i will set the mirror up to face the blackened sky
[00:45] * Martel should be gone--should've been gone already, but it had seemed like...the necessary tying of loose ends. Although now he's bleeding a little and missing a chunk of hair, so maybe he's rethinking that plan's brilliance, leaning against the side of his horse in an out of the way part of the woods.
[00:47] * Maryani is ...in a tree. People in the towns disapprove of her mode of dress for some silly reason, but shorter dresses are more convenient for riding and climbing alike. "You look like you've had a wonderful day," she observes, lightly, and starts shimmying her way down.
[00:50] * Martel starts...yes, he /did/ reach for his sword, initially, which probably speaks to his state of mind more eloquently than anything he's about to say. "Go away, Maria."
[00:51] Maryani: "Are you going to run me through?" Interestedly, as she lands on her feet. "If so, don't make it quick, but don't be gentle, either." Yeah, she's always like this. With everyone, though! She reaches up to touch the blood. "Hmm."
[00:54] * Martel jerks his head back. "Must you." Probably, yes. He's too tired not to react, and by the same token too tired to do much of anything /in/ reaction, but under that it's stubborn fury keeping him on his feet. So this'll probably be interesting.
[00:55] Maryani: It always is. "Are you going to let me fix that, or are you going to be difficult and make me put my foot down?" There are also pettings for his horse. Horses are more reliable than people, after all, and they don't carry swords.
[00:57] * Martel nudges aforementioned horse to start moving, walking alongside. "I've no reason to be easy for you."
[00:58] * Maryani rummages around in one of her caches and tempts his horse with carrot. She'd meant to use that for something else later, but you know, she has to fight dirty. Tongue-click for the horse there! "Usually you aren't quite this difficult. What happened?" It looks like he's going somewhere. She wants to know what's going on.
[00:59] Martel: "Go and ask Lady Sephrenia," he suggests, with a weight of bitterness that's...new.
[01:03] Maryani: "I'm asking you. Where are you going?" She walks backwards with him. Ordinarily she's...semi-respectful of his engaged status (in her experience that means little to men, but it seems to with him), so she's not up in his personal space, but this is different.
[01:03] Martel: "I don't know." ...well, he doesn't. Yet.
[01:03] * Maryani frowns at him. "Tell me what's happened."
[01:04] * Martel ignores her. That won't last long.
[01:06] * Maryani pauses, eyes him, and then moves around to the other side of his horse. Whaaat is she doing--oh, apparently she's going to swing her way into the saddle. "Do you even know which /way/ we're going?"
[01:07] * Martel stops them, and offers her a hand. "Get off my horse, Maryani."
[01:08] Maryani: "You can tell me what's happened or you can deal with me on your horse, but I've never seen you this way before and I'm not about to let you wander off to do something foolish, if that's what you're planning. Is it your girl?"
[01:08] Martel: "My plans are none of your concern, and my lady is none of mine."
[01:09] Maryani: "You might not consider me a friend, Martel, but I consider you one of mine, and I don't need your reciprocation to keep an eye out for you." She processes that news, though, with some concern. "What happened?"
[01:11] * Martel is apparently losing patience -- in a way he usually /doesn't/, frankly, giving a sharp tug just under her knee to dislodge her from the saddle. "If you're intent on knowing, half of Demos would likely be happy to give you all the details."
[01:12] Maryani: "I don't want go--/would you not do that/!" She lands, and when she does she grabs hold of him not for balance but to keep him rooted or at least connected. "I don't want /gossip/ from half of Demos, I want you to tell me. Do you think most of those people would tell /me/ the truth, at any rate?"
[01:13] Martel: "Do you think I will?" He's not...very pleasant right now.
[01:13] Maryani: "Yes." Immediately. She doesn't move away.
[01:15] * Martel shakes free of her, or tries to--he does have height and strength advantage, but pointing out her tenacity at this point would be like saying 'water continues to be wet'. "Foolish."
[01:17] * Maryani does /not/ let go. "Yes, well, everyone has a flaw, sir knight. Mine appears to be faith."
[01:17] Martel: "And outdated information."
[01:18] * Maryani raises her eyebrows. "Elaborate on that one, please."
[01:20] * Martel is in the process of prying her off him, considerably /less/ careful of whether or not he'll hurt her than he'd ordinarily be -- one could generously call it lack of thought, but he's thinking a /lot/ right now. "I don't think so."
[01:20] * Maryani kicks him.
[01:21] * Martel kicks /back/. "Go wherever you go, Maryani, I don't have time for this."
[01:22] Maryani: "Ow," except she doesn't look terribly bothered, "You kick like a girl. I go everywhere. Today, apparently, I'm going with you, since you refuse to talk. Lead the way."
[01:24] * Martel has a headache, an ill-temper and is running on far too little sleep. He looks all of it, frustrated and bitter besides. There's something unpleasantly calculating behind his eyes, but -- for now, at least -- it mostly shows as childish sulking. "I have nothing to say."
[01:26] Maryani: "Yes, you've said. And I'm worried about you." She really is, too, which is not often seen.
[01:27] Martel: "I'd worry more about those in Demos." ...really, Martel. To say that sounded less childish and more threatening would be vastly understating the case.
[01:29] Maryani: "Why?" Right up in his space again.
[01:30] Martel: "I imagine you'll find out if you won't run along on your own way."
[01:30] * Martel gives her a firm shove /out/ of his space.
[01:30] * Maryani stumbles back, and sort of sighs. "So you won't give me permission to come along with you, and you won't tell me what's happened."
[01:33] Martel: "I don't recall you requiring my permission for anything in the past."
[01:34] Maryani: "...you're right." Hey, that's a knife! Hey, that's a knife aimed RIGHT AT a part of Martel, although she does not intend to kill him. "I'm going with you, now stop arguing!" Hey, that's...a whole lot of swearing in Styric, something to the effect of 'now shut the fuck up and accept that I don't run away just because something is frightening'. Like a sane person.
[01:37] Martel: Between the exhaustion and the existing injuries -- when it takes so many knights to take a man down that two of them die /before/ he's caught in the chains, it's frankly amazing he can walk away later -- Martel's not quick enough to avoid the knife going in, although he does jerk back away and fall against the horse. "/Maryani/," he grits out, useless and pointless and frustrated and /angry/ and tired and he's just going to let himself keep falling down for a while, he'll get up...later. The horse probably won't step on him.
[01:41] Maryani: "You Elenes. Don't you ever let anyone other than your mothers take care of you? How do you ever make it to adulthood, anyway?" She's pacing and muttering in Styric--chanting, specifically.
[01:41] * Martel appears to be ignoring her for now, because that worked out SO WELL the last time, staring at the sky between the trees.
[01:43] * Maryani doesn't take long with the spell, and then taps her foot at him. "Get up. I'm tired now, too, and I don't want to have to carry you." ...she's 5'3" in EVERY UNIVERSE, one wonders what she thinks she's going to do there.
[01:44] Martel: "You're in quite the hurry for someone who has no idea where she's going."
[01:45] Maryani: "And you're very slow for someone who's apparently made enemies in Demos in the past week. Get up or I'm stealing your horse. I hate being this unpleasant but you're really not leaving me any choice."
[01:46] Martel: "The entire Pandion Order," he murmurs, apparently not counting himself among their number, and drags himself up.
[01:47] * Maryani stares at him for a second. "Then we'd better get going, yes." Whaaat in /hell/.
[01:48] * Martel grimaces at her, which is truly helpful, and swings himself up into the saddle -- sir you should probably do something about that thing where she /stabbed/ you -- and offers her a hand up with him. (That's not what I meant.)
[01:51] * Maryani accepts the hand up, but does give herself a bit of a boost too so she's not relying on him entirely. Meanwhile, she rips a sleeve off her dress. ...good. "Hold on a minute, I'll tie that." Not too tight, it's not a tourniquet, but just to staunch the bleeding and secure it. She and her dress are both clean, that beats anything else around this area.
[01:52] Martel: "If you stab me again, you can walk." There are stranger conversations to have, and he's probably had some of them this week, but that's still a pretty amazing comment.
[01:55] Maryani: "Mm." She fits herself against him for comfort's sake, and because there is only so much room on a horse, okay. "I promise to remember that. Where /are/ we going?"
[01:55] Martel: "Out of Elenia."
[01:57] * Maryani is quiet for a few seconds. All of Elenia. All right, then. "Very well. You're in charge." Except when she doesn't like it, which is what she adds mentally.
[01:58] Martel: "Not yet." ...enough with the cryptic menacing bullshit, Martel.
[01:59] Maryani: "You just expressed a desire to not have me stab you. You want to take over the world? Is that what you're saying?" It's an almost joking guess.
[01:59] * Martel thinks it over.
[02:02] * Maryani raises her eyebrows like '...........................really.'
[02:02] Martel: "I don't have the resources for that." There's an implied 'yet'.
[02:05] * Maryani exhales. "And what would you do with your role of being in charge?" Now she sounds tired, too, but in a different way. "We've got lots of leaders. Most of them don't change anything." Not for her, anyway.
[02:06] Martel: "Perhaps I'd start another war. That seems traditional enough to suit everyone."
[02:07] Maryani: "Oh, /good/, just in time to see another bout of rape, pillage, and more rape. I'm sure the women you grew up with would really appreciate being casualties of that." ...she doesn't mince words, this one.
[02:09] Martel: "Death is always an option." Maybe he should just stop talking.
[02:11] Maryani: "I'm speaking of the woman you once called /your/ lady, you know." Blandly. "But if you really don't care...I can tell you exactly what happens. Since this appears to be the route you're choosing, it's only right you hear the details."
[02:12] Martel: "I have been informed in no uncertain terms I am dead to her." That's not really an answer to...anything, and kind of numb besides.
[02:14] Maryani: "In which case, I suppose I should feel free to proceed? Or I could specifically detail it in reference to myself, if you'd prefer an immediate visual."
[02:14] * Maryani did not squeeze his (non injured) arm when he said that or anything, shut up. Words and actions at opposite ends! Hooray!
[02:14] Martel: "Maryani, I can push you off from here and this horse can run faster than you can. Be quiet a while."
[02:16] Maryani: "Then don't talk like one of those conquering bastards who leaves women and children to be raped and all the men to be killed. You could be that one day, but you're not, yet, and pretending is boring." She pauses. "It's quiet you really want?"
[02:17] Martel: "I'll settle for it."
[02:19] * Maryani huffs a little wry laugh. "Fine. Then I'll leave you this to think on: if you really intend to take over anything, do it right. Make things better. And I'll follow you, help you. If you just want to have it to own it, though, and leave things to rot even worse than they are, you'll lose what little you've got left. So make a choice, and do it quickly." And now she is quiet.
[02:19] Maryani: And hoping he won't actually shove her off the horse.
[02:20] * Martel snorts, breathes in and out, and mostly doesn't absorb any of that. Except to vaguely consider that he really doesn't feel like ruling the world anyway. ...she should probably watch he doesn't pass out back there, but for the time being they can travel quietly.
[02:21] * Maryani has NO QUALMS about reiterating it. A lot. When he's slept. For now, she keeps things going, and keeps a look out.
[00:47] * Maryani is ...in a tree. People in the towns disapprove of her mode of dress for some silly reason, but shorter dresses are more convenient for riding and climbing alike. "You look like you've had a wonderful day," she observes, lightly, and starts shimmying her way down.
[00:50] * Martel starts...yes, he /did/ reach for his sword, initially, which probably speaks to his state of mind more eloquently than anything he's about to say. "Go away, Maria."
[00:51] Maryani: "Are you going to run me through?" Interestedly, as she lands on her feet. "If so, don't make it quick, but don't be gentle, either." Yeah, she's always like this. With everyone, though! She reaches up to touch the blood. "Hmm."
[00:54] * Martel jerks his head back. "Must you." Probably, yes. He's too tired not to react, and by the same token too tired to do much of anything /in/ reaction, but under that it's stubborn fury keeping him on his feet. So this'll probably be interesting.
[00:55] Maryani: It always is. "Are you going to let me fix that, or are you going to be difficult and make me put my foot down?" There are also pettings for his horse. Horses are more reliable than people, after all, and they don't carry swords.
[00:57] * Martel nudges aforementioned horse to start moving, walking alongside. "I've no reason to be easy for you."
[00:58] * Maryani rummages around in one of her caches and tempts his horse with carrot. She'd meant to use that for something else later, but you know, she has to fight dirty. Tongue-click for the horse there! "Usually you aren't quite this difficult. What happened?" It looks like he's going somewhere. She wants to know what's going on.
[00:59] Martel: "Go and ask Lady Sephrenia," he suggests, with a weight of bitterness that's...new.
[01:03] Maryani: "I'm asking you. Where are you going?" She walks backwards with him. Ordinarily she's...semi-respectful of his engaged status (in her experience that means little to men, but it seems to with him), so she's not up in his personal space, but this is different.
[01:03] Martel: "I don't know." ...well, he doesn't. Yet.
[01:03] * Maryani frowns at him. "Tell me what's happened."
[01:04] * Martel ignores her. That won't last long.
[01:06] * Maryani pauses, eyes him, and then moves around to the other side of his horse. Whaaat is she doing--oh, apparently she's going to swing her way into the saddle. "Do you even know which /way/ we're going?"
[01:07] * Martel stops them, and offers her a hand. "Get off my horse, Maryani."
[01:08] Maryani: "You can tell me what's happened or you can deal with me on your horse, but I've never seen you this way before and I'm not about to let you wander off to do something foolish, if that's what you're planning. Is it your girl?"
[01:08] Martel: "My plans are none of your concern, and my lady is none of mine."
[01:09] Maryani: "You might not consider me a friend, Martel, but I consider you one of mine, and I don't need your reciprocation to keep an eye out for you." She processes that news, though, with some concern. "What happened?"
[01:11] * Martel is apparently losing patience -- in a way he usually /doesn't/, frankly, giving a sharp tug just under her knee to dislodge her from the saddle. "If you're intent on knowing, half of Demos would likely be happy to give you all the details."
[01:12] Maryani: "I don't want go--/would you not do that/!" She lands, and when she does she grabs hold of him not for balance but to keep him rooted or at least connected. "I don't want /gossip/ from half of Demos, I want you to tell me. Do you think most of those people would tell /me/ the truth, at any rate?"
[01:13] Martel: "Do you think I will?" He's not...very pleasant right now.
[01:13] Maryani: "Yes." Immediately. She doesn't move away.
[01:15] * Martel shakes free of her, or tries to--he does have height and strength advantage, but pointing out her tenacity at this point would be like saying 'water continues to be wet'. "Foolish."
[01:17] * Maryani does /not/ let go. "Yes, well, everyone has a flaw, sir knight. Mine appears to be faith."
[01:17] Martel: "And outdated information."
[01:18] * Maryani raises her eyebrows. "Elaborate on that one, please."
[01:20] * Martel is in the process of prying her off him, considerably /less/ careful of whether or not he'll hurt her than he'd ordinarily be -- one could generously call it lack of thought, but he's thinking a /lot/ right now. "I don't think so."
[01:20] * Maryani kicks him.
[01:21] * Martel kicks /back/. "Go wherever you go, Maryani, I don't have time for this."
[01:22] Maryani: "Ow," except she doesn't look terribly bothered, "You kick like a girl. I go everywhere. Today, apparently, I'm going with you, since you refuse to talk. Lead the way."
[01:24] * Martel has a headache, an ill-temper and is running on far too little sleep. He looks all of it, frustrated and bitter besides. There's something unpleasantly calculating behind his eyes, but -- for now, at least -- it mostly shows as childish sulking. "I have nothing to say."
[01:26] Maryani: "Yes, you've said. And I'm worried about you." She really is, too, which is not often seen.
[01:27] Martel: "I'd worry more about those in Demos." ...really, Martel. To say that sounded less childish and more threatening would be vastly understating the case.
[01:29] Maryani: "Why?" Right up in his space again.
[01:30] Martel: "I imagine you'll find out if you won't run along on your own way."
[01:30] * Martel gives her a firm shove /out/ of his space.
[01:30] * Maryani stumbles back, and sort of sighs. "So you won't give me permission to come along with you, and you won't tell me what's happened."
[01:33] Martel: "I don't recall you requiring my permission for anything in the past."
[01:34] Maryani: "...you're right." Hey, that's a knife! Hey, that's a knife aimed RIGHT AT a part of Martel, although she does not intend to kill him. "I'm going with you, now stop arguing!" Hey, that's...a whole lot of swearing in Styric, something to the effect of 'now shut the fuck up and accept that I don't run away just because something is frightening'. Like a sane person.
[01:37] Martel: Between the exhaustion and the existing injuries -- when it takes so many knights to take a man down that two of them die /before/ he's caught in the chains, it's frankly amazing he can walk away later -- Martel's not quick enough to avoid the knife going in, although he does jerk back away and fall against the horse. "/Maryani/," he grits out, useless and pointless and frustrated and /angry/ and tired and he's just going to let himself keep falling down for a while, he'll get up...later. The horse probably won't step on him.
[01:41] Maryani: "You Elenes. Don't you ever let anyone other than your mothers take care of you? How do you ever make it to adulthood, anyway?" She's pacing and muttering in Styric--chanting, specifically.
[01:41] * Martel appears to be ignoring her for now, because that worked out SO WELL the last time, staring at the sky between the trees.
[01:43] * Maryani doesn't take long with the spell, and then taps her foot at him. "Get up. I'm tired now, too, and I don't want to have to carry you." ...she's 5'3" in EVERY UNIVERSE, one wonders what she thinks she's going to do there.
[01:44] Martel: "You're in quite the hurry for someone who has no idea where she's going."
[01:45] Maryani: "And you're very slow for someone who's apparently made enemies in Demos in the past week. Get up or I'm stealing your horse. I hate being this unpleasant but you're really not leaving me any choice."
[01:46] Martel: "The entire Pandion Order," he murmurs, apparently not counting himself among their number, and drags himself up.
[01:47] * Maryani stares at him for a second. "Then we'd better get going, yes." Whaaat in /hell/.
[01:48] * Martel grimaces at her, which is truly helpful, and swings himself up into the saddle -- sir you should probably do something about that thing where she /stabbed/ you -- and offers her a hand up with him. (That's not what I meant.)
[01:51] * Maryani accepts the hand up, but does give herself a bit of a boost too so she's not relying on him entirely. Meanwhile, she rips a sleeve off her dress. ...good. "Hold on a minute, I'll tie that." Not too tight, it's not a tourniquet, but just to staunch the bleeding and secure it. She and her dress are both clean, that beats anything else around this area.
[01:52] Martel: "If you stab me again, you can walk." There are stranger conversations to have, and he's probably had some of them this week, but that's still a pretty amazing comment.
[01:55] Maryani: "Mm." She fits herself against him for comfort's sake, and because there is only so much room on a horse, okay. "I promise to remember that. Where /are/ we going?"
[01:55] Martel: "Out of Elenia."
[01:57] * Maryani is quiet for a few seconds. All of Elenia. All right, then. "Very well. You're in charge." Except when she doesn't like it, which is what she adds mentally.
[01:58] Martel: "Not yet." ...enough with the cryptic menacing bullshit, Martel.
[01:59] Maryani: "You just expressed a desire to not have me stab you. You want to take over the world? Is that what you're saying?" It's an almost joking guess.
[01:59] * Martel thinks it over.
[02:02] * Maryani raises her eyebrows like '...........................really.'
[02:02] Martel: "I don't have the resources for that." There's an implied 'yet'.
[02:05] * Maryani exhales. "And what would you do with your role of being in charge?" Now she sounds tired, too, but in a different way. "We've got lots of leaders. Most of them don't change anything." Not for her, anyway.
[02:06] Martel: "Perhaps I'd start another war. That seems traditional enough to suit everyone."
[02:07] Maryani: "Oh, /good/, just in time to see another bout of rape, pillage, and more rape. I'm sure the women you grew up with would really appreciate being casualties of that." ...she doesn't mince words, this one.
[02:09] Martel: "Death is always an option." Maybe he should just stop talking.
[02:11] Maryani: "I'm speaking of the woman you once called /your/ lady, you know." Blandly. "But if you really don't care...I can tell you exactly what happens. Since this appears to be the route you're choosing, it's only right you hear the details."
[02:12] Martel: "I have been informed in no uncertain terms I am dead to her." That's not really an answer to...anything, and kind of numb besides.
[02:14] Maryani: "In which case, I suppose I should feel free to proceed? Or I could specifically detail it in reference to myself, if you'd prefer an immediate visual."
[02:14] * Maryani did not squeeze his (non injured) arm when he said that or anything, shut up. Words and actions at opposite ends! Hooray!
[02:14] Martel: "Maryani, I can push you off from here and this horse can run faster than you can. Be quiet a while."
[02:16] Maryani: "Then don't talk like one of those conquering bastards who leaves women and children to be raped and all the men to be killed. You could be that one day, but you're not, yet, and pretending is boring." She pauses. "It's quiet you really want?"
[02:17] Martel: "I'll settle for it."
[02:19] * Maryani huffs a little wry laugh. "Fine. Then I'll leave you this to think on: if you really intend to take over anything, do it right. Make things better. And I'll follow you, help you. If you just want to have it to own it, though, and leave things to rot even worse than they are, you'll lose what little you've got left. So make a choice, and do it quickly." And now she is quiet.
[02:19] Maryani: And hoping he won't actually shove her off the horse.
[02:20] * Martel snorts, breathes in and out, and mostly doesn't absorb any of that. Except to vaguely consider that he really doesn't feel like ruling the world anyway. ...she should probably watch he doesn't pass out back there, but for the time being they can travel quietly.
[02:21] * Maryani has NO QUALMS about reiterating it. A lot. When he's slept. For now, she keeps things going, and keeps a look out.