Lilac nights

They were only here for a few days, but Hunter was already getting sick and tired of the cold that was hanging like a curse around Ravaryn. There were a few reasons why he wanted to go back to Avalon, the warmer environment being one of them. But… His thoughts slowly drifted to a certain girl back in Avalon and he shook his head. No. There was also a lot of reasons why he didn’t want to go back to Avalon, although returning wouldn’t necessarily mean that he would have to meet her again. He wanted to, deep down in his heart, but he knew he couldn’t. And it would depend a lot on how much time Sorin wanted to spend exploring Ravaryn. They still hadn’t found anyone to help them with their original mission, so it looked like they were going to be here for a while.

As Hunter never learned of his bad previous experiences, he ventured out into the dark woods again. He was pretty sure that his close combat skills and the fact that he could control the weather, although only for a small portion, would be able to keep him alive if he were to get in trouble. And it was also because he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Hunter wasn’t a very social guy to begin with and he only put up with Sorin because he could actually stand the guy. They had developed some kind of bond during their journey, to which Hunter was secretly glad, although he would never admit that out loud of course. That wasn’t his style.

His gaze became skeptical when he stumbled upon a girl who was looking around her as if she had a drink or two too much. ”Very bold of you to assume you could take me on,” he spoke coldly, ignoring her question. She didn’t need to know who he was. He was fairly sure that she wasn’t anything with that kind of information anyway. ”What is it with girls and venturing out in the dark when they know they shouldn’t? You know that pathetic little knife won’t be able to protect you if you don’t know how to properly use it, right?” And certainly not in her state. He could easily take her down if he wanted to. What a pathetic fool.

Hunter couldn’t suppress the smirk that danced around his lips when she spoke back to him. It seemed to be that this would be another type of girl who could stand up for herself and could give him a piece of her mind, which he secretly appreciated more than a girl who would let him walk all over her. What was it with him and attracting these kinds of girls? She wasn’t bad for the eye either; even with the little light surrounding the area, he could see that she was pretty. It felt kind of wrong to think like that after what he been through with Aelisia, but oh well. That was in the past. She had made it clear to him that she didn’t care about him and she was miles away, so why should he care about what she thought? Right, he shouldn’t.

”Spare me your little pathetic whining story. I couldn’t care less about it,” he spoke coldly, but a smirk appeared around his lips when she called him an asshole. ”You’re not the first girl who says that to me, so get in line,” he spoke to her drily. He couldn’t care less what this girl thought about him, but he couldn’t help but think that this conversation was going in the exact same direction as his conversation with Aelisia had. Who knows. Maybe he might be kissing with this girl against a tree, her legs wrapped around his waist. The idea was so ridiculous that he wanted to laugh out loud at himself, but he suppressed the urge and instead focused his attention on the girl in front of him.

”You do realize that you couldn’t have been an easier target for robbery or worse if you tried, right?” He cocked an eyebrow at her. ”But it’s in that direction.” He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder towards the direction in which he came from. ”Do you want me to escort you back or are you fine by yourself?” He spoke the words almost nonchalantly, covering up the fact that he was actually trying to help her out. He didn’t want to came across as a nice person, after all.

Her next words left him completely baffled. He blinked a few times when she spoke her words, trying to figure out of she was serious or not. Probably not. It also stirred a weird feeling inside of him that he couldn’t pinpoint. Nothing weird or anything, but it was just… weird. This girl was weird. This entire conversation was weird. But it was also interesting. Her responses were on the verge of being funny and her attitude was nasty, which attracted him for some reason. For some reason he was attracted to girls with nasty attitudes. Because they were fun to be around and because he could never expect what kind of reaction they would give, although he could probably later on when he had them figured out. Or something like that.

”Spare me your sexual fantasies. I don’t want to hear them,” he spoke with a look of disdain plastered on his face, but he would be lying if he would say that he wasn’t curious about her train of thoughts. Not that he would ever admit that out loud of course. ”I’m fairly certain that I would stand my own in a fight with someone with the likes of you, but thank you very much for your sincere concern,” he spoke sarcastically, eyeing her obnoxiously up and down to get his point across. She wasn’t a threat to him and she wouldn’t have to think that she was. Not with that pathetic attitude she had.

”And the fantasizing goes on and on. Don’t you ever get tired of yourself?” he spoke harshly. He turned around, going in the complete opposite she just pointed at and Hunter visibly hesitated. He would like to leave the girl alone and just go on his way, but it didn’t feel right to just… leave her like that.

He made up his mind and in a few strides he was within her reach. ”Enough with your little games. Come on,” he spoke, grabbing her arm, but not putting on much pressure so that she knew she could always get out of his grip if she really wanted to. He prepared himself for an upcoming, probably clumsy attack with her knife so that he wouldn’t get cut. Although he secretly wanted to help her out, he was not planning on getting stabbed in the process.

Hunter gave her a blank look when she spoke her words. The alcohol must be really working on her; he couldn’t imagine her being a threat to him. But he also kept in mind that he shouldn’t underestimate his opponents. But still… a drunk girl like her couldn’t be any danger for him, right? Just to be sure Hunter drew an arrow from his back along with his bow, showing it to the girl. That was the only souvenir he brought from home and the only thing he still had from Avalon. It was purely because of the fact that he needed and weapon and not because it meant anything to him or anything. He would have to ask Sorin for some lessons about using a sword or a knife so he could swap his bow and arrow for that, but for now this would have to do. ”They couldn’t even touch me before I had an arrow lodged into their brains,” he boasted, thinking back on the physical fight he had with Sorin. He hadn’t done so bad there, so he was pretty sure he could take anyone one he wanted.

Hunter rolled his eyes when a waterfall of words that didn’t make any sense to him left her mouth, before grabbing her wrist. He felt the muscles in her arm tighten and loosened his grip on her, showing her that he wasn’t intending on forcing her to go with him. She seemed to realize this, as she didn’t take any action to free herself from him. Instead of doing that, she stumbled towards him and Hunter instinctively wrapped his arm around her shoulders to steady her. He could smell the alcohol on her breath, but it was also accompanied by a sweet scent that could probably be her own scent. She didn’t smell all that bad overall and Hunter felt a strange warmth spreading through his body when he noticed how close she was. ”Careful,” he tried to say harshly, but it came out softer then intended. What the…

Hunter quickly let go of her after she seemed to find her footing again. ”Seems to me that you’re finally using those brains I didn’t thought you had,” he spoke to her coldly to make up for the lack of harshness he had just now. He eyed her warily as she put away the knife. He had put away his bow and arrow sometime ago, so he had his hands free to steady her if she needed it. Not that he would ever admit to her that he would help her of course. ”Can you at least walk?” he asked her, raising his eyebrows. ”Or do you need me to carry you?” He smirked at her. He was obviously referring to the way she just stumbled into him just now and he was pretty sure that he would pester her with it all the way back, more so to try to get rid off his own awkwardness then to bother her really.

Hunter nodded when she asked her question. ”I can hunt, yes,” he spoke, shrugging his shoulders. It was a feature he needed more in Avalon than he needed here, where money seemed to be the most important thing. He guessed he could still catch a fat looking rabbit for Sorin and himself. He knew how to cook those things and how to skin them, so he could make a tasty meal out of that. His lessons in Avalon had learned him to do so and while he hated his life back there, he was still thankful about what he had learned from his tribe people and what could came in handy for him whenever he was out of Avalon. ”Want to see?” he asked sarcastically when she asked him if he was good with the bow and arrow or if he was actually bluffing. Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed the bow and one if his arrows in a quick movement. Then, without taking his eyes off of her, he put the arrow on the string of his bow, pulled the string back and let the arrow fly. Even without looking he knew that his arrow had lodged itself in the middle of the tree. Training with drawing red circles and trying to hit them with his arrows had done really well for him.
 
Hunter quickly put the bow away when the girl decided that it was a good idea to start walking. She seemed to be intent on not letting him help her and he wasn’t going to force himself upon her. He would rather see her fall to the ground so he could laugh at her face. He couldn’t help but let out a quick, hard laugh when she actually tripped over a branch and barely made it to save herself from a nasty fall, claiming how she hadn’t seen the branch. ”No, really? I thought you were doing it on purpose,” Hunter said with a theatrical movement of his hands, giving her a mocking smirk. He couldn’t prevent himself from doing so: she was making such a fool out of herself that it was hard not to laugh at her.
 
Hunter stared at her blankly when she turned around and introduced herself. ”You’re saying that like I’m supposed to know you,” he stated bluntly, then stuck out his hand as well so he could shake hers. ”Hunter,” he introduced himself, not finding it necessary to inform her of his last name. It wouldn’t contribute to the conversation. He was also fairly certain that it was an Avalon thing and a lack of social quality that was true to his own character.
 
”Now, my lady, do you want me to help you or not? While it would certainty enlighten my evening to see you fall flat on your face, I’m also fairly certain that you won’t be able to make it safely out of these woods without my help.” Hunter gave her a knowing smirk, retreating his hand from hers, followed up by a theatrical, mockery bow. As if he was some polite gentleman who would help this damsel in distress. Yeah right. The thought alone made him laugh alright.