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I'm game for short replies like you said before =P
The large form of a fully shifted werewolf walked silently between the ruined buildings of the ancient human suburb, the scent of the early morning dew filling his nose as he trod down grassy paths. His steps were surprisingly light in spite of his great size, and his paws moved almost silently over the ground. It was truly a strange place he had come upon this time, where the artful works of man had been marred, just as they once had marred the artful works of the earth.
The pack at his back was quite light, but still it dug slightly at his shoulders, an unpleasant chafing which he knew to expect after extended periods of exploring with the thing. Still...he appreciated its utility, and did not mind the inconvenience so long as it continued to give him the peace of mind provided by its contents. Approaching a house set slightly lower than the others, where Asmodai's head came up nearly to the second window of a split-story house, the almost eight foot werewolf rose himself to the very tips of his toes to get a peak inside.
Whatever was within was covered over by dusty windows and the slight glare from the early morning glow. Shaking his head, he turned away back into the center of what had once been a backyard. He appreciated the lonesome setting, something he was not accustomed to since setting out with four others over a year ago. Still...as grateful as he was for the tranquility, he didn't think the cost had been worth it.
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W00tie! Finally got round to it. My muse is shot to pieces D:
![[Image: header.jpg]](http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh154/emotasticpickles/header.jpg)
Hel had taken advantage of the silence of the last few days and gone back into the city, looking for a place to try her target practice. Her bow and arrows, along with a dark blue cloak and a couple of knifes on her belt and soon she was parted once more from Styx. He'd given her dry fruit, to eat during the day and her backpack felt light on her shoulders. She found the house easily enough, she'd spotted the backyard a few days ago and the house was good enough target practice. Hel took out a piece of chalk from her pack and drew three concentric circles on the wall of the house. She was ready.
Soon, she became engrossed in her task. With 20 arrows in her quiver and all the time she could wish for, her bow was soon zinging in ther crisp morning air. She would shoot them all, trying to get as close to the centre as possible, then walk across, grab them and go through it again. It helped her think, focus, understand what needed to be done and how. She needed this practice, for there was no guarantee that she could always tackle her opponents with knives. And she did not yet know where Connor was. Hel felt as if she needed Styx to be here. She wanted him to approve of her vigorous training, to see how well she could protect him.
The pressure of it become intense, though, and soon Hel sat down beside her pack and weapon and took out a flask of water. She closed her eyes and let her heart steady itself. It was so quiet here, so peaceful, she could almost drowse and relax. Not that she intended to. There was more practice to be done. Almost gracefully she rose to her feet once more and stretched. She poised her bow and shot, hitting the bull's eye. With a sneer on her face, she picked up the next arrow and proceeded with her training.
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He's a little dishonest here, but it isn't anything harmful. He just wants to come off a certain way to possibly reap some deniability later.
Asmodai heard the thudding as soon as it began, and kept his footsteps quiet on the grass as he moved toward the unexplained noise to investigate. What he discovered was a woman, significantly younger than himself, wearing human cloth and firing a human weapon into one of the ancient domiciles. Tilting his head slightly, he stepped forward into the yard where she stood, expecting that his smell may have already carried her way.
He strode forward, letting his feet make noise in the grass while he was still far enough away that she wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't detected him earlier. She was probably a hunter by trade, though he knew some fighters fought with the weapon she carried...either way, her senses were likely to be honed even beyond the standard for their species. He had his pack and the contents therein, but the last thing he wanted was trouble...but he still needed at least some information on this place.
"Hello there. What is it you're doing with that weird stick?" he said, false ignorance in his eyes and inflecting his voice.
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Light, fast, quick, come on muse!
Hel dropped the bow, took out a knife and turned around in one fluid movement, her eyes glinting and her weapon ready. She looked at the stranger and saw that he too carried a pack and seemed to pose little threat. She relaxed a bit and put the knife away. If he'd wanted to hurt her, he would not have made his presence known. He seemed older than her, but then again, most shifters were older than Hel. He also seemed built for fights, though that did not mean he was a warrior. Indeed, his lack of knowledge about her bow showed that he was quite ignorant. She retrieved it off the ground and walked closer, to show it to him. It's a bow. A human weapon. It shoots those long thin shafts of wood, arrows, into targets. Effective. Have you never seen one? Hel walked back to the quiver and took one out, aimed at her target and shot. It stuck into the house with a thud. A look of satisfaction crossed her features. She turned back to the stranger and said, I am Hel. What's your name?
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A bow. He knew what it was, though he did not himself use one. Watching intently, he saw her plant another arrow into the center of the wall. She was skilled with the weapon, which was interesting and a little worrisome. It was hard to find strings for them, harder still to learn how to make one, so he didn't see a lot of wolves who had them.
"No," he answered, looking with a hint of feigned wonder at the speed and accuracy of the deadly projectile. "Hello Hel..." he paused. That had sounded funny to say, but he went with it after a moment. "My name is Asmodai. I'm not unfamiliar with all human tools, but I haven't seen that one, no. It would be very useful in a hunt. Is that what yours is for?"
He had just come away from a pack of fighters...he didn't want to find a lot of danger here, too. Iskata had made it sound like the only ones who were likely to begin a fight were the coyotes, but he didn't think she'd said there weren't other capable souls around. Perhaps she was packless like he was...he didn't detect the scent of any group of wolves in particular, though.
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La la la, why did it take so long? Assumptions being made, you call if they're right or not
Asmodai. I am pleased to meet you too. Hel considered him for a moment. She leaned the bow against the fence and cocked her head to the side, her hair, tied back, falling over her shoulder. Hunt? Well, one could certainly call it a hunt. It was a weapon designed for killing, that was for sure. She had initially thought she would simply fight with knives and her shifter strength, but now it didn't seem like the case. It was just a new skill. Not that this shifter needed to know. It is, yes. I like hunting without weapons, but when one travels for a long time, and hunger takes over, I simply want to eat. I think you know what I mean.
Hel looked at him intently. He seemed rather strong, something she found strange. If he had no knowledge of weapons, then why did his body belie strength? She moved closer, two steps, her gaze still somewhat thoughtful, her eyes running up and down his form, trying to fathom what kind of trade he was in to. He could make a very good fighter and she could almost feel herself tense at the thought. Someone to practice close combat with... What about you? What do you do when you're not talking to strangers? She smiled at him, a nice smile. Though somehow it didn't seem to reach her eyes.
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It's all good, and your assumptions are right =P
Her answer was satisfactory, though something about her demeanor made him continue to wonder if hunting was all it was for. She seemed to take a special interest in him, sizing him up visually. His body had been honed, and it appeared that she noticed, though her gaze did not have the light of attraction but academic interest. That had strong indications. The smell of iron was in the air, so she carried more than just this bow, as well. Even as she approached him, he made sure to show the proper amount of ease in his posture and facial expression...not cockiness, but the certainty of safety that came with being a big male. Surely she was dangerous, but he was still very large, and it seemed proper that a wolf of his size wouldn't yet be completely on guard unless he was sharp enough to suspect that there was danger lurking beneath the surface. As far as Asmodai was concerned, it would be better if no one was certain that he possessed those instincts yet.
"I have been a vagabond for a long time," he said blithely. "Just traveling mostly. I learned some first aid along the way, and saw many things, but otherwise I haven't done a lot that is of interest." That was, of course, excluding the events that had let to the fang marks on his arm, and the events before that which had led the acquisition of the knife hidden in his pack. Nevertheless, nothing about his person, even the old scars across his belly, gave anything away definitely, though a trained eye would be right to be suspicious.
"So...I don't smell a pack scent on you, or at least...not the scent of many wolves from your own. Are you a loner, like me?" He could smell another scent on her, stronger than the others, so it might be that she was part of a new pack with a mate or something, but it was impossible to infer too deeply from just faint scents in the air.
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