The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing [r]

[Freja]

It had been a long and tiring day for the silver-haired Feroxi as she decided to take up shop in the main "capital" area of Western Ferox where most of the soldiers directly under the new khan, Xanthe as she eventually learned her name from hearsay (Freja had grown weary of always referring to her as the 'Phantom Rider', not that her own nickname was any better) would also take their breaks, perhaps doing additional training on their own or taking up the tankard of booze. Regardless, Freja with her trusty axe in hand (she was rarely seen without it) had decided to park herself in the more militant district of the area, one where she was sure to see many of the soldiers either bored or tired from their daily duties for the current day. She had half a mind to grab a drink herself but she didn't really want to go into a bar or tavern holding her battle-axe which was probably going to cause more trouble than it was worth.



Instead Freja spotted a young girl carting some bottles of... stuff. Freja went to the girl and decided to help her out by buying two of the bottles of said stuff, without even asking what was inside. Upon looking at the contents of the bottle it looked to be some milky substance. Smiling, Freja silently nodded and took up shop on a patch of grass, sipping the bottle. It tasted like fruity milk. A homebrew, most likely. Smiling happily, she left the other bottle on the ground next to her axe and drank from her first bottle.



As she was minding her own business two men walked up to her.



Freja ignored them, one of her hands silently creeping up to the butt of her battle-axe. As she ignored the two men who were by now continuously mocking her for her strange style of dress more fitting for the ballroom than in the battlefield, a crowd began to draw around her as some of them seemed to recognize the very woman that the two men - now easily identified as Feroxi soldiers - were seemingly "picking on." It was very hard not to get drawn to this crowd even to ask what was going on.



Tags: atlas

[atlas]

Having completed his daily patrol around the area Atlas returned to give his report, it was another standard day with nothing really going on. There was the occasional quarrel here and there but with a massive man carrying a large sword wandering the area next to one wanted to catch his attention, Atlas wasn't a bad man but his appearance lead people to believe otherwise. It was still relatively early in the day so he expected more orders to be given but as luck would have it everything else was currently being handled by others, leaving him with nothing to do for the rest of the day. Not really sure of what to do he left the headquarters and set off to find something with which to busy himself. Turning a corner he was met with an open field where kids were playing a ball game, one child in particular hit it quite hard and launched it father than anyone expected. Soaring through the air it traveled towards Atlas, holding out a hand he grabbed it and stared at it for a moment. The children were all terrified that they'd just upset him but he simply offered them a smile and tossed the ball back. Try to be a bit more careful next time. They were grateful for his kind and all waved and smiled at him for a few moments before returning to their game. Atlas was satisfied that he had no business here so he went on his way.

Walking the city for an hour or so he'd seen and greeted quite a few people but nobody really required any assistance. It was disappointing but it seemed like he would have to retire early today. He decided to check for a bit longer before giving up however. A few more minutes passed and he noticed something, there was a crowd gathering and they were being rather loud. His curiosity was piqued so Atlas stepped over, he was at the back but he towered over everyone else so his view was just fine. It seemed two men were harassing a woman, who was just sitting there trying to mind her own business and enjoy the day. It took a moment but he recognized the men, they were soldiers stationed at the same headquarters he was, they were probably supposed to be handling some task but decided to waste time here instead. Walking through the crowd Atlas didn't say a word, everyone quickly moved out of his way to avoid being trampled as he neared the two men. Stabbing his sword into the ground behind them it made a loud noise causing the men to jump and turn around. As they looked up at him Atlas grabbed the two by their uniforms and lifted them up, giving them a hard stare he could see the fear in their eyes. Don't you two have something more important to be doing? And you call yourselves Feroxi soldiers. Dropping them they landed on their backsides and quickly scrambled away, meanwhile Atlas picked up his sword and turned to face the crowd. There's nothing to see here. Disperse. Now. Quickly heading his words everyone in the area was gone in an instant. Turning his attention to the woman from earlier he stepped over so that he was in front of her. Are you all right?

Tags: Freja

[Freja]

Freja blankly stared into space, drinking from the bottle as she continued to ignore the two soldiers heckling her. After a few moments, she lost her patience and tightly gripped her battle-axe which was on the ground, but before she could stand up and start a fight, another man suddenly walked through the crowd and intimidated the two men by their uniforms and lifted them up. Freja just looked at the scene unfolding before her and the men soon ran away. The man then dispersed the crowd and asked Freja if she was alright. "I'm fine. I was going to deal with them myself," she said, pointing out her massive axe to the man. "But it seems you stopped them for me. Good thing too, there might have been blood spilt on my hands. Well, thank you very much." Freja said softly, looking up at the man and not even bothering to stand as she finished drinking from the first bottle. She took the second one wordlessly and extended it to the man who had helped her out.

"I got the drinks for myself but here, this is what I can do for you in return." she said.

--

Tags: atlas

[atlas]

It seemed the woman before him wanted to handle the situation with violence, which Atlas had expected, so he was glad he stepped in at the right time. It would have been bad if there was a mess to clean up around here, the people didn't need to see such a display. She also didn't seem to care much at the thought of spilling blood, clearly she was a warrior but at the same time she was quite brutish. She thanked him so clearly she had manners, this conversation would be taxing if she didn't after all. Once she finished whatever she was drinking she reached for another bottle, offering this one to him he took it and nodded his head. That's kind of you. I'm just glad nobody was injured. Removing the seal of the bottle Atlas took a sip, whatever the liquid was it was creamy and fruity to the taste, it was delicious. Not wanting to waste it he quickly finished it off and set the bottle down next to the woman. That was delightful, can't say I've ever had anything like that before. Looking the woman over for the first time Atlas wondered about her attire considering she carried a large ax around with her. If you don't mind my asking, who are you?

[Freja]

As the man said he was glad nobody was injured, Freja nodded approvingly. "Yeah. I just have a short temper... Sometimes. I can be... pretty impulsive." she pointed out. Then the man asked her who she was. "Well, my name is Freja. I'm from here, you know. My mother fought her battles in a dress like this, so I wanted to be like her. Well, I think I am doing alright. People often underestimate me and mock me for it, but it's fine. I can easily prove my strength and skill through demonstration. But I guess if you haven't heard of me, then I have to work harder to become more renowned through Ferox. Haha..." Freja sighed wistfully, now picking up an empty bottle and looking listlessly at it. "How about you, mister? You look like you're a part of the Feroxi military yourself. You must be quite the man to have such an authoritative presence around those rowdy kids." Freja simply said, she did not look at the man though, still she stared at the empty bottle. She did not do it deliberately to be rude, but rather, she was thinking about something. Her expression was now very pensive.

[atlas]

Atlas listened intently to what the woman had to say, he had gathered on his own that her temper was short but when you paired that with impulsive behavior she became even more dangerous. He received an explanation about her attire without having to ask, it was very respectable to be like someone you admire. The way she was dressed must have been the reason the crowd had gathered and why those men from earlier were harassing her. The woman before him seemed determined to prove herself to everyone, she hoped that one day her name would be known in every house in Regna Ferox. Atlas felt like he'd at least heard some talk of this woman but nothing in particular came to mind. Atlas couldn't help but laugh a little at her remark. You are correct, I am indeed a member of the military and my name is Atlas. I do what is asked of me and nothing less, orders are orders after all. I can't say that really makes me anything special though but I thank you for you kind words. Noticing she was a bit lost in thought he decided to return some of the kindness she'd expressed. Also, I've heard your name somewhere before. I just didn't have a face to match to it until now.

[Freja]

"Well, pleasure to meet you Sir Atlas." Freja said quietly, now looking up at the man. It looks like this man was alright after all. Easy to talk to yet knew when to put down his foot. He was alright in her book. He explained himself for a moment before mentioning that he did hear her name somewhere before. Kind of an odd timing to bring that up actually, but what the hell, let's roll with it. Freja tilted her head and made a soft hum. "Hmm? Have you? That's interesting. Where have you heard the name before, curiously? I'm just interested. I didn't think anyone would have heard yet. I'm still working on the whole vigilante thing." Freja simply said, smiling weakly. She fidgeted with the bottle in her hands and then simply laughed softly to herself after a moment.

[atlas]

Atlas wasn't exactly sure how he felt about being referred to as a 'sir', it made him feel even older than he actually was, he didn't even have any kids for god's sake. It would however be rude to try and correct her so he simply shrugged it off. He was a bit surprised by her question, from the tone she seemed a little confused and he detected a hint of something else but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. Hopefully he didn't somehow upset her with any of his remarks, he didn't really have much experience with talking to women unless they were barking orders at him or attempting to take his head. Still she had asked a question and awaited it's answer. Scratching his head for a moment Atlas started to think, it hadn't been all that long ago but his job required him to travel all around the streets so he engaged in and overheard many a conversation. Once he remembered he crossed his arms and offered Freja a smile. Here and there really, at the occasional tavern and at a few military stations. The soldiers mentioned someone making their patrols easier and your name came up. I take it you've been doing your fair share of good and for that you have my thanks.