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 Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 7:54 am
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Skadravi wasn't sure how it happened that nights suddenly felt significantly longer than they'd ever had before. Between frequently late evenings, where he and Vecari needed both to be present and noticeable under Keniza's watchful eye, to their midnight trysts about the city, and then to early mornings helping the old woman with her fish stand, there never seemed much an ample opportunity for sleep. Where his- What was he supposed to call her? Girlfriend? Charge? The fully grown woman he had to look after. Where Vecari found her seemingly boundless supply of energy and wakefulness, Dravi would never know.
Not that she had to work during the day, or anything, unlike him.
The afternoon found him in the market with Keniza, eyes open, but gaze glossed and anywhere but on the fish he was supposed to be peddling. When she rapped her cane to the side of his leg, Dravi was abnormally slow to glance in the old woman's direction. "Fetch lunch," she grunted, as amicable as ever, and shoved a couple coins into his hand.
Even this completely normal process seemed sluggish and surreal under the circumstances. He accepted the coins from her hand, but hardly managed to make it very far in his new assignment.
Skadravi took a step back from the stall, and only had just enough wherewithal to notice an unusual mass beneath his foot. He glanced down hurriedly, more so than anything else he'd done that day, half-afraid that he'd trod on someone else's foot. "Oh, 'm sorry..." But it wasn't. Just a swatch of pale blue fabric that really had no business being on the ground. He couldn't just leave it there. So he dipped, and collected a handful of it.
Very, very belatedly, he realized that it wasn't just 'laying on the ground,' but actually attached to something. Someone. A girl. Dravi blinked in some mixture of dumbfounded confusion and slow embarrassment as, with cloth in hand, his gaze was met with a long length of dusty brown covered legs. His eyes swiveled up toward the girl's face, red heat already blossoming across his cheeks. |
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 11:48 am
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In that same stunned instant that he stared at her, she stared back at him. So if nothing else, at least Skadravi wasn't the only one completely blindsided and totally confused as to exactly how this had happened. He wasn't entirely sure if he should go the, 'hey, nice legs,' route, or if this was one of the rare occasions that deserved an apology. Either way, maybe she wasn't getting enough sleep either, because he imagined most people probably would've taken it just a touch more- 'Let go, you pervert!'
Ah, yes. There it was.
When the girl smacked at his hands, he obligingly released her skirts, only to immediate snatch up her arm and tug her close enough that he could smother her mouth with his palm. "Gods, if you could maybe not shout those things, that'd be pretty wonderful," he griped in a significantly softer tone than she'd used. He didn't really need or want any of his workplace acquaintances thinking ill of him because of some unfortunate mishap. From behind him, his old lady boss Keniza scoffed (snickered?) and put her back to them, doing him the courtesy of ignoring them. Dravi decided he didn't really want anyone he knew laughing, either.
Scrunching up his face, Skadravi gave his full attention back to his new companion. Hatald, she was so young, probably just barely old enough to traipse the market on her own, with soft, fawn-brown skin that looked quite strikingly like-. Well, regardless, she was definitely, definitely not a girl anyone ought to be checking out.
"I am not a pervert," he informed her briskly, though he severely doubted that any woman would believe any such thing from a man's mouth (and he wouldn't blame them). "That being said, I'm not letting you go til you promise you won't go about screaming, anymore, alright?" |
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 2:05 pm
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If her glare was anything to go by, Skadravi found himself not especially trusting that the hybrid girl was committed to not screaming at him just because she nodded her head. But he'd said he would release her if she agreed, so he couldn't just go back on that now. He sent her a sheepish, though still very broad grin as she yanked his arm down.
"I told you I'm not a pervert," Dravi repeated firmly, tone just as quiet as hers. "But if I was, I'd be a bit more discreet about it, don't you think? Especially since, ahh..." He squinted at her and tipped his head ever-so-slightly to the side. He wasn't of a mind to knowingly hunt females in their early teens, particularly when full-developed women had a lot more going for them in the looks department, as far as he was concerned. He crossed his arms. "Well, you look on the younger end of the spectrum, and I've got enough to get me in trouble for without adding harassing little lady-girls to the mix."
"So with that being said, I wasn't trying anything on you. You're pretty full of yourself to think so, huh?" He asked teasingly. The look of her long, tailor-made dress, shining adornments, and sleek teal hair seemed to agree with him. The very picture of full-of-herself. Not really so different than the type of girl he was used to dealing with...
He coughed, and shook his head. "Anyway, was a mistake on my part, yeah? Didn't know your dress was attached to you, just... thought it was something someone dropped. So I'm sorry for offending your sensibilities, but it's a misunderstanding." He paused, and a quick hint of amusement flicked through his eyes. "Mostly, I mean. I'm sure you'll be a very pretty girl, once you've had the chance to grow up a little." |
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 2:27 pm
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Kyril's gaze narrowed in aggravation, "Especially since what?" She whispered as her hands were placed on her hips. Now that the man wasn't looking up her skirts and she was actually able to look over at him without dying of embarrassment the girl was noticing that he wasn't a complete Oban or Matori himself. Another hybrid? Not that it mattered who he was or if he was attractive since the man was still someone willing to look up a lady's skirts. Kyril huffed at the thought, "So basically if I was older then you're admitting it may have not been an accident at all? I don't know if that's the best way to defend yourself honestly."
And little lady girl? Who even said that? Kyril forced herself to take a deep breath. She had to remember the 'lady' part did apply to her so she couldn't make a fuss here, especially with her mother nearby. A lecture was the last thing she needed. Though her thoughts halted as another comment made her flush in irritation, "Fu-full of myself?!" She whispered, her voice a bit of a squeak as emotions took over, "I would beg to differ about that since I would believe that most women would be pretty upset that some strange man happened to grab their skirts for a good peek! Let me put you in a skirt and see how you would feel about someone tugging it here and there for a good peek. Then perhaps you would understand why I'm so upset about this misunderstanding." Her gaze burning the girl tapped a foot in irritation against the ground. Just breathe and keep your voice down even if you would prefer to thwack him a few times.
Kyril crossed her arms at his 'apology'. "Some people tend to have long dresses so it happens, but surely another person would know to look forward first before grabbing at anything." She pursed her lips in frustration, "So misunderstanding....wait, what?" Her gaze widened at the sudden compliment and she just stared at him in disbelief. She truly couldn't tell if he was just mocking her now or not! Was this truly an accident or was he just playing around?!
Her golden glaze blazing the girl took a few steps forward, "Look here. Just because I might be younger than you and I may be overdressed today does not mean I can't hold my own or throw a good punch or two." She tried her best to look intimidating by standing on the tips of her toes as she leaned towards him, "So my advice to you is to stop messing around with me with your strange quirks and weird compliments..." Compliments that did not make her feel anything other than that he truly was some pervert. Was this some form of bullying? Had someone even put him up to this? Her gaze slipped around the marketplace in frustration. What if one of those other girls had hired him to mess with her since she didn't fit in with all those ladies gathered around her mother today? If that was the case then she definitely was not going to let him go easily!
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 3:53 pm
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Trying to 'defend himself?' Skadravi blinked down at the flustered girl in front of him and cocked his head to the side. He didn't really think he'd done anything worth needing to defend himself over, besides ruffle this little lady's fins. Their whole meeting was a mishap that happened to turn ugly due to his sleep deprivation and her inability to keep her clothes off the ground. Here Dravi thought he'd been trying to be nice, and the glance he'd gotten of her underwear was hardly intentional. So, no. He didn't think he needed to defend himself, but the girl seemed more interested in making a monster of him than seeing anything from his perspective. Instead, he shrugged. "Sorry."
He moved to step around her. There didn't seem much more to be gained from this conversation besides the continued threat of any of his nearby merchant friends catching wind of the conversation and thinking less of him because of it. More importantly, though, was that Keniza probably wouldn't take well to him having any heated arguments with any female that wasn't Vecari... Particularly about their lady bits...
Dravi barely had the opportunity to take that first step with all the girl's yammering, though. Gods above, she certainly had a lot to say. He wondered if this was what people who just didn't have anyone else to talk to did. Found ways to entertain themselves with the locals. Surely she could have found something more entertaining than being irritated at him, though. Skadravi groaned softly and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I apologized," he asserted and was suddenly aware that his own tone sounded rather sour compared to usual. he didn't enjoy being in a poor mood, himself.
And she wanted to turn this into a fight, for some reason.
He sighed, took a step back from her, then leaned at the waist, bringing his face as close to hers as he dared, and turning a cheek toward her. "Go ahead, then," he replied in a rather blasé drawl. "If it'll make you feel better, you might as well just go on and hit me." |
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Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 10:56 am
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Spending her day. Skadravi squinted at the assertion, his bored expression turning into something similar to impatient indignance. They'd been here minutes, minutes, and could've already been off in their separate directions if this whiny, bratty, snobby little hybrid girl hadn't decided to pitch a fit over nothing. To so clearly blame him for wasting her day, when he hadn't even been doing anything but trying to keep her pretty fabric from getting dirty- How was he to know it was attached to her until he'd already looked to see that it was? Regardless, he'd not taken up any significant portion of her day, and anything else she'd rather not be doing wasn't his fault at all.
This rude little thing could be offended and snappish as much as she wanted, but that didn't change the fact that he could not alter what had already happened. He'd apologized for touching her skirt. It was only an accident, and really, wasn't she a bit young to be thinking any men were actually looking at her?
Against his better judgement, Dravi's gaze wandered obviously downward from her face to her chest, and he couldn't help but note that she wasn't even especially curvy. Just skinny and small and young and pretentious, and far, far from being his 'type.' Though most people who yelled at him for nothing weren't. Really, the most attractive thing about her, barring the entirety of their conversation, was that she didn't not look like Khal-
He had told her she could hit him. If it would end her tantrum sooner, so she would stop making the scene she seemed so intent on making, it seemed a small price to pay. Still, as her fist cracked against his jaw, the sound that escaped him was some hybrid between a yelp and a hiss. Not of surprise that she'd actually done it, or even her choice of method, but gods, was she wearing <******** rings?
He squinted down at her fingers as he raised a hand to press to his skin. Admittedly, he would've liked to be in a better mood, but he was finding it somewhat difficult to achieve at present. "Are you better, then?" Dravi grunted stiffly. |
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Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 1:08 pm
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As Kyril's punch connected the girl did have to admit to feeling a sense of satisfaction. At least to a certain degree. The noise that the other hybrid made was even more satisfying since before he had seemingly been looking down upon her. If anything the feeling of being looked down upon was one of the few things that truly irked Kyril. And the way his gaze wandered? That had only increased the tension tightening her shoulders. What an a**. She was certain he hadn't expected an actual blow either. Probably just full of hot air.
But she wasn't! So as her fist returned to her side Kyril straightened her shoulders and stared at him as if threatening him to dare and return a blow. In the back of the girl's mind a warning flickered about how a street brawl may not be the best thing for her family to find out about, but her temper was once again too quick. However, at his question the girl's gaze did widen ever so slightly in hesitation. Was he not going to curse at her or even lift a finger against her?
Not that it would worry her! She had been more than ready to fight! Perhaps she had spent a bit too much time with her fighting cousins. As a lady she wasn't even supposed to be enjoying the idea of a brawl, but here she was wanting to pick a fight because some guy looked under her skirts. Not that it's a horrible reason to fight. She wanted to defend her honor after all. Still, Kyril just let out a defeated sigh, "If one punch could solve everything then there wouldn't be wars, would there?" She quipped lightly, "But yes, I do feel a bit better unless you have something else to say and then I'll decide if I need more." Admittedly she wasn't feeling the best considering she had actually punched someone, but it was something.
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Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 3:46 pm
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Well, she didn't really look 'better,' as far as Skadravi could tell. In fact, she still seemed to be mostly annoyed, a little surprised, and... disheartened? He couldn't say for sure. Grimacing slightly, he rubbed his jaw and glanced to the ground. She was undeniable angry, even now, despite Dravi's best attempt to alleviate it. What did she expect him to do, since punching him in the face still left her in this sort of temper? Regardless, he didn't feel he owed her much else. Certainly not the 'more' she apparently thought she was entitled to.
"'Wars,'" Skadravi repeated quietly, as if testing the word on his tongue. He wasn't a scholar, hadn't studied history or people, nor could he say he always understood the 'why' of things. But he quirked a skeptical brow at her just the same. "I'd think the solution usually fits the problem. I suppose if anyone was going to fight a war over something, it'd probably more likely be, oh, I don't know, slavery rather than touching some hybrid girl's knickers."
Who would fight for a hybrid at all, anyway?
In Dravi's experience with the world and those who inhabited it, probably not very many. Certainly no one had thought to concerns themselves with him when he'd been growing up. No one in that neck of the desert would've fought a war for a hybrid.
Dravi rolled his shoulders, righted himself fully, and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I told you you could have one, and you did. I let you have that. I think I'm pretty nice. Not tryna be mean or uncouth to a lonely little girl out walking on the street, thinking she's entitled to things she isn't. But I don't think you'll need more, and I'm not so sure I'd be inclined to give it if you were." He shrugged. "Anyway, weren't you just complaining about how I was wasting you day? You don't have to hang around." |
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Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 5:04 pm
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At his reply Kyril just stared at him. It wasn't like he had been a slave, right? Maybe because she didn't know how old he was. It still was a bitter topic in Oba among Matori and she knew that her own father would occasionally be even more on guard because of his own experiences. But then he had to mention a hybrids and her knickers? The thought created a slight flush of frustration to spread across her cheeks,"It was just a metaphor." She retorted, "Though 'hybrids' are human as well. I may not be worth starting a war over, but I still have a right to defend myself." Kyril raised her chin high, "You might want to allow others and even yourself to think bad things about those with mixed blood, but we're just as good as anyone else!"
Her gaze narrowed as he continued on, "For someone being so 'nice' you definitely come across as something else." She huffed and shook her head, "I guess I shouldn't expect anything else though from a ruffian in these parts." She stomped her foot against the ground as her temper rose again, "I don't need you to give me a free shot either. I can hold my own, you know. But you're right - I don't need to hang around at all." Kyril nodded firmly, "Not worth my time and since you've been so 'nice' I guess I can let you save face rather than having the market watch you get beaten up by a 'lonely little girl'."
Kyril paused for a moment before taking a deep breath, "I have other things to attend to and people who will be looking for me. As it is I doubt I'm the lonely one here out of the two of us." Not that she knew, but the girl couldn't help taking possible jabs. She was just so heated! The man had seen her underwear, refused to understand her embarrassment and shrugged off his own actions while insulting her! It was best if she simply left now and never had to deal with this guy again.
Raising her hand to give him a very unlady like gesture the apprentice turned on her heel and started down the street. Of course in her frustration and eagerness to leave Kyril wasn't overly attentive to her surroundings. So when a pair of wild perzi ran through the markets and under her feet the girl found a foot getting not only caught up in the long silk, but also on loose cobblestone. As her ankle twisted in the hole she didn't even get the chance to let out a yell or anything before tumbling down on the ground. Not daring to look behind her, since she realized that all this happened right in front of the guy she had just insulted, the girl just simply sat there with tears building in her eyes as she attempted to slowly move her swelling ankle. So much for leaving with dignity and poise. Kyril grit her teeth in frustration before attempting to stand once more only to sit back down on the ground in pain. |
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Posted: Tue May 23, 2017 9:25 am
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Ah, this girl certainly had a lot of emotions and feelings. Dravi shook his head stiffly. He'd never said she wasn't worth anything. He'd never said he wasn't worth anything. But as it turned out, his opinion did not often matter. The people who could start wars weren't going to start them over the rights of a hybrid, unless it felt like those rights were encroaching upon those of people of actual import. Skadravi did not have to think himself lesser than anyone else to understand that. It was just a fact. This little girl did look like she considered herself a noble, as Khalel had, but really, no one of actual noble birth, none of the Oban royalty would ever see a slave's child as anything but beneath them. She could be as angry about it and as entitled as she liked, but it wasn't going to change anything.
"Maybe you should be 'defending yourself' against people actually trying to hurt you," he suggested with a shrug. It certainly hadn't been his intention to offend a bratty little thing like her, but she really was just continuing to make a big deal and a huge scene over it. And after being concerned about drawing attention to herself! She was the one going off on him and being loud about it over nothing. If they'd become noticeable, it was only because of her continued offense.
To that effect, he decided there wasn't much else for him to say, and no reason to push this further. She was young, and clearly just did not have the experience that Dravi had. Little girls were unreasonable and stubborn, anyway. There was no winning, and Dravi found that he didn't really care to win, anyway.
But gods, she was annoying and unnecessarily mouthy.
As she started off, he only squinted after her, frowning slightly and feeling as though she'd been unfairly mean to him. But it wasn't much his problem, anymore, and he had his own tasks to attend to that didn't involve her at all. Keniza would probably be frustrated with him for dawdling so long... Dravi turned to set out on his own assignments, but the sound of a whole body flopping to the ground gave him pause. he didn't have to turn around to know what it was.
Warily, he glanced back over his shoulder. Sure enough, the girl was on the ground. And really, was that so surprising? She ought not be walking around in clothing so long and drapey. he didn't move immediately, but instead spent several moments glancing around, waiting to see if whoever was 'looking for her' would come around and be prepared to give aid. It didn't look like it.
He expected if he tried to help, he'd probably get told off again. A part of him did want to move on and do nothing, but Skadravi let out a withered sigh just the same and stepped nearer to her. "Look, I don't wanna just leave you here. I'm not a healer, and I don't know anyone who is, so... I could help you out, if you'd like, and had somewhere specific to go." Frowning, he crouched down closer to her eye level.
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Posted: Sun Jun 04, 2017 10:47 am
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She had been so close to just getting away from this whole situation. Shame flushed her cheeks as Kyril attempted to get up once more. Instead tears of pain gathered in her eyes as her ankle gave out once more and continued to throb as she sat back down. This was so embarrassing! How did she get into such a ridiculous situation? Her own fiery temper against a self-righteous pervert....she had gotten carried away. If she could just get out of this market and head on towards home she could never come back and just forget that this situation had ever occurred. It seemed, however, that fates had another thing in store for her because not only was she stuck here but the man was back!
Kyril straightened her shoulders and braced herself for the teasing that was bound to ensue. Instead she found herself blinking in confusion as he was offering to help her, "Why?" She found herself asking him as he crouched closer. Despite all of her anger and harsh words he was offering to help? Was it a trap? A way to boast later about how great of a guy he was for helping a spoiled brat like her? The girl's gaze narrowed as the thoughts swirled through her mind, "I would think that you would be glad to see me fall and be more than eager to leave me here like this." She admitted finally as she studied the man with a frown, "As much as it must please you to try to be a good guy, however, I do not need anyone's assistance.,...I can do this." No matter how defeated she felt she still had that stubborn pride.
Yet her body did not agree to her own desires as once more she attempted to stand. At first she had it so that she was holding onto the post next to her with one hand, but as soon as she put her injured ankle down on the ground the girl let out a muffled noise of pain before gingerly raising her foot once more to keep it up in the air. She could stand, as long as she had the post that was. But how was she to move all the way back towards the edge of the market? Her gaze desperately looked everywhere for answers before finally settling back towards the stranger once more. A flush decorated her cheeks as she tried to look away from him in protest. Why....why did she have to ask for his help? And why was he even offering it to her? Her body shaking from the strain of standing on only one leg, even with the post's help it was still rather tedious considering her attired, Kyril glanced towards him once more before letting out a long sigh. "I....may....need help." She murmured ever so faintly before glancing away again with a flush. How humiliating.
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 7:36 am
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He could not possibly have come off so terribly that this girl genuinely believed it would please him to see her injured. Skadravi still didn't think he'd done much of anything wrong at all, and if anyone was annoying or misguided or in the wrong here, it was certainly her. "Ah, well, you'd think wrong," Dravi retorted. "I don't suppose there's too many people I'd be glad to see hurt themselves..." Though perhaps not 'none' either. He shrugged. Still, this bratling wasn't one of them.
But if she continued to insist that she didn't want his help (and continued to passive aggressively insult him), he wouldn't force it upon her. "Suit yourself," Dravi hummed at her latest refusal and rose back to his feet. Hadn't he had his own chores to tend to, anyway? This child was something of a distraction, but the gods had given him the opportunity to remove himself from her side, and really his continued presence here only seemed burdensome and irritating to both of them, so... he turned his back and stepped away.
For all of a moment.
There were enough sounds in the market that her whimpers could have been easily drowned out, had Skadravi not been specifically listening for them. Really, the girl was pitiful and probably helpless on her own. She didn't look as though she had much experience with pain. Or humiliation, for that matter.
So when her words drifted back to him, quiet but present over the other marketplace activities, Dravi stalled and glanced back. "Oh, do you?" As though it hadn't been obvious from the outset. "I tried to help you," he reminded her pointedly. "And you turned me away. So I think..." He clucked his tongue, tapped his chin thoughtfully, and cast yellowed orbs toward the sky. "If you want my help now, you'll have to ask for it. Nicely." |
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