Sand Trek *

The journey towards the next village was as hard as it normally was. Though I traveled all the time, it was never really a cake walk, but today it wasn't as bad as other days and with my new traveling companion, there was no reason for me to not be in high spirits. With the appraoch of the evening it would seem that we were actually make it to the next village, and by out luck, this village seemed to be larger than the last. To me that meant that we must be getting closer to Rajeh. I stand a little in front and to the side as we overlook the village. Her words cause me to turn and glance at her for a moment, something I had been sneaking pretty much the entire day, before I return my gaze back to the village. "Yeah... I hope the people who live there are nice..." I comment, "but it's good that there's still a little light out. We might be able to find someone who will let us barter for a room." Looking to her, I ask, "It'll be a stretch to try to get room and board, so you want to see about getting a room and I'll see about getting dinner?" With that I meant go hunting; free food was always the best food to me.

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 228 / 228 | Role: Adventurer

My gaze follows her for a moment as she walks past me, giving the affirmation and heading towards the desert. Of course the figure is noted, but I pull my eyes away to go ahead and get to the objective at hand. With the waning of the evening sun, I could find myself hunting in the dark, which was never a fun thing to do. Turning to look out into the expansive desert to the side, I knew that I needed to get into a stealth and hunting mode. “Battousai, you’re up,” I murmur lightly just before the persona switch whereas my hair straightens and my eyes dull just a bit. My right hand pulls a mask from my garments that covers the bottom of my face and my stance chances slightly. It would mask my breathing while mobile. Moving with increased speed, I swiftly shift away from the path that we had been taking while turning my attention onto the wilderness.

While traveling there were ways to move that established presence to coax animals off away from confrontation, yet there were ways of moving so that they were not alerted to your presence. I attempt to move in a way where I would not be easily detected. After a moment of crossing a short distance, I would come across a brush area. Small tracks alluded to the fact that desert rabbits frequented the area. My gaze shifts to a clump of desert roughage as my right hand comes to the hilt of my blade. If jackrabbits were going to be the pray of the night, I would have to move swiftly. My body slowly crouches as I approach the area with the metal of the blade slowly becoming visible as I inch it from its sheath; I could hear scurrying from the bush. In reaching near the area, my body becomes still and I hold my position almost like a rock on the desert sands waiting for my first glimpse of whatever small creatures may be living in the desert brush.

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 366 / 594 | Role: Adventurer

I watched and waited as if a thing of the desert, unmoving in this pre pounce position as I wait for movement out o the brush. My mind would be a little unfocused as I worried about the body I was in and the danger which it was being put in by Jyn’Rai. Compared to him, I trusted people less overall; I knew that I was the only one that I could depend on and that Jin required me to stay sane and alive. I didn’t often agree with the luxuries that Jyn’Rai took and felt that often when things when wrong, it was up to either me or Jyn’Ko to take care of things. Women seemed to be Rai’s weakness. There were short grumbling thoughts in my head, but soon the distractions are cleared as there is movement in the desert sand. A family of rabbits emerges cautiously from the bush; there were four in all. A large one, assumed to be the mother and three smaller child sized critters. The muscles in my body prepare for the attack as they tense up and I hone in on my objective. I would wait for them to come just outside the safety of the brush and with the tension built up in my legs, my body would burst into action with accelerated speed towards the meal.

Persona: Battousai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 233 / 827 | Role: Adventurer

The family had been slaughtered as was necessary for dinner tonight. Though, in thinking about Battousai’s actions, he actually probably didn’t need to kill all of them as two or three might have done, but the little ones could have their bodies salted so that the meat would last longer or could be turned into jerky. Why leave loose ends? As Jyn’Rai, I found myself walking towards the village that Eri and I had come across with my bag strapped about my shoulders so that my hands would be free. In one hand, I held the mother and a baby rabbit by the feet upside down and decapitated, and the other hand held the other two bunnies by their feet. I had some dried roots in my bag, reminiscent of potatoes that were best edible when boiled that I figured would go good with this meal; I figured as long as we had a fireplace, I could make a descent meal. By the time I had reached the village, the rabbits had bled out from the whole decapitation thing, so they wouldn’t be actively trailing blood… anymore. Entering into the village limits, I would make my way towards the center of the village where I would see Eri waiting on me. With a welcoming grin, I speak, “hey. I found dinner; were you able to get someplace to stay for the night?”

Persona: Battousai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 251 / 1078 | Role: Adventurer

As she walks over, I lift up a handful of bunny to her since she offered to help carry them. I jokingly comment, “stealing from me already” in a teasing manner as I hand the couple of rabbits off to her. There’s good news as I hear that we had a place to stay at and I nod agreeing with the fact, adding a “yup” that they would make a good fur trade. I follow as she begins to lead the way looking around the village to get a feel for it as we walked through it. Eventually we come to the house of question and the door is opened to the room we would be staying in. It seemed to have everything we would need for the night. I walk in making the off comment to counter hers, “oh, you’re a woman?” as if I hadn’t noticed, “now I’m going to feel a little bashful.” My gaze shifts to the fire as I further comment in entering the interior of the room, “and a romantic fireplace too… oh my.” I look towards her smile and comment, “you have to at least give me flowers first.” Reaching the base of the fireplace and set down the rabbits in my hand on the floor. Using my sword to kill them would be a bit of overkill but I had a small non combat knife that was more a very common eating utensil than anything else. I sit on the floor in front of the fire pulling my bag from over my shoulder to look into it for my things so that I could get a start on preparing the food.

Persona: Battousai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 275 / 1353 | Role: Adventurer

My gaze shifts to the side as the bunnies she held are sat to my side then returns to my bag as I fish out the small previously mentioned utensil. Hearing her words, I comment, “okay” right before she leaves me to fetch some water. During this time, I make myself comfortable cross legged in front of the fire place, leaning over the rabbits that were laid in front of me. Using the small knife, I cut into the skin of the mother first, making an incision the length of its body before poking two fingers between the muscle and the skin. Since I had previously cut off the head of the rabbit, that step was done and I was able to just peel the skin and fur off with minor cuts here and there. I toss the rabbit’s hide to one side before returning to the creature before me. Starting at the bottom of its chest, I run the knife all the way down to the bottom of its stomach. Using the knife, I scrap out the insides, spilling the guts and intestines out of the formerly furry critter. I look back up as she comes back in and sets the water down. The answer to her observation was kind of; within this span of time, men should have figured out that if you give women pretty stuff they do things in return; at least in Mare Maris. I then notice her out and back in speaking of her customs as I place one finished rabbit to my other side and reach for another. “Feather, huh?” I just kind of observe, hearing her words. I wondered if that was primarily for marriage or if they even had casual or recreational sex where she was from. With the question posted, I answer, “roast.” Placing down the bloody rabbit and knife, I pull a tattered cloth from my bag which I use to wipe my hands before digging further and pulling out four potato-like roots. I sit them down for her and comment, “I don’t have any herbs, but if we boil these we can eat them with the meat.” Since it was somewhat interesting to learn about a new culture that I hadn’t before heard of and since I held an inquiring mind, I ask offhandedly, “is that a one-time deal or do women collect feathers?”

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 416 / 1769 | Role: Adventurer

I move onto my third bunny in the process of getting it skinned and prepared with my three little piles: one for the fur, another for the intestines and guts and the third for the meat. As the answer is given, I come to the conclusion that her people must have gotten off by fighting, because that seemed like a lot to go through for knocking the boots. I also figured it would make puberty rough for those who didn’t fight. And what of the artistic guy who speaks deep into your soul? If he can’t kick your ass, then he’s using his hand? A small grin comes to my face as I think on this while I dig the knife into the current rabbit I was on, pulling its guts from its stomach. As the question is redirected back to me, my gaze is still down as I was moving to the next bunny; I shrug and comment, “I think so, but I think it’s less of requirement than a nice thing to do. That’s more often when a man and a woman are going to remain exclusive to one another. It may be for a different level of romance than mating. In the opposite of that, I’ve come across several villages where men just trade items to mate with a woman. I guess at that point it’s not really mating, it’s more like playing for a service though.... I guess it depends.”

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 265 / 2034 | Role: Adventurer

“Oh?” I raise an eyebrow finishing off the last bunny and sitting it down to my side. My right hand moves to the cloth that I had previously removed from my bag to wipe my hands and use it to clean off the utensil that was used to help skin the rabbits. After wiping it off, I toss it back into my bag and use the cloth to finish wiping off my hands before bundling it up and setting it near my bag. After that, I merely sit reclined with my hands and arms propping up my sitting position. I wonder what she meant by him not getting the service he was looking for; I knew that obviously he didn’t get sex, but I wonder what he ended up getting instead. I figured it was probably better for me not to ask. When the surplus rabbits are reference, I answer her question, “We can eat as many as we need to tonight and then salt the rest for the travel coming up. If they have a few supplies in the morning, I can probably cure the meet to make it last longer for snacks while traveling. I’ll probably eat a whole one tonight with the roots and one in the morning.” I lean forwards as I reach out and take the piece of meat from her. Eating it, I smile and nod, “pretty good” before learning back and waiting for it to be done. I comment kind of just as a spoken though, “we should definitely be able to make it into Rajeh by tomorrow evening…”

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 270 / 2304 | Role: Adventurer

I reach out for the plate that’s offered to me and offer a light thanks for her preparing it for me. I continue to sit cross legged in front of the fire place and set the plate in front of me. My body twists around as I reach for my bag and pull a water bottle from it. I pull a secondary one off and slide it over to her before returning my attention to my plate to begin to eat the dinner that was prepared. Walking all day had gotten me pretty hungry and normally I ate alone, or rather as alone as a person with multiple personalities could get; the company and a woman’s touch made tonight a treat for me. I nod at the words that we should easily be able to reach Rajeh while biting into the side of the meat provided; then it was confirmed, that much was good. While eating, I hear the question come in, I answer casually, “oh, he killed my family. Him and some other guy did when I was a kid.” I was kind of over the point where I would get emotional thinking about it or talking about it; Jin was the only one who was really sensitive about that issue. I conclude after chewing and swallowing, “so I guess he owes me three lives. I don’t know if I’ll ever find him, but if I do then I think I’ll kill him and try to figure out what to do next then.”

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 253 / 2557 | Role: Adventurer

“Heh, thanks,” I say as she offers her words to me. When that day came, I wondered if it would really bring me peace. That was assuming that I could win. Still, it seemed like every third person who I said that to had mentioned something about the path of revenge being like quick sand or leading to something bad. I was getting pretty used to hearing people’s opinions since I asked a lot of people about the man I was looking for. Their question was always the same in asking why I was looking for the man whenever I inquired information about it; question for question. With that, I simply witnessed the world as being inquisitive when it came to things like that and didn’t think too much on it.

I continue eating the meal before me enjoying the taste of the roasted meat. For a moment I was in my own thoughts as I ate the food with my gaze lingering on what was in my and as it decreased in portions. I thought about various things including the trip tomorrow and the plan of action once I got into Rajeh. For a moment my thoughts lingered to my mother; I still didn’t know if she were actually dead or alive since her body was never found at that time.

Moving from the food to the water, I take a swig before wiping my mouth with the back of my fist. I move to the roots, biting half of one before chewing and swallowing and then taking another swig of the water. After that, if she were still looking at me, I would catch eye contact in looking up, if not, I would glance over her for a brief moment. On looking at her, I ponder the fact that I had never seen golden eyes before. Aside from being pretty they were unique, at least to me. During this time, I don’t say anything more; I just continue eating my meal to finish it off and enjoy the atmosphere for now.

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 359 / 2916 | Role: Adventurer

The completion of my meal leaves nothing left but scraps and bones. The unwanted leftovers were discarded, tossed into the fire to be burned up. My hand reaches for my water, chugging the rest of what was in the bottle before the back of my fist is brought to my mouth, wiping it. The emptied water bottle is sat down. Looking up, I notice that it didn’t seem like Eri was too far behind me in the department of finishing up. I watch her as she stretches and makes the proclamation of sleepy time. With a nod, I offer a simple, “good night” as a counter response to her. It was when she starts to taking off garments that my head turned as I figured it wouldn’t’ be polite to stare. Of course the thought was strong to peek, but instead I decided against it. It wasn’t like she was completely naked or something. My gaze eventually shifts back to her to notice her lying on her cot with her body curled. It was about that time for me too, but before that, I had to get something out of the way. It was his time to practice for the night before going to sleep and though it was a drag, it was much like a routine. I look back to the fire and stand to my feet. Leaning over, I pick up my blade and head outside. On exiting the door, my hair straightens and the bulkiness of my body creases slightly as I shift into the form of Battousai.

After the persona swap, I would spend the few hours or so in the fields outside of the village honing my fighting style. I wouldn’t have a particular opponent in mind, I would just be going over the basic exercises I did to make sure I was comfortable swinging my sword, building up my stamina and technique. After the training session, I would return back into the village and head to their well. With it late, I would strip down to my undergarments and basically use my undershirt as a cloth to give myself a makeshift bath. After that, I would wash my shirt and ring it out before walking back to the room.

When I was done, I would head back to the room, shirt and upper garments in hand with my shoes and lower garments on my body. My form would shift from Battousai to Jyn’Rai once more. By now the fire would be slowly going out, so after dropping my clothes by my cot, I would walk and get a few more pieces of fire wood to toss into it. After that, I would make my way to my own cot to lie down for the night. I take off my shoes at the edge of my cot, sit down on it and then lay back as if coming down from a sit up. My arms are folded behind my head and I close my eyes. It wouldn’t take long for me to drift to sleep.

Persona: Jyn'Rai & Battousai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 520 / 3436 | Role: Adventurer

By the morning, the fire would have gone out leaving only ashes in the fireplace. On the comfort of a cot, I would have found that I’m able to sleep quite well. I would still be shirtless from how I had laid down. I would be on my back, with my head to the side resting on my left bicep and the other hand resting on my stomach just above my crotch. Luckily there would be no scratching and shifting in my sleep, something that may seem a little unrefined. Still, I was no pretty sleeper by any means. The sound of Eri moving around wakes me as I shift lightly and open my eyes to see her topless and cleaning off with a cloth. For a moment I am surprised, but I quickly close my eyes back since I assumed that she thought I would sleep longer. Of course, since it was the morning and since she was topless, I couldn’t stop any processes of morning wood from occurring, so I would shift slightly to turn on my side to put my back to her. I wait for her to finish and get dressed before I would slowly pretend to wake up for the morning. I stretch as I get up, an internal grin within with a normal expression on the outside. With this, it would seem that I am waking as she is on her way out. Getting up, I walk to the side of the fireplace and stoop down to pick up my shirt, which should have dried by now. “Hold on,” I request, “I’ll go with you.” I dress and get my shoes back on and such before grabbing the bag that held my various things and then move towards the door. With a glance to her, I would confirm, “ready” and allow her to lead the way to the market.

Persona: Jyn'Rai & Battousai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 317 / 3753 | Role: Adventurer

The smells of the village would reach my nose as we walked making me hungry and reminding me that I still had to salt the meat from before. I had forgotten to do it the night before, but luckily the desert got cold at night, so as long as I did it before it got too warm, it should still be okay. I follow along with Eri as we walk through the village coming across the area where the merchants would have their wares set up. Something seems to catch Eri’s eye and while she moves to speak to someone about an additional claw blade, I look at a booth set by a competitor that was on the side. I am pulled over by a “psst” and the promise that his items and deals were better. With a grin, I move to the wrinkled, bald and elderly looking merchant’s booth and look over the assortment of items. He had things ranging from pin wheels and hubcaps to weapons and armor. Looking up from the wares to the merchant selling them, I greet, “you have a lot of junk here, old man.” The merchant snickers as he comments, “I see you have a sword there on your back. That’s nice, but I have this…” He points to a katana that was similar to the one that I had on my back. He comments, “if you haven’t been taking care of your sword, it can get dull. I just had this re-sharpened by the best blacksmith in this village. You can’t go wrong with having a back up sword.” With a look of slight disinterest, I make the off handed comment, “hmm, I guess you’re right. I don’t really need one, but what kind of deal are you going to give me?” The old man motions to my bag with his focus on it, commenting, “what do you have?” I look between him and my bag. Placing it on the ground, I open it up and mention about ten items that I could possibly barter with him, explaining most of them to be from the coastal regions consisting of precious colored stones and shells that go as currency there. I had a few lumps or ore that came from the desert mining areas, some useful utensils as well. Looking to the merchant, I inquire, “how good of a deal can you give me?”

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 413 / 4166 | Role: Adventurer

As it turns out, the man would want me to trade him 6 of my items (Value (0.9) = 5.5) in order to purpose the blade from him. I mull over the thought for a little while, and then assume that I would rather carry the blade than the items that I didn’t use any more. I could always pick up some more in my adventuring. With a nod, I give confirmation to the sale and the male smiles. The transaction is made where I give up my stuff and he gives me what I want in the end. I find myself holding onto a new blade, much like my traveling companion. With her looking to me that she was ready to do, I would kind of tell by my conversation that I had gotten a better deal than she did, though I wouldn’t say anything about it. It could have been the fact that I got a good merchant or that the merchants were chauvinist and I was a man. I would have Eri hold on just a little bit longer while I got a few essential supplies such as a pack of salt. After that I would revisit the room that we had called home for the night to proceed in salting the meat to prepare it for travel. I would ask Eri to fill all of the water bottles during this time if she hadn’t already done so and also make sure that we had all of our things before skipping town. When all was ready, I would have two blades on my back in an X formation, my bag, items and fully stocked water with some provisional snacks for the road. When Eri was ready, we would leave the room and make to the edge of the village to proceed with the rest of our traveling in the direction of Rajeh.

- 6 Very Common items
+ 1 Katana (Common)

Persona: Jyn'Rai | Timeline: 20 AD (Before reaching Rajeh) | EXP: 320 / 4486 | Role: Adventurer