Indecision [Open]

[Reika]

Imbolc had shaken her up. She'd left just as the chaos had erupted, and had tried to go back to see what exactly was going on. She'd been cornered by multiple strange dark creatures with weapons, and had been forced to go back the way she'd come. With no real answers yet, she'd sent Koji into the Unseelie lands with a message.
The message had been meant for Namiko, as the warrior woman knew where her sister had been residing. Little did she know, Namiko was hardly there these days so things might have gotten confused on Koji's end. Hopefully the lazy bat could track the girl.

Her stance was loose and languid, hiding perfectly the turmoil beneath her exterior. She was angry, at herself and at the whole situation. There was no mistaking the man she'd met, and the worst part was being so close but so incapable of doing anything she'd dreamed of doing for so long. Somehow in her dreams, she'd forgotten that most of her attackers had been Sidhe... something she was not. For the first time in a long time, she was thoroughly outclassed. And it drove her insane.

One advantage the human world had, was that she trained with the best and therefore became the best. Humans could not match her speed, strength, and instinctual reactions. It became easy, and she'd gotten lazy. Now that she was in Alanor, she needed someone to train with. Someone powerful, but level-headed. Then again, she didn't have much to offer except an experienced sparring partnership... her skills with her blade were really all she had to speak of. Trust was also important, because to train to the level she intended to, there would be danger involved.

Farther still, there was the possibility of death. What would her family think were that to happen? Death seemed unacceptable when faced with the possible outcome; leaving that scumbag so close to her sister. Her right hand flexed, the muscles dancing with the urge to do something, anything.

So she did. In one strong sweep, her Katana flew free of the sheath at her waist and arced high above her head. She stepped forward and swung down, then stepped to her right with the blade following the motion of her feet. It became a bit of a dance between her steps and the sweeping of the blade, until she could feel sweat starting to bead on her skin. If her sister did show up, it wouldn't be a shock to see the woman engaging a ghostly opponent in combat so she was unconcerned by that. It was a good way to pass the time, and she had a lot of stress to relieve. Besides, she still didn't know if the girl would come... or if she'd stick around to find out.

[Haley]

Haley didn’t usually spy on people. Sure, she enjoyed playing the role of a spy every now and then, especially if it meant she could dress up in her cool ninja spy gear. However, she didn’t make a habit of it. Watching people was a waste of time in Haley’s opinion – she could easily garner all the information she needed about a particular person just by meeting them. She didn’t need to spy on them.

The Nimbus woman and her ever present companion had just happened to be in the area when Reika entered it. The possibility of the other nimbus actually noticing the two would have been quite slim; Haley was currently perched within a tree several meters from the edge of the Exordium clearing, and was effectively hidden by not only the branches of her own tree, but by the branches and shadows of surrounding trees. Akuji, with his calico pelt, was neatly tucked away in the shadows at the base of the tree, the majority of his coat blending in with the dead leaves that littered the ground.

Though her vision was somewhat hindered by the variety of obstacles in her way, Haley still had quite a view of Reika from across the clearing. At first she had paid the other woman no heed – other faerie were of very little interest to Haley. However, the moment Reika had begun to swing her sword around was the moment Haley had switched into spying, if one could even call it that. Haley was more content to call it ‘observing without letting the other know you’re observing them.’

Haley’s expression was unreadable; her hazel eyes followed the warrior-woman’s every movement with hawk-like intensity. She recognized the practiced ease in which Reika swung her sword and the intense but controlled energy that accompanied each lash of the blade. Haley had always admired the refined art of Japanese sword fighting. It was not as flashy as fencing nor did it rely as much on brute strength as the knights of old used to claim homage to. Instead, it was a balanced art that relied both on physical and mental strength, alongside the careful placement of the feet and movement of the body. There was no random jabbing or slashing – each move was engineered for optimum defense or offense.

There had been a brief time in which Haley had studied Kendo, though she had not taken to it well. Haley was a close combat creature – long ranged weapons felt foreign to her. She had studied enough to wield a blade with some expertise, but not nearly enough to combat a warrior of Reika’s obvious expertise. The usual competitive envy that Haley customarily felt when presented with a superior purled through her chest, but oddly sank to be quickly replaced with a bout of admiration. This woman had conquered a weapon that Haley knew to be quite difficult; it was an admirable feat.

Haley watched the other for quite some time before she decided it would be in her best interest to greet the other. She dropped from her tree, landing gently with her knees slightly bent and immediately setting off to enter the clearing. Akuji was quick to follow, taking his place on her left side, as was customary. Though Haley approached Reika quickly, she stopped several paces away, as not to disturb the woman had she chosen not to stop. Slender fingers slipped up to peel the hood of her sleeveless black hoodie tossed casually over a dark gray tank top and left unzipped, then dropped down to brush a few pieces of bark from her incredibly short black and gray plaid pleated skirt. The glint of her long silver bracers was substantially subdued in the fading bronze light, but never-the-less there.

Akuji dropped down beside her into a sitting position, and then, nearly simultaneously, the two tilted their heads to the side. A small smile curled lightly atop Haley’s lips, ”’Sup.”

(ooc: this turned out really bad. Dunno why)

[Reika]

When Reika got into the middle of her practice and fell into a groove, everything in her mind melted away. She entered this space, it was a hazy blue-grey, shapeless, object-less, empty and yet serene. She could hear wind chimes and smell the soft scent of summer rain on foliage that existed in a region distinctly outside of Alanor. Unable to recall exactly the when or where, she had a feeling it was a childhood memory. There was a vague recollection of a wide window, a blue-grey sky recovering from a rain storm, and the smell that accompanied it. Though born in Alanor, the house she'd partially grown up in- and the one Namiko had been raised entirely in- was very dear to her.

The memories reminded her of a time where she could have done better. A time when the divide between her sister and herself had already begun. Swallowing her pride then had seemed embarrassing, and by now, she didn't know how to at all. The muscles in her lean arms moved like a snake through water, rippling and then calm, and over again. She parried as much as she struck outwards, well aware that a key point to increasing her offensive ability was to have good defensive ability. Realistically, there wasn't much more she could learn from Kendo. She'd studied Abe-ryu all the way into its modern progression, and earned the modern title of hanshi hachi-dan. It was only recently she'd started getting into Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū, but it was difficult to carry two swords on her person so she couldn't practice as often.

Beyond this, she wanted to acquire new, foreign styles. Having difficulty with a weapon was something she somewhat looked forward to. In a circular spin, she felt the sensation of eyes on her back, and as she continued seemingly without notice or interruption, her eyes scanned the surrounding area. She didn't recognize Haley until the trees rustled, and she let her senses tell her when the girl hit the ground. Her approach was immediately slow and without purpose or intent, so it was safe to say that the girl harbored no ill will. Spotting her mantel, it was an even safer bet as the woman was evidently a fellow Seelie. Furthermore, Reika didn't hold a title in the courts worth taking, so her life wouldn't be of interest to the other.

Taking the woman's politeness in waiting, she finished her routine and sheathed the sword at her hip. Turning, she raised an eye at the mutual headtilt between the mantel and the fae. "Practicing." She shrugged along with the answer, unsure of how else to respond. It seemed like the woman should have a reason for approaching her other than to ask 'what's up', but seemed slow in coming forth with exactly what that was. Fine by her, she didn't like super talkative types anyway. Her reason for being in Exordium was a bit strange, but she wondered what brought the other Seelie out here.

"Do you frequent Exordium?" She asked with slight interest, moving to a tree and withdrawing a hanging bag. She freely took the towel and wiped sweat from her exposed neck and shoulders, her loose hakama style pants waving in the slight breeze.

[Haley]

Reika was beautiful. Had Haley been a vain creature she would have elapsed into full-blown jealousy in Reika’s presence. Instead, only a twinge of envy flitted through her heart until she reminded herself that she was in the land of the beautiful people and that she needed to get used to it already. Unlike Reika, Haley’s plainness often caused her to stick out like a neon sign. She practically screamed human – it was a wonder she wasn’t a garlanger. While a few might have found her skinny little body attractive, what with her lack of boobs, hips, or curves of any kind, the majority of the faerie snubbed her as unworthy of their attention. It wasn’t as if Haley cared too much (or she liked to believe she didn’t), it was more the fact that she was sick of being underestimated or overlooked just because of her appearance. Even the Queen did it. Haley couldn’t help but wonder if the Queen would treat her differently were she to possess the beauty of someone like Reika or Nymeth.

The other’s skill with the sword was also of some concern to Haley. Here was yet another faerie that threatened Haley’s status as the number one warrior in the Seelie court (her self-given title of course). Haley’s competitive spirit flared considerably as she watched Reika finish. Her mouth opened on impulse, almost as if she wished to challenge the woman to a match right then in there, but she quickly snapped it shut. Now was not the time nor was it the place. Maybe at a later date, when a relationship with the woman was established, they could engage in a friendly match in the Altar of Fate. Until then Haley would bite her tongue. After all, Reika appeared as if she could be slightly likable.

Haley snorted at Reika’s question, as if she found it entertaining. A smile flitted across her pale pink lips, ”I’m not a fan of court grounds.” She left it at that. Reika seemed like a smart faerie; she hadn’t given off any vibes that indicated she might have that mental retardation illness that afflicted quite a few others in Alanor. She shifted her weight from foot to foot as she searched for a way to continue the conversation. After all, if she didn’t it would have been a waste of energy to walk all the way over there. Unfortunately, like Reika, Haley wasn’t prone to talking too much, unless she was in the mood of course. ”I’m Haley by the way. I saw you at Imbolc. You seemed quite popular with the men.” She hadn’t watched Reika long; Haley had only given her the quick once-over she had afforded every faerie at the festival. She had taken a few moments longer on Reika’s companion at the time, Jun, and her attention had been attracted once more when Namgil had joined Reika. Haley was strongly attracted to asian men – she couldn’t help but notice them.

[Reika]

Despite what Haley was thinking, Reika found her appearance interesting. The warrioress was a fan of simplicity, so to her, someone who could look naturally pretty was much more impressive than someone with model features and perfectly airbrushed makeup. It was popular, common, the fashion market was over-saturated with it and it was a very human standard of beauty. Alanor was a little more varied, though neither woman would be to everyone's tastes. She might be seen as a "little rough around the edges", she lacked the sweet innocence that attracted many. Haley's seemingly effortless style might seem too simple to some, but Reika appreciated it. It made her seem more down to earth.

Turning to face the other Nimbus again, she withdrew the engraved Katana with a two-handed grip and began to oil it as her right continued gripping it tightly. The chuckle made Reika curious as to what was amusing about her question, but Haley's answer drew a side-quirked smile. "You and I both." She commented lightly, more to herself than anything. That was a bad habit she had to work on. It wasn't that she disliked the Seelie courts, the fae, or the Queen herself. Home was where the heart was, and she wasn't sure where her heart was, or rather; where it was supposed to be.

Almost immediately, Reika was prepared to respond to the introduction, but what Haley said at the end made her hesitate. She had been in the company of two men, one clearly of her own heritage and the other more likely Korean or mixed. Both Unseelie, though the presence of one had been distinctly more appreciated than the other. Her eyes darkened noticeably, trying not to verbally show her discomfort towards her thoughts. "Not any more than most." She replied in response to her 'popularity'. Jun had been charming and polite, but entirely guarded and she had the distinct feeling she'd bored him. The other man was, well, she'd spent as much time fashioning up ways to kill him as things to say in response to him. Aside from that, she couldn't remember the last time she'd talked to a man, at least, in the way Haley seemed to imply. It was business or nothing, for many many years now.

After her slight pause, she realized she was almost being incredibly rude to the other. She really needed to stop losing her head over this. Normally her inner zen was a lot stronger. "I am Reika. Pleasure to meet you." Also, she must have been one of the ones who fought her way out of the madness that erupted at the festival. "I'm glad Imbolc didn't harm you." She offered a phantom smile, startling as Koji erupted from the trees, the flying fox taking this as the opportune time to hang from her outstretched hand and pull at her pants for no apparent reason. He really was difficult to understand, and certainly didn't make cleaning any easier. She managed to one-handedly sheath the katana before flicking him on the stomach for his behavior.

She looked at Haley with a somewhat embarrassed glance. "This is Koji."

[Haley]

Haley’s eyes followed Reika’s hands as they worked to oil her sword. The little Nimbus was fascinated with weapons of all kinds. While her time in the military had been spent with more modern machinery, as a child Haley had spent all of her time and money on collecting and working with blades. As a result, Haley could understand the workings and theories behind both guns and blades, even if she couldn’t necessarily wield them. It gave her a much needed edge in combat, something she needed since she almost always opted for short ranged weapons and thus was usually at a distinct disadvantage when it came time to face those with swords or staves.

The change in Reika’s demeanor went mostly unnoticed – Haley was the type to actually care about another’s internal conflicts. Back on Earth she made a horrible listener. Her usual response to people with problems was for them to ‘get over it.’ People very quickly learned to look elsewhere for emotional support. Haley was lucky Reika wasn’t the type to just go and spill her innermost secrets. Her short response to Haley’s quip was appreciated and Haley quirked an eyebrow but said nothing. She didn’t intend to waste energy speculating over why Reika dismissed her Imbolc company so easily.

”Reika huh?” Though Haley was quite good at distinguishing the differences between Asians – she had spent several years in Korea and quite a bit of time in Japan -, it felt nice to have a verbal confirmation of her assumption. Haley didn’t return the pleasure comment; the only pleasurable company to her was the company of a dog. Reika wasn’t a dog, but at least she was more tolerable than the majority of other faerie. The Japanese woman’s next comment caused Haley’s smile to ignite, ”It was a shit-ton of fun.” Despite the little incident with the Queen and the wounds Akuji had procured, the night had been relatively enjoyable. Haley thrived in that sort of environment – the threat of death (or, in this case, trance) only further fueled her fighting spirit.

Haley was about to say something else when Koji burst from the trees. Though Haley only casually glanced in that direction (she wasn’t about to be startled so easily) Akuji had another sort of greeting in mind. The African Wild dog, prone to thinking with his stomach and not his head, immediately lunged for the creature as he flew to latch onto Reika. Fortunately, Haley knew her mantel well enough to be prepared for this kind of response. Nimble hands darted out, grabbing the powerful, eighty pound creature by the scruff of his neck and yanking him back to her side. A sour look encompassed Haley’s petite face as one hand released and delivered a harsh smack to Akuji’s head. The dog’s ears flattened and as he glowered right back at her, wincing slightly at the residual sting of the slap. His lips curled back in a semi-sneer, but Haley merely rolled her eyes and diverted her attention back to Reika, ”Sorry about that. Akuji tends to attack anything that moves.”

The beast snorted, his eyes turning hungrily back towards Koji. Though he maintained his position by Haley’s side, small drops of drool dripped from Akuji’s jaws, vanishing into the grass. Haley, who could never stay mad at Akuji no matter what he did, slipped a hand down to scratch the dog between the ears gently. In all honesty, had the creature not been Reika’s mantel, Haley probably wouldn’t have stopped Akuji. She too looked towards the bat, ”Cute mantel. He’s probably pretty useful huh?” The previous incident was all but forgotten by now; if Reika chose to take offense at Akuji’s action Haley would be content to leave. In her eyes, Akuji could do no wrong and ultimately nothing had happened, so there really was nothing to be upset about.

The little Nimbus shifted her weight from side to side, a nasty habit of hers. Haley didn’t like to stand still for extended periods of time. Her fingers lingered on Akuji’s head as she sought for something to say. Her bright hazel eyes, more green today than brown, drifted back towards Reika’s sword, ”You’re pretty good with that thing. Been training long?” If there was one thing Haley had not gotten over yet it was just how much older everyone else was compared to her. She was a mere twenty-four years of age, though she had stopped aging when she first stepped foot in Alanor two years ago. Despite her extraordinary skills, in certain areas, the experience that came with age really did matter. Something about Reika made Haley think that she was quite a bit older than she looked.