Private - Tracks in the Snow

Mizuki narrowed her eyes in an attempt to shut out the blinding glare of the bright noon sun above, but for the most part that only narrowed her field of vision. It would have been more successful if it wasn't for the fact that the white snow that covered the landscape just reflected the sunlight straight up into her eyes, the Caenis growling softly to herself as she feared that she'd end the day with a horrible migraine.

It couldn't be that the people who lived in these lands always had this issue. Even if they had learned how to reduce the glare they still needed to be better at not being affected by it in the first place. Or maybe Mizuki was just going about this all wrong, and the moment she figured out how to deal with this she'd feel stupid for taking so long to figure it out. For now though she'd have to find a way to actually be able to see ahead: even if she had a sharp nose and good ears a functional pair of eyes was still hard to overrate in terms of usefulness.

After considering the issue at hand for a while Mizuki stopped moving and stood straight, her eyes closed as she faced the sun. She'd only just reached this winter wonderland, and already she had to adapt her thinking to avoid constantly being blinded. For now she'd just try an old trick she'd used on Earth when it was too bright in the morning. She doubted it'd get rid of the problem entirely, but she'd at least have something to protect her from the horribly bright sunlight. Up here in the mountainous region the sun was a lot sharper than down on the plains. It provided little warmth but illuminated everything sharply. She could feel the rays of sunlight hitting the front of her body, doing its best to dispel the chill of the environment but being more of a temporary respite. The insides of her eyelids were a bright orange as the sun attempted to pierce her shutters to torment her eyes once more.

Standing there for several minutes the feeling of the sun on her eyelids became less of a threat as her eyes became accustomed. As she stood there Mizuki kept her ears sharp, not daring to actually get lost in thought since there was no guarantee that nothing dangerous would show up here. It took another minute before Mizuki finally slowly opened her eyes, holding up one hand to shield her orbs from the sunlight for a moment as she looked around. The world around her had adopted a blue tint in response to her eyes adopting to the strong sunlight on her eyelids, but at least it wasn't as glaring as before. It wasn't perfect, but she'd be able to move on without stumbling on anything because she was too busy squinting to actually see anything.

There was a village up here which had supposedly been used as a trading post when the lands up north hadn't been ruined by the crystal disease or demons yet. The loss of that trade had made the village shrink, and now it was more of an outpost for human civilization, used by smugglers, people who were seeking adventure, and people who liked it when there was some peace and quiet. And the Monster Hunters, a faction which Mizuki had joined which dedicated itself to the thrill and the glory of the hunt. She came up here partially because she wanted to explore the Hylands, home of the Caenii, and because she was told by the other Hunters that newcomers were better off finding prey in this region to prove their worth before they could take part in the great hunts.

Aside from the sunlight Mizuki had little issue with the landscape, as her form was of the Caenii who were born here and lived here. She may not be covered in fur but she still wasn't going to get conquered by the chill too easily, and up here the air was clear so her sharp nose had a much easier time picking up on faint scents. The snow crunched underneath her feet as she walked onwards, until she made it over a small hill and saw the village she was heading for spread out before her.

She studied the village for a moment, taking in the rustic sight: it wasn't a big village, and even if it used to have plenty of trade now it was mostly self-sustaining, as one could see by the lack of extravagant building materials or other expensive things. The buildings were made of wood with stone being rare, and they did little in the form of decorating aside from carvings in the wood. It was early in the day so the lights in the rooms behind the windows weren't lit, but still there was smoke rising from the chimneys to help fight off the cold that was always on the offensive.

Once she had satisfied her eyes Mizuki approached the village, heading for the only building were there were actually lights on: the tavern. Even out here nearly cut off from civilization it looked like some things would remain the same. Before she'd get on with her hunt Mizuki would take a breather, and see if there were any other Monster Hunters in this place who felt like teaming up for some hunting.
@Gwyn ap Herne

 

It felt like ages since Gwyn had wandered to far places without a quest prompting her to do so. She had gotten so busy following breadcrumbs, helping out with tasks here and there, hunting down odd monsters, controlling animal populations, collecting items, and every other video game trope under the sun. There was a time when she wouldn't have known any of it, but Terrasphere had turned her old hat at it. She had joined so long ago with the intent to busy herself between appointments back home, but it had become so much more as the days ticked by one by one.

She found herself in the small village without much purpose behind the destination. At some point traveling through eastern Astorea, she had simply let Paradis wander. The blanket appaloosa had been happy to take the literal reins and had set about wandering where she willed. When the gametrail turned from that of deer to that of mountain goats? She hadn't wavered. The mare was curious and exploration was in her blood. Gwyn ached that she couldn't pull her from the game and travel cross-country to her true home and territory. The Rockies sang to her in the night, when she finally put down the headset and forced herself- Sabine- to sleep. Paradis would have loved them and Gwyn wondered idly how different they would seem up on horseback. Wondered fiercer about how different they would look in the game. Did it go that far? Could she find the cliff that felt like home? The one that had punished her for her pride?

Gwyn shook away the wandering thoughts as Paradis strode into the village without pause. The blanket appaloosa's tail flicked whenever she passed by someone too close, but no one gave them any trouble. They were nearing on being a frontier town. There was little there but bare bones, trappers, and travelers headed this way or that. And a tavern. Always a tavern.

The blonde swung a leg over the strong back of her mount and led her into the ramshackle stables behind the building, paying the husky looking Famigna cleaning it for the space. Her hounds spun around at her feet, excited to be somewhere new, but concerned when she turned to leave the horse where she idled. Gwyn could call her away to her inventory, but Paradis deserved better. Just as her tames did. She pat the sturdy mare and scratched through her curly winter coat before turning for the warm light of civilization hunkered down in the building. Hati and Skoll settled on whuff-ing a temporary goodbye to their companion before following her through the heavy door of the tavern.

Gwyn gave it a cursory look, but nothing much stood out. Thick logs made up the walls, sealed tight to keep out the cold and corral in the heat from the two massive fireplaces on either end of the main room. Both had scattered tables and chairs littered around them, as well as metal grates with roasting meats and what few hardy vegetables could survive the trip to their village or be grown nearby. The scent of cooking was heavy and homey.

She took a seat by the empty fireplace to the left as another Famigna waved her off from the bar. Gwyn would be willing to bet good money she was related to the other husky-like Caenis working outside. The woman was hard at work wiping it down and a few Lupi had claimed half of it as their own, judging by how many drinks in they were, and remaining pointedly in her way. Poor thing. It was surprisingly quiet and even her entry with the dogs ruffled not a hair in sight that she could tell. With a harried expression, the Caenis headed over but she called out her order before the poor girl got all the way to her. "Just mead, whatever you've got'll do." The other nodded and hurried off to fetch it.

 

As Mizuki entered the village she saw people hastening about, none of them feeling up for staying outside for any longer than necessary as they went about their business. This climate wasn't one which encouraged loitering: if you went outside you had a goal in mind, and if you didn't get to it you'd soon wish you did. The Caenii might fare a bit better, since they evolved to thrive in cold landscapes, but even those weren't going to waste time if they could help it.

Making her way towards the tavern Mizuki noticed that while there were still some glances, they were more idle curiosity what you'd expect from villagers when an outsider passed by. Enough to notice, but not enough to go out of your way to find out more unless you've got the free time, or you're unusually curious. Back in Astorea her being a Caenis had earned her some looks because for a lot of people their most recent experience with the canine people was the band of mercenaries which had savagely assaulted the walls while receiving gold from king Theo's pockets. It hadn't come to anything luckily, but she did notice the difference with this place, where Caenii were normal.

In front of the tavern the huntress halted as one of her ears twitched and then swivelled in the direction of the stables, catching a soft sound. Making her way around the building Mizuki peered into the stables, only needing to stare shortly before the horse caught her eye. It didn't look like a workhorse, which around these parts meant it was most likely from an outsider. Even if someone used a horse as mount it'd be of a heavier breed. So either someone living here got a fancy horse from somewhere or Mizuki wasn't the only outsider in town. She waved at the more doglike looking Caenis and at the horse as well before she returned to the entrance of the tavern.

When she opened the door she was practically hit in the face by a wall of warmth, thick air. Blinking she quickly stepped through, closing the door behind her so the warmth would remain inside. As one could already see from outside the tavern was working hard to keep itself lit and warm, probably the only place in the village which could afford it, since the tavern was vital for trade and travellers. As she looked around she saw that there were more Caenii here, mostly a group who seemed to be helping each other into a stupor. Aside from the sound of that drunk but still rowdy group the place was mostly silent, silent enough that the crackling of the flames in the hearths was prominent.

Aside from the group of drinkers nearly all the other patrons were sitting as close to the hearths as they could get away with, huddled up to let the flames fight off the cold. Even people living in the village wouldn't deny themselves the opportunity to get some real warmth during the winter... Mizuki wondered what this place was like during summer. Would it still be cold or would they get to see a landscape which wasn't white?

Prior experience had made it clear to Mizuki that befriending the Caenii who belonged to this world wasn't going to be easy, even with she herself being one. Physically there was no issue, but they could tell that she was an outsider in more than on way, and with them being as shut off as they were that meant they had little motivation to approach her unless she made the first move and acted very persistent. So instead of joining the group Mizuki headed for the bar and ordered herself some raw meat, then went over to the fireplace with only one other person next to it even if that person had two dogs with her. She wanted to eat her meat in quiet before she got busy.

Sitting down Mizuki at first only gave Gwyn a nod, but when she actually looked at the archer her eyebrows went up, even if she still calmly placed the meat on one of the metal grates that allowed patrons to roast their own meals. Gwyn was one of the better known players, having been active for quite a long time and also filling the niche of no-nonsense beast master and ranger. The canine woman considered this for a moment as she looked at her meat, then spoke up without turning her head.

"I'm guessing that horse in the stables belongs to you? I doubt any of the people living her would have a horse like that." She paused for another moment before continuing. "I didn't expect to meet someone with fame to their name up here. Are you exploring the newly revealed area or is there actual business involved here?"

 

Gwyn was surprised to be joined in the least, considering the other fireplace had a host of Caenis gathered around other than the group of Lupi at the bar. It was a warm space that begged to be filled and the quiet company wasn't to be loathed. If anything it felt like finding a common campground along week-long trails that had kindled hundreds if not thousands of fires. Sometimes in the night another soul would pull themselves from the darkened trunks and join the fire. Pitch their own tent or lay out a bedroll. Sometimes they spoke. Other times all remained quiet beyond the song of crickets. Sabine had passed many folks like ships in the night in such a way.

She glanced up as they sat, barely noting the mismatched eyes as they nodded in a standard polite and stoic greeting. Hati shifted beneath her chair with a huff while Skoll only raised his head to stare curiously at their fireside companion. He sniffed lightly as the meat was set to the flames, but settled with his sister easily enough.

The huntress busied her hands while the server fetched her drink, peeling off the leather grips clinging to her hands and lower arms. The bracers fell away after a few tugs of the belt's tongue and a light clink of metal. She pressed her thumbs into her palms in sweeping motions to knead feeling back into them. Even though she was fairly used to the cold from her years in the outdoors as Sabine, it still settled into muscle and bone all the same. It was a stubborn thing. An ambush predator, slow and patient.

The fire was an effective way at culling it with a quickness.

To say she started at the sudden words would be a lie. To say she barely managed to stop herself from the immediate impulse to do so was fair. Gwyn glanced up at @Ueno Mizuki curiously as the words registered over the sound of popping logs and snapping fats. "Mm, yeah Paradis is more suited to open plains, but she gets bored with the same old and is nimble enough to handle the mountains." She smiled before the next words caught her off guard entirely for a different reason than the initial surprise of being talked to at all.

Fame? Her? That seemed... a far stretch, right? She'd been in battles against bosses in the game and played a fairly integral part during multiple key events. She doubted her own personal actions had done much considering her distance to the decision making of the masses and the "higher ups," but... no. No, she could see how her name could be said without her present. It was still bizarre all the same and she fought not to let her face heat from the implications.

"I wouldn't say fame fits. More unable to keep my nose out of this game's trouble." She sighed with a glance back toward the bar as the Famigna woman approached with her drink. "Thank you, ma'am." She offered a little more gold as a tip and waited until she retreated before continuing. "There's a hell of a lot of it to go around. Doesn't take long for players to pick up on that. Terrasphere doesn't hold your hand for long before throwing you to the wolves. Uh, no offense?" She obviously wasn't born a Caenis, and Gwyn wasn't even sure if the Lupi would take issue with it, but might as well be safe rather than sorry.

"But no- no quest. I let Paradis set our heading and she walked until she didn't want to anymore. So here we are. Haven't had my fill of the Hylands yet though so I'll stay around for a while to hunt and, well, stick my nose in more places with more troubles." The huntress took a heavy pull from the sweet drink and sighed. The taste of honey mead was never anything but heaven. "And you? Miss, sorry for you knowing mine and me not being able to say the same."

 

Mizuki smiled as Gwyn explained that her horse wanted to see more than just open plains.

Sounds like an adventurous soul. It must be nice to have companions like that to encourage you to explore new places.

The fact that those companions were animal was of little importance, honestly. Companions were companions.

Gwyn's attempts at hiding her reaction to being called famous were successful, for a large part because Mizuki was also busy tending to her meat to make sure it would be nice and crispy once it was time to dig in. When the archer argued that she wasn't really that famous and more just got herself into trouble Mizuki couldn't help herself and chuckled, and when Gwyn mentioned the bit about the wolves she just laughed harder, making a reassuring motion with one hand.

None taken. And yes, there is a lot of trouble to go around. But that just means that the most famous players are the ones who encounter the most trouble and get out all right. Besides, in stories adventurers are the ones looking for trouble anyway.

She managed to restrain her laughter a bit after the initial outburst, chuckling a bit longer before finally getting her amusement under control, although she was still smiling.

So you're here because Paradis brought you here? As good a reason as any.

The idea of a horse deciding where to go was funny in a way, although Mizuki was sidetracked from that thought when Gwyn asked her about herself, the Caenis realizing that she hadn't introduced herself yet. Looking a bit sheepish the wolfwoman answered.

Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ueno Mizuki

She held out one hand for Gwyn to shake, while the other kept working the steak above the fire.

I came here after joining the Monster Hunter faction and being told that I needed to get some more experience and proof of capability before they'd let me accompany them on the big hunts. Makes sense, since as you said I'm not exactly a known figure so they wouldn't know what to expect of me if I didn't prove myself first. They told me that around here was a good place to hunt and test my skill, so here I am.

Looing at the fire she frowned slightly.

I don't mind too much since I find hunting enjoyable, but, well...

She looked over her shoulder at the Caenii at the other fire, only briefly so they wouldn't notice her before she returned her gaze to the fire in front of her.

So far it's been difficult to get the native Caenii to accept me. They can recognize outsiders and us immortals and they don't seem to care much for one of the immortals sharing their blood.

It was an issue which truly bothered her, since she'd rather just get along with the lupine people. She was sure that with time she'd be able to persuade them, but she'd rather they'd be as accepting as the people of Falderen and Astorea. One of the downsides of the Caenii being such isolated folk was that they paid more attention to whether you were different or not, and judged harder if you were.
@Gwyn ap Herne

 

Gwyn straightened in her seat with a small smile at the praise for her companions, far more easily accepted them as worthy of compliments while she dismissed them toward herself. She didn't think herself unworthy, far too self-confident for that. Rather that it was needed. Fluff. Empty air. A place where anything else could have been said. People meant it well, but neither Sabine nor Gwyn found themselves in the position of having conversations that focused on themselves. Unless it was about climbing or hiking. That? That either of them could share for hours on.

Paradis however? "She is! I wanted a mount, sure, but I kept waiting and letting ones pass me by. They never seemed to fall in line with me right. But Paradis? She looked miserable. Bored, if a horse can look like it." The human leaned back and let her eyes drift down to the dogs. "She wanted out. Here? Here I can offer that. Got freedom in spades." Skoll snoozed comfortably, leaving only Hati to catch her look and perk up.

She smiled at the press of instinct and awareness in her own mind from the kangal. Curious. Warm. Comfortable. Trusttrusttrust. Wary. Gwyn glanced over at the NPCs around and the player with her before looking back. She pushed her own calm toward the dog, who merely huffed before settling her head back on her paws. Gwyn had Hati's teeth, Skoll's teeth, her own teeth. They were fine here. Everywhere.

Gwyn looked back up and quickly reached out to take the offered hand as the lupine woman offered her name. "Pleasure to meet you, Ueno! Gwyn ap Herne, in full. This is Hati," the dog huffed back at her again, "and this loaf is Skoll." Dead asleep, the damn lug.

The mention of the faction changed the smile to a grin in an instant as she perked up. She wasn't surprised the woman got sent off to hunt. The pack-like mentality of the group was heavily steeped in respect. Less for age, more for experience. Even Gwyn faced scrutiny, despite having her name staked on a few high profile kills. Her being present for the fight against Azog, which the Hunters had aided in themselves, netted her some right to gloating. The heat still remained in her memories, vivid and devouring as it skated across her skin. The searing bands of the Magma Gorilla's grip tight around her torso. The streak of a sacrifice turning the world to ice in an instant.

"Hard to integrate yourself into both. I can see why for both. If I hadn't been there to put Azog in his place and have put some arrows into few other beasts of note, they'd have likely sent me off as well. Not that I need any reason to hunt. Hell, I'm happy to join if you catch a trail and don't mind us three sinking our teeth in too." She laughed lightly before bringing her drink up for another deep pull. "As for them? Yeah. I was tempted to go Yladian, especially after everything that happened." Her mood shifted some at the memory, a tightness in her chest growing before she resolutely forced it behind her.

"It's why I didn't try at joining them. It's why I don't care for all these players getting into politics. Not that I can say anything now. Not after ole Theo." Gwyn lifted her drink a tad as if to toast someone, though her gaze was somewhere over the fire for the moment before she returned her attention to Mizuki.

"Even if we aren't welcomed or accepted, at least we can still help. We can still thrive. There's still a place for us, I think."

 

Gwyn's willingness to accept praise for her companions while dismissing her own supposed fame didn't pass by unnoticed by the Caenis, who took it as a sign that Gwyn realyl cared for her companions, an that she was happy to be given the opportunity to talk about them to someone who was willing to listen. As Gwyn mentioned how she had wanted a mount for a while before she found Paradis Mizuki nodded, waiting for the woman to finish talking before replying.

So far I've been happy running around on my own hands and legs, but occasionally I've wondered whether it wouldn't be a lot more convenient if I had a companion like you do. However there's a bit of a problem there...

She showed her teeth for a moment, especially the carnivorous ones meant to help pierce skin and flesh and tear off chunks of flesh, before elaborating.

I don't know if it's an issue all Caenis share or if it's a thing for Lupi or if it's just me, but horses at least really don't like the idea of me mounting them. Considering that any normal wolf would only mount a horse if it was trying to drag them to the ground I can't really blame them, but it limits my options since I've yet to hear about any other creature large enough to serve as a mount and tame enough to let people ride them.

There was also the fact that Mizuki didn't want to deal with something magical or mechanical (magical creatures might work, but she wanted a living companion, not a bunch of cogs and screws or a heap of energy woven together), but she refrained from mentioning that since she didn't think it needed mentioning. She was talking to a woman who bought a horse because it looked bored with sitting around and who had two wolves lying at her feet: it was safe to assume she shared Mizuki's preference for companions that were alive.

It's also a pleasure to meet you Gwyn. Although I'm usually addressed as Mizuki. Japanese naming conventions, family name comes first, yadda yadda. But I don't mind being called Ueno either.

As Gwyn introduced her canine companions Mizuki looked down at the two. She wanted to greet them but honestly wasn't entirely sure how to do that, especially as one of them seemed content to ignore the conversation and instead sleep. She had been reading up on wolf language in an attempt to get better at being a Caenis, but she was still uncertain about what exactly the correct protocol was. Smiling was bad, since revealing your teeth was essentially the same as showing the steel of your weapon. Wagging the tail was generally safe, but at the same time holding your tail high was also a display of dominance which could result in a challenge if the other didn't respect that dominance. And then there was something about not staring too hard... While the language was a lot more simplistic than what humans used all the time it was still a slow progress, especially since with humans you didn't have to learn an entire new set of body language.

It's also a pleasure to meet both of them. I'd try to greet them in the appropriate manner but I'm still not very good with the wolf language.

In the end she decided to just be honest, looking away from Hati before he thought her stare meant something bad and returning her gaze to Gwyn instead. With humans not looking at them was a sign that you were being fishy but with wolves staring too long was considered aggressive? What a hassle.

She hadn't expected Gwyn to begin explaining about her own history of gaining respect from the Monster Hunters, nor the wide grin on the woman's face. However it did make her feel more at ease, and she nodded while smiling back as Gwyn pointed out that she didn't really need a reason to hunt.

If I needed some reason to go hunting I wouldn't have joined the Monster Hunters to begin with. And I'm not too worried about gaining respect, since even if I still have to proof myself that doesn't mean I'm weak.

Seeing that the steak was finally down she pulled it out of the fireplace, inspecting it from up close before taking a bite out of it, sharp teeth cutting off a piece even as she opened her free hand, the sharp metal claws adorning her fingers reflecting the warm light of the fire before she curled the hand into a fist.

If they want me to prove myself I'll just have to keep bringing in big game until they're satisfied. And I won't mind at all if you decide to join in on the hunt. The best prey is taken down as a pack, after all.

She didn't doubt that Gwyn was still the better hunter, but Mizuki wasn't about to describe herself as inadequate given how so far she'd been doing pretty well with her beastlike fighting and hunting style.

At the mention of Yladians Mizuki raised her eyebrows, not having been there for when all the business with the elven folk went down and thus only knowing about it from what she'd been able to gather from others.

From what I've heard the Yladians all have this connection with one another through the Great Tree, or something along those lines. I'm not sure if players like us who choose to be Yladian also get that connection, but if not I can imagine that joining them might be even harder than with the Caenis. That said I haven't given up yet. They're unhappy about what happened in the war and they don't like outsiders or immortals, but I'm not going to just accept my fate as an outcast. As for the players and Theo...

Mizuki looked at the fire for a moment, thinking back at the invasion.

I didn't enter this world for politics, diplomacy or all the things that make life on Earth more complicated. I just wanted to live a more free life. It's why I'm running around in the woods hunting down prey instead of trying to get myself a castle or something. I didn't defend Astorea against the Falderen army out of loyalty or politics. I just heard that a mad king was trying to wipe out an entire country out of paranoia and I didn't want a lot of innocent people to die. I don't think being part of that means you've become like those players who try their hand at politics. For my part I'm just glad that Astor never tried to reward me, because if he did I'd have had to refuse.