Open Chronicles Memories Yearning To Be Forgotten

[Wakasugi Touma]

"Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair."
-Elie Wiesel
"Well, well, look who it is..." The bemused voice echoed through the room, that voice seemed to belong of that of a guard sitting a desk. The guard had a raise eyebrow, as his sights were set towards an open door...of which, a robed man of sorts advanced in, in tow was another. This was bounded by rope, trying to desperately struggling against this robed man. It was no use, as the binds were tight, and the grip was tighter.
"Never I thought you brought in alive...figured if the wolves didn't chew your brains out, somebody would've lost their temper with you..." The guard smiled, as he leaned to the side to get a glimpse of the restrained fellow, who literally snapped at him with his teeth. This only caused the guard to chuckle heartily, as he glanced to the hunter, of which the most prominent feature was his sword. "....well color me impressed...that's the third one this week...boys, if you will..."
Two of the guards also stationed in the room quickly went over to where the swordsman stood, gripping onto the bound man despite his resistance, and dragging him through a nearby door.
"Don't worry about him...well send for a judge and give him a fair trial and all the things that makes us civilized..in the mean time, he'll have a nice comfy seat behind bars..." The swordsmen only nodded, yet it was hard to tell about his expression, given that hair was covering most of his face.The guard at the table just chuckled, before opening a desk drawer and retrieving somthing. It was a small pouch, a pouch that the guard would immediately toss at the swordsmen, who promptly caught it without another word. "...your dues...and a little extra...from me...as a thank you for the amount of work you've been putting in."
The swordsmen seemingly glanced down at the pouch, nodding in the process, and then muttering somthing that the guard could only assume as some sort of thank you, which only caused the guard to smile some more.
"You know...I man of your skill level usually don't stick around a town like this...ever thought about heading out to the big city, like Elbion?...the payout there makes what we pay look like candy money..." The swordsmen looked up, his eyes could be seen through his bangs. His expression hardly changed, as he simply gave a shrugged.
"I'm not in it for the money." The bladesmen deadpanned, which was somehow both intimidating and reassuring to the guard currently setting in front of him.
"Hey, I can respect the thrill seeker types, but that's what I am saying! The bounties and jobs there are bigger and badder compare to this little o'l place..." The guard said, glancing towards the door with a bemused face, before leaning in a husher voice. "....you know, I heard from a merchant not to long ago that some thieves heisted off some sort of precious relics from the College up in Elbion...heard they're paying handsomely for their return. Plus, I doubt any o'l thief could have pulled somthing like that off...so if it's a fight you want..."
The guard looked up to the bladesmen's eyes, and realized that he wasn't intreasted. Such prospects might have lit a fire within any other enterpurning bounty hunter looking to make a name, but this one...didn't seem much concern with it. The guard sat back down, dramatically sighing as his back hit the cheer. "Well, couldn't say I didn't try...still, couldn't say I'm not grateful...if your thinking about sticking around, we still got a couple of bounties on the board...although this rate, we may actually end up running out of bounties....now that would be a first."
The bladesmen nodded, as a hand fell on the grip of his larger blade and rested their. The guard could only chuckle as he watched the bladesmen turn around and leave. Even now, he had no idea what his name was...all he knew was that he wasn't from around...his weapon was a testimony enough of that...
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, Touma sauntered out of the guard house, his wallet now having become heavier. Sure it was nice, but that was not why Touma went after the bounties. The guard was right, if he solely wanted the money, he could probably sell his services to higher bidders. But those days were...over...in fact, it had been quite a while since Touma had did any sort of bounty hunting, at least for money.
The last time was well...too soon perhaps, in Touma mind...as he lifted up his right hand...a white ribbon, with a single bead, was tied to his wrist...it was almost unbearable to look...a remainder of...many things.
The bladesmen would drop his hand as he wandered up to the bounty board. Perhaps this would take his mind off of things, looking and examining the various papers nailed to the pieces of wood. The amounts they offered wasn't the highest, but it was still a decent wage.
The bladesmen was quite concentrated at the board, or perhaps deep in thought, to really think about what was going around him....​

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira pressed back against the stone walls, her black outfit sticking to her figure tightly. Heavy combat boots exchanged her usual light ones, her cloak replaced by something less flowy. Her fingers thumbed the knife at her belt as she heard the loud laughter of the guard who was talking to the notorious swordsman. Zafira swallowed hard.

His name had been whispered among the town, a figure who was known to catch all the bandits that had a price hanging on his head. Typically, Zafira strayed from men like the swordsman. While she got into her fair share of trouble, messing with a bounty hunter was something else. Threatening one on the other hand....

She was completely mad.

She couldn't help it though. The man who she wanted to be persecuted was called Zerin, a half Elvin who'd tricked and hoaxed Zafira many times before. It was not for that reason that Zafira wanted to go after him. It was the lives he took from her, so carelessly because of a deal, he couldn't honor. Zafira's throat tightened at the thought and she looked up at the sky, forcing the tears down.

There was no point dwelling on it now. All she could do was seek justice - keep Zerin from coining another family and burning them down.

She heard the swordsman's footsteps fall against the carved floor and Zafira moved quietly, right at the edge of the door. Just as he was about to pass, Zafira pulled him up against the wall, putting a knife against his throat and a hand on his mouth.

"Don't make a sound. I don't want to hurt you," Internally, Zafira screamed at herself. It was one thing to ask for help from a swordsman, but a completely different thing to put a knife by their throat and tell them you weren't going to hurt them

Zafira was desperate though, and she couldn't have anyone know that she was the one who wanted Zerin's blood.

 

[Wakasugi Touma]

The swordsman said nothing, his eyes were not try to find hers. Some may even go as far as calling the eyes rather...lifeless.

A moment would pass in silence...with nothing more then the breathes either individual took while the stood...then another...then another...then...

He would act.

Depending on the position of the women in relations to the bladesmen, either the head of the hilt or the end of the scabbeth would quickly smack her in the stomach, potentially giving the bladesmen enough room to quickly shove her away with his shoulder. Within the blink of the eye, the red hair now had his blade drawn, the edge and the tip of the blade now pointed towards the women.

His expression was one of anger...uncharacteristically for him, for those whom knew him...the usual calm and goofiness, replaced with a tone that burdened the atmosphere around him. Would have been concerning to some, but perhaps for her...exactly what she needed.

"I...am in a foul mood today..." The Ronin hissed, gritting his teeth, his face becoming more congested with rage with every passing secound. "...choose your next words wisely...you have one line to explain yourself before I take your head..."

 

[ZafiraJade]

The swordsman was strange.

He looked at Zafira right in her eyes, yet his stare was blank. No fear. No anger. Zafira's eyes narrowed lightly, so put off by the lack of expression that she hadn't realized she'd made a mistake until she felt a shove on her shoulder and the edge of a very sharp blade facing her.

Well, crap.

Despite the situation, Zafira felt the tips of her mouth quirk into a smile. She was usually the calm one, the person who thought out actions like this before she did them. Not to say she wasn't more reckless in other aspects. Still, this had to be the first for her. Everything about this encounter was messy.

At the swordsman's bright, angry eyes and the air that seemed to suffocate, Zafira controlled herself. She was decent with a sword, but her magic is where her strong suit lay. Suddenly, Zafira's cat-like green eyes morphed into a brandy color, her attention hardening the swordsman's hold on his sword that he couldn't move. She wouldn't be able to hold it for long, but it'd be just enough to show him that with the blade, at least, he was no threat to her.

"Unfortunately, one line isn't enough time for my explanation," she stepped away from the blade, forcing the man's hand to loosen the grip on the sword so that it fell on the hard ground with a clatter. "But I do sincerely apologize for your foul mood. I'm Zafira,"

 

[Wakasugi Touma]

But the blade never dropped...refusing to part from it's master's hand...no matter how much pain the bladesmen felt, no matter what his body screamed, the blade refused to fall...

On the contrary, the grip of the blade only tightened further...as the blade began trembling...t's red accents becoming more and more pronounced....his anger slowly began to descend into a rage...but he spoke no response to her...his eyes had hidden away under his hair...but had she looked closely, she may see the momentarily red glint through his hair...

It was at this moment whispers could be heard all around them...words in a foreign language, whom's origins remained far from this continent...whispering...her name? Chanting, whisper-chanting her name as every moment passed. It was as if...the blade itself was chanting her name...what did it mean?....

It was at this very moment, the blade began to move beyond trembling; the blade began tearing away at the magic hold that held the swordsmen in place. Every movement from the blade drew the steel inching closer and closer to her...every moment pass threaten to stretch the magical grip to it's breaking point...and with it, all her concentration...

"Speak your piece...before you drain what little patience and restraint I have left..." The swordsman said, not bothering to look up at her.

 

[ZafiraJade]

"Well, this is unusual," she murmured, staring down at the sword. This time, it truly was pointed at her, the blade right by her pale, hollow throat. Zafira cursed herself mentally. Really, what was she thinking, threatening a trained swordsman like that?

Deciding not to dally any longer, Zafira kept her face neutral, looking right at the swordsman even though he refused to look at her. It irked her that he wouldn't, but she understood that she was in no place to negotiate.

"There is this a half Elvin called Zerin. He killed two of my acquaintances. His crimes go beyond these two murders and I want justice. I was hoping you could help me with that," The words came out recited, cold despite the sickening feeling that resided in Zafira's stomach. She didn't even seem to care about the blade in front of her, so focused on the heavy losses she'd encountered so quickly.

It didn't matter. Looking back on it would not help. She repeated this mantra to herself over and over again, burying the emotion deep in her body where she wouldn't ever reach for it.

"Of course, I'll pay generously. My only request is that this is done absolutely anonymously," At the words, Zafira carefully put a hand in her cloak, keeping her other one out in a gesture of surrender. She took out the small black pouch, and let it hang between them - coins clanking against one another noisily.

 

[Wakasugi Touma]

"You have an odd way of asking for help..." The bladesmen with a voice filled with disdain. The red haired man might have not felt so malicious had she not try to threaten him at knife point, especially given what happened these past few days...

The man felt the magical grasp on his arm subside, the pressure on his arm relieved yet sore. But if the man was in pain, you'd never know it; his eyes were barely telegraphed the pain...or at least, not the physical pain. Lowering his blade, the swordsmen took a step forward....

"Do you expect me convinced? After what you just pulled..." The man spoke, taking another step forward to close the distance. "...A knife to my throat...threats to my name...and you expect ti wave a bag of coins around to make me forget...well I hate to disappoint, but I'm not as shallow as your average mercenary smucks...give me another reason why I should help you..."

The man would step closer, raising his red blade and almost pressing it against her skin, one eye now visible to all to see...visibly matching with the color of his blade.

"...For all I know, you could be lying about this man...it would be too convenient, wouldn't it...his death?....with no attachment to you...you certainly do like to be subtle...I do wonder...what do you have to hide?..."

 

[ZafiraJade]

"Help is not something I'm accustomed to asking for" Zafira replied truthfully. The man didn't trust her, and she couldn't blame him. Had she been in his place, she wouldn't trust her either.

Still, when the man took a step closer to her, Zafira had to force herself not to take a step back. Despite the slight racing of her heart and how unsteady she felt, her face betrayed nothing. She leveled her gaze with the man's red ones, fascinated by them despite the quiet rage present. She could see them clearly now - especially with how the close man was to her. She wasn't a fool though. Despite the larger part of her that screamed at her to step back, the part that hated being touched in any shape or form, Zafira didn't. She stayed perfectly still, the idea definition of poised.

She could feel the heat of the blade on her skin, and for a moment, she contemplated how it'd feel. The blade hitting flesh and bone. It was a terrible thought, one she put away quickly.

"You're right. I didn't mean to offend you or threaten you," Still looking the swordsman in his eyes, she put the bag away. "No one wants to be known as the person who sent a man to kill an Elven. If anyone were to find out that it was my orders that brought him death, then his people would take it out on the people I know. They are not decent enough to just kill me, and I'd rather not have him execute anyone else,"

The words were true. Zafira was many things, but a liar was not one of them. Hopefully, the swordsman could see it too, although she highly doubted he'd come to take a liking towards her. Still, allowing herself to be that vulnerable was uncomfortable. She just held that it would pay off. "I genuinely am sorry for our start. I obviously wasn't thinking," she offered him a quirk of a smile, trying to expel his anger.

 

[Wakasugi Touma]

She tells no lies here...A voice whispered the the ronin, but he didn't need it to tell him that was true; he say to it through her eyes. Eyes often betrayed a person's intent, weather it be the rage and anger of a person, or their intent to lie...she didn't possess any of that...for now....

Had she been looking, she'd be able to see the burning in his eyes struggling to burn, as the glow in his eyes waned, so did his blade...turning from red to it's silvery color...as if somthing more composed took over...

Had he been a lesser man, he might have taken her head clean off right then and there, be done with the matter before it began. It really took all of his discipline to withdraw his blade, turning around abruptly and taking a few steps out into the streets, swing his blade low to the ground.

"Your coming with me..." The ronin said, as he turned his head to the side. "...You'll point out who he is...and if he is not the person you claim he is...then it'll make it easier for me to come after you next..."

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira would have kept her eye contact with the swordsman had it not been for the heat at her neck slowly dissipating. Curiously, she looked down to see the blade shift from its bright red color to one of mundane silver. Fascinated, Zafira's mind turned to figure out what the blade was made of. It had to be some alchemical magic, but Zafira couldn't figure out which. She opened her mouth to ask before she realized that this probably was not the best time.

Suddenly, the swordsman was a few feet away from him, blade low and swinging as if he had never threatened her in the first place. Again, her fault. Still, his natural fluidity, the grace with which he did actions was fascinating.

At his last comment, Zafira rolled her eyes. It's not that she was careless with her life, it's just that she had no fear of it being taken away. Everyone was going to go one day, whether they accepted it or not. Zafira had come to terms with it when she was younger, having seen her father pass in front of her eyes.

Zafira followed the swordsman before walking right next to him. "What can I call you in the meantime?" she asked. Despite him being infamous for his actions, the people never whispered about the swordsman with a name. They referred to him as 'He' and everyone just knew who the person was talking about.

 

[Wakasugi Touma]

The ronin might not have given her his name, or rather, he didn't want to give out his name. She had been right about one thing, she wasn't exactly inspiring confidence within him at the moment. But she was also right in another way; his name really didn't mean much on this continent, at least not as of now. What few connections he had, they all knew how to take care of themselves in a scuffle. Worse comes to worse...just leave...it worked before, it'll work again...

"Touma..." The sound he made was more akin to an agonizing release of breath, but he had exhaled his named in the process. His expression hadn't gotten any kinder, but at least the 'murderous intent' had been siphoned out.

In one abrupt motion, he would proceed to bring his blade to his hip, sliding the weapon against his scabbard, before unsheathing the weapon. Turning his full attention to the women, a hand never leaving his sheathed blade....

"Location...now..." Seemed Touma wasn't too intreasted in small talk, least not at the moment...

 

[ZafiraJade]

"Touma," she tested the name on her lips. She didn't know if it was the swordsman real name or not. She wasn't going to ask either despite her curious nature. She was smart enough to know that in his line of business, it'd be safer to go by many different names. Still, Zafira knew most everyone (at least in Alliria), if not personally, then by face. She had never seen Touma before, and she had traveled to many places.

At his last comment, Zafira cringed inwardly. The location was partly why she didn't hunt for Zerin herself. "It's not walking distance," Zafira said slowly. There was no light way to say it. No way she could smooth it out, and she was never good with pretty words. Marissa, her best friend, was.

"Fal Addas," she finally said. It was said to be beautiful, but it was also the faerie's land - far from their destination now. As soon as Zerin had killed her two friends, the coward had run off, knowing that he was in the wrong. He couldn't hold his end of the bargain, and when Zafira had threatened him, he'd killed them instead of touching her.

She felt the anger rise in her, dark and menacing before she shoved it down. This was not revenge. She wouldn't enjoy it.

 

[Wakasugi Touma]

Touma eyed her expression, wondering why she hadn't just hired someone locally to do the deed. Perhaps it was to more distance between her and the target....perhaps...regardless, he wasn't about to kill anyone she pointed out on a whim...if she wasn't going, so wasn't he...it was the only way he could trust what she said...and if she'd somehow lied to him, be in range for a decapitation.

"Come on..." He said, turning his fall body to look at her, as if he was waiting on her. The ronin said those words as if he was just going over to the next town, as if the distance wasn't at all far. It may have to her, but not to him...to a man whom sought no higher purpose, time and distance was a mere construct of imagination. The only thing that mattered to him at the moment was when he'd keel over dead....

Hand below the hilt, the ronin was starring at the young women, his eyes growing impatient with every moment past. The red haired man tilted his head, as if to beckon her forward...

 

[ZafiraJade]

"You don't want to do some research before?" Zafira asked. She wasn't planning to let him go alone if that's what he was thinking. She wanted to see the action performed for her ease of mind, and that too, as quick as possible. The Elven land was a far journey, one she was willing to make until her friend had knocked some sense into her.

"What good will you be doing the deceased if you stand with them?" Marissa had yelled at her. Despite Zafira's burning anger at the moment, she knew her dear friend was right.

Which was why she had gone to pick the best swordsman on the land - which just so happened to be the ronin in front of her. She cringed slightly at the thought of them journeying together. She hadn't made the best first impression. She only hoped she could loosen Touma up, even if just a little. She genuinely did find him to be an intriguing person.

"The safest way would be longer, but we wouldn't be on foot as much either. We'd take a caravan through one of the cities which would take about a day and a half, and then have to go on foot for the rest of it. I have the map pinned out," she took the map out from her black satchel, handing it to the ronin to show him that there was no trick.

 

[Wakasugi Touma]

"What does it matter?...East, West...North, South...they all fall the same by my blade..." Someone had once told Touma that planning was never his strong suit, least not making one. A friend had said that it was an advantage, the "uncontrolled variable" in any given scenario. Perhaps they were both right...the ronin preferred getting to the point of things; afterall, not many people expect a direct approach...it was what made him effective, providing a simple solution for an enormous problem...not to mention somthing to think about, other then...well...

Whatever was thrown his way, he'd have to deal with it, and that was fine by him.

Still, cavarning, that was a new thing. Most of the time, Touma preferred travelling on foot. Gave him a sense of direction, and gave him a solid foothold if in the case of an impending attack. Still, she seem to be very on edge about the prospect...perhaps it was natural for someone not in league with this kind of business...

"Lead the way then..." Touma grunted, not even sparring a glance at the map being presented to him. Long as this one made the journey, he had no qualms about how far. The swordsmen had walked further to kill less, and he had all the time in the world.

The red haired man would turn about and fold his hands, waiting on his begrudging travel companion...

 

[ZafiraJade]

"Alright then," Zafira said brightly with a lopsided smile. She didn't even have to glance at her map. She had all but memorized the journey to get there. A night spent over a burning candle looking for the fastest, yet the safest journey wasn't easy. Nonetheless, Zafira had managed to do it.

Despite the words not holding any significant meaning on its own, Zafira wondered about the silent ronin next to her. His words were always laced with a touch of sorrow or tiredness. She questioned how a person would become essentially a paid assassin. What drove them to the job? Was it laced with guilt?

Still, despite Zafira's plenty of burning questions, she doubted the ronin would take a liking towards any of them. Zafira's intention was never to kill him. The blade had been a reckless part of her plan, mostly because she had freaked out about the corrupt soldiers the ronin was talking to. The swordsman, on the other hand, looked three moments away from slicing her head off.

"You have a very interesting blade," Zafira commented as they walked a few more miles. The silence was killing her. She liked the conversation. She liked getting to know other people. Touma seemed perfectly content in his silence.

 

[Wakasugi Touma]

It was easy to assume all soldiers could be corrupt, given their inherit power and the magnitude of the problem. The captain he had spoken to was among the few trying to do right by his community, just with limited resources...in fact, Touma had been clearing the bounties at a third less the price most contracts were worth. If he was truly corrupt, the blademen would know...the captain knew that much.

Fact of the matter is, money never concerned Touma that much. The red haired man had enough money to get by, and he didn't really have much to by on the day to day...really, it was all a matter of a challenge...a challenge that kept his mind off of certain things...

A developing habit...one of the few times both of his hands left his blade...subconsciously began rubbing the white ribbon tied to his wrist.

Then she spoke again, inquiring about his blade. A nosy one, it seemed.

"Your not the first to say that..." The red hair stated simply, removing his left hand from his right wrist, placing it back on the hilt. Specifically, there were two blades sticking out of his belt like clothing, one more prominent then the other. Not exactly a sword native to region, so not many people had encounter a saber such as it.

But Touma didn't find it necessarily...perhaps he may, after question it further...but at the moment he was more content at starring stright ahead...as if lost in his own thoughts...

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira did not want to let it go. The blade truly was intriguing especially for a person like her. She had no doubt that there was some alchemical property on it, and she wondered if the ronin knew. Having a source like that, one that could deflect magic....

It was both enthralling and downright terrifying.

Zafira knew she wasn't invincible. Even her advantage could be seen as a disadvantage because of the way her eyes changed color, a feat that no other witch or warlock had. She had no doubt it had to do with her mother's type, and she hated it all the more for it. It was why she experimented with her so-called weaknesses instead of hiding away from it.

"Did someone forge it with magic or was a spell cast on it afterward?" she asked curiously. She knew there was a strong chance that the ronin would not answer, but she had to ask anyway. Plus, the silence was killer. It made her think, and she hated to consider. Thinking led her down a dark path that hurt no one but herself.

 

[Wakasugi Touma]

Touma let out an annoyed sigh, expecting as much from the women whom walked besides him. Her attention had fallen upon it a couple of times during their current trek.

Calling it magical might have been an understatement, although the technical term might has well been correct. Truthfully, Touma had only a vague understanding of his blade's history. The ronin knew much of the blade type, which was forged out of material rare enough on it's own. It was said that it had passed through many users since the blade's inception, and list was so long that no one was still alive to tell of the blade's origins.

Touma had his theories about where it came from...But instead of answering the question, the ronin decided that instead, he'd pose his own.

"Why are you so curious about my blade?" He almost barked, his gazing falling upon the glare and it was far from friendly. Any other day and he might have been less stand offish, but recent events didn't exactly make him feel in the cheery mood...

The wind would pick up some more, causing his hair to part...revealing his crimson red eyes...all the white white ribbon around his right wrist to danced along with the current....

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira jumped back momentarily at the ronin's harsh tone. "Jeez," she murmured, putting a hand to her chest.

The man moved as if he were supernatural. Everything about his movements was so smooth and fluid. One minute he was peacefully walking alongside her, the next he was practically barking at her. On any other day, she would be in awe, observing the man and appreciating his graceful gait. Today though, she had been more than patient. The man was rude and hostile and yes, she may have accidentally threatened him with a blade, but her technique was purposely all wrong! Besides, the man had threatened her himself.

Zafira settled him with her own glare. "Why are you so angry all the time?" she snapped back, stopping for a moment. "I'm trying to make some simple conversation here and you're just sulking!"

Sulking wasn't the right word. But how could she describe the quiet peace he seemed to hold out loud? Sulking wasn't the right word, but it was one she would achieve with.

 

[Wakasugi Touma]

Maybe, he was having a terrible day, maybe recently somthing heart wrenching happened, maybe he just wasn't interesting in explaining his blade.

Yelling at her might have been the most satisfying thing to do, yelling at her might have even send this nuisance away for good...so why didn't he?

Maybe deep down he knew she wasn't the cause of the terrible feeling he had deep down in his heart...he was heart broken, no matter how much he wanted to deny it...a recent memory left him in the wretched state he was in. It wasn't anything new...he should have seen it coming, but...it didn't make things any less painful to bear.

The reason the ronin had taken up so many bounties lately was to keep his mind off of the subject, maybe even forget it...but no matter how many people he took down, no matter how many times he got hurt...the empty pain in his heart overtook any other feeling...

Didn't help that he had a white silky reminder tied to his hand...it was like a blessing and curse wrapped up in the same material...

"I'm...sorry..." His eyes soften, but his expression simply dropped, as he lowered his head to allow his hair to fall over his eyes. Touma spoke only two words...a million of emotions might have flowed through him in that moment...but all he could say was that he was "sorry"...he didn't know what else to say to her...as he moved to continue on...as if nothing had happened...

 

[ZafiraJade]

Guilt spread along Zafira's chest. She expected him to snap back. Maybe yell. Maybe put the sword back up against her throat. She couldn't read the man despite being able to read many, but an apology was definitely not what she had expected.

It left her feeling remorseful about snapping. "I shouldn't have pushed," Zafira replied, just as softly.

She couldn't recognize anything about the ronin except the perpetuating sadness that seemed to wear around him like a cloak. Zafira let out a hard breath. It's not that she had never traveled with people who didn't seem interested in conversation, it was just that there was something about Touma that Zafira couldn't exactly pinpoint. Maybe that was why she wanted to befriend him.

"How about we start over?" Zafira suddenly offered, turning to the man.

"You can pretend that I didn't threaten an infamous swordsman and I'll pretend that you didn't try to decapitate me," Zafira continued with a bright grin, her tone playful. She offered the man her gloved hand, bracing for the worst but hoping for the best.

 

[Wakasugi Touma]

Touma stopped. The ronin was once told that forgetting was one of the hardest things for him to ever achieve. Breaking a rock in half with his sword had been easier then attempting to forget the memories of the past. His action might have moved with grace, but his mind was nothing short of a warzone.

But this one was persistent...if Touma had felt nicer, he would have called this patient...he could at least give her credit for that.

Eyeing her hand, he'd raise his free hand and look at it, wrapped at the waist with the white ribbon.

Perhaps his own actions had been rather aggressive considering...but it was all partially due to survival, or at least the instinct to survive. But now, they sought unity in their actions...motivations may have been murky, but perhaps a fresh start was what they needed...

"Hm...fine..." Was all he said, before dropping his hand. The ronin may have not taken her hand, but his posture returned to somthing that could be interpreted as a normal stance. His eyes soften further, but he looked at her with a sense of indifference.

Indifference...it was at least a start...

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira's smile stretched wide, revealing her pearly white teeth. It was an illuminating smile as if one had given a child its favorite toy.


Despite the ronin not shaking her hand, she saw him physically lighten up. Maybe they could get along. It was a stretch, but maybe they could become friends.


Zafira squashed down the hope immediately, remembering why she had wanted him here in the first place.


At the memory of Claire and Luke, Zafira's smile dropped and she turned away. She hadn't told the ronin that the people were her friends, and she had no plans to either. Still, she felt the absence of their presence greatly. Luke with his relentless jokes and questionable actions and Claire with her stubbornness and motherly attitude.

What would they say to her now?

Zafira brushed the thought off, not letting her grieve for them. She'd do so once their murderer was dead. It wouldn't give her peace because Zerin's death would not bring them back. But at least Zafira would have the comfort of knowing that he wouldn't hurt her or anyone else's loved one.

Zafira also ignored the fact that she had never killed anyone. She was a healer. That was what her father did, and what he had taught her to do.

So lost in thought, Zafira hadn't realized they'd been walking for hours until she looked up and saw the light start to fade. They were in the woods now, and it would be unwise to stay in them when all the creatures came out.

 

[Wakasugi Touma]

After their last 'bout of conversation, they continued on in silence for a good leg of the journey. Walking along the road in silence suited Touma more then talking, though it seemed uncharacteristic for this one, if what he had observed was anything to go off of.

It seemed it was her turn to be the one sulking, somthing was on her mind...that much was clear...though the ronin didn't say a word. If she wanted to share, she would have done so already.

Time flew by fast, especially for Touma. At some point, the ronin had learned to use these journeys as moments of semi-meditative state. The thoughts in his heads didn't die down, but it was at least easier to steady himself when all he went through were repetitive motion.

By the time night had fallen, Touma was rather automatic in his mindset.

"Let's make camp here..." The man said abruptly as they came upon a bit of an opening on the side of the road. There was a bit of incline on one side, with the assumption of the same on the opposite side. Would provide some good immediate cover from the road...