[fieldbox="Cassius Albanus, cyan, dashed, 10"]"Strange for an Elite?" He asked, peeking back at her as he walked.
What could she possibly mean? He was not particularly self-aware.
Cassius was certainly not as serious and silent as his companions in the Elite, yes, that much was true. And neither was he so fixated on the money that he earned- Cassius had seen many a man succumb to intense greed, and the thought of becoming such a way frightened him, yet he didn't exactly know why. Perhaps it was because Cassius was proud, and hated to think he would stoop as low as to steal, or hurt others (that didn't deserve to be hurt) for coin. He couldn't really see the point of the shiny metal- but then again, he did have a lot of it.... Perhaps that was why he couldn't gauge its importance properly anymore.
Not having much of a childhood somehow made Cassius only more childish. He couldn't stand feeling sad, so he decided he'd be as happy as he could- at least, most of the time. When he did feel down, he threw tantrums and argued.
But, this girl was very different from him. Her experiences have turned her into a tough person- tougher than him. Frankly, he didn't want to bother asking her what made her that way- not just because he already knew, but because he wanted her to tell him when the time felt right.
Cassius knew that time wouldn't come for a long time. It might not come at all.
His time, however... He was sure was unavoidable. After all, Cassius's story encompassed his entire body.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Farah Montague, blueviolet, dashed, 10"] Farah glanced at Cassius for a brief moment, before giving him a shrug as if the answer was simple. "Your personality. It doesn't fit the position you're in. I expected you to be more serious." The scene of where he was sliding down the hill with a gleeful expression a few minutes prior flashed through her mind. He probably viewed this thing as a foolish journey, just like Barrius. Perhaps that was why he was amused the majority of the time, or he was just genuinely a happy person. Yeah, Farah went with the former.
How long would it be until he got tired of her. She wasn't much fun to be around with, she was quite the opposite. Maybe she would bore him to death, to the point where he would finally leave her.
"So, when did the Elite take you in?" Farah questioned, her gaze not straying from the trees in front of her. She had a bit of knowledge as to how the Elite worked, but it would be better to hear it from someone who has actually been and gone through it all.
[fieldbox="Cassius Albanus, cyan, dashed, 10"]Cassiuschuckled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. And you don't seem like other girls your age." He countered, smirking at her.
He tucked a strand of hair behind his ear again, so that he could see the forest around him without anything in the way. It was beautiful. Cassius always loved forests.
As Farah asked her question, a slight twitch caught the corner of his mouth and his smile grew serious. It was a look that one would expect to see in someone who understood the necessity of their job, but didn't quite like it.
Cassius wouldn't have changed a thing about his past, but that didn't mean he found it particularly fair.
"I was taken away to train at the age of seven, as is custom for those born under the sign of the Warrior." He looked up to watch the canopies as they passed under the trees, blinking against the occasional ray of sunlight that dappled his face in gold. Cassius didn't know what else to say, really. He would answer all of her questions truthfully, but he himself would not expand on the subject. It almost contrasted his earlier, talkative behavior.
"Perhaps you were born under the same sign. It's not often I meet a person that's so determined. I admire that." Cassius changed the subject to her.
She would certainly be an amusing person to guard.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Farah Montague, blueviolet, dashed, 10"] At his retort, Farah pursed her lips, but otherwise didn't say anything back since she knew it was true. The majority of the girls her age were much nicer, happier, and just overall more positive. Barrius had once asked why she was so negative and just try to move on from what happened. Of course, he didn't say it in those exact words, it was much more nicely put, but that's what she got out of them. He had even told her that living in the past wasn't good, but how could Farah forget. It was all practically engraved into her mind.
Farah didn't miss the smile that appeared on his lips, nor did she miss the change in behavior as he answered her question. Perhaps it was a touchy subject? Ah, he was born under the sign of a Warrior. She found herself intrigue by this, yet she didn't bother to try to get to know anything more about it. Instead, she shook her head in response to his words. "I highly doubt it." Farah stated, her parents had never mentioned such a thing but then again they never spoke about the day she was born and she never really asked. "Thank you, I suppose." Farah said before returning her gaze forward. They would seen be out of the woods and into the hills.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Cassius Albanus, cyan, dashed, 10"]"Well, signs don't really matter all that much anyway."
His statement completely contradicted his being, and if someone that had seen Cassius fight before was present- they might have laughed at his remark.
"I'm sure that..." He trailed off, and the smile fell from his face.
Cassius suddenly stopped, and held out and arm to tell Farah to keep still.
Silence. Not a single bird gave a call. The trees ceased to roar with their leaves. There was virtually not a single sound under the canopies.
He crouched slightly, eyes wide and vigilant. The aqua orbs scanned the trees ahead of them- muscles coiled so tightly under his skin that Cassius feared they would pull him apart. "Something's coming."
Even the wind stilled- whatever was moving those bushes in front of them certainly wasn't the cerulean god of the air currents. Slowly, Cassius reached for the hilt of his great sword while he moved to stand in front of Farah, protecting her as best he could- then stopped when he saw what was, or rather who, was running out of the bushes towards them. It was a person- but there was some kind of horrible dark vapor exploding from their wide eyes and gaping mouth. It ran at them like some strange, grotesque puppet being handled by an inexperienced puppeteer- jerky, disjointed, and overall nightmarish.
"It's a lich transformation gone wrong." Cassius explained while it was still in the distance. He looked back to Farah, and his eyes shone bright with amusement- like he had just thought of something very funny in his head.
"Wanna bet I can kill it with one hit?"[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Farah Montague, blueviolet, dashed, 10"] That had to be lie. Surely the sign meant something if people used it as a way to send their child to become an Elite. Maybe he was just downplaying the whole thing? When his arm abruptly shot out, Farah breathed out a sigh and glared at the male, though she followed his gaze and for a moment things were still, until some creature popped out. "What is that doing here?" She questioned as she took a step back. It flailing limbs made it look like it was crazy. "In one hit? Al right, I'll take you up on that bet, but if you don't and I win, then you have to leave me alone to do this by myself." Farah said then held out her hand for him to shake.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Cassius Albanus, cyan, dashed, 10"]"Heh, you got it." He shook her hand, gave her a bright-eyed smirk, then turned quickly to face the charging demon-like thing.
It must have come from the fields past the forest, Cassius realized. The sun was setting around them, and Cassius was worried about getting caught in the dark necromancers, or unhappy ghosts in the fields ahead. For some reason, they held the worst of their rituals in such places- but necromancers tended not to bother passing people. Well, this one happened to be more beast than man- so it was certainly going to bother them.
Cassius didn't even reach for his greatsword. He just stood there- stood with a statue-like stillness, and even sassily crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was going to win Farah's bet so hardcore that she'd never be able to leave.
"Heh..." He chuckled, as the not-so-very-scary monster grew incredibly close.
"Foolish man, you should have learned your craft better..." It was only a few paces away now. Cassius shifted so that his left leg was behind him slightly, and when it was before him, spewing black mist in his face, the leg launched itself forwards and up- smashing into the head of the creature and emanating a sound like metal hitting bone. There was a satisfied fury in Cassius's smirk as he watched the creature dissolve into thick, black tar at his feet- glowing as if it were made of some kind of ethereal embers.
"I win." Oh, how he loved to win. Cassius was not somebody that could take losing lightly.
Well then again, these kinds of undead were overall the easiest type to kill .[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Farah Montague, blueviolet, dashed, 10"] The second her flashed her that bright smirk, Farah regretted making that bet. Heavens, I'm so stupid. There was no doubt in her mind that he could actually kill that thing in one hit. "Great. Now I'm going to look like a fool." She grumbled under her breath as she watched the blonde, who didn't even bother to use his sword. This only added to Farah's irritation.
It wasn't long before the hideous creature was in front of Cassius and he landed a kick to its head, effectively causing it to dissolve.
"Tck..." Farah rolled her eyes as he announced that he won, as if she hadn't noticed. "Hurray." Farah cheered, her voice lacking emotion, befor she breathed out a sigh. "Well, what do you want? You won the bet." Farah questioned while crossing her arms over her chest.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Cassius Albanus, cyan, dashed, 10"]Cassius turned to her, tucked his hair behind an ear, and gave Farah a dashing smile.
"I want you to let me be your bodyguard... I want to help you." He said- with all the seriousness and more of what one might expect from a man of his rank.
With that, Cassius turned to continue walking, albeit slowly to allow the girl to catch up to him.
"Just so you know..." He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "I didn't entirely do that to show off... I did it so that you'd know I'm very capable of keeping you safe. Sometimes, people doubt the abilities of Elites that are in the High Circle... They think us lazy and fat from the coin we get from the King." He chuckled, as if he found that somehow funny.
"It's true though... There are few in the High Circle that are really worth the coin they get..." His smile became somber, and he watched the ground with an intense gaze for a moment before his sighed, and looked up again to study Farah.
"We're going to have to stop soon. It's almost twilight, and there are necromancers nearby, judging by the thing that just attacked us. They tend to summon the undead at night."[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Farah Montague, blueviolet, dashed, 10"] Farah starred at Cassius as he stated what he wanted and she couldn't help but to avert her gaze since his sudden seriousness had caught her off guard. Why was he so persistent in helping her? Surely there had to be more reasoning to it, than 'Barrius hired me, so I must follow the contract.'
Once he began to walk again, Farah pursed her lips and followed after him, making sure to avoid the black gunk on the floor. To be frank, Farah never doubted his ability. his personality just threw her off, but other than that she was aware that he was fully capable of doing some damage. "Well then...lets settle here." Farah shrugged as she glanced around. The place didn't seem that bad and if any danger showed up, then she was sure Cassius could do something about it.
"Listen..." Farah started after a moment as she began to mess with the hem of her shirt. "I accept you as my...bodyguard." It wasn't exactly easy for Farah to say such words, given that she wasn't happy with this whole ordeal, but she would accept it for the time being. He shouldn't really expect to warm up so easily, she didn't trust the male yet and she didn't know when she would. For now, she would just keep her guard up.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Cassius Albanus, cyan, dashed, 10"]He listened carefully to Farah's words, and dipped his head to her, the same way he did when Barrius signed the scroll. "I'm glad. I promise to always keep you safe."
When she mentioned camping at the edge of the forest, Cassius shook his head. "Not here."
He studied the trees around them. The further past sunset it got, the more sinister 'Darkwoods' seemed to become. In the end, the forest really did take after its namesake.
An owl hooted from somewhere in the distance, and Cassius felt his skin crawl. "I... I want to go somewhere more open. There's a lake nearby." His shifty eyes and nervous demeanor (still obvious despite how hard he tried to hide it) suggested that- yes, Cassius, the powerful warrior and grown-ass adult was scared of the woods at night.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Farah Montague, blueviolet, dashed, 10"] Farah felt a strange sensation in her chest when Cassius promised to always keep her safe. They were simple words, yet they made an impact, but Farah's forced those feelings to the back of her mind. Instead, she observed the male and noticed his fidgeting. A small smirk settled onto her lips once it dawned on her why he was acting such a way, and he only confirmed it when he mentioned going somewhere more open.
Who would have thought that a man, such like him, would be scared to camp in the forest. She was going to admit, as tough as she was, wouldn't like to be here in the dark, but he was an Elite, a trained guard. Whatever. She was sure he had his reasons, just like she had hers. "Very well then. Lead the way." Farah said as she fanned out her hand, gesturing to the woods.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Cassius Albanus, cyan, dashed, 10"]A relieved look crossed his face for a moment, before he grinned and began to walk forward enthusiastically. "Onwards, m'lady~"
He fought his way through the underbrush before becoming vaguely aware that they were now following some kind of path. It was only a faint little trace going through the center of the woods, but it made Cassius nervous for some reason. Probably because they were now aware of the presence of some kind of dark magics... And, people had been through the forest, a lot of them, and often. Ritualistically... To the fields ahead.
Maybe it would have been better to camp in the woods.
But, he still powered through. Once they were out of the forest, he briefly glanced back to check if Farah hadn't run away again before continuing to go forward.
The field was more of a meadow that spanned a great distance around them. It was so vast that the neighboring forest to the left was merely an echo of emerald green. Cassius was much more interested in staring at the flowers among the grass as they walked. Despite each one being-half closed at this time of day, they were all beautiful, and the man made it a point ot avoid stepping on the them as he walked.
Crickets supplied the late noon with a gorgeous chirruping that Cassius liked to imagine was a love song- about the moon and the sun, and he smiled as he remembered an old legend he had once heard from his mentor...
He'd have to tell it to Farah later, if she wanted to hear it.
Dwelling on it for a moment, he glanced up at the sky.
It had turned a lovely dark purple-blue, and the first stars of the night dusted across the massive expanse. Somehow, it made him feel terribly small. A feeling he did not quite like.
A whole branch of the galaxy sat above their heads by the time they had crossed the hill and the lake was in view. Cassius could smell the water before he could see it.
"We're here..." It was a very rhetorical statement. He smiled, and stopped before the lake-mud began. His chest rose as he took a deep breath, smiling into the darkness growing around them like a fine mist.
He could see less and less of the opposite side of the lake as the night grew darker, and it created an illusion that the lake was borderless- like an ocean without a beach.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Farah Montague, blueviolet, dashed, 10"] His enthusiasm was palpable and Farah couldn't help but to grimace, not exactly one of much enthusiasm. There he goes with that happy go lucky attitude. Despite her small issue, she followed behind the male. For a couple of minutes, thy were surrounded by trees, until they finally reached the edge of he woods and came into a clearing. Immediately her eyes widened at the sight of the place. It was all so pretty. She had never seen a thing like this. Even though it was getting dark, it did nothing to remove from the clearings beauty. s she followed in suit behind Cassius, she avoided as best as she could to not step on the flowers.
Farah had been busy trying not to murder the flowers with her feet, that she hadn't noticed her bodyguard had come to a stop, which effectively resulted in her bumping into the male's back. Immediately her face heated up and she took a big step back. "Sorry." She apologized all too quickly. "I wasn't paying attention." She murmured before she looked up and past Cassius to the lake. Maybe it was a good idea to camp here, it was such a view. Plus, she didn't feel like something was hiding, ready to jump out at her like in the woods.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Cassius Albanus, cyan, dashed, 10"]Cassius felt Farah bump into him- and he grinned and chuckled at her apologies. "It's fine, don't worry. Let's set up camp. I'll make a fire."
It was his least favorite thing to do, but Cassius had learned of its necessity the hard way, on one cold night. He moved to an area with more dirt than grass, and ran his foot across to kick away leaves and branches- making the place flat, and relatively safe to make a fire manageable. Cassius then moved large stones around the center of the dirt-patch in a circular shape, made a small stack of sticks and wood, and braced himself with a slight grimace, crouching at the edge of the stones.
He glanced up at Farah, checking to make sure she wasn't close enough to be harmed by a misfire, then focused internally, drawing strength from the place within him where he knew sat magic energy, waiting.
Cassius forced it to his hands, and concentrated it... gulped and looked unsteady for a moment.
'Center it... Center it...' He mentally repeated to himself, just like his mentor would, then insisted in his mind that an Elite like him should not be afraid of fire. Rather, fire should be afraid of him.
A faint glow spread over the branches, and Cassius stumbled back. It was a small flame- merely a little, orange tongue, yet it was consuming the wood like a snake would swallow a mouse- engulfing it whole and growing with a crackle and a pop. He reached beside him for more wood and stoked the fire.
"... Done."
Sweating from the turnoil of emotions struggling within him, yet still smiling, he settled onto his rear and pretended to be very happy with the idea of sitting beside an unpredictable, angry, glowing monster.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Farah Montague, blueviolet, dashed, 10"] "Okay." Farah gave him a nod and once he was a good distance away, she pulled the straps of her backpack off and set it on the ground. Kneeling before it, she glanced at Cassius from the corner of her eye as he set up the rocks and sticks. She still didn't know what to think of him, besides the fact that he was happy the majority of the time. Something she wasn't too fond of, but strangely enough she didn't dislike him. Of course, that didn't mean that she would automatically befriend this stranger. After all, they just met.
As she pulled out the rolled up tent, Farah halted and watched Cassius with eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the fire with such focus. What is he doing? Suddenly a glow passed through the branches and a small flame sprouted. Her eyes widened significantly and she was quick to return her gaze down to the tent. Well, this is surprising. Playing it off as if she hadn't seen a thing, She began to undo the knot on the rope, before spreading out the the tarp and began to assemble the tent. Would it even be able to fit both of them. She was of small stature. He on the other hand wasn't that much.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Cassius Albanus, cyan, dashed, 10"]The fire suddenly rose, flaring upwards like a frog trying to snatch a fly. Cassius scrambled up and away from the flames, and swiftly made his was to the edge of the lake, where he felt safest. Close to the water. He stood still like a statue, clutching the cloak tightly around his body.
The Elites were trained in magic- something difficult to come by and control, despite how often it seemed to influence the world around them. For a person to be able to manipulate destructive energy of such a kind was a rare feat, and it was something Cassius never wanted to learn. He had his sword and his body, and that (in his opinion) was enough to be able to fight well. He needed no such fancy crafts and needless... flames. His somber smile dropped into a frown as he stared out into the water, with the wind running through his lengthy locks and pushing them into his eyes.
No matter how often he made fire, he could never get used to seeing it again. It was such an unpredictable thing.
Cassius wondered if he should look for more wood to feed the fire, or if he could put it off 'till later. He'd much prefer not coming close to the blaze until he calmed down again.
"Farah... I can sleep outside of the tent if it makes you feel more comfortable. I'm used to it." There was a change in his voice, he seemed more serious. As always, there was concern there too, but something else as well.
"I like to sleep under the stars, so it wouldn't be a problem." He was painfully aware of what she had experienced, and knew the scars she suffered, but only vaguely, and because of Barrius. Cassius figured she'd be terribly uncomfortable if she had to sleep so close to him.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Farah Montague, blueviolet, dashed, 10"] Farah, once again, paused and glanced back at Cassius then lowered her gaze. She knew deep within her that Cassius wouldn't do horrible things like the bandits had done to her, but it was the constant paranoia that she felt that didn't let her trust anyone. Sleeping in such a confined space with him would bring so many unwanted and terrible memories. Then she realized that perhaps Barrius had told him a bit of what had happened to her. The thought caused for her blood to boil, since she didn't like anyone knowing about. She felt ashamed over what she had done during the duration of her captivity just to survive and at the same time angry fpr what the bandits made her go through. The only person she had told of her misfortune was Barrius, given that she trusted the man and viewed him as a father.
"What did Barrius tell you?" Farah questioned as she starred up at the male,while she crossed her arms over her chest.
[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Cassius Albanus, cyan, dashed, 10"]A sad smile crossed his lips. Of course she would figure out that he knew- but then again, he wasn't trying to hide how much he knew either.
"He told me that you were kidnapped by bandits. The rest, I can only imagine." He pulled the cloak tighter around himself and watched the still water turn into ripples under the breeze, and listened to the crescendo of the crickets before turning around and strolling towards the fire again, staring at the flames with a keen mistrust in his aqua gaze.
Cassius pulled off his backpack, then the scabbard and sword he kept beneath it. These, he carefully placed on the grass, well away from the circle of stones. Next, he reached up to the base of his neck and clasped the pin there, that kept his cloak tightly in place. With a swift movement of his thumb, he unlatched it and pulled it off, the carelessly dropped it into the dirt.
He was left in just his armor, dark, and black with a hint of metal- so harsh and unfitting for the blonde who was all kindness and smiles. Now, however, the smile was gone from him- and this, the armor fit well.
"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. If you want to get it off our chest though, I'll listen." He said decisively, then sat back down on the ground- well away from the fire, and gave her a sleepy-eyed half-smile.[/fieldbox]
[fieldbox="Farah Montague, blueviolet, dashed, 10"] Farah's frown deepened. Surely Barrius had told more than that. As he walked passed her, her gaze followed after him and she watched him take a seat away from the flame. When his cape came off, she was surprised that he just discarded it on the ground as if it held no importance. Weren't they taught to have respect for their uniform or was that just something made up? At his following words, Farah narrowed her eyes. Why would he want to hear all that? Why would he want to hear her degradation? Plus, she didn't think she would be able to tell him everything without breaking her composure. The last thing she needed was for him to see her at her weakest.
"That is not something I wish to share." Farah admitted quietly before slowly and cautiously approaching him. "And I doubt it would be something you would like to hear." Farah added after a second and instead changed her course over to the half-built tent.
[/fieldbox]
