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Thread: [M/IC] War of the Hidden (Numbers and Naming)

  1. #21
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    Seemingly satisfied with her companion's explanation on the topic of her people's military preparations, Shivali was content to listen as discussion turned to the nature of the help this unknown human would provide them with. In theory, the Nekorian's plan did indeed seem sound - having an established cover story was bound to be a good thing, given how deep in hostile territory as they seemed to be. The idea of playing a family member of a stranger did not entirely appeal, given her own distinguishing features, but she could see the benefits of her chosen course of action.

    "It seems strange that they would screen most of the merchants less heavily than the civilians. One would expect the opposite, given the risk of smugglers trying to get illicit goods into the town...or is it that they simply prefer to lavish the bulk of their attention on the cargo, and forget about the merchants themselves?" she would ask, though the question was largely rhetorical. She was more thinking out loud than anything, simply talking through her own thought processes as she tried to think out the problem. At the end of her own exposition, the Tehnu found herself satisfied with the same explanation that she herself had provided, and was happy to move on. Regardless, it seemed that there would be other dangers associated with this plan of action that needed considering.

    "I daresay that most of the guards will prove to be human, yes? I do not expect that many Nekorians would be relegated to something as dull and menial as guard duty. Probably for the best, considering that any members of your race would have a much higher chance of recognising me for what I am. If any Nekorian overseers peg me as a Tehnu, then we might end up with an entirely different sort of problem" the girl would point out simply, a small frown flickering across her features. After a few moments, though, the girl would give something akin to a dismissive shrug.

    "Truth be told I could simply make us a path directly through the city walls if you so wished, but it would be much easier for them to track our progress that way. Besides, if your merchant friend has a cart or anything else that will save us the trouble of walking, then I'll not complain" Shivali would answer rather simply, a soft chuckle slipping from her lips. She had no problems maintaining a forced march for an extended period of time, but riding along would allow her to conserve energy regardless, and would doubtless be more beneficial for the rest of the party as a whole.

  2. #22
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    "It as you say, smugglers are bad for business, but also good for business as well. Merchants often carry time-sensitive goods from one location to another. Being forced to stop at each checkpoint and being checked over and over again would make trading really hard. As such large trading guilds pay cities to give merchants lower checks, to simply just make sure nothing bad is going on. They ask for a trading manifest, then a general check of the cargo to see if that is roughly being carried and off the merchant goes!" She continued to walk with her traveling partner, staying relatively near her as her tail moved left and right in time with her steps.

    "Each city does have a Nekorian overseer, in a way at least. What it is that the captain of the guard for each city is a nekorian in disguise. If something suspicious comes up in the city he sends a messenger to the general of special operations, who sends a few agents to the city to investigate what is going on. Then they either eliminate the cause or inform the captain that nothing is going on. As a captain of the guard, he would for the most part always stay in the guard building, going over schedules and other stuff like that." She listened to what her companion spoke about on clearing a path.

    "While I am sure you could, it would be best if we took the least amount of attention. Besides... He very much does have a cart." She said with amusement in her voice. "Much easier for him to transport a larger amount of goods as well as the supplies needed to set up a small camp. His horse though, she is just amazing. She's so calm and strong, pulling him around all the time. I got to ride her once! It was so fun!" She spoke, returning to a childlike manner again.
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  3. #23
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    Seemingly satisfied with the answers that she had been given, the Tehnu woman would nod in simple acknowledgement. The idea of she herself being recognised for her race was not a comforting one, considering how quickly the knowledge would bring Nekorian soldiers down upon their heads. Still, if the Nekorians themselves did not often moniter the trading post, then they should be safe enough. Most humans simply dismissed her as one of their own, albeit one from some foreign and exotic place. Similarly, it seemed that the plan about meeting up with Christina's merchant friend was foolproof enough, given the way that they went about security checks and the likes.

    Still, Shivali would raise an eyebrow at her companion's sudden reversion to her former childlike behaviour. Still, her surprise did not stop a small smile from curling up the edges of her mouth. The amusing duality helped pass the time, if absolutely nothing else.

    "A wagon will certainly prove a welcome change of pace. I can't say I've ever ridden one of those beasts before, though" she would admit, before giving a bit of a casual shrug. The more mountainous terrain that made up the Tehnu homeland was more accustomed to pack animals like donkeys for moving goods about from one place to the other, and any of her people fit enough to consider themselves a warrior would have no need for a horse as a personal method of transportation. "Can't say I've ever seen the appeal, besides the occasional usefulness they demonstrate as beasts of burden. Even then, it takes a considerable amount to make up for the downsides of their presence. The humans clearly disagree, though" she would finish rather simply, before turning her gaze towards the horizon.

    "Speaking of...can we expect any sort of warning from your invisible friends if any other people come close enough to be of concern? Other small travelling parties shouldn't pose any real problem, but I'd much rather avoid encountering any more patrols on the open road, if it can be helped" she would remark idly. Truth be told, the two of them could probably fight off an entire patrol working together, and then some. Why take a needless risk in doing so if it could be avoided, however?

  4. #24
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    "They do indeed. In this stage, they don't carry much individual intelligence and work more as an extension of my senses. However, if a member of the human race gets within a certain distance where they soon might be able to see my tail, the bodies will quickly work to hide my tail and ears. Avoiding patrols would be a good thing though. I would hate to alert our position if possible. After all, traveling by myself, I was much slower since I would be forced to be more careful. That, in turn, would give those hunting me a better chance of catching up. However, now, I can afford to use energy at a much faster pace since I am now traveling with you. I can allow myself to get a few hours extra of sleep which in turn gives me much more energy to move at a faster pace for long stretches of time." She then thought to herself for a few minutes before asking a question.

    "Have you been traveling alone this whole time? I'm curious to know what exactly you were doing before you met up with me. Chance or fate? Random encounter, or scheduled event? We will be with each other for a while and it would be wise for me to figure you out sooner than later. Would hate for any unexpected surprises now wouldn't I?" She said with amusement in a sly overtone of her voice.
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  5. #25
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    Shivali would fall into content silence once again, responding to her companion's information with a simple nod of acceptance. Her supply of questions exhausted, the Tehnu woman was more than happy to simply relax and focus on their stroll for the time being. The two of them were in for a long walk, after all - there was no need for them to chat and exchange information every step of the way. There were many simple pleasures to be found in the open road, and the warrior-servant had learned to enjoy them during her travels alone.

    She was tempted to hum softly to herself as the two of them walked, but found herself cut off before she decided to begin as Christina posed yet another question. She would throw a sidelong glance at her companion, raising one of her eyebrows in something akin to a questioning glance. She had expected to get such a question sooner or later, however, and had a convenient answer prepared. Shivali couldn't exactly tell Christina that she had been hunting the princess herself, after all.

    "Truthfully? Scouting" she offered, trying to make the remark sound as natural and nonchalant as possible. She was largely successful, in part because it wasn't quite a total lie. "Unlike your kind, we can't exactly use the humans to scout for us. So instead we travel, trying to blend in and taking note of what we see. The level of alert in different towns, patrol routes, number estimations...that sort of thing. We witness as much as we can, and then pass the information on to our leaders" she offered. That part of her statement, at the very least, was true. One of the benefits of their culture was that just about every member of the Tehnu people was capable of looking after themselves whilst travelling alone, and such was definitely one of the resulting benefits of such.

  6. #26
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    "Scouting eh? That is surprising, to say the least, considering how deep into enemy territory we are right now. Well, how deep you are in right now. This is my homeland, my kingdom. Though I guess it's like you said, the information you have is gathered by your scouts. So I guess you would have to go awfully deep into enemy territory in order to get some more reliable information. Even information on areas inside of your own kingdom relies on those around you being able to pass the information up. Whether that is a weakness or a bond of strength is unknown to me. I would imagine its quite lonely. At least to me, lonely. I never really alone thanks to the bodies, though they're not the same as actually traveling with someone, they do keep the shadows away."

    She never really thought about it too much. She was always too busy actually being on the run from the enemy to consider whether or not being alone on the run was lonely or not. She just kind of accepted the nature of it and went about her life. She looked around as it started to get dark and her tail and ears became more obvious. "We should find a new place to camp here soon. Though, you shouldn't have to worry too much about getting too close to me on accident. After all, my body has energy now so I won't be sucking energy from the living things around me this time." She said with a sly smile at her companion.
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  7. #27
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    A wry smile would flicker across Shivali's features at her companion's sudden and unexpected insight into the life of the scout. She was somewhat surprised by the princess' supposed understanding, given the severe differences between her life and that of a travelling soldier. Indeed, she was close to the mark on both counts. Trust was required when making plans on the information brought to you by others, though thankfully this was something the Tehnu possessed in abundance - they were a loyal people, and made for a close community. Loneliness was not a challenge so easily overcome, however. Being surrounded only by people of an entirely different race, while being forced to act suspicious of almost all strangers...well, it was little wonder that so many scouts suffered from bouts of homesickness.

    "The road can be lonely at times, its true. I try and take comfort in the knowledge that I'm helping out my kin with such work, however. Of the many things we lack, loyalty is not one of them" the woman would announce rather simply, with more confidence than she felt. Regardless, the woman would nod in simple agreement as her companion announced that they search out a place to spend the night. A small smile curled her lips at the simple suggestion in the girl's words, but she refrained from comment. Still, it wouldn't be much further until the warrior-servant would make her suggestion.

    "Perhaps we should simply slip over one of the hills that abound. I doubt it would make for a particularly sheltered campsite, but it'll keep us out of sight of the road, if nothing else" she offered rather simply, before giving something akin to a rather casual shrug. "We wouldn't be able to keep a fire or anything else, and I can't maintain a forced vigil for two nights in a row. With your...bodies...however, I like to think that we shall be safe enough"

  8. #28
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    "The road is indeed a lonely one at times. Though I have to admit, that my bodies do keep me less lonely. Though, I guess, it will be even better, having someone of my age to talk to. Assuming that we are close in age that is. I guess it hards to actually tell since both of our races have different lengths of life and we don't actually know each other's age." She said in a sort of amused tone. "I myself, am a young adult in my race, though some would say it could go either way on whether I'm a young adult or still a child. We have no real way of judging an exact moment of when one becomes an adult. Usually, its when the child takes a mate or a profession that they are then considered an adult among our race. Technically I have no mate, even though I am supposed to get married to a noble of a certain house, and technically being royalty is a profession. However, under both circumstances, one could say that both are false and thus make me a child still."

    She looked to her companion, taking in her different features. "What of yourself? I am always curious to learn more about your race and the biology and customs that you follow. How are your racial members turned from child to adult? Is it by age? An event in their life? A custom? or some other type of requirement? As well as what is your current status? I would assume adult but I am curious to know if that is the truth and how you became said adult status?" She asked as she started to walk up the hill that her new companion had pointed to in order to find a good spot to establish a camp away from prying eyes, even if it meant no campfire. Of course, her bodies would simply surround her and use energy to keep her warm, but it would mean that her bodies would gain no energy that night.
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  9. #29
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    An amused smile flickered across Shivali's features as she listened to her companion's monologue, quite amused by her curious little companion's musings. Of course, the little Nekorian was hardly alone in such things. The Tehnu woman possessed a great deal of interest in the matter herself, and such was a large part of the reason she refrained from interrupting. Of course, the idea that Christina was seen as a young adult was a greatly amusing idea in its own right, considering how young she appeared to be. Of course, the force she carried was as great a proof as any that things were not always what they appeared to be.

    "You were meant to be engaged, huh? I hope your future partner doesn't mind your disappearing act too much" she would answer, a wry smile flickering across her features even as the two of them veered from the road and off into the fields. It would only be a short hike from there to their destination, but their current topic of discussion would prove more than enough to fill in the time.

    "As you have so accurately guessed, amongst my kind I'm considered to be a fully fledged adult. That said, once a person reaches maturity they are judged more for their experience and deeds than anything correlating to their age" she would remark idly as the two of them progressed over the ridgeline, making good progress towards their impromptu campsite. When they had arrived, the Tehnu woman would remove her bag and set it down, before taking a moment to stretch and roll out her shoulders - talking all the while.

    "As for the transition itself...well, you've already seen the final result. Our children transition into becoming adults by completing a specific right of passage - learning how to summon their soulblades, namely"

  10. #30
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    "Well at least one of us is fully considered an adult. I personally think of myself as an adult and I am certainly meeting all the requirements." She quickly started to find a good spot that would mark the center of their campsite and sat down at it. She started to pull out some of the stuff that she would use to sleep, which wasn't a huge amount since her bodies would simply form into whatever it was that she needed for sleep.

    "You could say the person I am engaged to, is most definitely not happy with me leaving. He thinks that I am simply a child who needs to be put in her place. That I should just be happy with the offer that I have been given, the chance to marry him." She scoffed at the thought. "To him, I should play the happy little doll. Clean him, give him my body, and give him children. It's not like I would already be, you know, giving him the throne and the control of our whole kingdom. He's also prowar, saying that we should come out in the open, enslave humanity, and use them to fight our wars. Show them who the true supreme race is. Really though he's simply a filthy coward who has never left the protective grace of his father."

    She laid down and turned to look at her companion. "Meanwhile look at me, out in the big world, far away from the protective grasp of my father. Not only that but just my name now throws me into the danger of this world and here I am. Still alive and surviving. If anything, I have much more credentials to rule than some milk drinker who lives only off of fathers money." She then rolled back onto her back. "If I am going to be with anyone, it's going to be someone I can experience the world with before I take over the throne. Hell, even after I over the throne I probably won't be in the capital too much, I'll be moving from town to town, helping my people however I best can."
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