Something's Coming [Closed]

TAGSJosh Dragelion

And there it was. A far-off, larger rustling. Cathryn was still quiet. Nerina was somehow happier for it; she was a little tired of her friend breathing down her neck all the time. Watching the ground carefully for leaves, she took out a sword and backed up against a tree, not wanting to leave anything to chance. More than likely, it was some local taking a walk or hunting. The latter worried her. If they think I'm something huntable, can I dodge an arrow? I don't know... At least she didn't have Cathryn telling her she ought to just kill the intruder. She didn't always agree with the woman, although they did have a lot of common ground.
The noise seemed like it was going to pass her by. Guess it's not a hunter, then. Or it's a really bad one, she added in fairness. Her natural curiosity took over, and she peeled herself off the tree, heading for the rustling. She had no intent to harm, and no intent to stalk, but she just... kinda wanted to know what kind of locals lived around here. And without the other woman's badgering, she was free to do so. Also, she was like, 90% sure she could hear a dog boofing and messing around out there. Eh, why not. It'll just be some untrained farm boy, anyway. If I get into trouble, I can take him down easy. Heh, maybe I can even mess with him a little bit. Yeah... It's been ages since I pulled something.
Yeah, that was definitely dog noises. It seemed like today was going to be a pretty good day.

TAGSJosh Dragelion

She'd been spotted. Clumsy fool! she chided herself. What would Cathryn say if she knew? Nerina stumbled backwards a little more quickly now, not checking behind herself quite as well. She still tried to move quietly, but as she stepped on sticks and rustled leaves, she knew her chances to avoid detection were shot. Okay, time for plan B, she thought, whipping her head around as she scuttled backwards. There — a fallen tree, one large enough to hide beneath easily. That dog could be a problem, but at least it would give her time to think.
A stick dug into her back, and she winced, suppressing a yelp. She had to catch her balance, putting her right hand down behind her foot as she fell backwards...
And the snare snapped shut.
That yelp she'd tried to keep in exploded out at full force as Nerina was abruptly dragged off her feet. This snare would ordinarily hang an animal from the sapling attached to it, but as a fully-grown Hylian was much heavier than the smaller animals it was designed to trap. Tragically for Nerina, she weighed way, way less than a fully-grown Hylian. So when her right hand and foot were caught, she was actually dragged up off the ground. She struggled, which, of course, only made the snare tighter. The sapling snapped around, making it painfully obvious that there was something attached to it. Her cover was beyond blown. Panicking, she tried to get a sword out of its scabbard, but she couldn't manage at this angle. Maybe if I – no wait but — if I turn! Straining, she managed to nearly remove a half inch, but this only caused the sword to slip out, followed quickly after by the other. Her struggles had exhausted her. I can't... get it around... this is what happens... when you don't eat for, what, maybe two days... and only eat breakfast... today... It had, in fact, been three days, but she had been focused on other things. At least I drink water... She rested for a moment, adjusted her glasses with her remaining hand, and tried to make the position more comfortable. Okay what if—
She froze (to the best of her abilities), gently spinning on the snare's cord, eyes like saucers. She was easy prey, suspended in a trap three feet off the ground, and she was panicking. Cathryn! Where are you? Help me!
The footsteps were very, very close.

TAGSJosh Dragelion

"Nerina?"

That was... Josh's voice??? It was immediately recognizable, and she'd always had a good head for voices. She stayed stock-still, not trusting her ears as the footsteps, dog and human (probably) alike, grew closer. She hoped, in that detached way one hopes in their most overwhelming panic, that the dog would still like her. Slowly, she rotated around to see...

"Josh?"

Her jaw would drop, if gravity was normal, but as it was, her eyebrows just shot up... er, down... well, up relative to her face. She didn't hardly respond to the "kiss", her chest still moving in quick, hyperventilating bursts. Following his direction in her shock, she put her remaining hand on his shoulder and waited. I could kill him, she thought absently. I could bite into his jugular and tear it out right here. Bit of mess, no real fuss. At this point, the concept of brutality was as everyday as bathing or brushing your hair. But then I would be stuck here. Had he been any more threatening, she would have attacked without hesitation like the frightened, trapped animal she appeared to be. But she remembered him, remembered that he was no more threatening than the bouncing dog at his side. Just a big butterball of a guard with no real teeth to him. So she took the coddling. The healing surprised her; it rushed through her like a wave of heat, tingling across her blisters and road-wounds and scars. (There was more to heal than he'd likely thought.) As soon as the man set her down, she grabbed her swords, sheathing one and carefully holding the other, visibly uncertain. She stared at him distrustfully for a while, looking him over, until she finally opened her mouth.
"Selene wouldn't like to see you kissing other girls," she offered. It was nearly a joke. She was impressed with herself. And she was... probably right?

TAGSJosh Dragelion

Oh. Huh. I think I lost some money on that. "Uh, sorry. It's, uh... Thank you for helping me down, and that... thing you did to my legs. Much appreciated." Much appreciated, now tell me what you want, more like. "And congrats to the lucky lady, whoever she is. Who's this?" She held out her hand and clicked at the golden, fully expecting for him to refuse to approach. It had been happening more and more often recently. Must be the glasses.
She still hung back despite making apparently comfortable conversation. This was a very different Nerina than the equally different Josh of two years previous had known. This Nerina moved like something wild and afraid. She didn't trust, was hardly curious, and couldn't seem to muster the energy of her former self. On top of that, her clothes showed road wear. A lot of road wear. Her sleeves were tattered, her cloak a ragged mess, and her pants split at the seams. And had she stayed in his arms much longer, the fact that her weight had dropped severely would be painfully obvious. This Nerina was a wild wanderer, a lost spirit of the past more so than a solid denizen of the future. She was... something else, someone else. This old friend was a stranger.

TAGSJosh Dragelion

Well, that was a shocker. She was happy to pet the dog. It had been a long time since --


Nerina's consciousness exploded back onto the present, leaving her panting slightly. Unrealized, her hand had curled into a fist around the dog's fur. He looked up at her in concern, tail still thumping on the ground, and nosed her arm. Why...? She frowned. That usually lasts... much longer, especially when... She looked up at Josh, trying to figure out why he was still here. He looks confused. I'm confused. We're all confused. At least the dog is alright this time no no no no no no no no no no don't think about it no
She looked at Buddy, trying very hard to stop her mind from falling down into that chasm again. And why does it even happen, anyway?! That's long gone! I'm... fine?]
Oh whoops he was talking. "..." Nerina looked hard at his face, openly trying to determine his motives. She saw the love written across him like words on a page and softened a bit. Remember when I had that? And threw it away... "Shame to hear about her... iss...ue?" What, is she pregnant? Not even your wife, from the sound of it. Hylia, Josh, didn't think you had it in you. Internally, she whistled. "I... mean, I usually don't... spend much time in town." Her answer was cagey, and her expression more so. Eh, married or unmarried, food is food. A free meal is a free meal. It... It might be free. I'll... She couldn't do it. Couldn't believe that anything would be freely given. He's not that bad. It'll probably be a simple job. "Alright. Sure. Thanks for the, ah... Thanks in advance." Nerina slowly unfolded her wire-thin body and stood, cloak sweeping over her again to hide her scarecrow frame. "Where to?"

TAGSJosh Dragelion

As they walked, Nerina mused to herself, finally able to do so without interruption. I think I understand how Harper walked now. He always looked like he was on stilts, stalky-legged stork-man that he was. She stiffened a little at every nearby rustle, growing more and more anxious as time went on. The giant sword on Josh's back was actually somewhat comforting. She stuck close on his heels, not uncomfortably so, but enough to leave her enough room to draw swords and either attack him or attack whatever attacked them. Of course, nothing attacked, which didn't help her fear. Nerina was very, very unused to this idea of peace. It rankled her. Why can't the world just choose? Sometimes it's attacking me, sometimes I'm attacking it, and then there are these weird, brief periods of silence in between where nobody is attacking anybody else and everything is weird and quiet and unnatural. Truly, it showed the depth of change in her for her to think peace unnatural, she mused. That was about when they hit the edge of the village.
The woman paused at the first fence, shuffling away to one side like it would burn her if she touched it. She drew her cloak tightly around her and muttered something under her breath in another language, one full of hard consonants and hissing -- a language of sand and steel. "Of course they live in a village." This was the last place on Farore's green earth she wanted to be. So many corners, so many walls, so many closed spaces... Nerina sucked in a deep breath and tightened her grip on her cloak even more before stepping beyond the line of the first fence and back into a world of people and talking. You can act. You're fine. Act fine. She tried to walk normally, but there was still a definite stiffness to her shoulders that wasn't as visible in the forest. It'll be fine. Hopefully. Unless his girlfriend is, I dunno, Lemminkainen. That would be bad. Actually, she is the antonym of fine, so as long as it's not her, we're probably good. But Josh wouldn't go for a grump like her, would he? He probably ended up with some shy, sweet girl like Selene. Yeah. As they neared the farm, Nerina felt more and more... odd. Almost nostalgic, even. It had been ages since she'd left home, and for an instant, she almost missed it.
Her stomach rumbled loudly at the smell of food, and she tried to cover up her ravenous hunger to no avail. "Smells good," she offered. "Your girlfriend must be a good cook." The pig was a surprise, but she heard it coming. Animal sounds were good. Animal sounds meant no danger, for now. "Pet names? Tsk, tsk, Josh, I took you for a warrior, not a sap." A successful joke. She really was relaxing. Nerina casually (or. well. trying-to-look-slightly-casual-ly) walked into the house behind Josh, ready to meet this chef.