Log View

Source	Contents
Misa	To call this particular place part of Great Forks would be decidedly generous to the reach of that grand city- to presume they in power care much for anything beyond the drug fields, likely outright foolishness. Which makes it a remarkably easy region for people and places to be forgotten- lost to time or the elements. Fortunately, the latter has not entirely happened here. It was a shrine, once- a small temple to a little god of constructive conflict- the idea of self-improvement through trial and the excisement of the least useful parts of the self. As these things tend to go, this god came into overmuch conflict some decades or even a century ago, and was ousted from their place in the celestial hierarchy. The position is yet vacant. However, the small structure hidden in a small forest to the west and south of Great Forks proper remains mostly intact- if somewhat overgrown. Nestled against the far banks of the smaller river of the titular Forks, it would almost be called cozy if actually cared for. It's also not *overly* out of the way for a traveller on their way -to- Great Forks itself. There are signs, here and there, of one traveller or another taking shelter here. They are, however, being removed- a woman with the appearance of a Lookshyan, a trio of swords arranged in various places in her belted sash, is quietly going about the business of discarding or at least organizing the leftovers of years of disuse, focusing for now on the things quite literally laying about.
Wandering Kela	It's not often that lone travelers walk the roads around here, and even rarer still that one might pick anything but the largest trade routes following the river, if not riding on the barges themselves. There's a few reasons for this--it's slow, exhausting, there might be bandits...but still, every once in a while, someone might try it. At least in this young woman's case, she might be able to handle it. She's not trying to walk fast, but shhe honestly looks like she could walk all day without complaint. She has fairly nice clothing under the road dust, and a whittled branch as a walking stick. Her curly black hair is pinned behind her head, still falling down to her shoulders, and while she's not bad looking, she's no fairy queen. She looks rugged and capable, with a sheen of sweat from the sun but no heavy breathing at all. At seeing the shrine, and the woman working diligently there, the traveler gets an openly curious look on her face. Without a concern in the world, she shifts her trajectory to some small degree and heads towards the shrine.
Misa	It's far from over, the task of cleaning up this ancient structure- for instance, there may be construction work if one were to want, say, a door. Still, the woman works silently and dutifully- once the scraps of blankets and discarded, broken weapons are set aside in one tidy pile, she stands before one of the walls overgrown with vines and moss and all manner of other things. A moment later, the vines fall from the wall in question- the longest of her swords, gently curved, is in her left hand, having drawn and cut the vines from where they hung off the roof in one swift motion. Nary a scratch on the wall itself, even. A moment after, she turns her head- sharp ears, it seems, to hear the casual approach amidst the falling vegetation and sounds of the surrounding woods. She says nothing, for the moment- just twirls her sword about in her hand and sheathes it smoothly before bowing her head to the oncomers.
Wandering Kela	There's a long pause as the traveler finally reaches a close enough distance to be able to speak without raising her voice. She just looks thoughtful for a long, awkward moment before letting her studiously neutral face break out in an small, even smile. "Sorry if I'm buggin' ya," she says. Her voice is forthright, her demeanor unafraid. "But whoever you are, it looks like you could use a hand." Her grin widens, showing teeth too even and white for a peasant. "And as it happens, I got two of them. And you, I'm guessing, might know a bit about hunting around here, or at least have some food. Trade you a day's work for supper, and maybe a chat if you're lucky." She laughs.
Misa	There's not much motion of concern or such from Misa- really not much motion at all, she's remarkably still at rest. "You are welcome to come- though there is not much of interest here for the moment. I am hardly a hunter, but well supplied enough. You may also find I am not a thrilling conversationalist," she answers, with a wry smile accompanying the last statement. From there, she quite simply kneels down to collect up the fallen vegetation and begin to carry it off to the treeline.
Wandering Kela	"Yeah, well," the traveler responds, "I've been on the road a while, and frankly bored to tears. Anything's better than nothing." She frowns thoughtfully, looking at Misa with a shrewd eye, a penetrating look that was missing the first time she spoke. "Then again, maybe we'll have something to talk about after all," she murmurs half to herself. "Anyway. You can call me Mmmm...er, Kela. Wandering Kela if you need a more full name." Without waiting further, Kela picks up more of the detritus from the shrine--more than half the broken weapons--and lets Misa take the lead.
Misa	She's fairly average in raw strength, this Lookshyan, but seems not at all wearied by the couple of hours of work it appears has been done so far. The weapons and such she has a pile for near the treeline- while she herself steps past the line to spread the vegetation out among the trees, out of the way of the walkable areas to presumably break down naturally in some fashion. "You might call me Misa," she answers in turn- her natural voice is quiet, but carries well enough for the most part. She moves quickly and efficiently, however when she returns to the building she begins to climb to the roof- apparently being satisfied with the release of some anchoring vines- to start forcing off the overgrowth there. "Though if you have some notion of something to discuss- perhaps Lookshy or Nexus? If I am not mistaken that road suggests you came from west of here."
Wandering Kela	Whoever Kela is, she is clearly no stranger to hard work. She has a touch of a smile on her face, even, as she's going about helping Misa with whatever task either clearly needs doing, or Misa asks her to do. And she does it without a hint of complaint. She may not be as fast or graceful as Misa, but she's strong, tough, and athletic--well suited to tasks Misa isn't, and vice versa. "Oh, I haven't had a chance to visit Lookshy. I hear tell they're skilled warriors. I wouldn't mind sparring against one someday." She gives Misa a speculative look, but doesn't quite come out and say what she's clearly thinking. Instead, she grins and hoists a load of cut vines over one shoulder. Nexus...I was only there briefly. I nearly got rolled -twice- looking for caravan passage before one of the kind souls directed me to a better part of town where the caravans left." She chuckles. "He told me in between tries at fixing his bloody nose. But the caravan covered most of my trip here, so I can't complain."
Misa	"Well, I would use the term soldier before warrior," muses Misa of Lookshy, shrugging slightly. "It is very much a military moreso than a... warband, or what you might call it. More focused on the legion than the glory or what have you." There's any number of minor things to do- including at one point the moment of consideration from Misa before lighting a fire under a wasp nest in a corner of the indoor segment to smoke it out before removal- a fact Misa seems not especially happy about. "I cannot say I have spent much time in Nexus- though certainly it might limit the duller moments of life to spend time there."
Wandering Kela	Kela nods thoughtfully in understanding. "Warband. Sworn Kinship. Wyld Hunt. I've met my share of people who thought of 'me' more than 'we'." Her expression turns a bit darker, melancholy. "And those who I think might have taken it a bit too far the other way. Maybe." She sighs as she steps out of the indoor area, letting the burning smoke by her. "I'm sure not all of Nexus is completely violent." She chuckles wryly. "Just the part I went looking for a caravan in. It figures." Kela leans against a stone wall as the pair finally slow down their work, not much to do until the smoke starts to clear. "The thing about soldiers, though, is they need other soldiers to stand shoulder to shoulder with, don't they? Yet you're alone, and clearly well trained. I can see the use of the dual blades in how you move. Steel Devil, I think, rather than Fire Dragon? Although there's something else...I don't know. Harder to pinpoint. You're interesting."
Misa	Misa stands just slightly off to the side of the door as the smoke does its work, arms crossed idly as she watches the progress. "A curious place, at any rate," she muses, though whether it refers to Nexus or Lookshy is uncertain. A brow raises as Kela pontificates upon martial arts, and she looks over at the other woman curiously. "You would be correct- I was never given to learn the arts of Princes of the earth. I learned some of the sword as a child and adolescent from my family- the Steel Devil style you sorted out I learned more locally when a woman saved my life and aided me in the days that followed."
Wandering Kela	Kela nods in understanding. She crosses her arms, still leaning against the stone, and contemplates for a few moments. "I've held a blade in hand, growing up I did a lot of my training without one, too." She smiles wryly. "Always had to be me, I guess. But I was decent enough even then that I was allowed to keep working at it." Her smile turns sly for a moment--there's a good deal she's not telling, clearly. "I never did practice much with the dual blade, though I suppose if I'd wanted to learn that it would not have been hard to convince...well, my family. My sifu, that is a different and harsher story." Kela smiles and nods at the story of the other woman. "Well, I'm just as well pleased she saved you. At the very least, I'd be far more bored right now." She chuckles. "Perhaps a bit less tired, though. I -had- been walking most of the day when I saw you. Mayhap now's a good time to sit and eat."
Misa	Misa nods a simple agreement, and in rather little time she's started a secondary, outdoor fire. She eats simply it seems, appropriate for the road if, perhaps, far from luxurious. Simple dried meats and buns that keep well, though for the enterprising there is a berry or two available amidst the trees. "My apologies. This place has gone... long unclaimed. It seemed an appropriate place to restore and settle into for a time. Try to perhaps attract a student or two- enough to warrant challengers and detractors, keep one's abilities fresh and growing and all that."
Wandering Kela	"Hey, I'm the one that asked you. It's fine. Regular five course meal compared to plain ass rice. Every. Single. Day. You have no idea." She chuckles quietly and digs in. Kela listens quietly as Misa describes her plan for the shrine. She slowly nods. "A dojo of sorts, then. I admit, I generally go unarmed, but I like that idea. I..." She pauses, thinking as she takes a bite. "I work -hard-, I'm sure you can guess. I'd like to master as much as I can, with the time I have. It sounds like we train in...different directions...but still, I might stop back by here at some point." She grins and looks towards the city. "I do have other things I have to do. But there's something...relaxing...about doing this with...just perfection in mind. No agenda, no, no..." She sighs. "No -nonsense-."
Misa	A faint, wry smile from Misa again. "Oh, in my experience, nonsense has a way of finding those who do well in combat pursuits. If not from eager opponents, then from those who would ask one's aid. Though I rarely find cause to rebuff either, in these days." She shrugs that off a little, settling into a cross-legged seating position. "I did have suspicions, and considering your comments earlier- earth dragon style, I presume? Perhaps another method picked up on the road as well?"
Wandering Kela	"You're good," Kela replies, nodding in reply. "Earth Dragon is not the easiest style to pick up from someone's movements, to be honest. It derives power from -not- moving around too much, in a way, though that doesn't mean I have to duck punches with my face." She chuckles. But I may have something else under the belt too...partly when I was younger, with a reminder, and polishing, on the way here. Tiger does not wait for the opponent to come to you, unlike the Earth Dragon." She finishes up a bun, then looks at Misa curiously. I admit I'm just looking forward to a nap, but maybe tomorrow, you want to spar a little?"
Misa	"I must confess I have little in the way of practice weapons here just yet- but can certainly improvise with something from the woods here I am certain. So I would be open to that, yes," Misa muses, shrugging a little. She then nods a little. "Truth be told I do some investigating as a profession. I pick things up from the conversation as much as any movements or such. But by all means, I appreciate your help and you are welcome to be on your way as you were "
Wandering Kela	Kela chuckles in a self-deprecating sort of way at the mention of an investigator. She's finishing off a skin of water, smiling and shaking her head. "Heh. Should have known. Trying to be less than...oh, say, completely obvious, and the very first person before I even get to the city is a professional investigator. I'm glad the dragons are entertained with tormenting me." Kela stretches and tips her head back, leaning against the stone. "On the other hand, the rooster crows and I can -still sleep-. You have no idea how amazing that is. Or...well, maybe you do."