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Post by tali on Mar 15, 2008 7:28:02 GMT -5
Tali blinked laying back on the ground looking at him for a moment, she knew she had a rather large pension for doing stupid things, so she stopped. Idly she munched on the yam, she could work out later she guessed. Her eyes traveled up and down his body, he still didn't have much for dress, she'd noticed his muscles before, never saw them flex like that. Looking up at the sky her face tinted a light blush. Did he enjoy making her flustered like this? She thought he did at least, I'd make a lot of sense and at least let her believe it wasn't her fault, her mind had had enough trauma for the week.
Smalls breaths traveled over her mildly parted lips and her free hand found the back of her head while one knee bent the other keeping close to it's companion as she make herself comfortable on the ground. She'd never though about crunches around a tree.... maybe hanging from a branch, she didn't think going straight to his foreign training method would be best, she could already feel the injuries it would bring mounting.
" You should be careful, you may pop a stitch and if I sow you up again I'm using bright pink thread" She spared him a small glance, keeping her eyes firmly above his shoulders,still a bit of the blush lingered stubbornly. Shiofeun or not she was still a girl, things like that were embarrassing. Nothing she'd want to take part of. Still she was able to grant him a small playful smile.
Arching her back against she ground she let a small whimper loose closing her eyes, her back was funny enough from sleeping on the ground, not that she could help it, the present party was in much worse shape then she was . Rolling forward onto her feet she stretched her legs and stood up stretching her body once more. Her hands placed themselves on he waist after depositing the skin of the vegetable into the fire. She bent backwards forwards left and right untill she was satisfied, her hands reached down and her palms pressed to the top of her feet, satisfied with the ability to do so.
" Well if your still here when I find my way back I'll bring some proper medical supplies." Walking past his she patted him on the head like one might to a pet dog or something of the like, then she proceeded to follow his directions of "....just head that way and make a left at de trail," She shook her head. She found some amusement in it now, maybe it was because he got his chest cut open and the fact that she didn't have to come back. She guessed that despite his attitude the cut brought more pain then he'd let on.At least his directions to the trail didn't seem to be off.
She glanced back at the forest, she'd loose her way for sure... Relesing her hair from her braid she tied the cloth to the tree near where she emerged and ran off. It shouldn't take too long, sun down at the latest. Once she found herself in the town she apologetically collected her things standing in silence as the innkeeper told stories of the red bird spirits defeat. So Iikagen didn't kill them all. maybe he wasn't lying about the self defense bit. It sounded like the group left on a mission to kill the supposed "spirit".
A quick trip to the local clinic made her bag considerably heavier but she wagered that she'd use the supplies rather quickly. The young doctor seemed pleased to give her what she needed, he was even as kind to offer her a full body exam which she declined, figuring it would be best to hurry, the man seemed upset but she'd left before he had a chance to insist. At least it seemed like the shovel would be uncessicary, the soldier took his fallen comrades, it was an odd mixture of pity and hope that kept Talia silent the trip back to the forest.
Her staff was in one hand while the other settled over her bag. Stuffed in with the clothing odd supplies and medicine was a pair of wooden boxes, still warm from the reseraunt. Well she'd been hungry, somehow she doubted more starchy yams would do her much good. This time her marker was easy to spot, she pulled it off the branch and kept it around her knuckles until she had a chance to re-do her hair. " Hello....? I'm back!"
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Post by iikagen on Mar 16, 2008 0:16:08 GMT -5
Iikagen responded to the girl's threats of pink stitches with slight shrug, figuring it wasn't such a terrible fate. After all, they would probably stain red soon enough. He chewed down his latest bite of food, slowing down a little bit as he enjoyed the spectacle of his comapnion stretching languidly on the ground. She might be a little mousey for his tastes, but a month alone in the woods does funny things to a man's standards.
Tali got up shortly thereafter, and announced that she was heading into town for suppies. By the sound of it, she intended to return, which was slightly curious to Iikagen. Was she really so charitable, or was his animal magnetism just making the girl infatuated? He was leaning toward the latter as the most likely explanation, but still he made a mental note to keep a careful eye on Tali.
"Don't worry," he told her as she started back toward the trail, "I'll keep jour spot warm." Iikagen watched her go until she was out of sight and then let out a sigh. He looked down at half of the yam remaining on his spear and decided that he couldn't stomach another bite. He needed something better. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the vegetasble flying off the blade of the weapon and splattering against the trunk of the tree across from him. Iikagen then cleared his throat and cup his hand around his mouth, issuing a bird call similar to the ones he'd been hearing in this part of the woods. It went on for several minutes until at last, a bird finally fluttered into view and began to scavenge the bits of yam. It picked up just a few mouthfuls before a projectile shortspear decapitated it. Iikagen grinned at the shot, and managed to climb to his feet. Now he had somethng worth eating...
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A large chunk of the day had passed in relative boaredom. After making a meal out of the bird from earlier, Iikagen had eventually put some more substantial clothes on. He found a pair of loose grey pants among his plunder that fit comfortably, though they barely reached the middle of his shins. But the most notable task he had accomplished was shaving his head. It took nearly an hour and several bypasses, but at the end Iikagen was satisfied with his work. The lack of a mirror meant that he was going entirely by touch, but as far as he could tell there wasn't a patch of hair left. He finally looked like his old self again.
However, as the day wore on he was beginning to feel tired. It wasn't too strange, considering the sleeping pattern he had established lately. But still, certain warning bells were going off in Iikagen's mind. If Tali had made it back to town, there was a reasonable chance that those soldiers were still there. She could easily tell them he was out there and lead them back to his camp. And if that were the case, he should have started moving the moment she was out of sight.
Yet the fact remained that he was injured, tired, poorly supplied, and without a decent heading. Like it or not, he would have have to leave his one up to chance. Whether Tali chose to betray him or not was just a cast of the bones...
It was a chance Iikagen was willing to take. The Igni shrugged off any insecurities about the decision and just decided that it would work out fine. So with a great yawn, he laid himself down at the base of his tree and tried to get some sleep. The fire was all but burned out, and he was far too exhausted to care. So much so, that he actually slipped right through his usual trance-like 'sleep' and fell right into ordinary unconscious sleep. He didn't even register Tali's return.
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Post by tali on Mar 16, 2008 10:48:13 GMT -5
It was almost a releif to see the man asleep, he needed the rest she imagined, and she didn't have to force small talk with him. Making her way over to him she lowered her bag to the dust and soon after this, lowered herself as well peeling away the makeshift bandages from his body. It'd be nice if he would stay asleep for this, she didn't feel much for sarcastic comments. Releasing a small bundle of medical supplies from her pack she had a hard time telling what they were, a brown bottle of something a few herbs, a jar, some pads, some bandages.
She'd have to wing it, opening the bottle of the brown liquid she sniffed it tenitively and pulled back slightly, she remembered this smell. Whenever she cut herself this junk was poured onto the wound. It had to be a disinfectant. pouring a generous ammount onto a small pad she was supplied she pressed it along the length of the wound gently staining the skin a slightly darker tone.
Next she investigated the jar, it had some sticky goop in it, she didn't know what this was for either, it's smell was rather sweet, like a lot of plant matter ground into a paste. With a momment of childish curiosity she wanted to put some of it in her mouth, to see what it would taste like but she didn't. She spread the poultice over the now disinfected wound completely absorbed in her new 'toys' and her task. She imagined she should let that set or dry. Something of the sort so she sat back and examined her work. It was a little sloppy but she was no healer honestly.
Tali looked down making a face at her hands covered in the light green grey hued slob she'd just put on his chest. She'd defiantly need to get that off, wiping her hands on the discarded chest wrappings she took a quick survey of the camp, Landing on a small lump of feather not too far away she blinked. "Was that there before....."
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Post by iikagen on Mar 17, 2008 20:59:26 GMT -5
As deep of a sleep Iikagen had allowed himself to fall into, that was still an entirely relative term. He might not have noticed Tali's approach, but as she started fiddling with the wrappings over his chest he immediately returned to his senses. His eyes snapped open, pupils dialating as they adjusted to the darkness and he saw Tali crouching beside him. Iikagen quickly closed them again until he was only peering through tiny slits between his eyelids. He had done well to avoid reaching for the shortspear that was still tucked beside his right thigh. In truth, if he hadn't known she was coming back he might have very well taken a stab at her without even opening his eyes.
Iikagen forced himself to remain still and lax as Tali went about her work. The Igni kept his breathing deep and rythmic, adding in an occasional mumbling of some obscenity or lewd comment just for the amusement of making the Earth Kingdom girl uncomfortable.
When he sensed her rising to move away from him, iikagen's eyes flicked open once more and he surveyed they area around them. Tali had brought a traveling sack and a staff, presumably her own belongings. The Igni continued to watch for for several more moments and then shut his eyes as she looked around. Feigning sleep once more, he now had some new thoughts to ruminate on.
The girl seemed to be intent on camping out with him. While on better days he might welcome the eye-candy and the presence of another person to torment, he really had to admit he was uncomfortable with this arrangement. So far there had been no sign of any other soldiers tracking him down for revenge, which meant that either they were cutting their losses and running, they were convinced that he really was a spirit, or his little ruse with the feathers had convinced them he was dead. Whatever the reason, this seemed like a good milestone to end this particular chapter of his misadventures.
That taste of real combat reminded him why he came to this country. And despite his injuries, he was eager to get back in the saddle, as it were. Iikagen breathed out a deep breath and allowed his mind to weigh the possible courses ahead of him. Whatever he decided, he figured tomrrow would be the day to do it.
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Post by tali on Mar 17, 2008 22:13:01 GMT -5
Tali stretched picking up her bag again, she'd manage to tire herself from the busy day. Her hands fumbled through her pack removing one of the boxed meals she'd picked up. Carefully she placed it next to the man, he could eat it when he got up. On the other hand she sat and quietly ate, keeping her peace. tossing another log onto the fire she glanced over at the man, the wound wasn't bleeding anymore, a good sign. She didn't want to disturbed the practically dry goo so she left it be. Her muscles were stiff and she imagined she smelled rather bad, she hadn't bathed in a day or two. Fetching her Green sleeveless Hanfu from her bag she wandered off towards the stream, Quickly she stripped down taking the wooden bucket from earlier to wash herself.
With little more than a soft intake of breath she dumped the cool water on her body cringing as the cool water hit her skin. Her body broke out in small goosebumps and she shivered, ready to hurry through a thorough scrubbing. With a rough bar of soap and a small razor she made herself feel presentable. Her hair was wrung out, the newly laundered artical of clothing slid over her bodt easily, it was late, she didn't worry about her obi nor her brown pants she almost always wore. It felt odd for her legs to be hit by the cool air, the slits on her shirt rode up to her hips. so it still preserved enough modesty, aside from that she was sure the tengu man was asleep, she didn't feel threatened.
Lazily she laid out her bed roll, put her things away, for a moment she paused, sitting on her knees with her head bent in a whispered prayer to the spirits, to her personal guardian, to Dong Feng, " Please keep me safe and be my guiding light..." Wit that done she yawned rubbing her eyes and laid down on the thin padded sheet, her eyes all but drooping, she cocooned herself in the think sheets taking care to be close enough to the fire for warmth, yet a good distance away so she didn't roll into the ashes. Her bag was tucked up close to her and every second that passed made her eyes feel heavier. Soon enough she was down and out for the night. Her lips parted lightly and her mind relaxed ready to rest her tired body from a long interesting day.
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Post by iikagen on Mar 18, 2008 14:25:54 GMT -5
Aside from keeping track of Tali's return to the camp, Iikagen returned to his resting. When his 'guest' returned, he kept his ears peeled only long enough to be sure she was going to sleep. Iikagen counted to a thousand, and then slowly got up from his spot under the tree. With the fire burning, he was able to survey the dressing Tali had put on his chest a little better. The paste had dried up slightly, and seemed to do a good job of keeping the wound covered with what he assumed was an antisptic or lotion.
Still keeping silent as death, Iikagen crept over to Tali's belongings and quickly sifted through her traveling sack. She had a little money, some clothes, some girl stuff, and a bit of food. The Igni mulled over the stock for a moment or two and then returned everything to the way it was.
Silently assuming his previous resting position, he had a few new thoughts to occuppy his mind during the remainder of the night.
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Morning came in the same fashion as the day before. Birds chirped and the light of the sun slowly diffused across the sky. Iikagen managed to actually awaken not too long after dawn, but he still didn't feel like getting up. He had seen the food Tali had brought and knew there would be no need to go hunting or foraging this morning.
Instead, he was content to just rest up as long as possible before doing anything of importance.
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Post by tali on Mar 20, 2008 20:01:02 GMT -5
Tali hadn't slept soundly, as usual, by the morning she was sprawled out on her back with her limbs tangled in the sheet her hair a mess from all the tossing and turning she did. Her one leg bare to the morning air with the sheet only half over it. Her eyes were closed and the world passed her by with little more than an acknowledgment of the morning in her mind. It was only when the sun once again hit her eyes did she groan and stretch herself out in her usual manner, Arching her back and cracking it lightly, sleeping on the ground always made her stiff as hell. She then sat up attempting to fix herself up, first her hands ran through her shaggy hair which was at least clean now, rather than the lumped locks it was before it felt smooth once the kinks were worked out, the night had dried it sufficiently. Next she straightened out her long dress fetching her pants from her bag, quietly she glanced to Iikagen. He was still asleep much to her satisfaction.
Quickly she pulled her brown pants up to her waist, fastening them in place around her hips to make sure they would stay put, after which she smoothed down the over shirt and got out her faded yellow obi tying it tightly about her waist. It was nice to be in clean clothing, with skilled hands she bound her hair into it's usual loose braid tying off the end tightly.
Once more her eyes drifted over to Iikagen's, he looked rather peaceful in his sleep. and yet she didn't completely trust him. Fetching a stick she poked at the ashes of the fire and sighed, honestly she wanted to know about Igni culture, It seemed interesting to her like few things were. She wondered what sort of places he'd seen in his travels, he didn't mention any temples but perhaps he'd crossed them once or twice, heard rumors perhaps? Out of the corner of her vision she noticed the mask Iikagen had worn while parading as the spirit. Carefully with a few sidelong glances at Iikagen she made her way over to it picking it up and inspecting it. It looked like a normal wooden mask. Some of the markings were the same through, her fingers glided over the dots over each eye. How was that tattooing done? It was curious. " Your not so scary when you don't have a wild man running around behind you huh?"
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Post by iikagen on Mar 22, 2008 12:47:54 GMT -5
Aside from occasionally craking an eyelid open to glance toward Tali when he heard her fumbling with clothes, Iikagen remained entirely still. He was content to just ignore her for the time being. However, when he heard her heading his way, he did chance opening an eye in time to see her looking at his mask. Still remaining motionless, and with just that eye open, he said simply, "I wouldn't do dat if I were joo..."
The mask itself wasn't terribly important, but it did prove itself to be a useful tool when he needed to 'acquire' some supplies without showing his face. He wasn't sure how far those Wanted posters of him had spread, and people weren't as likely to call the local military on a demon spirit.
Iikagen brought one leg up towards his chest and without even using his hands he managed to tuck it over his other with his heel touching the opposite hip. He wiggled his toes slightly as he looked at the dirty, calloused pads on the bottom of his foot. The Igni brushed off some of the debrisand started cleaning ou the spaces between his toes.
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Post by tali on Mar 22, 2008 19:03:23 GMT -5
Slightly startled Tali whipped her head along to look at the man, she glowered wanting to throw a rock at him but instead she just glared daggers. She didn't like being surprised like that, she was jumpy recently. Turning back to the mask she continued her inspection of the workman ship. He wasn't going to get her to believe some mumbo jumbo. Her eyes rolled a bit and she huffed, for a guy in his situation he was rather cheeky. She hadn't heard a thank you from him yet. " And why would I not do dat?"
She smirked a little, she could copy his silly accent, she imagined her could make his match hers if he wanted, she chose to mock him quietly though. It gave her a bit of satisfaction, a small treat when your parents told you no. Either way she enjoyed it, being a little silly, a little spiteful made her relax. She was too much on edge.
Turning on her heels she plopped down next to him and continues looking through her bangs at Iikagen, what lovely habits the tengu people have, she mused. Well if they insisted on eating with their feet they should keep them clean. She bit back a laugh and tilted her head to the side dropping her smile slightly. " I meant to ask you yesterday but you were asleep, how come they have your face on wanted posters?"
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Post by iikagen on Mar 25, 2008 19:55:27 GMT -5
When Tali mimed his accent, Iikagen didn't bother to elaborate on what he'd do to her if she damaged it, and instead just settled for repeating her words quietly with a childish sour expression. It was quite the immature response, but he didn't feel like stretching his brain at the moment to come back with some suitably snappy or random retort. Iikagen left it at that for another few moments and then switched his feet so he could clean the other.
The Earth Kingdom girl's inquiry about his Wanted posters brought a slight grin to his face, however. It was almost flattering to know how popular he had become during his short stay in this continent. "I guess dey like my face," the igni responded with a slight shrug and a growing smile. After letting that answer sit for a second or two, he glanced Tali's way and then elaborated. "And I t'ink I might have killed someone wit' connections a while back, because some ass in de Fire Navy had dose Yuu Yans sent after me."
Iikagen let out a sigh, recalling the fun of that little escapade. That one young bastard in the group had been none too pleasant on the march up to that fort, but it was oh so sweet giving him a sidekick to the face later on. Of course he did end up with an arrow wound and a banged up knee for his trouble, but they were minor injuries to pay for the experience of eluding the Fire Nation's best.
"Hmmmm," Iikagen hummed, suddenly thinking of something else, "Dat reminds me... I need a hat."
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Post by tali on Mar 25, 2008 20:23:12 GMT -5
" You need a lot of things, some serious emotional councling for one." She had a small smile on her face, she was getting used to him and his sense of humor, she figured he wanted to mess with her, she could tote it back to him, honestly her end was rather light hearted. It took a lot to push back a laugh when he mimicked her. Still she had the usual huffy response she wanted to toss out at him. The tired old 'I don't sound like that!' but she was able to push it behind her, for now.
Inquisitively her hazel eyes fluttered over to Iikagen's, how many people had he killed? Was it really all in self defense like she'd decided this incident was? Too many unanswered questions played through her mind, she wanted to know a lot more about him. It was a mixture of her natural curiosity and something else, he wasn't much like other people she met, aside from Manju back in her home town of Gaoling she'd never spoken to someone from the firenation. Though the both of them were truly from the Ignis, she didn't know where that was though, close to the firenation she'd imagine. Closer than she'd ever be.
Her hands continued to fumble over the mask finally putting it up to her face and tugging the strap behind her head. She made a face, it smelled, it wasn't too bad, it stank of sweat and musk, it was strong enough she could taste it when she opened her mouth. With her lips pursed she looked out through the eye holes, it was a little awkward but she felt amused at least. Having enough of it she removed it letting it settle in her lap. Honestly she was enjoying having someone to talk to, even if he pretty much kept to himself, it'd been a while since she'd spent more than a few hours with any one person.
" Could you tell me more about your home? The igni islands I mean."
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Post by iikagen on Mar 29, 2008 23:25:25 GMT -5
Despite ruling out the likelihood that this girl was plotting to turn him in, Iikagen still couldn't help but find her willingness to ignore his extensive criminal record only slightly strange. Back home, having killed people was not so terribly unusual but he'd learned quickly that outside the Ignis such a past made people very uneasy. Still, for lack of any particular reason not to, he decided to indulge Tali's interest.
"It's hot and wet," Iikagen said simply. He finished cleaning his feet and stretched them out to their full length, giving every last muscle down to his toes a throrough stretch. Then he added with just a slight mumble, "Not unlike some other t'ings I miss out here..." The rather crude comment was poorly covered by an ensuing cough and a clearing of his throat.
"Oh, and a volcanoes dat go off every week or so," he added, scratching the tip of his nose with the back of his index finger. "Lots of snakes and birds, too." Iikagen lowered his hand and wrinkled his nose slightly, glancing around and then over at Tali to see if that was enough of a synopsis for her.
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Post by tali on Mar 29, 2008 23:41:15 GMT -5
She pouted a bit, it was vague but she didn't know if she would manage to get anymore out of him. She set the mask at her side and rested her arms on her knees. Her hazel eyes settling on him evenly. her interest wasn't satisfied in the least. It was hard to fill her cravings, as of yet no one had managed to do that. Save for going there herself she doubted she'd get the whole story of these seemingly wild and uncharted lands. maybe after the temples she could try and get there on her own power.
" I've never seen a volcano" She muttered to herself, she'd heard about them, they destroyed cities and leveled towns, killed many people and had the power to annihilate anything in their path. Living in an area where volcanoes were a common occurance must be rather exciting. She felt jealous, such an interesting place he must be from. She smiled a little at least he was talking right?
It was odd, she should be scared or even worried about his track record but he was hurt, it was like a cat toying with a mouse, they never would expect it to be able to bite. " What else? do you like in towns? Are they as big as some here in the earth kingdom? What do you eat there? Is it near the rest of the firenation? perhaps the igni's are on elevated secluded plateaus? do you know anymore about the 'Tengu' thing? you mentioned tribes, whats that about?" She may have gone a bit overboard.
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Post by iikagen on Mar 30, 2008 22:29:08 GMT -5
Far from shutting the girl up, Iikagen's answered only seemed to fuel Tali's interest even more. As the questions began to pour out, one after the other, the Igni simply stopped listening and turned his attention elsewhere. He dusted his hands off and then leaned to the side to scoop up the box of food that Tali had left for him the night before. The stretch pulled slightly at his stitches, causing a momentary wince from the sudden pain before he open the box and looked at its contents.
It was a fairly humble meal, not really even deserving such a sturdy box. There was a roll or two, some rice, and some kind of fruit he wasn't too familiar with. Iikagen picked out one of the rolls and took a bite without hesitation.
About that time, he realized that the questions had stopped, though he couldn't account for how long. He looked over at Tali, his face a picture of deep thought as he chewed down his mouthful of bread. "Joo know..." he said, pausing momentarily to swallow, "It's wierd... I like roast bird, but I don't like eggs." He took another bite of the roll and continued speaking with some difficulty, "Dere's just somet'in' nasty 'bout dem." He offered Tali a shrug and pulled out the small bowl of rice after stuffing the remains of the roll into his mouth.
Perhaps that abrupt subject change would dissuade any further questions for the moment.
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Post by tali on Mar 31, 2008 15:36:20 GMT -5
Tali's expression grew rather grim, it wasn't fair that he could perk her interest and leave her hanging, she found it down right cruel. With a small sigh she let it go though, mentally she took the aggression, forced it into a ball and let it go, she would work through it like the nomads did, allow it to fall off her back like water off a turtle ducks back. She wasn't the type to get angry over little things.... unless they annoyed her then she would explode. Hey, she wasn't a nomad, she didn't have to follow their teachings perfectly
There was so much she didn't know about them as well, not much survived into the current age, it was a life changing thought. To wonder if one day in the future your life and accomplishments will be nothing more than whispers on the wind. She didn't want to be a whisper, didn't want to fade with time into nothing.
Her hazel eyes continued to study Iikagen, his tattoos, bone structure, the nose and jaw stood out to her, they were like the girl she met, apperantly the Igni's were far enough from the cultural gene pool of the firenation to force out their own characteristics. The interest never left her gaze but she at least quieted her questions down for now, she imagined that he might be more talkative later perhaps. She wanted to know a lot more than what he told her. " I don't really eat mean, I've never liked eggs though, my mother always burned them."
She gave the man a quiet smile, god she must have been really desperate for conversation, it hardly phased her she was talking to a wanted fellen.
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