The Stag and Lion [Open]

Subject: The Stag and Lion [Open] Mon Dec 07, 2009 9:52 pm

The Horse clacked quietly on the cobblestone road leading into the Hidden Grass Village, atop a tall black stallion sat Balmung Manin; his first time returning after his long journey. He sat in his armor, dirty and tainted from his journey, his cloak held many cuts and badly re-sewn parts in an attempted repair of the cloth. Balmung looked tired and had large grey rings under his eyes, he sat slumped in his saddle, around him several saddle bags, along with a blanket roll and several other things like a water skin. The sight of Grass Village brought a bit of a smile to his face but other then that nothing had changed his mood; sullen. Taking a heavy sigh he passed through the gates, Avin stood atop the gatehouse, he was a trusted member of the village set to guard the gates.

"It's too late an hour for the gates to be opened, go around to the Whitewater-" he stopped as Balmung tipped his head up and his horse took a step backwards. "Oh! Its you! Stay there I'm coming! I'm Coming!" His head ducked below the wall and within a few moments the gate creaked open.
"Thanks Friend." Balmung said leading his horse through with a shake of the stallions head. Avin grinned and closed the gate behind him and Balmung flipped him a silver penny bringing a grin to his face as he moved back to the gate house, grinning and polishing the penny. Balmung dismounted and took his stallion, Harbringer, by the reins leading it down the road. It looked the same as he left it; homes on the left and right all looking the same. He moved over to what appeared to be a gate pulling out a small dagger he shoved the latch open, clearly only meant to be opened from the other side and continued to lead Harbringer in. Within a second or two a stableboy ran over,
"Hey! You're not allowed through there! You need to go around Front!" the boy said looking exasperated by the sight of Balmung, the heavy wooden door behind him pushed open.
"No need Dese. He's a known guest." The Inn keeper said, "Haven't seen you in a while Balmung. You're not looking so good, come in I'll have a room and a hot bath set up for you right away. Times have been hard here so it might be a minute, the whole long winter has brought a ton of farmers in from the fields and are staying here- why look at me, rambling while you stand out in the cold, Come in come in!" The Inn keeper said motioning Balmung in, the two entered through the door and Balmung's armored foot stepped heavily on the wooden floor. The same sullen look was held on his face.

A few seconds later a man appeared and began to lead him down a hallway attempting to get some news out of him Balmung asked several questions but the man couldn't put two words together other then "Your accent is funny." All questions were gone as he entered the bath, several copper tubs sat around a tiled floor tilted towards the middle where a drain was and around the pots were large towels, a bar of soap and a fire with a black kettle full of hot water. Ara, the guide, began to fill a tub and Balmung shooed him off with a hand gesture saying he could take it from here. Despite Ara's protests he left the room and Balmung closed the door behind him, shedding his armor and clothing and filling a tub. The water was hot and he slipped into the tub, steamy water encircling him. No noise was heard from the room other then the occasional sigh from joints relaxing and what seemed a everlasting chill to Balmung's bones dispersed from his body.

After an hour or so of soaking Balmung dried off and adorned new clothing that was left on a stool when he wasn't looking. He buttoned up the shirt and stretched his arms stepping out of the misty room into the hallway, the cold hit him pretty quick but the smell of food and sake filled the air as he stepped into the common room, a large crowd of people sat inside laughing and quietly chattering about themselves. The Innkeepers wife, quickly brought Balmung some mutton, beef broth and some warm bread, he nodded his thanks and began to eat by himself, sitting silently in a corner of the common room, the sullenness of his face was lessened by the bath but he still held the look as he ate. Subsequently, a large "hoorah!" was unanimously shouted from several of the people in the room, Balmung glanced up from his meal and saw a gleeman enter the room, doing flips and juggling balls between his hands in a rapid manner, he let out a small smile at it but said nothing, continuing to eat the sullen look back on his face.

Home. So much has changed, yet so little. He thought quietly, munching on the warm bread as the Innkeepers wife brought him some sake and another serving of beef broth. He watched out of the corner of his eye the gleeman begin to tell tales and play the harp. As well as some other things, his look remained the same still. Guess you couldn't say much however; performances occurred often here, this was "The Stag and the Lion."

Subject: Re: The Stag and Lion [Open] Thu Dec 17, 2009 8:30 pm

The breeze was soft, the sweet winds caressing her flushed skin. It sent shivers down her spine, each vertebrae vibrating blissfully with the intoxicating sensation. It had been some time since the young women had given herself a break from reality, and as she walked along the stone carved path, she allowed her blue eyes to flutter close. For a moment she stood still, her breath a slow, shallow inhale. She held the oxygen within her lungs, the sensation of swaying with the element itself making her dizzy with feeling. Softly, she exhaled in a sigh, the wind once again taking control of the diluted carbon and returning it back into the atmosphere. Just for a small moment she had felt the world stop, but as she opened her eyes, the reality of life hit her hard and it continued, just like she did.

Beginning to walk again, she continued on the path, her eyes raised to the sky as she wandered aimlessly. There was no direct direction she was travelling, but instead, the woman listened to her feet and strode. The feel of hard concrete beneath her boots clacked quietly, the woman automatically sending chakra to her noisy appendage out of habit. It was nice, this quiet peace surrounding her.

As she continued her late night walk, the woman drew unconsciously closer to the sounds of a fine time. She heard the laughter and music, the happy tones humming in her eyes. Intoxicated by curiousity, she wandered closer to the inn, her eyes roaming the area cautiously. Vi had seen the place often, the crowded rooms and noisy laughter indicators that the place was a well known haunt, yet she had never felt the urge to go in. Her eyes widened, a sudden urge to cross the threshold eating at her. Deducing the pros and cons of entering, she smiled. This was a night of wonder and mystery, why not go ahead with it?

Walking in, it took a moment for her blue orbs to adjust to the dim lighting, the pupils dilating and resizing to allow the proper amount of light in. Clearly interested, the woman scanned the room automatically, locating possible threats, allies and weapons. Having grown up with the experience to use whatever you could to survive, she didn’t take this place lightly, even if every single person was smiling.

Except for one, She noted with a frown, her eyes focusing on him. Average in structure, the youth held himself with a mature grace. The melancholy aura that surrounded him disturbed the woman, and yet, she felt that she had seen him before. She noted almost unceremoniously that he was a shinobi, and from what she could see, he fit in well, appearing to know the surroundings allowing her to deduce he was a local, or travelled her often. Taking another look around, she searched for any other familiar faces but found none. So taking a step forward, Vivi changed direction and began making her way over to the pale haired man.

“Hello,” she said quietly, her melancholic voice lilting, “We’ve met before haven’t we?”

Subject: Re: The Stag and Lion [Open] Fri Dec 18, 2009 4:56 pm

The air was cooled by a slight opening of the front door to the Inn as people began to flock in, releasing in calm quiet bursts of cool air. None looked different then the rest, they all seemed to have the same look as everyone else; the average citizen. All but one, a female, tall and well toned for a village woman. She was glancing around the room for a moment, then made her way towards his table. As she spoke, he looked up silently, her words were friendly in a manner. He ran his eyes over her in an analytical manner. "Have A seat, And perhaps. It has been long since I roamed these streets." He said gently, almost as if the wind was speaking instead of him. He paused for a moment, he realized that he was not dressed in his usual manner. Instead of White and Silver armor gleaming from him, pale colored clothes that had seen too many washings were on him. A pale long sleeved red shirt sleeves rolled up to the forearms and plain brown pants, a little rugged at the ends of them they both had obviously seen better days. In contrast with his violet white hair the outfit looked odd on him.

He stood then, his chair creaking across the floor as he did, and took a small bow but even so it appeared that his soul went into it.

"Captain Balmung Manin of the White Hand. May the light shine on you." He said putting his fist to his heart and finishing the bow. The Children of the Light. A name long forgotten among these walls but they're power well known. Most tended to be stubborn with a sense of dignity which most people didn't agree with. Many were not aligned to any specific village and became a traveling band of men, the few that remained were generally in those bands. Fewer still, were the Children Ninja, Balmung a rare exception indeed. The children's task was simple, to maintain peace and order against forces of unknown origin, most times forces that they deemed evil. These people would be known as Darkfriends, their name explaining their situation. Some knew this, others did not, the Children were sometimes admired but more times disliked for interfering in affairs which didn't regard them.

Balmung retook his seat then, pulling the chair behind him back to the table and taking another drink of his sake. He did not know her purpose, but see seemed odd around these townsfolk, perhaps she was something; a darkfriend? He doubted that greatly, most darkfriends wouldn't confront a Child, most could feel their light. A Ninja perhaps, who knew if she was good or bad? Maybe a traveler, coming from someplace far. He put his hands on the table crossing their forearms and tilted his head at her, quite the conundrum. A maid came over quickly and whispered into his ear, "Your things are washed, they are in your Room." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand and thanked her before she left, then turned his attention back to the woman, his violet eyes reading, calculating.

The gleeman's crowd was growing silent now as he began to speak, telling of some legend of the Hunt for the Horn, other stories too, Balmung was half-listening to what he was saying, most of his attention on the woman before him though. The crowd was silent and pushing for seats up close to the gleeman, his hands being used to help tell his story and explain it all, he never faltered in his speech, pausing only to breath or take a puff from his pipe. He spoke like glazed honey, slow but ever so sweet, and everyone else besides the two sitting across from each other, had their full attention on the gleeman.

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