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Post by Aras|Ofelia on Apr 27, 2009 20:02:29 GMT -5
Painted leaves tumbled through the air and among the tall grasses of the meadows, pulled along by the brisk northern winds. Some of the blades had retained their verdant summer hues, but most had faded to dull green-brown, a testament to the oncoming winter. The day was cloudless and clear, the sun unobscured, but the air held a portentous chill. In a couple of months, thick snow would blanket the field, leaving nothing visible beyond an unbroken coat of white.
Practice knife in hand, Ofelia swung and thrust and lunged in a carefully-timed routine. Wisps of short black hair stuck out haphazardly beneath her hat, occasionally stirred by the wind. She ignored the tickling of several strands on her ear and cheek, concentrating on her bladework and footwork. She had been practicing this routine for a couple of months; a misstep would be... unsatisfactory.
Drills were only useful to a point. They looked neat, but in a real fight, what opponent was going to follow the neat pattern of motions these moves were meant to counter? Still, they helped her practice blade and edge control. If she was aiming for an enemy's throat, she didn't want to give him a scar that made it look like a dreadful shaving accident had taken place instead of a knife-fight.
Ofelia continued in the slow, measured pace that belied the swiftness she possessed.
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Post by DesperateDark on Apr 27, 2009 21:53:38 GMT -5
Meditation; was that all it really was?
Was it a calm state of mind? Or was it looking into your own soul?
But it was different between normal people and people with talismans. Aurelia Locke didn’t know that difference, she just knew there was. It was a different part of your spirit; the talisman. It was a manifestation of yourself, your soul and your character, in a sense. She didn’t know if anybody else understood it the way she did, or if anybody understood it at all.
”What is this insight?” She thought, gradually and tenderly leaning her head to her left until she rested it on her shoulder. Her eyebrows were knit in absorption.
Aurelia never really came to the meadows. Maybe they were just too open for her, or maybe it was simply just the fact that something or someone can approach her from any direction without her knowing. She was sitting in the shade of a tall birch, simply thinking. Her eyes were closed and she was absorbed in her own thinking.
Absent mindedly she picked a single blade of grass, fiddled with it, then dropped it. Pick, fiddle, drop and repeat. It was when she picked her fifth blade of grass did she seem to notice something. It was an energy; a different energy. It was a human energy; it was an odd phenomenon – the sensing of energies. She could not explain it and had no wish to do so.
Aurelia looked up and, far off, there was another person. She squinted and decided to get a better look. Climbing the birch she was sitting under, she made sure to keep herself discreet. It was a woman, a few years her elder, of Asian heritage no doubt. ”Well… There’s something you don’t see every day.” Up until this point Aurelia had always known herself as the only Asian woman in this little town. Maybe today that was all about to change.
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on Apr 27, 2009 23:40:08 GMT -5
Advance, lunge. Recover. Retreat. While she swiped at her invisible enemy, Ofelia kept her off hand up in a defensive position, ready to block any attacks to her face, neck, and torso. Avoiding injuries entirely was preferable, certainly, but she would rather be cut in the forearm than in the liver.
...Someone was watching her. Subtly, yes, but watching nonetheless. The prickling on the back of her neck was unmistakable. It wasn't the wind. It came from underneath the skin, originating from somewhere around the vertebrae. Some people suspected when they were being watched; Ofelia was one of those who knew, unless the observer took pains to be very stealthy. It came in handy in her line of work.
She missed a step and stopped, her frown of concentration deepening. Straightening to her (rather unimpressive) full height, Ofelia looked about, unable to pick up any signs of human life nearby--yet the feeling remained. Interested, her snake Talisman had uncoiled itself, tongue flicking in and out, trying to taste the air. Not for the first time did Ofelia wish that while she was in her human form, her Talisman's senses were not essentially useless. Maybe then she'd be able to tell where her observer lay hidden.
Sheathing the knife, Ofelia reached skyward in an unhurried stretch, as if she had plenty of time to burn. In a sense, she did. When she wasn't hunting, she had license to do whatever she wanted.
"I know you're there," she called to her surroundings. As the other knew that she knew. "Though I do commend you for not being appallingly blatant about watching."
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Post by DesperateDark on Apr 28, 2009 19:40:37 GMT -5
The mystery woman seemed to miss a step in her routine, sheath her knife and stretch sky bound before calling out, ”I know you’re there,” Ha, so she was smart. Aurelia could almost surely tell that she was a Hunter, but she herself made it a rule to never assume anything. Well, since the other knew she was here anyways, why not show herself?
”Oh yeah,” She thought sarcastically. ”Cause it might get me freaking killed!” Aurelia swung down from the tree and landed with absolute silence, bending her knees to absorb the impact and shock. The other woman was facing away from her, so she decided to casually stroll up behind her. She made no effort to conceal herself, though didn’t actively make any noises either. She was still trying to figure out what to do.
Looking her up and down as Aurelia came closer, she realized that the other woman was shorter then her… Heh, Asian stereotypes… She was about 5 foot 2 or 3, had the typical Asian black hair and, from what she could see, the usual unique pale skin. She tried to think of something to say once she got there, and then decided to let the other woman talk first.
It wasn’t often you met a new face in this little Canadian town, but you would stand out a whole lot for a while if you were new. Aurelia didn’t know if this other had gone into town yet, if she was a passerby or here one day and gone the next.
“Hey,” She said rather nonchalantly when she was about two meters away from the other’s back. Aurelia watched the other woman carefully for any sudden movements; Komodos were known for their sight, not hearing. Actually, when they were first discovered they were initially thought to be deaf. “You new around here?”
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on Apr 28, 2009 21:43:17 GMT -5
Ofelia stood still, watching for any signs of movement among the grass. Something was... off. She didn't know what it was, but she couldn't help but feel as if she were missing something.
From somewhere uncomfortably near: "Hey. You new around here?"
She spun around, inwardly cursing herself. Idiot! She wasn't a snake, she couldn't feel someone approaching. The mamba reared, flashing the inky interior of its mouth in a warning only Ofelia could see. She willed it to settle down; attacking everyone in sight was no better than striking at shadows.
So this was her until-recently-silent observer: a tall Asian girl, younger than she, not Chinese, though Ofelia could not determine where exactly she was from. Her face did not ring any bells - not any particularly loud ones, at any rate - though her height and ethnicity did, vaguely. The top of Ofelia's head barely reached the other woman's eyes; she would have remembered if she had met any unusually tall Asian girls in a town that consisted mostly of wài guó rén. She had certainly seen the girl before, though she hadn't paid much attention to her before now.
"No. Neither are you." She watched the girl closely, almost critically. The fact that she had managed to sneak this close without Ofelia noticing spoke not only of neglectfulness on Ofelia's part, but of some measure of skill on the other girl's part. Even on a bad day, a Hunter would be able to notice the approach of an average person. Either this girl possessed inborn stealth, or she was trained in it--or both.
Ofelia extended a resolute hand, curious about the newcomer. "My name's Ofelia Qian. I may have seen you before, but I don't think we've ever met."
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Post by DesperateDark on Apr 29, 2009 16:50:44 GMT -5
The other woman turned around so fast that Aurelia took a step back, eyebrow raised in curiosity. She might be a Hunter or a weary Innocent. "No. Neither are you." She had answered, watching her like a hawk with an almost critical gaze. She finally saw the other in more detail; black hair, brown eyes, moony pale skin and… About 5 foot 2 or 3. Her hair was short and styled agreeably. She was probably Taiwanese, or Indonesian or even Korean… But surely neither Vietnamese nor Japanese.
"My name's Ofelia Qian. I may have seen you before, but I don't think we've ever met." She put out a definite hand as she spoke. She seemed confident enough.
”So… Chinese, isn’t she?” Aurelia extended her own hand and took the other’s, shaking gently. The other’s hand was firm, signaling self-reliance and strength. “Name’s Aurelia Locke.” She said simply, looking Ofelia straight in the eyes. “I don’t think we’ve met… In a town small as this, people learn to recognize strange faces.” ”Especially with so much suspicion and danger…” She added in her thoughts, but not saying it out loud.
Aurelia wasn’t sure if she should be distrustful of this Ofelia Qian person. She was new, but she just might be wayfaring, or she might be here permanently. Noatak was a dangerous little place, especially with so many Hunters, Innocents, Seekers and Undecideds wandering around. The whole place was blocked off by The Misty Mountains, so there was also the question of how this new person got here. And if she wasn’t new, then how come she had never seen her before? Or Reyes or any of the other people that she talked to for that matter?
She let go of her hand, letting it fall back to her side before stuffing it in her pocket. She stood in silence for a few minutes before deciding to break – or shatter or whatever – the awkward tension. “How come I’ve never seen you around before?”
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on Apr 29, 2009 22:01:59 GMT -5
Locke. Not an Eastern surname by any stretch of the imagination. Either Aurelia's family was not entirely Asian, or 'Locke' was a pseudonym. Interesting, though it wasn't as if whatever name she chose to go by really mattered. What did matter was why she chose not to use her given name, if that was indeed the case.
Aurelia's handshake was oddly gentle but by no means weak, almost as if she were holding back some hidden strength. Ofelia wasn't quite certain what to make of it. The girl's steady black-brown gaze told Ofelia she wasn't timid or meek; why the deceptively soft grip?
“How come I’ve never seen you around before?”
"Good question." Head tilted to the side, she gave Aurelia a curious little half-smile. As a Hunter, one learned to be discreet. As a snake, it made doing so a lot easier. "I could ask you the same." Knowing that her enigmatic responses were not going to get the answers she sought from Aurelia, Ofelia decided to elaborate. "I've been in the area for a few years. It's odd that neither of us finds the other familiar. Has fortune's whim kept us apart?"
The mamba had contented itself to wait and watch. What do you think? It made no visible reaction, but Ofelia knew it was anticipating a sign of sorts from the other girl. What was her Talisman, if she had one at all? On whose side was she? Questions that would be eventually answered with some time and patience, and perhaps a nudge or two on their part.
"If you don't mind me asking, where's your laŏ jiā--ah, your country of origin?" she asked, correcting herself when she unwittingly slipped into Chinese. Certain phrases just made more sense to her in her mother language, which meant that she sometimes found herself switching back and forth in conversation. "I can never tell."
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Post by DesperateDark on Apr 29, 2009 22:28:12 GMT -5
”Good question,” Ofelia answered, flashing a little half-smile. ”I can ask you the same. I've been in the area for a few years. It's odd that neither of us finds the other familiar. Has fortune's whim kept us apart?"
Aurelia raised an eyebrow at the last bit, ”So, being philosophical, eh? Sounds like Reyes.” She thought. Her Komodo Dragon seemed to lift it’s head to get a better look – tongue darting in and out – and kept watch. Aurelia could tell he was feeling ill at ease; her Komodo (yes, it’s a he). It was picking something up, some sort of other vigor that she wouldn’t be able to without profound meditation.
When Ofelia asked her where she was from and slipped in some Chinese - Cantonese or Mandarin or the dialects in between she couldn’t tell – Aurelia couldn’t help but smile a little; she did that on occasion as well. ”There’s something we have in common, at least…” She found herself thinking… Interesting fact; Aurelia’s thoughts were always in Vietnamese, but she was trilingual, fluent in Vietnamese, English and French.
“I’m from…” She paused; what was this? Over the course of her Hunter career she was taught the hard way to keep a low profile… And to lie unless absolutely necessary. Was it a big deal where she came from? Was it something that she needed to lie about, or was it okay to tell? She’d find out eventually, but still…
Cambodia, North/South Korea, Hong Kong or Malaysia? Those were often her main choices when lying about her ethnicity. All these thoughts blurred past in about 5 seconds, but in the end she decided that it wouldn’t hurt her. And if it did, she’d have to kick herself for it and lie next time.
“I’m from Vietnam.” She said rather minimally once again. “It’s a kind place… Miss it though.”
Aurelia brushed some of her hair out of her face; the wind was starting to pick up a bit and she was unsure whether it was going to last or if it was just a minor thing. “You’re from China, right?”
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on May 1, 2009 1:12:47 GMT -5
Ah, Vietnamese. It made sense now that Aurelia said it, like how one could recognize the answer to a question but be unable to formulate it without help.
Ofelia could understand the longing in the other's voice when she mentioned her homeland. "Yes," she confirmed when asked if she was from China, "but not from any of the big cities." Her parents had brought her and her brother to Canada when they were fairly young, but fond memories of their childhood in China remained strong. Whenever she got the chance - which was not often - Ofelia would visit her home and relatives. She let out a wistful sigh. "I haven't been back in a few years, too."
No--she was daydreaming, something she couldn't afford to do. Not here, not now. Continuing to gaze thoughtfully at the other girl, Ofelia decided to hazard a few riskier questions. Small talk would get them nowhere. "Why move to Noatak?" It wasn't as if there were a lot of opportunities here - unless of course, one was searching for a very particular type. "My parents found more opportunity here. For themselves, and for me."
A few loose strands of hair tickled her cheek again as the wind picked up; Ofelia tucked them under her hat while carefully gauging Aurelia's reaction. She had no doubt that the Vietnamese girl was sharp enough to catch on to what she was getting at, but how Aurelia chose to respond would reveal something about her.
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Post by DesperateDark on May 1, 2009 18:09:11 GMT -5
”I haven’t been back in a few years, too.” Ofelia said, an air to her tone that sounded almost sad, or hoping. Aurelia recognized that, she could relate pretty well.
“Well, you’re lucky then… I haven’t been back to Vietnam since I left.” Admittedly, she missed her homeland unbearably – more then she could tolerate from time to time. She simply didn’t have the finances to go back… Or she didn’t have the heart to see everybody again. Who was still alive? Who was gone? What about her family? It all seemed very distant.
Aurelia snapped back to attention when Ofelia popped that question, ”Why move to Noatak?” Again there was the question of lying or not. Actually, in all honesty, she didn’t know exactly why she came here. She had lived in New York before she came to Noatak, but life there got too expensive and she had the feeling that she needed to move on. Aurelia moved from place to place very often, but somehow Noatak had drawn her in and trapped her here. It seemed that no matter how many times she tried to leave, she would always end up back in the little Canadian town.
But there was still that one thing she needed to figure out; to lie or not to lie. There weren’t any opportunities here – come on, it was a little village in the middle of nowhere -. Aurelia was getting a bit perturbed; why all these questions? Again her Komodo became weary, flicking its tongue in and out and watching for any ominous signs. He flashed her a look that clearly stated; Don’t do anything stupid, darling.
“I came to hunt… And I never really left.” Okay, that was a half truth – a white lie. She didn’t exactly come for the main reason of hunting, but she hunted when she came across some game… And that was a different kind of game then most people think.
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on May 2, 2009 22:33:52 GMT -5
Ofelia could not help but feel sympathy for the other girl. She missed China acutely after a few years of separation; she couldn't imagine how intense Aurelia's longing for her homeland must be. Her family and friends, too--whom had she left behind? Ofelia was lucky that she still had her brother and father nearby, but she didn't know if Aurelia had any family to whom she could turn immediately.
Aurelia's response to her question instantly caught her interest. “I came to hunt… And I never really left.”
Another smile crept across Ofelia's lips. A Hunter--she should've known. Those refined qualities of stealth and subtlety that Aurelia possessed must have come from years of training. She wouldn't be able to tell until she'd seen her in action, but Ofelia had the feeling that the girl could be remarkably deadly when the need arose.
"Fancy that," Ofelia said archly. "We came for that same reason. If I'm not mistaken, we must hunt the same game."
The snake had curled back into a languid coil, apparently pleased that they had found a comrade. Don't be so lax, Ofelia reproved gently. Just because they were fellow Hunters did not mean they were friends. Her opinions had clashed with her co-workers' before, and not always with pleasant results. Perhaps the only thing that kept the peace between Ofelia and a few other Hunters was the fact that they were, supposedly, working towards the same goal.
She took her eyes off of Aurelia to momentarily survey their surroundings. Besides the occasional quail or grouse, they were quite alone in the meadows. Somewhat assured of their privacy, Ofelia turned her attention back to the Vietnamese girl.
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Post by DesperateDark on May 3, 2009 9:40:22 GMT -5
”Fancy that,” Ofelia said knowingly. "We came for that same reason. If I'm not mistaken, we must hunt the same game."
As, so she was smarter then she thought and catching on pretty fast too. “Hah, really?” Ofelia had turned her attention away from her for a moment before turning back. Somewhere far off she heard the cry of a quail, high pitched and squeaky. The wind picked up again suddenly, blowing her hair back, making it look like a black flame, before settling down once again. The painted leaves were beginning to fall off the trees and she wondered how long it would take before they were all bare and snow-covered, bleak once again.
The air was becoming chill as the day grew on later; Aurelia pulled her trench coat around her. Komodo Dragons were used to hot weather, and so was she for that matter. It was odd that regardless of how long she had lived here and how many bitter cold winters she survived in the little Canadian town she still always felt upended in the cold.
But that subject aside, this Ofelia woman was a Hunter, and that provided fine information already. What was her talisman? She looked maybe like a Fox or a Crow, maybe even a Wolf or some type of big cat. She cocked her head to the side and thought for a moment, straight faced like she always was. She decided it was best not to ask outright, but learn bit by bit until she spilled it or she could piece it together. Like hell she was going to tell the other woman about hers’ either, unless under certain situations. Even at that point she wasn’t in much danger anyways; the Komodo Dragon is considered one of the deadliest animals on the planet and is the largest currently living lizard. A Komodo could eat a whole freaking goat in one bite, so if Ofelia was anything smaller then a goat she’d probably swallow it.
She licked her lips once and straightened up again. “That’s a nice knife you’ve got. I prefer this one myself.” Aurelia took out her prized machete, it’s blade glinted in the light and it’s leather wrapped handle perfectly balanced. She always kept it tucked in her belt in case, but then again almost all Innocents and Hunters kept some sort of weapon with then at all times.
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on May 4, 2009 2:03:10 GMT -5
As the wind whipped Aurelia's hair back from her face, Ofelia caught sight of a crescent-moon scar next to the girl's eye. It was a curious mark, mostly due to its unusual shape and location, but Ofelia didn't think to ask about it. As Hunters, they all had their scars and old wounds, each with a story behind it. Sometimes they had so many that they forgot how and when they'd received those marks, only that their beaten bodies served as a testament to the perilous lives they led.
She wanted to know more about the girl. How much experience had she had hunting? Her weapon of choice? And, of course, her Talisman. Ofelia could see her as a cheetah, or perhaps a snake. (At the thought, her Talisman lifted its head in interest. Noatak had an unfortunate dearth of reptile Talismans; the sight of another scaled creature was always a welcome one.) Aurelia might be unwilling to divulge the information, especially if asked outright, so Ofelia figured they should first acquaint themselves with each other more.
Aurelia's voice diverted her attention from her musings. She was holding a finely-crafted machete out between them. Ofelia examined the time-tested blade, admiring its sturdy functionality. She wouldn't be able to tell until she held it in her hand, but the machete seemed to be particularly well-balanced, an oddity among weapons nowadays.
Drawing her own hunting knife, she held it out toward Aurelia, blade downward. It was a simple but reliable Bowie knife, durable and well-kept, a comfortable weight in one's hand. "May I?" she asked, gesturing toward the machete with her free hand.
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Post by DesperateDark on May 4, 2009 7:26:54 GMT -5
”May I?” Ofelia was holding out a simple looking knife. Judging by how it looked it must’ve been a Bowie. It was a straight blade that curved towards the tip and often had a wooden handle. A Machete was longer (20-24 inches) and straighter, it was often used to navigate the rainforests or for farming, like cutting down sugarcane. Aurelia’s was a sort of family heirloom, passed down generation after generation and used for every task from cutting food to using in war. The handle was made of horn wrapped in leather and the blade was folded and tempered steel – hand forged – so that you could see the hammer marks.
“Here, careful with it,” Aurelia gently placed the blade into the other woman’s hand, taking the Bowie in her own. From holding it she couldn’t figure whether it was hand forged or industry made. It did feel a little misbalanced in her hand, the center of weight seemed to be in the center of the blade instead of where the hilt ended and the blade started. Maybe her hand was just not used to holding the Bowie, or maybe it was custom made for Ofelia.
“It’s a little off balance in my hand, was it made for you?” She tipped the knife back and forth in her hand with flicks of her wrist. Aurelia was a good knife thrower, but only if those knives were balanced in her hands could she make an accurate shot. She had a set of 18 at home in a true teak box, but it was a bit clumsy to carry around all 18 and just wasn’t practical.
Aurelia handed the Bowie back and wiped her hands off on her jacket before stuffing them in her pockets again. Well, she knew what weapon the other one had now. She didn’t think it was as useful as a Machete, but if she could throw it then that was a different story.
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Post by Aras|Ofelia on May 5, 2009 23:26:59 GMT -5
Ofelia delicately grasped the machete by the handle, admiring the craftsmanship. She was right in thinking it was well-balanced; laying the flat of the blade, nearest the hilt, on her finger, it remained in steady equilibrium, not favoring one side nor the other. The weapon was a work of art, no less. Perhaps not a particularly beautiful one, but there was no doubt it served well the purpose for which it was created.
Taking several steps back from Aurelia, she gave the machete a few practice swings, noting how easily it responded to the slightest flick of the wrist. The handle didn't quite fit comfortably in her hand, but Ofelia assumed it had molded to Aurelia's grip after years of use. "Is this an heirloom?" It looked old enough.
She shook her head at the girl' question. "No. But it suits me well, so I have no need to get a custom-made one." Blades tailored to individual needs could help augment one's dexterity in combat, but they were nearly impossible to replace if damaged or lost. That, and once one got accustomed to using such a specialized weapon, the others just wouldn't feel quite right. Taking her knife and re-sheathing it, Ofelia held on to the machete for a few moments, admiring it just a little while longer, before returning it to its owner.
Weapons aside - she could show off her throwing knives later - Ofelia was quite curious about Aurelia's Talisman. She herself was blessed with an animal form that was as deadly as her human one--in fact, far more so. No rabbits or deer.
"What is your Talisman? I know you've been meaning to ask me the same question." Beating around the bush wasn't worth the trouble if she could just find out this way. She would reciprocate if the other girl told her, but only if.
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