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Post by Nameless on May 19, 2014 17:53:16 GMT -5
“Not good...I’m almost out…”
The afternoon sun beat down upon the busy city, people and vehicles alike bustled and hurried along quickly as the ronin spoke to himself. Never before had he seen a place like this, the buildings were so large, the paths were made of stone and the city was so crowded and noisy, he wondered how one would be able to get any sleep living here. It became increasingly obvious that he stood out like a sore thumb, even when in the middle of the crowd reason being that he seemed to be the only one dressed in his kimono attire but the main reason being was he was the only one, carrying a weapon out in public. Many people glanced at the scabbard of his katana, though he was sharp, he could tell that most were on edge and with that in mind, the unnamed swordsman decided to stray from the direct path.
Attempting to seek some sort of quiet, he found himself wandering into what seemed to be a park, this part of the city was not as noisy and only a few people were around, most of which whom were concerned with their own business. Moving along the trail, he began to catch a few glances but nothing as hostile as the ones he received at first, the people seemed to have gotten the message that he wished to stick to himself and keep his business his own as he continued for to find a place where he could purchase some supplies. The new place seemed to have gotten the better of the Nameless man and in doing so, he inevitably had gotten himself lost, every which way he turned there was a building blocking him or a path that stretched forever, the wandering swordsman was lost.
“Great.”
He mumbled to himself quietly, deciding his next move would be to stop and assess the situation rather than get himself further into trouble.
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Post by namekgirl on May 19, 2014 21:04:35 GMT -5
Ellie, who was tired from the day and night before, unpacked her goods from wooden baskets and set them upon a white table. He legs and feet ached horribly, but that was her life, standing all day and walking back and forth everyday. Her venue was standing beside many others, each one of them too close for comfort. Above each one of their venues a tent covered them, giving them shade and cooling them off during the hot days, but today was not one of them, today they had been blessed with cooler spring like weather, and the tarp above almost made her too chilly.
“It’s been a cold summer.” She said to the seller next to hers. He was a big burly man, who never spoke. He ignored her comment as he placed out some weapons such as knives, swords, hunting materials, everything he had he made by hand. He sold skinned animals that hung from the support rods of his tent. The dead carcass sent shivers down her spine.
On the other side of her was an older woman whom sold jewelry, pots and cups she hand made with a pottery wheel and clay. Her business was good, and much better than Ellie’s. There were more tents set up down the park, she didn’t know them she didn’t care too, and she wasn’t sure what they sold. She had been in the same spot for years, and hadn’t planned on moving.
Ellie had upon her table in wooden crates, overflowing amounts of fruits and vegetables. One crate consisted of red apples, another of Avocados, Peaches and Carrots. Under her table displayed, due to lack of room, she presented large watermelons as well for sale. But behind her was what she sold the most of, paintings. She displayed her large landscape portraits that depicted forests, sunsets, rivers, mountains. She tried to create as much as she could see from around her home and copied it onto a canvas.
Ellie sat herself down on the ground and began to massage her dirty feet with just her thumbs, pushing on the pads of her skin, waiting for someone, anyone to arrive.
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Post by Nameless on May 19, 2014 21:06:38 GMT -5
Nameless sighed to himself, he felt an aura of worry overcome him as he continued to draw a blank on where he might be, the best thing to do would be to retrace his steps, in order to find his way out. Turning around to walk back, the man had began to notice the many colorful merchant stands that decorated the walkway to the park, a few items caught his attention, in particular a food stand that he believed he could be able to barter for some fresh fruit. First he came to a man whom had loaves of fresh bread, the smell was heavenly the closer the ronin had got. As he stood at the front of the stand, the man looked over the warriors blade and believed that this was some attempt at a shake down, he waved his arms frantically in panic before threatening to call the authorities.
Nameless glanced at the man, his hand resting upon the pommel of his sheathed katana and without a word, turned away from the stall, instead of causing any more problems, he didn’t seem angry as he could very well understand the reasoning for the vendors actions. As he continued to stride down the path of the park, a grizzled voice caught his attention, causing him to stop in his tracks to listen.
“Hey, you there! That sword seems a little worn out kid, why don’t you pick up a man's weapon?”
Nameless turned, his gaze falling upon a large man whom seemed to sell all manner of weapons, though the cause for attention was not to buy a new blade, it was the disrespect of the ronins sword. An outright challenge is what it was and though he was not one to unsheathe his blade at a moments notice, he knew he had to defend the honor of his masters coveted sword. Making his way up to the vendor, the size difference between the two was notable, the vendor was massive and burly whilst Nameless even though he stood at nearly 6 feet seemed puny compared to him.
“What is your best weapon?”
Nameless asked as his right hand clutched the pommel of his blade tightly. The vendor smirked and with all his strength, he lifted a massive war axe, the blade was serrated and jagged, it looked polished up and was nearly as large as the ronin himself.
“This is a man’s weapon! The strongest folded steel in the land and it’ll cut through anything!”
He continued to boost as Nameless began to unsheath his sword, the sound it made as it revealed itself was almost like a hiss from the cold steel that scraped against the scabbard. The swordsman placed it upon the vendors table, and took a step back, looking upon the man’s war axe, it was large and cumbersome, there was no room for speed or dexterity when wielding a behemoth of that proportion.
“Cut through my blade then.”
The vendor looked at Nameless in confusion before a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
“Oh yeah? And why would I go and do something like that? I don’t want to dull the blade by wasting my time on that toothpick!”
“If you manage to break it, I will buy everything you have on display.” |
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Post by namekgirl on May 19, 2014 21:07:12 GMT -5
Ellie looked over from her booth as she saw the commotion. She stood up on her sore feet, just because she was curious as to what was happening. She heard the young man challenge the old grizzly guy. She watched intently, and in a way felt bad for the young kid, for he was going to lose this bet, she was sure of it. It gave her anxiety knowing the young man would have to buy everything.
“Here, I will give you a whole basket of my food if you step away from that offer.” She offered to nameless. It would be less to carry back for her anyways.
“Shut up!” Screamed the burly man to her. He clearly did not want to miss out on this opportunity to sell everything he had created.
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Post by Nameless on May 19, 2014 21:08:14 GMT -5
Nameless’ eyes shifted over to the woman beside him, she seemed to want to avoid any conflict though he knew not why, she offered a basket of her fruits and vegetable though he would not want to take it just for free. The weapons vendor lifted the massive axe with both hands, the shadow created from the blade covered Nameless and then some as he struggled to keep it up in the air, his arms shaking underneath him. A devilish smile stretches upon the lips of the weapons vendor before he utters a last sentence.
“Sorry kid! Get ready to pay up!”
With all his strength, he swings the massive weapon downward, the tip of the axe makes contact with the flat of the blade and the weapon stand breaks apart, the wooden supports collapsing under the massive weight of the strike. The smoke and saw dust from the wreckage hovers into the air, creating a small cloud of debris, the man let’s out a deep chuckle as he looks up at the ronin, a sense of accomplishment befalling him. As the dust settles, it becomes abundantly clear who the victor is.
A look of shock replaces the smug grin of the vendor before he realizes that his axe has not managed to break through the blade, the stand is in pieces and the sword is laying on the ground with the blade of the axe resting upon it. Nameless’ expression had not changed, he is unimpressed but without showing it, a sense of satisfaction rushes through him, he had set out to prove the durability and strength of his sword and managed to show it. The vendor looks up and lifts the axe back up, the metal begins to creak, small cracks travelling from the edge to the back before it shatters into a million pieces.
“N-no way...what the hell?!”
The calm demeanour of the ronin seems to annoy him even more as Nameless crouches down to pick his sword up and sheathe it, without saying a word. He moves to the stand beside him, the one decorated with canvases of art, fresh fruit and vegetables. His eyes fix upon a painting in particular, one of a field of grass, a lake travelling beside them and a mountainous region in the backgrounds.
“How much for the fruit and vegetables?”
He asked, his eyes still on the painting. |
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Post by namekgirl on May 19, 2014 21:08:32 GMT -5
Ellie took a few steps back in the grass, Her heart pounding with anxiety as she saw his sword untouched.
The tall man shook in fury as his axe crumbled before him. “Why you—.” He looked over to Nameless and saw him speaking with the girl and completely ignoring the fact he was angry, not only cause his metal was untouchable, but because he lost the money he had already spent in his mind.
Ellie looked at Nameless as the debris settled. His face was handsome and defined, and dark hair fell over his face and striking eyes. She was frantic to respond, and looked over her food. “Uhm, ah—it’s—ah—two coins a piece.” she replied hesitantly. This was the first time she had ever seen something like this, something so abnormal. She herself had secrets of her own that she kept from the rest of her humans, but maybe he too had whatever power she obtained.
The tall man hit his table with rage, breaking it in half. The other venders watched as he yanked Ellie’s arm in jealousy of a sale, and restrained her against his body, holding one of his weapons to her neck. “You either tell me how you have unbreakable metals, buy everything I own, or I kill the girl.”
Ellie breathed heavily as her heart raced, she couldn’t move, he overpowered her too much. She began to wonder if this was going to be her last breath.
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Post by Nameless on May 19, 2014 21:08:50 GMT -5
“Two coins?”
Nameless reached into the side of his kimono, revealing a hefty woven pouch, the clinking sound of metal and coins hitting one another clinked loudly as he began to reach inside and remove two golden coins. At this time, he began to tune into the enraged vendor, his fist smashed into the side of what was remaining of his table and he grabbed the young woman by her arm, holding her in a threatening like position. He intended to use her as a hostage to get what he wanted and this only made the ronin more annoyed, his calm expression changed into an angered glance as he tucked the coin pouch into his kimono.
His left hand kept the coins inside while his right hand rested upon the pommel of his blade, he moved his body position so that the right side of his body was pointed forward. He would be able to do a number of things from this position, the reach of his blade was almost more than 4 feet, though the risk of harming the woman was too great. The edge of a knife was pressed against her neck, so he needed to stun the man instead of hit him, the stray movement could cause him to move the knife and he did not want to take the chance.
“I said pay up or else! You had to have tricked me!”
Nameless flicked the two coins up into the air, prompting the man to look upward at the shimmering pieces of gold and that is where the ronin took his opportunity to strike. In an impressive display of dexterity, he managed to draw his blade with it’s sheathe and point it at the neck of the man, making sure to align it perfectly. His right hand wrapped around the sheathe and pushed it forward, causing it to shoot out at a high speed so that the blunt end would crash into his neck, this would make him gag no doubt and he’d be more concerned with himself then the woman at this point. He made a gurgling noise as he stumbled back, his hand dropping the knife and the woman to her feet as he clutched his throat, coughing from the direct hit.
Nameless leapt forward, propelling himself from the remaining base of the vendors stand, slashing forward, the hiss of his blade echoing loudly as it made contact. A brief moment passes before the man’s trousers fall down to his knees, followed by his shirt which rips into multiple pieces though he is unharmed. He looks at the swordsman in fear, Nameless holding his blade out with his right hand as he ushers a final warning.
“Leave. Now.” |
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Post by namekgirl on May 19, 2014 21:10:24 GMT -5
Ellie was released from his grasp as the large man fell to the ground and became more occupied with his pain rather than with her. “What—are you—“ The man groaned, holding his neck as he looked up at Nameless.
Ellie looked at Nameless as well, her eyes meeting with his. She was astonished. While she could have released herself from his grasp, she choose not to show she had bit more power than humans, given her hidden past. But, she had yet to meet another person anything like him, and the others she had encountered long ago. She had to know him, know his ways, to know what he was all about.
The other venders gasped, a few screamed in fear, other ran. “You—are in my debt.” She said to Nameless, hopping over the large fallen man, and throwing endless amounts of food in a bag. “Where are you from? I can tell you are not from here.” She walked to Nameless, unintimidated and handed him the bag as she placed her other hand on his arm.
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Post by Nameless on May 19, 2014 21:10:57 GMT -5
Nameless tilted his sword down and then slowly re-sheathed it, the large vendor was no longer a threat, his pride and clothing were in pieces. He looked down, his eyes locking with the woman’s before she said something that caught him by surprise. She spoke out and said to him in a calm tone that she was in his debt, she moved back to her stand, stepping over the vendor who had collapsed and began to stuff a bag with fruits and vegetables alike. Something about her was different, the others whom had witnessed his actions were running in fear and screaming but she seemed more intrigued than anything, she was interesting.
“You don’t need to pay me back. I did what was right.”
The ronin spoke out as he could still not get the idea of this woman pledging her loyalty to him so quickly, he had never really been rewarded for doing something like this and he didn’t understand why he should be now. The young woman stood up and offered the swordsman the bag filled with food, she placed her hand upon his arm which for a brief moment made him uncomfortable but he did nothing to pull away as she began to ask him a question. She was not afraid and asked where he had come from, an odd question though she was right, he was definitely not from here.
“I…” He spoke out, looking confused as she asked the question, he had never really considered anywhere his home and having become masterless he promised to never return until he managed to regain his honor.
“I do not belong to a place, I have no home.”
He told her as had finally come up with an answer, though it sounded surreal, it was true, even if he were to reveal the place of his training, that was not where he had first come from. Upon learning the art of the blade he had to forget everything about his previous life, he was to become a nameless swordsman, an expendable warrior. As she offered him the bag, he was hesitant to take it, the woman did not seem wealthy, yet she was offering away the produce that she worked hard to grow. Nameless’ hand took a hold of the bag of goods and he looked back at her, unsure of what to say in the moment.
He stood and stared in silence, perplexed as he looked over the young woman’s face.
“Thank you. I...appreciate it.”
The way he spoke, it was as if it was his first attempt at saying those words, it had been a long time since he was gifted something, the way it worked was either you pay for it or you do it yourself, though this time, it was different. He slung the bag over his right shoulder and he looked to the woman again, this time with a question in mind.
“What is your name and why are you so curious about me?”
He asked in as friendly as a tone he could muster.
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Post by namekgirl on May 19, 2014 21:11:29 GMT -5
Ellie stared at him curiously as he threw the bag of food over his shoulder so swiftly. “You’re homeless?” This could explain the clothing he wore and his lack of possessions, minus a sword. She clapped her hands together and smiled with and idea. “Stay with me, for the night! Please?! It would be a way for me to pay my respects to you for helping me, and who knows, he might come after me in the night!” She laughed and patted nameless’s shoulder. The reality of it was, she didn’t need protection, but sometimes, it got lonely up there in the mountains alone, all the venders here were mostly city people, none of them were from the foot hills.
“I’m not curious, it’s called being friendly. Wow, you really aren’t from around here.” Ellie left Nameless’s side and back behind her table. She gathered some of her personal things and shoved them into a bag that she swung around her back like a backpack. She handed him a crate of Peaches. “Here you can help me Carry these she handed them to him, she was sure they would be pretty weightless for him, unlike for her. She only brought the peaches and avocados back home every night because they were worth so much more then everything else, so if someone came and stole all her fruit in the night, it wasn’t a loss, unless it was her avocados and peaches. She grabbed the second crate and began to talk past nameless down the isle of venders. “I live this way, if you decided you are coming.” She smiled and looked ahead, walking for a while until she was far away from the city she could no longer hear noise, there was no technology, and pavemented roads turned into dirt ones. She was excited someone was going to stay with her for the night, it wasn’t too often that happened, but little did she know, that was the last time she was ever going to see her vending tent again.
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Post by Nameless on May 19, 2014 21:11:59 GMT -5
Nameless began to find himself becoming an extra pair of arms for the woman, he was a little caught of guard but he wouldn’t say no, she had almost gotten killed because he insisted on proving the weapons vendor wrong. He was handed a crate of peaches, his left hand taking a hold of the wooden box as his right was already occupied with the bag of fruits and vegetables.
“Stay with you for the night?”
He asked a little confused, as if he had misheard her, though the woman insisted that he follow her to her home, Nameless was given a number of reasons to do so and he found himself wandering behind her.
The two continued to move forward through the city, she seemed to know her way around every part and not once did they get lost, he was surprised at her sense of direction, especially since he had gotten himself lost in the first 20 minutes of entering the city. The atmosphere had begun to die down as the two continued to walk out of the busy part of the city and then past the city boundaries to an area that was decorated with hills and a few dirt paths, the sun was beginning to fall from it’s highest point and the ronin did not see any houses in sight. Through the quiet, he managed to muster up enough confidence to ask her a few questions, he was hoping the conversation would put him at ease.
“You really do believe that the man will pursue you into these hills?”
He knew that maybe the vendor was embarrassed but he doubted that he would chase the young woman into the hills, he had already been served justice. The swordsman looked up as he followed the woman and had another question in mind.
“You live by yourself?” |
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Post by namekgirl on May 19, 2014 21:12:09 GMT -5
“Nah! I don’t think he’ll come after me, it’s too much effort for him to climb these hills.” Ellie slowed down as nameless began to ask her questions, and was soon even with his walk, having him walk beside her. The mosquitos were out, she could feel them attacking her bare shoulders, but there wasn’t much she could do, she was holding baskets in her arms. She turned to look at Nameless and nodded. “Yes, I’ve lived alone my whole life.” Which of course was apart of her secret dark past she hadn’t revealed to anyone. “I mean—since I was about 13 at least.” She’s been trying to live a normal life, and blend into society, attempting to make herself seem like everyone else as much as she could.
The sun was going down, and it was getting darker, especially since they were leaving the city lights and entering the dark woods. Her arms began to hurt, they always hurt holding all this stuff every night, but she managed.
Hoping over branches, large logs, and walking through the dense almost ditch black woods, with the sun just peeking through the horizon, she reached her small log home. “We are here!” She said excitedly as she put down her box and pulled her keys from her bag. She opened the door and flicked on the lights, bringing the boxes inside and setting them on a table. It was a small place, with just a living room attached to a kitchen and a bedroom. She didn’t have much, or a lot of room, but her backyard was filled with a large garden of fruits and veggies.
She walked over to a cabinet and turned back to look at Nameless. “Want some Tea?”
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Post by Nameless on May 19, 2014 21:12:34 GMT -5
The two continued on forward, the woman began to explain to him how she had been living alone since a very young age, she seemed cheerful even though she claimed to live alone, Nameless wasn’t sure why, there didn’t seem to be anything off about her as far as he could tell. The ronin glanced up at the sky, the bright blue sky was beginning to darken, the colors turning to a dark blue and a tint of purple before night had fallen completely. The two made their way to the entrance of a small log cabin, the woman before him smiled happily before rushing up and opening the door, offering her home to Nameless.
As he entered he noticed the size, it was definitely built for a single person, yet she offered him a place to stay, he would take her up on her generous offer, he had been used to sleeping outdoors, in caves. Sleeping indoors would take a little bit of getting used to but he felt a lot more secure than he normally would, this caused an odd habit, he would keep his hand resting upon his pommel to feel secure or safe, he was used to living on edge. Ashe set the crate of peaches down onto the table, the woman looked back and offered a smile as she began to get a little more comfortable.
“Sure. Some tea sounds good.”
Nameless didn’t really have a preference, he wasn’t really thirsty either but he figured it’d been rude to say no, the swordsman looked around the house, just to get a glimpse of it’s surroundings. He noticed that she had lived alone and yet she seemed to prosper, perhaps it was not as dangerous in these forests as he was used to hearing stories about. He turned back to see where the woman had gone, he moved to one of the open doorways, the kitchen from what he could tell, before peeking to see whether she was still there or not.
“Excuse me?”
He asked to get her attention first.
“I had forgotten to ask you, what is your name?” |
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Post by namekgirl on May 19, 2014 21:13:16 GMT -5
Ellie pulled a seat for him at the table and guided him to sit down. She brewed the tea for a few minutes, steam came from the pot as it whistled it was done. She slowly poured it into a large ceramic mug for him, which she had made, and steam came back up at her. “My name is Ellie. Yours?” She asked. She hadn’t even thought about asking him his name, she figured she was comfortable enough around him, even though barely knowing him, to even consider it.
As she was waiting for the tea to cool she walked to a closet and grabbed some blankets and pillows, carrying them onto the couch. She would invite him into her bed, considering she had a reasonable sized one, but she figured they didn’t know one another well enough and well, it would be awkward. So she placed the blankets over her couch along with the pillows to give him a comfortable place for rest.
Walking back, Ellie poured some milk into the hot tea and sat it down on the table before him. “It’s chamomile. I hope you like it.” She too sat down with a cup at the table and slowly slipped it. “I placed some pillow and blankets for you on the couch. Let me know if you need anything else.” She smiled up at him, this stranger she didn’t know the name of. She knew it would be time to rest soon, as soon as they finished their drink. She sipped it again and offered him some crackers for his tea.
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Post by Nameless on May 19, 2014 21:13:42 GMT -5
Ellie was her name, the woman seemed friendly enough, she had offered the ronin a place to stay for the time being and she even prepared a place for him to rest, the swordsman was grateful. He placed his hands on both sides of the mug that she had placed before him, the steam was beginning to fade as it slowly drifted from the cup. He brought the edge of the cup to his lips and closed his eyes, taking a sip of the camomile tea, though he had been accustomed to solely drinking water, the tea was a perfect balance. He placed the cup back down upon the surface of the table as she asked a question, she asked for his name and he looked back up to her, sitting up straight.
“I do not have one that belongs to me. I am nameless.”
Through his serious demeanour he let a smile occupy his lips as he looked to her, he nodded his head slightly in appreciation as she said she had prepared a place for him to rest his head.
“Thank you Ellie. I have to ask...why offer your home to a complete stranger?”
Nameless untied his blade, letting the length of rope slip from his belt loop and his sword fall into his hands, he felt that he no longer needed it at his side and would instead, allow himself to be at ease. The swordsman sat with Ellie in his company. sipping more of the sweetened tea that she had offered him until he had finished it completely. He stood up from his seat and brought his mug to the counter, placing it on the side before rinsing and washing it thoroughly , he did not want the woman to clean up after him, especially after being offered a place to sleep for the night. |
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