Hanging by a Rope

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan nodded rapidly with a grin, as he began to start walking. Though his leg hurt, he was able to limp along slightly with as minimal pain as possible. He looked slightly funny as he moved along, but that was not the first thing at his mind that moment.

"So what exactly is your reasoning for living in the woods? Is that how your kind lives, maybe?" he asked, looking over to the woman.

He found other beings interesting to listen to. He did not know much about other beings- animals, yes, but species, no. And because of that he enjoyed knowing more about them.

(( Sorry for the short reply! I'll try and post larger next time, I'm just trying to post quick due to time right now! ))

[Deleted]

She smiled to herself as she was inwardly proud that she was talking to someone who seemed so nice. The first ice elemental that she ever met. She was quite happy at this point. But she was still wary of her surroundings regardless. She was always prepared for the worst just in case. It always paid off because her luck tended to run out pretty quickly if she wasn't being careful somehow.

She kept close to him however. After all, with what could be lurking in the forest, she wouldn't be surprised if something tried to get a hold of Jordan. Being injured as he was. So her senses were a tad more alert than usual. She was also helping to support him if he needed it. Letting him go at his own pace, she continued keeping an ear out until he asked her a question. She took a moment to think about it before shaking her head.

"Not normally. I'm just different." she shrugged and glanced at his leg before looking around them again and straight ahead. "My kind look human overall. So they usually tend to live in a town or city without ever getting noticed. Just because it feels normal and it doesn't keep us from being social. Just like humans. I know a lot of people don't like my kind, but we just like to belong somewhere and feel accepted."

She bit her lip slightly and had a feeling he might eventually ask her why she wasn't living in town or anything. So she'd make it easy and help him avoid the question by answering it beforehand. "I just find it easier to live in the woods." she said with a forced smile and didn't look towards him. Her eyes were just forward and nowhere else.

"The wilderness feels no bias towards anything that lives in it. It just accepts any living thing. So I respect it and cherish it. Because people are judgmental and different towards others. I find no solace amongst the towns or villages because of it." she mentioned. Though she wouldn't confess that it was just a fear of hers. The Omega hid a pained gaze and made the most of her companionship at the moment. She still smiled and kept walking.

"How long have you lived in this place?" she asked, hoping to shift the attention onto him. He was more interesting than her anyway.

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan listened to the woman carefully as she spoke- and had to agree a bit. If it were his choice, he would be living in a secluded cabin in a forest, far away from other people. Living off of the land, and everything he could make with it. But he did not know how Myra would feel about that- so he had always kept his mouth shut, and not mentioned anything about it.

He tried his best to keep steady on his feet, a difficult task, but he tried. The pain was becoming numb to him, which although he knew that wasn't exactly good he was thankful for it. It would be easier to head to the infirmary. But one thought did rest in his mind about the wounds- Myra was going to kill him. He held in a laugh at the thought, and continued to listen to Hanna.

"I've been living here for about...two years? Close to three, I figure," he stated with a smile. "It doesn't feel like that long. Before I lived here, I lived in my home country, Matelle. It's made up of elementals. It isn't too big though, only has one city per element." He placed a hand on another tree to steady himself, before taking his hand off and continuing to walk. He didn't want to loose his balance- it was hard enough getting up the first time.

"Where were you before here?" he quickly asked, turning to look at Hanna.

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Hanna was taking careful steps as she went along, watching everything, listening out for any dangers and such. She was constantly reminding herself where she was at all times and knew that something could happen if she wasn't paying attention. She didn't want anything happening to this man. No matter how old or young or possibly dangerous he might be, she was always looking out for the health and well being of others. Just the kind of creature she was.

She offered to be a support for him, but wasn't sure how well she was doing. She had her inner strength and the physical means to hold onto him instead of letting him fall so she was trying to help in that area. But her mind was racing like usual. She worried about a lot of things sometimes. Especially when she was looking after a person in need. She took in a breath and listened to him however and offered a little smile as he told her of where he was from.

As he was steadying himself, she glanced at his chest. "Do you want to take a rest for a moment? We can whenever you need too." she suggested after her question. He asked her his own question and she answered him back. "I came from a place called Merovech.. Didn't know much about the people who lived there. Lived in the woods by myself like I do now. But I traveled a lot before then."

She paused and looked ahead. "Do you miss your home country?" she asked, hooking her arm around one of his a little better. "And do you live alone in this kingdom?" he didn't seem like the sort to be by himself. Despite the fact he was an elemental, she could sense he had a good personality. Definitely not the sort to go long as a bachelor.

[Jordan Hielo]

"I'm alright, no rest for me," Jordan chuckled, thankful for her arm as support. "It doesn't hurt that bad...it's just sort of hard to move, you know? The sooner I get back, the better."

As she asked about his home country, he thought. Long and hard. Would he explain how he had been a noble? How as a child he was ignored due to always being around adults? How he was mute, until a year after he had come here, because he thought that no one truly listened? He thought it was better to state the simple stuff.

"Personally, Avaleur is my home now. I wasn't too into my home town, and here? I like it here," he laughed once more, limping his way along. It was getting a slight bit easier to move along- but not too much.

"As for if I live alone, well no, I have a girlfriend," he grinned widely. "Myra. I let her live in my house when she arrived- she's an elemental like me, you see, and felt more comfortable around me than other beings. And after a while of her living with me, we just sort of started dating. We've been together for quite a while. Nearly two years, about."

He enjoyed talking about his relationship. It was important to him. Very important. Myra always made him smile, even if it was just Jordan speaking of her.

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She thought back on him talking about his home country and how he mentioned a city for every element. She just imagined houses made out of ice or snow and a hall or castle made out of frosted blue ice crystal. Something spectacular like that. No other element was so beautiful in brutal conditions like wintry sorts. Hanna loved cold weather and hunting or playing in the snow.

Just the thought almost made her want to ask how she could get there. But she was nicely settled into the woods here, hunting at her leisure and relaxing. Heck, she didn't even have to pay taxes if everyone thought of her to be a wolf. But she cleared her mind again as he spoke. She nodded and agreed with him about having a hurt leg and moving. She had known the pain before.

"You just take your time. Go at your own pace. I'm just helping to make sure you get back in one piece." she mentioned and looked at his leg curiously. And when he spoke of Avaleur, she smiled and nodded again, looking at the ground. "It's nice to have a place you call home. Especially if it was better than the last place you were at." she mentioned. Merovech had been good to her. Only because she didn't get herself into trouble. But it was still horrifying to see the types of things that roamed in the dark.

And as he spoke about his girlfriend, Myra, Hanna smiled at the thought. She could just feel the positive energy radiate from him as he spoke of her. That made the Omega feel at ease. She loved positive feelings. She took in a breath and looked ahead again as she walked with him. "I'm glad you're not living alone. At least someone will be able to take care of you once we reach the edge of the city." she mentioned.

[Jordan Hielo]

"Oh yeah, I'll be fine. Though, I might get a good slap in the back of the head!" Jordan laughed. Myra had quite the fiery personality at times. His leg, though still sore, seemed to feel a bit better as he moved it a little more and more each time he took a step. Jordan had a headache, slowly pounding into his head, but he did his best to ignore it. Overall, the day had seemed fairly exciting to him so far- stuff actually happened.

"Thank you for helping me out," the man stated, taking a sideways glance at Hanna. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there to help me down. I'm sure eventually I would have remembered I had powers, but it might have taken me quite a while. At least now I'll be home early enough for dinner!"

The man chuckled once more, looking at the path ahead that lead to the city. It was still a fair ways to go- but he was relieved. At least there was some level ground to walk on now.

[Deleted]

Hanna's mind was quiet, secluded and nurtured by the company and the nature surrounding her. As an Omega, she was the lowest of the low if she were in a wolf pack, but by herself, she was something a lot of people missed out on. Kind and gentle, obviously caring and cunning. She always sold herself short of the things she could really do. And from past experiences, her fears always ran her emotions. But her wolf side helped her through those as much as possible.

In this place of freedom, she didn't feel constricted to help someone. Had she been in the city, she would have been squandering in the corner somewhere, feeding off scraps of food she could find. She knew she'd never be able to make it in society. But being out here changed a lot in her personality and let people like Jordan see the better side of her. And to hear their stories definitely helped change her outlook on most people. Jordan definitely seemed like a nice guy. And he deserved whatever made him happy the most.

Hanna just kept going at his pace, holding onto his arm and offering as much guidance and support as the moment would allow as he moved along. She smiled as he spoke, nodding as well as usual. "As long as you'll be fine. And why would you get a slap in the back of the head?" she asked curiously. She didn't understand that part. She wasn't around too many to know a lot of things of course. No surprise there.

When he thanked her, she gave a little shrug. "You're welcome." she said quietly and cleared her throat. "I think you would have just hung around for a while. Get a glimpse of the world from a bat's point of view." she chuckled for once and silenced herself soon after that. "Dinner hmm? What does your mate make that you like the best?" she asked curiously, letting her bare feet pad over the soft, level ground of the path now, comfortable that he seemed to be feeling a little better.

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan chuckled. "Well, to answer your first question, I don't think she'll appreciate me coming home like...this," he motioned to himself, bruised and bloody. "She'll probably scorn me for a few moments, before telling me she's glad I'm safe and help bandage me up. I'm sure I won't get hit upside the head, but if I did of course it wouldn't be too hard," the man grinned, thinking of what might happen.

The elemental began to rethink what he was saying- perhaps she had never heard the term 'a slap on the wrist'. She was not usually with other people, so of course that could be possible. Jordan decided to try and keep his words more literal.

"Typically we try and share the responsibilities, so normally we make food together. But some things she can't cook, some things I can't. Like fish- she makes the very best fish. I don't know how she does it. And pie- I think she might be making apple pie tonight..." Jordan grinned, getting rather hungry as he spoke of not only the best foods Myra could make, but his favorite foods.

"I normally cook what I catch though, and gather fruits that I find as well. I really would love to live off the land," the man was dead-set on doing it one day- he just needed to consult it with Myra first. Jordan turned to Hanna once more, realizing he was babbling on. So he asked her a question, "Do you get enough food out here?"

[Deleted]

She turned her head suddenly for a moment when she heard a twig break. Upon further investigation on just watching, she saw a squirrel scrambling through the twigs and leaves. And she turned her attention back to looking straight ahead as she continued walking along the pathway. It wasn't far from the edge of the city now. Or from whatever civilization was close by. She was glad he was feeling alright for now and hoped he'd be able to find help moments after she was going to leave him.

A nice man he was, Hanna wished there were more people like him. The sort that were generally pleasant to talk to and put her mind at ease. If there were more like him, Hanna would probably be living in the city, socializing and whatnot. But she couldn't see that happening no matter what by this time in her life. She sighed to herself, listening to Jordan explaining the whole 'getting hit in the head' thing. By the end of it, she was nodding in understanding.

"Ah.. okay." she smiled slightly and continued to listen like she should. She made a bit of a face when he mentioned fish. She didn't care much for fish. Too hard to catch. They smelled. They were covered in scales. And Hanna never knew how to cook it right. In fact, she didn't know how to really cook at all. But that wasn't the problem. Fish were. But at the mention of apple pie, she blinked. She had never had pie. "Is it any good?" she asked, glancing at her feet and back ahead of the path.

And he continued speaking. She could tell they had a great relationship going and that made her smile again. But when he asked her a question, she shrugged a little. "I do. Small critters. Some birds. Varieties of fruits. Living off the land, as you say, is a bit of a challenge. But I've done it almost all my life. Enough to say that once you get the hang of it truly, it just gets easier." she explained, seeing the edge coming up in a couple hundred feet of them.

"Looks like we'll be parting soon, Jordan." she said softly, pointing it out so he'd be aware.

[Jordan Hielo]

"Pie is absolutely lovely!" he grinned. "At least, her pie. I mean, pie is usually fine, but I really do adore hers. I don't know how she does it." Jordan wasn't much for baked goods. He of course liked the bare essentials- things you could eat almost right away. He didn't mind anything baked- pie, bread, even juices were fine- but he preferred plain old water, plain old berries, and so on.

As they neared the town more, he nodded. "I suppose we will be..." he thought for a moment, before turning to her with a smile. "I'll make sure to come visit you again at some point- maybe I'll bring along Myra soon as well. Next time I see you I'll make sure to bring a fresh slice of pie for you, too!"

As much as he enjoyed the thought of living off of the land, he felt a bit bad for her. Alone out here, never even tried pie? He had to make sure he visited fairly often.

"It was very nice meeting you, Hanna. Thank you again, for helping me out," he grinned widely.

[Deleted]

She sighed softly and didn't seem too bothered by the fact that he was going to be heading back into society. He had a life that he had to get to and she was happy enough that she helped him out otherwise. She was sure she might happen to see him again, but she wouldn't get her hopes up. She'd be lucky if she ran into anyone in the woods these days, but she also had to be careful. Had he only been human, she wouldn't have shifted.

As she kept one arm around his, her other hand hung down by her side, fingertips gently playing with the seam of the jacket she was borrowing from him. She'd have to give it back soon, which was fine with her after all. Clothing was only something she had to wear in front of other people. It was comfortable sometimes, but when she was so used to running around in fur or nude, it could feel constricting to have clothes.

He continued talking about pie and she listened carefully. As if whatever he was saying was more important than anything. But she smiled either way. Pie did sound. okay. The only kind of pie Hanna ever remembered eating was some sort of meat pie perhaps, but nothing sweet or really good since then. She licked her lips and cleared her throat softly as she led him closer to the edge of the woods, hearing him speak quietly.

She nodded her head a bit as he offered to come and visit her more often. Though she wished that might be the case and that she might see him again, she wasn't going to bet anything on that. Trust in people came rarely with her. "Well... Whenever that is, I'll be glad to see you again.” she stated, looking at her feet. “And... You’re welcome Jordan. May you heal well.” she stated and brought him over to a large tree. It was close enough to the edge of the forest that he could hobble and get some attention from passersby heading to the market in the city. But enough where she could change and head back to the safety of the forest.

She walked around behind him, slipping his jacket off and placing it over his shoulders, exposing her naked skin to the cold again. Which felt really nice actually. She swallowed the little lump in her throat and spoke up. “And thank you for letting me borrow your jacket. Get home safe and enjoy your pie.” she smiled and gave him a gentle pat on the back before walking backwards a few steps.

Silently, her body shifted back into that of the wolf he had seen her as before. And without looking back, Hanna turned to leave him there, having hid the slight panic she was feeling from being so close to the edge of the woods. She wanted to get back to her area and feel that safe and secure feeling again. Chances are she might never see Jordan again. At least that’s what she assumed would be the case. In her mind, she wished him well and raced back into the wooded confine that she now called home.

[Jordan Hielo]

He turned around just in time to see her running off, and he smiled. He lifted up a hand and waved, then removed his jacket from his shoulder and wrapped it around himself once more. Hanna seemed like quite the nice person, in his eyes- he would definitely need to visit again.

Jordan finally turned around, slowly making his way towards the city gates, a limp in his step but a charmed look on his face. So far, today had been a good day. The man always enjoyed meeting new people, and she was no exception. Though one of the more different people he had ever met.

He made his way to the gate, happy with his day but also happy to be heading home, into the warmth of his home.