[Tale] Finding Home (San'thari/Warren)

[Elf Princess Flannery]

An RP between Warren and San'thari


Setting: On the road in eastern Tale, midday

 

[Elf Princess Flannery]

Warren had taken a detour to escape from his situation in Isd. He was back on track and on the road to Vers in southern Tale. He had done his best to patch his stitches back together and he was holding together about just as well as he was holding his emotions. He was moving slowly but looked rushed. He was worried about this father and needed to tell him about mother's untimely death. It was the most he could hope to focus on for the moment. His wounds still ached, and his scrap with Gaddok had left him with a few more bruises than he would care to admit. With each step, his body creaked with a dull pain. He figured he was far enough south by now that the hunters wouldn't be looking for him this far from their home. So he didn't try to hide in the side paths, he stuck to the road, visible to anyone who may happen by.

Peppermint Coffee

let me know if you need more set up!

 

[Bronze Coffee]

Wandering aimlessly after a man who's name she knew, but not the direction he went was rather difficult. He might as well be gone! He could be anywhere in Tendaji, especially if he hitched a ride with a caravan or something. San'thari pushed her hands through her bangs that were sticking to her forehead from sweat and just continued walking down the road.

She always paid attention to the side of the roads for plants, little flowers, or sometimes even somewhere to nap or swim. It took her a while to actually pay attention to the people on the road with her until she saw something large coming her way. She tilted her head to the side and watched this figure curiously before she realized just who and what it was. Well, well.

"Warren?" she called out, still far enough that yelling was probably the only way he'd hear her.

Elf Princess Flannery

<3

 

[Elf Princess Flannery]

His nerves jumped a bit when he heard the voice. He looked up from the ground to a friendly sight. He had not expected to see San again, at least not so soon. He was at first relieved, then a little embarrassed. He had disappeared in the early morning. His situation had prevented him the courtesy of a goodbye to his new acquaintance. He hoped she hadn't come out here to look for him.
He half lifted his arm to wave at her as the road shortened between them. "San'thari! What bring's you out here?" He expected she would still be at the inn, or selling herbs to the healers. Perhaps she skipped town early? It would be nice to have the company on the road for a little while.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

"Looking for you," came her blunt and honest answer. She ran the rest of the way to get to him and only stopped when she was in actual talking distance instead of yelling distance. She panted and sighed a bit before putting her hands on her hips and looking him over, clicking her tongue.

Honestly it was hard to tell if she was mad or worried, but a smile wasn't on her face right now. Her eyes were examining him, seeing if she needed to patch him up or bring him back to the healers. "I was going to invite you to breakfast, but you weren't there..." She frowned again. San'thari was shorter than this man by a bit, but she wasn't afraid of him. Green eyes narrowed at him before she snorted. "What happened?"

Elf Princess Flannery

 

[Elf Princess Flannery]

He could see her eyes scanning him like a worried nurse. She was probably assessing his new bruises and eyeing his still healing wounds. He turned his hands up in a hopeless gesture. He really did feel bad that she had worried about him.
"Hey, I'm sorry I couldn't stay for breakfast. I had to escape an angry mob." he had an amused look on his face. He wished he was joking.
"There's... I owe you an explanation... But I have to check on my dad. If you would walk with me I will tell you everything you want to know."
His voice sounded a bit hopeless. He was emotionally exhausted and was anticipating having to talk about his feelings and the situation he is in. He was so used to holding things in that when the did finally come out he lost control. He didn't want that, he didn't want San to see him loose it. His chest tightened as he tried to compartmentalize the events and feelings that lead to San finding him passed out on the road.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

She noted the bruises and just kind of sighed at them. San'thari wasn't about to harp on him for them. Half of her was already writing off bruises to something she'd have to deal with if she was going to stick around him. Her gut had a strong feeling that they'd be seeing a lot of each other.

Then he invited her to walk with him to explain, and San'thari nodded and noticed he looked tired. She couldn't really read his mood or his face other than tired, but something wasn't right. "...I'll walk with you to hear the explanation about this angry mob." She didn't promise to meet his dad, mainly because she wasn't sure if he really wanted her to. She couldn't understand why he would, honestly. They were acquaintances.

"Come.." She offered him a hand, knowing it was useless to help him up, but it was a gesture, and everyone could use kindness.

Elf Princess Flannery

 

[Elf Princess Flannery]

"So the angry mob..." He sounded pained, he wasn't sure how he could explain it. "I don't know if you could overhear them, but those people are hunting me because they think I killed someone. Before you helped me, I was trying capture the actual culprit. But they won't listen to me because I'm, well me..."

He huffed out a breath, he was explaining this so terribly. "Well, I had to run from them when they followed me to town. I didn't want you or anyone else to get mixed up in my mess so I jumped on a wagon that was leaving town. The driver turned out to be my friend Gaddok so he helped me escape but then we got into a fight. And, now I'm here trying to see if my dad is okay..." he sighed helplessly.

"I'm sorry that sounds really confusing. Basically, all this happened because my family thinks I am a curse." He was mentally kicking himself for how terribly he just explained all that.

It would seem trying to shorten the story wasn't going to help her understand. He would have to start over from the beginning. The curse was the heart of it. His dark eyes gave him more trouble than they were worth. It was beyond him why a person like San'thari would want to involve herself with someone so miserable.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

Listened to him talk, he expressions mixing and matching to his words. He seemed like he did lead a very hard life and she wasn't sure what to say at first. San'thari bit her tongue for a while as they walked, rubbing her neck and then looking over at the larger of the two before nodding. He needed a friend. Someone that could show these people he didn't kill anyone.

"It's fine," she said at length. "So ...You didn't kill someone, but they think you did. Guilty till proven innocent." A frown came across her full lips and her arms crossed over her chest as she continued to walk, ears wiggling. "It sounds like you need someone to help convince that you're not that kind of person. I don't know you well at all, but I'm usually a good judge of character and you seem like, yes you're big, but unless provoked, you wouldn't really harm anyone." She wasn't straight up volunteering, but maybe she could talk to the crowd?

"Does this Gaddok know you well? Is he in good standings? You said you fought, but you also called him a friend... Could he help you clear your name? ....Did they do something to your family?" San bit her tongue physically this time instead of metaphorically. Pause. Remember to let them answer questions before swamping them with more

Elf Princess Flannery

 

[Elf Princess Flannery]

Warren was a little surprised that after telling her people thought he was a murderer she was willing to stand up for him. "Gaddok is a good man. He has had my back when I needed help. And our fight wasn't a real fight, it was just the only way we could communicate I think." he wasn't sure what he meant by that, but he knew it felt good to fight Gaddok when he was frustrated or upset. Gaddok knew that too so for them fighting was a way to release things they bottle up.

"I get the feeling Gaddok is a bit tied up in his own business. And I don't think the villagers would listen anyhow. I really do have to prove my innocence, that's why I was hunting the beast." he took a moment to gather his thoughts as they walked.

"My eyes, they are unusual, as I am sure you have noticed. When I was born my grandfather thought they were a sign I was possessed by some forest god called the dread sermal. It's old wind folklore but my grandpa thinks it's true. He convinced my mother and the other villagers I was a curse. I think he just hated me because I'm a hybrid." he shook his head and glared at the ground in front of him.

"One story about a curse lead my mother to abandon me and my father. I was so confused and angry, I didn't understand why she left, why she refused to look me in the eye. I only wanted to prove to her that I could be her son. I became a guard so I could show her I turned out alright." He looked down at his gauntlets. He could see the scratches and damage to them from the sermal. The sight made his heart feel heavy.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

When he said the fight was only communication, it made the Leaf girl roll her large eyes and then shook her head. That was one thing San'thari would never understand. Talking was the best way to settle disputes and yet men can punch each other like they had little brains and suddenly the world with them is right. It made zero sense to the herbalist and it made her chest heave as she huffed a little.

Standing up for Warren was something she really felt was right. He was a large man, but the less than a day she'd spent with him, he seemed fairly gentle. A teddy bear rather than a bear. Sure he was still very prickly and intimidating, but he wasn't bad. Judging people by their size was stupid. Still, she tuned in again as Warren kept talking and just kept her expression schooled with calm as he explained himself.

"Your eyes were... one of the last unusual things I noticed about you," she admitted. She wanted to ask what happened, but she figured he was born like that and it'd have been rude. Now she found out she was right, it would have dragged up a lot of painful history. For their first meeting San'thari was glad she avoided the topic because sad first meetings were something that sat uncomfortable with the Leaf woman. Even if she was getting rather sad at hearing his mother abandoned him because of some story that was probably not true anyway. Everyone turned on him because he was a little different, a hybrid to boot, it seemed like. It made her chest ache a bit and she rubbed at her collarbone as they continued to walk.

Reaching out, San'thari put one of her small hands on his large arm and had a firm look on her face. Words seemed silly right now. She could say she was sorry it happened to him, but that seemed inadequate. Everything did. So she just squeezed his arm carefully and remained fairly quiet for a long time.

"....So how far are we from your father's?" She asked. "...And if you'd like, I can follow you on your quest for this beast. You seem to be in need of a pocket healer. While I'm not a healer, I can help out and get you to a healer if need be."

Elf Princess Flannery

 

[Elf Princess Flannery]

The way she squeezed his arm was comforting. It gave him solidarity without any words.
Warren was a bit apprehensive to accept her offer to help him find the beast. He didn't think she understood the dangers. "We, still have awhile to go before we reach his place. He lives just north of Vers, so we just need to keep following this road south"

He placed his hand over hers and squeezed it a little. "You see, I left dad once I became a guard. I wanted to show my mother that I had successfully become a man. But I think that story about the dread sermal made her go mad. When I went to see her she ran away from me screaming and hid in her room." That hurt, to see his mother so afraid of him.

"I tried to convince her just to talk to me but there was something wrong. I could hear her screaming in her bedroom, she was being attacked by something. I reacted and threw myself at the door to get to her. By the time I got through the door it was too late." His body tensed and tears formed in his eyes. "She was killed by a sermal, It had gotten in through the window." he shook his head because he still didn't want to believe it. He took a deep breath before he continued.

"I tried to get it but it escaped. Its claw got stuck in my gauntlet. It's how I tracked it as far as Tale. That's when you found me." he was quiet for a long moment. "Thank you," he said finally. He didn't just mean it for when she helped him recover, he meant for the way she was helping him now. Talking about what happened to his mother helped him put it in perspective a little.

"I am not sure if I can take down the sermal by myself. So I appreciate your offer to help. I just..." don't want to see you get hurt. "I want you to understand just how dangerous this is." He gripped her hand again.

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

He'd accepted her comfort and it made San relax a little bit. She wasn't exactly tense, but she knew that the way he was feeling probably put her on alert and made her seem that way. San'thari listened, though, through Warren's tears, through his story, and her heart sank.

Seeing a man like Warren crack a bit to break was enough to make her own eyes water. She sniffled and scrubbed her arm over her eyes as she continued to walk with him and just took a deep breath.

"...I think.. I've got a lot better grasp now," she said softly, a hand going to his to hold onto. Her own looked so small in his. Either way, she carefully squeezed his fingers and then pulled away to walk beside him again without touching to much more. "...I still want to help. If need be I'll get lessons on how to use a dagger or something. I'm... I want to tell you to not do it, not go after the sermal, but I don't think that'd be right."

Warren needed his revenge. Warren needed to hurt the thing that hurt him and his family so much. She could understand. "If you'll have me, I want to make sure you don't die doing this. I know we've just met, but... The gods brought us together for a reason. Maybe it's this."

Elf Princess Flannery

 

[Elf Princess Flannery]

San'thari had a big heart. He had never met a person as kind and generous. Even after telling her what had happened she still wanted to help. He wasn't sure what he did to deserve it, perhaps after all the bad luck, she was a bit of good. Warren felt like he owed her much already, and she still had much to give.

"I don't deserve your help, but thank you. I will need much more than what I have now if I am going to defeat it." The road thinned a little and a small path branched off to the right. "I think I remember there being spring down this way, the road isn't the best but it should take us straight to my father's field." He hoped they might see an aldabuk on the road too. He was home sick from being in sauti so long. Aldabuk represented home to him. Without thinking he put his hand on the horn at his hip.
A small bit of excitement started to swell in him. The anticipation of seeing his father built as they made their way down the path. "Thank you for wanting to come with me. My father might have some good ideas about how to go about finding and defeating the sermal. I think he would like you."

Peppermint Coffee

 

[Bronze Coffee]

She wasn't going to argue with Warren. San'thari knew he did need help, deserved it after everything he'd been through. Her hands went behind her back as she walked, stretching out her arms, but she still listened to him talk.

It was like her ears perked up at the mention of a spring and she put that bit of info away for later. Who knew when she'd want to go swimming? It was getting hot out. "Well, I walk off road a lot so bad roads don't really scare me." She trekked through thick bushes, undergrowth, up mountains and down streams to get some of the vegetation she needed for her job. Keeping that in mind, however, she would drop behind him to follow him as the road thinned and narrowed like it did she put one hand on his back, patting it a bit.

"I hope he does. It sounds like it really needs to be caught before... more people suffer.." Her brows knit at that and she took her hand back and just left it at her side. "I'm guessing you've tried to lay traps for it? Tried to track it down and all that?"

Elf Princess Flannery

(So you can find it again easy!)