• Closed • [Venora, Job thread] Shield and Dagger (Atashi)

[Kylar]

40th Vhalar

It was the late evening, turning to night, and the air was starting to grow cold. Kylar wore something warm, but nothing too noticeable. Today, he had been hired to do some guard work, patrolling Venora for the night. He had a guard partner, no idea who though. All he had to do was head to the local barracks and sign in for his shift, then patrol for the night. He was told that the shift could be dangerous, so he made sure to bring both his daggers with him. One spring-loaded up his sleeve, one sheathed down by his side. He didn't look like much of a guard, but that was his plan. The element of surprise was the best tactic he knew of, from hunting. Jumping a prey while they don't suspect it. But he also knew that he had to watch out for the same thing to happen to him. After all, he was the one guarding, he was easy to jump. He wouldn't let himself become prey to a tactic that he used so frequently.

He arrived at what he assumed was the right barracks, and registered as directed. He was then assigned a patrol route and shown on a rough, torn map. It was simple, and actually walked past his house. At first, he saw that as a good thing. But the idea of something dangerous happening there scared him, with Crimson asleep in the house. But it hadn't happened yet, so he was certain it wouldn't tonight. After all, he was patrolling there, it was his job to make sure nothing did happen there. So he would do just that, for his jobs sake - and for Crimson's.

Eventually, he was told that his partner would be arriving shortly. He had finished signing up everything and had studied the route carefully so he knew he remembered it. Then he walked outside the barracks where he was told to wait. He didn't know who he was waiting for, at all, but that didn't seem to matter to the guards. After all, he was just a mercenary, a sword for hire - he knew they didn't respect him for that. But he needed the money, so respect was the least of his worries. As long as he could give him and his family a good life, what else mattered? So he put up with the somewhat disgusted looks, and ignored the impatient talking and orders he was given, and just continued. So he stood and waited for his guard partner. He wasn't sure what would be worse, having a guard or another mercenary as his guard partner. "Wow, Kylar, staying positive is working charms for you" he muttered to himself.

[Atashi]

'That took a lot longer than it should have' Atashi thought to himself as he left the arms store. The first thing he noticed was the time, it was late, turning dark. Worse yet, it was getting cold. If there was one thing he didn't like, it was the cold. Dreading the night ahead of him, he made his way to the barracks, with his newly purchased War Hammer in hand, trusty Tower Shield on his back and chainmail on his body. Some would argue that he had left his shopping a little late, but he didn't even know he needed a weapon until earlier that day. He had signed up as a Mercenary two trials ago, it hadn't occurred to him that he would need a weapon until three hours ago where a human had approached him offering a job. The human asked him to do some Guard Duty that night, desperate for work he leaped at the opportunity, but the human was not satisfied unless he brought an actual weapon to said job. He bought the War Hammer on a whim, he had used a hammer in the forge as a child, but not as a weapon.

Returning to the present, he had to hurry or he would be late for his first night on the Job. Pushing forward, he ignored the ever present weight of his shield and armour, now with an added War Hammer. He was lost in thought on his way to the Barracks, paying no attention to his surroundings, he felt safe enough in his armour and full gear. As he slithered, he thought it wise to give his new gear a try, thinking it couldn't hurt he gave his new War Hammer a swing. The weight took him by surprise and threw him off balance, he fell forward, flailing his free arm as he fell. He landed on his face, failing to catch himself with his free hand. He lay there for a moment, bracing for the sound of laughter, but he didn't hear anything. He pushed himself up from the floor using his War Hammer and promptly looked about to see if anyone was watching, luckily enough, no one was. He brushed the loose dirt from his chainmail and hammer before pressing onward, taking note of the weight of his War Hammer. 'I hope I don't have to use this thing tonight, or I'm going to look like a fool in front of my colleague.' He thought to himself as he got closer to the barracks and the evening grew darker.

A good 5 minutes after falling over like the cluts he is, he arrived at the barracks. He was late. Picking up some speed, he rushed for the front door but came to a halt as he saw a familiar face. It was the Lotharro that ran into him a few trials ago! Atashi was normally terrible at remembering names, but he could remember the kindness the Lotharro had paid him, and with it, his name. "Kylar! Good to see you again friend! It's me, Atashi, how are you doing?" He greeted the rather unhappy looking Lotharro, he wasn't sure why he had such a sour expression, but sought to cheer him up, though it would have to wait. "Err, hold that thought, I'd better sign in before my partner kills me." he said without giving Kylar much of a chance to reply. Once inside, he approached the front desk and signed in, ignoring the disappointed look of the Human he had met earlier that day. Atashi made sure that his War Hammer was perfectly visible to the Human as he was shown the route he would be patrolling on what looked like a recycled papyrus, it looked straight forward. Finally, after registration was completed, he was told that his colleague had been waiting outside. Confused, Atashi walked outside to see no one but Kylar, who was still standing there.

"I'm ever so sorry to bother you, Kylar. but I'm meant to be meeting another guard here tonight, but can't seem to find them..?" He then sighed. "Bah, they probably left without me. Oh well, I guess I'll go catch up to them.." This thought upset him, more than he should've let it. But it was late, and he hadn't been given much reason to expect anything less from other people. Regardless, he couldn't let it get him down, looking on the bright side, he now had time to try and help Kylar.

[Kylar]

Seeing Atashi was a shock to him, but a pleasant shock. It had been a while, and he'd grown rather fond of the Ithecal - even after their first meeting. "Atashi! It has been too long already" he said, smiling genuinely. Then, before he could carry on, Atashi was gone. He'd walked in to the barracks, was he working for the guard now? That would be incredible! Maybe he had got the job he wanted since him and Kylar last met. Then the realisation finally hit him. He was waiting for a guard partner, Atashi was late for his duty. They were partners? What else could it be? That made his smile even more prominent. Reunited with someone he considered to be a friend now, and spending the night on guard duty. All of his worry faded, as well. After all, Atashi had a shield the size of Kylar - what could go wrong?

Finally, Atashi came back out. He then spoke of how he was meant to be meeting a guard, and how they had probably left, and he couldn't hide his happiness much longer. "The guard didn't leave, Atashi. The guard is right here" he said bluntly. He then put his hand out, like he had when they first met. "Kylar, pleasure to be doing guard duty with you" he said mockingly, with a look in his eye that said 'Bet you feel stupid?'. He lowered his hand then chuckled. Finally, however, his gaze met the hammer in Atashi's hand. "That's new. Shield wasn't scary enough for you?". Kylar then drew his own dagger and spun it around a little, and launched the blade from up his sleeve. "This is all I have. Not quite as big, but they do the job" he said, looking at both blades and remembering how much they cost him.

After locking his dagger and putting his stiletto back concealed, he turned to Atashi. "So, what do you say? Shall we make our way off?"

[Atashi]

Hearing Kylar point out the location of the guard he was meant to be working with got him excited, throwing off his misery he looked around frantically. His eyes were alight with joy as he wore his best smile. "Where?!" he exclaimed, desperately searching for a sign that he hadn't been abandoned. Upon not finding anyone in the area except Kylar, he froze, expression and all. Was Kylar pulling a fast one on him? He did seem the type to play tricks on people after all. Mid thought, Kylar revealed himself to be the guard he was working with. A cool breeze brushed over his head as he stood there, frozen. Surely not, Kylar had wanted to be a sky rider, right? Not a Mercenary! ..No, this Lotharro was serious. He looked to Kylar and unfroze, the look in his eye made him feel silly.

"Friend, you would not believe how relieved I am to be working with you on this shift." Atashi spoke, hiding his excitement and straightening up his posture. He had let his emotions get the better of him enough this night. Kylar , mid-chuckle then noticed and commented on the latest addition to his arsenal, the War Hammer he had bought less than half a hour ago. Atashi laughed nervously "Believe me, if I could I would have just brought the shield, but the human that offered me this job wasn't satisfied with 'just a shield' even though the shield is bigger than him!" He laughed heartily "I guess he doesn't scare easy, not that I'm trying to scare anyone, believe it or not." he said, sincerely. Kylar's weapon choice surprised him however, he expected a man of his build to wield something akin to a broadsword, but was instead shown two daggers, one up Kylars sleeve and the other on his belt. "That's interesting..." he replied "I was expecting a a bigger blade from a Lotharro of your stature, but as you say they get the job done, so you probably know your way around your knives!" He didn't show it, but Atashi was now suspicious, why would a Lotharro choose to carry knives instead of a weapon?

Kylar then asked if Atashi was ready to go, and snapped him out of his thoughts "Hmm? Oh yes, we should get going." he said, barely paying attention. "Are you well, Kylar? You looked as though something was bothering you earlier." Atashi asked, the Lotharro had peaked his interest. He was now determined to learn more about his strange friend. He followed along the right of Kylar as they set off on their patrol route.

[Kylar]

"Same to you, I couldn't have asked for a better partner for my first patrol" Kylar said, smiling genuinely. Kylar then chuckled along about the shield. "One would assume a shield that big would be enough, it could definitely do some damage". Kylar then smiled and admired both of his blades. They were of good quality, he made sure of that when he bought them - but they cost him a fair sum. "I was trained as a hunter, so knives are what I know best. After all, it's best to stay concealed and secretive if you're in a fight - in my personal preference. But that's just how I was taught". Kylar said.

Kylar started to walk, keeping equal pace to Atashi. He was thrown off by the question, he didn't realize it had been so obvious that something was on his mind. "No need to be concerned, friend - although I do appreciate it. I was just in thought. This patrol route passes by my house, and it just worries me to think that something bad could happen near where my fiance is sleeping. I know it's a small thing to worry about, and nothing has happened to us yet, but the worry was still there" he says, still somewhat troubled. Kylar shook his head. "It will be fine, I'm sure. Especially with the two of us on watch, I doubt anything majorly bad could go wrong in all honesty". Kylar chuckled nervously. Then, for a short while, he fell silent in thought again.

But his silence didn't last. As they walked along, and started to approach Kylar's house, Kylar stopped after hearing a low growl. He looked around, but saw nothing. "Did you hear that?" Kylar asked Atashi, hand instinctively going to his concealed stiletto at his side. He kept looking around him, watching carefully, but he saw nothing. He assumed that wherever the grow came from it had either run, or was near but in waiting. Both of his assumptions, however, ended up being false. A man's cry of pain came from the near distance, and it sent a chill up Kylar's spine. Without even looking back on his friend, he started to run as fast as he could towards the cry. He drew his knife, but kept his dagger locked up his sleeve - just in case. When he arrived, he saw a wolf above a man. The man whimpered in pain, blood dripping from his side. The wolf was on top of him, fangs bared, ready to pounce again. It turned to see Kylar, then quickly fled. "A creature of Karem..." Kylar said in shock, still taking in what he had seen.

After a few seconds, he snapped out of it. He ran over to the man and looked at the injury, hoping his friend would follow after soon enough. The injury was deep, a bite mark through the side. Chances were he would bleed out, Kylar had seen it happen before. He shot out his blade from his wrist so it was out of the sleeve. Then, he grabbed his own shirt and carefully but quickly cut through the fabric. He cut off a large chunk, mostly long instead of wide. He started to hold it down as hard as he could without hurting the man too much. "Listen to me, friend, you're going to be ok. A trained healer will be here soon, just focus on breathing if you can - and don't let down the fight". Kylar tried to say the same things he had heard time and time again when someone was injured on the hunt. Whether those instructions helped or it was just for morale boosting, he didn't know - but he said it anyway. Or at least, his version of it.

Whenever Atashi arrived, he would turn to him. "Take over from me and try and stop this man's bleeding, I can run back to the guard's post and get some help for him".

[Atashi]

"Ah," Atashi replied, with sympathy. "I can see why that would put you on edge, my friend. I would certainly be concerned if I were in your position." He said, before realising that people in these situations seek assurance, he paused briefly before continuing "Though, the fact that our patrol route goes by your home doesn't necessarily mean that your fiance is in danger, for all you know, it could be on the way to a more troublesome part of Venora, but in all honesty, not much happens in Venora anyway.." he trailed off. Kylar then assured himself before going silent. While the silence was nice, there wasn't much to take his mind off the biting cold of the night. The cold always made it more difficult to move, and it’s not as though the chain mail he was wearing was light either. Ignoring his own struggles, he pushed forward with Kylar in company.

Kylar then stopped and asked if Atashi had heard something, to which he replied questioningly "Err, no... what did-" but a man’s scream cut him off mid-sentence. Instantly, he pulled his tower shield from his back, wielding it with his left arm, he always felt stronger when wielding his shield, and in his right hand he held his new War Hammer. Looking around, he was unable to determine the source of the scream, however he could determine the direction Kylar had suddenly bolted for. Assuming that the Lotharro was running to the man’s aid and not away from it, he followed as fast as he could. His fastest while carrying all this gear however could not match Kylar's, to say the least, he was travelling about the same speed as a middle-aged man on his morning jog, he personally blamed the cold. Dragging his heavy equipment through the cold night eventually paid off with his arrival to kylar and a corpse. 'Wait... ...a corpse?' He thought to himself, not quite believing his own eyes. The man signalled that he wasn't dead with a cry of pain, Kylar looked to be day dreaming again.

Snapping out of his trance, Kylar then tried to help the man, assuring him he'd be okay and such. Atashi approached, unsure of what to do. People always got injured during training, but never anything this serious, it was often just bruising or a sprain, maybe a broken nose every once in a while, but that was the most of the blood he had seen, until now anyway. The man was bleeding quite a lot, the soil beneath him had been absorbing it for a while and had formed a thick slurry like consistency. Realising that the man's attacker could still be in the area, Atashi raised his shield and readied his War Hammer, lowering his stance, he waited, fully alert. He would defend his friend and this stranger with everything he had, at least until Kylar had finished patching him up. He prayed that this injury was something that Kylar could handle by himself.

His prayers went unanswered when Kylar told him to try and stop the man’s bleeding while he went to find a healer of some kind. 'FOR THE SAKE OF THE IMMORTALS, KYLAR! DO I LOOK AS THOUGH I HAVE ANY MEDICAL EXPERIENCE!?' He so desperately wanted to say as the stress kicked in, similar phrases along with plenty of cursing danced through his head. "Okay." he replied without delay, keeping his calm exterior, he put his shield back on his back, but kept his hammer to his side as he lowered himself to the man’s level. He simply copied Kylar by putting pressure on the man’s side, where the bloodied cloth was. The first thing he noticed was the warmth of the wound, it was surprising, and a bitter-sweet relief from the cold. Kylar then ran off in search of help and Atashi was left with his thoughts. He stayed alert, looking about the dark night for the man’s attacker, he would be ready. The man continued to groan with pain as more of the thick liquid escaped the man's wound, it covered Atashi's hands, making them slippery. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep hold of his hammer if the attacker returned.

His memory turned back to a time long gone, as a child, the crucible of cooling oil at his father’s forge had developed a leak, not a small one either, his father in turn plugged the hole with his fist while his mother got the necessary tools to repair the damage. He returned to the present, with that fresh in his mind. The man was fading out of consciousness, Atashi tried to get hold of their attention "He-hey! Don't go to sleep on me, you're gonna make it through this, he'll be back with the healer soon. Don't you worry!" Even he felt his words were hollow. The man did not reply, just continued to breath with his eyes closed and occasionally gasped a moan of pain. "I'm sorry for this, friend. But I'm running out of options." Atashi warned, he knew what he had to do and his hands were slippery enough already, besides, this man is a goner anyway even if his idea doesn't work. He took the rag from the man’s wound and it looked exactly like the cooling oil leak from the time long gone. Without hesitation, Atashi plunged his fist into the man’s open wound. The man screamed in agony before sighing with relief.

The bleeding has been reduced to a trickle, if not stopping completely. "Are you still with us, friend?" Atashi asked, confidently. The man nodded weakly, "You're going to be alright, I promise you that." Atashi spoke in the same confident tone. He didn't often make promises, but he had a lot of faith that this plugging technique would hold until Kylar returned with the healer.

[Kylar]

Kylar prayed that the man would last, but he knew better. A wolf was fierce, and the fact it had seemingly been mauling him for the entire time that Kylar had taken to run and find him meant that his odds of survival were looking increasingly low. Kylar sprinted, though, running as fast as he could for as long as he could. His speed was low, but he liked to think he could work for long periods of time. Either way, he pushed through the pain as much as he could. It hurt him, physically, and he didn't attempt to hide it - just to ignore it for now. If he let that man die tonight, he would never forgive himself. Somewhere out there, people were waiting for that man. Be it friends, family - even a lover. He showed the same dedication he would hope people would give his friends or family in the same situation. After all, this was a life he was working for, he couldn't give up and let that life fade. How could he face himself again, let alone the people he hurt or the people that counted on him?

After what felt like no time at all, he ran in to the barracks, exhausted and sweating. He sprinted through, passing the occasional guard until he found the guard that had assigned him his patrol route. He assumed that he was superior in some way or another, seeing as he had such an important job. Without taking time to catch his breath, Kylar stopped in front of the man. "Sir, there has been a problem. A man has been mauled by a wolf, we need a healer immediately. He's not far from here". The man told Kylar to wait for a moment while he got the healers, thanking him for his service. After a minute or so, a small group of guards and healers came back. "Show them the way, boy. Take it easy now" the head-guard said, handing Kylar a small cloth to wipe down his face. After doing so, Kylar thanked him and started jogging alongside the healers and guards. He made a path straight towards where Atashi was waiting with the injured man. When asked, he described the wounds to the healers as they ran. A deep bite mark, one that had caused a lot of bleeding. Straight on the side. When he mentioned that detail, their expressions turned grim. "You know, few people can recover from that area of injury. In fact, nobody I know has ever recovered from a deep wound there..." a young human boy said. After a short silence, Kylar spoke up, keeping his gaze forward. "Then by the immortals, make sure this man is the first".

Eventually, they had arrived at the location. All of the healers ran forward to the man, immediately checking out the wounds. One reassuringly put a hand on Atashi's shoulder. "Thank you, but we will take over" said the young man that had commented on the injury previously. Meanwhile, Kylar doubled over and started coughing - struggling for breath. He had a good endurance, for sure, but that run mixed with stress had got the better of him. He hadn't even thought about his breathing. He counted his breaths, every 4 Trills changing from an inhale to an exhale. Finally, his breath steadied again and he stood up straight - a pale tone. He walked over to the man and watched, eyes hopeful. "Karem, don't say I endured that for nothing. Please, help this man live" he prayed audibly, but quietly.

[Atashi]

'Where in Idalos is Kylar?' Atashi thought to himself with his fist still buried in the man’s wound. Kylar had been gone for quite a while now, he doubted Kylar to be the type to abandon the mission but what if he'd ran into some trouble while looking for help? He sincerely hoped that wasn't the case, especially considering that this man would likely die of the cold before he died of blood loss! By the immortals it got cold, fast! In all seriousness, he did hope that Kylar was on his way, the man’s body was quite a bit colder than it should be, the lack of blood in his body probably didn't help. "Stay with me, don't go to sleep." Atashi said occasionally along with other lines in an attempt to give the man something to focus on. His mother had told him many times in the past 'If you go to sleep in the snow, you won't wake up' Often before he'd go out to play during Zi'da, nowadays he believes that applies to the cold in general rather than the snow. Falling asleep is not an option for the man he was with.

Suddenly, someone or something grabbed his shoulder, his nerves lit up like a stary night. His hammer was out of reach, and it’s not as though he'd be able to hold it with all the blood that coated his hands, he had learned how heavy it was prior to patrolling Kylar after all. He turned to backhand whoever had grabbed him with his free hand, mid swing he examined who his attackers were, two men and a Lotharro, wait... Kylar? He stopped himself upon recognising Kylar. The two men introduced themselves as the healers and immediately went to work. "The moment I pull my hand out, he's going to start bleeding again" Atashi warned, one of the healers cocked an eyebrow, confused and looked to Atashi's hands before turning pale. That wasn't quite the response Atashi had hoped for, so he tried to defend himself "I did what I had to! This man had lost too much blood and I was starting to lose him! he's barely conscious now, look at him!" He barked, the nerve of the healer in front of him bothered him more than it should have, granted Atashi's methods were grim, but effective. And what had the healer done? Taken a brisk walk through the village at night? The other healer looked to be a little older than the one in shock, he put his hand on the younger's shoulder and nodded with approval/sympathy.

The older then turned to Atashi and thanked him, explaining that his actions might have saved this man’s life. Atashi exhaled, releasing some of his rage. It had been a while since he had vented, and tonight had been a landslide of stress. The healer readied a bandage and nodded to Atashi, a signal to remove his hand. Atashi then relaxed his grip and withdrew his hand, the healer then immediately wrapped the man’s wound, tight in layers of bandage. He got up and out of the way so that the healers could do their work and wiped his hands in the grass, getting most the blood off. He picked up his War Hammer and checked his back to make sure his shield was there then approached Kylar, who looked exhausted. "I think he's going to be okay, Kylar." he paused, looking back to the healers, who weren't holding back in giving this man everything they could. "Though you should catch your breath, we might have to carry the man back into the warmth, I can't imagine this cold is doing his blood-less body any good." He said calmly, deep down however, he was more than a little annoyed. He knew why that healer looked so afraid upon seeing Atashi and it wasn't just because he had used a grim method to stop the bleeding, prejudice was the other reason, he could see it in his eyes. The thought alone had his hands shaking with rage.

[Kylar]

Kylar watched the man get patched up, taking in every detail. The bandages they gave. If he could remember even one part of tonight, it could save a life in the future. So he focused on the bandages particularly. The way they dabbed at the wound with a rag to stop the bleeding, then cleaned it. That seemed important. Stop the bleeding, clean the wound. He repeated those words a few times over. He knew a lot of things, and maybe he was pushing himself too hard, but he thought that perhaps he should work on being able to heal people. Then he turned to Atashi, still catching his breath. "I hope he is fine, friend. I'm sure he will be..." he said. "We will have to see what the healers need, but my state won't change how much I help this man. I won't be giving up until he's as safe as can be" Kylar said with a serious tone. It was rare he took a tone that serious, but this was something else. He was talking about death, something that would not be undone. This deserved to be treated seriously.

After the longest five Bits of his life, one healer came over to the two. A middle aged human man, with a soft and welcoming look on his face. "Thank you, both" he said and put his hand out to each at a time. Kylar shook it in return. "This man needs immediate attention, some he won't find out here in an alley. But that's those boys' jobs. Mine is more about the two of you". Kylar glanced questioningly to Atashi, then back to the man. "You two saved a life, tonight. I don't doubt this man will make it, and that's down to you two. If you had done anything differently we might not be carrying a man alive out of here. So, it is my job to ask your names". Kylar looked both confused and nervous. Why was his name important, at all? But the man was kind, and he had no reason to distrust him. "Kylar, sir. Kylar Fulthar".

After both had said their names, the man smiled at them. "Well, you two have been dismissed from guard duty for the night. Two others will take over your shift. Before you complain, those are the rules - and at least one of you looks like they need a rest" he said to Kylar. Then he smiled once more at the two, wished them a good night, and walked back to the others. Kylar then focused his attention on Atashi. "Well, I thought I was grateful to have you as my guard partner before - but I am more than grateful now. Thank you, Atashi. I couldn't have asked for anyone better". Kylar then stopped and realised. "Oh, my friend, I forgot to mention. We left you a letter, for our wedding. Did you get it?" he asked. He then reached in to his pocked and pulled out a small gold necklace, wrapped safely in a cloth. He showed it to the Ithecal. "This is the gift I plan on giving to her...I hope it's enough".

Kylar then looked down the road. His house was visible from here. He raised his hand and pointed to it. "That's my house, and I think it's time I went back there. I'm sure Crimson will want to hear all about this. Have a good night, friend. I look forward to seeing you again soon". Kylar then turned and walked away, hand on his side. It hurt slightly to walk, but that was from strain - a night of sleep would get rid of that. As he walked, he lowered his head slightly and prayed. "Thank you, Karem. For sparing that man's life". He paused. "and for a friend I will never forget".

► Show Spoiler

ooc: deducted 15 gold nels from ledger for gold necklace

[Atashi]

The Lotharro's words bothered Atashi, Kylar cared so much about this person but didn't even know their name. Perhaps he had been wrong to assume that Kylar had been trained in darker arts, but his 'weapon' choice was most peculiar, especially for a Lotharro. Seeing Kylar so serious was certainly out of the norm, but it made a bit more sense now that his true colours were revealed. Beneath his boisterous, loud exterior was a fragile Lotharro that cared deeply for the people around him... perhaps. Kylar confused him, perhaps he shouldn't be so analytical. He turned back to the wounded man they had saved as the healers did their work. Having this man die after their combined efforts in keeping him alive was completely out of the question, and if Kylar was willing to go the extra mile to help this man, then so was he.

The older of the two healers then approached Atashi and Kylar, thanking them for their work and announcing that the man would live. The relief in Kylar eyes said it all, he was genuinely worried about the stranger, this made Atashi smile. It was nice to be working with someone with heart. Looking over to the younger of the healers once more, he was looking to Atashi with a rather pitiful expression, he couldn't help but feel guilty for exploding at him. "Listen" He sighed, "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier, it was out of line and I should have had a better grip on my temper." Atashi admitted in a sincere tone, after all, he was probably jumping the gun on the whole racism accusation, what he was doing was rather horrific and he hadn't ran into much trouble since moving to Venora. It was logical to assume that it was a misunderstanding. The boy smiled "No, I'm the one who should be sorry, I can imagine you were under quite a lot of stress and I should have been more ready, mentally, for the sight of that much blood, I'm a healer after all!" He chuckled.

Atashi felt rather stupid suddenly, this could very well have been the younger healers first deployment, seeing that much blood for the first time would most definitely have been disturbing to say the least. He shook his head, smiling and thankful that he had just been an idiot and that the boy didn't discriminate Ithecal. The older then asked for their names, Kylar introduced himself first, then Atashi "I am Atashi Oxitash" he stated, proudly.

The older then dismissed Atashi and Kylar from their guard duties, which was fair enough to be honest, Kylar looked as though he could use the rest, and Atashi could certainly stand to take his mind off things. The two healers then returned to the man when more people had arrived, presumably to assist them. Kylar then turned to Atashi and spoke of how glad he was to have been working with him. "No no, I'm the one who ought to be glad. I could have never 'ran' that distance so fast, and I doubt many other people would have tried as hard as you did." He didn't often make jokes about not having legs, after all it was the norm to him, but others found it funny so he didn't mind too much. "yes, i got the invitation, I forgot to congratulate the two of you on your marriage earlier... Uhh, my bad." He scratched the back of his head, awkwardly. "Congratulations, Friend! Also, thanks for the invitation, I'll be sure to attend." He smiled, Kylar then showed him the necklace he had purchased for crimson, it looked expensive to say the least! "Thats beautiful Kylar, but try not to flash jewellery about in this area at night, someone has already been attacked here after all." He still didn't know anything of the attacker, but thought it best not to bother Kylar’s mind with it, he'd been through enough tonight.

Kylar then pointed to the distance, showing his house to Atashi and saying his farewells before he head off in that direction."See ya at the wedding, Kylar!" Atashi shouted over to him and waved. Before long he decided it was best to get moving himself, with his War Hammer in hand and shield on his back he made his way through the night, toward his home. Thinking over the day he had experienced, he understood that he had been quick to judge, but he was still angry beneath it all. He didn't know why, perhaps he was just in need of rest? Regardless, two things were certain; He'd need to learn to get a hold of his temper and he'd need to do it fast. He eventually reached his house and put away his shield and hammer, he'd have to get in some practice with his new weapon when he had the time, but for now he would sleep.


(ooc: deducted 20 gold nels from ledger for War Hammer)