[center][color=f26522][h3][Maria Vicariis][/h3][/color]
[Before Departure]

[/center]

Footsteps echoed through the halls of the manor that she called home. It was probably one of the more well built ones, even if it had been standing almost since Arx was founded. It was richly furnished and decorated like any nobles house should be. She'd have to say she thought it was better decorated than the palace, though that was probably just her pride doing the talking. Either way, it was an old building that had seen quite a bit of history. A bit of a testament to the humans ingenuity and resourcefulness some might say. A comforting though indeed, it was. Humans had come a long way in the last years ever since they felled that one dragon.

Irrelevant thoughts for now. She entered her room, a small scowl overcoming her visage as she stepped inside. The slave inside immediately went to pour her a drink. She needed it after listening to the long list of protests that the others of the house had. She had suggested that she go on this little venture. The look on their faces was priceless when she had asked. It was almost worth the absurdly long list of protests she had received afterwards.

Almost.

The slave silently handed her the drink she had poured, and Maria took it eagerly, taking a long drink of the beverage before sighing and taking a seat in a chair near a window. In the end, she threatened to tell the entire city about all their dirty little secrets the house had collected over the years. She of course, was perfectly innocent of all wrongdoings so she'd be completely fine in that scenario. She may have...suggest a few less than honest acts, but it wasn't like they were going to blab or say anything about it.

Even so, they really didn't want her to leave. It would have been endearing if they had actually been concerned for her, but no, they weren't. Just scared for themselves. Selfish little nobles who didn't care about anything other than their own well being and advancement. Bah. Not like she could say much of anything, however. She was the same way when you got down to it. She didn't care for them, not really. As long as she got what she wanted in the end, nothing else mattered. Which was why she was intent on going on this little venture.

She was completely, utterly, almost agonizingly [i]bored.[/i]

Oh sure, sure, she had all the luxuries she could possibly ever want. Any slave to mess with, and she could fool around with the noblemen all she wanted, but such things had gotten completely boring recently. She needed something new. Something [i]fun[/i], and this venture was just the perfect opportunity to alleviate her boredom. She didn't care at all what the others wanted or thought. If the entire kingdom of Arx had somehow burnt to the ground, them included by the time of their return, she'd be perfectly fine with that. In fact, she almost wanted it to happen.

[color=f26522]"Slave, go fetch my bow, cloak, and armor. Bring it here immediately and if anyone gets in your way whatsoever, ignore them."[/color] She took another drink of the alcohol. [color=f26522]"I will be packing what other things I will be taking with me, and I do not wish to be delayed. Understand?"[/color] The salve bowed deeply, not speaking as she had learned a long time ago that speaking to Lady Vicariis was nothing something one should do unless they wanted to provoke her wrath.

[h3][center]~Day of departure~[/center][/h3]

As they marched through the street, a silent somberness hung over the town, clinging thick to the air and threatening to suffocate the ones who were heading out into the wilds. Prayer were offered for them, wishing them luck and protection of whatever divinity they believed in upon them. Maria bit her tongue, but was utterly unimpressed at the notion of any gods whatsoever. If anything, people built this city with their own ingenuity and resources, relying on themselves and themselves alone.

You could also even say they defied the gods that be by building Arx.

A thought for later. Such thoughts weren't beneficial to the task at hand. The noblewoman smiled faintly as she left the city with the others, taking a deep breath of the air outside of Arx. It was the same air, but for her...it held a tinge of excitement to it. She was finally getting out of that cramped manor and life of luxury and complacency. Certainly it was dangerous, but the most rewarding things in life often came with a little bit of danger.

So with a grin, she headed away from Arx - it could very well be the last time she saw it in this life time, but that was irrelevant.

[h3][center]~Later~[/center][/h3]

The forest air was...relaxing to say the least. It was her first time seeing a forest large as this. Certainly there were trees in the gardens, but a forest like this? It felt so very...tranquil. Peaceful and relaxing almost. Definitely a large contrast to the impossible and irritating nobility she had to deal with constantly within her own house. Hmm...she should build a retreat here once she returned to Arx...if she returned. She may just decide to take a few slaves and craftsmen and build a manor out here away from the city and never return.

A thought for later. Instead, she turned her thoughts to her newfound companions. She had remained silent for most of the journey, aside from greeting them in her usual fashion of introducing her name and house in the friendliest manner she could. She did hold no ill will towards the others, after all. As long as they remembered that she wasn't going to be ordered around like some slave or an idiot peasant wife.

For the most part, though, they seemed content to leave her alone. Which was well and good, though she did wish one of the boys had started flirting with her so she could have a bit of fun with them, but so far flirting was yet to be had. Tsk. Maybe they were just shy and she'd have to be the one to initiate it. There was a certain on giving her a rather...intense glare, after all. She might as well introduce herself a bit more...casually.

heh~

With her bow resting across her body, she walked calmly over to Lucanas. He was definitely troubled about something judging from that glare of his, but she couldn't know what. She could think of a few reasons, though, and only one of them actually sounded any fun to her. The rest were just troublesome annoyances.

[color=7bcdc8]"Why is your bow strung already? How long has it even been strung?"[/color]

However, she was interrupted before she could even approach him. A younger looking boy, at least younger than her anyways, spoke to her in a rather loud and somewhat rude and disrespectful tone. Hmph. He must not have heard who she was. That was alright then, she could understand that so she wouldn't allow herself to get too upset over it.

[color=7bcdc8]"It's only proper to always keep your bow in a safe and dry location, preferably within a soft wooden case inside of a tightly woven sack. Not to mention, if it is ever strung for long periods of time, it tends to weaken the limbs. By the appearance and style of the bow, and by which I mean it's craftsmanship is not familiar to me, I can tell that it is quite old. It appears like whoever have given you the bow had taken much better care of it than you."[/color]

Oh? He was telling [i]her[/i] how to take care of her bow, was he? It was certainly an older bow, it was an heirloom after all. One she had been using since she was barely old enough to walk. She knew very well how to keep it and how to take care of it. It was an old weapon, and it could take a bit of abuse. Besides, his argument was logical if they weren't expecting trouble so she couldn't fault him for that either. However, they should [i]always[/i] be expecting trouble outside the walls. That was just common sense. She'd have simply left it at that if he hadn't insulted her.

[color=f26522]"Oh, my."[/color] she chuckled quietly. [color=f26522]"You certainly do know how to take care of weaponry. A blacksmith or some sort of craftsman are you?"[/color] She mused offering Albin a small, but friendly smile. [color=f26522]"Out here, we must always be alert, should we not? I would rather not spend precious seconds stringing a bow if we are suddenly ambushed by a creature. It would be rather careless to allow ourselves to be so...careless."[/color] She chuckled softly again, removing the bow from its resting place around her and held it in her hands.

[color=f26522]"So thank you for your concern, but it is unneeded,"[/color] She continued as she removed an arrow from one of her quivers. [color=f26522]"Though...I suppose improper care could cause,"[/color] A small smile formed on her lips as she knocked an arrow. [color=f26522]"A rather unfortunate accident to happen during an ambush."[/color] Yes that was a subtle threat. Maybe he wouldn't catch it it didn't matter much. [color=f26522]"Not that it's likely. This bow is an Heirloom of house Vicariis, and isn't some weapon that would fail due to someone having it strung for awhile."[/color] With that, she pulled the string back on the bow, aiming the arrow towards a nearby tree before releasing it. There was a quiet thump as the arrow buried itself deep into the tree's bark. She had elected to refrain from setting the arrow on fire - no need to start a forest fire out here.

[color=f26522]"See? As good as it was when my ancestors wielded it. Probably better, even."[/color] She gave Albin another friendly smile, before a look of surprise washed over her as she realized she had forgot to introduce herself. [color=f26522]"Oh, silly me. Where are my manners. I am Maria Vicariis, of house Vicariis. Let's hope something comes of this venture, shall we?"[/color] She said with a laugh. [color=f26522]"I am quite looking forward to seeing what this expedition holds. What is your name, hmm?"[/color]