[PRP] Marina x Imminent

[Anguis Lingua]

ShadowsCursed

Though he didn't run, it only took a few long strides before he was kneeling down beside the unconscious meanki. "Well, that was interesting. At least she brought my axe down with her." Deft fingers checked the back of her head, then for any broken bones before moving her back by the fire. Going through his war-pack, he pulled out the small first-aid kit and bandaged the small gash behind her head.

That bizarre little performance had to have been what brought the colorful meanki out into the woods. He imagined such... 'antics' were likely not tolerated in civilized society. Imminent wasn't entirely sure though, since he was usually busy burning civilized society to the ground.

"Hmm..." The felicorn grinned suddenly, and rooted through his pack. Pulling out several pieces of thin leather, he tied the meanki's hands and feet together. That should keep her from running once she woke up.  

[ShadowsCursed]

Anguis Lingua

After a few minutes her eyes opened and she moved to brush her hair back, but her hands were tied. So were her feet. The panic struck quickly and she sat up quickly, her head spinning from the fall. Her eyes seeing the felicorn.

"Please untie me."

She was tense and scared. She pulled strongly at the binds on her wrists, but to no avail. She knew she was bandaged up, but the restraints had her terrified. Then she stopped and got very quiet. She whispered, but loud enough for him to hear.

"Did I harm you?"  

[Anguis Lingua]

ShadowsCursed

Imminent chuckled as he stoked the fire. "Hurt me? No, though given your dexterity and nimbleness, I admit I would loathe a sword fight against you." He stood up and drew his dagger. "And I don't say that often." He knelt down by the meanki, and with two flicks of the wrist, cut the binds.

Sitting back on the log opposite the fire, he watched her with calculation. "So, you have others within you also. This is what drove you from so-called society, yes?" Blunt, and to the point, as was his way.  

[ShadowsCursed]

Anguis Lingua

Marina rubbed her wrists then moved into a more comfortable sitting position. She picked her words carefully, unsure how comfortable she was about revealing the whole truth to him. She figured he'd probably assume she was insane anyways, so none of this would be taken very seriously, she assumed. So she laid the truth out, and laid it out thick.

"I feel like there are others who channel through me. My mother and half brother believe I'm just crazed. I can't remember a thing when I do any of this. These...things...they are all over the place. Some of them are gentle and kind, very much unlike me. Others greatly shadow any evil I've ever known. When they take a hold it's very hard to get my body back. I only get it back when THEY choose to let me have it back. Civilized society is what I prefer, but I only fit in when I'm in a theater, where people believe I'm only playing around."

Marina reached out and took a hold of the rabbit leg that had been left for her. It was already cooled off, but the flavor was divine to her. She hadn't eaten since escaping from her artist's loft near the theater. She barely made it out before Tal crashed in to end her existence there. What a kind brother.

"Life has changed. I travel alone for obvious reasons. I can't predict who takes me next."  

[Anguis Lingua]

ShadowsCursed

Imminent snapped the bone of the leg he'd been chewing on and sucked out the marrow, licking his lips as he thought about what she'd told him. "Your family are fools," he said bluntly, "what is more crazy? They no doubt live a life of monotony, same thing every damn day, reigning in their impulses and putting upon a mask that smiles at those around them."

He leaned back, legs crossed at the ankles. "They consider us the crazy ones, because we choose to live by our rules, little one. They choose to ignore the fascinating, and unique gift you have been given." He smiled at the meanki, and it was surprisingly warm and... affectionate? "I, on the other hand, find it interesting enough to hold my attention."

Glancing up at the slowly darkening sky, the felicorn sat up and began pulling his armor off while he waited to see her response.  

[ShadowsCursed]

Anguis Lingua

Marina turned her eyes away for a moment, her face feeling flushed. She had never taken enough time to spend around a male before. She knew, however, that he was stunning and he had her caught off guard on many different levels. She closed her eyes as if pretending to enjoy the air beginning to cool off as the night settled in.

Oh, the fantasies that ensued as she closed her eyes. The fantasies of him. Of engaging in a fight with her brother, Tal. Of blood. Of suffering. This was not like her, she was usually the one toying with the hearts of men, letting their sad emotions dangle before them. She'd shatter hearts without thinking twice of it.

This one had her head spinning with fear, attraction and confusion. Was he being sincere or was he just as good at mind games as she was?

"I appreciate the kind words, but please don't make the 'mistake' of believing that I'm safe. Even if I...Marina...am safe..the ones that come around are anything but. The compassion you show is refreshing, whether it's genuine or not. I apologize for the trust issues, I'm sure you can understand seeing as how you've received the shortened version of my family woes."
 

[Anguis Lingua]

ShadowsCursed

Imminent paused in taking off his breastplate, looking up to blink at the meanki seconds before throwing his head back with a thunderous laugh. "'Safe'? I am a killer and mercenary, little one! I gave up being 'safe' years ago. If I wanted to be safe, I would be one of those weakling city dwellers, cowering at the shadows and praying to the gods that those like me wouldn't notice!"

He tossed the chest plate and sat down on the log. The fire light highlighted the scars that crisscrossed his chest and stomach. Some where thin, easy to distinguish as sword cuts. Some looked like something had tried to tear chunks of flesh from his body.

"I am many things, Marina, but one thing I am not, is a liar." He looked up at the meanki sitting across from him. "I see some of me in you, a desire for violence, pain, and bloodshed. Perhaps that is what gives me... 'compassion'," he said the word as if he'd never said it before, "for you. I see a kindred spirit dwelling within, one I rarely see outside my fellow brothers in Death."

((Question, are the rainbow parts part of her natural coloration, or forms of clothing? And is she even wearing anything at this time?))  

[ShadowsCursed]

Anguis Lingua

Marina was fascinated by him, but fixed the light blue tunic that she wore to keep her focused. She let out a deep breath of relaxation feeling the stress drip off her. The fire was beginning to grow smaller, so she threw another smaller stick on it. The sparks snapped and swirled upwards towards the sky like little stars. Her dark blue coloring taking on a purplish color from the gaze of the firepit.

"The city dwellers can't be underestimated, Imminent. There is power in numbers. They sit around and plot out their ways of maintaining control. If it were so easy to topple the building of their towns, I would be sitting atop them right now drinking their stock of alcohol merrily. I understand exactly how you're feeling."

She rubbed her hands together to warm them against the heat of the fire. The mosaic coloring on her arms shining with color.

((The colors are her natural coloring, no edits/coloring on her.))
 

[Anguis Lingua]

ShadowsCursed

"Bah," Imminent waved his hand in disgust, "numbers are the only thing that keeps the cities from falling from those like us. They are weak, pathetic. They grow soft as their wallets grow fat." He picked a log up and threw it on the fire. "I admit to liking towns and villages. Despite being easier to slaughter, they're more 'natural' to me. People work together, everything is interconnected. The blacksmith makes the plow the farmer uses to grow the crops the baker uses to feed the blacksmith."

He watched as the meanki rubbed her hand together, noticed her rainbow coloring. Despite what people thought about him, that he had no appreciation for life, Imminent did enjoy life... mostly killing it, but he enjoyed life outside cities and towns.

The felicorn stood up, joints popping as he stretched with a lazy grace. Imminent stepped around the fire and sat down beside Marina, and traced a finger down her arm slowly, silently admiring the rainbow coloration.  

[ShadowsCursed]

Anguis Lingua

She turned her arm over to reveal the underside of her arm to show the other colors. She hadn't been touched gently for a long time. It had only be violent encounters recently. Despite the growing trust, she remained silent for a moment.

"Cities are wonderful to be a part of. I love being able to blend in when I can. I enjoy the energy, the life, the array of personalities."

The more he continued to trace her arm, the harder it was becoming to find the words she needed. She turned her head and looked over at him. Now that the night had settled in, he was beginning to be difficult to see. His eyes stood out, though. They were hypnotic and all thoughts seemed to flutter off on their own.

"I have no idea where my life is heading."  

[Anguis Lingua]

ShadowsCursed

Imminent traced his finger up and down her arm slowly for several more long seconds before stopping. At first, it seemed like he wasn't going to say anything, just stare at the fire.

"Perhaps," he said slowly, "I view cities as vile things because I only see the bad in them. Never have I had someone to show me the 'good' of those sprawling growths upon the landscape." He chuckled softly at her last statement. "I know where my life is heading... more or less. Death and destruction are all I know, they're what I live for. I don't mind that, but..."

He stood up slowly. "There are times, I wish I could see the other things in life besides the deaths of my enemies." He looked up at the night sky. "It's getting late, little one. We should get some sleep. In the morning, you can decide if you wish to join me in my travels, or continue on your own." He smiled down at her. "I swear upon my blade, if you wish to leave, I will not try and stop you."

The felicorn took a step towards the other side, then stopped, face torn with indecision. He then turned around and knelt down beside her. Before she could react, Imminent leaned in, his lips brushing across her cheek before standing back up. Without another word, he stepped back around the fire, seeming to disappear in the night. Seconds later, a rough pillow and bedroll flew over the fire, landing with a thump by her foot.  

[ShadowsCursed]

Anguis Lingua

She was flushed as his lips caressed her cheek. She turned to face him again but he had already moved away from her.

Marina took the pillow and bed roll and prepared herself for sleep beside the fire. She stepped away from the flames until she believed he would not see her. She pulled the tunic up and over her head and slid the tunic into the stream to rinse it clean from the travels of the day. Her bare back filled with scars from lashings in the past. The scars would not be forgotten, she knew this. She also knew her decision with Imminent already. No matter the dangers she would face, at least she would not face any further judgement.

She stood up in the stream, ringing the water out from the tunic and shaking it out. Her long tail wrapped around her as she walked carefully back to the campsite and wrapping herself in a blanket. Her tunic laid out to dry out to be ready in the early hours.  

[Anguis Lingua]

ShadowsCursed

Imminent listened as Marina went down to the river, probably to wash her clothes was his personal guess. The felicorn was stretched out across the ground, hands clasped behind his head as he went over the events of the day. The morning had been typical, another village burned, but the afternoon had proven far out of the ordinary.

What was it about this particular meanki that was driving him to distraction? He'd dealt with her kind before, had hated majority of the vain little pests. But this one... Marina, she was different. A grin split his lips. And not just because she had more personalities than a theater production.

Hearing her return from the river, he flipped over onto his side and rested his head on his bicep. Time to get some sleep, tomorrow would prove to be an interesting day, regardless the little one's decision.

((Skip to morning?))  

[ShadowsCursed]

Anguis Lingua

Several hours later the forest was buzzing with morning activity and the sky was already bright. Marina's eyes fluttered open and she gasped a little. She had been more exhausted than she had thought and slept a little longer than she was accustomed to. Her hand groped out for her tunic, but it was out of reach. The tunic was on the other side of the fire pit. She stood, the blanket wrapped around her.

She squinted in the sunlight, browsing casually for Imminent. Did he change his mind and leave already?

Marina stepped over the random objects around the fire pit and picked up her tunic to slide it on. She glanced around again for a sign of him before releasing the blanket to quickly slide the tunic on to cover herself up.

((Sure! I'm enjoying these two so far.))  

[Anguis Lingua]

ShadowsCursed

Somewhere off in the distance, there was a faint scream of pain, quickly followed by a bellow of triumph. Nearly a hour later, Imminent crashed through the brush with all the subtlety of an avalanche, a gutted deer over his shoulder. He smiled upon seeing the meanki up and about.

"Morning, little one," he said, setting the deer down by the fire pit. "Sleep well?" His smile turned into a teasing grin. "I would hope so, you have a rather cute little snore," he said, needling her lightly.

Turning back to the deer, he pulled his bloodied knife and began to process the deer for the meat and skin.