Scars Run Deep... Fated To Change

Yazuki stood as the storm raged, the rain pelting down on the now soft ground. He began to ponder what this scar across his face would do to his reputation and his ability to be him. He had bitten off more than he could chew while he was with Nightken and learned the full extent of what he could and couldn't do, and it angered him. He needed to become stronger. A lot about him had changed since then. A biological mage changed his hair color permanently for him to a red hue, lengthened it so now it was long and put into two ponytails side by side atop his head, his bangs still hanging down to give him a familiar look to those who knew him. The scar ran underneath his eyes, across the bridge on his nose, the scar that the Dharma couldn't heal, and even the healer he found couldn't do a thing to. He wore his robes that Nightken had given him as a gift, His Dharma across his back. He was ready for anything if it came to it. He looked up at the storm. It calmed him to be here right now, and if need be he had a small cave nearby for the night he could crash in. Storms were something he had grown accustomed to training in, but for the moment, he just wanted to relax and release the tension. Hardly anyone ever came to this canyon, so he felt that he would be a lone here, and could just collect his thoughts. Should he change who he was or should he continue to be the bubbly, flirty person he normally was?

He wasn't quite sure at the moment. He had only ever wanted to find someone, and flirting had never achieved that. Maybe he would just give up and work on becoming stronger. Maybe his approach changing would help him find someone eventually. He started to realize that he really had a problem with being a true romantic. Maybe he should be more serious and worry about himself for a while. He slowly started to trudge towards where lightning had struck. Rain dripped from him as he continued onward.

Rain was something that did not bother Karin—she had grown up in a land that rained almost constantly—but the storm that came into the canyon that day was one that put her ill at ease. She had traveled through the area many times before going to and from one town or the next, but most every time the weather had always been arid and dry. This storm, whatever it was, seemed to be unnatural; even when it rained here, it was always a drizzle. In any case, the white-haired mage was by no means dressed for this kind of weather; her shawl was a light fabric meant to protect her face from the sun and the heat, and the rest of her garb had been chosen with the same conditions in mind. The rain had soaked through her clothes almost immediately, and what were once light garments were now weighted from the water.

Traversing the canyon was, in itself, a difficult task without the addition of the storm. She had started from the top and had climbed about halfway down before the rain came in, and was currently sitting in the crook of a tree that jutted out from the canyon wall trying to plan her next move. There were no points within twenty five meters that she could latch a zip line to—none that she could see, anyways—and the rocks were becoming too slick to climb without the possibility of slipping. At the same time, she knew she would need shelter soon. These kinds of challenges were the ones she lived for, however, and she relished in taking them head on. How long could she out think or out perform nature’s traps and perils? She hoped that today wasn’t the day her luck ran out. She sat there and considered her options further; she did not have enough rope to rappel, and the lack of points to latch on to with her zip line spell annoyed her greatly. Lightning cracked overhead, briefly illuminating the area around her. Something caught her eye—it looked like a cave of some kind. She summoned her bow and an arrow, and got into a position in which she could shoot it off. She infused the crystalline projectile with a combination of light and fire before letting it go; after two seconds it lit practically the entire area between herself and that spot—sure enough, it was a cave.

Before the flare arrow faded, she noticed that she wasn’t all that far from the ground—fifty feet, at most. She angled her shot to be about 40 degrees before letting loose another arrow—this time with the zipline spell—and watched as the arrow hit, and the line appeared before her. As her flare faded, she kept her weapon out and used it to slide down the line. The descent was fast, and about ten feet from the ground she let go of the bow and fell into a roll on the wet sand of the canyon floor. With the wind knocked out of her, she lay there for a moment and clenched her gut. Her entire body throbbed with aching; the huntress was a hardy creature, but even she realized that it wasn’t the smartest move she had ever made.

She lay in the rain to catch her breath, rolling out of the straps of her pack and on to her back with a groan. Her entire body ached from the landing, and her head was spinning...after a brief time, she managed to snap out of her dazed state enough to remember to get out of the rain. She got up and threw her pack around one shoulder and started to limp in the direction of the cave she had seen from her perch in the tree. The walk was about a 300 yards, but with a possible concussion and an aching body in the cold, it was an arduous affair.

When she reached the mouth of the cave, she was not immediately aware if there was another occupant, or if it was entirely safe, but her survivalist motivations told her to find shelter first and worry about the consequences later; she had her bow, and that was plenty to defend herself with. About two or three yards into the cave, she dropped her pack and slumped against the wall, sliding down to sit against it….

As Yazuki had his fill of the storm, eating a few strikes of lightning for the fun of it to try and learn how to better judge where they would land, he decided to head back to his resting area for the night. The cave wasn't far off, and surely the storm he had attracted wouldn't have many travelers coming down this direction. He slowly walked towards the direction of the cave when something caught his attention. He sniffed a few times. Someone was actually here, and by the smell of it, they were sopping wet. He tried to discern what direction the smell was coming from, noting that it wasn't a horrible smell, so obviously it was just someone who wasn't prepared for this storm. He continued walking towards the cave, hoping that they could find shelter. There weren't many hiding holes here in the canyon, so it would be hard to get out of the rain without the finding one of the three places Yazuki knew of. He thought the smell was coming from over by the cave, so he pressed in that direction.

As he approached his resting area, he noticed someone laying on the ground a little ways away, holding their stomach. He watched for a moment, waiting to see if they were ok before he would approach. He was a decent ways away so he didn't worry about being seen. When the person got up and entered his resting area, though, he figured he might as well go say hello. They probably would be staying the night there. He had provisions in the cave, as he was making a trip out of this. Some blankets and dry wood was stashed along with some food and other supplies.

As he entered, he saw the figure with their back against the wall. He knew his presence could be felt at this moment, but he didn't really care. He walked a short ways in and let a lightning bolt hit the woodpile he had set up for the fire, setting the wood ablaze.

"If you are wet might I suggest you dry off your clothes? They dry quicker if they are closer to the fire and not clinging to your body. There are blankets over there you can get warm under and cover yourself." He pointed over at the blankets, not yet looking at the figure. He didn't really care at the moment that he had company yet. His mind was still elsewhere. What would he do from here... He knew he would stay here for a while, collect his thoughts. Maybe clear his mind some more before returning to the guild. Nightken knew where he was, so he wasn't too worried. He looked down at his robes and smiled. His mentor had them specially made for him so that they wouldn't cling to him. It felt good to wear actual clothes again, even though they were made of titanium and just a little heavier than he was used to. On the plus side, though, they were waterproof, so he wasn't all that wet.

Finally, he turned around and looked at his new visitor, meeting their gaze.

It took several minutes for the lightning mage to make his way to the cave, during which the huntress just sat with her back to the wall and breathing deeply. Her whole body was sore from the impact on the ground, but the sharpest pain was in her ribcage on her left side. Considering the lack of a reddish-brown stain on her garments in that particular area, it was safe to assume that she had cracked or bruised some ribs rather than broken them; certainly not how she had envisioned her trip to the canyon going, but it most certainly could have been worse. Were it not for the rain, she might have heard him coming; were it not for her injured state, she would have been more defensive. It was only when the other mage set the bundle of wood alight did she realize that where she lay was more than just a cave: it was a campsite, and the mage that just walked in had likely set it up.

Holding her side, Karin let something of a pained chuckle escape her mouth at his suggestion; it was clear he meant well given the circumstances, but at any other time it could have been interpreted simply as an attempt to try and see her naked. "Takk fyri," she grunted, choosing to speak one of the languages of her homeland rather than the one common to Fiore in that particular instance. Unlike most any other time she would go adventuring, her hair was left loose for the most part--the silky white coloring was added protection against the sun when she didn't have her hood up--and as such, it was soaked in the rain and clung to her like her clothes. There was a singular ribbon towards the bottom of her long locks to tie everything off, and that was it.

She shifted her position so that she could sit up a bit, wiping stray bits of hair out of her face so she could see her company clearly. The first thing she noticed about his face was the scar, although she hardly found it intriguing or odd. She came from a land of roving barbarians and constant warfare--scars were nothing new or shocking to her, except for those from the most gruesome of injuries; a gash across the face was standard fare. "What is your name?" the huntress asked, her accent indicative of her northern island heritage.

Yazuki flinched as he noticed she was injured. She spoke something strange as she chuckled, but he barely heard it as he walked over and retrieved a blanket for her and walked over, bending down in front of her to face her as she asked for his name. He wasn't interested in her name but moreso the side she was holding. He reached out and grabbed her wrists tightly and his dharma seemed to flick a little with light as he poured its regenerative properties into her, instantly causing her to heal. He let go after a short time, knowing the dharma would have done its job.

"Call me... Raijin." He looked at her with his now electric green eyes. "I hope that helps you feel better. You should be more careful, I watched you fall. Here is a blanket. I will go stand outside while you get your clothes next to the fire. There are some clothes over there, but they may be baggy."

He stood up and started walking towards the entrance of the cave. There wasn't much for him to say to this strange woman. This was his first visitor. He stopped in the door before stepping out.

"I have enough room and bedding here for you to stay for as long as you need, but this storm won't break for as long as I am here in the canyon. It may get worse than this even. This is where it all started. Where the demon cursed me, and where the Thunder God graced me with his presence. Just tell me when you are done." With that, he stepped out of the cave to await her saying she was done.

As soon as her wrists were taken hold of, the huntress tried to pull away out of instinct. Regardless of what this man's intentions were, she did not appreciate having a stranger's hands touching her; however, soon enough he let go and the pain from her bruised ribs were gone, though her body still throbbed with a dull ache. When his hands released her wrists, she pulled them close and listened to his spiel about the Thunder God and a demon--why he decided to include that was a bit confusing for her, to say the least. Regardless of her thoughts on the matter, the huntress nodded and grabbed her pack before walking towards the back of the cave; although she appreciated the offer of his spare clothes, she had packed an extra (albeit much simpler) set of garments.

Not wanting to leave her host out in the storm for too long, undressed from herself quite quickly and laid the soaking wet clothing on a rock for the time being before changing into the garments that had been in her hide pack. The spares were a set of light brown trousers and a white tunic. Her hair remained uncomfortably soaked and heavy, but such was the life of a woman with absurdly long hair; as she managed to tie it off in something sloppy to keep it from soaking her spare shirt, she called out over the sound of the storm to the front of the cave, "You can come back in!"

Yazuki walked back into the cave without hesitation at her words. He walked over to the woodpile and added a few logs before sitting across from her. He really had no clue what to expect from her. He was trying to be nice as he could, but he felt very awkward due to him just arriving and just starting to repair his emotions. Raijin was the only one he had seen for a few days, and that was awkward to be blessed with his appearance. He looked at the woman, who now had a simpler set of clothes on and who had been considerate enough to be quick, though he loved storms, so it didn't bother him any. He stared at her for a minute before he pulled his case if cigarette sized, lightning charred sticks out of his pocket and placed one in his mouth, beginning to chew the end of it. He was a bit nervous to have company this early on in his repair, being as the dharma didn't seem to heal his scar like he had hoped.

"You seem a little uneasy. I apologize for being so... rude about healing you. I have a lot of... inner conflict right now and its clouding my judgement. I have yet to be as polite as to ask your name. I apologize but may I have your name if you would be so kind?" He looked at her softly. She looked young and fair, and had he been in his normal mood, he would be flirting up a storm with her. His current mood, however, kind of caused that to be the last thing he wanted to do. "I apologize for my ramblings. I can't think straight since i got back from Divide Island. And the healing process for me seems ineffective. I doubt anyone would look at me the same after my disfigurement." His hand reflexively ran across his scar on his face, his hand shaking.

The huntress watched as her host walked back to the fire, silently taking in his mannerisms and quirks. It was a skill she had learned and developed from a young age: taking in as much information about a person as possible without letting them know hardly anything about herself. As a naturally reserved creature, Karin was reluctant at best to share personal details or experiences; this 'Raijin', however, read like an open book. She quirked a brow as he pulled out what looked like a cigarette case and started to chew on one of the charred sticks inside; apparently, he dealt with nerves in a tactile manner. His mention of a "disfigurement"--presumably the scar on his face--tipped her off that he was concerned with appearances, perhaps even to the point of vanity; she couldn't tell which at the moment. And, as he himself had admitted, his rambling suggested an unclear mind--she wouldn't have needed an explanation for that, however.

As she sat down, she crossed her legs and held her arms in her lap. "Scars are nothing to be ashamed of," she said, "Everyone has them, even ones that we cannot see." To be frank, the mark that was on his face was like a paper cut in comparison to the injuries she had seen warriors and sailors come home with as a child; it might have stung, but it was ultimately benign as long as one didn't let it get to them. The huntress herself had her own long list of scars, but they were invisible to the eye, and she was ultimately unwilling to divulge what they were or what stories were told with them. Perhaps it was a fault not to share--not to let anyone hear her story or know her on a more personal level--but to the huntress it was a survival mechanism: trust no one with the heart, not even if they've earned it. "Karin," she said, "Call me Karin."

Yazuki chewed his charred stick a little more, then looked towards the back of the cave. "It's not just a scar, its unhealable even by gods..." He looked at her and smiled. "The failure I commited makes the scar feel bigger than it is." He stared at the fire for a short time, wondering what this woman was doing in the canyon. He could care less, but he was curious. No visitors save Raijin at this point had came to see him, and no one really knew where this cave was off the beaten path. He pondered for a bit longer before finally speaking.

"So, here for a job or something? I don't mean to pry..."

The huntress frowned as the other mage went on about his scar a bit more, although it was a sympathetic facial expression and not one of judgment. As he asked about her purpose in being there, she twiddled her thumbs as she explained. "I can't stand being in one place for too long," Karin said, "It gets old seeing the same faces, going to the same places in the cities and towns. I've lived in the forests and wilderness my entire life just about--always on the move and all--so I prefer being out here." There was far more to it than that--there was a "why" hiding behind nearly everything she had just said--but she refused to go into more detail about it. Instead, the huntress decided to ask a question in turn. "And what of you?" she asked, "What brought you out here in the first place?"