Hidden Ways (Woundweaver)

[Aida]

Aida had the hood pulled over her head, covering her braids and her forehead. Bright green eyes peered through the dark material as the res of the cape covered her body, ends dragging along the destroyed city streets. Her boots made a soft thudding sound echoing off the crumbling buildings. Her one hand holding her staff using it as almost a walking stick while the other hung freely at her side. In this city you never knew who or what you would find walking along, alone. Many thought that just because she was alone she couldn’t take care of herself.

She knew not to stop, that she had to keep going on. He had been so close to her last time she was hunting. The deer’s blood still flowed through her veins, keeping that hunger at bay. She should be fine for a day or two not having to worry about blood. Human food on the other hand she was running short on. A small bag of berries were tied to the loop of her leather pants. Large eye lit holes up the sides of her legs from showing from the top of her boots the whole way to her hips. Short black and red corset top that exposed her whole stomach connected on the one shoulder.

Hearing a noise come from behind her she paused and turned towards the street the sound was coming from. Moving as quietly as she ran to the side of the building. Holding the staff ready she scented the air not catching the scent of anyone. Taking a slow deep breath she waited listening to the soft foot steps that most would not be able to hear get closer. She didn’t know who or what could be coming down the crumbling side street. Many would have ran and hid but not Aida.

[woundweaver]

((After meeting Hiro))

Woundweaver continued his journey through the crumbling city. His meeting with the half-breed, or a Joining as he liked to call, a few nights ago had been interesting and he continued to walk, the massive double-edged axe in his hand and a thick coat wrapped around his sturdy frame.

He did not know where he was walking to; he had no aim, no goal in life except to live by his code. Woundweaver knew that one day he would like to see humans once again inhabit the city and he would strive to help achieve that but one man could not make much of a difference.

The human walked into the open and stopped, his eyes drawn to the ground and he knelt. He could see footprints, maybe a young woman's or a child's. How recent though, he did not know. Woundweaver stood up slowly, his brown eyes surveying the area.

And they fell on a young woman, holding a stick. No, a staff, in defensive mode. Woundweaver just simply stared at her. "Travelling alone in this part of the city isn't the smartest thing to do girlie" he said to her, his voice confident and deep.

[Aida]

The footsteps she had heard stopped. Her chest rose and fell as if nothing was bothering her, standing their in anticipation of what could possibly be out there, now awake. Would it be hostile or friendly. Hardly anything was friendly in this day and age that was why almost everyone was a loner especially now that the old ones were dying off. Glancing around she kept her head down as she peered down the street she had just walked.

A man stood there as he looked at the footprints she had left on the ground. Cursing herself she wasn’t used to those that could track anyone. Hell even the one that was after her wasn’t that good. Green eyes glanced at his axe he carried and she was a bit impressed but wondered why he carried such a bulky thing around with him.

Smirking she eased back out of her defensive stance. He wasn’t moving towards her just staying where he was. Licking her bottom lip she knew she had to be careful around him. He was a human and she wasn’t, to look at her he would see the markings on her face and think human but her teeth she had to be careful especially if he was a skilled hunter like he appeared.

“Girlie? Huh…” she started with a snort stepping away from the wall moving a bit closer to him. “Its not safe anywhere axeman. Therefore it does not matter where I travel.” she gave him a smirk still not removing the hood from her head. “What brings you here?” she asked her voice piercing the silence of the area.

[woundweaver]

She looked human. But there were very, very few human women who travelled alone now. They had to be either incredibly tough and lucky otherwise they would not last long. So this woman was probably a Joining.

He saw the red marks on her forehead as she stepped closer and he smiled. "There are still a few safe zones with some human colonies. Loners tend to have a much lower life expectancy"

Woundweaver shrugged his shoulders at her question. "I like taking walks. And my recent one led me here" he told her, a grin on his face as he rested the axe on his shoulder.

[Aida]

Aida moved towards the human, her movements were nothing out of the ordinary. Slow steady, nothing special, the material of her hooded cap drug on ground behind her. It had lifted enough to expose her forehead but not her hair. It wouldn’t have mattered if it did, she had already figured this man to be safe, safer than many she had came in contact with in this city. Smiling back at him she nodded at his statement. “True… My family is all gone Axe man, so I will stay a loner. I am after all not that old” her words held a very small hint of teasing to him at her end statement. She wasn’t that old and her life expectancy well that all depended on her and who all found out who she truly was.

Shaking her head at his answer to her question she pushed the hood off her head, freeing her braids as she glanced around. Her attention then turned back to him as she leaned a little on her staff. “Just like to walk huh…. I guess there is not much to do if you are a loner. It appears you are, forgive me if I am wrong” she smiled and took a few more steps closer to him, “I am Aida” she said giving him her name. It didn’t mean much to anyone anymore but she still used the name her mother gave her.

[woundweaver]

Woundweaver shrugged. "Aye, you don't look to old. You definitely don't look like you should be travelling alone" He fell silent. "I'm sorry about your family. These are tough times"

He left it at that. He would not feel sorry for her, almost all the humans left in the world have suffered losses. She was just one of the many. Although it was still up to debate whether she was human or not. The last wanderer he had met had been a Joining as he liked to call half-breeds.

The axeman watched as she removed her hood, exposing braided hair and then she walked closer to him and he casually brought his axe down from his shoulder to rest the handle on the floor and he rested his chin in between the blades. "I'm not a loner girlie, I have my axe to keep me company" and Woundweaver grinned.

He nodded when she told her name. "And I'm called Woundweaver" The axeman looked at her and at some abandoned buildings, his brown eyes suddenly alert. He almost felt like they were not alone. But not much he could do if there was indeed someone else hiding.

"Where are you headed to gir...Aida?" he asked.

[Aida]

Aida just smirked at him when he commented on her not looking old. She was young, proud of it and well she didn’t handle people well or shifters and the other part of her blood line were determined to end her life. So she could somewhat agree with him on the point of how she shouldn’t be out here alone but that was the thing she wasn’t going to join a group of loners and risk what she was hurting anyone. Shrugging her shoulders she smirked. “I could say that you look to old to be traveling alone but now that is just rude..huh?”

“No need to be sorry about my family. I have moved on. No use dwelling on things that will never change.” Aida didn’t care about her family anymore. They are the ones that wanted to move on. Maybe they were doing well or they could be dead for all she knew. Pulling the hood from her hair she leaned on her staff. Rolling her eyes as he said that his axe was his company. “Well if inanimate objects are company then I have mine as well”

She arched an eyebrow when he gave her his name. “Woundweaver, that is interesting. I hope it’s a pleasure” she replied watching him become alert. Straightening up she pulled the hood back over her head. Listening she didn’t catch anything but he had sensed something. Aida wasn’t sure if what she had been waiting for was Woundwear or if it was something else entirely.

Looking around she moved a few steps closer to him. Her words soft at his question, eyes meeting his as she spoke, “Hunting, axeman” Looking around she shrugged walking a few steps in front of him, looking over her shoulder, “Just a walk or something more that you were doing?” she asked.

[woundweaver]

The axeman laughed, a deep rolling sound. "No harm in calling me old. I am older than you after all" he told her, chuckling. He himself was a blunt man. No, Magnus Woundweaver certainly was no diplomat.

He shrugged again when she told that there was no need to be sorry about her family. "There's no harm in being sorry either chickie" the man told her, his voice soft. He tapped his axe and frowned at Aida. "Inanimate object? She's called 'The Sender'" Woundweaver spoke, holding his axe almost affectionately. "Its seen me through some rough times"

Then he stiffened as he almost felt like they were not alone and his brown eyes became alert, searching the area. They returned to her as he could not see anything; that did not necessarily mean there was nothing out there. "Hunting eh?" he repeated, watching her as she came closer, her hood back over her head. "Me, like I told you, was just taking a walk. Its what I do - walk and try to find trouble"

[Aida]

Aida chuckled when he laughed, it was a deep sounding laugh but a laugh all the same. It wasn’t often that she was around anyone to hear them laugh at something she said. Normally she was just pissing people off. “That you are old man, I am amazed there is no grey in your hair”

When he commented on her family she just shrugged it off. As far as she knew he hadn’t known any of them. Aida didn’t recognize him and dwelling on the past only made you emotional. Emotions made one weak and no one could afford to be weak especially doing what she did and protecting herself and her secret the way that she did. Looking up at him her eyes met his as she spoke on being sorry. “It was a long time ago Woundweaver” she left it at that not wanting to think of her family.

Smirking when he tapped his axe and frowned at her she chuckled and lifted her eyebrows. “The Sender… how amusing.” she held her tongue at how he spoke of it and nodded. “I bet it has… I didn’t name mine as it is not the first I have been through. Wood doesn’t last long when it eventually splinters.” she moved her staff to her other hand and leaned against it. It wasn’t decorated but had two small red rings painted around it. They meant nothing in particular they were just there.

As soon as he became alert she quickly pulled her hood back over her head, covering her braids and the flame painted on her forehead. She didn’t hear anything or sense anything but that never meant something wasn’t lingering, watching and waiting. Feeling like there was nothing there she took a few steps closer to him, answering his question as she moved closer. Nodding her head as he repeated her she smirked. “Yes hunting… it is what I do” chuckling at his reply she shook her head. “Trouble often finds those that seek it out here. If you are looking for action I suggest the surrounding areas of this city. Rouges are attacking more there now… they hide in these buildings waiting.” she said softly her hand motioning for the buildings around them.

[woundweaver]

The axeman shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not that old" He laughed again. "Grey hair comes quicker to those who worry. Me, I don't worry or think a lot about things beyond my control"

His brown eyes pierced through the girl when she said it was amusing his axe was called ' The Sender'. "It wasn't amusing to those who were...sent so to say. Not amusing at all" Woundweaver eyed her staff. "No, wood doesn't last long. You might want to carry something better. Maybe a gun or two"

He watched her walk close to him as his eyes went alert. Woundwaver leaned forward slightly. "I don't think I need to go looking for trouble too far away...there is something out here, close by, I sense it" he said in a low voice.

"And besides chickie, humans hold no challenge for me any more. Most of them know me as well and they leave me alone now" the axeman said, grinning.

[Aida]

Her eyes lightened when he said that he wasn’t that old. Shrugging her shoulders back she chuckled, “Mmmhmm yes you are actually. If you don’t care about what you can’t control… that makes you scary and dangerous” She admitted that he was scary thinking that way. It would mean that hardly anything shook him or he was just good at hiding his weaknesses. No matter what he was still an old man to her.

Aida’s amusement still showed in her eyes at the mention of his axe’s name. Glaring at him she snorted at his comment. “probably not but it is to me. I can at least give you credit that its not a female name or well a male name. Then I would have to be scared of you.” Seeing the eay he eyed her staff she lifted an eyebrow when he mentioned carrying something better like a gun. Shaking her head she smirked at him.

“Oh you silly old man, the staff is not my only defensive weapon that I carry on me. Plus guns are no fun and too loud.” Moving closer to him, she noticed how he watched her but it didn’t phase her. He didn’t lift the axe up so she remained comfortable around him. Pausing at his words she looked at him and nodded. “They is always something anymore” she replied back softly.

Smirking when he called her chickie again she rolled her eyes. “Does the big ole’ axe scare them away?” she asked teasingly before slipping out, “Guess its good I’m not human”