Shady in the Boughs of Buttersage ~Scarlette/Ope~

[ISAAC NEERSEN]

The floor of Buttersage forest was dark as hell and creepy, but also quite calm as Isaac walked down the hidden paths he'd learnedonly about six months ago and put to regular use running between Altin and Mizuho, usually just passing through but occasionally he stopped in his new adoptive home and drop of medicinal herbs or items that someone asked him to get or just because he wanted to. he stopped in his trek then sat down on a small, gnarly and knotted tree root that came out of the ground by about six inches, pulling his twin katana out of his cloth obi and setting them both carefully across his lap. Carefully, he pulled out both blades and examined each close up then determined that both needed to be cleaned, so he carefully reached around his obi and pulled on a small cloth sack attached to it. feeling the top of the small sack coming loose he reached inside and pulled out a small box with no distinguishing markings. Setting this box aside he replaced the blades back into their saya then kneeled beside them, opening the box and revealing various traditional cleaning instruments for his katanas. carefully he pulled out a piece of soft flannel and a bottle of high quality clover oil. Dousing the cloth in the oil he set this on the box them pulled his first katana, Daikaze, out of the saya then ran the oil cloth carefully up the blade, oiling it as best as he could before eyeing it so as to make sure none of the oil remained on the blade before putting the cloth down and replacing it back in its saya and repeating the same procedure for his other katana, Korefuji. Going back over the blades, intent on finding some small flaw that he must have made while cleaning his katana, he though back to his teacher, Yoshimitsu Nishimoto, Akinari's father, who had constantly critizied him as a, as he said, "Stupid, ignorant, clumsy as if a child student". remembering his teacher brought a quick smile that faded extremely quickly when he realize he'd forgotten a step in the cleaning of the blades. It was a small one so no wonder he'd forgotten it, but he was kicking himself for it now,as track marks of dust lined both his blades and had even gotten into the characters carved into the flat of both of his katana. Isaac swore silently, then replaced the blades into the scabbard then sat down again, putting the cleaning box away in it's sack and slipping his katana back through his obi.

Feeling stupid he looked around the forest, his uwagi and hakama the only other color than green in the forest, being a deep navy blue with a white under robe and obi

[SCARLETT CRAVEN]

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Scarlett ran away from Kain’s house, mostly terrified, something very unusual in her, she was a lion, a fearless person that had nothing else to fight that honor, everything was important to her, every single detail In her duty, she loved her work, to be a dame wasn’t easy at all, that’s why she was the only one in the four kingdoms, something that made everyone look at her very strange, she hated those looks of the people, thinking she was insane, or she was a lesbian, it was stupid, she was defending the Lydel King, people should be proud of it, but she wasn’t looking for glory, she was looking to have the king and her father, -both very sick- out of the war, if it was possible, to win it. She was running though she didn’t find her horse, so she had to stole one, maybe her white steed ran to lydel in search of help, she needed to go there, and tell then what she saw. Kain said he was in love with her, something very strange in him, at least after he cut her arm, she was very confused, no one besides her father told her something about love, and well her father words were of a father she never had that kind of contact with a woman neither with a guy, she was in a rare situation, she didn’t knew if she loved him, she pushed herself , and ran more trough the rain, it was almost dark now, her bandages were all wet, damn it! it was the second time she had that problem. First she was attacked by Kain, and she faints in the forests, Prince Stanforth finds her and heals her in the Lydel Palace, then the same day she goes to Xaranth again looking for Kain’s plan, and she get caught, Jacke tries to rape her and now Kain saves her, he promised that if she didn’t stayed there until morning he would do of her life a living hell, thing she knew was true, and then after Kain healing her wet bandages, she escapes of the tainted legion reunion and finds herself wet again… She sighed and found in the middle of the forest her horse, her eyes sparkled and her smile was happy, she loved to have a horse so intelligent as hers. She jumped into her horse, and her shoulder wasn’t bleeding, at least, god needed to have some mercy.
She ride until get to the Altin’s forests, she stopped a second, the rain had stopped and so her journey for now, she had to rest somewhere before the dawn, she knew she had to see her father, and search for Sir Lionel, she needed to have a meeting with the members of the Lords Of Valour, it was truly necessary, something was rising, and she couldn’t stop it all alone. She jumped out of her steed and looked forward, she saw a man in the grasp, she leaned to see who was, and she thought she might know him, so she moved toward him, and asked “Who are you?” her soft but strong and confident voice made her look curious, but at the same alarmed. “Is that you Isaac?” she knew a new guy from the Lords Of Valour, he was the newbie of the month, he had like half year in the Lords, though she didn’t had the chance to talk to him properly, she only saw him twice in meeting that were a while ago. She saw his katanas and she thought they were very interesting, she never saw a knight using katanas, they always used swords, it was nice to see someone who knew to fight in another way, besides the normal way. She stared at the Katanas, and then at his face, didn’t realizing that her bandage was still wet and little circles of blood were trespassing the white bandage across her shoulder. Her smile was a curious one, and her dress, the one that the maids put her while she fainted in the palace, was a white one that let her shoulders and back free, she didn’t felt cold though.

TAG!? Isaac dear! *
STATUS!? finished<3 *
MUSE!? pretty nice *
NOTES!?! eepp! *
OUTFIT!?! CLICKIEEEE *

[ISAAC NEERSEN]

Taken aback by the sudden appearance of Scarlett, Isaac jumped up and readied himself for a fight that was most certainly not coming... at least, he hoped it wasn't coming. Despite his skill with Daikaze and Korefuji, he doubted he'd escape Scarlett unscathed if both of them fought each other. Embaressed and carrying a sheepish grin he sheath both of his katana then nodded quickly. "Yeah it's me... Sorry about my reaction... i didn't expect anyone to find me here...' Still kicking himself, he sat down on the root then stretched his back by flexing backwards, the vertebrae in his back popping with resouding pops. As he stretched he noticed a figure dressed in all black watching them both. He shook his head when he got back into a normal position then waved his hand over his shoulder, telling the figure to go away. Watching over his shoulder, Isaac watched the figure vanish into the forest, along with three others. He shook his head imperceptively, the hidden defenders of Mizuho were incredibly good at doing what they did best, which was killing off possible threats to Mizuho, but sometimes they were a little overzealous in the work. Isaac himself had several very close encounters with them before, and they didn't even bother to check out his identity before assaulting him with a barrage of arrows and several very sneaky ambushes. The attack had been so bad that they'd managed to chase him all the way to Mizuho before Yoshimitsu-sensei had talked them off, which had taken four hours of running. Isaac shuddered at the memory, that was possibly the only time he thought he knew what it felt like to be a rabbit living under the constant threat of a hungry hawk... except unlike with the rabbit and the hawk, he had no idea the attack was coming because there were next to no shadows to give away the attacks.

Turning his attentoin back to Scarlett, he spoke quickly and abruptly, "So what exactly are you doing here in Buttersage? not exactly a place for the King's Guard Captain, or whatever the hell yolu are, to be... What brings you this deep anyways?"

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Tags: Scarlett, milady it's your turn!
muse level? not bad considering
Outfit? Clicky!

[SCARLETT CRAVEN]

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"Yeah it's me... Sorry about my reaction... i didn't expect anyone to find me here...' Scarlett nodded rolling her eyes, it was quite obvious even for her, quite fun though. "Really?" she said sarcastically, her humor was growing black and dark, embarrasing her. she sighed and started to walk over him, she saw more closer his katanas, she fetl tempted to take one and challenge him to a duel, it would be better to ask him for a lession than a duel, but that was scarlett's escense, fight fight honor honor. And then she fetl another prescenses, she looked for her knife under her dress tied to her leg with a white belt. she took it and stared at the tree's looking for something to stab, a person probably. She bite her lip trying to find some souls to kill but she just hear the wind's song. "So what exactly are you doing here in Buttersage? not exactly a place for the King's Guard Captain, or whatever the hell yolu are, to be... What brings you this deep anyways?" Isaac's comment made her feel out of the place, she was having a really bad day and he was being a hardhead, not to say an ass. "I... I..." she started to growl and when she though her anger was growing bigger, it surprised her, she was feeling more sad and weak than angry. Her sight fell to the floor and her shoulder started to feel bad, it wasnt raining anymore but her bandages were wet and her eyes about to close. She leaned in a tree and took a deep breathe.

"Im pretty fine, I was just taking a horseride" she said in the middle of her breathe.

TAG!? Isaac dear! *
STATUS!? finished<3 *
MUSE!? pretty nice *
NOTES!?! eepp! *
OUTFIT!?! CLICKIEEEE *

[ISAAC NEERSEN]

"Im pretty fine, I was just taking a horseride"
Now it was Isaac's turn to roll his eyes. Though he knew that her bandages were a bit old, he knew that she wasn't just out for a ride, no one ever went into Buttersage for "just a horse ride".

"Well you might want to be careful, there are people here who don't want people who are just on a ride to come this deep into the forest... and in your condition i doubt you would be able to hold them off at all." Isaac said pointedly, blunt and tactless as usual. He looked her up then down, suddenly realizing that she was wearing a rather beautiful dress. "That dress suits you well... much better than armor..." He said, looking away to keep himself from staring at her for too long. However, even when he turned his head, he could see her pale face and blond tresses.

Damn it... got to stop staring at her, she's a Dame after all and my superior! damn it... why did she have to wear a dress, if she was wearing armor i wouldn't have any problems...

Looking at her bandages he realized they were quite wet, from blood and rain possibly. Feeling around his small pouch he found strips of cotton rags that he used for full contact jujitsu sparring to help protect vital areas, as well as a small jar of a lightly scented adhesive used to keep the strips attached. He looked from the ground back up to Scarlett, debating what to do. "If you need a change of bandages i have some right here." He paused, suddenly embarrassed. Because he'd dedicated so much time to training and fighting he never really dealt with women other than Yosimitsu's wife, which he now kicked himself for now, dealing with women probably would have allowed him to keep from getting embarrassed in front of Scarlett.

Looking back at her dress he looked away, this time a bright blush running across his face and he gave thanks that she probably wouldn't see thanks to the the darkness that permeated Buttersage's depths.

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[SCARLETT CRAVEN]

That day was definitely a bad day for Scarlett, since her arm was bleeding too much and her day was being full of swords, knights and death, everything was possible now, even the only thought of know that Isaac was just staring at her too much. Scarlett knew that Isaac wasn’t a fool, but well she felt the necessity of lie, not trying to fool him but yeah, she just couldn’t tell that she had been attacked, then released, then healed and bunch of things, she felt something strange for the Dark Knight but for sure it was just attraction to the bad side. For instance she nodded at the tree that was just behind her, she tried to lean her good arm in there, but the pain was truly getting both shoulders. A pain gesture came to her face, and closing her eyes slowly she heard of him: "Well you might want to be careful, there are people here who don't want people who are just on a ride to come this deep into the forest... and in your condition I doubt you would be able to hold them off at all."
Scarlett let a fall a sigh with a curious type of laugh, a fake laugh, and then she stopped leaning to walk towards him, her good arm trying to hold her other. A big smile came, and her eyes looking around the forest “Well then, I don’t think this day can get worse, one day in Xaranth, the other in Lydel, then Xaranth again, and now I’m here” Then she walked around a little and finally she decided to sit in the root of a tree trunk, which apparently was once a majestic, huge tree. “I can handle everything” she said almost in an aloud whisper, and she considered herself enough strong to handle almost everything and everyone, she could even feel secure of kill Isaac in that moment, well maybe not kill but paralyze yes. "That dress suits you well... much better than armor..." his comment about her dress made her look at him, with a very surprised face, she was almost blushing so she looked away trying to hide her look with her hair, anyway she thought trying to not think so much about it. Then she remembered that the armor of the dark knight had cut her dress on the waist, and her tattoo of the lord of valour was visible now, that didn’t scandalized her, Isaac was one of them, but she was the second at command, but since Sir Lionel wasn’t in Lydel she had to be more than just a 2nd in command, she needed to be more. With the king and her father very sick, she needed information of the tainted legion, and with Kain in love with her, well she might use that for need. After all, the duty was first for her than herself.

“Well, hum, that hair… looks great on you!” she tried to say in a thankful mood, and then she started laughing and looked at him, and well to be pretty honest, that hair looked great on him. She giggled a little and a slightly pink blush came to her. "If you need a change of bandages i have some right here." Scar glanced at her arm, and a flash came to her mind when he said that, she remembered Kain changing her bandages, and she felt a little ashamed of them, she passed her hand on her shoulder, almost in a caress, and a sigh fell of her lips. “That would be nice” she said. After all she knew that she wasn’t immortal as she tried to be all the time. Then a huge blush surrounded Isaac’s face and she smiled, an honest and discrete one, “If you don’t mind, what are you doing here?” she said very confused.

[ISAAC NEERSEN]

Isaac chuckled at Scarlett's words about how bad the day had gone for her. he thought of a small things Master Yoshimitsu would say when Isaac or Akinari would complain when the day had been bad. "Do not complain about the days that the gods deign to hand you, they will usually make it worse before it is done..." isaac quoted with a shrug before he got to his knees with the bandages, listening with a slight smile at her boast. "I doubt that milady... this forest is under constant watch, and the watchers are always watching... here everything is silent, especially they who would harm you if you delve too deeply... the Ninja of Mizuho are dangerous to a degree you probably couldn't understand unless you were attacked by them... in your condition you would not even be able to defend yourself, much less fight them, and they are assassins, poison and treachery is their hallmark, they do not hesitate to slay anyone... trust me, i know because they chased me around for hours because of my skin color was different from everyone that they know is from Mizuho."
Isaac was serious as he described the Oni Shiden assassins. they were ruthless to the extreme and were often regarde as both the best and worst decision ever made by the elders of Mizuho, as their tactics were dishonorable and completely intolerable in the honor driven society of Mizuho but recognized as necessary for their preservation. Isaac sighed inwardly, talking about Mizuho to an outsider was strange, as usually Akinari handled such matters not Isaac. Still, it was odd, talking to Scarlett at length. She had a solid reputation as a hard warrior, something that Isaac respected immensely, seeing as how most women chose less... violent, career paths.

[SCARLETT CRAVEN]

She looked at Isaac with a raised eyebrow, of all the years she lived in Lydel she never heard such thing about Mizuho or Mizwho? But seemed something new, or something so old and secret, what ever was it, seemed dangerous. Isaac was a trustable man, and honorable, thats why he was a member of the lords, though how he did know so much about them? Again, Scar seemed an opportunity, what about talking to these strangers? In peace of course, and ask them for help, if they were as Isaac described them, they could end with the Legion quickly and she would take in her hands the war with Barsh, she wanted to badly to kill him, and bring the peace to Lydel, that was so far her dream.

She looked at her wounded arm and sighed, she indeed needed those bandages, and he seemed quite good at doing it, so why not? "Ok Seems like this is the moment were I surrender to your medical skills" she puffed and rolled her eyes, she walked towards him and pointed him with her finger "But this will be just between you and me, no one should know about this," she said very secure of what she was saying, then she pouted "This hurts like hell, stupid Dark Knight" then she shut her mouth, she just said the alias of who did this to her. And for what she knew, The Dark Knight was a known knight, for his cruel intentions and soul. She looked at Isaac surprised, "Dont repeat that name" she said suddenly begging him that. The pain was driving her mad and crazy.

[ISAAC NEERSEN]

Isaac's eyes narrowed slightly as Scarlett spoke, finally babbling about the Dark Knight. Isaac knew the title, of course. The man was a very hated enemy of the Lords of Valour and, by extension, the kingdoms. However, hearing Scarlett speaking as if she'd fought him, in person... it was a little bit much for Isaac to believe, even from her. Then her asking of Isaac to not speak of it, that too was a lot to ask.

"You fought him?" Isaac asked, still dubious. "Is that what you were doing in Xaranth? Is that how you got this... wound?" Isaac's voice trailed off. He'd often imagined fighting such an opponent, though the fact that Scarlett hadn't told him or, as far as he knew, any of the others about this somewhat angered him. Still, honour bound him at the moment. "I swear, I'll not reveal anything you have said or anything of like nature... even upon pain of death. Now, are you going to let me change those bandages or am i going to have to subdue you?" Isaac joked at the last part, mostly an attempt to lighten the rather dreary mood.

[SCARLETT CRAVEN]

As Isaac eyes narrowed at her, she knew he didnt trusted her, and that was somewhat fine, because he was right, she was acting strange and she was hiding something, and not because she were planning something against the King or the lords, of course not, she rather betray herself than her people. She liked Isaac not trusting her for some reason. That meant that he didnt trusted anyone, which was nice, it was a smart an interesting way to not get betrayed by anyone. Anyhow she felt like telling him, another thing she knew was that he wouldnt speak a word of it. He asked her if she had fought with him, but for his stare, she could tell that he didnt believe it. She clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes to him too. His next questions made him perhaps understand her situation. She came from Xaranth, she had a huge wound in her shoulder. She started to hyperventilate, inhale and exhale, she was furious, because he asked her as if she werent capable enough, thing that made her so angry. But then he swear he wouldnt tell anyone and even joked with her. Her face remain serious and sighed, she had no option but accept, and surrender to his medical skills.

"Fine, change them, though I wont forget that" she said as she narrowed more her eyes to him "You mens think Im not capable of handle anything just because Im a woman, well let me tell you something, I might be the only person who had fought with him and lives to count it, but I will be the one who finish him. There is no doubt of that" she said as she looked straight into Isaac´s eyes. She was going to make the Dark Knight surrender to her, even if her best weapon was her body and face, instead of a sword. "What do you know about the Tainted Legion, Isaac? Are they with Barsh?" she asked now curiously. She needed to get wet in information before go to the Prince and the King of Lydel

.