Sour Return (Vedrit)

[Gazeil]

'Oh shoot, damn it all...why the hell..!?' Various curses never crossed her lips, but they did rage against her mind like an angry boar. Yes, she had done something stupid again, but it wasn't getting lost. She had only wanted to return back to Teirm, just to see how it was going...before spotting an Empire soldier.

Thinking that he was alone, she had shot him in the arm to try and scare him away, fearing her hometown. At that time, her view had been blocked, and by the time she rounded across...a few more soldiers came into plain view and...well, you can imagine.

She ran. As fast as a horse, but not quite, for the very same beasts were catching up before she took a detour. Luckily, she knew these parts well, or she'd be Empire mince-meat. The chase continued on after her foot snapped at a twig. A few arrows had found their marks on her arm, and one on her left leg, which she had to drag.

Gazeil was hiding behind an overturned tree, praying to whatever holdy deity that existed for her safety. In fact, Teirm was getting further and further away as the soldiers tried to drive her back.

Honestly.

It was just one soldier.

[Vedrit{(==)}Kelran]

Vedrit just happened to have been passing by, on foot. What are the chances, right?
He was no further than a 20 yards away when the sounds of hoofs and angry shouts reached his sensitive ears. A chase was occuring. Who was the prey, and who was the hunter?
"Stay here. I will see whats going on." He whispered to Sonya, his white dragon and friend.
"Be careful. You may turn into another prey." she cautioned him.
With a nod, Vedrit rushed after the horses as quickly and quietly as he could, alert to the emotions in the area.

He stopped near an out cropping of trees, where the horsemen were searching the area. Empire horsemen. Slowly stringing his bow and readying an arrow, he aimed towards the farthest soldier. It would cause confusion, atleast, more than if he shot the nearest.
whistle

thud
The man fell from the sadle, an arrow sticking from his upper back. Vedrit already had his mind attacking another soldier as he knocked another arrow.

whistle

thud
another soldier fell from his sadle before he knew where the first arrow had come from, and a third soldier charged the last soldier, completely under Vedrits control.
Unfortunatly, the last horseman was stronger than the third, and easily killed his comrade.
Vedrit stood, bow in one hand, his sword drawn and held fast in the other, elven ears in full sight.

As the horseman turned to flee, Vedrit sheathed his sword and quickly drew an arrow and fired, slamming into the mans back.

"Its ok. Any enemy of the Empire is my friend." he said loudly, "You can come out." though he knew exactly where the fear was coming from, and it wasnt the dead soldiers. Not anymore, atleast.

[Gazeil]

The sounds of shouts ringing out and arrows whistling through the air, Gazeil could only picture the situation. Had someone come to her rescue? Or was it some Shade who was to punish the incompetent soldiers?

Immediately dismissing that idea, for it was simply impossible (and just a figment of her paranoia), she strained her half-elven ears to try and guess who.

All at once, the fighting ceased and a male's voice rang out, strong and clear.

"Its ok. Any enemy of the Empire is my friend."

Sighing in relief, Gazeil stood from her spot, and looked towards...an elf? With golden-brown hair and startling blue eyes. She wasn't close enough to see the ring of brown, but she knew that there was a different colour moulded in.

She almost touched her own ragged elf ears, her hand half-raised, self-concious of how she must look. Lowering it, she instead pretended to fiddle with her bow. Gazeil's blonde hair, usually kept up tied, was loose from its band with blood streaking some strands.

She had pulled the projectiles from her earlier, so all that was left were a few bleeding patches on her person. Nothing too serious. Though she wasn't in the best of conditions, her diginity was left with only a minor injury. The hybrid hated being rescued, especially since most thought that female's could hunt no better than a child.

With as much pride as she could muster, she bowed her head shortly, "I thank you very much..." Her tone was sincere, but she was trying hard not to lift her head. It was only simply courtesy that she should thank the male elf.

Pausing, she licked her lips, wondering if she should say more, "...had you not come when you did, I would have more than just simple wounds to deal with."

There, that should do it. Lifting her head, she trained her own unusually coloured eyes on the other.

[Vedrit{(==)}Kelran]

Vedrit looked her in the eyes.
"What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked at the same time as telling Sonya that the soldiers were dead and she could come if she wanted. She did.
Vedrit, as uncourteous as always, hardly waited a moment before turning and walking towards where Sonya was. The elf-human, since her self-consciousness was obvius and said it all, could take care of herself from this point. If she wanted to follow him, she would have to earn it, or appeal to Sonyas....sensitive side, for lack of better word.

Sonya, curious about this new person, tromped right past Vedrit and towards the elf-human girl.
"She was rescued?" she asked Vedrit, not hiding the thought from the girl
Vedrit only gave a slight nod.

"Perhaps you should not go unaccompanied so close to your enemy." Sonya told her, a teasing gentleness to her voice
Sonya. Always up to her tricks. Vedrit thought with some annoyance.

"You need to start making a life for yourself." Sonya told him, her voice absolute.

[Gazeil]

"I was on my way to Teirm," she began, before the elf hardly stopped to listen to her. The male walked away as the words passed her lips and tackled against the empty air. Snorting lightly, she simply brushed her hair back that had fallen unceremoniously across her forehead messily, "There's always one..." She muttered, too soft for a human to hear, but loud enough for the elf, which was the point.

And that was when the ground began to rumble slightly, and her spine tingled. Lowering her hand, she found herself facing a pure white dragon. Immediately, she found that her throat had gone dry and trying to force words from her mouth was impossible. This meant that the male elf was a rider...and that perhaps, he was mad by her offstandish attitude earlier.

But despite all her respect for the great creature, she still felt a tickle of annoyance when the other confirmed that she had been rescued. Still, she bit her tongue to stop any slippery remarks from escaping.

Gathering her thoughts well enough to give a mildly cohorent answer, she bowed, "I understand." So caught up she was in trying not to offend the dragon, she missed the teasing tone in its...her voice.

[Vedrit{(==)}Kelran]

"There is always one..."

Vedrit couldnt help but stop and slowly turn towards the girl. No, woman.
For some reason, what she said struck him, and struck deep.
"Always one? Curious. Who, or what, is this 'one'?" He asked
Sonya, smug about Vedrit being unsettled about it, just stood there, what appeared to be a smile on her face. She enjoyed Vedrits torment, to a certain extent, and this was hilarious, and completely disregarded the womans response to her.
"In my life, before I met Sonya, the only 'one' was myself. The word 'no one' has a profoundly different meaning to me. You travel alone, and apparently unprepared. Who is this 'one' that you rely on?" Vedrit, in a haste to bury the confusion burning and churning inside him, unleashed a sort of fury. It wasnt meant to be harsh, but more of a....offensive defense, more or less.

"Now tell him he will always be his only 'one'" Sonya directed to the hybrid, and only her. She wanted to toy with Vedrit

[Gazeil]

Gazeil was thoroughly confused, and it kept getting worse as the other ranted and raved about something she didn't quite get. Something that was in regards to her previous comment, but that didn't even mean much in the first place!

And she couldn't pick up on his words fast enough to answer them before he sped right along to the next one. In the end, she decided it was all rhetorical.

The dragon stated something in her mind, and she was jolted out of her musing. "Uh..." Glancing at the white dragon, she shrugged, "You'll always be your only 'one'." She repeated, as if she had to. In a way, she did. Because there was nothing else intelligent to say.

[Vedrit{(==)}Kelran]

Vedrit stared at her, his mouth slightly agape
'Your not making things better.' He scolded Sonya before turning and stalking off

Sonya chuckled "He is so fun, dont you think?" she mused, laying down next the the hybrid "He is named Vedrit, I am Sonya. What is yours?"

Vedrit, knowing better than to go too close to Teirm, stopped when Sonya was out of sight.
"The dragon. She will be the end of my mental health." He mumbled to himself

[Gazeil]

She nearly stepped away from the dragon once she had so calmly decided to rest next to her. But she did not, for fear of somehow offending her. "I...do not know." She answered truthfully. Natural answer, of course. She didn't know the male elf well, but this dragon did...and so both would have different perspectives.

In fact, she didn't even know what she thought of the rider in the first place. He had helped her, yet he was also very much the offstandish elf, while she was the extroverted type. In a sense.

"Ah...um...Gazeil Wolvrem; it's my pleasure to meet you..." While her introduction was going on, she was desperately trying to remember the words you used in the Ancient Language...but try as she might, the word kept on slipping out from her grasp.

In the end, she decided to go with, "Great Flying One," it sounded incredibly cheesy in her mind, and out loud.

She decided to wait for Vedrit to come back, instead of shouting after him...though the dragon may told him who she was already.

[Vedrit{(==)}Kelran]

"So. What's a half-elf doing on her way to an Emperial city such as Teirm?" Sonya asked Gazeil

Vedrit sat down indian style, his sword and bow on the ground infront of him, his hands on his knees, his eyes closed and breathing steady.
The pulse, slow and constant, flowed around him.
'Life in its order.' the thought skipped across his mind, aswell as the feeling that he needed to return.
With a sigh, the pulse of life began to fade, pulling away from his senses, leaving a void inside him.
A moment after, he stood and put his weapons away, and made his way back

[Gazeil]

Quickly, she assessed the situation the best she could. Despite the fact that she had just been chased through half the forest with soldiers hot at her heels, Gazeil still wondered if it was wise to tell them that she had been born there. "I..." if she did, would they kill her? Or...did the previous incident somehow reassure her in the fact that that was not going to happen?

Finally, she conceded. Sighing, she pressed a hand against her forehead, "I...that is my home." She stated, half-mumbling in hopes that the dragon would not be able to hear, even if it was a fruitless wish.

She heard the other making his way back, and directed her prayers there; that Sonya would be distracted by her rider's return.

[Vedrit{(==)}Kelran]

"Home is a pointless concept. Homes can be destroyed, built, or found anywhere." Vedrit grumbled, hearing her response, though he didn't know the question.
"Give him time. He won't be so harsh once you get to know one another." Sonya said, trying to remove the edge from Vedrits words, "And always keep your home near your heart, for then it truly is home."

"We should probably leave. More soldiers are most likely on their way soon, and I don't intend to fight the Empires army so soon." Vedrit said, looking at the dead men. Killing wasn't one of Vedrits favorite past-times, though it was necessary.

[Gazeil]

"It is still my home." She said, directing her gaze and attention towards the returned elf. Her tone was a little more firm even when there was no need to. It wasn't as if the other was stating that it wasn't worthy to be a home. Sonya spoke, and she nodded, "I guess...though it is reassuring to know that you can return somewhere, despite the fact that, as he stated before," here she nodded towards Vedrit, "It can be destroyed."

Gazeil ran a hand through her hair, trying to untagle the small parts that had been covered in dirt and clumped together, "You do not need to fight. I will go my way, and you shall go yours." After all, what was the point in travelling away from her destination? Unless the soldiers had somehow sent a warning towards whoever was on patrol...the thought just crossed her mind.

[Vedrit{(==)}Kelran]

"You don't think a missing patrol has been missed?" Sonya asked, knowing full well that they were, "And you are welcome to travel with us. I could use more companionship than Vedrit.'' she gently nudged Vedrit with her wing. She was completely honest. Sometimes she grew tired of Vedrit. Its not that she hated being around him, but they were together all the time.

Vedrit stood next to Sonya, though he didn't say anything and had his back turned.
"We'll probably stay in the area." he mumbled.
He kind of did want Gaziel, Sonya told him her name, to come, but sort of didn't. It wasnt that Gaziel was a half-elf, but...there was something that bothered Vedrit

[Gazeil]

"You have a point there..." Had it been anyone else, she would have rebuked immediately, whether the other was right or wrong. But it was a dragon she was talking to, and that demanded her utmost respect. Even if Sonya didn't want it.

She gave a small smile at the comment; hanging around the same people all the time could get quite tedious, in her opinion. She got bored easily, and though some could be counted as friends...she felt that she lacked action in her life. "I could accompany you..." She answered, though choosing not using a defnitive word.

"I'm curious; what are you doing so close to Teirm?" Gazeil inquired, "Surely a rider such as yourself would not come so close to Empire borders?"

[Vedrit{(==)}Kelran]

Vedrit let out a short, unamused laugh.
"Sonya wanted to visit the place where I found her. Again. Tierm is between where we left and there." Vedrit explained, "Being so close forced us to travel on foot."
He was ready to leave. His weapons were clean and put away, and Sonya never allowed a saddle to be placed on her. Something about tarnishing her scales. Vedrit learned quickly to put leather on the inside of his pants.

"Shall we go north?" Sonya asked, standing and glad about Gaziels company.
Sonya loved Vedrit, but the many differences made it impossible for her to be more than a companion.
She was willing to play any role to make Vedrit happy.
She hoped Gaziel would understand her part.
Sonyas feelings for Vedrit was her deepest, darkest secret, hidden from all. Held as close to her heart as Vedrit.

Vedrit climbed onto Sonya and held his hand out to Gaziel. He could show kindness once in a while.

[Gazeil]

"Ah..." It was still slightly puzzling, but the explanation would have to do. What else could possibly be said? Gazeil shrugged before returning her previous task of trying to groom out the tangled strands atop her head. "...so what are you doing now? Are you simply...travelling? Or do you have a quest at hand?"

Yes, Riders could do what they liked, at times. But she supposed that at times like these, Riders were the most needed. "Are you with the Varden?" She asked, holding off on answering the other's inquiry of direction.

Both Sonya and Vedrit had fought off the soldiers, but...one couldn't be certain nowadays. She herself was not on a side. She hated the Empire, but she wished not to be part of the Varden either, purely for her own personal reasons.

[Vedrit{(==)}Kelran]

Vedrit shugged, his hand dropping to his lap.
"I agree with their goal of removing certain evils, and I forsee big things for the Varden. Yes, I am affiliated with the Varden, but very loosely." He said, shifting where he sat.
He has spent many nights thinking about that day. That, and he didn't like discussing his political or faction position. But the less time spent here, is more time away from soldiers.

"He is. I made no such commitments. I prefer to stay clear of political tangles." Sonya added, raising her head with a sort of pride, masking her growing impatience.

[Gazeil]

She listened carefully to the two. It was understandable that the dragon would not be bound by such vows. Nodding, she took a small smile to her visage, "Yet, you still have not answered my previous question," she gave a small shrug before repeating it, "Are you travelling at the moment, without a purpose in mind?" It was a query she could have worded better, but it wasn't as if it made any difference. Unless Vedrit wanted to get all the more specific, she was fairly sure that it didn't need to be to the point.

She knew that both were itching to leave, but she still wanted to know. And she promised herself that it would be the last thing she would ask them...for now.

[Vedrit{(==)}Kelran]

"Just sight-seeing. Like I said earlier, going to see where I found Sonya." Vedrit said. He wasn't in any particular hurry to get to where he was going, just getting out of a dangerous area.

"There's something special about the place where you meet your rider." Sonya swooned. You'd think it was where she was proposed to, or something of the sort.
To her, it was exactly that.