Open Log: The Two Faced Forest

[brosif]

Characters: Sif and anyone interested in ~*~Quests~*~ and rewards!
Open? Yes, to those who want to join the ~*~Quest~*~
Where: Outskirts of the forest.
When: Noon
What: A research trip: checking out reports of the thorns that grow overnight and the beast that lives there. When the sun goes down, so does Shit.
Warnings: It is completely possible to have your character attend both this thread AND the ball, so long as they cut out before dusk. If it seems like your character can't hold their own against a threat, Sif may encourage them to leave (but whether they listen or not is up to you). Relatively open format: Thread hopping and mingling highly encouraged!



Sif waited on the edge of the forest, near the stables. It looked lovely in daylight, but she had heard tales enough of the land’s danger when the sun went down.

She wasn’t in full armor, only chain mail. It was something that she might have come to regret, but the weight of the armor they had to offer here was too restricting. Better fast than untouchable, as she suspect the thorns didn’t care about a few extra inches to eat through.

Comments

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura initially hadn't been too sure about the outing. He hadn't been especially useful in the last two and didn't want to start being a burden on people.

Then he'd tried to leave the house and found himself hiding from airheaded girls in dresses clambering for dates, worse than the previous days and decided that even if there was a chance of being useless, he would much rather be out in the forest than having to barricade himself at home!

Staff in hand he some how managed to run, dodge and hide his way out to the edge of city and out into the fields leading to the forest. "AaaAaa! That even in a place like this there would be fanclubs..." he lamented, flopping down to sit on the ground, not even noticing Sif standing there as his shoulders slumped.

[brosif]

“I’m not entirely sure what that word means,” Sif said, staring down at the boy. “But if you are referring to the townspeople clamoring for dates, excusing yourself to perform services to the crown seems to be socially acceptable enough.”

Sif had been dealing with pressure on her own side to pick a partner. She’d rather have the thorns.

[shiromadoushi]

Bakura blinked up before looking utterly sheepish as he nodded. "I'm really not good with girls... and I'm starting to think they can tell!" he half sighed, shaking his head slightly. "They don't let me even say anything..."

[brosif]

“Insult them,” Sif suggests, gamely. She knows a few things about warding off unwanted suitors. “Tell them you find them boring to converse with and tedious to look upon. If they are feminine women, insult their femininity.”

[shiromadoushi]

There was an awkward hesitation as Bakura scratched at his cheek slightly. "That sort of thing..." he trailed off a moment before shaking his head. "Even if they're being like that... I'm not good with insulting anyone. Not that that type of person even seems to hear anything I say!" he laughed sheepishly.

[brosif]

This was another problem Sif found herself unable to sympathize with. She was exceptionally good at insults.

"Then tell them you've already taken a lover."

[shiromadoushi]

He sighed deeply, shaking his head. "That never works..." Either they don't believe him or they try and find out who to try and replace that non existent person. "It's either 'It's just a date!' or 'She doesn't deserve you' or something like that, and then they harass every friend I try and talk to to find out who the person is and how to get rid of their so called rival. Or worse, think that that person is the 'rival' and attack her directly..."

It was something he had far too much experience with, sadly.

[brosif]

Huh.

“I feel I must be blunt, here, Mister...” She held out her hand. “My apologies. I did not get your name.”

[shiromadoushi]

"Aa-- Bakura. Bakura Ryou," he introduced, bowing his head slightly as he took her hand. "Sorry for not introducing myself before."

[brosif]

“Bakura Ryou. I will forgive your decorum if you will forgive mine.” Shaking his hand firmly, she stepped back. In a strange mixture of cheerful firmness:

“I do not care about your problems with women. They are not relevant to the mission at hand, and seem to be entirely of your own making, albeit passively. If we could not discuss them for the rest of our day together, it would be very much appreciated.”

She couldn't be bothered to listen to Fandral's woes about love, and she considered him a friend. She was hardly going to continue listening to a stranger’s.

[shiromadoushi]

For a moment, Bakura looked almost taken aback. He hadn't been complaining... had he...?

"Aaa... sorry..."

[brosif]

“No need to apologize,” Sif said, brightly. She spoke her mind on the matter, and that made it as well as concluded. “Now: what skills do you bring to this mission?”

[shiromadoushi]

"Aaa-- mostly just healing," Bakura admitted apologetically. "I mostly just have defense magic and things like that."

[brosif]

"A healer! You needn't try to undersell your own skills -- we don't know what will be waiting in the forest, and a healer may well prove useful."

[shiromadoushi]

There was a faint smile at that. "Hopefully not. Far better to prevent injury than just clean up after."

He had gotten far to used to his skills being useless for anything other than clean up, and even then, he had always been to late to help those who had needed it. Almost as if the Porter had decided to mock him by giving the power to save those he cared about, but then cursed him to never be able to use it to do just that.

[brosif]

"Of course." Although Sif's track record for that was, frankly, terrible. Growing up with advanced healing rooms on a call to your gatekeeper brother away will have that affect.

"All the same, it will be good to have you along."

[shiromadoushi]

It wasn't something Bakura was used to hearing, and he couldn't help but smile a little at it. "Thank you. I'll do my best," he returned with a tiny bow.