Night at the desert [Open!]

[Clover]

((Note: This takes place right after this scene.

If any character happens to be at the Sagolii desert, whether or not you're from the Hipparion tribe, feel free to join if you'd like!))

 

 

The sky had turned into a black mantle, immense and beautiful above the calm desert. Underneath it, two insignificant figures could be spotted moving in the vast land of sand. K'nahli had been walking for a while now, her annoyance displayed with the hurry of her movements and the deep marks her feet left. She had yet to let go of her younger sister's hand.

 

K'mih turned her head back for a moment, noticing how their siblings were no longer in sight. Careful not to trip, her gaze travelled to her sister's back again.

 

"K'nahli..."

 

Her voice was soft and careful. Also concerned. She knew that K'nahli hadn't been happy with the recent meeting, but it wasn't clear if anything of what K'mih said had contributed to her mood. Whatever K'nahli was thinking, she wanted to know.

[K'nahli]

K'nahli had remained silent since had they departed from the small, miqo'te gathering, though her hand remained firmly linked with that of her sister's as she towed her along through the silent, sea of sand as if holding on to a cluster of small, felled game. The twinkling sky above dimly illuminated the landscapea round them, providing just enough light for them to navigate their way home until their sunseeker eyes would adapt better to the darkness.

 

"K'nahli..."

 

Her sister's voice called out to her from behind. Up until now she had been absentmindedly hauling her home along with her without even thinking to release her grip. K'nahli blinked twice before turning her glance over her shoulder to look towards her sister. Her expression was one of innocence and concern. Perhaps that was to be expected, her brief departure and forceful kidnapping of K'mih would naturally give cause for concern.

 

"S-sorry..." K'nahli spoke silently, her voice somewhat hoarse. She withdrew her hand carefully as she turned to face forward once more, continuing pacing ahead to lead the way home.

 

"Did I hurt you?" she asked softly. Her question was genuine, though she felt that that was not the reason her sister had called out to her.

[Clover]

Somehow, being released wasn't what K'mih had been expecting. Not if K'nahli was planning to continue walking home, at least. Without much choice, the young girl followed behind, wondering if her sister would speak about the matter before reaching their destination. A curious Miqo'te couldn't be at ease.

 

"N-no! You just... look upset," was her brilliant observation, her tone still careful; she'd been the focus of K'nahli's anger in the past and knew how irritable her beloved sister was. Still, K'mih wanted to make her talk. "Won't you talk about it with me?"

[K'nahli]

K'nahli's eyes drifted to the side as if trying to observe her sister for a brief moment without turning her head.

 

"Hm... aren't I just being my usual grumpy self?"

 

K'nahli responded inquisitively. Her voice was casual, though her own words carried an unexpected weight that caused a stinging sensation to radiate out from her chest. She was unsure of what the feeling was, but it was almost as though she had spoken more than she had intended. Her heart began to ache and yet she knew not why it did so. Regardless, she attempted to ignore it. Failing to understand herself was not something she was unused to.

[Nirri]

His bright yellow eyes gazed down at the two miqo'tes down below in the sand. Both hands resting at his chin as he kicked some sand away from the rock he was resting on, "Where'd you think they come from, Screech?" he'd whisper to the chocobo standing beside him.

 

The chocobo only letting out a screech far to loud for the Miqo'te laying on the rock. His hands moving to his own ears with a light grunt following as a response.

[Clover]

It was a frustrating situation. K'nahli seemed to brush off the matter as if it was unimportant dust. Perhaps her mood was due to her own concern for her tribe? K'mih wasn't the smartest Miqo'te around, she was very aware of it herself, so she couldn't figure out if her older sister was hiding something or if perhaps she genuinely was in a strange mood.

 

"But K'nahli..." The pink haired Miqo'te tried again. "Don't you think it's a g--"

 

Her words were cut short by a loud sound that startled her, making her turn quickly in its direction with scared, wide open eyes.

 

 

((ooc: Thank you very much for joining! I'm unsure if we can clearly see your character from our position, so I didn't mention anything yet. I hope it's alright! ^^; ))

[K'nahli]

"....?!"

 

K'nahli came to an abrupt stop, turning on the spot to investigate the source of the sound. She narrowed her eyes scornfully as she scanned the dark horizon, looking for tell-tale signs of the possible unexpected guest... or guests.

 

 

(Are we being watched..?) she asked herself silently as she continued to look around, roughly pinpointing the origin of the sound but unable to detect anything while her eyes were still adjusting to the dark. It sounded like a chocobo but she wasn't entirely sure. It'd be unlikely for any aggressors to be this far out into the desert at night, unless they were amalj'aa, but even then it wouldn't explain the chocobo-like sound.

 

 

"....let us not tarry, K'mih.." K'nahli finally spoke, her tone hinting defensive aggresion as she gripped her sister's hand firmly once more before continuing homeward. K'mih was well-capable of handling herself, but K'nahli had always been over-protective.

 

 

OOC Note:

 

 

Sorry, I sort of assumed we couldn't see you. If we were supposed to however then I will edit my tag appropriately. Her reaction would be the same regardless, just the description would need changing so don't hesitate to say so ^^"

 

 

[Nirri]

As his hands fell back onto the hard surface of the rock his yellow eyes locked onto the chocobo with a lowered head. Starting to climb to his feet he spoke out to the chocobo.

 

 

"You scared them. Well done.",

 

 

His eyes adjusted nicely to the darkness searched down along the path for the two miqo'te's he had startled by accident or his chocobo rather.

 

"I'm sorry. We didn't mean to startle you two.", he shouted out with the most apologetic smile on his lips as he spotted the two.

[Fen]

Slowly, a lanky Elezen in a dark brown coat and tan turban marched his way through the desert. Green eyes sparkled in the sunlight from behind messy blonde hair that fell in front of his forehead. Feet wrapped in leather sandals, the young man walked... and walked... and walked.

 

"Sand, sand, and more bloody sand," he said with a mild sneer to himself, "The guild could 'ave warned me that the bloody village was this far in. I was the one daft enough to take it on, though... But gods, all this sand! And the bloody heat's more of a bugger than it is in the city..."

 

Slowly, the Duskwight came to a stop. He heard something. Footsteps? Other footsteps. Several feet. And a chocobo? Definitely a chocobo. Further off. Could just be merchants... Probably just merchants... A caravan... no... no, that's only a few people at most, that's no caravan... What merchant in their right mind would go out here without a full caravan? Thieves? Bandits? Raiders? What's to steal or raid out here? The next settlement is at least a malm or so...

 

Curiosity got the better of him. Carefully, the Elezen trekked up a sand dune, towards the soft sound of footsteps. He soon caught sight of two Miqo'te hurrying along. Just the two of them? Surely, they're not serious. They're in a hurry, looks like. Do they need help? "Hulloooooooo, down there!" he shouted cheerfully, before losing his footing and sliding down the dune towards the pair.

[Clover]

As soon as K'nahli took her younger sister's hand again, a friendly voice could be heard from above a nearby rock, same spot the previous sound had come from.

 

K'mih raised her head, and this time she was able to clearly discern the figure of a Miqo'te. His words alone had been a relief, as for a moment the girl had feared that any sort of enemy had taken them off guard. Granted, she never left home without her axe, but fighting in the dark of the night would have given her a clear disadvantage.

 

"Phew...!" She sighed in relief with another apologetic smile, raising a hand to her chest. In her mind, that he hadn't attacked them right away could only mean that he was one to be trusted.  "I'm sorry too, I mistook you for an enemy!"

 

It was right after the last word had slipped past her lips that a new voice startled her again. K'mih's immediate reaction this time? To hide quickly behind her sister. It was a bad habit she needed to correct, for she'd sworn to herself that, someday, she'd be the one protecting K'nahli. It just never happened.

[K'nahli]

K'nahli's brow furrowed as she heard the first voice call out to them from the distance. Though the male announced his presence, she was not one to quickly let her guard down. She only wished that she could possess the same trusting and naive nature of her little sister, but her heart would never allow such carelessness for she felt she had everything to lose, and the challenge to defend it could arise at any moment, especially when she least suspected it. It certainly had before.

 

She chose to ignore the voice. Should he genuinely pose no harm then he wouldn't pursue the matter any further than he already had. What business could he possibly have with them? Even were he to be completely harmless she'd rather be rude than caught with her guard lowered, especially with K'mih around.

 

Suddenly however, another voice called out to them, nearer this time. She whipped her head around to her flank to see a large figure quickly approaching them from atop a dune, skidding towards them through the sand as he did so, causing distinct disturbances along previously flawless, wind-carved, sand sculpture.

 

("What is this?!") she asked herself both anxiously and angrily as her expression turned to one of defiance, quick to take her nimble, bow-wielding posture that had long been second nature to her just as quickly as she drew it out before her. She was cynical in such matters. Everything was suspicious, everything dangerous. To her, the initial call announcing regret for scaring them suddenly appeared to be that of a cocky assailant trying to taunt them with false pleas declaring no harm. And the second? Another arrogant appearance of a larger male, serving as the first encounter before his companions chose to emerge. Was this some form of bandit ambush? Was she naive to assume that no-one else would be out here?

 

K'nahli raised her bow, quickly drawing an arrow back past her cheek as she locked on to the nearer male who had nearly concluded his skidding approach. Her eyes focused on him with intent as her body reacted almost as if it had a mind of its own, ready to deliver certain death to the mysterious visitor.

 

"Not another step further!" she hissed steadily. The aggression in her voice was as clear as the night sky above as she slowly positioned herself more accordingly before her sister, K'mih, offering herself as much cover as possible to any attack that could come from the encounter.

[Fen]

Halfway down the slope, the Elezen lost his balance further and fell on his face, sliding down the latter half of the dune head first. As he slid to a stop near the two Miqo'te, he lifted his head and spit a bit of sand from him mouth. The young man blinked up at the readied bow with a grimace. "Oy! Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I 'ave so much to live for! I've a wife an' kids an'... Wait, no, I don't have either of those... Um... Still don't shoot!" he rambled on, remaining on his stomach while lifting his hands.

[Nirri]

Without any form of notification the miqo'te turn back - the distant screech of the chocobo cheerfully echoing along the sand dunes. After a few moments the chocobo would appear at the top of one of the dunes at the side and with a slow stride it makes it's way downhill.

 

The miqo'te now in clear sight for the two Miqo'te and Elezen, the attire consisting of almost seemingly crimson silk, very unfitting for the area they have found themselves in and for a miqo'te on it's own.

 

 "What is going on here? And once again apologies for scaring you."

[Lorielle Sylwood]

Lorielle sat upon the back of a speeding Chocobo porter, her bright eyes straining against the dark.  The sound of the Chocobo's feet kicking back sand mixed with the whipping wind cause the Elezen woman to reach up and cover her short, pointy ears.  The mingled swishing sounds did a number on her senses, and she would rather block all of it out while making her way across the desert.

 

When something spooked the Chocobo, Lorielle was flung off, unable to hold onto it with her already occupied hands.  She hit the sand on her side, catching herself on her right elbow and left hand.  The chocobo sprinted off, coating her in a harsh hail of sand before departing.  She flinched and turned her head away, keeping the sand from her eyes.  She heard the sound of large bird feet fading out as her ride continued on without her.

 

She propped herself up slowly, cringing and favoring her right hip.  She had no idea where she was, or how to get to her destination on foot.  She pulled her knees to her chest, throwing her head in her hands and breathing slowly.  Just my luck, she thought to herself.  After a moment or two of sitting and sulking, the small Elezen woman got to her feet.  She reached behind her, grabbing her wooden staff and holding it in her right hand.  She used it as both a walking stick and protection at the ready.

 

She began to walk, trying her best to follow the indentations left in the sand by the unreliable chocobo porter.  The moonlight cast against her skin in a hazy glow, bringing out the red quality of her cheeks.  The light crept behind her eyes, illuminating her aquamarine irises from the inside out.  Her hair was dark brown, but beneath the moonlight took on silver streaks.  All of her hair went into a braid, which she had wrapped around the back of her head like a halo.  It had bits of sand on the right side.  All in all, the small Elezen felt gritty and quite unhappy.

 

Several minutes of walking and she was shocked to hear voices.  One was demanding, yelling.  Another sounded just as loud, if not louder, and pleading.  Someone in trouble?  Lorielle wondered, readying her staff and moving forward in faster, longer strides.  She pulled herself up and over a sand dune, coming upon a Miqo'te woman with a readied bow aimed at an Elezen in the sand.  A younger Miqo'te was hiding behind her, and a male Miqo'te was approaching with a chocobo.

 

Bandits? She wondered, her bright eyes narrowing to get a better handle on the situation before assuming anything.  The way one of the Miqo'te was cowering behind the other, she assumed they were startled by the Elezen currently laying on the ground.  Still, she remained uneasy, clutching her staff tightly, and remaining where she stood.

 

Maybe one of them knew their way out of the desert?  Surely at least one of them did.  Now hardly seemed like the time to approach, but she couldn't just stand away from them and watch.  She moved slowly across the sand, down the dune, approaching the gathering cautiously.  She made it apparent that she was using her staff as a means of support for her movement down the sand, not as a weapon.

 

She tried to say something to them, to alert them of her presence.  She did not want to startle anyone more than they already were.  She bit her lip, parted her mouth, then closed it again.  Should she really be getting involved here?  What if the situation wasn't like she had assumed?  She pursed her lips, opening her mouth again.

 

"Pardon me," she called out softly, stopping approximately ten feet away from them.  She waited to see how they would respond.  She looked innocent enough, so she hoped.  She obviously was not from around here, and she was noticeably distraught.  Perhaps not so much as the Elezen who's life was threatened facedown in the sand.

[Clover]

"K-K'nahli!"

 

There was no way that the naive Miqo'te wouldn't have been deeply moved by the elezen's pitiful plead. In fact, had it depended on her, she wouldn't have threatened him to start with. He'd just startled her, nothing beyond that.

 

Softly, K'mih placed both hands on one of her older sister's arms, the gesture trying to coax her to lower her bow.

 

"Isn't that too harsh...?" She asked in half a whisper, her tone also a plead.

 

The strange male Miqo'te walked closer to them, revealing his eye catching crimson attire, which K'mih couldn't help but to stare at for a second. He was a stranger in those lands, wasn't he?

 

"Ah... I'm very sorry!" He told the Miqo'te. "Is he your friend? We didn't mean to cause harm!"

 

It was then that a new figure approached them, calling for their attention. She didn't want to, she really didn't, but K'mih hid behind her sister once more.

[K'nahli]

Knahli's poised stature became more limp and she lowered her bow partially, tilting her head ever so slightly as she analyzed their Elezen guest. Her expression had grown less serious and hinted a look more similar to that of disbelief. His grovelling pleas for mercy were genuine, not a trait one would expect of a bandit or otherwise. Regardless, her arrow remained mostly drawn and bow ready to be aimed towards her next target until she could fully decipher the bizarre situation.

 

K'mihs pacifying words helped soothe her alarmed, older sister somewhat, her delicate touch aiding her sister with lowering her weapon. A voice of reason and assurance that all was, and would be, well. K'nahli had not completely lowered her guard, however, her focus remained fixed on the elezen.. choosing, still, to not formerly acknowledge the approaching, male miqo'te, though keeping him within her peripheral vision.

 

"Pardon me.." a third, unfamiliar voice now called out from her left. 

 

K'nahlis eyes widened slightly in disbelief as she exhaled sharply, unsure of what to make of the situation. How is it that these people all happened to stumble upon her and K'mih? The Sagoli is hardly a frequently trafficked area, she was very unused to encounters out here, let alone so many at once. Knahli quickly passed a gaze towards the feminine voice that had politely called out to them, her brow still furrowed in suspicion. As would have been assumed from the placid tone of the woman's voice, she appeared harmless and otherwise alien to the encounter with the two males. It seemed safe to assume that she was in no way associated with them.

 

In spite of K'mih cowering from the newly arrived female, K'nahli nudged her with her body in such a way to direct her towards the woman, all while keeping her bow armed and ready. Keeping K'mih close behind her, K'nahli turned her back completely on the female, slowly taking a number of steps as she reversed towards her, with K'mih still hugging her back, as she pulled the two males into direct sight before her.

 

 

"My sister and I are returning home. Nothing more. What business would any of you have with us?" Knahli spoke cleanly, addressing the miqo'te at last, her voice still defensive.

[Nirri]

The crimson dressed Miqo'te patted the chocobo's next as they came to a halt not that far from the ground. An ever present smile present upon his lips as his gaze shifted between each individual. From the Elezen tasting the sand to the two sister and onto the last figure a lost Elezen female who seemingly such as the Elezen male had a taste for Sagolii sand.

 

"Well to start it off. Eve-..", he suddenly ceases to talk as something tries to make it's way up below the crimson shirt at his chest. After a few moments of the miqo'te wriggling and letting out a few curses a head of a Topaz carbuncle pops up at his collar and stares at the two miqo'te sisters.

 

Moving a hand up to the neck of the carbuncle, the crimson dressed miqo'te places the companion atop of the chocobo's head.

 

"Stay. Now.. As I was saying. Evening to you all."

[Fen]

The Elezen man lifted himself slowly onto his hands and knees, muttering to himself, "Bugger, if my father saw tha', he'd shoot me 'imself." He looked up to the Miqo'te pair, smiling cheerfully, if not a tad nervously, "I was passin' through on my way to a village... somewhere out 'ere. Then I 'eard footsteps, an' I thought they might've belonged ta bandits or somethin'. But then I slipped. And fell. It was... actually a bit fun, sans... y'know, the bloody sand in my mouth and the arrow pointed a' me."

 

At this, he looked warily at the bow and arrow held by the elder sister, "Er... really... no 'arm meant, I'm an adventurer, I'm not in the business a' hurtin' innocent people. May Nymeia cut my thread, should I lie."

[Lorielle Sylwood]

The Elezen woman was a bit surprised to see the older Miqo'te backing towards her, though she did not show it in her outward appearance.  She supposed she should just wait for the current situation to blow over before stating her own business.  What they were currently dealing with seemed more important in the long-run than her being lost in a desert anyway.  She held her staff in one hand, the dune she had climber over sitting directly behind her.  Her other hand came up towards her face, laying just above her collar bone.  Her index finger curled up, resting beneath her chin.

 

The Miqo'te male, with an abundance of animal companions, seemed cheery and welcoming despite the current events.  He offered a friendly greeting, to which Lorielle raised her empty hand in a silent response.  Speaking out above the startled and anxious Miqo'te females seemed rude to her, as if she were undermining their worry.  After her small wave, her hand returned to its timid position beneath her chin.

 

She listened to the other Elezen explain what he had been doing, and watched whatever threat there may have been alleviate.  She desperately wished she were still on her chocobo, half-way to Gridania by now.  Part of her had the mind to go get her gil back from the chocobo keeper.  Most of her, on the other hand, just wanted to get to Gridania and never leave again.

[Fen]

The Elezen man motions to the other of his race, taking his eyes away from the bow and arrow. "Ma'am, do I seem like the bad sort to you? Look, I've even go' adorably messy hair! Is this the hair of a dastard?" he asked, smiling cheerfully. In his mind, he cursed at his frankly pathetic attempt at gaining trust.

 

 

((*pokes thread*))

 

[Lorielle Sylwood]

Lorielle looked surprised as the next few words were directed at her.  She blinked, taking a while to get a hold on the situation, then think of what it was the Elezen man had asked her.  She dropped her gaze, reaching up to touch the side of her hair that had been dusted with sand.  The gesture was small and slow enough to have likely gone unnoticed.

 

She smiled, mostly from embarrassment, as she shook her head at the man's question.  Not dastardly.  Just maybe facing a bit of bad luck, as she was.

[Clover]

((OOC: I'm very sorry for being so late! I've spent the past two days focused on a project 24/7, but I should be back to my FFXIV life now (>_<; Again, I'm sorry.))

 

 

When the little animal emerged from the depths of the male Miqo'te's crimson shirt, a pair of bi-coloured, naive eyes opened wider, sparkling with a glint of excitement and curiosity. K'mih managed to hold back just for a moment, not knowing how her sister would react, but temptation was too strong in the end. She needed to take a better look at that animal, and she needed it now.

 

"So cute..."

 

As if in a small trance, K'mih left her sister's side to approach the other Miqo'te, eyes glued to the little creature. She didn't remember having seen such an animal before, and from the looks of it, it seemed friendly enough.

 

"Can I touch it...?" Was her question as she took her gaze up to the Miqo'te for a moment. Her hand was already traveling close to the animal as she spoke, eager.

[Nirri]

(( OOC: It's okay , real life stuff comes first ))

 

The crimson dressed Miqo'te leaned forward and seemingly whispered something in the long ear of the carbuncle before giving it a small tap with his fingertips. A light smile forming on his lips as he lowered his head against the neck of the chocobo he sat upon.

 

"Ofcourse. Just don't tickle him, he doesn't like it."

 

As soon as he finished talking the carbuncle leaped down from the chocobo's head and onto the sand, almost seemingly never really touching it as it ran across the sand with light and stretched jumps all around K'mih before  making one big jump onto her shoulder with ease.

[K'nahli]

K'nahli let out a large, dissatisfied-sounding sigh as she finally lowered her guard, allowing her bow to fall down haltingly by her side.

 

"Go-Goo-....Good evening..." she finally spoke, her gaze turned away from the two males as she looked nowhere in particular. A mild flush occupied her youthful face as she returned the greeting, feeling both embarrassment from her actions and simply from the fact that her words served as an admittance of her mistake. Her maroon eyes fell back penitently to the elezen as he remained low on the ground in submission to K'nahli's previous behaviour. She slowly began walking towards him, alien to the fact that her sister, K'mih, had also began walking - in the other direction towards the male miqo'te. She calmly returned her arrow to it's quiver before bringing her bow up and over her head and then slowly pulling it down over herself, allowing it to sit snugly across her body.

 

She extended a hand to the elezen in a gesture of aid as she came to a stop shortly before him.

 

 

"I'm.... sorry... for pulling a weapon on you" she muttered to the man, still unable to find the nerve to make eye contact with him. Her words were tainted with reluctance and embarrassment as she sought his pardon

[Fen]

((Sorry, guys, my Internet has gone out. Continue without me, I'll post when I can. >_<))