Clean Kill

[x~Khade~x]

Shoveing the outstretched tree arms out of his path, he stepped out onto more clearer grounds, bareing a clean pond at the heart. With a small doe limp on his shoulders, he approached the water's bank, dropping to one knee and setting his crimsion lavished dagger aside. Pivoting his torso, he let the still warm and bloody body of the beast slide onto the soil beside him. Huntching over the cool, rippled water, he cupped some of the liquid and latherded it over his face, slicking back his sweaty and clingy hair. Streightening to his feet, he groaned quietly to himself and stretched out his arms, the muscles on his bare torso twisting boldly with his movement. Glanceing down at his fresh kill, he grinned and spoke to himself triumphantly.

"Won't you make a nice dinner tonight."

(Jump in!)

[ayrisa]

Ryse stiffened at the sound of another human striding through the bushes and trees that surrounded this small pool where she now crouched. She barely took the time to wipe out her tracks, grab her bow, and then duck into a niche between two pine branches just big enough for her slender, five-foot-seven frame. She stifled a squeal as one of her dark red, blond-streaked locks caught on a twig.

A tall, handsome man strode confidently out of the bushes, a small doe on his shoulders. He twisted, letting the deer fall from his well-muscled, broad shoulders, and then put his blood-covered dagger on a nearby rock.

"Won't you make a nice dinner tonight."

Ryse nocked a goose feather-fletched arrow from the quiver on her back to her bowstring. Silently drawing the tip back to the corner of her mouth, she instinctively sighted on the man. "Yes, quite a nice dinner you have there. Mind if I take this from you?" Her clear, strong voice rang out across the clearing. She lithely leaped down from the tree and grabbed the man's dagger, keeping her arrow trained on his back.

[x~Khade~x]

He froze instantly at the touch of the arrowhead against his bare skin, noticeing his dagger was taken also, haveing no defense. He strung a smirk across his lips and turns his head over his shoulder, scanning the young woman. He than lifted is hands in a signal of giving in, slowly and carefully straightend to his feet, the weaponed still pinned against his back, showing no sign of distress or panic.

He let a small chuckled fall from his creased mouth, eyes watching her sideways.
"Are you going to kill me?"

[ayrisa]

The man was intelligent, Ryse would give him that. He had frozen as soon as her arrow had touched his back. Ryse could tell, this man did not want to die, but he made no move to escape or even show worry.

"Are you going to kill me?" He asked, with almost a hint of humor in his voice. Ryse decided she liked him. That could change, however, in an instant if he made one false move.

"Depends. Depends on if you'll give me that deer or not. Now, don't be thinking I can't hunt my own food- I surely can. But I'd much rather have someone like you do the dirty work of skinning and cleaning the kill. Then I'll be on my way."

Ryse wasn't lazy- she just figured that she'd done too much killing herself recently, and would do more in the future, and she was fairly sure that this man was no match for her. Besides, if he proved himself, perhaps she would ask him to come on her journey to free her brother. One never knew.

[x~Khade~x]

A light laugh broke, and he scratched at his throat, noticeing she did mean business... Plus she had an arrow at his spine and his weapon in her grapple. Letting his word run like oil, smooth.

Well... Aren't you a fisty one. Acually, this little guy wasn't planned to be eaten... I was going to use it as some bait for my next hunt... But I guess it doesn't matter. Not much of a pain to catch one of these guys anyway. Now, if you don't mind reclineing your arrow.

He let a smirk rise from one corner of his mouth.

[ayrisa]

Ryse snorted in derisive laughter. "For one, 'this little guy' is actually a female. Two, please don't call me feisty. My aunt used to call me that. I mean, really. And three, I will recline my arrow, but I shall keep this." She tossed his dagger in the air, caught it, and inserted it into a pocket in her rust-brown cloak.

"Now, shall we get properly acquainted? My name is Ryse."

She studied the dagger as she waited for his reply. It was finely made, not too elaborate, with a polished silver blade that gleamed in the sunlight and a bone hilt. Despite the blood that still coated the edge, it was overall a very attractive weapon.

[x~Khade~x]

He turned as the arrow freed his movement and sent an arm flying back towards her, shoveing her shoulder with his palm, causeing her to spin. He than gripped her wrists and forced them behind her back in an X and pressed her firmly against a tree as she faced it. Haveing her in this defenseless hold her pulled her bow and his own dagger from her hands, keeping her wrists bound strongly, his entire body pinning her limbs from any movement. He moved his arm around and pressed the dull end of the dagger agaisnt her throat, tilting her head back as he whispered in her ear.

"There is no top dog in this world, princess... We are all of equal value and power, working as one pack or as a lone wolf to survive. I will not hand over my things to you like a helpless peasent... And you need no reason to take from me, as you are perfectly capible to get some yourself. I'm not going to kill you, I have no intention to, and right now you probably are wanting to kill me, knowing you from the last few awkward minutes. So, how 'bout this: We put away our weapons, shake hands fondly, and keep our hands away from eachother's belongings. together. Deal?

And by the way, you can still have the carcass, I have no need for it."

[ayrisa]

Ryse growled. Crap, she thought. Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap. The man obviously knew how to handle weapons, and how to fight with his bare hands. She'd gone instantly from being the superior to being held in his vise-like grip, defenseless, pinned against a tree. She kicked the offending tree.

"I HATE YOU." She spat. "You're too honest. It's the honest ones you can't trust, because they're always so unpredictable. If you let me go AND give back my bow, I'll agree to your terms, minus the hand-shaking."

She debated whether to tell him about her journey. Even though she'd just claimed she hated him, he was actually quite likable, and he was obviously someone she'd like to have on her side in a fight.

"Oh, and also, you've never told me what your name was. I told you mine, but you have to tell me yours." She spoke in a normal tone of voice, but kept the snarl on her face.

[x~Khade~x]

He laughed and lossened his hold on her wrists, "Lot of people hate me, babe. And ok, I guess the hand-shake isn't needed." He smirked and let go completely, giving her room to feel comfortable and reached her bow out to her, than backing up and leaning on a tree's trunk. He slipped his dagger away in it's perfectly fit kit and crossed his packed arms, studying her, his strong eyes scanning her every inch as if she were something he has never seen before. A half smile grew and he rubbed his faintly stubbled chin, speaking, his tone was rich. " Don't meet much ladies quite like you... Least not pretty ones."

"Oh, and my name is Khade."

[ayrisa]

"Lots of people hate me, babe. And ok, I guess the hand-shake isn't needed." The man let go of her wrists and she nearly hissed. He leaned against the tree and insolently added, "Don't meet many ladies quite like you... Least not pretty ones. Oh, and by the way, my name's Khade."

Ryse wondered whether to take that as an insult or a compliment. She settled for giving him a sarcastic half smile. "Thank you, I think." She shouldered her bow- Khade would've hurt her when she was pinned against the tree, if he would have at all. Ryse abruptly changed the subject.

"Have you heard of Darksgrond? The city of dungeons?"

She waited for his reply, noticing instead his large hands and strong, well-muscled arms. An eagle screeched overhead; birds chirped from the trees.

[x~Khade~x]

He smirked askewly, he watched her eyes as she spoke than waited for him to reply, diffused. His words were smooth and condence as he spoke, nor falter nor brazen. He compiled her words, but a bit mesmorized himself by her eyes. He would always become infatuated by a woman who had eyes that would sever any man's words right off his tongue. Than he refocused after a short moment, than gave a reply.

"Hm... No, I believe I haven't. Would you be so kind as to explain what it is?" Than he bore a diminutive, wry smile.

His eyes though, were difficult to read. The pupil was as an endless aperture, a torrent of immutable stoicism. They held no mercy, the clarity of anything he held was deep in anonymity. Almost baleful, the sign of much perfidy. They lacked the life that most men held in their eyes, seemingly reposed. Yet, they were inquisitive, worthy to be trusted, a goad of loyalty. He raked a hand through his hair and drew a relaxeing breath.

[ayrisa]

Ryse felt Khade's eyes on her and returned his gaze unflinchingly.

"Darksgrond is a city about one-and-a-half months' travel away. The city of kings, some call it. The city of horrors. The city of dungeons, as I mentioned before. The city of murderers. A city that no one, man nor woman, should go to alone."

"It is for the reason of the dungeons that I must take a journey there. My fool brother has gotten himself locked into the 'impenetrable' underground jail there. Now, just so you know, I don't trust you a bit. But you're intelligent, and fairly handy in a fight," She said grudgingly, then paused. "And there will be plenty of those. Darksgrond is said to be the most dangerous city, and for that reason, I ask you to accompany me on my journey. You can leave whenever. Not that I'd stop you. But I'd think that the life of a lone hunter would be quite boring for one of your skill." She finished.

Ryse turned to leave. "I shall return here in a couple days. Come or not; I'll just find someone else if you don't come. Whatever. Oh, and can I still have that deer?"

[x~Khade~x]

He turned his head away, watching afar as he gathered her information into an answer.

"Sounds a bit interesting... I'll be sure to meet you later when I think it through. If your not to busy jumping others. -He gave a flat laugh- Oh, and you can have the deer... Not the last one in the forest."

He straightened off the tree and ran his fingers up and down the spine of his blade, figureing in his mind it needed sharpened. Also, he was juggleing the idea of going with her on her journey, or staying home and continueing his thorn-in-the-side job. His mind was multi-tasking, as usual. He turned and began on his way to town, leaving the untouched, warm carcass laying by the water.