Among the Darkness

[Lynnia]

Nira Shade



Nira blinked her violet eyes, slipping silently through the shadows, her leather booted feet making no sound on the soft forest floor. The trees above her head whispered gently in the stale breeze, the black and purple leaves twitching and shaking, telling Nira a quiet secret. Nira's waist-length purple-black hair blew slowly and calmly behind her back, going with the breeze. Her pointed elf ears perked as a rustling noise came from a black bush beneath a large dead oak tree. Nira crouched down on one knee, placing an arrow in the bowstring of her shiny purple bow then drawing it back, watching the bush intently. Her lithe body was semi-hidden by a rotted log and she watched, silently, as a skinny rabbit stuck its nose out of the bush, smelling the air before hopping out and looking around. Nira knew perfectly well that her leather clothes, her hair, her skin, her bow, and her eyes blended in so well with the shadows of the Dark Forest, that the only way the rabbit would know she was there was by making a noise. And Nira wasn't planning on making any until that rabbit was dead. When the body of the rabbit was completely visible, Nira closed an eye and took aim. She let go of the tense string, letting the black arrow fly. It flew and hit the rabbit clean in the head. Nira didn't smile or bother to congratulate herself. This was only a meager amount of food. She would need more to keep up her energy. The Dark Elf approached the dead animal, taking out the arrow, wiping it on the purple grass, and putting it back in her quiver. She picked up the rabbit and eyed it criticizingly. It would do for now.

[dementedrage]

Ace narrowed his eyes as he crept along the tree line of the dark forest. He hated how gloomy it was, but he was currently hunting dark fairies and any other monster. Ace decided it was okay to go in, he unsheathed his dagger just in case something surprised him. Ace wore dark clothes, but unfortunately his eyes caught the rare moments of light and he stepped on twigs every now and then. Ace wasn't as smooth, but he at least knew how to defend himself. Ace scanned the trees, searching for movement, sound, anything.

[Lynnia]

Nira Shade



Nira started to skin the rabbit over a tiny fire, her hair falling from behind her shoulders to impede her vision. She sighed and pulled her hair back, putting it in a ponytail made of a ring of twisted thorns. Nira continued to skin the animal until a break of a branch made her draw her bow, aiming it at the spot where she heard the noise. "Whoever's there, come out."

[dementedrage]

Ace soon came to see a small fire, he gripped his dagger tighter and hide behind a tree. Sweat dripped down the side of his face, honestly he didn't often actually kill monsters. Just damage them, Ace jumped when he heard the smooth voice. He tried not to shiver. He bit the bottom of his lip, deciding exactly what to do. Ace wouldn't just jump out and sheathe his only weapon. But maybe... If he could remember a spell that would make invisible for a small amount of time. But unfortunately it took a lot of concentration and that could just end up getting him killed. Ace slowly dropped down to the ground, hiding behind a brush by the tree. He looked through the leaves to see a Dark Elf aiming an arrow way to close near him. Ace, being the stupid klutz he was crushed a dead leaf; giving away his position.

[Lynnia]

Nira Shade



Nira kept her violet eyes open, unblinking, her light purple skin blending in with the gloomy shadow. Hearing the leaf crack, she turned the arrow to the side a little, catching the glint of an eye. "I'm not going to kill you, if I can help it. Just come out so I can get a good look at you." She rose slowly to her feet, leaving the half-skinned rabbit. Her pony-tailed hair flowed down her back and she loosened her drawback on the string. She was calm, smooth, cool; she knew if he jumped out to attack her, she would be able to stick an arrow through his stomach before he could even touch her. Nira wasn't sure what he was, perhaps he could use a wicked spell, who knows? But, if he was clumsy enough to give away his position, he probably wasn't a professional. Nira kept her eyes trained on the spot where she saw the glint.

[dementedrage]

Ace bite his bottom lip hard and decided to stand up. Wow, how lame. He thought to himself as he sheathed his dagger and stood up slowly with his hands up. He tried to keep a glare at his eyes, knowing it probably wouldn't do him any good in a situation like this. Ace slowed his breathing evenly and calmed himself, going through spells in his head to get out of this pinch. "It's just... Me." He said in his usual quiet voice, but instead of it being meek it had a sharp tone to it. Ace kept himself from his usual fidgeting and made sure he acted cool and collected, despite being caught so clumsily. "I just kind of got... Lost." Ace lied, his eyes glancing away from the dark girl to route where he could probably make a run for.

[Lynnia]

Nira Shade



Nira's violet eyes blinked slowly, getting a good look at the human creature before her. She couldn't help but snarl at seeing his dagger. She took a few cautious steps closer, her muscles tense. Nira wasn't nervous at all; seeing the sweat pouring buckets down his face, and his fidgety nervous way, she knew he couldn't have the skill to disarm her and kill her. So, Nira got close enough to the man and grabbed his dagger, jumping back, her bow down. It seemed it was his only weapon and Nira flung it to the side, the sharp object flying into the purple bushes. Now that he was disarmed, she slung her bow back on to her shoulder, crossing her arms over her leather clothing. Her lips were pursed and she sighed. "Now that I know you can't hurt me with a weapon, I'll settle to getting to know you more. After all, it's been forever since I've seen anything other than rabbits 'round here. Tell me your name and stop shaking." She threw her hands up and walked back to her half-skinned rabbit, sitting on a stump, starting to cut cleanly the fur off with her small knife. The Dark Elf looked back at the man. "Don't ask me why, but for some reason, I get a sense you're here to kill something. A monster perhaps. I better not be in that category. I am not a monster." Her violet eyes flashed with a deadly pride and she pointed her bloody knife at him, but not threateningly. Nira sighed. "Just sit. I promise I won't hurt you."

[dementedrage]

Ace flinched when she snarled, and he bared his teeth in response. It startled it him and just seemed to improve his impression on these things. Ace was about to step back when the girl headed for him but suddenly she lounged at him. He wanted to hit himself for not being prepared for something like that and let himself be disarmed so easily. He seriously had gotten rusty and he felt like he lost the knack for all of this. "I'm Valo." He said, giving out the name that he usual did for strangers. Ace stopped himself from rolling his eyes at the next comment the elf made, "Sure you're not." He mumbled under his breath with annoyance. Ace cautiously took a few steps toward the dark elf and slowly sat down with his eyes pinned to her. He still kept a distance between them, and he had the bottom of his feet flat on the ground in case he needed to jump up.

[Lynnia]

Nira Shade



Nira nodded at the man. "Valo, nice to meet you, I guess. I'm Nira, a Dark Elf obviously." She finished skinning the rabbit and put it on a spit above the fire, cooking it, with the heavenly aroma of roasted meat swirling around and making Nira's mouth water. "You can get your knife back later. I'm still curious though. You look human enough but what are you? A Shapeshifter? Well, you don't smell like any animal. Are you just a regular human? Come on, spill." Nira shifted down from her perch on the stump to the purple grass so that her back now pressed against the stump. She looked perfectly calm beside this man who looked like a wild animal, set to flee. Nira knew it was silly to stop a stranger and try to talk when she was supposed to be secluded and alone. No one should know where she was. Monster hunters around here were searching for her. Nira had done many dirty deeds in the heat of the moment, things she regretted fiercely to this day. Those dirty deeds had set a price on her head. She knew she was in danger and that this man could be a hunter. When she let him go, he could go tell everyone where he had seen her. She could be found. All because she bothered to speak to this man. Nira shrugged to herself. She was much too skilled to be found so easily. Besides, she was bored out of her mind. A little social communication couldn't hurt. A little chat and she would be off again. Nira pulled her knees to her chest, resting her head on them, watching the man intently for an answer.

[dementedrage]

Ace weren't really focused on Nira, just searching for the easiest way out. Maybe back behind the tree, and just make a run for it? That seemed a little risky... Ace's train of thought was interrupted by the voice asking exactly what he was. "I'm just a human..." He mumbled, lying again as he looked at the roasting rabbit. Ace licked his lips, he hadn't eaten meat for a while and desperately missed it. Maybe Nira wasn't bad.... No that was a stupid thought, Ace thought he was going soft. But then again he thought he was going to die some horrible way by the hand of this dark elf. Even though he was probably scaring himself because of past experiences. Ace looked at Nira, meeting her gaze with his; deciding it was better to face her head on with a glare.

[Lynnia]

Nira Shade



Nira pulled the rabbit from the fire, taking the stick out and chopping pieces of meat from the rabbit with her knife. She threw a large cooked chunk at Valo and bit into her own, sighing. "Just a human, huh? Well, are you a hunter? Whatever you say, I won't kill you, really." She felt a secretive smile tugging at her lips, but she quickly made it vanish. Being a Dark Elf, she was to be feared. She could see so easily this man didn't trust her a minuscule amount. Which was a smart move, as she was known to abandon her own brother to get out of a fire. That was bad but... he was too slow! Nira laughed at his glare. "Just eat your chunk and stop trying to scare me! I'll leave if you want; I'm quick as the wind. I can see you're uncomfortable. I'm a scary monster, right?" Nira threw her hands up, mocking him and laughing, which was unusual for her. But this man made her laugh without even trying. Maybe it was because he feared her so...

[dementedrage]

Ace caught the chunk, but didn't take his eyes off of Nira. He had seen that look before on Dark Elves, and always managed to small a shiver down his spine. He bit into the rabbit and stayed silent as she talked. He had to admit he was annoyed his glare didn't faze Nira a bit and his glare loosened a little without Ace meaning it to. "Yes, you are a monster." He hissed between his teeth after he swallowed the rest of the warm rabbit meat. "I agree with you completely."

[Lynnia]

i.imgur.com/vAI5Z.jpg

[/img]


Nira kept her violet eyes locked on Ace, just as his were on hers. She crossed one ankle over the other, swallowing the last of her rabbit chunk and wrapping it in a sewn sheet of large black and purple leaves. She tucked it in her knapsack and got to her feet. Nira felt a twinge of annoyance prick her heart and she couldn't help but furrow her brows together in anger. The Dark Elf kicked out the small fire and looked down at Ace. "I was joking. I am not a monster. I am an Elf. A perfectly capable race. We are more humane, more skilled, and more talented than your disgusting race. Elves are not monsters. I know you're a hunter. You make me want to barf. If it wasn't for the large price on my head, I would kill you right know because I know no one would miss you." Nira's hand instinctively went to her bow, fingering the polished wood lightly. She itched to ready her bow and send an arrow straight through his heart. She held herself back though, her eyes blazing. She hissed at him and turned, disappearing from the clearing into the dark trees. Her loud, angry voice echoed through the forest as she said, "And you're welcome for the rabbit." Nira's obnoxious, mocking laugh rang through the trees and just as quick as she was there, Nira was gone, melting with the forest and becoming one with the woods.

{ Uh oh, you ticked her off! ;3 }[/center]

[dementedrage]

(Oops xD)

Ace shut down on his emotions, expression blank and cold. Usually he did this to avoid pain but now he did because he didn't want to listen to what Nira was saying. He gazed up at her, seeing only the monster in her eyes and not for what she really was. He kept his mouth shut and watched her disappear into the trees. Like she was never here. Ace slowly got to his feet and shuffled around for his dagger. A small sigh escaped, a tired one as he turned and started to find his way out of the gloomy forest.

[Lynnia]

Nira still wore a scowl, even after she had left the man far behind. She cracked her knuckles and took a deep breath, her sharp violet eyes losing some of their angry glow. The Dark Elf, her senses coming back, realized how much danger she was in now. Why, oh, why had she spoke with that human? Why hadn't she just killed him? Nira quickened her pace. She had to get out of this forest.

{ Lol, it doesn't matter. I just wanted to show her tough, fierce side. :3 }