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James and the Bounty Hunter



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Fri Oct 12, 2018 1:29 pm
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Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


She didn't say anything while Tiberius ate. She doubted he would respond to any of it; he didn't seem like much of a talker. But that was alright - she was the type of person who could just think for hours on end. She tended to do that, most days. It was the only way someone could ever possibly make traveling alone enjoyable.

When he finished eating, she wasted no time in retying his bonds and slipping her plates back into her pack. It wasn't like they had eaten a messy meal, and a little bit of chicken getting into her bag wasn't the end of the world.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Fri Oct 12, 2018 1:58 pm
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soundofmind says...



James Hawke


James watched Runi with what could only be defined as a bored expression as he leaned forward over his legs and slouched. He wasn't looking forward to escaping, and all of the energy it would take to do so. It was exhausting every time.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Tue Oct 16, 2018 12:05 am
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Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


Tiberius had changed his posture, and the stars were in full force in the skies above. Runi took it as a sign that it was time to finally get some sleep in. She knew that she wouldn't get much sleep - she never did these days - but even a few hours would amount to something.

She turned around and looked at the small clearing she had set up camp in. They were several decent spots for them to lay, but the most important aspect wasn't a single person's comfort. She needed somewhere that would be comfortable for both of them; then Tiberius wouldn't be as eager to escape, and she could keep him close in case he did attempt to.

She finally found a spot underneath a decent-sized tree. She dug through her bag for the two tightly folded blankets she had stuffed in there. When she finally pulled them out, she returned to the fire and sat down next to Tiberius.

"I think it's time for us to go to sleep," she said. She pointed at the area she had scouted out. "We're going to head over there after I redo those ankle bonds. And if you're thinking of escaping while I'm asleep, you're not going to get that far. I've got cat-like reflexes, and I'm one of the lightest sleepers I know."

She didn't know a whole lot of people, but Tiberius didn't need to know that.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Tue Oct 16, 2018 3:24 am
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soundofmind says...



James Hawke


James's upper lip flinched in contempt as Runi explained what was going to happen next, and he glared at her resentfully. He'd heard bounty hunters say every kind of threat under the sun, but he knew a sincere tone when he heard one. Even if Runi wasn't as quick as him, she meant what she said, and it would be wise for him to be as quiet, and it meant he'd have to be quick about it.

He had no reason to compete with Runi for being the lightest sleeper around. In his case, his hearing was dull enough that it wasn't often sounds that would wake him, but rather bad dreams and jolts of paranoia; the feeling of a shadow standing over him, or a shift in the air.

Needless to say he wasn't going to be sleeping anyway. He resented the idea that he would be sleeping so close to Runi and almost wished she'd just tied him to a tree. Having freedom in pieces was worse than having it fully taken away. At least, if he was fully tied up, they could stop pretending like she saw him as anything less than a bounty.

He held his glare, and blinked as his response. It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter, anyway.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:49 am
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Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


Yup, he was definitely salty about the whole not being able to escape bit. He was probably still planning on trying it, but she had said her piece. If he did try, she had all rights to stop him from getting too far away. Slinging the two blankets over her shoulder, she leaned down and untied his bonds. It was hard to hoist him up to his feet and lead him to the the spot that she had picked out, and even less harder to get him to lay down so she could retie his ankle bonds.

Then she placed the blanket on top of him and laid down only a handful of feet away.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:22 am
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soundofmind says...



James Hawke


James could feel his anger boiling up like a head inside his chest as Runi threw the blanket over him. He hated it, but he kept his face from showing anything more than annoyance. He'd save that building energy for when he had to run.

He turned his head to watch as Runi laid down to go to sleep as well, and though she wasn't asleep yet, he already started to slowly tug lightly at the ropes around his wrists.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:25 am
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Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


She was absolutely exhausted and had the ability to easily fall easily practically anywhere, so it didn't take long for her to fall asleep. She did manage to refrain from snoring, though that was more of a lucky chance and not because she had actually attempted to.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:34 am
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soundofmind says...



James Hawke


He listened carefully for the steady breathing that came with sleep, and as soon as he was assured that she was out, he began to twist his hands out of the ropes. It required him to dislocate his thumbs to get it to work, but as soon as he got them out, he popped them back in place. The process came with a lot of wincing and gritting of his teeth, but as soon as his hands were free, he wasted no time in undoing the ropes around his ankles.

He focused on keeping his breathing steady as he pulled the ropes apart silently, and kept a close eye on Runi. From what he could see, she was still asleep, and he would do everything in his power to keep himself from waking her.

With hands aching and pulsing, he finally freed his ankles and slowly rose to his feet. He knew he had maybe a second or two to dart into the forest before she woke up, so he turned to run away from her, and made his dash.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:39 am
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Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


Before Tiberius could even get a good foot away from her, she instinctively kicked her leg out and knocked him to the ground.

And then she woke up.

Like she had told Tiberius, she had incredibly good reflexes. Even if she was asleep, her body could tell that something had changed in the surrounding environment, and then acted accordingly. She opened her eyes to see that Tiberius was now sprawled out on the ground a very short distance away from the blanket. She sighed, grabbed the untied rope and made her way over to Tiberius.

"I told you I had crazy good reflexes," she said, crouching down beside his feet. She started to tie his ankles together again. She was completely awake now, and something told her she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. What a shame! She could definitely use some extra hours of sleep.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:43 am
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soundofmind says...



James Hawke


James growled as she wrapped the rope around his ankles again and attempted to kick at her as he pushed himself up with his arms. He hadn't caught his fall at all, and his head was throbbing along with the rest of him.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Tue Oct 16, 2018 10:10 am
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Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


She couldn't help herself - she let out a surprised hiss when he growled at her, and then almost immediately felt foolish for doing so after she finished making the noise. She tried her best to ignore by focusing on tying his wrists together. Even though he did try to kick at her, she had already been heading towards the upper half of his body, and there wasn't much he could do with his ankles tied together.

When she finished tying the ropes, she plopped herself down on the ground next to him.

"Well, I'm not falling asleep now," she said. "You've gotten me all adrenalined-up. And something tells me you're not going to fall asleep either, so why don't we talk for a bit?" She thought for a moment, then eagerly said, "Ah, I got it! Let's start with family. That's always a good one. I never knew my parents, but I'm 99.99% certain that I'm an only child."

Tiberius must have thought she was being quite odd, and must have thought that she was completely oblivious to social cues - she wasn't. She knew that he was absolutely livid at being caught, and knew that her first few questions likely wouldn't get that long answers. But she knew how people worked, and knew that he'd be less likely to try escaping again once they got into a good conversation.

Besides, she needed some way to pass the time.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Tue Oct 16, 2018 10:18 am
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soundofmind says...



James Hawke


James was fuming, and the furious heat in his chest finally boiled up to his face, making it red with anger. He sharply turned his head over to her, sending her a heated glare from his position, face-down on the ground with his hands tied behind his back.

"You have no right to know anything about my family," he spat. "And I'd never tell a bounty hunter about them anyway."
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Tue Oct 16, 2018 10:37 am
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Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


"Sorry for asking," she hurriedly apologized. She hadn't expected him to open up to her, but she also hadn't expected a response like that. He was so furious that his face was red - she couldn't remember the last time she had seen someone with cheeks so flushed. It made sense in retrospect - she had just remembered that she had discovered that Tiberius was an orphan while doing her research.

But, as she thought about it, something didn't line up. She had just admitted that she was essentially an orphan herself; her parents might have been out there, but she had no idea where. It didn't make sense for Tiberius to get all defensive when they were in the same boat. So why had he suddenly lashed out at her-

No.

It couldn't be, right? That would be absurd. Wouldn't the people who had put out that wanted poster have done at least a little research beforehand? But if he really wasn't Tiberius Hemming, and he still had a family around, wouldn't he have wanted to protect them by not saying anything that could lead her back to them?

She studied him for a moment, then decided she just needed to get her theory out there. It would be shame if Tiberius wasn't his real name, but oh well. Beggars couldn't be choosers.

"Tiberius Hemming isn't your real name, is it?" she asked, eyes wide.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Tue Oct 16, 2018 10:45 am
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soundofmind says...



James Hawke


It wasn't the first time James had been confronted about his identity, and his response held no delay. He already knew how to hold his face and his gaze in a way that didn't indicate deception, and matched what she already knew of him.

James's eyebrows furrowed for a moment in annoyance for a moment before a wry smile spread across his face that didn't meet his eyes. "You're jumping to a lot of conclusions just because I don't want to tell my captor my life story, Runi." He said her name with an edge to it and his smile immediately disappeared when he did so. He looked at her again with a glare, but this one cold.
Pants are an illusion. And so is death.






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Tue Oct 16, 2018 10:51 am
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Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


She crossed her arms. "I know you're trying to act tough right now," she argued, "but I've done it enough times to know that you're trying to avoid the subject, Tiberius." She flashed him a smile of her own, trying not to make it into an actual Runiā„¢ grin. She couldn't help but feel a little proud for deciding to return what he had just done to her.

"Besides, you're getting all defensive about your family right now," she added, "and I literally just said that I'm probably an orphan, too. There's no need for you to get defensive about them if we're in the same exact boat. So that means you probably have some living relatives, and you don't want me to find out about them. And if the guys who put up your poster didn't know that you actually have living family, it's probably because you used an alias when you committed treason."

She thought for a moment.

"Also, a simple no would have totally been a better way to deflect suspicion than the answer you just gave."
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.








People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one.
— Leo J. Burke