Reflection. (Open)

[Jyo]

OOC: Even though this is open, let Cherry reply first.

IC:
Jyo smiled as he felt the small evening breeze tug at his hair and clothing. The young elementalist was standing atop the light tower in Navalen. He had just completed a job in the area earlier in the day, an insane Werewolf had been terrorizing the island. Jyo felled it with his blade and accepted his payment, now he was taking some time to relax and think about his life before wandering again.

His bright green eyes looked out over the island which was bathed in the light of a full moon as he stood there, a surge of lightning crackled over his body and a small smile crept across his face. The job had been an interesting one and he had gained a few new marks for it. The wounds on his arm and chest had already closed, but the slashes on the chest might scar. He had been fortunate to come out victorious.

Next time I'll just be more careful. It never pays to be careless in this line of work after all. The money is nice though. I don't think I've been dry on currency since I started. He thought. Jyo felt that he had a good life. All he knew was how to be a warrior, and how to be charming. And while fun, being charming didn't pay for the food and shelter he needed when traveling.

Letting out a small content sigh, he let a full smile come from the small one.
"I guess life really is pretty good so far, at least I get to stay in practice." He said. Jyo wasn't sure what he was going to do when he got too old for this, he hoped he would have saved enough by that point, but nothing was certain. Getting tired of standing Jyo sat down at the edge of the light tower and removed his boots then let his legs dangle over the edge as another group of lightning arcs spread across him. He had loved heights even as a little boy, apparently things had not changed.
The only downside is the lack of a companion. These wanderings can get pretty lonely He thought.

[cherry]

Katrina flew through the city of Navalen. The dark lighting was hard for her to see. She knew she was somewhere over the ocean. The salty air was familiar.
She saw a light coming from the lighthouse. It was Island Lighthouse. A long way from where she wanted to be. She rounded toward the lighthouse to try to see which direction she had to go. As she rounded the light her jacket got on a corner. She struggled but couldn't break free.
She saw a pair of legs dangling over the side. She smacked the foot with her hand. "Hey, a little help here?" She asked.

[Jyo]

Jyo had heard a noise below him. He figured it was a large bird or the likes, so he let it be. Then he felt something smack his foot. He pushed off with his hands and pulled his feet in, landing at the edge of the lighthouse in a crouch.

Then he heard the voice asking for a hand up. Jyo peered over the edge and gave a small chuckle. There was what looked to be a girl in her late teens caught on the light tower by her jacket.

Setting his weapon down he reached down and held one hand out to grasp the center of the back collar of the jacket, and his other unsnagged the part that was caught. It took a bit of effort but he was able to pull the young girl up to where he was standing.

As he assisted the girl he had noticed she was completely human, fuzzy ears and a tail were not traits that humans were given.
"How did you manage this?" He asked as he helped the girl out. He wasn't sure how she got stuck on a light tower, but he figured it would be fun to find out.

[cherry]

Katrina sighed. She pulled her torn jacket off and hung it over her arm. "If you must know..."She sighed. "I was flying through the air, headed to the city, i wanted to get some light from the lighthouse and i got caught." She saw the huge tear in the jacket and threw it over the side. It wasn't ever going to be repaired. "Thank you." She added.
"You may not know this, but it is not easy to fly at night." She explained. She scratched her ear. She thought about where he was sitting. "Why were you on top of a lighthouse, anyway."

[Jyo]

Jyo retrieved his weapon as Katrina looked over her jacket. He looked back over at her and gave a grin hearing about how she had gotten into her position.
"Ahh a flier, that explains a few things." He said.

A cackle of lightning coursed across him again as he gave a shrug when she asked what he was doing up here.
"Well I just got done with a job. So I'm just relaxing and thinking about a few things. I don't do that very often, though it is nice." He replied. Jyo wasn't really sure why the lighthouse had been his choice of where to go, aside from the height and the fact he was already in the area.

He extended his left hand as he gave a lopsided smile.
"Jyo Mashima at your service, whom might i have the pleasure of addressing?"

[cherry]

"Katrina Klodarick," Katrina smiled, extending her right hand and shaking Jyo's. She sighed after he let go of his firm grip. She leaned against the lighthouse and crossed her arms.
"A job, huh?" She asked. "And what job might that be?" She asked. It would be nice to have a few more friends to talk to. The only friends she has were other Nekos like her. She had noticed by now Jyo was staring strangely at her long tail.
"Yes, I'm a Neko," She told him. "Eyes up here buddy." She said, pointing to her eyes. Many people thought Katrina as weird because she was half hyena and she had this uncontrollable laugh. But she started to control it.

[Jyo]

Instead of shaking her hand, Jyo bent at the hip bringing her hand up to but not quite touching his lips while looking up into her eyes.
"A pleasure." he said as he let her hand go and straitened up.

It was true that he had been looking at the tail for a bit, though his gaze never really lingered there. He still grinned at the 'eyes up here comment', something he heard a few times when meeting another race for the first time. Though he had done a bit of traveling, he hadn't met any Neko before.

"Well I'm a mercenary for the most part, a blade for hire really." He replied with a shrug. Jyo didn't go much more into what he did than that. Some people viewed vagabond mercs as lower class, and while Jyo felt they could go screw themselves, he still didn't flaunt what he did all that much.
"How about you? how do you keep busy?" He asked.

[cherry]

"Well, I don't exactly have a permanent job." Katrina told him, surprised at what he did. "I live out in the Waste mostly. I don't have a house or anything. I just travel." Katrina shrugged. She frowned into the night as she reminded herself she doesn't have many friends.
"I get pretty lonely out in the Waste....so I come back here to Navalen sometimes when I get enough money." Katrina told him. She fixed the straps of her white tank top and smoothed her hair.
"So your a mercenary?" Katrina said. "How did you get yourself into that job?"

[Jyo]

Jyo gave a nod when Katrina commented on how lonely being a drifter can be.
"Trust me, I know all to well how lonesome it can get, though it gives one a good chance to simply contemplate on a lot of things." he replied. Jyo had no regrets about his life or his choices, but he was often curious about other paths he might have taken.

"As for how I came to do what I do. I was raised in Zationia. My father trained me to wield a blade since before i can remember. I didn't like the idea of being some common soldier or being tied down. So I set out to wander freely. Needing some income I became a sword for hire." He said.

Jyo always felt his path was pretty clear cut. He didn't have the skills to make it in the world doing something else. So he used what he knew to make himself a living. Though like Katrina, he would return to his home from time to time. He wasn't an outcast, he simply never really stayed in any one place.

[cherry]

"My story about being a drifter is alot more different." Katrina whispered. "When I was born my parents were shocked that I was Neko. Being half hyena I have this really weird laugh, which I learned to control, finally." She added. "My parents were scared to take me out in public....heck, they were scared of me. Then one day when I was young....my parents took me out to the waste, Celestial Forest, and left me there for dead." She sighed. She was actually glad she was abandoned there. She was her own person with no parents to boss her around. her life was free and she could do anything she wanted.
"Luckily, I adapted to the environment and lived off of foods and animals i could hunt or find. And here we are." Katrina ended with a wave of her hand.
Her tail was shaken by the cool wind that fell over them. She looked at Jyo's face. He looked older. "How old are you, Jyo?" She asked, politely.

[Jyo]

Jyo tilted his head in thought.
"That sounds pretty rough. I thought I had a tough time with the daily training my father gave me, but that is a whole different type of challenge." he replied. Jyo had been raised in a tough environment. Everything ended up being a way to test him and improve his skills, but he had never been in want for anything in his life.

He gave a smile when she asked his age and another surge of lightning crackled around his body.
"I'm twenty-two years old, not long until I hit twenty three." he said. looking her over again he gave a shrug.
"And you? I would guess late teens, but not being fully human, that can make it hard to tell." he said. Jyo knew his race lived about twenty years longer than the average human, and he would look to be in his early twenties until he hit forty or so. he wasn't sure about Katrina's race.

[cherry]

"I'm 17," Katrina replied. "I turn 18 in a few days. That's why i was coming back to the city. My friend, Taeloc was going to throw me a birthday party." Katrina thought about it. She hadn't had a party since....well....she had never had a birthday party. It wasn't like her parents cared.
She remembered when her parents dropped her in the woods at age 7. Wow, she thought, it has already been 11 years. She wish she knew where her parents were. So she could at least confront them.
Katrina turned her glance back to Jyo, who stood there holding his sword. She rubbed her shoulders as a cold breeze brushed past them. She wasn't used to the cold.

[Jyo]

Jyo gave a smile and inclined his head.
"Well an early happy birthday to you then." He said. Jyo wasn't really one to celebrate a birthday, all he used it for was a measure of time, but he was kind-hearted enough to wish a person who celebrated theirs to have a good time of it.

Seeing the young woman rub her shoulders, Jyo realized she was getting cold. They were up here with a breeze and it got colder easily. Jyo hadn't noticed it at the time he had been up here. Removing his jacket he held it out.
"Here, you look like you need it more than I do." He said. Jyo's massive amount of electrical energy coursing through his body kept him pretty warm most of the time. One advantage to not being a human. He was just as adaptable, with several perks.

[cherry]

Katrina slowly reached for the jacket and smiled. "Thank you." She said to him, taking the jacket from is grasp. She put it around her shoulders. It was really warm.
She was glad she had met Jyo. He was pretty much the nicest person she had ever met or even spoken to. No one had ever been this nice to her. But Jyo was different. He was raised right.
She pulled the jacket closer to her and picked her hair out of the collar.She thought she might as well stay here and talk to Jyo until sunrise or until he decides to leave. She wasn't going to fly and get stuck somewhere again.
Katrina looked at the sword he held in his hand again. "That looks like a pretty expensive sword." She commented on it. "I've never seen one like it."

[Jyo]

"You're very welcome." Jyo replied as she slid his jacket on. He would of course be needing it back at some point, but he wasn't in any rush. Katrina was a pleasant person to have around. Good conversation and relaxation, that was pretty much what this was, and Jyo was enjoying it. He didn't often speak to people outside clients.

He gave a grin as she asked about his weapon. The katana he kept with him at all times. The sword and it's wielder were rarely apart from each outer, he slept with the damn thing.
"This katana has been passed down through my line for generations. It's really the only possession I have with me during my travels. It's served me well since the day I first grabbed the handle of the weapon." He said. Jyo was accommodating, but he wouldn't unsheathe the weapon or really let her examine it closely.

For one thing, he believed he should never pull it from the sheath unless he was going to use it, and he also felt that it was a part of himself, and not a part he shared with people outside of opponents, and they rarely got the chance to relish that experience.

[cherry]

"Wow," Katrina admired his weapon. "Generations." She said.
"I wish I had a weapon like that. All I have is a stupid staff back in the Waste." Katrina thought about it. She had carved a "K" in it when she was ten. "It doesn't exactly help me fight, but it scares away unwanted animals." She told him. "It was just a large tree limb I carved to size."
"So, how long do you think you'll be staying in Navalen?" She asked him. Hoping they could meet somewhere again and talk.
She liked Jyo. He was charming and easy to talk to. And she felt safe with him. With a sword like that, who wouldn't feel safe with him?

[Jyo]

"Well I guess a staff could be effective in the right hands. A highly versatile weapon really. Perhaps the most adaptable one. But if it does what you need, I guess that should be enough right?' He asked with a raised eyebrow as the lopsided grin returned and a crackle of lightning coursed over him again.

"As for my stay, I'm not sure. When work gets slow or when I get ready to wander again. I never give any guarantees about how long I stay in any one place. Though it's rare for me to not return within a month or so." he replied. Jyo really traveled on whim or on work. One thing about what he did and the way he lived. Except for the fact he needed money, he was absolutely free. He loved it and it showed in his disposition. Jyo would never be a man that could stay on one place. He gave another lopsided grin and a wink.
"Though just for you, I could stop by on your birthday." He said.

[cherry]

Katrina chuckled at his offer. "That would be nice," She told him. She was being honest. At least she would have another friend there to talk to. She didn't think Taeloc would mind. Taeloc was very friendly and welcoming.
"The party is in two days." Katrina told him. "My friend, Taeloc is throwing the party at her house here. In Kioko town. She has a small house in the village." She added. "It would actually mean alot to me if you came." She admitted.

[Jyo]

Jyo raised an eyebrow as the roguish grin came up again.
"Really, well if it means a lot to you, than I shall not disappoint." He replied. jyo hadn't been joking about attending her party. If she had said no it wouldn't have bothered him too much. A little, but not a lot, granted her wishing him to appear was a good feeling.

Looking back out over the island they were on Jyo gave a small smile.
"So what do you like? It's hard to pick out a gift when I don't know what you are interested in." He said. As stated, Jyo didn't really celebrate his own birthday, and wasn't around others often, but he knew that a gift was always a nice thing. One that the person would actually like not just because it was a gift would be even better.

[cherry]

Katrina laughed. "Jyo, you don't have to get me anything." She chuckled. Even though she would have liked something,s he didn't want him wasting his money on her.
"But if you must..." She laughed. "I would really like another weapon. The staff i have isn't too good of a hunting weapon....but you don't have to go to the trouble." She reminded him with a smile.
She shifted her feet and stood up instead of leaning against the lighthouse. She looked at Jyo, staring into his piercing green eyes.