Evening Fire Side (open) }{ Open to all

[Sinjun]

Sinjun had been traveling through the woods all day. He was rather enjoying the peaceful sounds of the birds and the breeze causing the leaves to dance in the tree tops.

The ground was cool and slightly damp, nothing like the desert sands he grew up with.

The sun was starting to go down. What little of the sky could be seen through the forest canopy was now glowing orange and pinks. The beginnings of twilight.

Sinjun came to a small clearing, and decided to set up camp for the night.

He set about his nightly ritual for evenings on the road. First he got a small fire going with lots of extra wood in a pile. Then he rolled out the thick, woven blanket he used as a bed.

With his walking rod, Sinjun drew a circle in the dirt around himself and the fire. He performed the ritual to summon spirits. He twirled the rod in intricate formations, forging ancient symbols in the air. When the ritual was complete, he had bound two familiar spirits that followed him from the desert, and a mighty oak spirit from the forest, to the circle. They would protect him from harm during the night.

Circle in place, Sinjun took his reed flute from his pack, and began to play by the fire side.

[perfectmistake]

Silence stayed perched in the tree above the mysterious stranger. She watched him twirl his stick through the air, and make funny movements, and say funny words. However, none of it mattered to her. What mattered was the fact that she was told she would meet someone in the forest with whom she would apprentice with. Yet it would not be anyone who she would imagine.

Staying still within the branches of her tree she watched as he took his flute out and began to play by the fire. She turned and started to survey her surroundings.

She silently dropped from the tree branch behind the traveler. And started to walk around his circle, until she was staring directly into his eyes.

I don't know what I am doing here nor, if you are the one I was told to see. But, my name is Silence. Other than this, I will rarely speak. If you are who I was told that you are, then maybe I will talk more.

Silence stared at the man, waiting to see how he would react.

[Summerchika]

The woods were changing; Ainutsa could feel it. Looking back, she realized she had felt the signs before now, but she had not registered what it meant for her. Now, however, it was obvious. A time ago, she would have had to search for days to find signs of non-animal and non-elven life. Now, it was very different. All different types of people were found within a few minutes if you knew the signs - knew how to look. And Ainutsa could easily spot the unnatural things in the forest that served as her home.

In fact, she was headed to one of these unnatural occurrences now. One thing Ainutsa had learned about herself since she had met Cordana was that she was a very curious person. Her curiosity almost knew no bounds, especially when it came to people.

Firelight ahead, she stopped just short of the clearing where a young man played a flute by the fireside inside a circle on the ground. A woman stood facing him directly. It seemed she had just said something to the young man, but Ainutsa was too slow to hear. Trying to decide on a course of action as to how to enter this seemingly awkward scene, Ainutsa hesitated at the edge of the clearing.

Unable to think of a tactful way of entering, Ainutsa took a step around a tree that was blocking her from sight. Resting her hand on the tree's trunk, she put on a small, smile, trying not to look intimidating. This wasn't really a hard thing to do for Ainutsa, seeing as she was small and harmless-looking by nature, but it didn't stop her from trying. Animals were still scared of her if she startled them, so she had gotten into a habit of approaching beings this way.

"Uhm, hello, sorry for interrupting..." she said in a hesitant voice. Another thing about her new-found curiosity: it often left her without a good reason for approaching random things. It was also a kind of rash curiosity, for now she noticed how scary seeming the woman was and how she probably should have thought through things a little more before approaching so directly.

"I..." she started to say, but finding the whole situation rather strange, she could not, for the life of her, find the right words to explain herself. Ah, well. she thought resignedly, I'll just let it play itself out. She closed her mouth and waited, still trying to figure out how to explain herself.

[Sinjun]

Sinjun was startled by the sudden appearance of the woman with the long white hair. By the time she had rounded to be before him, he had stopped playing the flute, and was on his feet.

He pause as she spoke, and an inquisitive look crossed his face.

"I do not believe I am the one you were told to meet, unless it is providence that sent you to me, in which case I wish it had bothered to give me the message."

He looked at the circle. He tried to determine if Silence was a friend or foe. Her face was extremely difficult to read, probably by design. Would it be safe to dismiss the spirits and lower the circle?

Suddenly, a girl appeared from behind the trees of the forest. Sinjun was amazed to find she had elf like characteristics. He had never seen an elf before, only what his grandfather had told him about them.

"It appears this forest is not as secluded as he I thought." He gave his warm, slightly crooked, signature smile to both of the women.

Taking the rod in hand, he tapped it on the ground three times, then pulled it up and held it perfectly horizontal and bowed humbly. This was a way of thanking the spirits for their protection. He walked to the circle he had cast, and broke the line with his foot. The circle fell. If this was a trap, at least he had the rod in hand to defend himself.

"You are both welcome to share my fire."

[perfectmistake]

Silence stared at both the man and the woman. The woman she should have noticed, however, the man was more interesting. He was holding the rod as if it were his last defense.

Silence started to laugh, a very infrequent laugh. You honestly think that, that little rod would stop me if I had really wanted to hurt you?

Silence took a step forward, breaching the broken circle, clearing making it obvious that she was sizing up both of these people. She smirked and sat by the fire.

This is going to be a long night, Silence thought. I wish that Malachite were here..

Silence closed her eyes and instantly a man flashed into her vision, Malachite! She sprung to her feet and walked directly to the fire. She knelt down and put her hand mere centimeters from the fire. Looking into the coals, then as abruptly as she put her hand there, she sat back. She looked at the two, who were staring at her. She closed her eyes again, this time no vision flashed forth, much to her chagrin.

[Sinjun]

Sinjun smirked a little as the woman entered the circle. If she only knew how dangerous this rod could be in his hands. Still that was a bit of information he rather not share at the moment.

He turned to look at her, but she abruptly seemed to be looking into the fire, as if trying to conjure something out of it.

"So who is it you are supposed to be meeting here?" He asked her. "And for what reason were you meeting?"

Perhaps it was a result of his only being 15, but Sinjun realized he was being very trusting to just drop the circle like this. Something told him if these women wanted to hurt him, they would have by now.

[Summerchika]

As the young man worked his magic, Ainusta studied his rod and the precise movements he made with it. She felt peculiar power as he did this and then it was gone. Ainutsa narrowed her eyes in curiosity and wariness. Not having seen many types of magics before, she had no idea what to make of any of his movements nor the power she had felt around the fire before. Intrigued, she did not speak, observing what would be done next. But no further display of magic came from him and instead he smiled at the two females, offering his fire to them.

Although invited to join the fire side, Ainutsa did not move. It was all so strange and different, Ainutsa was unsure of whether she wanted to stay here or not. Her confusion increased when the woman displayed her arrogant smirk at the man and herself. Disliking such contentious feelings, Ainutsa decided to remain by her tree.

The woman crouched by the fire, staring intently into the coals, then sat back just as quickly seemingly disappointed. Tilting her head curiously, Ainutsa tried to make out what that was about, but could not. Despite her decision earlier to stay by her tree, Ainutsa's out-of-control curiosity won her and she took a seat within the fallen circle, though far from the warmth of the fire in case she wanted to leave quickly, but close enough to hear and be a part of the conversation between the two. She thanked the young man quietly for sharing his fire, not wanting to interrupt the conversation much.

"You were waiting for someone?" Ainutsa asked. "That's not much of a surprise.There are many people in the forest lately." Ainutsa commented. She too, was curious about who the woman was meeting, but not as much as the young man seemed to be. She reached behind her and pulled out a stick from her quiver of arrows that had not been made into an arrow yet. Then, taking her small dagger in hand, she began to carve the stick into a suitable arrow.

[perfectmistake]

If I knew who I was meeting, would I waste my time walking up to someone who wasn't them. And I already told you, I don't know why, dang, I don't even know who. You were the first I saw, and the only I thought to be in, Silence looks around the forest slowly, this...place.

She turned and saw Ainutsa sitting at the edge of the circle and Sinjun with his rod. Silence turned back to the fire.

Malachite, I just, you are the only one that knows me. The only one who cares. I am sorry. I just... Silence looked into the fire, and glimpsed Malachite's face in the coals again. she lunged and grabbed the hot coals in her hand, not caring about the burning flesh nor the cauterizing palm.

[Sinjun]

Sinjun was happy when the other girl decided to join them. He was very curious about her. Perhaps she was some sort of tracker. She seemed to know that there were other people in the forest. He wished he had that skill. His Grandfather had told him about Druids that had special connections to forests. He had wondered if there was a druid that claimed this forest. Perhaps she was it. He smiled at her again.

"My name is Sinjun Lore."

Silence seemed to be less friendly. He turned back to her and listened, but as soon as she snatched up the searing coals from the fire, he was so shocked that he dropped the rod from reaction, and ran to her out of naive concern for her.

"No.. GET THAT OUT OF YOUR HAND." He shouted as he tied to grab her wrist and shake the coals out of her hand. He imagined she would already be badly burned.

[Summerchika]

In response to the woman's sarcastic remarks, Ainutsa wondered if she was in an emotional time in her life, or if she that was just her personality. Either way, it was not pleasant to Ainutsa and made her withdraw her personality slightly from the scene so as to not react stupidly to the woman's comments. If she was not entirely engrossed in conversation, she would be able to respond better.

"This place is not as dark and lifeless as you seem to think it is." Ainutsa told the woman, still working on her arrow. She did not elaborate further, predicting that the woman would not care either way. She seemed very intent on her own problem, so she did not seem to hear much else. At least, that was how it seemed to Ainutsa's young mind.

When the young man spoke to introduce himself, Ainutsa looked up from her work and returned Sinjun's smile. "Hello Sinjun." she said with a smile. She, in turn, introduced herself, "My name is Ainutsa Ladyre." She looked to the woman for her name, but at that moment she seemed preoccupied. The next second the woman sprang to the fire and grabbed the coals with her bare hands.

Standing in alarm, Ainutsa quickly returned her unfinished arrow to the quiver, but kept her dagger in hand, in case the woman did anything else suddenly. She saw Sinjun drop his rod and rush to the woman in concern, shouting at the woman to drop the coals. As Sinjun grabbed the woman's wrist, Ainutsa picked up Sinjun's rod from the ground, then rushed to his side.

"Take your rod. I have a feeling it is not something you should carelessly leave on the ground." she told him quietly, holding out the rod to Sinjun. Then, turning to the woman, she gripped her dagger tighter in frustration. "You are so silly." she informed the woman. "Even if you do not make fires often, you should know that it is hot. What can you do without your hands? Fight? Defend? Could you even eat?" she demanded, her voice louder.

"Sit down," she told the woman. "Let me look at your hands." She stared warily at the woman, tensed so that she could react to anything else the woman would carelessly do.

[perfectmistake]

Silence started to laugh, slowly at first, but then building. A laugh as if she were hiding something. Which in fact, she was. Although she did not know it until the incident with the fire.

She slowly turned her hands over, expecting them to be burnt and destroyed. But where she expected to see a black, lifeless circle in her hand, she saw a pink "M" on her palm. Within seconds it disappered. However, it stayed there long enough for the other two to see.

Malachite..., Silence looked back towards the fire and then the two next to her. She looked again at the rod in Sinjun's hands. Then to Ainutsa, continuing to smile Silence attempted to offer advice.

For your arrow, if you make the notched end a little smaller than normal, you will add about 20 feet to your shooting range.

She then looked at Sinjun and closed her eyes.

I would recommend, that before you drop barriers and safety precautions, you attempt to learn about the person or person you want to let in. Either one of us could have easily killed you, unless that rod of yours is more than a mere play thing. Then you might take a little longer to die. Just...be careful.

Silence looked down at her right palm where the "M" had just stood. She took her left hand and placed her fingertips slowly on her right hand. Looking away from the two and back at the fire she inaudibly whispered, Malachite...I am so sorry. But thank you.

[Sinjun]

Sinjun took the rod Ainutsa passed to him, and held it close to his chest as he backed away from Silence as she laughed. She seemed insane.

He was quite surprised at the state of her hand. Silence was not the sort of being he had been trained to deal with. He admitted, to himself at least, that he was very young, and still had much to learn about the world.

He nodded at her advise. "Believe me. I will show much more discretion before welcoming a stranger to my fire again." He answered.

For some reason he felt that he could trust Ainutsa, and he stood nearer to her without taking his eyes from Silence. He held the rod at the ready. His grandfather had trained him to not only use the rod as a tool in summoning, but also to fend off wild desert beasts, and he was quite skilled with it.

"Never the less, I have felled my circle on faith that you will not harm me. Was I wrong about that?"

[Summerchika]

Although astonished at the woman's unharmed hands, Ainutsa didn't have much time to show it on her face. The woman was acting crazy, reckless, and dangerous, and she deigned to tell Ainutsa how to make her own arrows - arrows she had been making since she could walk. In any other circumstance, this advice may have been welcome or at least received in a better manner. However, as it was, the woman couldn't even listen to the ones in front of her, no less begin to understand her surroundings.

"I may be young, but I know how to make very effective arrows." Ainutsa said, her voice soft, but her expression and her tone deadly. Her hand twitched in anticipation of stringing her bow, but she refrained. This woman was not a threat to her... yet. Sinjun accepted the advice, perhaps as Ainutsa should have, but she let her emotion have it's voice too. She was only sixteen, after all and was not used to dealing with people. She looked to Sinjun as he stood nearer to her, his rod at the ready. This was not what she wanted. She did not want to fight other beings.

At Sinjun's words, relief flooded through her. She made known in her body that she was in agreement with what he had said. She did not want to fight, no matter how angry she was. She stood straighter in a more neutral position, though in a way she could spring away quickly. Silently, she awaited the woman's response, wary of more insane and sudden actions.

((OOC: I'm sorry! It was taken me a while to reply. I also didn't give you much to work with in my reply. Sorry! ))

[perfectmistake]

Take my advice or leave it, to either extent I could care less. And as for you, Sinjun. Let me show you something, Silence started to smirk.

Faster than either of the other two adventurers could blink, Silence was on her feet with a stick at Sinjun's throat and a hand on the rod he carried as if it were a child. She immediately backed up, not wanting to start confrontation between either of these two.

If I were going to try something, first, I would have tried already. But second, I highly doubt that you could stop me.

Silence looked around the forest, wondering if he was really who he was supposed to meet. He was barely 15 and her 16. How could they be of any help, neither of them knowing her was a step up from the last "companion" she had.

Malachite, I will avenge you. I am sorry.

[Sinjun]

He felt the stick pressed to his throat and Silence's hand on the rod. He already held the rod more firmly out of reaction. This rod was all he had left of his grandfather, and it had grown an aura of power from decades of magic weaving.

Sinjun was extremely disappointed in himself for letting Silence into his circle, let alone letting her maneuver into this position, and he let his self-disappointment show on his face. At least now he knew that she did not plan to hurt him or Ainutsa, though this was hardly what he would call a friendly gesture.

The spirits were in work around Silence, he could sense it. Who was this Malachite she kept talking to?

"Should you find this person you were sent to meet, let us hope you treat him with more respect than you have shown me."