Start of a journey (Azrael)

[corineshalen]

11 years ago, in the forests near the a smaller coast village...

Corine age 15

"Alright, put the boxes over there! And you- no no, the tent for meat is supposed to go next to the smith..". The old Jarrow rubbed a hand through his long beard. How hard could it be to set up the camp? This is what happens when you raised the young in-

"Is there any trouble gramps?", a witty young female voice said. Her sky-blue eyes looked down at him amused.

The dwarf nearly jumped, but with a sigh he lowered his stressed shoulders, turning to face the slightly taller elf. "There you are, dwarf-ears. Wipe that smirk off your lips, and go out and hunts us some meat for tonight. God knows, these blasted humans eat more than me!"

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"Go out and hunt some meat neh?", she mumbled to herself in an angry voice, as she carefully pushed aside a section of branches. She was a good hunter, probably the best in the entire caravan, but what good would she do if there was nothing to hunt? For the past three hours she had been scouting through this blasted forest and..by the maker, if she didn`t find anything soon, she would`t hesitate to cut down the trees...

After working her way through a rather tricky path consisting of thorny bushes and dark leaves, she stumbled into a...well, it was almost to small to be considered a clearing. It was a patch of grass, roughly twenty feet in diameter. A small stream cut through the middle of it, and a lot of different flowers grew in clusters on the small patch. There was no sign of any wildlife, but it would be the perfect place for them to feed in peace. Setting up some traps and returning at the break of dawn, seemed like the ideal choice.

After taking a break of cause.

Placing her bag, arrows and bow in the shade of a tree, she proceeded to kneel next to the small stream. Pulling the lid of her flask, she submerged it into the cold water, watching it slowly fill. She was only wearing her cotton dress and leather armor, yet it still felt very hot. Using her free hand, she ran it through the waist-long chestnut-brown hair loosely, letting out a sigh. Maybe she should cut it at some point? It always felt heavy when she was out hunting.

[Azrael]

Azrael stalked silently through the trees, the green cloak hiding his face from view. There were bandits in this area and he fully intended to teach them the folly of messing with the Arling of Gherlen's Pass. And then he'd head for home and find himself some company for the night. For now though he kept his bow ready and his wits sharp. Dropping to one knee he brushed the palm of his hand across a pile of trodden leaves. "Human or elven. I'm on the right track." He breathed to himself as he examined the tracks. "Looks like the hunt's on." Staying low he followed the tracks and cues as far as a small clearing. Sweeping the area from the edge of the trees he noted a young elven woman knelt down by the stream cutting through the middle. Smirking faintly he picked out a small pile of things under a tree. Keeping one eye on the elf he slowly moved round to the tree and sat down against the trunk. "You know." He called, struggling to keep the amusement from his voice, "this area isn't particularly safe at the moment, what with all the bandits about." The cloak kept most of his face hidden but she would certainly be able to see the winning smile that he wore at that moment. She was perhaps a little young but was far from being hard on the eyes.

[corineshalen]

As he came within reach of the clearing, Corine briefly froze, her ears picking up information. The footsteps were too heavy to be human, and the lack of metal sliding against metal, indicated that it wasen`t someone in heavy armor. And the fact that she haden`t gotten an arrow or knife in her chest yet, it meant it wasen`t any threat...at least for the moment. It was hard to tell what people wanted this close to the border; it would`t be a surprise if she had to dispatch bandits in the following weeks. At least it would keep grumpy Jarrow busy...

"Well, if they as bad in sneaking as you are, I`m sure they won`t cause much trouble". Having filled the flash to the brim, she stood up, her back keeping itself straight like a young willow-tree. She proceeded towards him, but stopped as soon as she got within range of the tree`s shadow. She then settled down a couple of feet from him, keeping her back turned. "The warning is appreciated through...and so would an explanation for your selfish smile also be" .

Glancing over her left shoulder, she focused her piercing gaze on his semi-hidden face. He didn`t exactly feel dangerous, heck his amused tone indicated that he was having fun. His smile did puzzle her however..

[Azrael]

Clutching his chest in mock hurt Azrael chuckled slightly "Oh! Your words do wound me so my lady!" Under the surface however his curiosity had been peaked, very few had ever picked up on him like she had. Impressive. "My smile is for the simple reason that lady luck granted me the opportunity to encounter you, a much better find than the foul smelling sub-human creatures that I was after." He paused for a moment and flicked the hood back, allowing his face to show. "Azrael Talin, third son of Arl Edmund Talin and bandit hunter extraordinaire by the way." He shuffled his position slightly so that he was on his knees and extended a hand in greeting. She had snared his interest and he fully intended to fine out more.

[corineshalen]

"Had I wanted to hurt you, then that big grin of yours would be hanging from the nearest tree". While his comments were a bit arrogant, she had to admit that it did amuse her a little. It was certainly better than being called knife-ea...well, she had never been called that, had she? Corine brushed a hand over her pointed ears, using her finger to measure the length. Yup, dwarf-ears was pretty fitting, wasen`t it?

"I would`t call myself a "better find", who knows, maybe I am one of those foul-smelling people? Maybe this is all a ruse to gain time?". For a moment she felt silent, leaving the rather suspicious statement hang in the air. The blue-eyed elf rose to her feet shortly after through, turning to face him with a little smile of her own.

"Talin?...Talin...Ah, the "owners" of this land right?". She tilted her head, putting a few fingers underneath her jaw. It was like that, if she remembered right that was. Jarrow had held a short meeting before they got into the area, telling the merchants about the dangers of bandits in the area, and that the Arl of the Gherlen's Pass watched over these lands...So she had stumbled over the third son neh? Or at least someone claiming to be him. He was quite playful on his choice of words, but his introduction seemed to hold truth in it...and being a noble, he probably had to make that introduction fifty times a day, if not more.

"Such a fancy title to have...heh, you humans really enjoy that, don`t ya?". Taking a few long steps, she came within reach of his hand. "Ah, what to say...I guess my name?". She spend a few moments in silence, thinking of anything to add after that..."Name is Corine Shalen, scout for the "Golden Axe" Trader`s caravan, and lackey for an ancient dwarf that claims to be 50, yet he is 74..". With the smile still on full display, she grabbed his hand. After having used the same armor for three years straight, it had gotten pretty worn, yet it was far from falling apart. It was hard not to be impressed by dwarwen-made armor sometimes.

"I am wondering; what made a big-time noble like yourself, stop in the middle of a forest? Should´t you be out hunting the bad guys?"

[Azrael]

"Huh, once again my humour is turned against me." The noble sighed quietly, his eyes growing distant for a fraction of a second. He then silently considered the elf's next words. "I stand by my statement, the only difference is that you would be a pretty bandit and I would regret having to kill you. And in your company it would be time well spent." Then came the comment on his family and a colossal grimace in response. "Owners?" He repeated quietly almost to himself. "More like stewards really, we provide protection to the farmers, the farmers tend the land, the land provides what is needed, the farmers give a portion to us. We will die, the farmers will die, the land will not." He explained, scratching the red mark beneath his eye as he thought. It was something that he had often thought about in private. "There are of course those that claim otherwise. But to do so is foolish and shows a lack of understanding of our place in the world." The smile was conspicuously absent as he finished, replaced by a more thoughtful look. Then he looked back at Corine as she grabbed his hand. "Corine... A good name. And now we're no longer strangers, excellent." The smile had returned, though it lacked an element of the cocky aspect that it had held earlier and was instead simply friendly. "As to what I'm doing here... Well, in spite of increases to patrols a group of bandits have been repeatedly raiding travellers and merchants. So my squad are after them. It just so happened that I stumbled on your tracks. And you?"

[corineshalen]

"Patrols? Hms, so that explains the group of men talking with Jarrow earlier on...Also explains why the old man is so tense". Moving to her equipment, she picked it up and sat down next to him, putting the equipment in a neat pile, so she easily could pick up her weapon. She doubted it would be nessacary, this human showed no intend of harming her, but you could never be to careful if a group of bandits, who were smart enough to avoid the forces of the Arl...Well, you could never betoo careful.

"Well, I`m out hunting for meat. According to our sources, this forest should be full of life, but I guess the bandits have made a quick work of that". Leaning back, she rested her head against her long arms. "We do have other scouts of the Caravan than me, but I`m mostly the only one who gets send out when it comes to hunting. Being the only elf scout, I don`t mind it. A lighter build and sharp eyes makes for an excellent hunter".

Turning her head to the left, she glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow slightly. Being closer now, it was hard to notice how..well, above average he looked. Not that he was someone send from the maker, but there was no denying that he was appealing. That, or that he was the first noble she saw, who wasen`t above fifty.

"Ya know, Noble-boy, the humans in our Caravan could learn a lot from you. They don`t know how to how silently, or how to look handsome"

[Azrael]

Nodding quietly as Corine mentioned the guards talking to what he presumed was the dwarf Azrael looked the elf over once more. Everything about her seemed to appeal to him. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered that she seemed to be moving her things so that she could easily access her bow. A good move. Then the conversation turned to hunting. "I agree, elves are better suited than humans, my top tracker and archer is one such example... Still, if you haven't had any luck yet," a mischievous grin crossed his face for a moment and he placed one hand on hers "perhaps we could try raiding the Arl's kitchens instead." Her next words spurred him on even harder. "Oh, really? Well, I do my best to please, just so happens that I'm both skilled and fortunate in that regard." Ah, modesty, thy name be not Azrael. "Of course, the same could be said of you, undeniable beauty, impressive skills, full of life and something that virtually no noble girl I've met has- an actual sense of humour!" He smiled, his eyes glinting as they gazed into hers. "Anyway, let's be moving, roast boar awaits!" With that he spun to his feet and bounced across the clearing. Life was good right now and this girl, she was... Different and that made him happier than anything else in the world.

[corineshalen]

"Then I will maybe slay you and ski-". Her words died in the middle of her throat, which all of a sudden felt very dry. Looking down, she noticed that he had sneaked his own hand onto hers, his warmth feeling quite well when compared to the damp grass. She was going to question this, but his scheming grin and following sentence, meant that he was simply playing around...still, it did feel quite nice.

As if the warmth from the brief contact haden`t been enough, he proceeded to respond to her rather flat compliment, saying that she without a question was beautiful, and that he found her jokes funny. "Please, even a thorny bush is more fun, than snoppy noble daughters who has spend their entire life using money others have earned". As if he had been reading her thoughts, he suddenly stood up, spinning around like a little child, announcing that they would be leaving to raid the kitchen.

"Oh? Taking me with you home already? Well, aren`t you a true charmer". Letting her equipment remain on the ground, she stood up, crossing her arms with a signature smirk twisted on her lips. "My family would be veeerry worried if I came home late...so give me..lets say, three reasons for that I should trust you and follow you"

[Azrael]

Unable to control himself Azrael burst out laughing "Ha! The bush certainly has more personality but noble girls can be entertaining if you make sport of them, I remember there was one particularly mouthy one visited once. It was so odd, her clothes mysteriously disappeared overnight..." He tailed off with a grin. "Breakfast was so fun that morning. Even if I did get bollocked for it." Why he felt the urge to tell that story he didn't know, it just seemed funny at that moment. Then he turned casually on his heel a short way into the tree line, spinning back to face her. "What? Going too fast for you?" He grinned, his own arms crossing his chest. "Three reasons..." He started pacing, one hand rubbing the faint line of stubble on his chin. "One. A free boar. Two. I would have shot you while you were by the stream if I wanted you dead. Three-" He abruptly stopped, a look of concentration on his face. "Dammit they're on to us." The words were barely above a whisper but seemed to cut clean through the air. "I suggest you grab your gear and either find a solid defensive position or get ready to run. Whichever you choose I won't abandon you here." The jovial happy noble was gone, the military commander having taken his place, the cold fury in his eyes promised immense pain to whoever attacked the pair of them. Not takin his eyes off of the edge of the clearing he crouched down for a moment before throwing his head back and howling in imitation of the local wolves. Then his bow was.trained on the target. He was ready.

[corineshalen]

Corine could`t hold her own amusement back, as her own lips curved into a careful smile, her eyes watching the quite entertaining human noble, as he paced back and forward, trying to come up with three reasons to appease her. She found herself getting all excited of what kind of fun ideas that he could come up with, making her feel a little disappointed as he began to answer. Just the mere thought of having someone else do the hunting for her, made the young elf cringe. Maybe he wasen`t so-

Suddenly the cheerful grin and the warmth of his smile was gone, and the sudden silence in the clearing send a chill down her spine. Having only been a hunter for less than a year, she wasen`t experienced enough to hear the approaching enemies, but she knew enough to follow orders when it mattered.

Silently securing her bag to her lower back, she kneeled down next to him, readying an arrow on her own bow. His weapon was of better quality, but it was the precision of an arrow, that meant the most.

[Azrael]

Somewhere in the back of his mind Azrael noted the elf's reaction to his words. She didn't seem to happy with the first two. He had other concerns for now though. He could feel himself tense slightly as Corine knelt next to him. In a way, he was glad that she had stayed. "If you think we may be overwhelmed promise me that you will do everything in your power to escape." He stated calmly, in spite of knowing that the statement was made as much for his own piece of mind as for her benefit. "Once we get out of here we can go to better hunting grounds, and if you want I can give you some tips." Then the first of the bandits broke cover. Without a second thought Azrael loosed the arrow, taking one man straight through the throat. Nice and clean. Less than a second passed before another arrow left his bow, this one dropping low and hitting it's target in the chest. Silently noting that his archery skills wouldn't be enough here he cast his bow to the ground and rose to his feet, drawing both short swords from beneath his cloak as he did so. Time to play to his strengths. With a roar he launched himself into a group of five, moving with the sort of grace one would expect from a dancer as he parried and cut with no wasted movement however his blade caught in the fourth and one of his compatriots was able to get behind the noble. Even as his blade fell however a chestnut Brown mass of muscle launched itself from the trees, causing the man to shout in suprise even as the mabari tore into his throat. Turning to face the dog for a moment Azrael felt something slam into his stomach and was knocked to the floor with the wind driven out of him even as the return stroke knocked the warhound across the clearing. Then the huge bandit was over him, ready to bring his maul to bear once more. Could this really be the end for Azrael?

[corineshalen]

Having remained hidden, she watched as the supposed noble man hit his marks with precision, before dropping his bow. He had seemingly realized that arrows would`t be enough, so he drew two short swords, intending to finish it. She had never personally talked to a noble man, but those she had seen were always old, and often cared more about when they could sit down for tea, than when the next attack would hit. Were all noble men like this, before they grew old and grumpy?

Admits the chaos, she picked up his bow, running her fingers across it. The string was tightly strung, and it could handle firing the arrows at higher speeds than her own...and given the situation, she doubted the smirking noble had anything against her borrowing it. So with study hands, she placed an arrow on it, pulling the string back to fire.

Even as the brown mass of fur and muscle appeared from the bushes, she didn`t loose focus, keeping her eyes on Azrael. In the confusion, one of the larger bandits had managed to overthrow the noble, and was now looming over him; almost like a predator about to enjoy its meal. "Elgar'nan, give me strength..". Pulling the string all the way back, she took a deep breath, releasing it in one quick motion.

The arrow traveled from the hiding place, burying itself into the throat of the bandit. To be safe, she fired four more, the pressure of them causing him to fall backwards, instead of crushing Azrael. While the mabari chased the remaining away, she approached Azrael, tilting her head to the side with a little smirk.

"I am not the type who runs away from a fight, at least not when its against some pesky bandits". Holding his bow towards him, she glanced towards the mabari. "A faithful hound companion and a strong bow...It is no surprise the bandits fear you this much"

[Azrael]

Calming himself Azrael drew his boot knife, he couldn't block the strike with it but could counter. Then suddenly he didn't need to, as no less than five well placed arrows struck the man, killing him easily. Rolling his head back he saw Corine stood with his bow and a faint smile crossed his face. She was most likely the greatest girl he had ever met! A quiet chuckle escaped his lips as she strode over, though that was quickly squashed by what felt like a half ton of Mabari jumping on him and deciding that his face would be much better off covered in slobber. "Argh! Garm! Gerroff!" He cried, the hound's wet tongue tickling his face. Rolling the dog off of his chest he wiped his left hand across his face and grimaced slightly as he examined the mixture of saliva and blood that came off. Lovely. With a quiet sigh he jumped back to his feet, absently scratching the dog behind the ears as the elfin girl spoke. "And a good job you didn't run really or else my head might have done a good impression of an over ripe grape. Ma serranas." He smiled, finding Corine's happy attitude infectious. Then he looked down at Garm. "Yeah, this lot were smart enough to take me seriously at least. Didn't count on you though, like I said earlier fate smiled on me today." Next his gaze fell to the bow for a moment and then back to those beautiful blue eyes. "Keep it. It suits you much better than me. I'm a swordsman really." Gently he pushed the bow towards her. "And besides. You'll need it for hunting remember?" The smirk grew as he turned to retrieve his swords. "If you still want three reasons I can give you some, they'll even be better than my previous attempt. One it's an adventure and much more fun with someone else, two you just saved my life, so this is the least I could do and three..." He stepped in close so that he could whisper in her ear, his hand touching hers gently even as he dimly noted just how great the height difference was. "Three... There's something about you that sets me on fire... And that interests me." He allowed a moment to pass before he moved again, leaning back and staring up at the expanse above them. "The sky is so vast... Yet beautiful though it is I fear I may have found something even better..." He whispered to himself, reciting a line that he had only now truly understood. Suddenly his face reddened slightly and he moved away. "S-sorry I... Don't know what came over me." A weak and slightly awkward smile crossed his face. "Maker's breath, we've known each other for five minutes and here I am declaring my love- uh I mean... Y'know..." His hand slowly rose to the crimson patterns under his eye. How embarrassing...

[corineshalen]

"I suppose I will..", she said hesitantly, unsure of how to react. The detail in the bow, heck even the quality of the string...the bow had been made with a lot of care and heart, most likely given to him as a gift. He was quite foolish to litteraly give it away like that..Then again, she wasen`t one to complain. Her own bow was worn from the many hunting trips, and you could only replace the string so many times, before the wood gave away.

With his traditional smirk, he then made his second attempt at the three reasons, this time with much more success. Instead of cheating with her hunt, she was promised adventure, she had saved his life so it was the least he could do..and...The bright mind of the quick elf went blank for a moment, as the noble suddenly moved close to her. His warm breath tickled her long hair and neck, the larger hands lightly brushing over hers.

As if that haden`t been enough to color her pale cheeks, his strong voice vibrated against her ear, as he spilled out words from deep within. She was about to push him away, but he withdrew himself as if on que, laying his head back to state in the sky, quoting some old saying he had heard.

"You don`t meet many elves, do you?", she spoke in an almost understanding tone, responding to his blushing smile with a smirk of her own. "We invoke that kind of feeling in humans...lust, interest, mystique..It is rare, that we invoke Lath..". Tying the bow to her back, she slowly approached him, reaching out with her long arm. "Tell me, son of Talin...Why bare your heart to a stranger? You may know my name, and my skills as an archer...but trust me when I say this; My world is not something a noble deserves to live in".

Her nimble fingers danced across his face, the slender digits rubbing against every curve of his jaw, every inch of exposed skin. "Besides, your back would break if you had to bend down for every embrace and kiss". Her smirk grew a little wider, as she let her hand rest on his cheek, standing on the tips of her shoes.