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Post by iikagen on Jul 4, 2007 0:07:00 GMT -5
"You know what? Whatever. I’ll find an easier target to turn in! You win!"
Iikagen witheld a laugh. Even from up high in the tree and without any way to actually see June, he knew it was a lie. SHe had been waiting around the base of the tree for perhaps 15 minutes, the majority of that time being spent fetching a few berries and nuts. After the hell he'd put her through two nights ago and many miles of tracking, he refused to believe she would give up so quickly. Granted, he was doing his best to obtain just such a result, but it seemed like it came far too easily.
"Fine!" he called back down, using his most immature, childish tone. The Igni listened carefully and he heard the shirshu standing up, followed by the crack of a whip and the scuffle of claws on the dirt. Whether it was a ruse or not, June had most decidedly left the base of the tree. Still sitting in his high treetop perch, Iikagen could only smile and begin prepping the poison on his blowdarts as he waited to see how long the peace could last....
An hour past and the sun climbed higher and higher into the sky. The forest became lighter, and animals started to awaken from their slumber. Iikagen had reverted back to simply resting for a while, but he had started to grow bored of waiting in the tree. June had not made any sound to indicate she'd returned, and so he decided to take a peak around. The Igni picked his way further down the tree and came to a branch, still fairly high off the ground, but that offered a good view of the forest floor. Shirshu tracks muddled the area, but after a few moments of scanning the dirt he managed to isolate a set that was leading away from his tree. He glanced that way but could see any sign of the bounty hunter. Iikagen let out a light sigh and then decided to end his bored by following the tracks. However, he still had no intention of leaving the trees...
Over the course of the next 30 minutes, Iikagen managed he somewhat difficult task of traversing the forest without ever touching the ground. He occasionally had to use his chain to swing between a pair of distant trees, but he managed it well enough. And when he eventually came within sight of the resting Bounty Hunter, who had taken up a post behind a rather large, concealing tree, he took things even more slowly and quietly.
Iikagen made the leap of the last few trees from higher branches, and he hit a stroke of luck when a clan of hog-monkeys saw fit to start traversing the treetops on a perpendicular path a few levels below him. Their disturbance was perfect for masking the noise of his final leap to the tree just above the ever-alert Shirshu. Iikagen could yell the beast was aware of the ruckus caused by the passing hog-monkeys, but it seemed oblivious to his presence.
Grinning the whole way down as he carefully and painstaking lowered himself down the tree, Iikagen came within spitting distance of the bounty hunter without being noticed. Then, almost as the final insulting touch, he assumed a reclined, relaxed position on a branch that he calculated was just out of rach from either the shirshu or her whip, and said, "That was fun... Now I'll go hide and you can seek!"
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Post by june on Jul 9, 2007 22:35:02 GMT -5
She grew impatient. How long could he wait just to come down from an oak tree? It probably wasn’t very pleasant up there to begin with. Then again, he could be feeling lazy and after all, it is still early morning, she thought. Even with those disappointing and annoying thoughts in mind, June remained at her spot behind the large tree. At least she had some shade for the time being.
As she waited, June picked acorns she found near her location, eating them to satisfy her hunger. She desperately wanted a hot meal, badly. Very badly. Mere acorns and berries weren’t doing it for her at all. She was an adult with an appetite; not an appetite of a petite woman, no, she had the appetite of a man. June wasn’t ashamed of it either. Noodles would be good right now...
After awhile, which seemed like forever to June, she started to believe that her plan wasn’t working. He wasn’t that ignorant and he might have not fallen for her little trick. Just when she was about to head off, a small feeling that she was being watched arose within her. A tiny scoff escaped her lips. It had to be all in her imagination. Staying out too long must’ve gotten her –
"That was fun... Now I'll go hide and you can seek!"
The bounty hunter jumped, turning around to see the Igni. He found her first.
"How the hell in all of the damned world did you find me you putrid, incoherent son of a bitch!?"
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Post by sun on Jul 10, 2007 0:39:17 GMT -5
A literal stones throw away a head shifted towards the sudden yelling as it was broken away from it’s current daydream. For the last several miles his mind had been swimming with thoughts of women with a noticeable lack of clothing because, let’s face it, he was 24 and hadn’t seen a woman (or anybody really) since he had set out a week ago.
He brought an arm down from where it was draped over the long bamboo pole balanced on his shoulders and pushed the rim of his straw coolie up allowing him a better view of the area around him. After thinking a moment he determined what he had decided that the decidedly female voice had come from a dozen yards to his left. After only a few seconds of walking he was able to see the source of the yelling, a very pretty woman in very unusual clothes, from this short distance she seemed a little older than him (which he didn‘t mind ), by the way, did I mention she was a babe? Any who. When he looked to see what she was yelling at he only saw her glaring at a tree looking like she was about to kick it’s ass if it had one.
“Excuse me,” he called loudly holding the rim of his coolie above his eyes, “why are you harassing that tree madam?”
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Post by iikagen on Jul 10, 2007 21:21:04 GMT -5
"How the hell in all of the damned world did you find me you putrid, incoherent son of a bitch!?"
Iikagen's smile and ensuing chuckle couldn't have done anything to sooth June's temper. For a few seconds, he merely sat contently in his high branch. It was almost too much amusement for the Igni who hadn't had the opportunity to torture someone this badly since his encounter with the Yuu Yans. However, there suddenly came another voice that caught his attention.
“Excuse me, why are you harassing that tree madam?” came the call of someone new. Almost without thinking, Iikagen dropped down a branch or two and scampered to the end of the tree limb until it had bent down far enough to allow him a better view. Standing a short way off was a traveler wearing a straw hat, peasant clothes, and carrying a long bamboo shaft. Iikagen stared at him for a brief moment, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Good morning!" he called out to the newcomer, waving with one hand, "So sorry you have to witness this, but my wife is upset that I forgot to feed her goldfish!" Iikagen did well in masking his accent, as he suddenly felt like appearing a little less foreign to this newcomer.
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Post by june on Jul 13, 2007 13:22:21 GMT -5
June made a low growl, glaring at the Igni. This seemed like a hopeless situation. She had no other plans that would probably lead to his capture. Just perfect, she thought, making a loud scoff as she did so. She gripped the short hilt of her leather whip tightly, trying to calm her temper down. Before she could do anything, June heard a voice speak just a few yards away.
"Excuse me, why are you harassing that tree madam?"
She blinked and turned her head towards the voice, seeing it was a traveler.
"I’m not harassing the tree I’m trying to get the person in the tree, you dolt!" she yelled back.
"Good morning! So sorry you have to witness this, but my wife is upset that I forgot to feed her goldfish!"
Her eyes grew wide. Wife? June took the term as a great insult towards her. That little..
"Wife? How about you stop telling people lies about things you wish were true?"
The bounty hunter scowled, taking her hand off of the hilt of her whip and moving it to the reigns of her Shirshu. The beast growled at the newcomer, revealing it’s long, sharp teeth. June wasn’t sure if this traveler would be a threat to her or not, but she wasn’t going to take any chances whatsoever. All she could do now was wait and see. He might even be a of good use.
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Post by sun on Jul 15, 2007 21:52:05 GMT -5
The man smirked to himself while taking a few steps forward, "Well ya' sure act like a couple.." His comment was interrupted by Junes shirshu stepping forward and growling at him defensively. Oddly the man did not have the expected reaction of a person confronted by a large and obviously unfriendly beast. Instead, he only smiled, “oh wow,” he said in what could either be excitement, curiosity, or for some reason, public drunkenness. “I haven‘t seen one of these in years! Can I pet it?” he reached a hand out to pet it like a dog but the shirshu’s tongue rolled out threateningly accompanied by a growl that seemed to suggest an urge to gnaw on his face. “I guess not,” he muttered with ought losing his smile. Remembering that there was still a pretty girl nearby he looked back to her and also got his first look at the unique looking Igni. Looking at the strange clothes and facial markings for some reason he was reminded of the worlds ugliest prostitute.
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Post by iikagen on Jul 17, 2007 15:55:54 GMT -5
"Well ya' sure act like a couple.." The traveler's remark brought a slight grin to Iikagen's face. It wasn't even the joke, but rather his seeming lack of concern for the rather dangerous creature standing just a few yards away that he found amusing. Back home, traditional marriages were almost nonexistant, so he wouldn't know much about the incessant nagging that mainland wives were attributed with.
Regardless of this new arrival, Iikagen stood up on his branch and stretched slightly, oblivious to those below him. Then, deciding that the others should be privelage to the inner workings of his bowels, he announced loudly, "I have to piss..." The crass Igni then walked back further into the tree, snapping off a section of a branch with plenty of leaves to take with him, and scaled his way further into and up in the branches.
Ignoring the others for a moment, and largely hidden from view, Iikagen fumled with the drawstring of his pants and went about his proclaimed business. However, he made sure to amply soak the branch he'd brought with him with his scent. Despite the rudeness of his timing, he had a much higher goal than simply grossing out his pursuer.
Other than creating a decoy scent source, the Igni felt it might be a good opportunity to torture June anyway by calling down, "Let me know if you'd like a shower while I'm up here!"
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Post by june on Jul 18, 2007 20:36:20 GMT -5
"Well ya' sure act like a couple.."
June scowled at the traveler. Just the thought of being married to that Igni made June’s skin crawl. If she was married to Iikagen, she would have committed suicide already. She scoffed at the thought. The Shirshu kept a close watch on the newcomer, some saliva was dripping down from its wide mouth. Since he might be of good use, she might as well know who he is first.
"You, what’s your name?" she asked in a demanding voice.
"I have to piss..."
The bounty hunter’s gaze slowly turned towards the Igni. Lovely, she thought, rolling her eyes.
"Let me know if you'd like a shower while I'm up here!"
"Disgusting little son of a bitch..." June said aloud.
She kept her hand close to her whip, just in case the Igni or even the traveler pulled something. June was growing more and more impatient by the minute. That, and her hunger was bothering her a little more now, though she tried ignoring it to stay focused. June leaned forward in the saddle, her thoughts now focused on trying to come up with another plan to get her bounty.
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Post by sun on Jul 19, 2007 20:16:17 GMT -5
The man still seemed unfazed by the shirshu’s aggressiveness and apparent urge to gnaw on his face like a milk bone or beef jerky. He only seemed to act friendlier as she demandingly asked his name, he had to admit her voice made him think naughty things involving whips and black leather (though her appearance had the same effect).
“You can call me Sun,” he announced with an overdramatic bow that drew another unheeded growl from the shirshu, “I‘m of the Boyue family from gaoling.” When he came back up he loosened his chin strap and slid the coolie backwards till it hung down his back showing his perpetual bed head.
Sun raised an eyebrow at the obvious watery sounds that echoed in the suddenly quiet clearing but was only put off for a fraction of a second, “anywho, dare I ask you and your companions names?” By this time he was leaning comfortably on his bamboo pole.
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Post by iikagen on Jul 20, 2007 23:31:55 GMT -5
Upon completing his business with the tree branch, Iikagen casually retied his pants and picked his way back down the tree with the scent decoy in hand. The Igni had decided that it was time to make some sort of move. Things were growing stagnant, and even he was growing bored with merely annoying the bounty hunter. As amusing as her reactions were, the fact remained that her accursed beast was still keeping him trapped in those trees.
Iikagen took a path down to the lower levels of the tree that put him on the opposite side of the trunk as June and the wanderer, whose name he'd missed. Peeking through the branches, he could see those two largely ignoring him for the time being, which brought a slight grin to his face. Enentually, he came to a branch hanging over the open forest floor at a mere 12 feet above the ground. Balancing himself on the balls of his feet, he brought the urine-soaked branch to bear and pulled a length of his chain free from its place on his hip. Casting one last glance at June, he then shoved down hard on the branch below him to cause a stir in the leaves, and then dropped the branch in his hand to the ground below.
Like the well-trained beast it was, the Shirshu caught the sound and scent instantaneously. Without even waiting for word from its master, it bolted forward and dashed around the tree toward what it believed to be the Igni making a run for it. However, in that brief moment where it pounced onto the decoy scent, nose sniffing rapidly, it had unintentionally placed its master right into harm's way.
Iikagen siezed the opportunity and dropped from his perch down onto the saddle extension behind June. The impact of a sudden stop right between his legs was certainly unpleasant, but he still managed to keep his composure and extend the chain in his hand over June's head. He slipped it around her neck and pulled back hard, but not so much as to cut off the airflow to her lungs. Iikagen leaned in close to her back and clamped his legs tight around the Shirshu, and he whispered quickly into her ear, "Keep jour dog still and drop de whip..."
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Post by june on Jul 24, 2007 14:33:53 GMT -5
Grabbing the leather reigns immediately, June’s body jerked back as her tracker lunged forward towards the large twig that had fallen from the tree tops. Her temper was increasing by the second; the ignorant beast was sniffing at a twig for heaven’s sake. June was about to restrain the Shirshu, but she soon found herself pulled back by a chain on her throat with the Igni being the culprit. Just perfect, her conscious yelled. It was just what she needed, to be held hostage.
"Keep jour dog still and drop de whip..."
Hesitating at first with a bad feeling in her gut, the bounty hunter did as she was told. She might as well not put up a fight and try to go along with everything the best she could. June forgot all about the traveler who called himself Sun, not even caring if he was witnessing the current situation she was in. She could handle it herself, she was a big girl. With various thoughts running through her mind, she soon broke the awkward silence that occurred with a flat response.
"Found a way to distract my Shirshu huh? How clever. Now, what do you want, Igni?"
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Post by sun on Jul 24, 2007 18:16:39 GMT -5
The entire situation had occurred before Sun even had time to react. By the time any occurrence had registered in his mind the shirshu had run by him to the source of the sound and smell. In the time it took him to turn and rush after them the Igni was already sitting behind the girl with the chain around her neck. For a brief moment the scene caused Sun’s eyes to flash and his brow to crease in what would by thought as anger were he not still wearing the same slightly amused look he had seconds ago. He didn’t see that the girl was in any actual pain so his staff still rested on the ground.
“I wouldn‘t get a favorable response if I asked you to release her, would I?” he asked the bald igni who currently had his back to him. In the back of his mind he calculated two dozen ways of maiming the igni, though they were all variations on the simple idea of planting his staff upside the ignis head.
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Post by iikagen on Jul 24, 2007 19:44:52 GMT -5
Iikagen eased up ever so slightly on the pressure he was applying to June's throat when he felt the shirshu obey her will and keep from trashing in an attempt to shake him loose. The whip fell from her hands and dropped to the ground, well out of reach. "Found a way to distract my Shirshu huh?" she asked him with all the bitter sarcasm of one who was accustomed to having the upper hand, How clever. Now, what do you want, Igni?"
A grin spread across the Igni's features as he contemplated the question and decided to sieze his opportunity to torture the bounty hunter yet again. He leaned his head in next hers and breathed tantalizingly against her neck. "I'd've t'ought dat much was ovious..." he said suggestively, though he followed that with a slight exhale of laughter that betrayed his intent to simply mess with her mind.
“I wouldn‘t get a favorable response if I asked you to release her, would I?” The request came from behind him, and Iikagen craned his neck in order to look upon the traveler who was still hanging around for some reason. He held a bamboo pole, which was not exactly threatening on its own, but Iikagen was never one to underestimate other people. For all he knew, the lack of a more lethal could mean that this man didn't need one. Regardless, he had June in a rather threatening position, and he doubted the man would endager her.
"Probably not," Iikagen replied, "But if it makes you feel better, she most certainly deserves this!" The Igni gave a slight jab with his heel into the Shirshu's flank, and the creature seemed to buck slightly from the gesture. Iikagen was forced to hold on tightly as it bobbed around for a few moments before grudgingly turning itself so that those on the saddle could see the third person present.
"Now," Iikagen went on, speaking to June, though loudly enough for the traveler to hear. "It would seem we need to come to some sort of agreement... Joo, my little mink-snake," he snapped his teeth together right beside June's ear and made a faint hissing noise, "want to turn me into the Fire Nation for money... I don't really want to be executed... and You," he raised an eyebrow at Sun, "need to shave..."
A slight smirk spread across he face, "So where do we go from here?"
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Post by june on Aug 3, 2007 14:32:14 GMT -5
The bounty hunter rolled her eyes, ignoring the traveler’s response to Iikagen’s actions. The scowl on her face soon disappeared once she felt the Shirshu buck up and bob around. June ignored it, though that was hard to do at the moment. What was even harder was trying to ignore the Igni speaking in her ear and taunting her. She hated his little mind games. June knew he was trying to mess with her mind, but Iikagen failed to intimidate her. He just annoyed her.
She waited for Iikagen to finish, then took a minute or so to think of a suitable solution.
"I just want my money, so I could care less about what might happen to you, cretin. But, seeing as how I’m not going to get my money because of this, I guess we’ll have to compromise."
June took an extra minute to think, her gaze turning upwards towards the sky as she did so.
"You know what? You think of something. Unless your small brain can’t handle the pressure."
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Post by sun on Aug 8, 2007 22:06:12 GMT -5
and You… need to shave..."
In an almost naïve way Suns hand reached up to touch the inch thick beard he was ‘wearing’. for a moment he cocked his head in a way reminiscent of the way lemurs do when people talk to them.
“I um.. Don‘t see what my beard has to do with this,” he commented as if he were unable to comprehend the situation, “especially holdin’ beautiful girls captive. ” While he was saying this, his hand had moved to a higher grip on his staff and his right foot had moved backwards by less than three inches. Because this was not a stance commonly known to many martial arts it merely seemed like he was leaning on his staff tiredly.
Subtle as it was, he suddenly felt that he could have been doing a jig in a flaming pink tutu. The seemed to have forgotten about him completely, and the weird looking bald guy also seemed to not even really be acknowledging him.
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