Posts by Riverwing

Quinn slipped out of the little cave after him, wishing she had her scarf back from Talon as she entered the chilling air. She wouldn't say anything though. He probably needed it just as much as her. At least it was calmer outside. It seemed darker than it should be because of the cloud cover, and that made things colder, but also slightly easier, since they weren't trudging through partially melting snow. The white blankets that covered the ground would be here for awhile, and people would probably be pulling out their shovels to clear off Demacia's streets.

The Demacian crossed her arms over her chest to keep herself warm, then hurried after Talon so that she wouldn't lose him in the snow coated forest. They would likely be at her home within three hours. Three hours seemed like a long time in this weather though. It really was unfortunate that they hadn't made it back the night before, but she supposed that if they had, she wouldn't have been able to comfort him with his dream. The woman still knew not what his dream had been about, but he had certainly seemed protective of her when he woke her.

Valor alighted on Quinn's shoulder, happy to see her again. He cheerfully informed her that he didn't like sleeping in a different place than her. It worried him. The Demacian Eagle was definitely a morning person, unlike Quinn, who happened to be neither morning or night.

Quinn managed to keep an eye on Talon as they walked and she murmured with Valor. He seemed alright, but part of her was still worried. She could never quite tell what was going on in that head of his.

Well sometimes a good setting can inspire a plot

Oooo that game was pretty fun. Did you think the battle system was weird at first? I know I did. My family got Tales of Xillia for Christmas and we were playing it before everyone left for college again. It's like a combination of the original Tales battle style with TP and the Graces battle style with Action points or whatever they're called.

Heads turned to look first at raging noble, then at the clerics who were pushed forward to stand in front of the circle of guards. The four of them babbled for a second, fearful that someone might frame them and get them executed for the intentional release of a Mythic. It was considered a high crime in a culture like this.

A single cleric stepped forward to speak, "M-Mam, we can search for it immediately! O-or we can find you a suitable replacement!" They were certainly quick to try to make things up, but then, in a way, their lives may be at stake here. Two of the clerics stomped back to organize the guards to run off after the white gryphon, but also to watch for signs of treachery among them. There was always the slim chance that the traitor was among the gathered commoners, but it was unlikely. None of them would know how to use magic that well, and quite as unobtrusively.

The other two clerics hurried up to the noble, hoping to soothe her burning temper. The two couldn't help notice the unusual hair color. Perhaps drastic hair colors were becoming a fad among the upper class in the area. Strange, but it seemed possible.

~~~

The culprit of the crime was very relieved to see that his intentions were achieved this mission, and the blame was automatically shifted to the ones who made magic using their career. It was the risk that kind of person too. Well, in the ruckus and sudden rush of guards running to find the gryphon it would certainly be easy to slip away without anyone noticing.

This was exactly what he did. No one noticed as far as he was aware. The forest was good cover, and it would be very nice to take off this infernal helmet that smashed his ears down flat against his head. It would also be nice to give his tail a bit of room instead of being down one of his pant legs.

((Oooo cut short again. Schooooool))

The clerics stared after the noble as she waltzed off in the direction of the woods in which the guards had disappeared. That was slightly strange. Nobles didn't usually venture off into the forest alone, but then, this didn't seem like exactly a normal noble. They didn't really want to deal with her anymore though, so they didn't bother to question.

~~~~

The guard managed to disappear into the woods, finding a clearing far from the humans to rest in. It seemed far enough away that no one would find him, but to be safe, the man hoisted himself into a tree. No one should be able to find him up here. He should be safe from sight. The leaves were thick during this time of the summer, so it wasn't as if he was exposed to anyone not directly below him.

Finally the helmet came off. Black feathered ears lifted themselves from their previous position of laying flat against hid head. It was such a relief to let them out of that helmet. The gryphon known as Llyr rubbed his sore ears tentatively, happy to not have them pained by the armor any more. Later his tail could have some breathing room, but that would require changing pants, so he couldn't do it now. Ears could get very sore from this kind of thing. It had been worth it to see his winged brother fly off again though.

The 'man' seemed unaware that he had been tailed by the supposed noble who had made such a fuss about losing the white one. She certainly was a strange looking woman. Hair like that only came from dyes and magic. There may have been something different about her, but there wasn't time for him to go back now and check. Maybe one day he would see her again in the capital and would be able to politely inquire after this.

Although he was a Mythic in disguise, Llyr was mildly interested in human culture. These things were strange and new to him, and plus, these things might help him finally dye the tip of his tail black, just like the rest of him.

Lynn was still for a moment as if trying to makes sense of what she had just said. Acting clueless was perhaps spreading the belief that she was unaware of the thing called love in anything but a friendly, brotherly way. A slightly blank look was given to the two of them, "So he's like your brother? You look like him!"

A mirthful "mrow" was given, and the little feline jumped from Lux's shoulder onto her bed. If she was honest, Carolynn was surprised Luxanna didn't notice the drastic change in attitude from earlier. She had kidnapped by a stranger and named, nearly drowned, shoved into uncomfortable human toy clothing, and dragged off to see a bunch of nobles who had given her the very first haircut she had had. With each and every one of those things she had seemed either confused or upset and bitter, and now she pretended to be fine with the whole thing. Just went to show that 'love' was blind.

Seeming to have made up her mind about their relationship, Lynn jumped up to sit on the baseboard of the bed. Finding her perch from earlier, she sat and watched the two of them in a way that would likely make them a little uncomfortable if they planned to continue their course of action as they had been before she had intervened the first time.

It was more than likely that at least Ezreal suspected that she knew a lot more than she was letting on, but it didn't seem to be the same way with Lux. Carolynn was certainly being a tricky little animal that was for sure. Hopefully this feigned cluelessness would help her escape back into the wild where she belonged.

Lynn let out a little sniff, but, however distasteful that sniff may have been, she managed to keep up her innocent facade. She didn't follow them or stop them, as it dawned on her that they might be gone for awhile, and that meant more of a chance to run. It was likely that there wouldn't be anyone here to stop her if she tried. It was all a matter of chance that no one came around now.

If Carolynn failed to succeed, that may be a little problematic. It seemed by the way that the explorer had just looked at her, her was plotting in that blonde head of his to get back at her. Good luck to him. Sneaking up on a cat was like trying to knock a bird from the sky with a rock. It was nearly impossible, but not completely. Luxanna wouldn't let anything happen anyways. He had a lot of factors to consider if he wanted to exact his revenge on her.

~~

The tiny feline flicked her tail as she watched the two champions leave. Lux had bad taste in men, that was for sure. She jumped off of the bed post and onto the actual bed itself. The window was letting in just the right amount of light onto a patch on the pillows for her to sleep in. She could deal with her escape later, so long as the door remained open.

Lynn sprawled out on her stomach, soaking up the last of the early October rays. It wasn't like she was going to be let out voluntarily by any of the humans, so she had to make do with what she had. They just didn't understand the appeal of sunning. It warmed the fur so nicely, and it helped that her fur and hair was brown. Dark colors tended to draw the heat to her.

It was a good thing no one saw her now. It was hard to look lady like or proper when sprawled out for optimal sun intake, even if she was in a dress.

((I am happy u_u
Lynn is a tricky little cat, but she's a sucker for sunning. We can skip to whenever. Garen can come find her or somethign))

Quinn dipped her head to Talon, acknowledging his form of a thanks for her spending the time with him. She unlocked the door to her house then looked back at the assassin. He was shivering again and he seemed tired. While he still seemed happy that he had gotten to be with her, it was obvious to her that going back to Noxus through the snow would be a miserable task. The little wind there was tonight was bitter, and it didn't help that his clothes were probably a bit wet from the snow on the ground.

She couldn't just let him go out in the cold like that at night.

"Talon, if you would like, you can stay on my couch tonight. It's a little late to be heading back to Noxus, wouldn't you say?" Her tone was nothing but friendly. Demacia's Wings was at least concerned about his health. It was very easy to get sick in weather like this. As long as she locked her bedroom door tonight, it should be alright for him to stay in her home.

Quinn opened the door to the house and Valor swept into the cold interior first, seeming a little bit upset that she could invite the Noxian to stay with them. Even though he knew her concern was just friendly, he didn't want Talon getting any idea. Besides, he didn't like Talon.

The house was cold, but not as cold as it was outside. The emergency firewood Quinn kept by the hearth would come in handy tonight in warming up the place. If that didn't work fast enough, there was one other thing she could do, but hadn't done in awhile. It was more of a last resort thing, if she really needed things to warm up fast.

The young Demacian had left the door open for Talon to follow her in. She herself went to start the fire and light some candles. It was probably a pleasing offer for him, so Quinn didn't really stop to think that he might politely decline her offer.

As the fire roared into life (Quinn seemed to be quite the expert at starting fires), the Demacian stepped back slightly, before looking at Talon and heading to her room to snag some extra blankets for him to use to warm himself up and to use when sleeping. The generous helping of blankets was tossed at the assassin without warning. He would certainly be warm with all of those that was for sure. Quinn had her own blankets in her room, so there was no shortage of them for her to use.

Demacia's Wings sat in front of the fire and leaned against the closest chair. She was still cold, but not as cold as Talon it seemed. He needed the added blankets to help get him warm quickly. Hopefully he wouldn't go and get himself sick, because something in her told her that keeping him here until the illness had passed by would cause some trouble with both Demacia and Noxus.

When Quinn found herself dozing off right there, she knew it was time to go to her own bed. She drowsily got to her feet and trudged back to her own room, shutting the door behind her just for good measures after a murmured good night to her Noxian visitor. It was later than it should be, but she had wanted to get warm. The ranger didn't have work for the next couple of days though, so it was alright.

Finally she was able to crash into bed and close those golden eyes of her's. It was nice to sleep on a bed in her insulated home instead of on the floor of a cave.

Quinn was bound to wake sooner or later. It seemed that she didn't like to sleep past a certain time every day, although she didn't have any paper work or missions to be done due the holiday season. Even so, she still did wake just like she did every day, and rose to go see if the assassin was still in her home.

As it turned out, he was. That was nice; it meant that she would get a chance to say good bye, and possibly set some things straight with the Blade's Shadow. It had crossed her mind that it would be quite difficult to maintain a healthy friendship if he was trying to force his more than friendly affections onto her. Perhaps some boundaries were in order.

Demacia's Wings, still wrapped in a blanket, set herself down on the couch beside the assassin, seeming tired, but awake all the same, "You sleep well? No more nightmares?" there was a note of genuine concern in her voice at that last statement. From what she remembered of the night before last, Talon didn't have it easy with his dreams. Quinn wouldn't admit to having done what she had that night, but it was likely that she would do what she could to help him in the future.

((Didn't know what else to write :< ))

Quinn watched Talon leave, noticing only later the absence of affection in his farewell. It was a little strange, but it wasn't that significant. Perhaps he was just still awkward from Snowdown night. That was understandable. It would likely be awhile until she saw him the next, as the season after Snowdown was busy usually. Thieves saw this season to be people's most vulnerable, and they were right.

Quinn eventually got pushed back into the job of playing police for the military, along with several others who helped her catch the runaways. She only went after the ones that the guards couldn't catch. They were the slightly trickier and craftier ones. Tracking them in the snow was a bit easier, however. Most didn't seem to realize that they should cover their tracks. This lead Quinn and her comrades to bag six or so of the rats.

Things slowed down eventually, leaving Quinn with only paperwork and the occasional League match to deal with. That was boring enough.

The Lunar Revel came and went. Demacia's Wings was able to avoid having to drink with the other champions this year. She couldn't be sure about Talon though. If he had gotten caught, he had certainly taken the blow for both of them. She and Valor had stayed with Anivia this year. The Cryophoenix was quite good at protecting the Demacian from the others.

~~~~~

Eventually things calmed down fully. The holidays were all past until Midsummer's. That was a long way off though. Quinn simply did as she was assigned for the time being. There was one problem, however; The young Demacian was lonely. She hadn't seen Talon in quite some time, who, she had quickly realized, had done wonders to keep her company, even if he had done it in an awkward way.

Shortly after loneliness had set its grip on her, Quinn had received word from Jarvan of a new mission. This one was going to be a rather large one. She didn't realize that it would be a collaborative effort until the Exemplar of Demacia informed her. She and her temporary Noxian comrade would be meeting up shortly. It seemed that the Prince was unhappy enough to not want to tell her who her and Val's partner would be for now. That wasn't a good sign usually. Well, it couldn't be helped... If they thought she needed help tracking this man down, then perhaps she did.

Quinn's attitude was very similar to Talon's. It wasn't that working with a partner would be all that horrible, it was just the fact that her partner was going to be from Noxus. Almost every single Noxian she knew would just as quickly slit her throat as work with her. There was always Talon though... Demacia's Wings still wasn't all that certain about the Blade's Shadow's new attitude toward her. There was no way of telling if it would actually linger.

There wasn't much of a choice but to go on and get her things together for this mission. She was to meet her partner out in the forest, just outside of the city limits today. If she was honest, Quinn was a bit surprised that they had agreed to meet here rather than at the Institute of War. She supposed the Shurima was a bit closer to Demacia than anywhere else though, so it did make a bit of sense

~~~~

Valor screeched as he flew ahead of Quinn. His signature blue plumage was easily recognizable to anyone who had seen him before. Even he was enjoying the sunshine and warmer weather that came with the spring time, although the pollen was annoying for all those allergic to it. He wasn't sure if his companion was or not.

It took a little bit after Valor had arrived at the designated meeting spot for Quinn to follow up behind him. The ranger found the eagle staring at a very familiar form, although he looked a little different in this outfit. It was... interesting, although smart of him to get something better suited for the desert.

Quinn trotted up, smiling a little. It had been quite some time since she had seen Talon last. It was good to see him again finally. She circled him, taking in his new outfit curiously, "Nice getup..." the Demacian looked amused as she spoke. It was strange seeing him in something other than his normal uniform or his Revel outfit.

Quinn looked at him, slightly surprised. She did feel slightly guilty. He seemed disappointed in her lack of a greeting. She had assumed he would understand her greeting embedded in her words, but maybe not, "Oh...! Hullo, Talon. Better now?" the woman grinned at him, hoping he wouldn't hold this againster her, but then, why should he? Talon was a strange one, but he was pretty much the only Noxian she trusted enough to go on a mission with.

The abrupt halt in this Noxian's romantic advances lately was a little refreshing. For so long that was all she had gotten from him. Quinn had been anxious whenever around him. She had never really gotten to know him in all that time, since most of her thought had been spent on avoided kisses and hugs. Recently the Demacian had learned so much more about his actual personality than she remembered having learned before. He was quite the sarcastic one, as well as being more of a blade enthusiest than he had ever show her. She had known just based off the League, but getting to see it herself was interesting.

"And what about what I'm wearing? It's easy for travel, and I have other things to wear if I need to in the Shurima." Thete was a little bit of defensiveness in her voice, as if she didnt like being called out on things, even if she had things planned out to work. Even with that note in her voice, it was still apparent that Quinn was relieved to see her parnter was him, and happy that they got to see each other agsin.

The Demacian nodded. Naturally it would be her job to do the tracking. Even some Noxians seemed to be impressed with the displays of her very detail oriented job. She was, after all, the best at her work, and that was something she took pride in. The nobles could belittle her womanhood as much as they liked, but they could never criticize her success in finding thieves, kidnappers, and murderers.

The man she and Talon had to find was the worst of the worst. He was all three of those types of criminals. Quinn had heard reports of this bandit and his truly impressive feats. As much as it disusted her, the ranger couldn't help but be impressed by his ability to evade so many attempts on his capture and life even. He probably knew all of the best hiding spots in Demacia and Noxus. It seemed now he was on his way to terrorize the populations of the Shurima and Kumungu Jungle.

Based off of reports, he couldn't be further than the Great Barrier at the moment. If they hurried, perhaps they could catch him quickly. It was a lot harder to track people in the desert than it was in a forest or on a mountain.

~~~~

Quinn's attitude seemed to have gotten serious quickly, after all, her attitude had always been work before pleasure. The faster they started, the faster they would finish, and the faster they finished, the faster they would get to relax on their way home.

Demacia's Wings motioned for the assassin to follow her as she started off through the budding forest, "How much do you know about this guy, Talon? Did you do any research on him before hand?" There was the chance that he knew things that she didn't, which would be useful. Even if he didn't, he could still help her keep track of the different details.

Quinn dipped her head slightly, "That would give me the upper hand I guess..." If the bandits all used swords or daggers, the Demacian would be at an advantage for the bonus range she had on them. She looked thoughtful for a moment, realizing that if they were going to work together, she would have to make sure he was up to date on all the misdeeds of their target, "I've been informed that the head bandit is a thief of the highest degree, having stolen from many of the nobles and wealthy merchants. He also is a murderer with no remorse for killing anyone who gets in his way, and has also kidnapped women and children for ransom, and for his own pleasure..."

The entire time the woman spoke she looked disgusted. She at least respected the Blade's Shadow. His work was honest, and he didn't do it for pleasure. The bandit's work was heinous. Kidnapping children for ransom was something even Noxus wouldn't do.

Quinn sighed, "Let's get this job done quickly. The sooner we finish, the sooner the world will be rid of that scum." She would really feel like she had done something good for Valoran once they were done.

~~~~

The next few days were spent traveling, and the nights for Quinn were spent pouring over different maps and looking for different routes through passes in the Great Barrier. From the looks of the camps they had found, the procession of bandits wasn't hurrying. They still appeared to be heading for a slightly more hidden pass. It was logical of them.

They were on horses, and there were quite a few of them. Valor had been unable to catch even a glimpse of them from the sky, which went to show that they were a good ways ahead of the three tailing them. Luckily, three bodies traveled a good deal faster than thirty, even on foot.

These late nights were tiring for Demacia's Wings, but she was used to this sort of thing. The maps were complicated, even going so far as to show altitude and tree lines. The ranger had paid good money for these detailed mappings and the little pins that she stuck in them. Smaller maps sketched into her journals let her keep a visual of the sort of path they were taking. Along side them were the occasional doodle of Valor when she got distracted, and even a couple drawings of Talon that she managed when he wasn't looking.

Coffee was key in keeping her awake on these nights, and so was Valor. They both served as a boost to her energy, although Valor was a slightly more lively boost, who would nudge her with his beak or whack her with his wing if she started to doze.

~~~~

Eventually they made it past the Great Barrier. The bandits had slowed a good amount, and at this point, it was more just following them than tracking them. Quinn still kept maps depicting their journey for the sake of her reports she would have to write later on. They had settled into a camp near the bandit's encampment, although they were well hidden from the bandits. Here they would formulate their plan of attack. It was really Talon's job to come up with this strategy, as the Demacian was pretty worn out from her tracking.

For a fraction of a second, Quinn looked as if she were going to object, however, on seeing the look on Talon's face, she could tell that wouldn't go over too well. He seemed to have naturally assumed the position of leader and expected her to do what he said now. There was still a moment of hesitation before she abandoned stubbornness and pushed her way into her tent, snatching up her journal and quill from by the fire on her way. Wouldn't want Talon snooping around in that.

Valor followed without hesitation, being quite tired himself. It had been a long week or two for both members of Demacia's Wings. Val was just as important to the tracking process as Quinn was, and he was pretty worn out as well. He would only stay awake if Quinn asked him to, and Talon would be sitting watch for them, so that wasn't likely to happen.

It really didn't take long for the two of them to fall asleep. The Demacian was a lot more tired than she had originally expected. Good thing Talon was watching out for her.

~~~~

Although Talon and Quinn had thought they were well enough hidden from the bandits, it seemed they were a bit wrong in that regard. These criminals were smarter and more keen than the Noxian or Demacian had though. The desert was their element; where they felt most comfortable. It was natural of them to be better off here than in the mountains or forest.

It seemed that a patrol had made its way around and had spotted the pair's encampment, minute as it may be. They were trespassers on their land, which was a crime that did not go over well with the bandits. This would not go unpunished.

A report back to their boss would take far too long. They could easily overrun these travelers and capture them. Surely they could earn them money through ransom, or the boss may decide selling them as slaves across the sea would be more fitting. Whatever his decision was, they would get paid for their good work.

~~~~

The leader of the patrol made quick work of formulating a plan. Their unsuspecting prey wouldn't have a chance to respond as they made their swift descent.

The shadows provided good cover for the men and women that lay in wait for their signal to strike. The leader and her "deputy" dropped down on Talon with cat-like grace and agility. One of them quickly had their blade at the assassin's neck. Seems that the Noxian man hadn't been paying close enough attention to his surroundings to notice their novice stealth spell.

((wooooosh bad writing right here))

Quinn woke with a start, jumping up at the startled cry of her Noxian partner. Valor kept quiet, although startled himself, at the glance of the Demacian who wanted to make sure he kept silent in case whoever it was outside didn't know that they were in here. They would have to go about this carefully if they were going to get them and the Blade's Shadow out of this without capture or death, whatever the invaders preferred.

Demacia's Wings picked up her bowgun, moving very slowly towards the flap of the tent and peering out to get a view of what had happened. It was her hope that Talon was still alive. That sent chills down her spine, even just the thought of it. Well, his cry had been cut short...

Looking out, Quinn's entire body relaxed a little bit at the sight, although not quite pleasant, it was still better than the raiders with a dead assassin at their feet. Now if only she had a clear shot at the one with the knife... She didn't though. Talon was in the way. The ranger didn't want to risk hitting Talon rather than his captors. It probably would have made the Noxian mad to know she didn't take the shot because of him, but he didn't have to know.

As the head bandit's eyes scraped over every detail in their camp, it was only natural that she would catch the flap of the tent dropping closed. So the second one was inside were they? How unfortunate for them. They had pretty much caged themselves, even if it was by accident.

Quinn decided to make one last vain attempt to flee in hopes of being able to save Talon later like she had been able to before. She and Val slipped under the back of the tent, heart set on escaping out of the back of the tent, not realizing that they had been surrounded earlier by a loose ring of men and women just waiting for their chance to strike.

As the Demacian woman attempted to sneak away, Valor flying silently above her, several people appeared in her path. Two men easily made her heart sink by their appearance alone. She held her bowgun at the ready as she backed from their advance. Range was no advantage if you couldn't keep that range.

Quinn's backing up landed her in another pair of waiting arms. Her immediate response was to still when the blade was pressed up to her neck and a hand was gripping the back of her shirt. There was a wink of hope as an earsplitting screech was let out by her avian companion. He dived at the woman's two other captors as she was dragged back into camp, much to the pleasure of the leader of this patrol.

((cut short. SCHOOOOOL))

Quinn was more worried about Valor than she was either of them at the moment. If these people had wanted them dead, they would have done it while they were unaware. Even they had to have a sense of mercy. There was still the aching feeling that they were only kept alive for the benefit of these bandits. It made her feel like they were animals or objects that were expendable, only kept at the convenience of someone.

Talon's apology was dismissed with a small nod. She didn't really blame him for this, although part of her still wanted to place the blame on his lack of attention. There was no use in the blame game though. It wasn't going to change anything at the moment. All they could do was pray that their fate wasn't death.

~~~~

Two hopes were answered in a perverse way and several of the party members trotted forward with ropes and bound the hands of their two new prisoners. Leads were tied to those bindings even as others searched the two of them for hidden weapons, receiving many glares from Quinn for the indignity. They didn't seem to mind harsh looks, since she couldn't do anything to them anyways.

The two leaders took the leads from and tugged the two forward, not saying anything until they were nearly to the large camp set up by all the bandits. The head woman broke the silence by saying, "If you want to live through this, you'd best be polite to the boss and do what he says. He decides your fate." With that, the two were pushed into a prisoner's tent together. Demacia's Wings ended up stumbling a bit, then sitting, facing one of the side walls.

Nothing was heard of or from Valor after he had taken a pass at that bandit.

Don't know what you were expecting from this, but it's not based off of some random Television show or anything like that. It's completely from my own head.
Also~
Surprise! You don't get any information about what this is going to be about. All I ask of you is that you drop your character down in your reply. Basically I plan to have this be a random mash up of your own (original, please) characters dropped into one big disfunctional group in a fun environment of my own creation. I won't tell you anything about the environment beforehand, so it'll just be a fun little test of your ability to react in different environment, as well as an exercise for my world-building skills~ 8D

If you're interested in this sort of thing, just leave a post with your character's bio in it. There are five spots so you'd best sign up quickly if you want to
Okay I love you bubye

Guidelines:

Application:

[size=8]
Spots left:
1: ★§ Talon §★
2. P Ц П K K I Ƭ
3. ♫♪ΡΛЯΛMOЯΕ♪♫
4. Meeee~
5. Two-Bit

The silence stretched for a little while. It was always quiet in the desert. Some people considered that serene, but to others it was just off putting. It wasn't real quiet though, since there were still the noises of the bandit camp outside. Things felt a little suspenseful as they waited for their supposed interview with the leader of this camp. By now, Quinn had guessed that the leader was the man they had been looking for.

Demacia's Wings was quiet for a couple minutes before breaking the silence with a sigh and moving to sit back to back with him. Her voice sounded strange to her in the quiet of the tent after being quiet for that long, "You shouldn't blame yourself, Talon... It wasn't your fault. At least... I don't blame you for it." Her words were not the complete truth, but she couldn't fully blame him for being inattentive this late at night, "I'm just glad we're alive for the time being..."

The woman seemed very tense, but she couldn't be blamed when the familiar feel of her eagle companion's presence was no where nearby. She had no way of knowing if he was dead or alive; free or captured. Quinn was pained even at the thought that Valor might be dead. She didn't know if she could handle that, after all else that had happened in the past.

After her words of assurance, the ranger fell back into silence. Had Talon been looking, he would have been able to see the distress on her face, visible in the dim light cast by the lantern strung up above their heads. People seemed to underestimate the strength of the bond between eagle and woman. It stretched beyond any normal levels. It was to the point that they were physically linked to one another in some ways. Losing him would be like losing a very important part of herself.

Quinn relaxed into the fine sand, leaning against Talon's back with the emission of another sigh as she did so. She never would have done this before the Blade's Shadow seemed to have accepted no for an answer, for fear of wrong assumptions, but now, it was nothing but friendly reliance. Her resting against him could be taken as a sign that she trusted him in a brother-sister sort of way. How things had changed in the last few months between them.