Muttonhawk

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"We have survived so far," Sabine responded, "There might be hard points, but I think things will be okay in the end. My pack has been through many things. I trust Meesei to get us through alive."

Sabine was about halfway down Peiter's body again by this point. "Although, I was thinking about others reacting to us being together. I remember Freida actually saying that she was interested in you. It was one thing that she did not feel brave enough to tell you about. Things will probably have changed when we get back, but...I do not want her to be hurt."

A flick of Fendros' wrist parried Kaleeth's strike, but she was impressively close to landing it. Fendros was actually surprised enough to redouble his efforts at defence.

"Ah, that makes more sense than the rumours," Fendros said with an understanding nod, "Yes, Janius grew up in a city similar to Senchal in that way. It would be like him to be so concerned. Although, not just telling you does seem unfair."

In the next clash, Fendros feinted low in an apparent effort to get underneathe Kaleeth's wrist, but redirected to step forward and slash at her upper arm. He realised too late that he may have overstepped.

"Do you think you would have tried skooma if he hadn't warned you that way?" Fendros asked in their next moment apart, "I remember you looking quite content under the influence of moon sugar."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I hope it is like other places and we'll just get used to it," Sabine thought out loud, "These burns are bad, though. We really need clothes."

Sabine eventually worked her way up to Peiter's head and then placed one hand on his shoulder. "Turn over," she requested with a smile. Once Peiter complied, Sabine began healing the red on his upper back and neck, working her way down again.

"Peiter, what do you think is going to happen once we get back home?" Sabine asked out of the blue. Her tone was bright and curious, but none of their friends and Bruma will know about their new relationship upon arriving.

Fendros gave an affirmative nod, "That is a good point. Well then..." Taking a step back, Fendros stood at guard with his wooden sword forward. He had practiced with Kaleeth occasionally, so the first wariness he kept was for her brute strength. Luckily, swords required more than that.

The opening clash had Fendros step forward first, throwing a quick cut at Kaleeth's upper-left leg and following with cuts to her shoulder and wrist. He expected a counter-attack if she was able to defend herself. Given the time that Kaleeth had taken over the past few years to train, that was no longer an unlikely outcome.

After the first little clash, Fendros kept up talking. "How have things been between you and Janius, anyway? I heard something about him trying to take you to a skooma den, but I thought that was just a rumour."

The Jade Stream

It's all good. You didn't drag out the moment too long.

Though, the thing I am slightly worried about is the precedent that has been set with this ki business. The fight that we just had kind of put the ki channellers on a distinctly higher tier than non-ki channellers. I can see that causing more scenes in the future where the two tiers get split or else the lower gets sidelined. Well, I could be overestimating all this, or these guys were just particularly dangerous. Am I interpreting this right? I feel like I need to be discussed at.

I don't know, maybe it's my own fault for not putting too much emphasis on pure martial skill with Kyang. She is more of a tactician and a talker, even a scholar in some respects. If that's the case, there is probably more sidelining in her future regardless.

The Jade Stream

The fight that Kyang just witnessed left her glad to be a distance away from it. There were cuts coming from fists, deflections coming from the wind, a pouring of energy into a desperate fight that went beyond the naked eye. She had trouble keeping up, but it was clear when it ended. Xin's bare hand had impaled his opponent with such abrupt brutality that Kyang flinched.

What followed was something that caused more shock and confusion to Kyang than any bout of ki-fueled combat ever could. Xin showed mercy. It was not just the mercy that gave a chance to those forced to do wrong, not just blind mercy for absolute strangers, it was the worst kind of mercy; mercy that was giving something up in the process. There was no guarantee that these guys wouldn't go right back to being highwaymen. In the tumult of Kyang's immediate reactions, she believed that Xin didn't know what he was doing and acted accordingly.

"What?" She said sharply, throwing down the crossbow she had found. "Xin, what did you...? Why?" Things started to click together and Kyang began to shout, "You are impossible! You do not even know these people!" Kyang leaned forward on her glaive and gestured to one side, "You think they're going to suddenly turn their lives around because you spared them!?! Oh, talent!? Talent doesn't tell people to be virtuous! You're walking proof of that! What, is your brain made of the same as ochre dirt as the colour of your hair!?"

Kyang knew that she was not going to convince Xin grounds of morality, especially once she heard her own argument label Xin as guilty in the first place, so she threw up her free arm in futility. "Oh, have it your way then. See if the guy missing half his stomach is going to live anyway!" Kyang then threw up a finger towards Xin's face. There wasn't just morality amongst her protests, "But, so help me, if I find out that we don't get a bounty out of this - if those showmen start holding up caravans again - I'll find what makes you tick, Xin. I'll get to you. I'll find a way to make your life unbearable and I won't have to ever take a swing at you in the process!"

In the seconds that followed her rant, Kyang locked Xin's eyes with bared teeth and huffed out four short breaths. There was no way that she could fathom how to harm Xin, or whether it would make any good difference, but she was angry all the same. Venting seemed to peter her out to the point of settling down. She curled her lips, closed her eyes and began taking some deeper breaths, though they were forced and loud at first. "Alright..." Kyang said during one exhale, before breathing in again. "Let's just collect our bounty, then I don't have to deal with this any further." Kyang opened her eyes and looked to Torako, "What do we need to show as evidence. Heads? Weapons?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The constant sting of the sunburn made Sabine's first priority healing herself. As soon as she had sat down their tent, she brought her hands close together and began to channel a spell of bright yellow healing light. The spell demanded much of her concentration and magicka, but it only took a few seconds to cast.

Once its power was released, the spell coursed all around Sabine's body in an instant, releasing swirling ribbons of light that slowly made her burns fade from red, to pink, to a healthier pale skin colour. She sighed in relief during the treatment as her skin tingled and softened again. Afterwards, she was mildly disappointed to find that her blisters and peeling skin were still present, but she would have to spent the time to bathe and scrub if she wanted to be rid of that.

When Peiter asked to be healed, Sabine looked to him with a smile. "Okay. It might be a bit slower, though. I have not figured out how to cast that spell on other people." Sabine said, shifting to lean over Peiter and bringing weaker healing magic to her hands.

Sabine started at Peiter's feet and worked her way up, soothing and clearing his burns. "You are lucky that I am here to help you. Just like with that thornbush," she said, "Hopefully you do not run into the cacti here. I think that would be worse." She snickered.

Fendros had been taking a quick break with his family while he waited for Kaleeth. He wasn't quite drinking his water as fast as Rhazii and Ahnasha for two reasons; the first was that he didn't want to get a stitch while sparring and the second was that Rhazii had woken up in the middle of the previous night asking for water. Fendros wanted to be prepared for both possibilities.

When Kaleeth came around to the tent Fendros looked to her. "Of course, one moment," he said. He turned to Ahnasha and Rhazii, giving them each a quick kiss, before crouching up and exiting the small tent. When he stood up, Fendros took a sword from Kaleeth and walked with her to find a small open space.

"I take it Janius is going to have a hard time getting used to this place. I hope he hasn't suddenly got too prideful for balm," Fendros said with a grin. "So, did you want to do some drills together first, or get straight into sparring?"

The Jade Stream

Cool beans.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Gotta go to work soon. Regular chance of a phone post. G'night!

The Jade Stream

I'm not sure that there would be much for Kyang to regard until further developments. By the way, where's Liu in all of this?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rhazii lowered his head onto Ahnasha's back again and groaned in disappointment. He didn't care about not having water later, but he knew well enough that he was not getting any water right now.

Sabine couldn't help but giggle, despite the pain on her skin, "I do not think she would agree to that, either."

Tzirret would rather have let the issue go, but he sighed and spoke all the same. "Well, he suggested that if this one stood behind Ma'tanza and..." Tzirret raised cupped hands in front of himself, "...held up..." Tzirret let out an exasperated breath and dropped his hands. He was too embarrassed to elaborate, even if it was not too hard to work out the rest. "You know what? Forget about the whole idea."

"It would give you back pains instead," Sabine said with a small laugh.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Rhazii did not raise his voice, but he did not drop the issue. "But I'm thirsty, mama. My mouth is dry and I feel dizzy."

"If it pleases you," Fendros responded to Kaleeth with a low, complying wave of his hand, "All this heat and travel takes the energy out of me, but I'll try and spar. I still need to keep my practice up after so long on the ships."

Sabine replaced the clay vessel into her bag and gave as small a smile as she could so she did not hurt herself. "If he does not mind some repetitive work, he is welcome to even join in. There are some sensitive parts of the process, but I will be in charge of that. I will mostly need help processing and preparing the ingredients." Sabine almost laughed, "With the amount I have to make, I will be surprised if anyone watching would not know how to make it before dinner. Still, I'll teach you."

Looking across to the easily spottable S'nishi nearby, Sabine had a thought. "If I make you another bottle of pain ointment, will you ask S'nishi to carry Peiter and myself for half of tomorrow?" Sabine asked Ma'tanza with a joking grin. Ma'tanza could make the ointment herself, and Sabine would not normally presume Ma'tanza to speak for S'nishi, but Sabine found no reason not to ask in a jesting manner.

Tzirret leaned to hear what Bheja had to say, but widened his eyes by the end. He recoiled a bit and furrowed his brow at Bheja. "No! Bheja, th-that...no..." Tzirret became just as flustered as Bheja probably expected. "Tzirret wouldn't presume that. You may have fooled him the day before yesterday, but this time he is not fooled."

Given how humiliating it was, Tzirret did not want to have a repeat of the last time Bheja fooled him. Previously, Bheja had suggested to Tzirret that if Ma'tanza brought her elbows to her sides and then tried to touch them together on her front that it would get rid of her back pain. When Tzirret conveyed this to Ma'tanza, she saw right through it and informed Tzirret of his mistake. Needless to say, Tzirret was mortified. Thankfully, it was communicated that it was Bheja's doing, but Bheja had no end to his laughter when he found out that his ploy actually worked.