SlashInfinite

East meets West (SlashInfinite & POOHEAD189 1x1)

Mikasa was still standing in her place. The men and women had begun discussing their next move, though their situation still remained a mystery. There were whispers of war in the room, whispers others simply dismissed. Mikasa looked between some of the higher ranked officers. Most of them still stood high and proud, even in the time of distress. The elderly woman retracted herself from the table and quickly approached Mikasa. Snapping out of her paralyzed stance, she greeted her with a formal nod. The woman offered a smile, waving her hand dismissively.
“You do not have to be so formal with me, Lady Mikasa. I still remember your first sparring session clear as day. You've grown quite a bit, on the good sides, mind.” Tushia offered a grin, which broke completely through the young Lady's defense. She had always been so fond of Tushia, both off and on the battlefield. She was a witty old woman, and a devastating warrior, even in her age.

The discussion went on, and both Mikasa and Tushia shared a few whispers between it all. Finally, the general spoke up again. “Right. I think we can conclude we know far too little. For all we know, this could've been a band of deserters, working as simple bandits. I propose a scout. Nothing too fancy, we don't want to provoke another attack.” He nodded, no one objecting. In fact, this caused a girl to speak up for the first time during the entire meeting. “I'll ride towards the Pass, General. I never was one for the celebrations, anyway.” Mikasa nodded firmly, her character standing strong, even whilst donned in her dress. The men looked towards her, pondering at the suggestion. General Hakatomi nodded slowly. “I understand your enthusiasm, Lady Mikasa. Truly, I do. Though we shouldn't make any decisions too quick.”. Mikasa nodded back at him, before speaking again. “I'll be able to arrive before the dawn hits. We will need all the time we can get, and I have made the journey many times before.” She insisted. The men nodded in unison, and Mikasa quickly took her leave.

The festives had truly kicked off, and Mikasa scanned the crowd for Naria. Finally catching the young girl, Mikasa couldn't help but smile. The maid had spoken so fondly of a very specific man, a servant of some other household, as far as Mikasa could recall. The two of them were dancing happily together, which was a bittersweet sight. “I pray this won't be the last time in years, you'll be able to smile.” Mikasa muttered to herself, before being on her way back to the Shuenaii household. Upon arrival, she quickly made to her room, jumping surprisingly quickly out of her clothes, and rushed to the family armory. She began equipping her armor, the cuirass, the shoulder pads, and the calf guard. The armor of the Swordmaidens were much equal to their male counterpart, the Heroshidan Samurai, though with minor adjustments. Most carried masks as well, to scare the enemy. But Mikasa simply had a protective helmet, donned with a fair sized horse tail on top. She couldn't help but smile, as she strapped her scabbard to her belt. That sword, had been through such a great many things.

Outside, the pinto horse awaited pateiantly. Mikasa strapped her helm to the saddle, and forced herself up on it. Another of the savants had assisted the Lady upon her arrival , looking at her with great concern. She simply smiled at him. “Will you explain the situation to Miss Hayashi? And please, keep the details of battle to a minimum.” The man nodded back, as Mikasa went on her way towards the Dorochai Pass.

The night had begin to engulf the land, but that hadn't stopped the young woman. So many thoughts raced through her head. Fear, sorrow, excitement, and a rush of adrenaline. After so many hours of riding, she finally could see the lights of the Point overlooking the Pass. The horse stopped by command, and Mikasa patted him carefully. “We'll be all right, don't you worry.”

Blessed (RosebeltAngel and SlashInfinite)

Hannah raised her hand and passively poked the door, still having her head on the wooden door. She simply hadn't thought of a better idea, than to simply wait for anyone to come. It could be hours, though. Most were probably still resting after partying last night, or watching some episode of some show they all were so in love with. Not saying Hannah didn't enjoy watching things, she just preferred to do it after homework, as always. Finally she retracted her head, sighing at the door again. She looked up at the building, wondering if perhaps she was able to climb to her window? Hannah shrugged to herself, placing her hands on her hips before raising an eyebrow. Swiftly, the woman turned around, meeting the gaze of the young man. She froze briefly, staring at him in silence. How long had he been there? Upon further inspection she recognized him, a man living on the floor beneath her. She never knew what to make of him, but admitted to herself that she was most likely the one looking most strange in this situation.

“Ahem.” She cleared her throat, stepping towards him with her hands folded in front of her. “I uhh… You live here too, right? 102? 101? I forgot my key… Just this once.” Hannah offered an embarrassed smile, but still didn't really know how to act around him. She could barely even recall his name, and discreetly did all she could to avoid seeming like she had forgotten. Indeed, she preferred to keep track of things. Pausing for a brief second, she narrowed her eyes at him. He was up early. Hannah was used to having to sneak out in the mornings, to avoid waking up anyone else in the building. Realizing her empty situation, she quickly continued.
“I'd appreciate it if you could open up? I don't know if you ever caught my name,, but it's Hannah. I live in 110.” She tried to offer another smile, carefully holding out her hand for a handshake, as she had stepped closer.

@RosebeltAngel

Blessed (RosebeltAngel and SlashInfinite)

“No, no, I'm sure.” Hannah muttered into her phone, as she took a careful sip of her warm cup of coffe. The girl cursed slightly at herself, as she almost burnt her tongue, completely forgetting about the caller on the other end. Her sister kept speaking like a train with no breaks. Apparently some boy had caused her a headache, for a reason Hannah was still trying to figure out. The coffe shop was rather empty at this time of day, and the young woman only had her homework and her frusated sister on the phone to keep her company. But as tiring as her sister Claire could be, Hannah always enjoyed their little talks on the phone, especially now that she herself had moved to north Sacramento. Claire was still in high school back in Toronto. The climate change had been quite hard hitting for Hannah, but she quickly got used to the heat, always finding it so warm, when the Americans found it cool.
Finishing her cup of coffee, and finally convincing her younger sister that the boy surely hadn't tried to offend Claire by calling some band horrible, she was on her way.. Waving her usual goodbye to Mister Thatchter behind the counter, Hannah left the shop. The city was still waking up as she made her way to Coalmire Street, though Hannah had been up for hours. She always had been quite the morning person, and enjoyed strolling through the city when the cars were just heating up. Still, she let out a morning yawn, already having studied what she needed for the day. She didn't need to go back to the University for another few days, but still kept a strict studying plan. With quick steps she finally made it back to the apartments. It was a house filled with young adults, moving away from home and beginning their pursuit for wealth and happiness in life. And they didn't cost too much, either.
Just as she was about to open up the door, a small item was missing from her bag. With a sigh, Hannah bumped her head into the door to the house,. There she stood, on the street and sighing at herself.
“You had to forget the key again, didn't you?” she muttered to herself.

Blessed (RosebeltAngel and SlashInfinite)

Name: Hannah Prior
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Other:
- Appearence: Hannah stands slightly shorter than the average girl, at about 5'3. Her hair, which is usually just hanging loose, carries a hazel colour to it. Her eyes are a faint green.
- Lives in Apartment 110

Blessed (RosebeltAngel and SlashInfinite)

Adventure!
@RosebeltAngel

East meets West (SlashInfinite & POOHEAD189 1x1)

Dynasty of Heroshida

The yellow sun rays danced ever so gracefully through the window of the room, landing gently upon the several ornaments occupying the beautifully adorned room. Silver, gold and gemstones had been given their place within, clearly not fitting for a simple farmer or merchant. But the woman sitting in her seat was neither; her family had acquired a valuable position, both socially and in terms of value. Behind her stood a woman donned in a simple set of clothes fitting for a handmaiden. She carefully braided the hair, carrying a midnight color to it. Strings had been weaved into unison around the edge of her head, whilst the rest of the hair was allowed to hang freely, dancing with every moment. The both of them silently waited, the maid handling the Lady's hair as if it was a fragile diamond in her very hands. Lady Mikasa allowed a quick sigh to escape her otherwise silent lips, which simultaneously caused a reaction from the maid.
“I apologize my Lady! I shall correct it! What part of it isn't adequate?” the maid broke out, instantly stopping her work, afraid that she might dig a deeper hole, though the young woman simply replied with a relaxed smile and shook her head carefully.
“Do not worry, Miss Hayashi. The hair is lovely, it's just…” Mikasa sighed, lowering her gaze to her hand, intertwining her fingers with a mournful look on her seemingly face. She was at a loss of words , which the slightly younger Naria Hayashi picked up on. After all, she had been in service to Mikasa for many years, since they were both young. She offered a kind smile through the mirror, to the Lady.
“Of course, I understand. It may be a day of celebration for the Dynasty, but..” Lady Mikasa carefully cut her off, finishing the sentence for the maid, which she seemed to appreciate. “It's barely a day of celebration for me. But I shan't trouble you with it, let alone make you feel bad on my behalf. Do not hold yourself back today, because of my mood.” Mikasa offered a kind smile back to Naria. The young maid returned to the braiding with a gentle rush. Over the many years, Nara couldn't count the amount of times she had taken care of preparing her Lady and her hair. She had become quite fond of it, and did an excellent job as well. They both appreciated their position, having grown into mutual friendship. Miss Hayashi looked her Mikasa and her outfit, nodding to herself. “Nonetheless, my Lady, you will look quite lovely today.”
Mikasa smiled, looking through the window.

The streets were already being filled in the city of Takanori, being prepared for the day to come. Lady Mikasa Shuenaii and Naria Hayashi rode through the streets in a silent manner, both having dressed up for the day. The Lady carried a smooth linen dress, being mostly white, though a few golden lines ran across it in a simple pattern. Naria were donned in one of her few dresses for any other occasion than being in the household. It was a simple thing, though still worthy of a maid for a Lady of the Shuenaii family. Dipping her head kindly to whomever might greet her on her way, Mikasa glanced around the beautiful mountain city. The region of Heroshida was mostly filled with mountains and valleys, though it had a few flat areas too, mostly towards the west. With a careful deep breath, the two woman rode on, setting course for the Hamaian Square.
Most of the noble families had arrived, taking their place within the crowd, or at their seats. The two women swiftly dismounted from their horses, which were handed over to a young boy, bowing and taking the reins.
“Lady Mikasa! And Miss Hayashi of course, I'm glad to see the two of you arriving!” A man in his twenties greeted the two, bowing down. He was dressed in an official uniform, though not one fitted for combat. Still, he carried his blade by his side. It was mostly just for any formal events like this, otherwise the Lieutenant would be fully dressed in his armor, a man of the sword as he would say.
“Lieutenant Nakita, a pleasure.” Mikasa curtsied down, offering a smile to the man, who simply offered her a grin. “I never get used to seeing you all dressed up, like all the nobles, I'm afraid.”he shook his head gently, still smiling. “The hair is your doing I assume, Miss Hayashi?” Naria suddenly lit up like a flame, smiling and nodding enthusiastically. “Indeed, Mister Nakita! Worked on it all morning!” The girl nodded once again, though stepping down afterwards. Daika Nakita nodded back at the girl, with an approving gesture. Without further words, he waved for them to follow, leading them through the crowd, as a man began to speak, standing firmly on a platform raised slightly above the common folk and nobility.
“Welcome! Welcome!” He began. Mikasa observed him carefully, already feeling the shiver crawling down her spine. “The houses are empty, the lights have been lit, and soon the evening will be upon us! Today, we celebrate not only the ending of a time, but the beginning of a new! For six years we have had peace!” He briefly paused. “Six years ago, we defended our homes, and pushed the fiends of the West back!” The crowd cheered, and already now, Mikasa simply began to cut the speech off. She found no joy in it, though most of the people did. A way to unite the people, Miss Hayashi had said to her once. The Lady shrugged to herself, she wasn't going to take that from the people. Daika led them on, finally stepping into a house, the noise from outside fading. Naria stopped in the door, looking out to the speech. Flashing a smile, Mikasa waved her hand towards the Square again, Naria nodding happily and moved outside again, the door being shut behind Mikasa. Within the room stood a few familiar faces, all being either wealthy and influential nobles, or military officers. They were in the middle of greeting each other, smiling and nodding. Mikasa were simply in a state of daydreaming, the speech ringing in her head. She met Daika’s gaze, who instantly knew what haunted her. He was the same age as her, having signed up in the military six years ago, as soon as he had turned eighteen. She envied him, being allowed to dress in a uniform on the day. It wasn't that Mikasa didn't find joy in dresses, she simply didn't feel as comfortable in them, for a strange reason.
“I'm afraid,” on of the men began. “”That today won't be much of a celebration. There was an incident.” The General paused. An older woman, dressed in armor fit for a battlefield, rested her hand upon the end of her sheathed blade, grimacing. “Define incident, General.”
The General looked toward the Swordmaiden, nodding. “I'll be blunt, then. There was a skirmish between one of our patrols…” He stopped, looking towards Mikasa briefly. “Between one of our patrols, and the Crusaders.” The words released a chilly sensation throughout the room, followed by complete silence. Mikasa was speechless, being stunned by the words. There hadn't been more than small disagreements with the Western warriors for years.
“The rest of the soldiers stationed in the Dorochai Pass are on full alert. Both sides lost far too many.” The General continued, before an elder man broke in.
“What caused this? Did anyone provoke the attack?”
The General shrugged. “We know little more than what I've told. But there has been movements. I'm afraid it isn't something they'll take lightly. We should prepare for the worst.”
For the first time in what felt like hours, Mikasa took in a deep breath, the images of battle coming back to her. She pitied the citizens cheering outside. None of them were aware, aware that history was about to repeat itself, like it did so long ago.

Pooheaded 1x1!

Sent a PM o/

Lit female looking for anyone - 1x1 search - I'm not desperate, I swear ~

Tossed a PM o/

The Realm of Men

Her gaze was locked upon the never-ending darkness that had befallen before her eyes. She heard sounds, felt the wind and sensed her surroundings – but yet, they were lost in the black colour that had overtaken her eyes. Wherever she looked there was nothing, never-ending nothing. Eliana had risen her head back up, shoving herself a small bit away from Sekaia, on the horse. Her main raced against time, as she tried to make sense of the accusation Sekaia had brought with him. It made no sense to her, not in any scenario she could imagine. Jonius had not just been her teacher, but any excuse for a father figure she had ever had. Her life before the Walker had found her was out of her memory, perhaps due to the young age she had been found in. Her past didn’t trouble her too much, though the curiosity had planted a seed in her mind – a seed that had lately begin to grow. Strange visions and happenings, that had been out of the ordinary fuelled her mind with doubt of who she truly was, and if her purpose in this life was just to do what so many had done before her – lead the dead to the beyond.

The happenings ahead of the Battle of Lowburg had seared into her mind, as those were the only pictures she could imagine lately. Jonius wasn’t a foolish man. He was one of the most trusted and respected of the Walkers. How he could so purposely walk right into the embrace of death made no sense to her. She had expressed her concern before they had entered; still he had insisted that they would be fine.
Eliana scoffed to herself. Something didn’t make sense to her; perhaps it was her way of concealing the feelings that plagued her mind. She had had no time to grief, and the last few days she had been buried in her own misery after losing her sight and being damned to this eternal colourless sight that haunted her. Feeding her doubt was the sudden and outrageous accusation of her taking Jonius’ life. The girl looked towards the general direction of Sekaia, though darkness was all that met her eyes. The two had not shared words since they he had explained their situation to her. She frowned at the thought, feeling betrayed by someone she once called friend.

Though the two had only met briefly a few times, Eliana had taken a liking to Sekaia. Unlike many of the older Walkers, Sekaia had always had his way to talk with people. Should his word not suffice, he would take use of his trickery to grant someone a good night’s sleep. It wouldn’t be a surprise to Ellie if he had volunteered to go find her, which ignited a spark of hope within her, that he thought the claim, was just as absurd as she did. She didn’t know if the lacked the courage, or was too afraid of the answer to ask about his opinion on the matter. A coward, Ellie concluded to herself, that’s what she was, and with that she kept her mouth shut.

*

Sekaia felt the pressure of the girl on his back again, assuming she had fallen asleep with her head on his back. He peered over his shoulder, examining her golden hair. He swiftly smirked; reminding himself of the times he had teased her with the abnormality of her hair. Never had he seen someone with that exact colour, and therefore he had not held back with convincing Eliana that she had to be a mutant descending from Old Gods residing within the Void. He returned his gaze back to the road, and heard the horse complaining about the long journey perhaps.

“Fine. We’ll rest for a bit then. But don’t expect any stable. I don’t see even a see a lig-…” Sekaia interrupted himself, as his attention was caught by a faint glow nearby. He stopped the horse abruptly, narrowing his eyes in the darkness.

“What now?” he muttered to himself, leading the horse onwards.

With a un-lady-like snort Eliana woke up. Sekaia swiftly hushed her, as he rode forward.
He stopped the horse, jumping off of it and inspecting the purple glow a bit ahead of them. He pointed towards it, whispering to the woman.

“See that?” he asked, not realising what he had just done.

Eliana sat with a disappointed expression, looking in his direction. Sekaia met her empty gaze and grimaced to himself. “Right. Sorry.” He offered his hand to her, laying it calmly on her lap, as she grabbed it and was lifted down by him. Sekaia led her to the tree, allowing her to gain some ground. He now had a closer look at her eyes, which didn’t seem much different from those had had seen months before. Though her stare was ever so empty and led nowhere, she looked somewhat the same.

He felt a sensation as he looked towards the glow, for better or worse he couldn’t tell, but it was something.

“You must feel it, don’t you?” Sekaia muttered as he carefully turned Eliana’s head toward the glow, in which she responded with a slow nod.

“Stay here. I’ll have a look.” Sekaia grabbed his engraved staff, about to set off as his arm was grabbed.

“You’re not leaving me here.” Ellie sternly declared, scoffing at the man.

“I’m sorry, but you must understand that your situation would bring… certain complications if something were to happen down there.” Sekaia sighed at himself, cursing his word of choice.

“Am I supposed to be a bystander the rest of my life, then?” she was about to scoff again.

Sekaia stared at her, not knowing what to say to her. He tapped his fingers, sighing at her.

“Either you’re not taking a closer look at whatever that is, or you’re taking me with you.” Sekaia was taken by surprise, seeing as Eliana usually didn’t order anyone else around. He supposed that losing your sight could do that to a person.

“Fine. Come along then, you blind blonde.” Sekaia sighed heavily, which for some reason caused a short smile on Eliana’s lips.

The Realm of Men

Eliana sat on the bed, listening to Sekaia rushing around the tent. Though she didn’t have too many belongings, Sekaia was taking his dear time. Finally he stopped, turning his head to the entrance of the tent. Footsteps approached the tent, along with the sound of someone most likely dressed in heavy armour. Ellie looked around in panic, trying to listen for Sekaia.
Sir Leon stepped inside the tent, raising an eyebrow. The knight narrowed his eyes at the girl and the packed satchel next to her.

“Are you going anywhere, My Lady?” he spoke with a wary voice, tapping the hilt of his beloved sword.
Eliana looked around, shaking her head in a hint of confusion. She rubbed her hands together whilst she felt her face heating up.

“Uh, no. Nowhere.” She nodded towards the general direction of Sir Leon. The knight stepped further inside and glanced around the tent. Within the same seconds, Leon scoffed to himself, turning to Eliana.

“There’s something peculiar about you, Lady Eliana. I advise you to stay honest in the presence of the Fire.” The knight approached with an even more stern expression. He drew out roundel, placing it gently against the girl’s cheek. She almost squeaked as the blade touched her, and the girl quickly froze as she realized what it was that had touched her cheek.

“What are you?” the knight almost snarled at the girl, before the cold touch against her face disappeared. Sir Leon rose up and began to cough. Strange noises escaped the man, as he dropped to the ground and became silent. As confused as ever, Eliana reached for her satchel.
A small breeze filled out the tent, as Sekaia appeared before the collapsed knight and blinded girl.

“We have to go.” The man grabbed the girl and her satchel, pulling her along with him. The night had come, laying the land in darkness. Eliana seemed to eventually sense the scent and noise of a horse, before her hips were rudely grabbed, and she was tossed upon the horse. She felt a figure pull itself up and place itself in front of her, which she assumed was Sekaia. With a small whip of the reigns the horse trotted forward. Eliana threw her arms around the man as she had pulled her hood. In the slight race of panic she checked for her satchel, which rested at her side.

Eliana lowered her voice as they rode through the camp, blinking her blind eyes. “What’d… What’d you do to him?”

Sekaia scoffed, riding ahead with his hood lowered as well. “He’ll be alright. Don’t worry about these people. “ He paused as they passed two soldiers. “They don’t understand our purpose.”

A distant shout caused panic in the fort. The horse picked up it’s pace as Sekaia attempted to proceed without further any problems. A few knights ran towards the shout, shouting out as well. The voices spread throughout the camp and with a kick to the side, the horse went into gallop.

“Halt! Don’t let them pass!” an archer shouted out, as he raised his crossbow and fired away. The bolt flew right past the couple as they charged through the limit of the encampment around the fort.

“Stop!”

Later, in the wilderness

There had been silence between the two since the discreet escape. They neared the edge of another forest and Ellie could hear howls in the distance, sending a chill down her spine. She nudged closer to Sekaia, taking in a deep breath. An endless amount of questions ran through her mind, until she finally settled on one.

“Where are we going?” she muttered out, having rested her head on the back of Sekaia.

The older Walker looked around, before answering. He squinted his eyes towards the forest.
“Further north. Some of the Walkers have gathered. The Grandmaster… A few of the veterans, and the councillors.” He muttered back.

Eliana yawned silently, before her mind started thinking again.

“That… The Grandmaster gathers the councillors and the seasoned Walkers… What am I to do there?” Ellie lifted her head slightly, though not bothering to raise it any further.

“Your teacher is… Incapable of teaching you any further. You need a new one.” Sekaia coughed, nodding to himself.

“It’s not the Oku’tcha, is it?” Eliana raised her head up, looking towards the voice that spoke.

Sekaia Lesundos sighed at the girl. He muttered to himself before saying anything.

“I suppose you deserve to know. Strange things are happening up north, and some of the Walkers wish to… Engage, in the events.” Sekaia lowered his voice as his sentence came towards an end.

“What?” Eliana almost dared not ask.

“They want to fight. There are rumours between the Walkers, especially with the strange death of your master. They believe someone has betrayed us.” Sekaia rested his hand upon his lap, still scouting around.

Sekaia continued again, as the horse slowly trotted away. “We’re few, and we’re falling apart. Some doubt the true purpose of Andalus.”

“And… “ he sighed. “Some of them, believe you took Jonius’ life.”

Eliana froze, once again. She could barely speak a word.

“W-… What?”