously not look at her the same, either. Although the blame could obviously be placed on Kaethe and some punishment if Anikus wanted, but still something like this would never leave any of their minds. Although she was rather sure the party wasn't full of perverts, they'd be rather surprised, to understate. Attempting again at a wholly ineffective negotiation, she shouted at Kaethe, her voice a mixture of trembling anger and infuriated anxiety "Do you really think this just revenge? I never embarrassed you to this degree! Bloody immature, you're being! You'll rue this, I swear Kaethe!" She picked up speed on the thief, attempting to catch her before any further damage could be done. The branches and brush hit various parts of her body with a light thwack. Now stripped of proper clothing, nature's mercy was little, and the branches continued to swing at her stomach and below. She didn't care about modesty now, she was worried of any parasites and the pain of all these branches!

She couldn't help but think Kaethe found her attractive. The way she looked at her, it almost seemed like she was enjoying it for other reasons than to embarrass her. Kaethe was likely nonnegotiable; she'd have to endure the stares, hopefully Kaethe hadn't awoken too late. Hope that not many would witness her like this was reassuring, although she felt this unjust punishment. Surely this woman couldn't be so immature, as to steal another person's clothes for simple remarks...

Edited by Durandal, 07 December 2010 - 10:24 PM.

[Lyon]

Kaethe looked over her shoulder, skidding to a halt through a pile of leaves. "Hold on," she said heatedly. "Me, immature? Stay where you are!" she added in a sharp tone as Marketta took a step closer. "I'm not finished yet." Her voice rose slightly. "There was no call to mock me in front of everyone for not knowing herbs. "I know it might be hard for you to grasp, but not everyone is like you!"

"Kaethe..." Marketta took a step closer, sounding somewhat exasparated. Kaethe flourished a knife which seemed to appear in her hand. With the other hand she fished Marketta's shirt out of the bag. She waved it teasingly.

"I told you not to come closer..." With a quick movement, she sliced it in half down the middle. "Good luck wearing that," she said with a laugh, and she was off running again, slicing off more pieces as she went and scattering them along the path.

[Vithar Megilaglar]

Takeshi and Sakura, both waking up shortly after Kaethe's departure, looked around the camp, noting the absence of both Kaethe and Marketta. They dismissed it and set about taking care of personal tasks. Sakura, as usual, pulled out a small, leather-bound journal and took out a small quill, but no ink wells. She opened the clasp, with a strange seal on it, and began writing, the quill releasing ink as though she had dipped it in a well.

Takeshi, who walked off, returned, almost as quietly as he left. He had gathered several bundles of long sticks sticks, and set to work at making a target for himself. He carefully tied the bundle around a branch, then dug a small hole in the ground, carefully making sure the the branch didn't fall. He then drew his sword, newly bought, out of it's sheath quickly enough that it cleared the throat of the sheath with a metallic hiss. He stood at a guard position, then swung, a single, strong stroke, easily cutting through the wood. He knelt, putting the tip of the katana on the ground carefully. He examined the cut edge of a stick carefully.

Sakura spoke without looking up from her writing. "So, does it still cut well?"

"Better than I expected. Every piece is cut almost perfectly flat. This is good news indeed."

[Durandal]

Marketta's theory of immaturity was more than confirmed - the woman was infuriated by her remarks, and began to slice apart her shirt as the two went off into another full speed chase. She seethed as every piece fell, she could have done something less vandalizing than tearing apart a shirt; she had to admit it wasn't her favorite piece of apparel, but it did keep away the cold and wet. Ignoring the shirt, she attempted to pick up speed to keep her from ruining any other, more valuable pieces of her clothing.  They were obviously closer to the camp than they were before, and every step was leading her into a trap. She'd have to act fast, possibly finding a tree for cover; Kaethe would likely keep onwards, showing the others her victory with a childish grin and mood. She didn't honestly know how the others would take it, to be perfectly honest.

From what had reasonably happened, they'd likely either ignore her or snicker, treating this as entertainment. She tried to catch the thief, but she apparently had herself nimble legs and endurance; it was futile to catch her, knowing exactly what her plans were, but she trudged on anyways. Soon ignoring the thwack of the branches and bushes, her soreness from the fall slowly began to take effect, and she could feel her muscles beginning to stiffen. It was hard, continuing this chase, but she had to. One thing that seemed oddly out of place was her lack of thoughts on retribution; she didn't feel the urge to punch the woman, nor any other sort of physical violence. Either she was a kind person or a push-over; she had never been good with others...

I don't care what she thinks. If she wants to play these games, fine. The others have no business in this, whatever they think can be silenced easily enough. It didn't seem proper, to get flustered over this. Who cared? Anikus? Grimlain? Thalmir? No one truly cared for her here, she was merely a companion mistaken for stealing the ship. In their eyes, she was likely a tool. A pawn in a larger board of chess to which can be used to further Anikus' goals. By this logic, she might as well ignore any snide remarks, and not give this woman the attention she seeked. That was what she was doing, right? If she felt no embarrassment, Kaethe's idea of revenge would be devastated, caving to her will would only allow her to feel dominant over her, and will likely lead to further pushing on Kaethe's part. She could not allow this. Once she returned to camp she would proceed to put her Kukri to Kaethe's throat. If she didn't get the message to return her clothing, Marketta would not hesitate to allow things to get... Messy.

As she pushed that thought from her mind, trying to think rationally, she could feel herself slowly catching up to Kaethe, either she was speeding up, or Kaethe was slowing down. She could sense the camp nearby, and took no further chance. She used whatever strength remained to tackle down Kaethe, throwing her to the jungle floor mere feet from the outskirts of the camp. If she made little noise, they wouldn't hear them in time to catch her in this form. Immediately putting her hand over Kaethe's mouth, she grabbed for the knife in Kaethe's hand, whispering into her ear, "well, I apologize for being rude, but it just seemed out of place for one not to know of basics such as this and be in such a party. Give me back my clothing, and I'll let this slide." Maybe there was hope yet for negotiation.

Edited by Durandal, 08 December 2010 - 10:21 PM.

[Lyon]

Kaethe's eyebrows rose. She pinched Marketta with the hand trapped under the woman, trusting that the shock of being pinched would make Marketta move her hand. The woman let out an inadvertant yelp, and Kaethe smiled triumphantly. "Ah, Marketta, don't be a prude," she said in a carrying tone. Looking Marketta straight in the eye, she smirked in triumph, keeping a firm grip on the satchel with Marketta's only clothes.

Telchi had been pacing up and down at the far edge of camp, having eaten his breakfast quickly without tasting anything. He heard the sounds of a scuffle, and a few moments later heard Kaethe's voice. Frowning, he eased one sword out and headed towards the source of the disturbance.

What he saw made him stop in his tracks, his eyebrows climbing so high that it seemed they were trying to fly free of his face. Marketta, naked, was on top of Kaethe, pinning the thief to the ground. Both were breathing hard and spotted with dirt, looking as if they had just run a long way. He kept his mind firmly on track. There was no need to make assumptions...

"Am I interrupting something?" he inquired mildly.

[Durandal]

Marketta blushed furiously as Telchi approached, pondering if he had  interrupted anything. Ripping away her pack from Kaethe's prying hands,  she began replacing her basic clothes, still wishing to return to the  spring to bathe again, wiping any leaves or other materials from  her body. Telchi looked at them blankly, as if not to blindly assume  anything dirty. Breathing in, she -- as calmly as possible for her  current state -- spoke to him. "I was robbed of my clothing by  Kaethe over a few simple remarks... Could you please not tell anyone?  Although, I don't think that will matter, given what this thief likely  has in store for me once I return." Giving Kaethe a much needed kick  into her side, she attempted to walk off once again, Kukri freshly drawn from her backpack pointed directly at Kaethe, whom would likely run off any tell of her glorious exaggerated achievement. The others might gain some misinformation about her reactions to Kaethe, but it was nothing she could likely explain. Darting off, she hurriedly found the pond, with more ease and speed than before.

Bathing quickly, she dried herself and donned her clothing, ensuring no one was around. Kukri drawn, she packed up her bags and slowly made her way back to camp, trying to delay the inevitable chuckling and comments, as to be expected after an event such as that.  Finding herself some different herbs and foods, she could hopefully return with some spoils, other than a bathing.

[Lyon]

Telchi watched Marketta retreat into the forest, then looked at Kaethe, his brows furrowed and his face stony as he considered the thief. Sitting up, Kaethe shrugged. "What?" she said, giving him her most winning smile. Men usually were swayed easily by it... but not now.

"You and our leader ought to have a long talk." For all the good it's going to do. I doubt she'll listen... but it's worth a try. The Selken warrior hauled Kaethe to her feet. Keeping a firm grip on her shoulder, he steered her towards Anikus' tent.

"Anikus, perhaps you had better have a talk with our thieving friend," said Telchi as he pushed aside the tent flap. "Marketta seems to think that her latest act of... retribution went a bit too far."

[Vithar Megilaglar]

Takeshi brought his sword up to swing at a newly set target, then saw Telchi pushing Kaethe into Anikus' tent. He lowered his sword carefully down, although it was more likely that he was considering what he had just seen.

"Sakura, do you have any idea what just happened?"

Sakura, likewise, stopped writing to watch the spectacle. "No. I haven't the faintest clue. Not sure I want to, either."

Takeshi shrugged, then set to cleaning his blade and gathering the now-firewood sized sticks while Sakura turned back to her pen.

[Redcoat]

Anikus looked up from his journal, only to see an extremely worried-looking Kaethe pushed into his tent rudely by an exasperated-looking Telchi. The scholar sighed; he knew this had been incoming for a very long while. Maybe this is what I get for hiring my entire party from a tavern... he thought as he nodded to Telchi.

"Kaethe, what exactly have you done?" he asked sternly, "And where is Marketta?"

He was worried, suddenly; Marketta was a valuable part of the party, if only for the Urrites and their upcoming expedition--but she was not just a pawn. These people were his to lead, but also his to protect, and having her run off into the jungle by herself simply wouldn't do on any level.

[Chef]

Grimlain spent most of the morning gathering up his small tent and other belonging into his pack to prepare for their departure to the temple.  Frankly, he was already tired of this crazy forest, and wanted to get this escapade over with.  It'd be damned good luck if they went through this place without running into another trap, monster, or unfortunate circumstance before they finished the job.  This group either had horrible luck, or, as Grimlain had previously predicted, the gods really loved pissing them off.

The aging man threw his pack of belonging on the ground beside him and took a seat closer to the center of the camp where he could see the others waking up and going through daily routines.  He took out his pipe, which he hadn't touched in a while, and began to smoke a little bit more of the tobacco he bought a while ago.  It was hard to appreciate such things when they were so preoccupied with all this madness that was almost inevitable while following their wonderful leader, Anikus.  Grimlain was almost beginning to think the craziness was growing on him.  It was clear that roaming the lands was boring, so all these events made his life a little more exciting than it would have been hadn't he met this party.  If he hadn't entered that inn so long ago, gods know where he would be now.

As he sat, Grimlain observed Telchi and Kaethe moving into Anikus' tent rather roughly.  There seemed to be an air of disagreement between them, so it was obvious something happened that he had missed.  It was probably best to be ignorant of the situation.  Grimlain had no desire to get involved with the 'drama' that ensued here.  That was the last thing he wanted to hear about.  Grimlain let some smoke puff out of his mouth and sighed.

"Maybe I'll be able to finish this before we leave..." Grimlain said to himself, grumbling.  "It seems were taking long enough."

Grimlain shook his head and continued to sit, waiting for the party to get a move on and continue towards that temple that those strange natives knew about.  He hoped there would be something of note there, or else all this traveling would be for nothing.  That would definitely not make Grimlain's day.

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OOC (edit):  Indeed I did, Bleach.  Those two are so easy for me to mix up.  XD

[Kamikaze_X]

OOC: I think you meant Telchi, Chefo, as Thalmir is quite unconscious as far as I know.


In his small slumber-world, Thalmir seemed to be at peace with himself. He had gone through his days as a child. Even then he enjoyed the outdoors. He would play all day with his brothers and sister in the high corn fields by the farmstead next to their small cottage. He could almost smell the mix of vegetables and cooked ham wafting to his young self's nostrils, from their home's wood stove. Images flashed.

It was Thalmir as a teenage boy. He had been going to school, learning what he could before leaving in his young adulthood to join the Arkovan Rangers and the military. His thoughts back then, as immature as they seemed, echoed his beliefs that the work he had at school was somehow worse than what he would inevitably encounter as a soldier. Images flashed again.

Still a teenager, he stood at the same field of corn, this time harvested and short. He stood by a taller man of strong build: his father. The man pointed down field, a target of bailed hay with a blotch of red paint in the middle stood 300 yards out. Thalmir held his first bow, the string drawn and arrow knocked. With a twang, he let loose the bolt which shot straight into the small dot. His father looked so pleased...

Images flashed once more.

In the rain, Thalmir ran through what appeared to be a trench. He wore a plate-mail cuirass and pauldrons, much like the ones he wore in the present. Beneath this he wore a Ranger's cloak and hood, the hood up; soaked to the bone and dripping wet, he stopped next to his partner. Whoever he was, it was obscured, his or her face blurred by time. They lifted a hand with a clenched fist - the signal to advance... he was in a war zone.

Thalmir saw himself, gilded in the Arkovan Ranger's attire lift his head out from the trench to see hordes of blurred enemy marching forward. He looked sidelong, nodding to his fellow Ranger's who lifted their bows and readied to fire. The echo of the command came, and all the noise of the world drowned out into a deathly chorus of bowstrings letting fly.

Thalmir, in his out-of-body like experience, looked down. He didn't enjoy the history of his past that was taking place before his eyes... everything after his teenage years burned in his mind like a smoldering coal left after a fire. Pangs of regret welled up then, he did things as a soldier and as a Ranger that he wished he'd never done. Flashes of him standing alone in a gloom-filled town came..

Thalmir, a Sergeant in the Rangers stood alone there. It had rained, as everything seemed wet; a puddle stood beneath his leather-booted feet. His hood marred his face, dark within. Through the fog, forms took shape as buildings. At first what seemed normal, turned to horrifying as every building was burned through. Small fires still ate the last of the oxygen they could find.. black smoke rising to the heavens. Fellow Rangers kicked over bodies of dead civilians and enemy soldiers, looking for "souvenirs" that they could bring home to their unknowing families. But there Thalmir was, alone and terrified of what he and his own fellow human beings had made into an atrocity.

[Lyon]

((Hey, guys, I was banned from RPGF until I did my college apps. But I have now, so that's all right... ))

Kaethe shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I... umm... She left her clothes lying around, so I..."

"She stole Marketta's clothes while Marketta was bathing and forced the poor girl to chase her through the jungle stark naked. On top of that, she cut up Marketta's only good shirt. And this was all because she felt insulted by something Marketta said yesterday." Telchi glared at the thief, who wilted even further. "Do you have anything further to say for yourself?"

Kaethe glared at him. "She was asking for it! Acting so superior..."

[Redcoat]

Anikus closed his book gingerly, looking up at Kaethe severely. His eyes said it all; this sort of conduct was unacceptable. He began speaking, judicious, stern, and uninterruptable.

"I will go and find Marketta. Telchi, you will keep her here. Kaethe, you will reimburse her for the shirt, and if you do not, or if anything even approaching this happens again, I will ensure that we leave you at the next town and carry on without. We are on a mission; we haven't time or energy for attacking each other. Do you understand?"

[Chef]

((Reserved for resolving of current situation at later time))

[Redcoat]

((See above.))

[Chef]

((Reserved for resolving of current situation at later time))