Heading out (Cherry)

[Jyo]

Jyo looked as the sun came up over the horizon and lit the sky over the docks and reflected off the water. His bright eyes looked out over the water as a smile crossed over his face. He had been looking forward to this trip since he and Katrina talked about it. He had visited her during her birthday and it was a great time, but he had stayed in this town for too long, it was time to move on.

He was clad in the normal brown shirt and pants, the heavy duty black boots and fingerless gloves. His brown jacket was sewn back up after the encounter with that vampire and his Katrina was held in his right hand at the sheath. On his back was a light pack, large enough to carry gear for too, and easy enough to slide off quickly if needed. He hoped he wouldn't need to do that.
In his left hand was an open book, something he had found the day before Katrina's birthday. He looked back down at the book and started reading once again.

before too much longer he heard the sound of approaching footsteps on the docks. This was about the time he had planned to meet Katrina so they could head out. He turned to face the approaching person while a gentle breeze tugged at his red and white hair. He closed the book and let his arm rest at his side. A smile appeared on his face in greeting.

[cherry]

Katrina had left Taeloc's house a few minutes ago. Taeloc had replaced her torn jacket and now she was in her normal attire. White tank top, green jacket, green pants and her white sandals. She felt better and less awkward.

It was hard saying good bye to Taeloc, but she was anxious to get back to the Waste and talk to Jyo. She was meeting him at the docks. Katrina was carrying a small, white, cotton bag on her right shoulder. Some of her gifts and her dress Taeloc had gotten her was in the bag.

The sun was above the horizon and people were already crowding the docks. Katrina quickly brushed past all of them when she spotted Jyo by a stack of fishing crates. She quickened her past and walked up to Jyo as he smiled at her. She flashed a smile back. "Hello, Jyo."

[Jyo]

"Good morning Katrina." Jyo replied as he slung the bag off one shoulder and placed the book inside of it after wrapping it in a heavy cloth. Swinging the bag back up he gave a small stretch.
"So are you ready to head out?" He asked with the smile still in place.

This would be the first time he actually traveled with anyone outside of being a hired escort. Jyo often made sure to travel alone, but something about Katrina's company was very calming and pleasant. Having her by his side as they traveled seemed like it would be a nice thing.

[cherry]

"Yeah," Katrina sighed as she looked out onto the deep blue sea. She turned her glance back to Jyo and smiled. It was nice having Jyo as company. Katrina usually has to travel alone.

"I know this tunnel in the Pine Forest...it's pretty long, but it'll get us to the Celestial Forest the quickest." Katrina told him. Her hand was gripping the strap of the bag. "And it's the safest." She added. Some nights ago, Katrina was jumped by a vampire...then she turned up at her party, which was kinda weird.

Katrina sighed and brushed past Jyo. "Well, come on," She laughed, looking over her shoulder and smiling.

[Jyo]

Jyo chuckled.
"I know about the tunnel. I was down there before I came to your birthday. I found something very interesting down there." he said as he nodded his head at his bag.
Jyo grinned as Katrina brushed past him and he matched her pace.

He was interested in going back down through the tunnels again. He had found something very dear to him down there and now going through on a different path would be interesting, perhaps they would find something on their way.

"So how many days travel is it on foot to your destination?" He asked. Knowing that Katrina could fly, he figured it would take her longer when walking. if need be he could have easily run to keep up with her flight, but this was supposed to be something of a relaxing trek.

[cherry]

Katrina turned her glance back to the docks as Jyo appeared by her side. "Well, when I fly it only takes me a few hours. But when I walk, it takes me about two days. Maybe one and a half if I'm quick." Katrina told them. "I usually make camp in the tunnel if I get tired."

Katrina stepped across a few fish that were scattered across the docks. This wasn't her favorite place, but it was the closet place next to the Pine Forest.

Katrina looked at Jyo. "If I may ask," She started. "where are you going to go after we get to the Celestial Forest?" She had to know. His company was really pleasant for her and she really did want to keep in touch with him.

[Jyo]

Almost two days eh? Sounds nice. Jyo thought as they walked. Likely one night spent in the tunnels and another spent, well wherever they stopped. That was if they camped twice. Katrina mentioned she could make it to the forest rather quickly, and he could match pretty much anyone's pace, but he hoped they could take their time.

He thought about her question for a few moments. Jyo was a drifter with no real destination. He followed his work.
"I'm not sure. I could stick around for a few days, but then when I leave I'm not sure where I'll go. I'll likely head to Zationia, but I won't stay long." He said. Jyo then smiled.
"We'll find a way to stay in touch. I promise." He added.

[cherry]

Katrina smiled as his promise to stay in touch. Jyo mentioned Zationia. Maybe she could come visit him sometime there. Katrina only knew one more person in Zationia, a librarian named Echo James. But she hadn't been there in years.

Katrina pulled her hair out of the collar of her jacket and scratched her ears. "I haven't been to Zationia in years." She mentioned. "But from what I hear, the Navalins are attacking Zationia pretty badly. I even heard that the library got stormed one day." Katrina hoped Echo was okay.

"This war is useless." Katrina added. "It's not gonna solve anything." She thought. The war between the Zationians and Navalins have been going on for years and nothing has even happened.

[Jyo]

Jyo gave a raised eyebrow as they walked along.
"I didn't know word of the attacked spread so quickly, though I shouldn't be surprised. The raid did come from Navalen. I would have figured it would be kept pretty hushed up though." He replied as he thought about the raid on the library.

"I must agree about the war though. That part of the reason i became a wanderer. I didn't like the idea of getting drafted as a soldier. Father wasn't every really happy about that choice." he said with a small grin. His goal in life was to do more or less as he wished.

[cherry]

"I guess I was lucky then." Katrina shrugged. Katrina lived out in the thick forest where no one could find her. She hoped she never got in the middle of a war or a raid.

Jyo seemed to talk about his father alot. "I suppose your father played a big role in you life." Katrina guessed. Hearing about his father actually made Katrina sad thinking about her parents. She stopped. Whenever she started to think about her parents she tried to wipe her mind of the memories.

[Jyo]

Jyo gave a nod.
"He trained me to use a sword. He wanted me to become a soldier." He replied. He caught the fact the Katrina stopped and turned to look at her.
"Is everything okay?" he asked with concern in his voice. he wasn't sure exactly what had made her stop, then he realized what they had been talking about.
"Oh yeah, sorry." He said as he figured it out.

Jyo didn't have as many problems as some, but he was empathetic at times, he figured the fact he had brought up his parents hadn't been his best move here. He would leave the subject alone around her unless she wanted to bring it up.

[cherry]

Katrina tried to forget the awkward stop. She didn't really like to talk about her parents at all. She tried to forget but the subject kept haunting her with every step. She tried to think of something to say to get her mind off of the subject.

She played with the ring Jyo had given her on her birthday. She smiled. "I really hope you didn't spend to much money on this." He had the diamond engraved with a "K". It was beautiful and she valued it very much.

[Jyo]

As they returned to walking there was a bit of silence. Jyo was letting Katrina get around whatever she needed to and he figured that when she was ready to speak about something, she would do so.

He didn't wait long before she asked about the ring. He looked over and flashed a grin.
"Too much is a very relative term." He said as a small ripple of lightning ran across him. True it had cost him the full payment from the last job he had taken, but it didn't set him back to where he was in financial trouble.
"Let's just say you were worth it." he said with a quick wink.

[cherry]

Katrina laughed when he said she was worth the expense of the ring. "Yeah, sure." Katrina nodded, sarcastically. She took the hand with the ring on it and shoved it in her pant pocket. "But thank you." She said about the ring even though she wished he hadn't gone to the trouble of buying it.

She ducked as a guy through a fish over her head to the vendor. She saw they were coming up on the beach near the docks and he fisherman crowding the docks. "You know, it would be much safer to walk on the beach." The sand looked untouched and no one was near the beach.

[Jyo]

Jyo looked over and gave a mock stern look.
"Now not, I caught that tone, don't belittle yourself, you're too young to be so pessimistic." He said as he flashed her a smile. They had only know each other a short time, but Jyo considered her a friend that was more than worth what he had gotten her.

He thought about her suggestion of walking along the beach. he had to admit he liked that much better. The tunnels made him uncomfortable now that he had learned something of them. Not to mention the references to his race that were stored in one of the hidden rooms.

"The beach it is. I always liked the sand anyways." He said as he started heading to move along the shoreline. He hadn't traveled along th beach before. granted most of his routes simply took him other ways.

[cherry]

Katrina nodded and jumped down from the dock. She landed on the sand swiftly and started to walk along the sand as Jyo met her side. She kicked the sand with each step and smiled at the sun glittering on the ocean.

"I'm too young?" She laughed. "I'm only a few years behind you." She shrugged. "I don't think that I'm too young." She laughed looking at him. She slowly returned her glance to the shoreline.

[Jyo]

"Well if I'm too young to be a pessimist, that goes for you too now doesn't it?" he asked while flashing another wink. he was really just trying to keep Katrina in good spirits during their trip. He hoped that they would also get to understand each other a little better. It seemed that while they got along easily, they had led very different lives.

Walking along the beach was a new experience for Jyo. he traveled along roads or through the woods most of the time. The gentle surf and the view was extremely calming to him. They would have to make sure to set up their camp on the beach for tonight.
"I think I'm going to let you plan our routes if they are all as nice as this." He said.

[cherry]

Katrina smiled. "Well, I know my way around Navalen. I've been here half of my life and i have had plenty of time to look around. The beach leads right into the Pine Forest. It's a nice and quick way to go." She told him. "I sometimes come down this way when I go back to the Waste. And it's the safest way. No one comes down by the beach. I don't know why. I've always liked the beach. especially the ocean." She said looking over the sparkling water. "It's beautiful." She whispered.

"But I actually do know many routes to the tunnel. The beach would have to be the prettiest." She smiled, looking at Jyo. Jyo had been a quick friend and was different from the rest. He was a drifter and could understand how she felt most of the time. He was the only male friend she had ever really talked about her personal life with. Except for Tray Quinn, but he wasn't like Jyo. Tray was a joker. So, having Jyo around was really nice for Katrina. He was charming and polite. Katrina had never met anyone else like him.

[Jyo]

"I would guess the beach is a safe route because it's very hard to ever do any raiding on it, and predators have an easier time elsewhere." He replied. Jyo viewed the beach as a horrible place for any confrontation, but he loved the sight of the place.
"That doesn't take away from the beauty though. I don't often go to places so serene." He added with quick smile.

"I am surprised more people don't come along the beach though. Not that I mind, it lets us have the place to ourselves for a little while." He said before giving a small stretch. Jyo was sure what it was about Katrina that made him enjoy spending time around her. Sure she was kind and very open about herself. She had a sense of humor and responded well when Jyo was flattering her, but he seemed to genuinely enjoy her company. It would make the times he traveled on his own a little harder after this, but he would have something to look forward to when he wanted to rest his feet, he could find Katrina during those lulls in work and enjoy his breaks from his profession.

[cherry]

Katrina chuckled and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. Just having Jyo by her made her feel safe and not so lonely as she usually does. She fixed the collar of her jacket and rested her hands down by her side.

Katrina was surprised by Jyo saying that they would have some time to themselves. She smiled, but not looking directly at him because she knew she was blushing. After, she turned back to him.

"Yeah, people never come on the beach. I never figured out why. I guess people are too busy." Katrina shrugged. She smiled at Jyo, then turned her glance back to the ocean.