Rhuarhii

[Valfaran]

(You can check out a dead RP I had with someone a while back on this board if you want to read more of my stuff. It\'s shorter posts, simpler, less developed. And if you really like my stuff, you can read the first five chapters of my craptacular non-PS story. That\'s the old version, however; I\'m totally revamping it. The original version has no direction. RP Clean Cup   Dagora Khelian )

For once, Valfaran was discontented to merely sit and think. She dug absent-mindedly at a chunk of wax with a claw, drawing the flowing symbols of a strange tongue her father had taught her. Often, the Enkidukai glanced about nervously, rubbing the pommels of her two short swords. The priests did not favor the possesion of weapons inside their temple, so Valfaran was running quite a risk. But something told her she might need them.

Not to say that this stranger would be a threat; she did not even know of deeds past done by the silent temple-goer, let alone would she feel the need for reprimanding Valfaran for them. Or would she? These mysteries plagued the sable-furred Enkidukai. However, they were not as hard to answer as the underlying question: why was it Valfaran felt the need to worry at all?

She figured it was a question best left unanswered. After all, she had trusted her instincts countless times before, and they had thus far not failed her... at least not terribly.

As she reviewed her random scrawlings in the wax, Valfaran grew tense. The words meant something, spoke a cryptic message she herself had unconsciously written. Before she could contemplate its meaning, however, a light whooshing noise cut through the hall\'s thick silence. Rigid, she let only her eyes stray to the door adjacent to her, and the figure which had just crossed its threshold.

Frozen, the stranger seemed surprised by the presence of another being. Feeling it was appropriate to make the first move, Valfaran turned her head slowly to meet the stranger\'s staring gaze. She narrowed her eyes in an inquring fashion, but the question was a more broad one than merely \'What are you doing here?\' Radiating something like a brooding serenity, the sable Enkidukai blinked twice slowly and said nothing.

[Riune]

((Iffin you don\'t like how I\'ve somewhat portrayed yer char, just tell me and I can edit. ^.^ But I think I did alright. Feel free to take the same liberations with Rhuarhii if you so desire.))

The hall was utterly quiet, an absence of noise that was thick with the silent testing of one enkidukai to the other.

Narrowed, inquisitive eyes opposing wide, untrusting ones. Then the silence\'s reign fell as the untrusting one stepped towards the other, a semi-sweet smile crossing her countanence.

\"\'Ro-er, Good evening.\" Rhuarhii had hoped that she would be able to trick the other into believing that she was just another novice, but the level gaze of the enkidukai led her to aknowledge that such trickery as this was futile.

\"Ah was jess goin\' ta tha inner sanctuary fer meh classess with Ca..Master Caet.\" It sounded plausible enough. \"Yer...Ah thought Ah was tha only enkidukai in tha temple..Ah\'m not sure whether ta be pleased \'r put out that Ah ain\'t.\" She laughed softly, rather falsetto, and nervously. She did not like this encounter; it put her usually calm nerves on edge.

Her sharp eyes flickered down the crouched form of Valfaran, the dim light of dawn highlighting very little of the darkened fur, but clearly reflecting off the rounded pummels of the blades at her side.

\"Uh..yer not Ah temple-goer, are yahs?\" Rhuarhii\'s hands slipped into the sleeves of her robe, fumbling with the tiny dagger she had kidnapped from the dinner table; a crude thing that barely served it\'s purpose, but Rhuarhii felt some comfort in being armed.

[Valfaran]

((Nah, you\'ve done a wonderful job...I think you catch Valfaran\'s personality quite well. Sorry I didn\'t post earlier, I\'ve had quite the busy weekend. On Saturday, I spent all day cleaning for the graduation party I had on Sunday, and yesterday, I went on a trip to Six Flags with the band. The party was for me (8th grade promotion) and my big brother (he graduated from college and got a new job.))

[Riune]

(Wow! You -have- been busy! Take your time, I\'m getting shuffled around because me cousin is gittin\' married, so Ah\'ll be busy a bit for a while as well. ^.^)

[Valfaran]

Though nervous, Valfaran maintained well her facade of calm inquiry. She was somewhat surprised at the Enkidukai\'s words and approach, and merely nodded in response to the greeting. However, the other\'s explaination as to where she was going evoked a bit of amusement in the sable creature, as most others required words to be spoken for them to understand. Yet, the only outward sign of this was a slight humorous glint to her eyes.

Silently, she took a moment to absorb the stranger\'s words. It struck Valfaran as odd that Caet would be teaching this former vagabond; not that his personality necassarily disallowed it, but rather that it was not a thing often done by the clergy of the Temple.

Valfaran leapt down from the pedestal nimbly, as if in response to the other Enkidukai\'s last question. Her next actions were on instinct rather than well thought out, and she wondered if she would later regret them.

With a flourish, Valfaran drew her twin short swords and twirled them at her sides, bringing them to rest crossed over her chest. She then placed one foot in front of the other and bent at the waist, giving an elegant warrior\'s bow. After a momentary pause, she lowered her arms to her sides and straightened up, but did not sheath her blades.

\"Valfaran of the Shadows, Advocate of the True Sun and Prisoner of the Azure Claw.\"

She spoke the last few words with some contempt, but her face still stoic, devoid of emotion. This did not at all mean she was without emotion, however; something radiated from her, dormant and unpredictable, not unlike the inner fire of a sleeping volcano.

Despite, something else shone through in her voice: a certain faint tremolo, inaudible to a lazy ear. With this introduction, she had divulged not only her name, but the fact that she was not a worshipper of Laanx, making her somewhat of a tresspasser to the Temple.

[Riune]

Rhuarhii took an involuntary step back as Valfaran leapt down gracefully, going through the ritualistic movements of a warrior\'s introduction- something that startled the other more than she would allow the sable enkidukai to aknowledge.

Being an enkidukai, as well as a nightstalker by trade, Rhuarhii\'s ears were sharp, and had indeed caught a slight...something, that made Rhuarhii feel slightly more secure in her brash manner.

Quickly recovering face, Rhuarhii bowed at the waist, flourishing her paw as if holding a hat, and rose again, one eyebrow raised mockingly.

\"Rhuarhii tha\' Vagrant. Advi\'cate o\' thieves an\' vagabonds, pris\'ner o\' tha\' Temple.\"

\"Ar\' yah sure ye kin handle them blades, Valf\'ran, ye look a bit young ta be a mercenary. Bu\' Ah give ye full marks fer bravery, mos\' dun set foot in tha temple armed, much less them that dun\' worship.\"

She was continuing in her testing Valfaran, tentative yet firm, pushing the conversation slowly to discover the depth of the enkidukai\'s limits; perhaps not the best thing to do when faced with two wicked looking blades.

[Valfaran]

Valfaran expected the step backwards at her approach, and even the cordial bow in response to her greeting. What surprised her, however, was the fact that this stranger responded with a bow and similar introduction.

Silently, she took a moment to look Rhuarhii up and down, measuring her stature against her given title. It seemed fitting, so it was not likely that the unfamiliar Enkidukai was lying; but a prisoner of the temple? That struck Valfaran as odd. For what terrible reasons would the clergy hold a rankless vagabond prisoner? They were not likely on the side of those who had previously pursued Rhuarhii, otherwise they would not treat her as a novice.

Through all these puzzled thoughts, the last few sentences spoken by Rhuarhii were barely heard by the sable Enkidkuai. When they did sink in, Valfaran lifted her eyebrows slightly in surprised and somewhat cynical amusement, and sheathed her blades with a quick twirl of the wrists.
\"A mercenary I am not, but it would be unwise to doubt my experience.\"

While speaking these words, Valfaran fixed Rhuarhii with a strange gaze, with eyes full of the sort of wisdom forced upon one by circumstance rather than choice.

[Riune]

Rhuarhii was shorter than Valfaran, who seemed just a touch taller than most enkiduaki, and for most, this would have been a very imposing scene, being stared down by an apparently blood-hardened warrior who was a lot more skilled.

Rhuarhii held the enkidukai\'s cold gaze for several moments, a tribute to her pride and, however brash, bravery. But in the end, the enkidukai broke the glance and looked the other up and down.

\"Ah\'m glad ya ain\'t no mercenary. Ah was not question\'n yahs as much as Ah was testin\' yahs. An\' fer tha mos\' part, Ah\'d say yah passed.\" Rhuarhii held out her hand in a friendly matter; well, minus the tiny blade clenched by whitened knuckles.

\"Whoops! Wrong \'and!\" Rhuarhii quickly retracted the hand, dropping the small kitchen knife back into the bell sleeve of her robe, and held it out once more, a disarming grin on her face.

[Riune]

((It will probably be a few days before I can post again, (unless by some miracle I get a chance tomorrow) since I\'m going to be driving across country once more, and I\'ll have very limited access to a computer, much less the internet. >.< When I get back home, (Maybe the 9th or tenth?) it will take a day or so to get settled back in...I\'ll try to peek on the board and post when I can, however. It\'s on the high-priority list. ^.^

So go ahead and play with Rhuarhii how ever you want, I\'m not paranoid about anyone screwing up her behavior/personality stuff, since I haven\'t really developed her. You can adopt her as your own char for the next few days if you want, and I can pick up where you leave off. ))

[Riune]

(Home not-so-sweet home! Waah! I return to find my computer infested with my sister\'s MP3 files, and that I have a new SONY Multiscan15sf monitor...a touch larger than my eeevil forgotwhatitwasitwassoold- and it doesn\'t have a rounded screen, and the color is a bit nicer...which means happier graphics! *yay!* Anywhoo- in short, I have returned, hopefully for a while.)

[Valfaran]

(Sorry for the delay in my response...summer school just started, along with another series of unfortunate events. I\'m sorry about your sister\'s MP3\'s, they are a tragic waste of hard drive memory  ;(   But the new monitor seems like good compensation.)

If not for the possible consequences, Valfaran might have backed down in respect for the Rhuarhii\'s resolve. Before she could get past her hesitation, however, the other Enkidukai broke her gaze and spoke once again.

Valfaran found it strange to once again hear the voice of another of the cat-folk. This one almost reminded her of one she knew in her old village, with a slightly similar speech inflection. The sable Enkidukai was surprised that Rhuarhii admitted the fact that she was testing, and was doubly so when the otherwise benignly proffered hand was revealed to be clutching a crude blade.

Taking an involuntary step back, Valfaran\'s hand gripped the hilt of her right-hand blade, Kith\'neo, while her other hand hovered readily over her left-hand blade, Kith\'nek. \"Wrong hand indeed,\" came the somewhat cynical reply. There had been something strange about this Enkidukai; Valfaran\'s first instinct was distrust. On the other hand, she thought, would I not do the same in such a postition? Another part of the sable female was beginning to take a liking to this stranger, if not somewhat grudgingly against her instinctive nature.

With a short sigh, Valfaran forced herself to relax, and crossed her arms decisively. \"I cannot say I trust you,\" she murmured, \"but the enemy, you are not, I am sure.\" After a pause, she clasped Rhuarhii\'s outstretched hand, and though her mouth did not move, there was a certain amount of respect in her eyes and the way she set her jaw. \"I offer you my assistance in whatever your endeavors may be.\"

[Riune]

((I\'m sooooo sorry for not replying soon! In short, I managed to go through a glass door and now have eight stitches in my arm, in short, typing was banned for at least a day or two. (I am now typing \"illegaly\") Hopefully all will settle soon.))

While the enkidukai spoke, Rhuarhii\'s eyes watched Valfaran\'s hands linger on the pommels of her blades, but made no motion or speech indicating that she was doing so other than the quick glance.

\"Aye, yahs a smart u\'n, neither do Ah, trus\' muhself, tha\' is. An\' iffin yah tru\'lee are ta assist meh in whoteva Ah choose ta endevah in..\" She paused, her eyes once more flicking down to the blades, then up at the other\'s garb.

\"Ah\'ve a\'ready got a request. Firs\' off, Ah want ta git me some decent clothin\' an git out on tha streets- where Ah kin figger out whot tha in Laanx\'s arse is goin\' on \'round \'ere.\" Rhuarhii tugged at the huge sleeves of her robes, staring down at the soft yellow fabric in dismay.


\"Bu\' Ah want this ta go real quiet li\'e, see? Ah fancy \'angin\' \'round fer a bit more, simply so Ah kin git free bed\'n\' board. No ta mention an eddycation in tha Arts o\' magic.\"

Upon her countanence a slow, slightly wicked and fully mischevious grin drew across her face, as curtain on stage, and one bright eye winked impishly.

\"As one Enkidukai to another, are yah in fer \'elpin\' meh?\"

[Riune]

((Rah! I can type now. ^.^ The pain is minimal, and so all is good- and typing is fine. ^.^ Hope to see you post soon!))

[Valfaran]

((I beg of you forgiveness for my lengthy absence! But, alas, I have been grounded off the computer for these many weeks!))

Mischief glittering brightly in her slightly narrowed eyes, Valfaran pulled down the corners of her mouth in the most subtle of grins. \"I\'ll help you. Just follow me.\"

Taking a quick glance down the hall, she made her way for the stairwell, not bothering to check whether the other was following or not. Padding quietly down the upper hall, Valfaran stopped abruptly in front of a bare wall and withdrew a slim, hooked metal bar from a pouch at her side. She placed it between her teeth and grabbed the nearest rafter, swinging herself up with practiced ease. With only a moments hesitation, she glanced briefly downwards and slipped the bar between two warped wallboards in front of her. Turning it ninety degrees, she tugged on the tool gently and a part of the wooden wall section swung slightly out towards the enkidukai from the bottom, then back inwards, revealing a hidden chamber in the space between the roof and the main building.

\"Laanx\'s followers had the right ideas, but they weren\'t the greatest architects. There are all sorts of gaps and hidden rooms that were closed off because they weren\'t part of the main design of the building,\" she explained. The small space was cozy and well lived-in, though one needed to bend over slightly to keep from hitting one\'s head on the low ceiling. A rush mat, a small table, and a wooden chest provided bare furnishings. Strewn about and pinned to the walls, however, were numerous maps of different places, mostly of the Labyrinth, some signed Quelnao at the bottom, others signed with Valfaran\'s own name.

With a sigh, she turned to see if the other Enkidukai had even followed. There was no turning back now.