RP:Knight to Queen for Checkmate
As you step into this area you find that their is nothing but piled up snow and ice, however upon closer examination, you find that this place is growing small plants not yet bloomed or ready to be harvested. The tiny plants, still young and growing are dark blue in color with black thorned leaves. Tiny buds can be seen upon the plants, almost as white as the snow which surrounds you. The only way to go from here, is back to the east.
- Ayras, Vampiric Avian, Knight-Captain.
- Satoshi, Kit-vampire, Frost Singer.
Satoshi is pretending like she knows what the hell she's doing when it comes to taking care of her flowers. All she's got going for her is what bits she picked up from Neema, and the fact that Frostmaw plantlife next to impossible to kill due to its aggressive environment. That's a good thing, since Satoshi's currently trimming the wrong buds from a blooming snowrose bush.
Ayras comes upon the garden. Does he have a reason to be there? Not at all. Did he intend to come here? Not at all. Was he wandering aimlessly? Maybe. Does he find a Satoshi? Why yes, yes he does. So crunch, crunch, crunch go his footsteps in the snow, his gait slow, his lips quirked in a smirk. He even chuckles as he watches the woman trim the bushes completely the wrong way. "I'm so glad I hadn't left any favored plants behind for you to have to take care of," comes his voice, far softer than it had been before he fell into that damnable abyss. Just as deep, true, but far, far softer. So much time having to hide from cannibalistic mutant avians can do that to a person.
Satoshi's ears fold back suddenly. Not out of irritation, but rather in a reflexive move toward that familiar voice. The rest of the kit doesn't immediately follow suit however, apparently focused on contemplating the rose cupped in her palm. "Does that mean you -intended- to leave so abruptly?" the kit's own naturally soft voice is even softer now, as if in competition with Ayras over who can talk quieter.
Ayras moves forward with more crunching steps, the softest of chuckles passing his lips. "Your kingdom is a giant ice cube," he says as he leans down towards those ears of hers, his voice dropping to nearly a whisper. Sure, he'll play the little game. "Proper footing around a giant hole is a hard thing to come by."
Satoshi was really trying to keep her aloof composure. Unfortunately, she fails miserably at those words, for the proximity, low volume, and actual content. The kit can't help but collapse into a momentary bout of giggles, and it's during such that she looks up at the looming warrior and squeaks out amidst laughter, "You... fell... down... a -hole?!" Taken hostage by yeti, enchanted by a dragon, imprisoned by an archmage, she could understand. But falling down a hole? It's tempting to dub Hamlet 'Timmy' now.
Ayras shrugs as he straightens up, ever still without a shirt. Strangely, however, he seems to be sporting some new armor since his fall in that hole. Armored boots, gauntlets, an armored girdle, and a single armored sleeve, all adamantite. Seems his time down that hole has been profitable. "Pulled down is more like," he says, his voice raising to its original volume. "You were lucky I disappeared when I did. A few of the things that pulled me had almost made it up here. They weren't the easiest things to kill."
Satoshi's expression darkens as quickly as it had brightened, a deep frown marring her features. "Those mutant, screeching things... I thought they'd finally retreated. No one's gone missing since you." Curtly, she gestures toward the new pieces of armament he sports with her able hand and raises a brow. "I assume those helped in the killing of the little bastards?"
Ayras looks down at himself as he spreads his arms out, letting the woman get a bit more of a look at the gear. "This? No, I didn't acquire this until after the initial squad fell." He can't help but grin a bit haughtily at the comment of no one disappearing since he did. "You're welcome."
Satoshi scoffs as she straightens out of the awkward backward lean required to upside-downly eye Ayras, and she'd even flip her hair over her shoulder if her only good hand wasn't need to maintain her balance. "Well, at least you were doing something useful then, mister Knight-Captain." Obviously, with her back to Ayras, he's no way of seeing the gleam of amusement in her eyes, so perhaps her tone can pass for believable.
Ayras knows Satoshi far too well to believe she's being serious. But the vulpine woman doesn't have to know that. So instead, he says, "I have news that I'm sure you'll enjoy." His voice, however, is not the happiest sounding in the world. "I can no longer cast magics. Which means I can no longer zap you."
Satoshi does a rather skillful job of keeping the joy out of her voice when she replies, "Is that so? How... unfortunate for you. What'll you do without that brand of magic?" The feigned aloofness is back in place now that the kit can focus on the rose instead of the knight. It's ridiculously difficult to keep a straight face when bantering with Ayras directly, after all.
Ayras grins as he moves to stand next to Satoshi, looking down at the snowroses the woman is failing at tending. "I still have my skill with blades. I have had moments of dabbling with other weapons while I was underground as well." In fact, it might very well be noticed that Ayras is missing a particular pair of swords Satoshi would know very well. "I will simply have to teach myself how to use various weapons more efficiently." Oh joyous day, for Ayras at least. He gets to learn how to kick Satie's butt with more weapons.
Satoshi's tails don't appreciate the vampire getting closer, and they make their disapproval apparent by lashing out at his legs with all the violence three floofy appendages can wreak. Which isn't much, but dammit if Asorial doesn't -try-. Something Satoshi very studiously ignores as she plucks one of the roses and tucks it into the sling's knot on her shoulder. "What other horrid things are you going to be hitting me with now then, Hamlet? I've gotten used to swords and lightning. Everyone seems to throw swords and lightning at me. Something new would be fun, since I've got new tricks too~." Yes, oh joyous day, Satoshi gets to counter new and improved Ayras' butt-kicking with her own brand of it.
Ayras glances down at those swatting tails, smirking his fanged smirk as he reaches down to flick at one of the offending things. "Polearms, mostly. It seems those mutants were very fond of them in whatever civilization they spawned from. Tridents, pole axes, spears, and halberds littered the armories down there. Swords too, of course. But they seemed more keen on hacking weapons. Axes, mostly. As of yet, I have not gotten my hands on a mace."
Satoshi likes the sound of polearms over swords. Anything that's not immediately close-combat is great by her standards. "Excellent~. We'll have to try and kill each other soon. I haven't had a bit of weapon training in a while. It'd be a nice break from current lessons." With a faint groan, the kit pushes herself to her feet awkwardly and turns to face Ayras, forcing her tails away from the blademaster and leaving them to writhe sullenly behind her. "Did those things follow you, by chance?"
Ayras is still smirking, naturally, but his smirk can only grow to a grin at that question. "You know me better than that, Satoshi. I killed every last one of the bastards I came across." After all, he's still alive. And not starved for blood. "I don't think they'd follow Death to his own doorway." Ah, such an ego, even after his fall into that abyss. No wonder he and Satie get along. "But yes, we'll have to fight again, indeed. I'm curious to see if you've gotten any better."
Satoshi matches Ayras' smirk in that way only an egomaniac smirking at another egomaniac can. "They say you can't build on perfection, but I have proven them wrong, Hamlet. You'll see first hand what I've learned since you've been gone." Do -not- cue Kelly Clarkson music. "I've learned to play with fire, of a sorts, and I intend to repay all those shocks with it~. Plus, I've had to learn to compensate for this," a jerk of her chin goes to her immobile right arm, "so old tricks have gotten a slight... modification."
Ayras cues the Kelly Clarkson music. As well as peering at that injured arm of Satoshi's, of course, seemingly not at all worried about the prospect of fire. "You deserved every last shock you got," he says, reaching out to poke at the gimp arm. "Looks like the mouse got caught in the trap and -almost- got away. I suppose that makes her not so perfect, after all." Oh yes. He went there.
Satoshi scoffs, as much in indignant response as to cover a grimace of pain at the jab to her injured arm. "More like the fox had her prey turn on her and manage to sneak in a bite before it died." A dark look is shot to the sling-bound arm before she adds, "An explosive-dagger sort of bite. Not the remotely fun sort of bite..."
Ayras examines the arm for a few more seconds before he shrugs and starts to laugh. "Always biting off more than you can chew, aren't you?" He's certainly enjoying being able to pick on the woman's arm. Just how in the hells are these two friends? "You know, we both do have a particular mutual friend..." He holds up his mithril hand. It crackles. Oh look, maybe he has some electricity still stored in that appendage.
Satoshi gives that mithril hand a flat look and bluntly says, "You suck." With that, the kit strides past the vampire with her nose in the air, playing the role of dismissive queen. Really, she's just looking for an excuse to leave the garden so she can enjoy a few drinks at the tavern with the giants. She promised to outdrink one of the knights tonight and she's overdue to give the poor fellow alcohol poisoning.