[OOM: On the Road]

[mnt_raph]

It's less than a day's ride from the Designated Tortoise to Corus, so Abigail and Raph saddled up Cloud and a loaner horse by the name of Colin and set out after just after lunch. They crossed into the city proper just as the shadows began to lengthen announcing the approach of night. Raph, who had spent his first few years in Tortall doing odd jobs in and about the city, had more than a few favors at his disposal. The best barn was open to the horses, while their people dined on the best fare at the best table, and later slept in the best bed the inn had to offer. Pretty damn auspicious way to start an Adventure, if Raph says so himself.

The following morning all travellers awoke refreshed and prepared for anything the day had to offer, which apparently a whole lot given the beautiful weather and overall quiet of the countryside. The group had only been travelling for a few hours when they reached that point in the journey where pleasant conversation falls by the wayside leaving only silence in its wake. The silence wasn't welcome. Making conversation was the only thing keeping Raph's mind from focusing on the any number of things he'd rather not be thinking about. Foremost on that particular list is the paranoia that at any moment he's going to fall off Colin.

In the nearly ten years that he has spent on this side of the door, Raph has only successfully ridden on Cloud for any extended duration. Horses, you see, make him nervous. So nervous that the horses, sensing this apprehension, can do nothing but react in kind. More than one has been guilty of throwing him from the saddle, and as such Raph has stuck close to Cloud and Cloud alone as much as possible. Cloud was there though out his seemingly endless Kane-like wandering of Tortall, and there was no way Raph was going to repay the poor pony's loyalty by making his cart his sorry ass around on another long journey. It just wouldn't be fair. Which is why during the four day trek towards the Swoop it will be Abigail riding Cloud, what with her being so much lighter than the bald Shang warrior riding to her left.

So far so good though, right? Colin seems to be behaving in spite of Raph's white knuckled death grip on the reins.

Comments

[mnt_raph]

Raph can't help it, he laughs darkly as he feints back, attempting to deflect as much of the wing as he can with his sword. If he's cut, he doesn't feel it yet, there's too much mania behind his eyes for him to notice.

It's the conjunction of the rock from no where and hearing his own name that makes him aware of the weapon now at this feet. Someday soon Raph will have to teach Abigail the wonder of a well placed Hup!.

He ducks and dodges the stormwing's sudden change in target, grabbing for the bow, nocking the first arrow he snag, and taking aim.

"Bye bye, birdie," he grunts through clenched teeth as he lets the arrow fly.

[tortallan_npc]

The fierce image Abigail is trying so hard to cultivate comes apart when it looks like she might have succeeded in turning the creature's attention her way. She falters, then lowers the sword and hikes up her skirts to run toward Raph, trusting him-

(have to trust him, trust him, Goddess... shoot NOW)

-to deal with the thing.

He does. The Stormwing crashes to the ground, arrow in its chest, as she skids to a stop beside Raph. Breathing heavily, she points the edge of the sword at it; the gesture seems appropriate.

"Too late." The beast chokes out a laugh, spittle and blood flying from its cracked lips. "Too late."

Abigail shudders.

[mnt_raph]

Before taking a step closer to the fallen Stormwing, Raph picks up another arrow and takes aim.

"You could've walked on," he tells the dying creature. "Next someone gives you the option, take it."

He lets the arrow fly, this time with a head shot.
With that done, He turns his attention back to Abigail. "You a'right?"

[tortallan_npc]

Abigail stares at the corpse and lifts a hand to cover her nose and mouth. The smell is horrible.

"Aye," she says softly, nodding. Then she takes several steps backwards. "Are you?"

[mnt_raph]

"Yeah," he says before actually taking stock of himself. His efforts to block the metal wing were good, but not one hundred percent. "Great, just great."

There are superficial cuts on his leading forearm and slices in his tunic. The latter can be fixed with a few stitches, and the former shouldn't even require that much.

[tortallan_npc]

Her eyes race over him, landing on the cuts. She doesn't look worried; she looks mad.

"You hear tales, but..."

It isn't the same.

Frowning, she lets the sword fall to the ground and blinks at where Cloud used to be tethered.

[mnt_raph]

Raph looks up from his tunic when he hears the sword drop to the ground.

"Abs? What's up?

[tortallan_npc]

She waves a hand at him, as if to say it's all right, he can deal with the mess. Turning, she blows out a breath.

Cloud is behind them, munching on what remains of their meal, apparently.

"All's well enough," she tells Raph. "For a moment there I thought I lost your pony."

[mnt_raph]

Raph looks up and over, following her gaze. "Cloud? Lost? Nahh, it'd take more'n Foghorn over here to spook him. Ain't that right, buddy?"

Since when does the pony eat bread and cheese? Huh. Raph shakes the question away.

"We should probably burn the carcass sooner rather'n later," he mutters while trying to figure out the best way to snag a few feathers without the aid of pliers.

[tortallan_npc]

"D'you think it will?" she asks. "Burn?"

In the middle of retrieving Cloud, she turns a skeptical look on the metal wings.

"I'll just... see to our mess an' things."

She doesn't want to get any closer to that thing than is absolutely necessary.

[mnt_raph]

He blinks a few times, folding his arms across his chest.
"You know, to be honest? I ain't rightly sure. I mean, I didn't stick around to see how they got rid of'em last time."

Raph drops into a squat, picks up Abigail's dropped sword, and pokes at the Stormwing a few times out of pure morbid curiosity.

[tortallan_npc]

A small laugh, lacking in true humor, is her only response. Abigail busies herself with putting their belongings to rights, after moving Cloud back to his former spot.

Eventually everything is as it was when they arrived, packed neatly in their bags. Something seems to bother her about that and, hands on hips, she promptly pulls everything out again.

"Ah..." The worry lines around her mouth and forehead deepen. "What have you done with the map?"

[mnt_raph]

Raph stands, having decided that fire is out of the question. There's too great a chance of it burning out of control. No, he'll cut down a few limbs and cover the thing best he can. He leans forward and unceremoniously yanks out the arrows from the carcass.

"Sounds great," he says, a sure sign he wasn't listening.

Yeah, he should be able to strip some of the primary feathers off the wings if he uses both swords....

[tortallan_npc]

Lifting her chin, Abigail narrows her eyes at him.

And waits.

When he neither says anything else nor looks her way, she smiles thinly and states, "I've a mind to lose my clothes."

Beat.

"And ride the rest of the way naked."

Beat.

"Aye, and to sell Cloud at market in the next village we see."

[mnt_raph]

He blinks. Did she just say what he thought she just said. "Wait....what?"
It's anyone's guess which of those statements was the one to actually snap him out of his own thoughts.

[tortallan_npc]

Abigail would be willing to bet it was the last one.

"What have you done with the map?"

She sounds exasperated.

[mnt_raph]

Never bet on sure things.

"I ain't done nothin' with it, 'side from givin' it to you."
What is she getting....at....
"Why?"

[tortallan_npc]

"It's gone missin'" she answers with a scowl. "I've been through it all, and then again!"

To punctuate her exclamation, she throws both hands up in the air.

[mnt_raph]

"What do you mean it's gone missing? We just had it. It ain't like maps just up an' walk away on their own."

Or...maybe they do?

"Maybe during the commotion it got like...blown around a bit or somethin'."

He begins to circle the area looking in and around any underbrush to be found for the map to be caught on, poking at things with his katana as he does so.

[tortallan_npc]

A deeply disturbing suspicion begins to form in the back of Abigail's mind. Gritting her teeth, she takes her own katana and stalks after Raph. When he's leaned over poking at a shrub, she helpfully pokes him in the rear, right in the middle of a red heart.

She'll never understand his 'boxers.' They are ostentatious, and nowhere near as sensible as a good loincloth!

"There's no wind to carry it far and it's not here," she insists. "Where are your breeches?"

Someone is a bit grumpy about the direction their afternoon has taken.

[mnt_raph]

"OW! Hey, careful with that!" he turns, trapping the end of her sword with his own with a flick of his wrist. "They're over by the tree, where I left'em."

[tortallan_npc]

"Aye, but the map is not where we left it," she tells him again, chin jutting out like she means to poke him with it as well as the sword.







"Do ponies oft have a preference for musty pieces of parchment?"

Her smile is sharpest of all.

[mnt_raph]

"What? You're not talkin' sense! What do you mean..."

"oh." Raph considers her words.

"No. NO they wouldn't...would they?"

[tortallan_npc]

They. She has to smirk at the way he shifts the blame, knowing full well it was Cloud who got loose and wandered over to the spot where they'd been...

Ahem.

Ponies, she thinks, checking her temper.

"Does anythin' behave as it ought today?" she sighs, walking back to the area in question. "Excepting yourself."

He had been behaving just as he should.

[mnt_raph]

Raph's brain is already running full tilt at formulating excuses for Cloud and his behavior, when the weight of Abigail's comments hit him.

Oh.
Well...heh.

The bond between man and pony is a strong one, but even bonds have limits. Raph smiles to himself, as he cuts down a couple of branches and brings them back to the clearing.

"Well, we are on an adventure. Weird stuff's bound to happen. Let's just hope our quota for the day's been filled."