[Open] I was totin' my pack

[windandrain]

Who: Saori Kimura and Open to Anyone
What: Curious about the outside world (and sick of the desert), Saori grabs some things and decides to head out.
Where: Silverglen Retreat, maybe elsewhere?
When: Early April
Warnings: Possible swearing? Maybe violence? Possible dead bears, as well.



A) Amber Sanctum: For Bronze Dragonsworn

[Saori, tired of sitting in caves or working out under the lone raincloud, gathers up a few things from the open armory and heads towards one of the portals out of the Sanctum. With a bow for a walking stick, a sturdy hooded outfit of light leather, and sword at her waist, she might resemble a wandering monk instead of a proper priest. However, she'd grabbed a change in case it was necessary, hoping that the dragons wouldn't mind her taking an extra. Any Bronzesworn who approach are greeted with a smile, and she'll be happy to have company as she goes out to explore so feel free to catch her. Warnings of danger she's ignoring for the moment, as there's the lure of wetter climates, chances to gain more mastery over her new powers, old friends she must find, and a whole new world to see...]

B) Silverglen Retreat settlement and the surrounding forest: Open to All

[Once she's found her way into the settlement, Saori makes her way around the entire village, mentally mapping it out. Market stalls, shops, a smithy, and the local inns are all memorized and checked out. She'll poke her head into a few of them, especially if she sees anyone that looks Dragonsworn, but otherwise keeps on her little circuit. After a while, she'll probably attempt to barter for supplies with some of the baubles that were on her when she arrived before going out into the forest. She'll be happy to stop and talk to anyone who seems even slightly friendly. Or who just looks out of place, too.

Out in the forest, the adventurous goddess puts the skills she'd learned as a child to good use, tracking game and bringing it down with her bow or some of the other tools at her disposal. She also begins to practice some of the magic she's been granted in earnest, hunting with lightning, light or shadow for food and barter materials. If she spots a familiar plant, she might even grab that up too. You can find her standing over the smoldering corpse of a dead bear, trying to kill a giant spider, roasting meat by a small cookfire, or maybe even setting up a camp in a secluded area as the shadows grow long. Approach as desired, she may even share her nomnoms with you, if you ask nicely! After all, we're all in this together!]

Comments

[misterbrief]

[He's made his way to the smithy, to look at swords and see if there's anything better he could get his hands on. Or anything that felt better to carry. He's clad in mostly leather, but he's made sure he could get a breastplate of some kind as close to his Saiyan armor as he could find, worn on the outside of the leather. As long as it didn't jangle while he was walking, it would do. He's picking up swords and testing them out, not satisfied with most of what he's tried to this point.

Frustrated, he puts it back, picking up another one. He swings it without really caring if anyone was near him or not, if they get hacked it's their own fault for not staying away from him and he couldn't care less if they lost a head or an arm.]

Geez, jerk!

[windandrain]

[She'd just poked her head into the building, barely cracking the door when the sword whistles by Saori's head. It's dangerously close to her ear, and she yelps and pulls back quickly. Scowling she flings open the door this time, letting it thunk against the wall heavily as she enters, ready to call up a shield and berate whoever it was that'd done that.

Only, as she enters, she stops dead in her tracks. Relief at seeing who it is begins brawling with anger at how stupid he's being, and she just glares at him. When she finally says something, her voice is heavy with sarcasm.]

I thought I'd taught you better than that.

SORRY

[misterbrief]

[He stops swinging the sword at the sound of the door slamming open, turning around with a small look of surprise. He too is completely relieved at who stood before him, the sword lowering as he turned until...she glares at him and scolds him!]

Hey! [His eyes flash with anger.] There's nothing wrong with what I'm doing, I'm trying to decide if this will work out or not. Don't you get on me on how I decide to do it.

Yew better be

[windandrain]

[She rolls her eyes, somewhat exasperated, but stepping closer all the same. Her annoyed expression melts into fondness, and she shrugs. No harm done.]

You don't swing it at a door that could open, you know. But as you like.

[She eyes the way he holds it and shakes her head.]

That sword won't do. It's too heavy, I can see how your wrist is straining slightly. You'll tire faster, unless you use two hands.

[misterbrief]

[He glances down at the sword, sneers, and then returns it to the wall where he found it. Turning back toward her, he sets his hand on his hip, looking irritated at both the fact that he still hasn't found another piece of weaponry that he liked and because she basically told him he was being dumb.]

Well then, Ms. Know-It-All, what would you suggest.

[windandrain]

[She looks over the racks, ignoring the smith who's clearly baffled, and the sneer, and selects a slightly thinner sword from a stack. Hefting it, she nods and offers it to him.]

This one is just as long, but the blade isn't quite so thick. Try this one.

[misterbrief]

[He takes it grumpily, giving it a couple of good swings. It was easier, but he's still having a little bit of difficulty with it.]

It's too long. I'm not a behemoth, you know. [He hands it back to her.]

[windandrain]

No, you're not.

[She picks a slightly shorter one, replacing the first. It's probably the best fit in this small shop, as far as she can see.]

That's likely the closest fit we'll find here. Did your...dragons...not provide you with a sword?

[misterbrief]

They did. [He points to the piece of metal hanging at his side.] But I wanted another. If I lose one, I don't want to be without a backup.

[And then begins to test this one out. It's not exactly what he wants either, but it'll do.]

[windandrain]

[She nods approvingly. It's not too long, it's not too heavy. Maybe not his style, but it works.]

Fair. That's why I took what I did. [She nods to the bow she'd set against the wall.] There wasn't much where I was staying, but weapons weren't in short supply at least.

[And then she smiles, letting her relief show.]

I'm glad to see you, my friend.

[misterbrief]

[He grabs the sheath off the wall, attaching that to his belt on his other side as his face only turns the lightest shade of pink.]

Yeah, yeah. [He's happy to see her too.] We're in one piece, that's all that matters. And they even let me out of the sanctum without a fight.

[windandrain]

We are. I wasn't sure if I'd have to fight my way clear, too.

[Pausing, she raises a finger, asking him to wait just a moment as she nods towards the smith, who's rubbing his hands and waiting for some sort of payment and reaches into her pack, passing over something small and gleaming that seems to shock him. He jabbers something in a language she doesn't know, and she waves a hand with a laugh, pointing to a small hand-ax on the wall, miming taking it. The smith nods and pulls it down, along with a pair of knives she also points to. Testing their weight, she nods again and bows.]

Now, there, it's all paid for. [She smiles back at Vegeta] I felt you touching the locket. Thank you, it was a help.

[misterbrief]

[He was just going to leave without paying. Guess he can come back to this smith later without problems now though. However, mentioning the locket makes him turn really red and he turns his back to her so she can't see, because he knows he's blushing.]

You asked me to so I did. Though given the circumstances, I probably didn't even need to.

Silverglen

[of_the_lake]

[Berserker's remastery of his own powers had been slow, but he had been exceptionally quiet about their utilization. He found a quiet place hidden from parts of the sanctum in a fracture of time, practicing his swordsmanship at the expense of the sands. Wherever he trained, the sands seemed to pile much differently, the force of his regained strength showing with each passing day.

When he returned to the lake, he had put his helm back on, his body now fully obscured as his ability to mask his identity had come back considerably more. Though, as he sat down the same way he had done on a daily basis, Berserker found himself impatient. Even a man resigned to his own suffering could get bored with his punishment. Standing up, he made his way towards the portal. He had yet to see it--what was beyond the sanctum, but... he wasn't exactly longing to remain ignorant of his future battlefield.]

[windandrain]

[Saori had barely bothered keeping track of the hulking knight, or anyone else in the sanctum except perhaps the Doctor...who was the easiest of the others to talk to, so it wasn't really all that troubling that Berserker had disappeared for a time. She'd been busy with her own retraining, as well.

Now, that doesn't mean she's going to ignore the knight when she sees him walking through one of the many glades outside the sanctum. She's not quite made it to the settlement yet, but she'll swerve off to approach, calling out to him.]

Hello, Berserker. Decided to leave our scaly hosts as well, did you?

[of_the_lake]

There's only so much sand and sun that one can tolerate. 'Madness' is inherent in my framework, but monotony is not.

[So, he could be snide, too. Berserker's presence in the forest wasn't quite welcomed, though. The darkness that constantly wrapped around him seemed to be pushing beams of light coming down from the treetops away, bending them so he couldn't possibly become illuminated.]

[windandrain]

[A curious phenomenon, certainly, but not one she finds all that odd. The company of many in her family is just as dark and there's nothing inherently wrong with shadows.]

My thoughts exactly. Honestly, I don't know what they thought we'd do. The very nature of their sanctum is lethal to my kind, and I'm not about to stay there any longer than I have to.

[She gestures all around them, at the greenery, the animals, the shade, and the blessed moisture, laughing slightly.]

It's like this forest has everything our 'sanctuary' lacks. And by the look of it, there may even be some good hunting to be had. Perhaps even some of those demons.

[of_the_lake]

I've noticed. Though, I don't believe the Aspect of Time would appreciate it much. He seemed to favor sand--as it's likely a reminder of the dust that comes after death.

[Poetic, but still morbid and depressing.]

Still, sand does not befit you at all. [What with rain being an aspect of life.]

[windandrain]

I cannot disagree with you there, not in the slightest. My kind were never meant for such places, and they do not exist in our lands.

[Airily, she twirls about, reveling in the sights and smells of the foliage around them. Berserker's morbidity can do little to dampen her spirit now that she's finally out of that dusty hole. It's like a new life, and like she can breathe easy at last.]

But it seems equally ill-suited for a knight, I feel. Surely it must've found ways into your armor, as unnecessarily irritating as the Aspect of Time himself.

[of_the_lake]

[There's a strike of surprise in Berserker's eyes, though fortunately they remain closed off by means of the black mist. He turned, slowly enough, looking to the treetops. There was still light coming through, but the atmosphere it created was the important part. This place was nearly a 'home' because it had a roof. Within, there was warmth and affection being showered down on everyone by the environment itself.]

There is a down-side to all places. I cannot truly be bothered by one or the other.

[windandrain]

Not all, and not for some. A matter of perspective, at least. I'm sure all manner of reptiles find the desert to be quite hospitable. [She laughs softly, stepping a bit closer and pulling down her hood.]

And surely you'd prefer not to be uncomfortable, bothered by it or not. [Her eyes flit towards the distant settlement now, curious.]

Have you been to the town yet?

[of_the_lake]

I haven't. [Nor would he ever go, at least willingly. Berserker was already at his capacity when it came to social interaction and he was even past his quota.]

I would not be welcomed in such a place, considering my own state.

[windandrain]

[His state is no different than others she calls friend or family. Darkness is not inherently evil, after all, nor is she naturally of the light.]

I don't know. We are supposed to be helping to save this world. I don't think they'd turn you away.

[She hopes not, anyway. She'd rather not live in that sanctum, but a roof might be nice.]

Though if you're right, perhaps they'll deal with me, and I can act as an intermediary for things you might need.

[of_the_lake]

[There was the slightest chuckle from within his armor. Berserker's laugh was anything other than pleasant, at least when it was obscured by the twisted filter his spell put on his armor.]

That would be for the best.

One should not underestimate those too impatient or ignorant to understand what lies before them.

[windandrain]

[The laugh is probably the most offputting thing he's done yet, and though she doesn't react visibly, she's left wondering what it is about that sound that sets her teeth on edge.]

A problem I'm well acquainted with. Too many mortals have proven that to me time and time again for me to think otherwise, but I've not yet given up the hope that somewhere they're capable of not acting like baboons.