I just want to turn the lights on - Printable Version +- 'Souls IPB Archive (November 2007–October 2012) (https://soulsrpg.com/ipb) +-- Forum: Dead IC (https://soulsrpg.com/ipb/forumdisplay.php?fid=110) +--- Forum: Dead Topics (https://soulsrpg.com/ipb/forumdisplay.php?fid=21) +--- Thread: I just want to turn the lights on (/showthread.php?tid=32062) |
||||||||||||||||
- Null Liulfr - 10-11-2012 ((Set by the river in the Drifter Bay area.)) Null and Rurik had been walking all day-- or rather, Rurik had been walking and Null had been mostly dozing as he carried her piggy-back-- and the tiny female was bored with the wandering. They had encountered sow strangers, which had been interesting, but now it was just the two of them. Walking. Null was getting fidgety and restless, and squirmed until Rurik stopped to let her down. She kind of wanted to catch something, but what was there to catch? There were no deer grazing, no rabbits hopping-- oh, but there was a river, and rivers tended to be full of fish. She set off towards the bank of the river with a bounce in her step, Rurik close at heel. "I can catch somezink if you are hungry, возлюбленная." He offered, tacking the Russian endearment onto the end. Null didn't know what it meant, but she liked it. No, Imma do it. She shooed away his offer, jumping onto a rock situated in the water and crouching to better watch the fish. She made a few unsuccessful lunges, soaking her arms up to the elbow and nearly falling in twice; she didn't want to get herself too wet in case it washed off the lavender perfume that hid her Salsolan scent. Her fifth lunge was more successful-- she grabbed a fish by the neck and hurled it into the ground near Rurik's feet with such force it's bones audibly snapped. She raised her arms above her head in a victorious pose and crowed with delight. Aw yeah, in your face, big fat fishy! She wobbled and bounced gracelessly from her rock to the bank again, flopping next to where Rurik was sat and scooping up her catch. The huge black wolfdog watched with amusement as his tiny companion ripped the fish open with her teeth and set to munching on it. She belatedly remembered her company and ripped the fish in half, offering some to him. He took it with a word of thanks, and the two ate in companionable silence. - Thirteen - 10-11-2012 [html]
- Null Liulfr - 10-11-2012 Null tossed the bare bones of her fish back into the river and licked her fingers clean. Rurik was already done, and the giant peered down at the runt as she yawned and stretched, before leaning over and shoving him playfully. He huffed at her but didn't push back, allowing her to lean her weight on him before she got restless again and lept to her feet. She stretched her arms high over her head, popping her shoulders and cracking her neck. She was considering play-pouncing at Rurik from behind when she spotted a stranger-- another Luperci, a hood hiding their face. Null sniffed; a female, her scent not of any pack as far as she knew. Null was still glad of her and Rurik's scent-hiding perfumes, as it wasn't good to reveal their Salsolan allegiance, even to a loner. Rurik smelled of cinnamon and hot spices, while Null smelled pleasantly of lavender. It was a far cry from the salt-marsh scent of Salsola. The mottled-coated wolf darted back to be crouched by the huge black wolfdog, nudging him and gesturing to the stranger. He nodded and the pair watched her silently, body language guarded but not aggressive. Why was she hiding her face? Something about the strange canine made Null uneasy, but Rurik had no such reservations. He rose to his feet and offered a friendly wave to the girl. What are you doing?! Null hissed, tugging at her friend's elbow. He looked to her and shrugged. "Maybe is lost? And you say alvays be friendly to strangers to gather information for pack." He replied, voice quiet enough that there would be no chance of the stranger hearing. Null dropped her ears a little. ...You're right. She unsettles me, though. She half hid behind the giant Russian, who huffed at her. "You are beingk silly. Ve should say hello." Before she could argue further, the ebony furred wolfdog began to lope towards the stranger with a pleasant, friendly expression on his face. Null hesitated for a moment before taking after him. Hello! Rurik greeted the strange girl, nodding his head. Null flashed a quick smile at her too, not sure why the girl bothered her so much. - Thirteen - 10-11-2012 [html]
- Null Liulfr - 10-11-2012 Hi, Null replied simply, ears twitching slightly when she caught the accent. It sounded like... English? Hm, so the girl was a foreigner. It would be rather hypocritical for that to bother either of them, seeing as Null's family was from Arizona and Rurik had been born and raised in Russia. Plenty of their traveller friends, too, were wanderers from overseas. "You are traveler too?" Rurik broke her train of thought when he spoke again to the stranger, rolling his 'r's potently. "I am Rurik, zis is my friend Null." He gestured to Null and nudged her forward a little. The runt stumbled a touch, but she recovered to flash a quick smile and a tiny greeting wave. "Vhat is your name?" He asked politely, ignoring his companion's oddly skittish behaviour. It was only a stranger in a cloak; what was bothering her so much? If asked, Null couldn't've explained why the girl unsettled her. Perhaps it was how statuesque she had appeared before approaching them. Perhaps it was how hidden her face had been. Perhaps it was how that cloak could be hiding any number of weapons. Null sniffed-- the stranger was a loner, hm? Perhaps all the better. The idea of this stranger in a pack outside of Salsola, potentially against Salsola, it set her teeth on edge. That was what it was-- the stranger felt dangerous. How did Rurik not feel it? - Thirteen - 10-11-2012 [html]
- Null Liulfr - 10-11-2012 Null nodded once at the girls strange name. Null could hardly judge-- her own name ment, literally, 'nothing'. If the girl's name was Thirteen, then that was the end of it. The trapper knew better than to comment on a name, especially given how sore she got when her own name was commented on. People with ordinary names never realized how important they were. Part of her sympathized with Thirteen; the rest of her was still wary. Null shrank back, startled, when the girl got so close to her. That was a very dominant gesture, and the trapper didn't like it one bit. Rurik didn't like it either-- Null could feel him looming over her protectively, one of his arms going around her petite shoulders. She placed a hand firmly against his abdomen in a reassuring gesture-- I've got this-- before looking back to the girl. Frightened? Null wouldn't describe herself as 'frightened'. She was unsettled, yes, but those were two completely different things. Pups got frightened. Weak things got frightened. The trapper didn't like the implication. She pulled herself to her full-- unimpressive-- height, staring Thirteen dead in the eye. I admit, it hides your body language. Makes you difficult to read. Null replied in a high, imperious tone, like someone who was used to high position-- which she wasn't, not in the least, but Thirteen didn't know that. I would appreciate it if you didn't get all up in my face like that. It's considered rude in most circles. Could get you in trouble if you tried it on someone more aggressively inclined. Null examined her claws, appearing disinterested-- but it was also a subtle warning flag; these claws could've been put in your gut if I weren't so good-natured. Rurik, usually so sweet of temperament, was ruffled by Thirteen's advancement on his friend. He didn't appear actively aggressive, but he did appear guarded. Rurik considered moves against Null worse than moves against himself, and he was something of a sleeping dragon-- he only needed the right provocation to become hugely dangerous. He didn't want the situation to escalate, but he wouldn't run if Null was threatened. - Thirteen - 10-11-2012 [html]
- Null Liulfr - 10-11-2012 ((Sweet Christ her accent is reminding me of my grandma something fierce.)) Well, no harm done. Null shrugged, watching as Thirteen removed her hood. Oh, now that was quite the tattoo. The accent seemed stronger, now, perhaps because the girl was more relaxed, trying to actively be more friendly. Null herself found that when she was in certain moods her own speech patterns dropped from carefully articulated and proper to slurred, full of contractions and sometimes only barely comprehensible. Null stepped forward and shook Thirteen's snowy hand with her own delicate white paw. Right-o. That accent-- some kind of British, no? It seems none of us are local. I'm from Arizona, grew up in Quebec. Rurik's from... St. Petersburg? Yes? Null glanced back at Rurik, who nodded. Yes, St. Petersburg, Russia. We've only lived in the area for a couple of months. How long have you been in this end of the world? Null was slightly more at ease now, but much of her confidence was an act. She was very good at acting, very good at telling barefaced lies. Rurik visibly settled now that the situation seemed to have been diffused. He still hovered very close to Null, but that was how he always was; if Null couldn't bump against Rurik just by leaning back a fraction, it was because he wasn't there at all. One could easily assume that the two of them were mates. - Thirteen - 10-12-2012 Lol. Sorry. [html]
- Null Liulfr - 10-12-2012 ((Lol,'s not a problem. It's just amusing XD.)) We used to cruise with a band of travelers from all over. We had a couple of Brits, didn't we amorcito? The trapper directed the last part to Rurik, who nodded once. Though most 'round these parts can't place an accent for anything. Plenty don't even know the names of other countries, or even that there are other countries. Ah, but-- unimportant. What brings you 'round here, anyway? Sightseeing? Looking for a pack to fit into? Null asked, feeling as though any breaks in the conversation would be hugely awkward. Rurik had no such difficulties-- the huge black wolfdog stayed quiet, content to just listen to his friend and their new acquaintance. Null still wasn't sure what to make of Thirteen. She had initially come across as standoffish, aggressive, domineering, but now she was friendly, nice? That little glazed look followed by a shake of her head implied that Thirteen had some unpleasant or distracting thoughts bubbling around in her head-- memories, perhaps? Null used to have problems with unpleasant reflectection on her past-- but that was all Null could tell about her. The Salsolan hated not being able to read people. She was usually so good at it. - Thirteen - 10-13-2012 [html]
- Null Liulfr - 10-13-2012 A... Promise. Null repeated, tilting her head in equal parts suspicion and thoughtfulness. Those two words hinted at a dark and mysterious past that Null in no way wanted to delve into. ...Fair enough. The trapper shrugged, indicating that she wasn't willing to pry. Thirteen was dark and enigmatic anyway, Null didn't need to go rummaging through her background. If Thirteen wasn't going to offer up more than that, then Null wouldn't ask for it. Ah-- a word of advice. Don't travel further south from here. You'll hit Salsolan lands, and there's nothing but dark reputations and aggression surrounding that place. They don't take kindly to strangers, either. We knew a girl, Wren, she went to explore down there. Never came back. They're dangerous. Null was a perfect liar, always had been. It was pack policy to spread dark rumors about Salsola, to build it's reputation as a pack not to be trifled with. And Null didn't like the idea of this girl coming anywhere near her pack. North, though, there's New Dawn. Reasonably friendly. West, there's Vinatta, also good. East, Inferni. They don't like non-coyotes, tend to be very aggressive. Then further East there's Anathema, more bad reputations, and South of there are four packs known for being good-natured. I'd try for some of them if you're looking for something in particular. Null sounded like she was giving well-intentioned advice, and it could have been taken as such. In reality, though, she was trying to direct Thirteen as far from Salsola as possible. - Thirteen - 10-13-2012 [html]
- Null Liulfr - 10-14-2012 Well, neither, really, but sometimes there are... unforeseen circumstances and you might need assistance or a place to crash. Null pointed out. It's just good stuff for any traveller to take note of. It was more than Null had known when she was new to the area. She hadn't known that Salola was even a thing, and had learned of its existence from a member. She didn't know where Rurik had caught wind of it. Ah, well, it's getting on a bit. We promised our friends we'd meet them, so we'd best be off. Null didn't like being around Thirteen; she had an unpleasant air to her, in Null's opinion, and the trapper definitely got the sense that Thirteen didn't like her right back. She tugged at Rurik's elbow, and the wolfdog gave a start. We should be going, love. She prompted, and the male nodded in agreement. Null flashed a smile to Thirteen, intended to be as sweet as sugar but perhaps hinting just a touch at the shark that swam beneath her disarming exterior. Stay safe, look after yourself. Or, y'know, whatever you like. Null flashed a wave as the pair began to take off, which Rurik mimicked. Ordinarily, Null would leave some sweet parting words with whoever she was saying goodbye to, but she felt that they would come across as false even for her. They wandered away, Null making sure to not seem as though she was hurrying, and soon they were out of sight completely. Null hoped to never see the unsettlinggirl again. - Thirteen - 10-14-2012 [html]
|