[PP: F3] Filler Arc 1: Ambushed! Prt 2! [Kalesh]-[Complete]

[Opal 0]

The sound of owls hooted in the mysterious forest where the blanket of a heavy mist had named it the Wavering Mist Forest. Added to the sound of the owls were the disembodied screams of the forest that were said to be heard in the randomness of the night added a spooky and uneasy feeling to all those who decided to brave their way through the thick mist and decrepit looking trees. Kalesh and Opal had a mysterious run in with one another. Opal who had been hunting exclusively around in the area felt eyes on her and did not seem to enjoy the fact of being watched, especially since she had somewhat of a bounty on her head from a man known as Sensui, her earlier captor. Using her sneak and hide tactics as a Kunoichi, she found the shadows and the mist in the forest and became one with them as she hunted her supposed hunter. After a confrontation with the male stranger, she interrogated him on who he was and what he was doing and why he was doing it. Ignorant of who Sensui was, the man who later introduced himself as Kalesh, denied any knowledge of her former captor, and was merely tracking down the player who was taking down the mobs in the area.

After a brief moment with the real Sensui Gang, Opal confronted Kalesh once more and a skirmish broke out. Their duel lasted no longer than a round as she had stunned him with her Tsuji Kaze and then reflected on what had happened. Seeing that he was innocent of the situation, the two came to terms with what happened and decided to launch a sneaky assault on the enemy camp. Opal had bound for the tree tops before light gave way to darkness finding a smoky area where the possible camp may have been. Returning to Kalesh, they agreed she would be used as bait and would bind her hands as a trade for a reward to infiltrate the enemy base and take down some of Sensui's men as well. 

Present time...

"Alright, make sure its tight enough so they know you mean business. I have a small dagger I can conceal in my hand to cut the rope, so my hands will come undone...We just need to make sure we play along with what is going on. I need to see how many men are at the camp. When I give the word, we'll attack and put them down." She had explained the situation to Kalesh as the darkness has drifted down upon them, barely able to see one another through the dense mist already. She placed her hands out in front of her while handing over the Dragon's Breath so she could be bound. 

"Ready?" 

Edited October 8, 2015 by Opal

[Kalesh 0]

He nodded in understanding as they had readied themselves for the ambush to come. His health regenerated fairly quick with the help of his survival skill. He started to tie the rope, leaving a piece hanging out that he could use like a handle so he wouldn't need to grab her arm. "For the record this rope was meant for climbing to high places for naps." He says as he finishes tying her, her sword securely in his spare hand. "You aren't wrong about me though I suppose." He shrugged, it was true he had a fetish or twelve. Who didn't? "You'll probably want to resist a little when we are in range... They won't believe it if I'm not keeping you under wraps I figure." He took a deep breath. This wasn't exactly how he wanted to tie up a lady, so he had a little bit of guilt for what was going on.

"Ready." He states as he begins the walk towards the smoke she had told him about. He kept his eyes wide and glancing around for any signs of being attacked from the mist or any watchers who were going to send word ahead they were coming. They were the ones aiming to have the element of surprise after all, not whoever were hunting Opal. He had his own sword sheathed, mostly to carry her weapon, but also to keep from being viewed immediately as a threat thanks to his cursor color. He softly mutters under his breath "Okay, time for some roleplay..." He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes while keeping a forced cocky grin on his face, trying to give off the aura of a proud PK who had snagged himself a prize. When the glow of the fire was in sight Kalesh raised his voice to say "Eh! You guys by the fire, I caught a gal I think might be important to ya!" Opal probably noticed he had changed his manner of speech too. "Whadd'ya say we make a trade for 'er?" He forced his breathing to stay calm, having every intent of keeping the charade going while hoping Opal didn't get any wise ideas like that his personality until now was the fake. He gave Opal's rope a tug, urging her to make some noise and resist before they started taking him out for intruding.

[Opal 0]

They had begun the long walk towards the camp fire as Kalesh offered some last minute advice to keep the charade going. She nodded to herself as she was led like a dog to the encampment, she began to fidget with her hands bound by the rope as they grew closer to the fire. Within eye sight there was four men at the camp fire, but no one knows how many were lurking in tree or elsewhere. She attempted to pull away from the rope as they got closer, but she was snapped back in place by a quick tug as Kalesh stopped the woman before she could escape, she cursed under her breath and narrowed her eyes at him playing along with the game. 

Two men stood up, they were garbed in dark material, their mouths covered up by a wisp of fabric. They took a step forward, one looked to the left where Opal was and found her bound b the hands, "She looks secure...But we don't negotiate for rewards. But we'll let you live as a constellation prize. You had over her weapon, then her and then you walk away with your head attached to your shoulders...mate." 

"Wait a minute..." the other said stepping forward, the man spoke into his comrades ear, their whisper too low for either Kalesh or Opal to hear them. The man nodded as the other spoke, "Uh-huh...uh-huh...uh-huh...Good idea..." the man drew his attention back to Kalesh, "I must apologize for my rude behavior just now. My comrade has told me there might be a small reward for the bitch." Opal's eyes narrowed into slits, she wasn't happy to be called such a thing amongst the other names called to her when she was imprisoned. The muscles in her arms tightened from the tension, her wrists were red from the bound rope around them as she struggled a bit more.

"How would you like to join us, Brother? Surely, a man such as yourself would find our company to your liking...Besides...You might enjoy the show we have planned out for this [censored]. You know, we had her stripped down to nothing in her prison cell...her moans and screams...her wet scent as we ravaged her over and over and--" 

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" Opal roared out, a fire burning in her eyes, it was him! He was one of those filthy assholes that took advantage of her, saying those words now...of all the times, it built up the tension in the area. As she lashed out, the men got up and laughed, "Hahahaha...stupid [censored]! Hey Brother, have you ever wondered how far that tattoo goes around her body? Mmm...I can't wait to stick it back in that wet..." 

"Errggh!!!!" Opal growled and the man backed away from the mere look in her eyes, he gulped and eyed her partner. "So...what do you say? Wanna join us?" Four men appeared out of the shadows behind them, the other two from the camp fire stood up and walked over to them. All of them had a branded symbol on the fabric of their shirt, it was japanese for Sensui, although Opal knew the symbol far too well. But she was not expecting so many at just the base of the campfire, was this all of them in the area, or was there more? She tugged on her ropes once more, she was seething with hatred at the moment, but she was not going to break her cover just yet. 

[Kalesh 0]

Kalesh grinned as she fought, making sure she didn't pull the rope from his hands or else the whole plan fell apart. At first Kalesh had a spike of worry as they threatened to kill him if she wasn't handed over right away, but as they continued their off her said "No worries, no worries. A man can't blame ye for getting your nerves movin' faster than your head when stuck in a place like this and some orange shows up." He gives Opal's rope a tug to get her back in line and show his dominance while the plan was moving. "What benefits we talkin'? Not that I'm leavin' here alive if I say no." You didn't need to be a genius to speak thug. In fact, the opposite is normally true. He gave the man a wink as he went on about the 'show'.

Kalesh bit his tongue, fighting the outrage and the sick feeling in his stomach. He understood very clearly why Opal was angered at these men, rather glad the she had given him the chance to help her beat these guys into submission. Yeah, he'd be made a target too, but that wasn't what worried him. He was far more worried about Opal. When Opal started getting real vocal and resistant. He turned to face her, grabbing her hair with a face of deep regret and mouthing how sorry he was for his action before he said "Eh, quiet! We're havin' a chat!" He let go of her hair and tightened his hold on the rope while putting back on the mask he had been wearing until then. The only other alternative was a slap to the face when a prisoner got this rowdy, he knew that much. "Hm. You were right in sayin' that was a small reward. Wouldn't finder's rights earn me first dibs?" He said while trying to mimic the mood they had set down. "I already had to stick her with my sword. Crazy [censored] got me from behind, didn't think my armor wasn't shite. Stabbed clean through and into her. That got her off my back." He forced a laugh, not telling lies, some people could sniff through them so he tried to keep to the truths even if he twisted them to his purpose.

He kept his [censored]-eating grin on as he turned to Opal and said "Let's see. Do I wanna join? What do you think, girlie? You wantin' for some fun?" He put emphasis on that last word. The fun was obviously going to be for them and not the people trying to solicit an alliance. Facing away from the brutes his face was pure rage, not that different from the one he wore when he literally stabbed himself just to stab her too. It was clear he had no desire to join them, and was just waiting for her word. It was eight on two, he was actually wondering if his recently updated armor skill would hold up against some new fodder.

((Their icons are green, orange, or a mix? :o ))

[Opal 0]

OOC: We'll say they are all oranges, Sensui and his men run a PK applicable group, not a uniformed guild, but they act as one without the necessary need to be called a Guild. By the by...we are ditching this dice roller for this, casual kick ass RP combat is much more fun since we aren't going for loot or killing PC npcs.

Opal had spat in Kalesh's face after his little show, yanking on her hair was an unpleasant feeling and she had to show her annoyance of it both for play and for her own revenge on the redhead. As the conversation between them begun once more, the woman struggled once more with the rope bound to her wrists, "You want some of this, pretty boy?" she said gesturing to herself, bound hands running down over the curvy nature of her torso before the rope snapped with a flick of her wrist, kicking Kalesh's butt sending him forward towards the two men closer to him and removing Dragon's Breath from the scarlet sata and whipped it behind her engaging the <<Tsumuji Guruma>> Sword Art which blew them off their feet. Her honey colored eyes were in deep low slits as she rushed for the other two men, bounding over Kalesh's head and slashing in many different directions. 

"[censored]! We've been had!" The one yelled sending out a sharp whistle. Opal looked over her shoulder at the one who had ravaged her before in the prison. She was going to make him pay. As the signal cleared, out f the shadows and trees were several ninja type warriors falling from the branches and into the low light. There must have been ten or so by the looks of it, but her main focus was on the lanky man with the one handed sword. She roared at him a hand reaching out before extending it outwards and slamming his skull into a nearby tree. He was momentarily dazed from the attack before she was slashed three times in the back from the others. She turned about and quickly sent off a series of glowing red slashes that carved wounds into their chests before they backed away to heal. She looked over to Kalesh to make sure he was alright before her attention was returned to the other. She cursed loudly enough when she noticed he had disappeared from her sight. 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2015 by Opal

[Kalesh 0]

((Neat! Well, if we are going for badass....~))

Kalesh hissed and wiped off the spit, deciding not to mimic what would probably be a gross tendency of these bastards around them. He played along while watching Opal do her little tease, gasping when she kicked him! His eyes shot wide and that was definitely the last straw in his barely contained anger! He managed to get his feet straight, but not before the first of the two she had just served him to stabbed in clean through the gut. Kalesh grinned and grabbed the attacker's arm with his left hand "You [censored] up!!" He yelled as he grabs his blade and draws it, in one fell move slicing off the lightly armored ninja's arm! Kalesh hadn't even bothered to remove the blade from his belly before he turned and started hacking at the other player who still had a sword! He aimed for a kick, nailing the second ninja in the knee and ruining his stance as Kalesh stabbed his sword into the player before slicing sideways, carving it through to one end of the player. He definitely wasn't fighting conventionally, far too angry to think his actions through! He based the now wounded ninja in the face with the fist around his katana. Whatever damage the sword inside Kalesh would have been doing, it wasn't enough to break the mitigation of his armor.

Having rather effectively disarmed the first ninja and gave the other a serious wound his eyes shot around like a beast out for blood. He pulled the blade from his belly and threw it aside before running towards the other set who had fallen from the tree around where he and Opal once were. An idea struck him though. "Let's try out a new trick!" He announced as he sheathed his blade into his saya, focusing on mimicking the motions Opal had used against him and then suddenly a long ranged attack more powerful than his regular swings hit one of the farther off ninjas, causing him to laugh maniacally as he closed the distance to meet the other while his friend fell to the ground wounded and stunned. He felt some cuts across his back as he charged but he didn't mind for now, stabbing forward and impaling the unharmed of the four ninjas to a tree with his katana! He yells at the top of his lungs "Don't you dare get overpowered before me, Opal!!"

Edited October 7, 2015 by Kalesh

[Opal 0]

"Where did that bastard go?" Her eyes darted around for that punk and heard Kalesh say something, she wasn't paying attention to words, more or less the person she was hunting for. She twisted her blade around and slashed vertically down as she seemed to dismember one of the player's hands. She felt her bare back impaled by a spear, her body thrown into the closest tree next to her and then whipped around like a rag doll. She grunted as she slowly got up, they were being outnumbered pretty quickly until there was a silver bolt of light darting around the enemies accompanied by several screams. She looked over her shoulder and found a mysterious warrior holding a dark katana in his hand, the short man with the black spiky hair...Hiei. 

"Hiei!?" the man smirked before bouncing around once more throttling his opponents and his blade slick with their digital blood. Opal sneered as she got up once more to attack the closest player, her katana slashed like a silver light cutting through the air as the man held his throat and coughed. She spartan kicked him and pulled him up by the scarf her wore, "Where is the lanky fellow?" 

"Looking for me!?" the man hissed, his spear had stabbed her twice and then impaled her once more into the shoulder as she turned around. Opal reached over to remove the blade from her arm, gripping the shaft and pulling it out of her avatar and then into the trunk of the tree before placing both hands on her katana and cutting vertically. The man had yelped and fell over in the ground releasing his spear from the tree. He moved backwards and fell backwards against Kalesh. "Sh-[censored]!" 

His men had been groaning on the forest floor mixed with the disembodied voices of the forest. The raven haired woman leaned now and placed her blade to his neck, "It would be so easy...for me to kill you right now! But I am not going to give you the pleasure of a quick death. You tell Sensui...I will not tolerate him coming after me again! If he wants me, he can come and get me himself!" 

She kicked him hard in the gut and backed away sheathing her blade, "Kalesh...we are done here. Hiei!...I'll settle my score with you later, but thanks for helping."

"Don't get me wrong, Opal. I only helped rescue you for a future favor from Kurama...I'll kill you next time...Till then...stay alive." The man disappeared into the mist, his tracks unseen as she grunted. 

"Are you alright?" she asked to Kalesh. 

[Kalesh 0]

Kalesh turned his head the fight reached its end, looking to Opal a touch irate if the look on his face was any indicator. He was leaning over one player and punching him to a pulp so to speak while one player was still regenerating their arm, another was missing a leg and stunned, one was stabbed to a tree by his katana, so on. He gives the player one more punch before kicking him over and removing his sword from the impaled player before sheathing it. "I'm fine." He says plainly before taking a deeeeep inhale. "Let's see..." He says, reaching under his jacket and pulling out a dagger in his ribs, an axe in his shoulder, and tries to reach back before saying. "Could you get that last one on my back out? I think it's a rapier." He shrugged his shoulders and turned around. He had lost a decent level of his HP, but he wasn't in the red at least, but he was clearly feeling irritated by the sensation of the weapons that were in him. He looked back to Opal while waiting for her to help get the sword out of his back. "More importantly, are you okay? Manage to give these guys what they deserve?" He seemed genuinely curious, having a bit of an investment at this point.

He had briefly noticed someone else who had run away, having spoke with Opal but was too busy with his own fight to make out the words or their details. "Who was the other guy?" He asked curiously while continuing to do breathing exercises to calm his heartbeat and his anger. "... And was it reaaaaally necessary to kick me onto a sword?" He chuckled, trying to make light of it, not letting the various impaled weapons in his avatar affect him too deeply. "... Well, I guess I should watch my back for the next little while... Survivors, aka, all of them, are going to be reporting a guy with long red hair, green eyes, paaaaale skin, and a katana I think." He shrugged "Whoever that is..." He tried not to regret what he had done here today, proud he had helped her get a little slice of payback. He doubted these guys were gonna get a nice warm welcome after getting beaten as they had. This Sensui sounded like a cruel character. "I'll have to buy new rope later... it's not expensive thankfully" He shrugged his shoulders, all had gone relatively to plan. They kicked butt and lived to tell the tale. "We should get going before they PM someone for reinforcements or something I think. Personal opinion." He grinned slowly as his anger started to pass a bit at a time and his more light hearted self started to speak up.

[Opal 0]

"Turn around..." The woman took the rapier from his back and slid it out of him with a small tug before it disappeared into nothingness, at that time all the combatants had disappeared into the mists leaving little to no trace of their existence behind them. Opal sighed and placed a hand on her forehead and then smooth the dark ebony locks of her hair form her face looking back at Kalesh who was removing yet another dagger from behind his leg, "They didn't get nearly as much as they deserved, but that will come later. Thank you for helping me, to be honest, I wouldn't have made the impact I did without your help or Hiei's for that matter..." that was a long story to be told. 

She gestured Kalesh over by the nice warm lit fire that still burned, she sat down on one of the trunks and leaned back, "Hiei is a katana grandmaster, but he is a ruthless fighter as you saw. He has a code of honor, but he kills without hesitation. I met him at a japanese geisha tea house when I was undercover trying to discover the whereabouts of a certain PK guild that may have had a hand in killing a close friend of mine. It was also one of my training exercises as a Shinobi. Hiei was one of the player's at this tea house, I was able to catch up with him later that night and we played a small game of tag with our swords. He ended up getting away as we had to scatter from the guards. He also helped in rescuing me when I was captured...another...long story..." she said leaving out most of the undesired brought up details that still haunted her.

She had noticed that Kalesh's berserk side was calming down, "You are a ferocious fighter, I admire that. You don't seem to care much for about taking damage so long as you can dish it out. The way you use your katana is also unorthodox, novice at best, you have no form in your attacks and you not move fast enough on your feet..." she was belittling him but by bit, "But it seems to work out for the best for you, I suppose there is more than one way to use the Katana..." she said, between her fingers was the small lit lilac lavender scented cigarette once more as she inhaled deeply before exhaling the purple smoke. Her body slouched a bit, "We can't go back into town right now because of our cursors...We should be ok by sunrise though, and I won't leave you out here alone as promised earlier. The men on the other hand..."

She looked around the darkness around them and shook her head, "We'll be fine, they won't come back for another beating not without massive reinforcements. Besides, I more or less challenged Sensui. He'll answer the call sooner or later, if not...I'll go to him and finish this myself." She sighed, once more taking a long drag from her cigarette as she repositioned herself in the ground, "You should get some rest, I'll take first watch..." 

[Kalesh 0]

He sighed thankfully as the virtual wound started to close as the weapons had finally left his body. Already his hitpoints were regenerating slowly as proof he had no more weapons in him. "Thank you..." He offered her a small smile as the adrenaline started to wear off and he was revealed to be fairly winded. He forced his back to stay tall along with his head despite the apparent fatigue and wounds he had been afflicted, not allowing his body to be the one that controls him. "I wish I could say there may not be a next time... But I was happy to help this time.." He sighed as he started to move towards the fire, plopping himself down with no particular grace as he breathed deeply through his nose and glanced to Opal with a look of pride at the fact she was alive.

He listened closely as Opal explained who the man was and that their past was a long story, when she mentioned another long story Kalesh lifted his hand as if in a 'stop' motion before saying '-which, you would have every right never to repeat to anybody." He smiled weakly, having been able to connect the dots he says "But, if you decide you need to vent about it, or maybe even just type it up in a PM..." He shrugged his shoulders "I wouldn't mind. And yeah, venting both with words and with blade if you got to." His smile grew just a little more "I can't pretend to know what it feels like to go through what has... caused all those changes, but I can listen." He shrugged his shoulders, he was more or less a third party.

When she started to talk about how he fought he sighed and looked to the fire with a slight sense of regret. "I... Thank you I suppose... but I'm not good at fighting." He chuckled a little melancholy "You're right, my stances and attacks sucked, I'm still pretty dang slow, relying on my durability to carry me through..." He sighed softly "I don't consider it a good thing. It works, but it could be better." He lays himself back with a thud, looking up towards the sky as he says "A good berserker would take his anger, harness it, direct it only at his foes..." He reached up and scratches his head "I'm more or less gobbled up by it. Thank goodness there were so many, if I focused on one I might have forgotten their icons were orange, not red." With his little confession done he shuts his eyes and says in the direction of Opal, who could have easily stunned and killed him at his health level, "Ah, and just in case you take this chance to escape, not saying you will... Your hair and outfit... They are different than what I saw in passing but I think they look good on you." He turned over onto his side while chuckling softly, curling up a little as he got himself comfy and rested his head onto his hand like a pillow. His other hand was tucked under his arm, clenching a teleport crystal tight like it was a precious teddybear. He would choose to trust her for now, simply because she had so many chances to just finish him off.

Edited October 7, 2015 by Kalesh

[Opal 0]

Opal did not say any further words, even when she was complimented on how she looked, her expression was dull and lifeless much like her eyes had been. Those things would never change, a compliment could be taken lightly, but as she is now...they just made her stomach sick. Any man who looked at her like that was bound to be her next target, she wish she could wash away that part of her, but it stayed on her like a filthy, unclean stench that stained her avatar. She looked into the flickering flames of the fire, there was no movements in the forest and the light from the dancing red and orange flames seem to keep the  mobs away from them for now. Picking up a wooden poking stick, she stoked the fire and wondered about his berserk nature. She wondered if he could really harness that sort of power if he was less of a hot head in battle. She had learned through meditation to keep herself balanced, but much like himself, she was known to be very head strong when fighting. She had only been in a few player verse player matches, mostly spars with Master Myoga, but fighting living opponents gave a sense of a thrilling rush. And oddly enough...she enjoyed it. She spat at the suggestion in her mind gave her. There was no glory in battle.

She scoffed as she stood up, it sounded like he had fallen asleep and she decided to check the perimeter. Hand on the hilt of her blade, she walked slowly through the mist keeping in earshot of the camp fire and within their little safe zone. Master Myoga had allowed Opal a week to train on her own, whatever she needed to do, but she had promised to keep herself safe and away from other players. Going back into town would only stir ahit up if some of her freinds were there. She was supposed to be a ghost, gone from their memory. She had a few more weeks to train and to the true secrets of the katana. She sighed moving slowly once more towards the campfire and sat down. She took a quick drag from her lavender stick and then put away in her inventory, holding it in for a brief moment before exhaling outwards. Kalesh was an interesting individual, that was for certain. Perhaps she could see a bond between them at some point...but right now...She shook her head, sweeping her small fingers through her short raven hair and scoffed to herself.  

[Kalesh 0]

Kalesh rested relatively soundly while clenching his hand around the crystal that would with just a few words bring him to safety if things went bad. He was fairly accustomed to sleeping out in the field, at least higher up off the ground where the monsters wouldn't have been able to reach him. This was an exception as his rope was gone and he had someone to watch over him. He was a naturally suspicious person, keeping his eyes on everybody and anybody the first time he goes out into the field with him. It's only when he exposes his back and a dagger is not thrust through it that he will start trusting someone outside a safe zone. He had been trying to figure out how to keep himself focused even when he was angry, and learn how to use a sword with no prior experience with a weapon before SAO. He had been having only scraps of luck here or there, happy accidents that helped other things click together. He wasn't about to wake up one day and be a katana master of any skill, but he was far better than he was when he had started out.

It had only been an hour or two when his eyes started to open and he stretched himself out from head to toe. He looked like he had reached out to tap some unseen menu. Thankfully not dipping any of himself into the fire he sits himself up and starts combing his fingers through his long crimson hair while glancing around. When his eyes laid on Opal he said "Okay... my nap's over." He said, his HP having healed long ago and he was used to only taking scraps of sleep here and there rather than a full nights sleep. He was comfy outside, but not suicidal. He looks to Opal curiously, smiling softly in the knowledge she had kept her word and not used her stealth skills to escape and leave him in the woods. He had a map, he could get back, it was more that she had proven herself trustworthy. "Your turn." He says with a slight grin while turning to face away from the fire. If he stared at the fire his night vision would be spoiled, and anything in the woods would be too dark for him to notice before they were upon them. "Want me to set an alarm to wake you?" He started going through his menus, seemingly to use the same options he had to wake himself up.

[Opal 0]

Opal turned to the arousing figure behind the flame flickering as a wind had gusted through. Her honey eyes were on him as he lifted his body up and seemed to stretch out. When he woke up the woman had got up from the small portion of land she had sat down on and lifted herself over the log and placed her back behind it. She leaned down until her body disappeared then lifted one arm up, "Not that I don't trust you, I don't trust anyone when I sleep with others nearby, just stay over there and we'll be fine." she said waving her hand before it fell back to her side with a low slap against her hip. To be honest, she didn't want him to see that she would not sleep. She didn't trust herself to sleep with anyone nearby, unless she was alone. She found comfort in the darkness however, and her eyes fluttered once, then twice before finally closing. She sighed lowly, bringing Dragon's Breath closer to her body, a hand on the hilt just in case something would go wrong. She blinked staring out into the dark forest, her eyes scanned but saw nothing that would eventually disturb her. She placed a free hand over her head as she turned over once more and looked into the never ending canopy of the trees.

She had sighed lowly to herself, she needed more training. This weekly 'do it yourself training' was not something she enjoyed doing, Master Myoga wanted her to find peace in knowing she did not have to conform to a specific set of rules to engage in Bushido, but at the same time to adapt, learn and strengthen the ideals with her own perseverance. With these thoughts running through her head she could not simply fall asleep, being tired was common. She couldn't remember the last time she felt safe when sleeping, even then the Temple was not bulletproof, she had been captured after all. She lifted one hand over the rough bark of the fallen tree and picked her body upwards, her cleavage pressed upwards against the trunk as she looked to Kalesh, "Do you have any plans tomorrow? We can go back into town...you can get your rope, and I could use some extra supplies as well. I figured..." her eyes shifted away from him, what was she attempting to do anyways? Befriend him? She inwardly scoffed to herself, "Nevermind..." she had released her form and fell back over the side of the trunk and curled up, after all...she was pretty much damaged goods at this point. 

[Kalesh 0]

He was sure that some players would feel insulted at the suggestion of her not trusting him, but he merely shrugged his shoulders and said "Fair enough. We only met a few hours ago, it's not like you -know- what I plan to do. I'll stay here though." He smiled as he pulled the teleport crystal out from under his jacket. No matter how asleep he was, he had every intention of leaving if he so much as felt uncomfy in his sleep suddenly. Stashing the crystal for easy access later he kept his eyes on the misty horizons for any signs of movement, including the mist parting for something. Whenever he heard movement, whether it was the wind making branches run together or Opal herself turning and adjusting he would glance over to make sure all was well. He was being her guardian until her rest was done, with or without her knowledge of such.

When she started to suggest they restock supplies, Kalesh listened carefully, waiting for her to finish before he heard he say nevermind. He grinned to her and said "Nevermind what? That's a good idea if you ask me." He shrugs his shoulders "Would you rather not be prepared the next time something happens?" He chuckled softly and idly starts to crack his neck before he said "How's this, I walk into town and you stay hidden outside to make sure I'm not being followed or about to be ambushed when I leave. I'll get some food for us as well as a few general supplies." He looked to Opal curiously "Thoughts?" This was a joint effort after all. "I have no real plans for anything, really. I do thing as they happen." He waited patiently for any reply she gave, even if eating wasn't vital it was still a pretty pleasing thing to do rather than allowing yourself to starve. "Just tell me what you want my to get. I can farm the col again later, not like the numbers aren't going to get bigger the stronger I get anyways." He shrugged, honestly not caring if he spent a little col. Most people used materials for currency anyways. His left hand was using his sword's hilt as an arm rest, the tip of the saya occasionally clinking against the ground behind him when he added pressure and let it drop again.

[Opal 0]

Opal perked up once more, her body resting over the fallen tree stump, "Not what I meant...I didn't want you to get the wrong idea that we were friends or something." she smiled at him, a rare smile she showed less and less these days. She turned her head away and bit her lower lip slowly and moved her eyes back to him, "Thank you. I just need a few things and breakfast actually sounds really good right now. I've gone some jerky stashed that I got from mob loot, but it's nothing grand tasting. I am curious though, what did you actually think was going to happen with us? I mean...after this was all over? To be honest, Kalesh, I rather not be mixed up in any more of your trouble." she laughed turning around once more and disappearing behind the trunk, but she continued none the less, "I didn't think I would meet anyone new, keeping a low profile is pretty difficult. I'm not supposed to be seen either while I am training. That report is going to be a bitch when I report to Master Myoga," she said scratching the back of her neck. Her voice perked up a bit, "I like your fighting style by the way, I didn't mean to belittle you earlier about being careless with your techniques, its raw and undefined, sure...but you do it well. Its you. I guess you can say I am also trying to find my unique form as well."

The woman rested her head on the back of the trunk and stretched her arms out over it, allowing the saya to rest between her legs as she fixed herself in a more comfortable down position. She moved the long colored highlights of hair from both her eyes, "Ummm...I may need a change of clothing as well, I'm not very keen on revealing my body too much these days. Once upon a time I would have probably worn less than this. I am sure you have figured it out by now what happened when I was captured from the lewd remarks those men made. I would rather you forget what they said...I don't like people looking at me with pity in their eyes. Makes me sick...That's why I am out here, I am hoping people will forget who I was back then. I just want to start over..." she yawned with a small squeak after placing a hand over her mouth. Her eyes drooped and sleep was fast becoming on her, "Ya know...if I was still -yawning loudly- Opal...I would have fucked your brains out tonight..." the last several words were unintelligible as sleep took her before she could finish her sentence. The soft low sounds of her sleeping were distant and long as she slept for the next few hours, mangled images of men with bloody faces and her body scorched in fire were all she could dream of while she slept.  

[Kalesh 0]

Kalesh nodded in understanding as she confirmed what she actually meant, shrugging his shoulders before saying to her with a grin "You're right, I keep checking my friends list but there aren't any new names." He rolled his eyes after his smart comment, catching a glimps of her smile which only made him smile more. "And great, then it's agreed, when I go into town I'll get some food for the both us. Any favorites I should know about?" He asked, humming in thought when she mentioned the jerky. "Meat is meat, I'd love it I bet." He shrugged, the next question being a touch harder to answer. He forced a smile and said "Oh, yes, I am just a trouble magnet." He added before long "I was thinking you could consider me an... ally I guess? Not necessarily a friend or someone you like, but at least someone who will shank someone to keep you from getting shanked." He seemed to like that word. "Just someone who you can trust in a fight. I wouldn't mind being closer than that, I just try to keep my hopes low." He didn't really know who this Myoga guy was but he figured he was the one training her since she called him Master. He had much reason to doubt the alternative meaning of the word was her intent. When her opinion on his fighting style was raised her said "Mhm, and raw iron is dull and rough, with lots of impurities..." He pops his sword half way out of the saya before sheathing it. "Maybe after I'm worked down enough and hammered enough the last of the [censored] will get knocked off and I can see myself shine a little bit."

He nodded in understanding when she asked for new clothes, a grin on his lips as he said "Sure, sure, I can get two sets if you'd prefer. Just so you have something for next time." He offered to her as he shrugged his shoulders before replying to her "I'm not going to think on it too deeply. The past is the past, I kinda just care about what is going to happen as a result of the past." He hummed, wondering how dumb that sounded to himself before shaking his head and saying "Whatever I do for you won't be out of pity either way. I'm just doing it because I want to, really." He couldn't help but give a chuckle when she mentioned wanting a clean slate before saying "Well, I have no idea who you are or if your name is really even Opal or not. I don't really have much material to compare with." He stretched his arms out, his elbow going past his head as he pulls it to the other side. "To me, you are you as you are now." He blinks as the other words, albeit a little garbled, bled through and he sighed dramatically and slumped before saying softly "Lady Luck and Father Time are both fickle..." He took a deep breath as the avoided ogling her in her sleep, not about to let her trust go to waste seeing how she was trusting him to not let anything happen as she slept. He slumped his chin into his palm while idly cursing fate while letting his imagination run. His mind's eye need not have limitations. "Night night..."

[Opal 0]

Her eyes moved rapidly within her eyelids. The images growing stronger and more vivid, she felt like her body was pinned down to the ground, unable to move from whatever was on top of her, "Nng..." she whimpered lightly, her body moving side to side, but within her dreamscape, she was pinned. Hot flesh was pressed to her body, she could feel something slither down her back and over her legs, "Nnng...mmm....sto--" her head jerked side to side, rough hands over the coarse bloody exterior of her body, laughing words and faces disfigured and brutal. Darkness flickered than blinding light before she felt a powerful blow against her frame. Lifting herself up, katana unsheathed she roared out whipping it side to side in a frantic movement. Her eyes burned with watered tears and deep hatred seething between her grit teeth. She looked to Kalesh as she was in full stance, her blade drawn out towards him ready to attack once again. In her short burst of breaths, her chest heaving in and out before finally calming herself down...She dropped to her knees instantly and placed a hand over her face and turned away, "Sorry about that..." she said gliding her leather hands over her eyes. She calmed herself down and sheathed Dragon's Breath back into it's scarlet saya.

She hunkered over the dead tree stump as the fire was becoming less and less potent, slivers of light shot through the canopy bringing in the new day as she she looked to her partner, "Let's go ahead and go back to town. I'll come with you, there are personal things I need to get anyways and as for your comment last night, you dont know my measurements, so it's best I get my own clothing." 

She leaned over and stomped the fire out with her feet before placing the saya and belt over her waist once more and safening it to her suit, "Thank you again for...not ditching me or taking advantage over me, in the later case I would have split your head wide open. As for what you said earlier..." she ran her fingers through the highlighted wisps of her raven hair and pulled them out softly straightening them back into place. She moved her hand over her menu and sent Kalesh a friend request, "If you ever need help, don't hesitate to call for my aid. I will be...away for another month training, but since my training is mostly over, I can get away with going on an adventure or two." 

She gestured for him to follow, "I don't wanna stay in here longer than I need to...I've slept in this forest so many times...it always creeps me the [censored] out." she looked back at him, and smiled, "But I felt safe when I was with a friend..." she'd admit it, they could possibly become closer than just allies. 

[Kalesh 0]

He heard her mental struggles but kept his eyes forward. It would do no good for himself or her if he woke her, she'd just be tired and upset so he tried not to listen and let her keep her dreams as private as he could. He clenched his hand on the hilt of his sword while trying to block out the images of what he thought she might be thinking of. When he heard her scream and lash out he slipped onto his knees, holding the blade ready to draw and slash it as he looked to her with wide eyes. It was obvious she was a little hysterical from her dreams. When she fell to her knees, he rose to his feet and moved to her before kneeling again. He made no move to touch her, just show solidarity. "Think nothing of it." He says straight, not letting her confuse if he forgave her or not. He made a slight smile as he says "You alright? Need something to drink or such?" He takes a water skin from his inventory, holding it to her curiously in offer. He blinked in realization and then opened it, not putting it to his lips but letting some water fall into his mouth which he swallowed to show her it was safe to drink.

He found himself smiling a little when she offered to come into town with him, she had some very solid points so he nodded "Makes sense. I'd probably end up getting a size too big or small knowing me." He shrugged his shoulders "Though you could just tell me your measurements. I'd offer to tell you mine, but honestly, I've never bothered to measure." He scratched his head nervously, such were the freedom granted to males. Looking a little shaggy was a turn on in some cases. "Huh. Can clothes even fit poorly here? I've seen a woman trade a jacket to a guy twice her size before..."

He shakes his head, focusing his thoughts and saying to Opal "You don't need to thank me, it's the right thing to do." He laughed as she subtly threatened him with warnings of what would happen if he did try something "Well, don't worry. Even the stuff I am a kink about requires consent. I'm not prim and proper but I am a gentleman I like to think." He shrugged his shoulders, having helped his fair share of newbies get their butts out of the first town and having thrown materials at people from time to time. His smart mouth was actually silenced when a friend request appeared. He reread it a few times to confirm it was not a duel before he hit the accept button. A name entered her list, and a name entered his. "I'll certainly keep that in mind, but that invitation goes both ways." He taps his sword with a finger. "If you need a second person with a katana for some reason, just send word and I am coming over." Of the people he knew, she was the most in danger. He was sure anyone he knew would forgive him if he had to run off and take care of something. He'd just PM them it was an emergency as he ran.

He didn't hesitate, getting up off his knees and saying excitedly "I would -love- to get out of here. I only come here because nobody else wants to come here!" He was smart enough to find good hunting paths it seemed if he was hunting here. People came here to do quests, never to hunt. Aside from him, that was. "I hear there are minotaurs in the area but I've never tried to approach them... That's one quest I am putting off for a little while longer at least." He smiles in turn to her when she smiled to him, a nod being given to her as he said "The feeling is mutual. Just try not to hate me if I hold a crystal in my sleep. It's not because of you." He said in the hopes she'd believe him. He was a cautious beast by nature.

[Opal 0]

She peeled a branch out of her way letting it whip side to side as they passed through the mist of the forest, "No, that's quite alright. I sleep with my sword as close to me as ever these days. It's better to be safe than sorry. Especially with rumors of sleep PKing going on, I'd rather have my blade ready or a crystal for that matter in hand before anything bad happens to me." 

She laughed a bit in her head on is previous comment about his kinky nature, "I was like that awhile ago. To be honest, I can't stand the thought of being touched anymore. I even begin to make myself sick when I think about all the stuff I have done with people, well...most of the people. There are a few that, I still feel warm about I guess." As they continued to go through the mist she nodded at his comment about the minotaurs, "I read about those as well, I think we got pretty lucky to not run into any of them on the way in or out of this place. But I am down for a quest run if you'd like, the more SP I can get under my belt the better. And a fellow katana user is always welcome since we have both stun and aoe arts, we are lethal combatants. Besides, you and I, I think we make a good team so far." she looked back at him her expression offering a smile as the mist slowly began to dissipate around them as they exited the shrieking forest of mist. 

"Finally! Dalilah should be just a little ways ahead, right?  I can already see the massive field of dandelions." Her pace remained steady but she was just happy to get out of the forest. She stretched her upper limbs reaching for the sky after giving a careless yawn that escaped her mouth periodically, she could use a few extra hours of sleep, or something to that effect. She moved her hands behind her to make sure the flaps of her kilt were staying in place and covering her ass, she dreaded this costume more and more each time she had to wear it. Would be nice to find something a bit more clean looking and less revealing. The less she showed, the less interested men would probably be in her, at least that's what she had hoped for.  

  

[Kalesh 0]

He made a sigh of relief when she said she wouldn't hold a grudge if he slept nice and prepared for the worst. It seems they both wanted to stay on the safe side of things, which worked out for the both of them the way he figured. Less risks meant more chances of being alive after all. "Yeah, I've been holding out on this crystal foreeeeever... Before the whole 'let's occupy every alchemist so the young players are selfishly starved of all consumables and possibly die' thing happened I ordered a crystal." He shrugged, clearly a touch sore that it had happened since he could see things from the position of a non-floor clearer. "I ended up letting my alchemist give it to her guild's leader. He'll probably never know or care" He chuckled weakly. Before adding to his tale "I finally purchased this crystal not long ago."

He nodded in understanding as she explained how she felt about touching and others, it all making sense to him considering what she had gone through and endured. "I see. It's all up to you, if you don't want to be touched nobody has to touch you." He shrugged his shoulders "I make a point not to touch people. Some people I've seen or heard of creep me out because they'll touch women casually." He gave a little shudder as if feeling a sense of disgust. "I want the woman I am with to be comfy, so unless she asks for touch or is hinting pretty heavily, I probably won't even pat the top of her head." That was just him though. He didn't know if those women enjoyed the sudden touches but it made him feel embarrassed as a man when it happened.

When she spoke aloud he smiled and said "Whoo! About time!" He said while casually bringing his right hand to his sword before recalling Opal's advice. He hummed for a minute and asked "Say... Could you show me the motions for iaido sometime?" He seemed curious "You don't have to teach me, just show me that basics and I can do it myself... There are training dummies on the sixth floor I like to use." He mained his inn on the sixth floor for various reasons. He noticed Opal's yawning before saying "You know, we don't need to head out right away. You could go to the inn, lock the door, and get a good sleep." He tried not to let his eyes wander too much when she adjusted her clothing, more drawn to the fact something was moving rather than what she was doing.