[ Gypsy ] ♠ After the Wedding

[Thais Ylva]

The events that had transpired during what was supposed to be a joyous and carefree occasion had been somewhat exhausting, though in a way also somewhat satisfying. The destruction of the unseelie nymph Syrinxa had at least ensured that one threat would no longer plague the Kumpania - the knowledge that a creature capable of enslaving the minds of the men among the caravan had been unsettling, and once her final hearts blood had been spilled along the grass her very flesh sought to corrupt they no longer need fear that she would hound their company in future days.

The time that had passed between the wedding night and the evening that the Kumpania made camp further along in Kyngfield was uncertain: a Gypsy wedding is a frantic event filled with drink, food, and dancing; all levels of excess met and then surpassed in ways no other could even imagine and the days did bleed into the rest until the source of wine and feasts dried up and the gypsies separated in good spirits and well wishes. Whether that was the case for all groups was uncertain: Thais could only guarantee that she herself had enjoyed herself immensely with good company and good food, and so it was with a smile on her face that she assisted the others in setting the camp, whisking out the Migrants Meal Cloth in case anyone could stand the sight of food at this present time. She had learned from her past use of the cloth, and while it could still be said that various platters of meat outnumbered the other food groups, there were still a healthy amount of vegetables and fruit for the more discerning connoisseur.

"Mmm..."

If someone else had not already taken care of the task, she would move with a swish of her skirts and collect an amount of naturally felled wood from the surrounding area and build up a suitable fire within the budding campsite - eyebrows furrowing ever so slightly as she leaned over the wooden construct and concentrated. Pressure built behind her eyes, her temples gaining a faint throbbing sensation that would gradually burst into a brief if sharp pain - at that same moment a spark of light grew and licked at the wood, the sound of a crackling fire and the delicious scent of smoke soon infusing the area. A nod of satisfaction, the young woman flicking her hair behind her shoulders as she settled back onto the bedroll that had been dragged from her tent to use as a soft cushion.

[ Primarily a scene to set up a crafting detail, but everyone from the Kumpania could post if you want It'll be extra fun that way! ]

[Deleted]

     Wesh had no idea why the others thought the gorgeous Nymph was so bad. He was thinking on the events of the eve. Maybe that one guy preferred other males. He seemed to just want to insult that nymph, but also, he refused to attack her. Was he "that way" and a coward? Only time would tell. The other male, well, he was a stranger. Was his name Oskar? He seemed alright. But, maybe those beautiful women were just jealous of the nymph. But who cares. Fights over. Father gave Wesh a family heirloom, he had been given the Mask of the Snake and even found a pair of boots and a few things on a dead body. So, he had gear as a member to join the camp.
     The group had divided up what the gypsy had. He decided to use some of the things to make tattoos and looked at the rune. Least it was on a nice piece of rock. Pretty and shiney. He would keep that. A knife? He might need a knife some day. But the hair blade some got, now that was impressive. He wanted one of those. Maybe he could do a trade sometime. The fact that the nymph died... he couldn't stop that, but he tried, so why not prosper from the death? What ever will be will be...
     But, that one woman was interested in him. He knew that, since she had her hands all over him while the others were fighting. There she was now, bending over... picking up wood. Well, once she carried the wood out of his view, he began setting up his tools. His tattoo tools, that is. Now, which tattoo should he do? Maybe something for good luck with this new band he sort of just joined up with . Blind luck seemed to have brought him into contact with them. Thinking of that, he placed his magical statuettes down, transforming them into guard dogs for the camp itself. Now, to decide and get to work. What to tattoo? And where? His mind just wandered as usual.

[Thais Ylva]

Wesh had been told by three different members of the Kumpania - Scout, Sadlin and Thais - prior to even seeing Syrinxa during the wedding that the nymph was unseelie, a twisted perversion of the friendly nymphs that a persons thoughts first jumped to, a creature who delights in enslaving the minds of those who fall for their tricks and destroying beautiful natural areas of forest land. Regrettably, unseelie nymphs resemble their good aligned relatives so well that they are easy to mistake them, and it was only because the Kumpania had fought her on a previous occasion and seen the destruction of the area in Kyngfield and how she treated the men with her like meatshields that they knew she was evil.

It had been hoped that after watching Syrinxa Wesh would have seen common sense like the rest of the group but alas, it appeared that even in death Syrinxa's cockamamie magic still had its hold on him, whereas men like Sadlin, Bowen and Dragan had long since seen through her mask to the corrupted beast within. That common sense did not alter whatever preferences the men had for a romantic partner, and indeed there was no shame if their preferences lay with another man, though by what she had experienced that was not the case. Nor did it make the women jealous: only smart. In fact, it was only because he had identified himself as the brides brother, that Thais had even attempted to help him in battle: using her skills to prevent him from acting while Scout and Oskar took down Syrinxa, otherwise, had he not been one of the Blood then she would have left him to the fate of Syrinxa's other slave .. which regrettably, had been death, as he had attacked the Kumpania and they had been forced to defend themselves.

"What are you doing?"

Idle question came as one hand rested against her chin with her elbow on her knee, the other reaching towards the Migrants Meal Cloth for a piece of dried meat which she began to nibble. She had been watching from across the fire when she had finished lighting it: as the newest member of the Kumpania he was one of the least known and as such was a subject of curiosity for the moment. She indicated the equipment he was fiddling with, waving the piece of dried meat before taking a bite with a smile.

"What are those?"

[Deleted]

     Some people can be told things often... but still know the tall tales that many gypsys tell. He saw the nymph-ette do no wrong himself. So, he had many wild ideas. Truth and his views need not be the same. ~smiles~ After all, he had just met them all and joined up for the fun, the entertainment and the experience. Experiences with her were one such thing he had joined up to partake in. She had shown her interest by where she had been touching him. A stronger come-on did not exist. He had no knowledge of them, except what he saw and felt. The nymph was slain by them after doing nothing but walking into the camp.  What should he think of that? What did he think? Not much, for long. His mind was more on the present as the attractive woman lit the fire.

     Now she spoke to him, holding meat in her hand. Oh, how symbolic that was! He smiled, his eyes still on her, having been distracted by her, from what he had been doing. Her mouth was moving. Wait, what was shesaying?  Ah, questions. What was he doing? What was he doing? Oh yes! He remembered now! He gave her a hugesmile and said softly,

"Playing with my tools. Would you like to touch it?"

     Still smiling, he lifted one hand, the left, displaying some tattoos on his fingers. Then, pointed over to the food, glancingaway from her to the food there.

"Care to give me something good to eat? I make a few coins, or do tattoos for trade. It's more for entertainment, since so few seem interested in the magic of truly good tattoos of a great mystic."

     So he tried to oversell himself. He was trying to impress the young beauty, after all. Stretching the truth was the gypsy way, was it not? Just a small exageration. In comparison to the others along on this trip, he was the greatest mstic present. At least to the best of his knowledge, anyways. His eyes had moved back to her, his hood still up, but the eyes were still visible in the darkness of the hood as he awaited her answer. Then, his stomach gave a grumble.

[Thais Ylva]

"No, thank you though."

If he held aspirations regarding that piece of dried meat, it might be advisable not to focus on how sharp her small white teeth were as she chewed. She continued eating in silence, listening as he spoke and sharp ears took note of the not so subtle stomach grumble. Swallowing her present mouthful, she jerked a thumb at the Migrant's Meal Cloth spread out not too far from the fire: its length still covered in food provided none of the other Kumpania had wandered over and cleared it up since she had spread it.

"You are hungry? The food on the cloth is welcome to all who travel with us, for however long that is."

She paused, considering something.

"Though Bowen and Dragan like to hunt rabbits when the mood strikes them. Its good not to rely on the cloths bounty too much lest we forget what it is to survive during hard times."

That said she finished off the rest of her morsel and stretched, working the various kinks from her limbs before settling back down on her seat.

"Ah, I do not have much ink, only my Deochi. I was considering adding a design or two but a good artist is hard to find, and the gaje we often encounter would not know one if it bit them on the hindquarters."

She laughed a little and shrugged, the fire spitting and crackling as it ate at the kindling.

[Deleted]

     He gave a shrug when she declined his oh-so-friendly invitation. Then, only thumbed at the food. This will never do.

"Couldn't you bring me a tasty treat, m'dear? Hun'ers can hunt, but when you have an object that feeds you at will... why bother? I mean, has it ever failed ya in the past?"

     He could try to goad her into bringing him something to eat but only after she stretched. After all, why get up and leave the tools and his prized mask alone, for even an instant if he did not need to. Of course, this was only how he felt at the moment. Ten minutes from now, he might just leave the tools ... possibly even the mask too. It would all depend on his mood. He simply enjoyed the show as she stretched out those attractive legs. He held out the left hand again, displaying the tattoos there on the fingers.

"I could always add some to you, but of course, you would need to ~pause~ undress for me, so I could see the best place to add what you desire so much. ~wink~ But, before I think on that, I could use a bite of good food, and I would think, since you've seen the foods before, you could choose the best piece that I might like most. Where are the drinks, too?"

[Thais Ylva]

A vaguely bemused expression flitted across her features, hand lifting to tuck a few strands of hair as she leaned elbows on her knees and peered over the fire at him.

"Not yet, no. But magic can be a fickle thing, and possessions do not always remain possessed. If we did not have the skills to look after ourselves before we gained the Cloth, then we will not have them after relying on its gift overmuch and it is gone. Why else form a Kumpania? We move, we hunt, we laugh: we live, and we learn."

The Ylva branch had seen its share of hardship, and like all survivors they enjoyed a bounty while it lasted but held no illusions that it would become a permanent fixture. The cloth was part of the Kumpania, and Thais would return it to Scout if she chose to leave the group and return to her family, always assuming that it had not been stolen or the group hadn't given it to another with greater need before then. Another small laugh escaped.

"But I do not know you other than your weakness for nymphs, and I am afraid the cloth does not provide for those needs."

Wrinkling her nose, she peered through the dancing flames of the campfire in order to examine him, then indicating the cloth again.

"From what I can see .. you have scales for skin, slit eyes and a forked tongue. So you are a snake with limbs, or a tall lizard. We are lacking in rodents, so unless you wish to hunt for wood mice in the surrounding forests you will have to settle for what we already have! Pork, rabbit, beef and chicken is on the Cloth, and you can start your learning by reaching over and selecting what you prefer; there will not always be a pretty maid across from the campfire who will fetch it for you!"

As she had not heard nor seen other members of the Kumpania taking food from the Cloth so it still held the bounty that had appeared when she first shook it out before tending to the fire. It had the common meats Thais had already listed, as well as a few fruits and vegetables. The Cloth provided food for whomever shook it out and so it retained Thais' slightly altered preferences; and as she had hit upon the idea that he was a reptile, she made a note not to hand it to him to shake. As a wolf, she had no desire to eat a meal of live mice, small birds and raw eggs!

When he made mention of her removing her ankle length skirts and roomy blouse, she shook her head slowly with a small smirk.

"I believe those may remain, it is the design on your fingers that intrigue me and for that my clothes need not move. As for drink, for now I think it best you stay with water of which we have plenty, as perhaps playing with your tools while under the influence of rum is not the wisest course of action!"

While most gypsies could hold drink far better than Gaje, working on permanent ink while inebriated was still a bad idea.

[Deleted]

     He was still waiting, as she spoke as his stomach rumbled again. He glanced to the cloth, then eyes moved back to her, roaming from her feet, up her legs to the hips, then the stomach, chest, neck and finally the face. It was a long slow journey before he spoke.

"No. I joined to enjoy myself and see new places, new things. To meet others from the families. I do not see enjoying a womans' physical beauty as a weakness at all."

     He looked back over at the foods on the cloth. Eyes again went back to her eyes.

"A maid? No no. A maiden maybe.~smile was given~ But I asked for you to give me something you thought was tasty. If I were to go choose something myself, it would not be what you thought was the best. Besides, I would need to pack up all my delicate tattoo tools, and do so much, just to get a bite to eat".

     He leaned back, moving a hand up under his hood to scratch his head, then lowered it back down upon the tools.

"But, if you refuse to be nice to the newest member here, I suppose I could get my own, and likely will choose the worst food. Bad luck must strike sometime."

     Then she mentioned his scales and spoke of a snakes diet. To that, he burst out laughing, long and hards. Finally stopping, he resettled himself with his tools and finally managed to speak;

"I hav escales. I had yet to stick my tongue out to you and show you its length. If my eyes are slits, then yours are round like coins. Maybe I will show you, you mountain gorilla. I call you that, because you have two arms, two legs, thumbs... like a gorilla. ~mutters~ Why do you not have more fruits on the thing? ~gestures at the cloth~ Mountain gorillas like fruit, I think, so where is the fruit? ~mumbles about rodents~ Not always be a maid? I have yet to have a maiden even be so kind as to give me something tasty."

     Then she changed the subject over to the tattooing. He was good at tattoos. Of course, he would claim to be the best, if asked. But, she was casting doubt on his ability now.

"Rum? And water? Is that all we have? I would prefer a simple ale to start with. But, you've not tol' me where the drinks are. Maybe you'll be so kind as to bring me some bread, some meat and a mug of ale, before we discuss the beauties I can place upon your fingers. Of course ~a smile and pause~ it will cost, depending on what you desire andwhat you have. But, I always want more when I talk prices and I'm hungry".

     He looked back over at the food with a long lingering look until he finally looked back to her.

[Thais Ylva]

For a moment she merely stared at him, the silence broken only by the sound of the campfire between them before she rolled pretty cinnamon eyes in her head and uttered one single laugh devoid of mirth. Of course he had succeeded in completely misunderstanding her: but her seemingly infinite patience was gradually beginning to wear thin, and given that even now he believed an unseelie nymph over members of the Blood she held no illusions that explaining the situation even multiple times would allow it to pierce whatever veil he held over his ears and eyes.

"So you insult me in one breath while begging in the next, without even having the courtesy to say please even once? You will not reach for the food less than two feet from your person and cite that I am not being nice to you? I was nice to you when my Kumpania decided not to let Syrinxa destroy you, your sister, the rest of your family and the surrounding forest lands: and as a member of this Kumpania I am not required to hand you food that you are more than capable of selecting for yourself! You ask for drink and turn down water and rum? We are not a tavern for you to be so picky!"

Standing, hands were placed on her hips and the campfire flared even brighter as her temper rose, eyes flashing as they caught the shifting light, a twig bursting in the fire.

"I am Thais Ylva. I am wolf. I am flame. I am a member of this Kumpania that you have visited with for barely a sevenday and I will not be referred to as a gorilla by a scaled serpent with a jumped up sense of self worth who refuses to even feed himself."

Turning on her heel with a swish of ankle length skirts, she gathered up her bedroll and stalked off back to her tent. She left the Cloth behind – the food would remain until someone ate it or rolled it back up again, and if he did finally decide to feed himself he would discover that there was no such thing as a bad choice: unless he severely hated one of the meats on the cloth and was incapable of distinguishing it from the others there wouldn't be anything even remotely bad on the Cloth – it just wasn't possible. As for his wish of a mug of ale, they are a band of poor Roma off in the middle of the woods, while they had a suitable store of equipment they were hardly capable of carrying casks of ale in the wagons; they needed to prioritise and their jars of magic dust would prove more valuable than a mug of drink.

[Deleted]

     He watched her storm off, barely withholding his laughter.She calls him a lizard and snake. Suggests he go hunt mice and rat. He gave an equal insult back to her, calling her a gorilla and suggesting she should eat more fruit. But that seemed to miss the womans' mind. She seemed more of a tease than anything else, now. She became angry why? Because he asked her to hand him what she thought was the most tasty food. So much for finding out what she liked.
     Then, she brought up the slaughtered nymph. She must have been extremely jealous of the nymphs' friendliness and beauty. As he thought back on it, he did leave Thais presence to go see the nymph. Ah! There was his snake. It slithered from the underbrush, over towards him. But, he still needed food, so said;

"There you are! Did you eat well, hmm? ~He lifted a hand and pointed to the cloth, directly at the ham cuts~ Bring me one of those."

     The snake slithered over, bit into a chunk of ham and moved it over to Wesh, who reached down and picked it off the fangs.

"Good job, very good."

     He thought on that nymph. She had saidand done nothing harmful. She only got the attention of a few of the men, before the group he now travelled with, attacked the defenseless woman and slaughtered her. She seemed to do little harm back, but he was distracted by this Thais during the slaughter, though. Yet, she kept bringing that up. Maybe she felt guilty. He picked up some of his tools and began eating the ham. She never did say where drinks were. What a welcoming committee. The gadje he bumped into, in the woods, earlier, acted far friendlier. Now, to see if that man would do as he said. Only time would tell.

[Rhyldrin Ken'rae]

She would probably smell his scent long before he ever got near the campfire. Even though his form was of a rather large stature.... oh hell, the male was beast in man or wolf form, he moved silently and came into the light of the fire by Thais' tent. Once watching his appearance could possibly assume his form simply illuminated and emerged from the night, the way the dancing light from the flickering flames cast against his tanned skin. He hadn't heard anything of the prior conversation, though his sibling intuition was saying that his sister wasn't too happy about something.

His form, while not absurdly dirty, did need a washing. Patches of dirt covered his muscled flesh and his hair was somewhat matted with mud. The latter wasn't too bad though, his strong fingers having been run through it several times ever few minutes during the last hour or so. He still needed a shower and was heading toward his own tent on the other side of Thais' when he finally placed a face to the new scent he had picked up on the wind earlier. A nod was given to Wesh in a silent greeting. He was use to seeing new faces pop up from time to time, it was the way of his kind, and if the creature had made it to the fire and was still alive then obviously Scout approved to some degree. 

Despite his solitary lifestyle when he was working he had come to trust Scout and the others... for the most part. He trusted them enough to leave his sister in their care and if they trusted Wesh then he wouldn't question it until proven otherwise. If he hadn't already been attacked by his little sister he would call to her as he passed her tent, "Thais? Everything ok?" It was so much easier to just get the conversation over with, upset women... especially young ones, always seemed to make life worse for the men around when said men didn't at least offer an ear to them.

[Thais Ylva]

The small flame between her palms flickered and danced, the young woman staring at it intently. It had not been very long since she had stalked off and sought sanctuary within the confines of her tent, and she had decided to attempt to clear her thoughts with a few mental exercises. To others it may have been foolhardy to play with fire whilst the walls surrounding you were made of cloth and rope: but while she still had to work at controlling the fires of her mind, she was well practiced in the fires of the mundane world as a fire dancer. So naturally there was a bucket of water nearby if anything decided to go out of control. Which of course, would not be long as the flame itself suddenly flared to lick at the makeshift ceiling above her head as her mind had scattered itself when thoughts of the new snake intruded. She was so involved in smothering the flame itself that she did not notice the scent of her blood until he was standing outside her tent, calling her name as the campfire behind him cast his long shadow across her walls.

"Prala!"

The flame died in her hands as it sparked and grew elsewhere, the young woman slipping from her tent in order to throw herself at the larger man, gripping him tightly as if to reassure herself that he was alive and well. He tended to disappear frequently, had done so ever since she had been a small child: but that did not mean she did not worry each time she woke to find he was not there, and she was always pleased to see him return. After a moment of nuzzling her nose into his chest, she'd wrinkle it as the smell intruded upon her senses - while the masculine musk was not unpleasant, it was stronger than usual - and lifted her head back a little to stare up at his face.

"You are in need of a bath."

As she spoke, she lifted a hand in order to pluck a leaf from his hair that had somehow been missed by his infrequent grooming. Holding the leaf, she twirled it around between forefinger and thumb by its stem as she canted her head to one side and smiled. Though after a time, that smile faltered and turned into a small frown; thick lashes brushing against her cheeks as she looked down at his chest and murmured against the skin and his heart.

"That new one by the fire .. you had not met him, he joined after we encountered that .. Nymph .. a second time. He is uncouth, prala, I do not like him."

Exhaling, she tossed the thought to one side and poked him lightly with the leaf in her hands, an eyebrow lifting with a coquettish air.

"But your latest jaunt .. did you have fun?"

If he was covered in dirt, smelled of excess and had leaves in his hair surely he had an exciting time of it!

[Deleted]

     Wesh gave a small wave to the new man. New to him, at any rate. He had just finished eating and even had a skin of water in his hand now. His snake-friend was ever so helpful. The snake moved up his arm, wrapping around it. The snake was ever so obedient and good at finding things for him.

     He had already decided the woman, Thais, was just a flirt, a tease, and not really worth his time. The man he had not really met thus far. Scout was the most interesting one he had met. The other man he had forgotten his name, but that one did next to nothing, so far. The guy must be sleeping around here somewhere. He looked around at the few tents set up, then back at his things. From what he has seen, Scout did nearly all the fighting. Everyone else just tagged along. maybe this guy could fight too, as he looked at the new wolf.

     Thais came out whispering. Good thing he did not hear her. Saying he lacked polish, while the new one had leaves in his hair and was covered in dirt. She was just not worth bothering with, really. The future would hopefully be brighter. His mind went to work on his tattoos. He could add nearly all the fingers to his hand drawing. Or, add some other bits and pieces to his body. Where might the troupe go next? would it be more profitable? He only found a few coins, a gem or two and a bloody knife. Not a lucrative meeting, slaying some poor, innocent nymph. Not very nice, either. With a shrug, his mind wandered on.

[tesarikfive]

Sadlin had been near the river getting himself cleaned up, after all it had been a rather eventful night for him. Yawning just a touch he stretched out his arms nice and wide while he let those muscles of his loosen up a little. He didn't like to fight, it tightened everything up and made it hard to sleep. But then again it did get the juices flowing and got him some pretty nice things.

Speaking of nice things he twirled his new hair blade around his right hand. Spinning it quickly front and back as soft soled shoes carried him back to the groups camp site. Looking around he saw that man who had fallen for the nymphs charms even after he'd been warned. Not that he'd put the man at fault, not everyone could be as attractive, strong of will as Sadlin. The man was perfect after all.

Giving Wesh a small nod of his head he stepped up to the table cloth filled with food and plucked up a few grapes and popped one into his mouth, eating the juicy treat before speaking. "You look sad. Can't say I've ever been under the influence of a Nymph's charms. Must be hard to get over?" It really was a question as he didn't know first hand. Never the less he tossed the fine cloth that was his towel over a bare shoulder.

[Deleted]

      He watched Sadlin spinning that hair blade. It caught his attention as he thought about working on his tattoos. Watching that blade glisten in the air, as it went round and round, sending the light dancing from its metal sheen. Oh! The man came over to the food cloth and spoke to him. Eyes rested upon the mans face.

"I just thought it was a mean thing to kill her. Charms, they come and go, but life ~short pause~ life is very fleeting. It seems Scout is not only a looker but this menageries' greatest fighter, as well. Or doyou see things differently than I?"

      The snake moved upon his arm, the eyes of the snake, along with the head, glancing side to side at times, as if looking for some unseen, unexpected creature to come a calling on this dark eve. Wesh lifted his waterskin and took a drink, his mind skipping along, even as they spoke, wandering from the conversation, tattoos, liquor, food to the idea of possibly borrowing the hair blade some time, and then on to why runes were placed on pretty stones instead of granite. His mind, as usual, was just moving on on its own path.

[Rhyldrin Ken'rae]

A pleasant chuckle would escape from his throat, though it also rumbled against her face as she pressed her cheek to his chest. Reaching up with his hand he would cup the back of her head before running his palm down along her hair until his fingers and thumb rested against the back of her neck. When she looked up at him and started talking he simply listened as a good brother ought to do.

"I agree, my query hoped they could lose me within a swamp....." 

Dragan's eyes shifted ever so slightly as he looked into the darkness and remembered the hunt. She would feel his muscles twitching a bit beneath the surface of tanned skin with each memory of him chasing down his prey. Clearing his throat with an almost impish grin, almost, he would look back down to his sister.

"The outcome wasn't as they intended."

His eyebrows rose upon hearing Thais' words of encountering the Nymph and also the fact the male was uncouth. For all intents and purposes it was probably better the new guy didn't gear Thais' words. Uncouth and unpolished were arguably too different insults. After all, you can polish a turd until it shines but it is still a turd. An uncouth turd... well that is just revolting when you really think about it. Regardless of the situation, upon hearing the word uncouth he would look over to the male and oddly enough his protective brother syndrome would flare. 

"He has behaved himself of course?"

He asked Thais even though he was looking upon the male. Whether or not the male looked back or realized he was the object of their conversation hadn't been determined. While he waited for Thais' answer he would shift his gaze to Sadlin and his very interesting new weapon. Grinning he would nod to him and then motion toward the hair braid.

"New toy? Did you pick it off that bitch of a nymph? Hopefully you ended her deadly schemes the second time?"

[Thais Ylva]

It was difficult not to lionize her sibling. Strong, intelligent, caring and with no small amount of cunning she had looked up to him since she was a small girl: and not just because he was a beast of a man that still loomed over her physically. Someday he would make a woman very very happy, and that thought saddened her even as she beamed up at him and bursting with pride while he recounted his hunting prowess. Of course his marks hadn't succeeded in their endeavour; he was a predator through and through, they both were, and his quarry had been clearly outmatched.

But no matter: because not only was Dragan showering her with attention but Sadlin had pulled himself from the river and was amusing himself spinning that lengthy braid while displaying his usual charming personality. She grinned over at him before her brother recaptured her attention, the young woman settling to peer over at Wesh from his biceps when he once again became the topic of conversation, her eyes narrowing as she considered his question.

''A little .. he called me a gorilla.''

She pouted against Dragan's arm. It was possible that those slitted snake eyes were just unable to comprehend her level of charm and beauty - reptiles and wolves did not interbreed after all - but she had seen the way he had been looking at her, and while she had pointedly not responded in kind she had noted the glances and the ambiguous phrasing. So she rather doubted he had an issue with his eyes. But you had to be completely blind to compare this slender, toned dancers figure that curved in all the right places with a gorilla of all things. Blind, or malicious.

She did not bother interjecting in Sadlin and Wesh's conversation: she had said everything she could regarding the nymph, and if he was still magicked enough to believe Syrinxa over the Kumpania he had chosen to travel with .. there was not much she could do, but hope that attitude did not bleed into all things.

Besides. The protective Dragan seemed to have everything well in order; a little grin of satisfaction alighting on her face.

[Deleted]

          Wesh was paying attention to Sadlin, not the brother and sister. She had callled him a snake. She had not seen under his hood, as yet. He had two legs, not a tail, and two arms. She could just of easily called him an iguana, or a dragon, if she were basing the snake comments on his look. He knew he was inferior to a true snake and her comment was just insulting, reminding him of the differences between a snake, a naga, a vishkanya and... that made his mind jump tracks. Why could he not be a snake? Or a Naga? Or the legendary great winged Naga? That would be something to work on in the future.

      But what had he called her? A mountain gorilla. She resembled a mountain gorilla more than he did a snake, after all. Both had two arms, two thumbs, the same basic form. While a snake was thin and slender, able to move on the ground unnoticed, with no arms or legs, he was slender, yes, but had both arms and legs. He was easily seen usually, and so, was as close to a snake... well, less than she was similiar to a mountain gorilla. If the truth upset her, that was her problem.

      Thus far, he was told little of the poor nymph. Let's see... she was supposedly evil.  In some way, she destroyed the environment. How? No mention of that was made. After all, the woman stormed off when he asked her to hand him something she thought was the best on the spread out cloth. When he asked where drinks were, she ignored him.  So, no information was given.  Which one was evil? The nymph who smiled and acted nice to others, or Thais, who flirted but was unhelpful and unfriendly when asked about things around the camp. Good thing he did not ask her about a free tent. She might have sent him to one with a mongoose she slipped in there.  He took a drink from his skin of water as his snake was watching Sadlin.

[tesarikfive]

He gave a small tilt of his head toward Wesh, the way he talked about the Nymph still made him wonder, did the man fall that deeply under her charms when he was under her spell, or was he simply a slower acting person? Hmm. Well it was odd that he'd still question things, but it wasn't something Sadlin bothered to care about. At least not enough to get angry about it.

"She had taken men, charmed them against their will, used them to protect her while she turned a forest inhabited by friendly fae into a wasteland. Tree's were dieing, the grass would not grow, and the forest life died or flee'd to other parts of the forest."

He paused with that being said and looked over to the pair as he smiled just a little, giving them a friendly look before he popped another grape into his mouth and enjoyed the sweetness of the fine fruit.

"She likly came here to charm new men under her charge in order to start again somewhere else. It truely is a sad thing, to see tiny little fae pout with sadness because their home had been taken over by an evil presence."

Sadlin was the talker of the group. He wasn't much of a fighter, having very little ability with weapons, though he could protect himself some at least, but he had his uses. Mostly to keep the group alive, but to him that was secondary to his diplomatic ability and ability to turn any woman into a quivering pile of OHMYGODYES!

"So, in short....Her life was one of taking, a life full of death, and a life in need of taking. She may not of killed anyone out right herself, but she willingly sent men to their deaths, stole and destoryed what was not hers, and the worst of all....Outplaced the friendly fae of the woods for her own greed."

When Dragon spoke to him he let himself turn toward him as he smirked just a little. Giving another little twirl of the blade around his index finger he nodded and held the blade in his hand.

"It is, and I did. Well, we did, but I did all the work."

Hah! Even he knew that was a lie, but he was Sadlin, and he had to keep up appearances.

"It's an interesting little thing, and I'm still usure where to keep it. Hmm. Perhaps I'll use it as a belt until it's needed."

[Deleted]

     He blinked at Sadlin as he went over the history of the nymph. Then, he smiled to the man, since someone had finally told him more than "She is evil" and "she charms men". He lifted his water skin and took a long drink, before he spoke, thinking for a short time.

"Y'know, no one else bothered to tell me anything she had done. Hel, if I had known that, I'd of slain her myself. Why would anyone do such things? I mean, ~he paused thinking a moment~ it's one thing to claim an area and call it your own, but why destroy the woods? What good does that do? I mean, even chopping down some trees to build with, or taking some eggs for food, I understand. But why just destroy to no end? ~he shook his head~ That just... it makes no sense to me. Wish someone had told me that before the fight. What a pity. ~he said in a low voice~ Do all the evil women you've faced look so good?"

     He saw the man twirling that pretty, shiny blade attached to the hair strand. He slid out his own new knife from the belt sheath and showed it to him.

"I only got this. It's a small knife, looks like it might be good for carving or something. Oh, and a pretty stone. It looks nice.. As for charming the men to fight for her, if you are a weak fighter, what else could you do? Just try to get others to defend you and look innocent, no?"

     He slipped the blade back into its' sheath, smiling at Sadlin. After all, that was the first time someone in the camp actually spoke to him in a friendly manner and told him about WHY they all wanted to kill the nymph, who did not sound so innocent, or appear to be such a victim, any more. Certainly they couldn't all be telling the same lie; there must be truth in this idea.

[Thais Ylva]

With a twinkle in her eye, she smiled over at Sadlin from her position with Dragan. Lifting a hand, she indicated her tent with a brief flick of her fingers that were soon used to flick at her hair, the bijou ring on her finger catching the campfires light and sparkling with its own fire.

''I have one of those braids as well but .. I am not sure if I wish to keep it.''

Extracting herself from her brother gently, she slipped over to where the silver haired man was standing in order to examine the braid distastefully as he continued to twirl it around his index finger. She stopped short of actually touching it though, not because she was concerned that she might get sliced, but rather, she did not wish to come into contact with a remnant of that nymph any more than necessary. After she had collected hers she had wrapped it up in a cloth and stowed it at the bottom of her belongings until she could figure out exactly what she wanted to do with it.

''In fact, I do wonder if I should not just throw it in the fire. Are you not concerned that some .. residual .. sense of that hag exists still in her braid? I do wonder if she might not live on still, and possess those who use it. It is a shame we do not have a priest, to exorcise the braids and ensure they are safe!''

She laughed somewhat, a delightful sound that soon halted when Wesh expressed his bizarre statements: she actually looked at the scaled individual with an expression of concern .. it didn't last however as it was not too long ago that he had been trying to get her to hand feed him, had been staring at her legs through her ankle length skirts, asking her to remove her clothes, said most statements with a twisted double meaning and had ended it all with a straight up insult. But while the look of concern for the state of his mind had gone, she still appeared genuinely confused as she stared at him.

''But .. we .. did? Sadlin expressed clearly that the nymph was not the friendly type you prefer. Not too long ago I said that she controlled men. That she destroyed the land surrounding her. Even on the night where we met, after you introduced yourself as the brother of the bride .. when Scout sensed Syrinxa she explained to you after you got excited, that she was Unseelie, that she is ..''

Pausing, she wrinkled her nose as she dug through her memory and attempted to recount Scout's actual statement. She did a very good job, while her words were halting as she sought the correct phrasing her voice and tone were a close mimic to the other woman's.

''Not this one, she's as foul as foul can be. Unseelie. It won't be long before the grass and trees start dying around her if she's here long. The whole area we found her in before had died off, and she'd enchanted a few men to do her bidding.''

The thing with spending most of your time entertaining was that you learned to listen and read people – and so as a result she was often capable of recounting such things pretty accurately. You did not get very far in her line of 'work' if you were unable to listen to your audience.

''So Sadlin merely restated what we had already told you, Scout and then myself .. except I do not think we told you how we had been begged by the tiny fae of the Castle Green to put a stop to Syrinxa so they could get their home back .. ''

A fire lit in her eyes once again, hands forming fists that were soon placed upon her hips as she towered over Wesh with a look of rapidly growing fury.

''So! You only believe these things when it is a man that tells you? When Scout or I explain these very same things it is not good enough for you? We are only good enough to leer at and proposition, but when we speak it is never anything worth hearing? But you certainly heard her mention the nymph to begin with, when it suited you, because a nymph is good for only one thing in your book! Do not think that I did not see you rub your staff against Syrinxa's rear end while you were busy drooling over her, almost tripping over your tongue!''

Tossing her hair, the fire between them mimicked the motion as it released a large tongue of flame that licked up towards the sky before settling down, reflecting her own state of emotion before she regained her self control and merely simmered.

''Well. You will not get far in this Kumpania if that is your attitude; Dragan, Sadlin and Bowen are certainly not like that. I suggest you watch them and learn how a man is supposed to act before you decide to call yourself one.''

If the other men of the Kumpania held any doubts about a woman's aptitude, they certainly had enough sense to keep it to themselves. As for Wesh, she would have to see how he carried himself the next time they actually needed to do something other than stand around a fire bickering over what had actually happened, and how others interpreted it. If he could pull his weight, and learned to trust members of the Blood over mere Gaje, then perhaps she wouldn't burn him to a crisp if he decided to do something foolish. After all, even to his last breath he seemed to be finding things to defend Syrinxa over; and he had conveniently forgot that before he'd started commanding food items from her person and calling her a gorilla, she had been perfectly friendly – both at the wedding, and at this very campfire - certainly, she may have been too friendly judging by the leers he had sent her way.

Rolling her eyes, she shrugged a shoulder at Sadlin.

[Rhyldrin Ken'rae]

"A gorilla?" 

His words were low and though his eyebrows furrowed slightly at the thought of someone calling his sister, who was very attractive... sensually sexy even, he could only smirk and shake his head some. It was then he dismissed the other male as nothing more than an immature boy without any sense.

"Obviously he is either blind or daft.... perhaps even both from what I'm hearing."

Before she extracted herself from him he lifted her lovely face carefully with strong fingers beneath her chin and simply smiled down at her with that warm expression he always gave her to make her feel better.

"Pay no attention to the immature my dear sister, they aren't worth your time. Besides, anyone who sees you in such a light is hardly sane."

He looked back toward this... Wesh, and simply gazed at him for a moment longer before shaking his head once again. He had already been dismissed as immature and senseless but for someone like Dragan, who survived because of his power, prowess and devotion to his family, the fact that Wesh wasn't being devoured by worms in some shallow hole somewhere seemed to be somewhat of a wonder to him.

After Thais had finished stringing the boy up with her words he extended his arm and then fingers in her direction, offering her his hand palm up. 

"Come, fill me in what I've missed while I get cleaned up."

He would wait until she took his offer before thick digits curled inward to encase her slender hand. He then would lead her toward the nearest source of fresh water while waiting for her account of the events he had missed.

[Thais Ylva]

After having said her piece - as satisfying as it had been - she moved back towards Dragan and left Sadlin and Wesh to their own devices, whatever they might be. Lifting her hand she accepted her brothers invitation and placed it gently within his strong grip, a smile lighting up her face as she gazed up at him for a moment and merely enjoying having his presence at the camp. Giving his hand a squeeze, she followed his lead until they reached a slow flowing stream that was not very far from the camp itself, and once he released her she would hike her skirts up to her knees and sit down on the waters edge: dangling her feet into the cool stream.

“There was much that took place in your absence prala. After we separated, we crossed paths with another vardo and heard news of a wedding that was taking place. Given all the strife we have encountered .. your time at Shark Cove, the hanging tree, the Castle .. it was decided that there was more than enough room for some light hearted celebration.”

She turned to look at him and grinned, kicking her legs and spraying droplets.

“Though it was not much of a celebration to begin with. As you have heard, we had a run in with that nymph again and she put Wesh under her spell – though he was eager enough before that – and we fought. A roving gaje called Oskar helped fill in the gaps you and Bowen had created with your absences, though it was Scout that landed the final blow: splitting the foul hag with her sword after running up the side of a tree!”

Her eyes shone with pleasure; the evil witch meeting her end had been supremely enjoyable and while she had felt Dragan's absence in the group, she was secretly glad that he had not been present: the only members of the Kumpania truly safe from the hags mental control had been Scout and herself, simply by nature of being women, as Syrinxa had not displayed a liking towards her own gender.

“After that .. we enjoyed the wedding as intended, as while the brother of the bride – that was Wesh - had been essentially kidnapped, the altercation took place in an out of the way locale so as not to involve any innocents or disrupt the festivities. No one was any the wiser, to the best of my knowledge. And by that point prala, we really did have something to celebrate!”

[Rhyldrin Ken'rae]

She felt a subtle tightening of his grip as they walked away, protective in nature of course. As she settled herself and began to bombard him with the events that his absence had caused him to miss he began to slowly peel his dirty clothes from his etched body. Why slowly? Well because he was tired and also he didn't wish to harm the fabric anymore then his hunt had already done so. He rolled them up carefully before placing them in a pile on a nearby rock.

"It would seem I have missed much.... and yet nothing at the same tiiii...mmmm..eee."

That last word found several different volumes and curses as he lowered his naked form into the cool stream. He had been moving rather fluidly at first, after making sure his sister wasn't openly looking his way, but as soon as the water level embraced his manliness, well he slowed down right quick with a shutter. He would fight the ugliest most dangerous monsters in the world and still be cowed by some cold water on his boys and manhood. Inhaling deeply he would submerge himself beneath the moon reflecting surface, the ripples causing quite a disturbance on the pale orb resting on liquid darkness.

Casually he would surface, his large hands rubbing his face and eyes before thick digits slipped back through his thick mane of hair. He kept his body, everything beneath his chin, submerged as he rubbed the dirt and some dried blood from his taught flesh.

"It use to be that I could be gone for months without you getting intro trouble..... Now you've limited it to a little less than a few weeks." 

He eyed her accusingly, a wolf like (imagine that) grin slowly forming on his tanned face.

[Thais Ylva]

Well of course she peeked! It was only natural, and if he had really wanted to ensure his privacy he would have had to force Thais to stay at the camp with the others. But even then, there was no guarantee unless he looked like he was going to be really cross; as much as she admired his physical characteristics she didn't want him upset with her. But her peeking was circumspect; a little twitch of her eyes here and there then nothing more save for a small curl of her lips and swinging of her legs. Though she laughed openly after he had submerged himself into the waters, his voice having hitched and juttered as he cursed. Men were so silly sometimes. Though as he settled in and continued to speak, her laughter changed into a small pout that was in turn, adjusted as her tongue was pushed from her mouth and at her offending brother.

"Then perhaps you should not disappear for so many weeks at a time, who else can I trust to keep me out of trouble Prala?"

She crinkled her eyes in his direction and flicked her fingers at his accusing glare and wolfish grin before then dipping them in the cold waters. With a faint pain building behind her eyes, she attempted to call the fires to her fingertips, perhaps chasing at least some of the chill from the water and making it more comfortable. It wouldn't heat the entire river, but perhaps if he stayed close he wouldn't find himself singing soprano as his boys and manhood attempted to retreat up into his kidneys.

"Or .. you could always take me with you?"

She sounded hopeful. Having never been on one of his forays before, she was not entirely sure what they involved. And whenever he came back, all covered in dirt, clothes torn, exhausted and yet wholly satisfied well .. It looked so exciting, how could she not ask?

[Rhyldrin Ken'rae]

Lifting an eyebrow at her words he would shake his head some, that wolfish grin shifting to a simple smile.

"I beginning to see that perhaps I am the only one that can keep you out of trouble." 

Though he had a feeling she had warmed the water for more than just his comfort he carefully made his way toward the source of the warmth. He was a bit more accustomed to the water but it was still nighttime and despite his massive bulk of muscle the heat from his primal blood would gradually seep away.  He stopped in mid stride at her next statement and looked at her carefully.

"Are you trying to blackmail me? You're own brother?" 

He eyed her carefully while awaiting her response. While he still saw his little sister as a sweet angel he knew she had grown up being taught to get what she wanted. He also could now see those joining the caravan sometimes had a less than respectful nature so perhaps they had taught her a few things as well.

[Thais Ylva]

While if asked, she would explain that her actions were entirely altruistic, she was not entirely blind to the fringe benefits of such a localized water heating! As her brother spoke, her eyes grew wider and wider, her face becoming the picture of perfect innocence. Her eyes glimmered a faint gold in the moonlight and with what may have been the beginnings of unshed tears.

"Prala .. such things you say .. "

She glanced down at the water, drifting her fingers through it as the heat of her skin gradually sped up the surrounding molecules; and the closer he drew to her the warmer it would become. The water would never reach anything amounting to 'hot', but it would be a far cry from the ice cold lakes of Northness, and made nighttime bathing a less harrowing experience.

"Is it so hard to believe that I simply want to keep you close? That being so far from our own family, we should not lose sight of each other?"

She looked up from the water with shining eyes, the movement sending her hair tumbling around her shoulders with tendrils straying across her forehead. Her lips trembled with emotion as her voice stumbled from her throat barely above a strangled whisper.

"Or .. is it that you .. do not want me with you?"

It is said that a skilled woman could send a man into the very depths of oblivion with a single tear or well placed frown, and while Thais was no where near as accomplished she was at least aware of her own personal arsenal. Though deep inside there was a twisting worm of doubt, the faintest pulse of fear, that there was some truth to her tremulous words.

"You .. would .. leave me here?"

[Rhyldrin Ken'rae]

While she was his little sister and could, when being genuine, could probably easily manipulate him, he was accustomed to the little game she was playing. Not so much because they played it with each other but because he was a male werewolf in the line of work that brought him around many women of such reputation. He also wasn't too hard on the eyes so ladies seemingly spent much of their time testing their abilities on him.

"Oh I'm so terribly sorry to imply such a thing."

He offered her a brotherly look of concern as she continued her show. One would certainly hope the water would be warmer than the lakes of Northness or else he would probably be a Dragancycle by now! 

"Not hard to believe at all. We are siblings of course."

He let her last two statements escape her lips before he reached up and placed his wet and cold hand against the side of her face. 

"Of course I want you with me..."

He looked into her eyes as he cupped her face, said his statement and then literally hugged her. Of course the fact he was dripping wet could have had something to do with his plan. 

"We shall never be parted again!"

And with that she could hear him smirk in her ear before she was lifted from her seat and pulled into the water with him, his arms around her body making it impossible for her to break free as he submerged her up to her chin in the chilly stream. 

[Thais Ylva]

He was not as astute as he thought he was, failing to pick up on the genuine concern that simmered underneath her display. Regardless, he had given her the words she wanted to hear and provided he was true to them she would remain happy however they had traveled to that result!

Smiling up at him, she removed a hand from the water in order to rub at her eye as he cupped her cheek, pleased with the response he had given. And though his body was cold and wet, she didn't struggle against him as his arms went around her because such offerings were few and far between, and she felt that she needed a little physical reassurance, a touch of skinship between siblings, and so she relaxed in his bear hug and ignored the cold water he offered with the contact.

Well. Until she found herself neck deep in the stuff.

There was perhaps only a moments prevision granted by the evident amusement in his voice by her ear before she found herself yanked from her position of safety on the riverbank and submerged in cold water, the shock stealing her breath away before she could refill her lungs and then empty them again in a surprised shriek! Her body reacted in a similar fashion, a pulse of flame erupting from her skin that sizzled and died in the presence of so much water - but for that brief moment it was very hot indeed - leaving the water itself almost lukewarm in its wake.

"You .. you .. !"

Small fists were railed against his chest within his tight grip, thumping him again and again in what could only be considered a futile fashion given that when it came to tests of strength he always had her beat! After a while she stopped, panting with the exertion and glaring up at his face before dropping her forehead against him, and murmuring what could have been taken as either threatening, or imploring.

"We better not."