Hello Hello! (Ori + Mai)

[Mai]

|forty-two years ago|

"I don't need you're help with everything, Kits, thank you very much." Mai scowled before she turned back to her belt pack, making sure she had all her potions secured into place. Her thin and small human looking hands curled around a single vial while a small orange and cream fox poked its nose toward her fingers. Mai almost nearly growled at the fox, but he backed away almost instantly with a frightened look in his slit-brown eyes.

"Go scout or something, I'll be done in a second and I don't need you hovering over me. Besides, I doubt I'm the only one after this egg." Mai added, as she tossed her head over her body, to point toward the dark section nearby in the current room she occupied. She finished deftly sifting the last vial into her pack, and checked all the pockets to make sure they were secure with her new cargo before swirling around and whistling lightly toward her fox. Her strands of non-existent black hair tossled about with the cute red ribbon somewhere amongst it.

"Well?" Mai goaded as she tip toed practically toward the door that Kits was looking out of. One hand was on a pistol tucked into her hip pack and nearly covered by the cloak she wore. Her red eyes glinted like rubies as she looked around the corridor as well with her fox poking his head out just below her. She nodded to him, before they both darted down the hallway, Kits just ahead of her bare feet tapping to the hard floor.

She rounded a single corner before stopping with her back pressed tightly against the wall, at least as tightly as she could manage with her wings that currently weren't visible in the disguise she was encased in. Her breathing was light but fast, and she was holding her pistol now in one hand with her back to the wall, as she scooted down the hallway, before finally turning into another door and running with her fox at her side through the last chamber room, not seeing anyone around.

[Orianna]

Right between the eyes!

With a thud the tall half orc would slump to the ground with a bolt sticking out from between his eyes, his life snuffed out instantly from the attack. Smiling at this the beautiful ashy skin woman steps out of the shadows and lowers her crossbow. “Well that's one brute down. Now how many more until that egg is mine?” Orianna asks to herself as she walks up to the Orc, crouching down to loot his corpse of his gold coins, cleaning him of even his jewelry and potions.

“Bah not much on him. Oh well. That egg will make any future buyer happy meaning a nice pouch full of gold for me in return!” The woman chuckles softly at this and stands back up before slipping back into the shadows, her ashy skin and silver hair just complimenting her supermodel like features perfectly. She looked elven with her graceful form and pointed ears but truth she was far from being a standard elf. Her race was known as the Drow, a matriarchal race that lives deep within the Underdark, elven in feature but that was where the similarities ended for the most part.

Chaos guided her and thus she lived as a mercenary. Thus was the reason why she was in this place, this old elven fort, thousands of years old and lost to time and well... dragons. Rumors of treasure and more importantly dragon eggs spawned from this place as well as rumors that the dragon itself who lurked here met her end not too long ago. If the rumors were true then the treasure and eggs were unguarded... which meant profit to anyone brave enough to venture these halls. Of course that also meant that the halls would be crawling with would be adventurers, adventurers who've been meeting their end by Orianna's crossbow each and even time she encountered them. A shot to the head after all from a near undetectable opponent would do that to most people and Ori was a skilled shot, decades spent training under a Sniper seen to that.

So slipping in the shadows and stalking silently down the halls the Drow kept her steps featherlight and continues to make her way towards the inner chamber of the Fort. Here the dragon's horde would be and here her nest would be. All the treasure would be in one spot and all Ori had to do was slip in, kill a few foolish adventurers, loot the gold and take the egg. Mission would be complete then and while on paper this job seemed dangerous it was easy as hell for the Drow so far. Ill-equipped scavengers and the occasional wild beast was all she encountered and they couldn't stand up to the Rogue's training. It was almost a boring job but Ori knew it would pay enormously should she complete it so she kept her walking up and stayed silently crouched against the wall cloaked in the shadows, she was near the last chamber, near the egg now.

Dawning upon the inner chamber she readies her crossbow and halts her movement for a moment or two as she keened her senses ahead of her. Long ears twitching softly she relies on her enhanced Drow senses to listen for any sounds ahead of her, echoes, bumbling, anything that could point out an enemy to the ashy skinned beauty. Within moments the sounds of pattering feet would reach her ears and the woman would smirk as she began to sneak up on her prey.'This is going to be easy... off this person then profit'

Readying her weapon and still in the shadows Ori arrives in the inner chamber some distance behind her target and though the woman was far off from her... the Drow couldn't help but get caught off guard somewhat by what she saw. Beautiful black hair tied with a red ribbon and snowy white skin and a delicate and small frame. The adventurer was beautiful no doubt about that and for a second Orianna felt bad for doing what she was about to do... but duty called. She had to make a shot, she couldn't risk chatting this girl up even though she was adorable... couldn't risk bedding her even though same sex relationships were rather common place in her Drow culture. This girl was an obstacle and Ori had to pull the trigger. So letting out a sharp breath and steadying her aim she attempted to lock on the girl and though she found it hard to steady herself... she'd still take the shot.

Her bolt would leave her bow at a startling pace and fly through the air right towards the girl's direction. The shot was sloppy it wouldn't hit and little did Ori know... she might find herself glad for taking a sloppy shot.

[Mai]

Sometimes being oblivious really did benefit an individual.

Mai wasn't even paying attention behind her, concerned with simply escaping the distance she needed to, and getting back to secure this dragon egg where it was supposed to be. In fact she hadn't even noticed that someone else was in the room until a large bolt flicked past her strands of hair and made her stand instantly stiff for a moment with wide crimson eyes.

Kits was slipping around her feet like he was used to moving about under her feet, as Mai twirled around right where she stood with her pistol cocked and pointed toward the direction that the bolt had come from. She blinked a few times, and gritted her teeth, not really wanting to hurt the person, even if they had attacked her. But she had used up all of her sleep spells she had prepared with Kits, and she couldn't exactly ask the girl that shot her if she would be so kind as to drink something for her.

So Mai settled for something completely different, she took a breath in and actually closed her eyes, before letting the air out as her entire pistol seemed to tingle and charge with a surge of power, in moments a glob of black and green energy with slight static bolts were firing from the barrel of her pistol right toward the grey skinned woman that had tried to kill her with a bolt shot. The static charge of power was a Hex of her's that caused misfortune in her targets, simply shot through her gun. It was a common hex she used from her guns, actually one of the only ones.

Once the spell was off though, her fox was jumping up onto her arm and sitting at her shoulder as she shifted toward the nearest wall, and slipped her other pistol out from her belt sash. She held both out in front of her with stiff arms, she hadn't exactly been in many battles since she had acquired her guns, and it frightened her that she wasn't good enough to actually do anything against this person.

This person... it wasn't until then that she actually got a good look, now that her eyes were open. She was prepared to fire another spell through her guns, at any moment, at least as prepared as a young Tengu girl with little gunslinging capability could manage. She was surprised to find such a woman in tight leather and dark skin and beautiful tresses of silver hair, was the person who had attacked her. Then again, the pointed ears made her realize what kind of woman this was. Drow were dangerous.

"I am so-o-o-o dead. So-o-o-o-o dead." Mai practically sang, as she chanted to herself and prepared to slot another spell into her gun but held against it, preparing to just fire her gun instead. She cocked the trigger back and pointed toward the drow woman. Her voice broke out, but was wavering and strained. "Leave. Or this will hurt, a lot."

[Orianna]

“God bloody dammit!”

Her voice was low as her bolt skid right past the target's head narrowly missing her. Never having missed a shot like this in decades the Drow woman feels ashamed of herself as she reaches for a bolt and works to load her weapon. Why oh why were crossbows so annoying to reload? Why did she miss? The woman feels her heart race and she does her best to have her weapon loaded and ready by the time the girl spun around to greet her.

It was too late however... The girl with pretty black hair and lovely white skin was upon her and much to Orianna's dismay she held a weapon the young elven woman was barely familiar with. A firearm and one that was glowing at that. Fighting to load her weapon and feeling her body reflexively tense up she curses and struggles only to find herself being struck by an attack from the girl. Immediately Ori would feel no pain and confusion would run through her form, she was hit after all so why didn't she hurt? Her question was soon answered however as the girl suddenly found her bow loaded and held it up to fire a shot at the human looking girl.

… The bolt jammed as if by magic or an intense streak of bad luck.

Cursing and throwing a glare at the crimson eyed human looking girl with her intense blue eyes the Rogue finds herself panicking. Her weapon jammed and her opponent was using a ranged weapon that made retreating utterly impossible. If she could fight back this wouldn't be too big of an issue but with her crossbow useless right now that limited her offensive options greatly. She only had her rapier to fall back on and even then that was near useless considering it was literally bringing a sword to a gun fight, if her opponent was anywhere near a skilled shot then Ori would be struck down the moment she attempted to draw her blade. The odds were against her, very against her.

She still had a chance though and as her blue eyes met the girl's crimson she noticed for the first time just how... green this stranger was. Her eyes, her form, everything about her seemed so soft, so feminine, so fresh. It was obvious that she was a newcomer to a battle like this and that gave Ori hope. Newbies were prone to mistakes, slow to react, sloppy when stressed, if she could just take advantage of that then she could possibly win.

Eyes locked on the girl, noting the gun and the fox on her shoulder, Ori slowly drops her Crossbow and throws the human girl a smirk and shrugs. “I'm going to be hurt whether I stay or leave. I might as well stay. Getting hurt by a cutie like you isn't too bad of a fate.” She coolly tells the girl, her words twinged with an accent her natural drow dialect. Hand finding her rapier the drow girl takes a deep breath and begins to count.

1...

2...

3!

She was dead anyways. Live or die. She had to act and so act she did! She sprung at the girl, using her natural mobility to speed at her opponent. Years of training left her body quick, left her muscles ready to react at a moments notice. She was quick and agile and graceful on her feet and she watched the girl carefully as she charged her. All she had to do was dodge if she could dodge then she could slash and win. One strike was all she needed but as trained as she was, as sure as she was about her footing as Ori ran her body felt weird, like it was weighed down and almost as if she had two left feet. Despite being prideful about her natural grace and agility the Drow girl suddenly found herself struck with a bout of bad luck which resulted in her stumbling over her own feet... and falling onto the ground as a result.

Bottom striking the ground and curse escaping her lips she throws the human girl a defeated and angry look and clicks her tongue. “Just...make it quick. Just my soddin luck.” Blue eyes closing and silver hair covering her face she awaits her fate, ashamed that she was clumsy and lost to a newbie. The idea that she was jinxed by the gunslinger never once came to mind.

[Mai]

The shaking wasn't any worse, but it wasn't any better either when Mai caught sight of the crossbow being pointed at her with a new loaded bolt. She swallowed hard, but her entire body could be seen relaxing when the bolt jammed into the bow and remained stuck. It was one of those small saving graces when her misfortune hex actually came into a real use. Her fox was growling lightly on her shoulder and crouched low enough that it was starting to weigh on her to keep her arms stiffly out in front of her with her pistols wielded.

She blushed at the curses the woman was throwing around, before her. But it was hardly a twinge of anything until the crossbow was tossed to the side and the dark skinned and fair haired elven woman was slinking toward her and saying something about Mai being a cutie. A cutie? She was most certainly not cute. Her face was pure red, before she even remembered that she had just cast her disguise right before entering into the broken castle. She still had maybe ten minutes before it would end. Which meant to this woman she still looked completely human. A small human girl at that. Maybe that form was cute, yes.

"S-stay back!" Mai called her thumb pulled back on both her pistols to fire them, but she hadn't quite resorted to doing it. She didn't like to hurt, and if she could she most certainly would use another method. But she had no sleep left, and her misfortune only worked so far. She needed a freaking miracle, and it was probably in that moment, that Mai would have actually started worshiping to the Elven Gods if it hadn't been for the girl to slip right onto her ass as she came toward Mai backed against the wall.

Mai's head tilted before she crushed her lips together, and her hands slipped her pistols down at her sides, as she actually stifled back a laugh. It didn't last long before she just broke out into a fit of giggles not more than ten feet from the dark skinned Drow. She managed to get her giggles in control easily, her hands releasing from the pins she had almost cocked back completely. Her fox yipped lightly like he was amused as well, but then quickly jumped down from Mai's arm and shifted across the floor toward the fallen Drow woman. "No, Kits. Stay back still. Just because she's hexed doesn't mean she's not dangerous."

The fox halted and slunk back a step while Mai remembered to lift one of her pistols back up and point it toward the Drow woman. She ran her teeth over her lower lip and clicked her tongue lightly as she made a few steps forward, so her fox could slide behind her. She would never forgive someone for hurting Kits and didn't want to put him into too much danger than he already was just being around her. "Please, just leave. I don't want to hurt you but I will. You tried to kill me, I have every right to, but I won't. If you were here for the egg then I'm sorry you wasted your time.

[Orianna]

Form tense and head held low she makes sure her flawlessly beautiful face is covered by her silver hair as she rested her pained ass against the ground in a defeated manner. Chewing on her bottom lip and hand digging into the hilt of her rapier the Drow kicks herself over and over against mentally for being such a fool and letting this situation spiral out of control. Orianna was a professional, killing people was her specialty if she couldn't manipulate them and she was quite frankly... really good at killing people without being seen. She was a Drow from the Underdark and a Rogue to boot, her body was agile and she had a century at learning the arts of subterfuge and survival. Her entire form was trained to manipulate and kill so... why did she let this happen?

Over and over and over again she repeated that question to herself. Just how did this happen? Just why did it happen? Why did she screw up? What made this greenhorn adventurer different than all the rest she faced down? It was driving her up the wall and the fact that she was felled by an obvious newbie left her pride in a pitiful state and to make it worse? The attractive but very unprofessional gunslinger was now giggling at the fact that Orianna now had a bruised bottom.

Oh how did her pride hurt!

Light growl escaping her at the sounds of the girl's laughter the model like elfen woman flicks her long silver hair from her face and throws the crimson eyed seemingly teenager a glare with her sapphire like orbs. “Yeah, yeah bloody get it all out! Laugh at Orianna and her bad case of luck. You're lucky girl that I wasn't thinking right.” She speaks in a fury even though she was being held at gunpoint however as soon as she finished speaking the ashy skinned girl takes on a defeated looking and lets out a long drawn out sigh. “Just... finish it.”

Again she awaited death, again she felt as if she deserved it. She did after all, didn't she? Her childhood was spent in the Underdark amidst the chaotic but female centric Drow culture. Death and destruction were things she was accustomed to since birth. She may have been adopted by a group of adventures after she was caught trying to steal from them but even growing up on the topside had its share of death and bloodshed. The world was a eat or be eaten place that was why Ori did what it took to survive, that was why she took advantage of her natural charms to bend disgusting males to her whims and why she used stealth and underhand methods to kill any would be opposition. She knew that any sign of weakness was death so... why wasn't this young woman ending it? The Drow screwed up, the Drow proved her weakness so why hasn't she pulled the trigger yet already?

Even with the girl telling her to leave and reminding the elf like woman that she can harm her Ori knew better than to take her seriously. This girl was green, very green and on top of that the Demi Elf knew that bloodshed just wasn't in this girl's nature. She may have had the potential to be a great adventurer and... she certainly had the potential to be a capable spell caster(much to Ori's dismay) but she did not have what it took to kill in cold blood. She may shoot the Drow but it won't be to kill her and if that was the case then... maybe this was her ticket out of this mess. Fighting wasn't an option thanks to that bloody spell she was hit with but talking was always available and so manipulating the girl was indeed a go.

She had to play her cards right.

Sighing once more and closing her pretty blue eyes the Rogue lowers her head in a downed manner and tries her best to cast about a look of grief and self hatred. “You should kill me. I'm dead anyways. That damn egg was my ticket out of this joint. If I don't procure it then some lugs are going to gut me or worse.” Her form visibly shivers as she makes all her thoughts turn to the rather horrifying idea of having to serve out the rest of her 5 or 6 centuries of life working in a Orc Brothel. Considering her race's natural beauty... such a disgusting fate was a possibility and one she didn't want to in act. “All I want to do is get the egg, give it to my clients, get paid, possibly drink and bed a young and pretty server girl and leave. If you won't kill me then... maybe you can pity my predicament and we can make an arrangement?”

Keeping her fingers cross she hopes her words strike something in this strange girl. Kindness, pity, mercy... any soft emotion she can take advantage of. Honestly? She did not want to kill this girl. As far as looks went this girl was beautiful, a sight to behold that took the Drow's breath away. Losing to the girl may have been a blow to the ego but at least the girl was a beauty. Maybe if Orianna could play her cards right and sort out this mess she was in she could perhaps wind up in bed with this pretty thing... it was certainly an enticing thought, one that caused the Drow's heart to race and mind to flutter towards more deviant thoughts. Sampling this girl had to happen and Ori would see to it but... only if she can just turn the table to her advantage. She had to get out of this mess and she had to get that egg. Those were her goals. Get this girl on her side. Get the egg. Get money off egg. Bed said girl.

So with that in mind she looks her blue eyes onto the human girls crimson orbs, trying hard to look defeated and trying extremely hard to ignore the little furry critter that was yipping at her. Animals and Ori didn't get along so even if this thing was cute... she didn't trust it. And she knew for a fact that if she attacked the thing or lashed out at it... she very well could be facing a bullet. It was just her bloody luck that she had to put up with the creature and just her bloody luck that she just so happened to have a misfortune hex put on her. The pay and the lay better so be worth it.

[Mai]

The pistol in Mai's hand lowered slightly as the drow woman tried to appeal to her sense of life. Or at least that was what Mai called it, the reason she resorted to things like sleeping people or even knocking them out if she really had to. Maybe that was what she could do this time? The woman wouldn't have to run away, just an easy smack over the head or something.

"You don't understand, I can't just give you the egg. I can't. It doesn't belong to you, it belongs to the father I'm taking it to before any of these other creeps here get it!" Mai explained with her brows furrowing in frustration at her situation. Her fox actually stopped yipping toward the silver haired woman, to look up at Mai, noticing she wasn't feeling so great about the choices she was left with. In Mai's own good conscience she couldn't very well leave a woman empty handed like that.

Of course her attention on that little choice froze as the heat in her face flared up and made her feel like she was getting a headache when the woman mentioned getting paid to bed some poor random girl and move on. Her face lowered and Kits turned his head away. Mai wasn't really sure what to say. Her hand lowered again, but she didn't move closer, in fact she almost took another step back.

"I uhm... I can't pity you. But..." Mai looked around briefly, her face coming up from scanning the floor in slight embarrassment before she finally settled on looking at the icy blue eyes staring at her. She felt naked in that moment and instantly turned her head away, before a stroke of possible insight hit her. "Come with me? You don't have to go back to them. If they are cruel to you. I'm apart of a guild and everything, constantly traveling, you would be accepted. I won't kill you, and I can't give you the egg. It belongs to the father. How would you feel if someone stole your egg?"

That was mostly why Mai had been the one to adamantly accept this quest, despite it supposedly being a suicide mission for someone of her caliber. If she ever actually had children they would be eggs too, and she certainly wouldn't want her eggs stolen. Not that she was thinking about having an egg anytime soon. Why was she thinking of her own eggs again? Her face grew more crimson as she looked back at the woman in front of her, her fox somewhere between them. She held up her gun again slightly, but was starting to tuck it away before she accidentally pulled the trigger while adjusting it in her hand, causing the pistol to fire its one shot, right at the Drow woman.

And in that moment Mai's heart sunk so deep and tried to leap out of her chest, she hardly even had the chance to look over the woman to see the damage before it had all happened and the silver pistol was smoking in her hand. She brought her other pistol hand up to her face to cover her mouth. "Oh... my faithful familiar! What did I do?!"

[Orianna]

Long ears perking at the sound of the crimson eyed girl's voice the Drow takes light note in her words though honestly she didn't quite know what to think. Sure she might not of thought about whether or not the father of the dragon's egg would have any interest in his spawn, it was very rare for a Dragon to take a partner and make their true nature known but it certainly wasn't unheard of, still because the cases were so few in number the Rogue just wrote it off. Even with the dark haired girl trying to apply logic to this situation though and trying to convince Ori to feel what the egg's father would feel... the logic just didn't quite stir her. The concept of family was abnormal for a Drow, males had such a low role in society and in most cases a coming of age Drow would slaughter their parents somehow or another. Luckily Ori was blessed or perhaps cursed with being an orphan but because of that the concept of a worried father just didn't shake her.

All that mattered was money. All that mattered was freedom. All that mattered was escaping with her life. So what if some male is worried sick about his Dragon Spawn? Wouldn't a dotting father give up everything to protect his children and stay beside the one he loved? It was confusing and bothering to even begin to think about it but it did not stir any sort of conscious within the frisky elven woman. At least... as far as what the crimson eyed newbie said that wasn't what caused her resolve to waver. No, it wasn't appealing to her good nature in regards to the father of this unborn dragon child it was the other stuff this strange gun wielding spell casting girl said.

Escape... Flee the city? Run away with this girl whom she tried to kill just moments ago? Travel with her and go legit? Go legit... The blue eyed ashy skin woman pauses as she tries to recall the last time she could consider herself “legit”. It had to of been when she traveled with that group who rescued her from the Underdark, her “parents” were a kindly Elven Performer and a Celestial-Touched Warrior of sorts. The Elven Woman taught Orianna slight of hand tricks and proper ways to sneak around while the Warrior made sure the girl had a broad vocabulary, a strong voice, and very keen aim when it came down to combat should her diplomacy attempts fail. It was shortly after they never returned from a job that required them to travel overseas that the Drow girl left on her own. She regressed back to relying on subterfuge and trickery to get what she want and when that failed she learned just how easy it was to seduce not only men but women as well with her Drow charm. Decades of this shaped her into the woman she was today so... was it possible to just give it all up?

Sapphire glances at crimson and the young elf chews increasingly on her lip. She almost wanted to say yes just to lay with this girl and the prospect was tantalizing but... was leaving this easy? Could she just leave without saying a word to her debtors? Would her former clients try tracking her down if she didn't make due on her side of the arrangements? It was scary to think, giving up a life of unlawful crime and living her remaining centuries out dodging any Orc who came her way. But really? It might of just been worth it. It just might of.

“Leave with you? Such a silly offer girl! You don't even know me! I tried to kill you just now, ya know? I almost shot you with my blasted bloody crossbow and if it wasn't for that spell of yours we wouldn't even be talking!” She comes across annoyed and cruel but she was honestly confused and it showed. “Those louts I work for... I despise them but they pay, and they pay nicely. Once I turn this job in I'll of worked off my debt then I can leave. I can take my gold and do with it as I please. Like I said I plan to get laid, and I plan to leave that damn bloody city!” She then lowers her head and balls her free hand up into a fist while the other still gripped tightly onto the sword her mind was racing and her heart was pumping adrenaline nonstop throughout her seductive form.

“Perhaps though...perhaps I should just stop playing games and just give up. Those bloody bastards probably don't mean to let me go not when this fine little Drow knows just how to make them money. Nah... they probably plan to keep me until I resist, then when I kill one of them they'll drug me or enchant me and ship me off to one of their brothels. Sounds really peachy, doesn't it?” She laughs mockingly at this, annoyed over her own predicament when it came down to just how screwed she was. Either run away with this girl, die by this girl's gun, or get screwed over by those damn dirty Orcs. Literally she was damned if she did and damned if she didn't, no matter what choice she made. So if she had to choose then perhaps she should just choose whatever option benefited her the most.

Running away and possibly having a cute crimson eyed girl? Or... returning to serving a sleazy group of Orcs?

The answer was clear. Orianna was about to open her mouth and respond to the crimson eyed girl when suddenly the unexpected happened.

Bang!

Sharp pain erupts in the Drow's chest, more particularly her shoulder. Her right arm goes numb and the sound of her rapier clattering against the marble floor echoes out and reflexively the Drow's left hand goes to inspect her shoulder. Immediately pain fills her as her fingers touch a warm thickness that could only be blood and at once the silver haired beauty realized... she's been shot. Feeling a mix of betrayal and confusion and oddly enough fatigue Ori throws the black haired newbie a shocked look before uttering in a shaky and low voice, “Guess that talk about me going legit with ya was all smoke and mirrors, huh?” At this the woman's pretty blue eyes would roll back behind her head and she would slump backwards unconscious, the shock of her wound just too much for her.

[Mai]

"What do I do? What do I do?! I killed her!" Mai groaned and flailed after she carefully holstered both of her pistols. She looked over at Kits, but all he did was yawn at her and smile a big fox grin. That only made her stare blankly at him for a moment, before she was down on her knees with her hands on the drow woman. She propped her arm under the silver haired drow, and placed her body partly onto Mai's lap. One of her hands ran a finger over the girl's dark cheek before sliding down to rest at the chest to see if the drow was even still alive.

She could feel the beat of a heart, so the girl must have just been squeamish or something to have passed out like that. But still there was the matter of the wound left. And it wasn't like Mai could just stay here or leave her here, there were likely all kinds of other people still waiting around and she couldn't be caught with the egg. She would just have to figure this out later. Mai turned to Kits, "Go scout out around here, while I get things ready."

The fox curtly nodded and bowed before scampering off around the closest corner wearily, while Mai watched for a moment. She quickly turned back to the poor girl that was bleeding now, crushing her lips together at feeling sick from seeing the blood, while her hand reached into her belt pack and pulled out one of her potions she had just recently put back into her pack to make room for the egg in it. She uncorked the potion and held it over the girl's mouth, while using her other hand to open her mouth. Pouring the Cure wounds potion down the young Drow's throat, and wiping off a bit that had run down her chin, Mai looked at least a little more cheerful, while she worked on ripping a piece of her outfit, to bandage over the bullet wound she had left to help heal it up further.

Once she was finished she unhooked the cloak she had upon her back and laid it upon the floor. Somewhere along that time Kits can prancing back in, confirming that she was okay for a little longer, he grabbed ahold of the cloak though and helped pull it out, before Mai moved back to the Drow woman that had called herself Orianna, and rolled and lifted and pulled on her to get her onto the cloak, before grabbing one end of the cloak and wrapping it around the silver haired woman a bit. Once that was all done she sighed and started dragging the cloak behind her as she made the rest of the way and out of the castle complex, toward a shady area that was just over a couple hills and hopefully safe. She had to adjust the cloak many times and at some point it was ripping terribly, but at least Orianna would be well.

Sometime during all that though, her disguise had faded, and she was much too distracted to bother with putting up another one, while she started to make camp. She had set up her tent around where she had placed the young woman, checking on her occasionally, and giving her another potion to make sure she really did heal. With the tent set up though, and her fox sitting right at the entrance of the tent to watch for the rather stealthy woman to wake up, Mai was busy with her cauldron on a makeshift fire, cooking away at a meal. The smell of carrots and other odd vegetables and broths wafting around while she lightly attempting singing.

"Kick me down, and beat me today, but never will you see my light fade." She crowed, while her flaring wings flapped occasionally behind her, with their iridescent black color shimmering. Her pointed beak flicked open and close occasionally to the sound of the music she was trying to reproduce from some bard she had occasionally watched in town.

[Orianna]

Darkness, silence, and utter cold completely enveloped the elfish woman. A void of emptiness and a vacuum of absolute nothing embraced her to the point to where the girl was honestly disturbed. Was this death? She was shot after all, she remembered the pain and the sticky warmth of her blood that poured from the white hot wound. In her 80 years of life she has sustained countless injuries, broken bones, dealt with sicknesses both natural and magical but never before has the woman been on the receiving end of a bullet. It was a random shock, one she wasn't surprised for and for all she knew she was indeed dead. This was the end and there was nothing she can do about it, she couldn't form an emotion other than fear nor could she seem to even stir. Everything around her was black, everything around her was freezing and everything around her was quiet as death.

This had to be the end. Orianna had to of met her maker at the tender age of 80, to her people she wasn't even an adult, she was a child and here she was dying if not dead.

Memories flickered past her in the nothingness, memories of growing up an orphan in the Capital City of the Drow Kingdom. Vague memories of a woman who either could have been a big sister or her mother, a bitter and hostile Dark Elven Woman who possessed features that Ori shared. Memories of her first time stealing food as a young girl flew past her followed by memories of her first encounter with that Adventuring Party from the Sunlit lands. Fragments of learning her craft from her adoptive parents and glimpses of her first job on her own flickered around her. Faces of past lovers, random lays, and light friends appeared before the girl before suddenly those faces merged into a single form, the form of the strange black haired, crimson eyed girl she met in that Elven Fort. Why was she thinking about her? It was curious but the Drow just couldn't fathom an answer... at least until the specter of the girl standing in front of her suddenly materialize a gun and pointed it at the Thief.

Bang!

Pain shot through Orianna and suddenly light, intense and bright followed by a cozy warmth flooded her and then... her eyes opened.

Sunlight at once met the Drow's beautiful blue eyes and a cry of pain escaped the girl as she was momentarily blinded by the light. Thanks to her people living in the Underdark bright flashes tended to leave them pained and disoriented for a moment or two. Dizziness and a light headache came to Orianna but... with those two discomforts she knew, or at least confirmed that she was not dead. She was indeed alive and with her eyes closed and with her form trying to adapt to the sudden bright light the question of just where she was and more importantly how she survived came to mind.

Moments passed and Ori could feel her head settling down so she started to slowly open her sapphire orbs only to be struck by a wonderful smell... a hearty concoction that could only be a soup of sorts met her nose. She was alive and with this her stomach let out a rather loud grumble and the Drow's eyes shot completely open and she slowly but surely sat up, taking in the sights around at once.[color:56dd= dark red] “I... need to purchase a new pair of glasses.” She comments in a light murmur, confusion evident in her voice as her vision became splotchy for a couple of seconds, she may of adjusted to the sunlight but her eyes still weren't meant to deal with the sun. With her mind on her eyes evolutionary flaw the silver haired elf suddenly feels a throb in her shoulder and lets out a gasp at this, the memory of her wound hitting her at once.

"Bloody girl shot me! Bloody sun blinded me! Just great, what a wonderful day!" Ori comments to no one in particular, her frustration venting but at least she wasn't exactly talking to herself. The smell of that delicious soup suggested someone was within hearing distance of her and the Drow's keen ears picked up on a melodic sound, a female voice that was singing a song that the woman vaguely recognized. Was the holder of the voice her savoir?

Wondering who saved her the Rogue finally turns her form to glance to her side, hoping to see a beautiful woman as her savior... when her eyes spotted black feathers, a beak, talons, and wings however a gasp of surprise would escape Ori's lips and her heart would give a fast beat. “What in the Nine Hells?!” She shouts rather rudely at this, not accustomed to seeing a giant humanoid... Crow? Even in all her travels the most exotic thing she dealt with were Dragon or Outsider born, not anthropomorphic animals. It was a shock and it really got to Ori but... she at once realized how rude her initial outburst was and went dark, her ashy cheeks flushed flushed.

“Oi... sorry. I guess you saved me?” She suddenly asks the singing bird... girl? Yes definitely girl, the swells on her chest and what could only be described as femine curves confirmed that much, and the beautiful almost siren like voice only solidified her observation. It was certainly weird seeing a bird with female features that wasn't a disturbing hag-like Harpie... and though the beak was rather off putting Orianna couldn't help but feel... attracted to the woman. Curves, boobs, a beautiful voice, and well... the fact she saved her. She probably should have been ashamed of feeling some attraction towards this bird girl but... in this day and age? Nah. After adventuring with a Dragon Born and Gnome couple Ori seen everything and at least this bird woman had female features! That Half Dragon? Orianna claimed she was a he up until she was “politely” corrected by the couple. After seeing that, her interest in this strange person couldn't be too shameful.

Her blush would darken as the Drow suddenly realized she was checking out her savior and at once the model like woman lets out a soft chuckle and shakes her head nervously. “You have a nice singing voice... you a bard? Um... and you did patch me up and pull me out of that place? Did you see a girl with red eyes? Lass is sorta why I'm in this mess.”She babbles on not at all realizing that the woman before her was indeed the girl who shot her. Maybe if Ori was paying just a bit more attention she'd recognize the voice but she was just too focused on the feathered woman. What was she? Orianna was curious and just had to know but first she had to make sure she didn't put the girl off by being rude to her.

[Mai]

Cooking and Alchemy was just one of those soothing things that often reminded Mai of the lives that were simple. Or maybe more specifically, life before she had to constantly worry about who was dying and whether she would live till next week. Maybe that was why she was singing. Or maybe there was another reason she was so happy.

Either way, her heart skipped a few times in pulse, when the fox stirred from the entrance of the tent right before she heard the dark skinned woman from inside yelp and curse. Mai didn’t turn toward the tent though, part of her back was facing it instead as she finally cut off her singing, remembering that someone else was there besides her and her familiar.

Kits slinked into a sitting position on the other side of her. Mai could tell Kits wasn’t too happy about a drow in the tent. In fact he was annoyed that Mai was just letting someone that had tried to kill her, hang around like it was nothing. But to Mai, she felt terrible about shooting the Elven woman. After all actually hurting someone was far worse than the potential of hurting someone.

Even when the Drow woman came out swearing away, Mai still didn’t turn completely to face her, in fact she went more stiff. She just kept looking at her cauldron bubbling, and stirring at it even more frequently. Her wings closed in around her like they were protecting her, as she felt the guilt build up in her when she heard the young woman mention being saved. She simply just nodded a few times and leaned down to stroke her hand over Kits’ fur. She wasn’t even thinking about how she looked, because when it was just her and the fox, looks didn’t matter.

Which was exactly why, when the silver haired Dark Elf started in again, she was mixed with confusion and embarrassment. Mai most certainly was not a good singer, at least she thought, but her confusion had settled in because she didn’t understand why this woman was asking her about herself? Luckily her beak and feathers could cover any blush she might had gained. But she finally turned her large beak and glinting red eyes completely toward the Drow she had tended to carefully.

”I-I’m a terrible singer.” Was the only thing Mai could muster, amongst her confusion, before she turned her face quickly away to look at her soup filled cauldron. Of course it was then that she realized she didn’t look at all like the person that had shot this Drow woman. But then how could she tell this young lady that she accidentally almost killed her? It was wracking at her heart and mind just thinking about it in a few seconds.

”I’m no bard. Just a witch. A terrible one. Accidentally shooting someone. I’m amazed my stupid potion wasn’t really some kind of poison.” Mai mused, almost like she was talking to herself. She heaved a deep sigh as her fox brushed up against her like a cat. Her eyes flitted down before she turned back to look at the Elven woman. ”I am a total idiot. I must be like the only person in all the planes that could manage to get a rusty pistol functioning but then be blundering enough to shoot someone when I didn’t want to.”

Mai shook her head a few times. “Sorry. Sorry. So Sorry. You almost died. There was so much blood. And your heart was so fast, and you were so cold. I almost killed someone. I almost killed you.”

”Orianna, right?” Mai looked up, her head still shaking, and so was her voice as she continued to ramble on, since it was the only thing she could manage to do besides crying. ”You almost died by my hand. My stupid gun. I’m never using them again. The others were right, a caster can never learn to use a pistol. In fact even other Tengu told me I should try swordplay not a ranged weapon. I wanted to prove them wrong. But here I am, shooting people to their deathbed like a complete idiot! I hope the potions were enough. I used everything I had. I don’t want you dying. I don’t want to have killed someone for no reason.”

Mai cut herself off as she started to just thrust her head down quickly like she was trying to bang it against something, but it just hit air. ”I’m such an idiot. Such an idiot. Don’t die. Don’t die.”

[Orianna]

“You may not be a Bard but your voice is at least pleasant to listen to. Trust me, big ears so sounds are sorta my thing. If you sounded bad then I would be the first to let you know.” Orianna chuckles to the woman, noting her terrible self esteem at once as the girl began to talk down on herself. “And you're a witch? Well that did mean you did heal me right? Right? You did a good job at that!” She exclaims in a flurry hoping to cheer this bird girl up, not quite hearing the bit about the girl accidentally shooting someone just yet.

ith her good hand Orianna touches the spot where her wound was, the woman feeling a light twinge of pain as she fingered the tender area. She should have been dead perhaps but thankfully this winged woman did heal her and rather nicely at that. By all means she was grateful to this strange person, this kind Witch, and the Drow did indeed plan to repay her somehow or another. Sure the feathers and beak were rather offputting but they weren't too bad, if she was right then this crow like girl was a sweet heart and the fact she possessed a human body complete with a delicate figure and a fairly weighty chest helped the woman feel comfortable around her, wings and beak and feathers aside. She wanted to repay her perhaps even just get to know her a little, it was the least Orianna could do after all.

Never really before has she been so grateful towards another soul not since those adventurers all those years ago. It was a a myriad of odd emotions but none were entirely unpleasant at least that was before the winged woman made a revelation clear. This girl shot someone?! This friendly bird was resonsible for shooting someone?! Wait... it was a surprise to hear that but it was even more of a surprise to the Drow as to what this meant and couple possible mean.

Shot someone... was she Ori's shooter? If that was the case then wouldn't the Drow remember a bird woman and not recall a beautiful black haired red eyed girl shooting her? It was confusing and surprising but... as Orianna looked at the woman she couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling deep within her. Black silky looking feathers resembled that girl's hair in some way but... more importantly those crimson eyes... this winged and feather covered woman possessed them. Those beautiful ruby orbs that drew the young elf in not to long ago this kindly Witch possessed them which could only mean that...

The girl before her, the girl with the wings, the girl with the kindly voice who healed her... was not only the pretty human girl she almost killed earlier but also the same beautiful woman who shot her.

Stomach in knots and breath coming quick and shallow the Drow throws the woman a shaky stare. “Y-you shot me?!” She asks only to sigh deeply and close her sapphire colored eyes. She didn't know how to feel exactly but the truth was evident Ori did deserve to get shot be it accidental or not, after all the Rogue did try killing the girl unprovoked. So that said while the blood and pain was still evident in her mind the Drow really couldn't hold it against her especially considering that this kindly Witch could of just left her for dead when she shot her.

Still thankful her eyes open and she looks at the startled and self loathing “Tengu” and bites her lip at what she saw. This feathered girl was so distraught over shooting her even though she was perfectly justified. It was painful to see considering just how the Drow owed her not to mention just how sweet this woman was. It was rare for Orianna to feel the way she did but nonetheless she felt it. Her stomach fluttered and her heart ached as she watched the girl cry out, she wanted to do something, had to do something and almost by reflex... she did do something.

Despite her splotchy vision and despite her shaky steps and pained arm the Drow rose to her feet and stepped towards the Tengu. Not at all thinking about her feathers or her wings or her beak or even the fact that the woman almost killed her, Ori embraced the woman and pulled her into a tight embrace. Warmth at once meeting her form and the feeling of the down like feathers not at all too bad feeling. They were quite comfy actually almost like hugging a nice and warm pillow not to mention the feeling of her chest pressing against her own felt just... right. “Ssh. Calm down lass. You didn't kill me! And it was an accident and you healed me and frankly? You did a mighty fine job at mending my wound up, not to mention... you were in the right for shooting me. Don't be so downtrodden and just be proud that you're a skilled Witch and a kind girl.” Ori tries her best to soothe the bird like girl, of her hands finding the back of the woman's head and her fingers brushing against the smooth feathers almost tenderly, it was both funny and uncharacteristic of her but at the same time it was more than earned.

“I... hope you heard me earlier, if you really are that pretty girl from earlier. I, um... wouldn't mind traveling with you, if you do mean what you said. Helping me escape from my debtors.” She whispers this in a thankful manner and continues to just hold the Tengu the woman actually enjoying this even though the other girl's form was somewhat off-putting at first. “If you really don't mind... could I hear the name of the girl who saved me? You know mine after all.” Sapphire meets black feathers and the Drow just does her best to comfort the girl as she could, it was odd but welcomed and really? Ori didn't care about how it looked. This was an instance where physical appearances did not matter for what she could tell about this Tengu was that she possessed a heart of gold and remarkable inner beauty. Traits alone that were attractive as hell. Traits that the Drow herself found herself drawn to, and traits that really were all that mattered in the end.

Could this be love at first sight? Maybe, maybe not? Orianna was a drow, a creature of lust. Orianna also owed this kind girl a favor and meant to keep it. This Tengu was not only her escape but also her new debtor so if the elven girl was going to develop some kind of lust for the feathered girl then at least it would be welcomed.

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