[Feb 16, 2018]


She turned back to her quest for easy prey with a sigh, idly rolling a droplet of mercury blood between her fingertips.
(Soliam)

As the Neries approached the thicker foliage of the swamp, a peculiar critter would make itself known. Perched close to the ground on one of the sturdier ferns near the damp soil stood a bird. Brown feathers, a long ribbon-like tail and black eyes that peered right for the white-skinned fellow. It was rather odd seeing this kind of bird in such a place like this.

But before any big conclusions can be made, another sound would attract the attention of anyone in the vicinity. A couple of feet away come a shadow that hops off of one of the taller mangrove tree branches. The figure shifts slowly in the Neries’ direction as an Ezmaran makes himself known.

Nonchalantly rubbing his bright blue eyes, she shifts his hands to scratch the back of his head as silver strands of hair fluffs around with each step. The fellow’s expression seems lax, partnered with a lazy way of walking. He now stands a few feet away, putting one of his hands to his pocket as the other clutched a mundanelooking staff holding a few intricate markings on it. “You’re a little far away from home friend.” He said with a comforting looking grin. “The land of the dead is over there.” He says pointing to Lengsel’s direction.
(Hadwin Astrapia)

The droplet of Neries-flavoured ichor between her fingertips slides up her arm, beneath her sleeve.

"Oh!" Soliam stands a little straighter and folds her arms behind her back. "Convenient."

She gestures loosely to Hadwin, more or less ignoring his comment about Valmasia's questionable practices. Her expression had transitioned from exasperated and wary to cool, hard, and full of malign intent.

"Not yet-- Not yet. I haven't had my fill of the scenery, yet."

She cast a wary gaze over his staff.
(Soliam)

A slight chuckle escapes him. “No-can-do little missy.” This allusion to something bound to happen was fun. Or at least he was having fun. What’s danger without fun right? “This place is only reserved for people that deserve it.” He pantomimes pulling out a scroll and he looks through its written contents. “Let’s see, Ezmara, Atl, Cruxati. . . Nope! No bone worshipper names here!” Following up, he throws the imaginary scroll away as he once again smiles.

With his eyes looking around the general vicinity in a very nonchalant manner, he takes a deep long sigh. “But let me guess, that won’t stop you, yada yada yada, you’ll go wherever you please, yada yada yada, blah blah I’ll kill you.” His cheery expression changes to a snarky one, shooting an expectant grin towards the Neries. Waiting for whatever answer she may bring up.
(Hadwin Astrapia)

Soliam quirks an eyebrow at his antics. She wasn't above cracking a smile, either, and it /did/ reach her eyes. They adopted an astral throb as she raised her hands, palms up, and gave an overly elaborate shrug.

Very much a 'you caught me' gesture.

"I can't give you full marks. Let's go down that list again: It might stop me, I'll go wherever I please, and I- Hm." Soliam gave the Gehennan a discerning once-over.

"Well, killing isn't on my to-do list, no."

She gave an over-dramatic sigh and began to reach for the book at her hip.

"I thought on my way here, you know, that I'd run into some overzealous warrior types. I didn't know they left comedians to secure the border."
(Soliam)

“Well it’s your lucky day then.” He places his fingers to his lips as a piercing shrill of a whistle echoes through the swamp. He holds his staff firm as the same bird that the Neries saw prior would expand its wings, fluttering to Hadwin’s direction. Granules of sand drift off of the bird’s long tail as it lands picture-perfectly on the staff.

He cracks his neck. “But I guess we’re not the only one with surprises. Who knew not everyone in your city was a mindless death seeking drone of the Betrayer.” He gives a slight bow. “To that, I’ll give you this one inch of greeting. Buuuuut I think that’s as far as I’ll go with that this time.”

Quickly he taps his staff to the ground as the bird caws, extending its wings. Although nothing visible occurs, a slight sense of eerie shifting and movement would be made evident if one were to strain and look hard enough at Hadwin. “But yes, I’m afraid this is as far as I’m willing to let you go friend.”
(Hadwin Astrapia)

Soliam unslings her rifle and props it up on one shoulder.

"Ah, well. I was hoping to be home in time to cook dinner, but..." She sniffed and threw a glance over her shoulder. "Well, here we are."

Her smile withered into a ghost of a smirk, and she gives Hadwin a slight dip of the head. "Come on, then. Stop me from going around you."
(Soliam)

Rubbing the underside of the bird’s chin, Hadwin nods to the Neries. “Okay!” And so the two clashed. A mix of blood and water has Hadwin damp and sweating as he is reminding of his previous fights with Karma. “Out of the beam. . .” He whispers to himself as he hops on any opening he gets, brandishing a vicious cacophony of earth and cosmic energy.

Despite his previously slow and lax demeanor, Hadwin proves to be much more agile that expected. Easily rushing in closer and away from the Neries, he hold distance whenever needed as he quickly rushes in whenever an opening makes itself know. The bird that stood on Hadwin’s staff seemed to eagerly watch, and if one were to even bother taking notice to it during the fight, it can be faintly seen nodding. How weird.

With the bird and the Ezmaran in a certain sense of connection, he quickly points to the Neries as the bird prepares to move. The brown-feathered avian hops off of his staff as it swoops near the muddy soil of the swamp. As is flies nearer and nearer to Soliam, the ground behind the bird seems to rise, following its long ribbon tail as a wave of dirt and mud seems to follow the bird. In the last second, the bird pulls itself as it swoops up, flying vertically as the wave of earth slams into Soliam with an incredibly large and powerful force.
(Hadwin Astrapia)

Soliam was a battered, bruised mess mere moments into their battle. She wasn't prepared for the near-constant barrage of elemental magics, and they rendered her painfully slow and easily manipulated. The Neries went from threatening markswoman into a stumbling, disoriented mess.

She sustained herself through leech-like means, swallowing up mana and vitae in equal measure, and using both to restore her own vigor. It proved to be insufficient, though, and it damn well didn't help that the man cleanly avoided her lashes and blasts of energy.

Soliam was shaky as she came to her feet, but her power over flesh and blood had her ready for more soon enough.

She plucked her rifle from the dirt and hefted it again.
(Soliam)

Growing a bit more cockier as the battle raged on, Hadwin would be punished as a wave of the Dreamer’s energy would be reveal to him as a ball of white lands right at him, stunning him in place as his mana seems to have been purged for a moment. Not a good feeling.

However, a voice puts him back into shape. And by voice I mean caw as the bird zooms past Hadwin’s head, releasing a loud caw right next to his ear as the Ezmaran shakes his head back into place. With a renewed focus and vigor, the silver-haired fellow reverts back to his previous strategical movements.

With more waves of earth proving to be a deadly thing when mastered, Hadwin whistles once more as the finishing act commences. His bird lands right onto Hadwin’s head as the mana signature of Hadwin seems to shift into something else. As Neries tends to have tastes of those they battle, Soliam would sense something different, something otherworldly, something. . . powerful. The bird caws and extends its wings as its eyes flashes an ominous red light. It remains still as it seems to looking like some-sort of head piece for Hadwin. With the spirit that lied within the bird lending Hadwin the strength he needed, he rushes for Soliam with big hops. Landing a few feet away, he gestures a dangerous uppercut in the air as his finisher occurs.

The earth below Soliam rumbles as an upward motion thrusts her entire form in the air. A pillar of earth has emerged beneath her and punched her up in the sky. As the momentum stops, gravity begins to work. She descends. Speeding up as the ground closed in, it seemed like it was the end. However, a few feet away from the soil below, a gale force of wind rushes through her, slowing her falls as she gentle falls to Hadwin’s arms.

With the bird still standing on his head, it caws out loudly, hopeful to startle the Neries into proper shape. “Well, guess you’re not passing though.”Quickly he lets her back on her feet as he gives a mild shove towards to direction of Lengsel. “It was a good try I’ll give you that. Buuuut I’m afraid it’s still a no-can-do.” He said as he shoots the same comforting smile.
(Hadwin Astrapia)

Soliam was upset.

She derived no satisfaction from repeatedly blasting the man with torrents of water and, even, managing to sunder his defenses with a well-aimed torrent of mana-suppressing energies. Every act felt like it was only prolonging an inevitable finale, and every ounce of vital life-fluids siphoned from the man felt like a flimsy bulwark against his earthen assaults.

When she was tossed into the air, Soliam had little to no composure left to steel herself for the descent. She was a limp doll, and fell into his arms thusly.

Had she any presence of mind with which to spite the man, it might have come to bear, but the sheer confusion of being tossed about and repeatedly showered in stone and mud was taking its toll. It didn't help that the last thing the Neries expected was to be let down so gently, or simply pushed on her way after their battle.

"Cad." She muttered. Soliam seized her hip flask from where it remained thankfully intact at her waist, and taking a long, needy drink. There was no way to get around the long, disgraceful trot home, and there was no time to start like the present.

Thus, the Neries was on her way, and gave Hadwin little more than a dirty look for the disorienting mental status she was currently struggling to deal with and mistakenly assumed to be temporary.
(Soliam)

Dusting his hands together, he would soon revert back to a lax-like state. The bird that stood proudly on-top of his head would push up its chest. It was so proud, whether proud of Hadwin or just proud they survived is completely up to interpretation. However, it does give Hadwin a sudden peck right above his ear as it hops back onto the Ezmaran’s staff. A resounding ‘GAK’ can be heard from the silver-haired fellow as he rubs the area he was pecked at. How rude!

With nothing else by a wave goodbye, Hadwin watches as the Neries slowly makes off back into the distance. “Not funny Terus.” He whispers jokingly as the bird begins to groom itself as its beak would now be deep into its brown feathers.
(Hadwin Astrapia)

Soliam breathed deep. She supposed she ought to just be thankful that she was able to go home at all, but there was something intensely dissatisfying about having one's hypothesis proven incorrect. Soliam wasn't the kind of person accustomed to being proven wrong, really. Either she knew the facts, or knew just enough of them to make up the rest and make it sound convincing.

She picked up the pace. Nemain was waiting, and she wouldn't be pleased to see her mother returning covered in the marks of battle. Soliam certainly didn't want to explain why she had them.

There'd have to be some prepatory bathing and makeup-ing to cover the bruises she had garnered from this encounter.
(Soliam)