Another day, another raid. (open)

[Jyo]

Shit, just my luck to try and rob a guy who can fight. Jason thought as he brought up his left hand and created a shield of pure magical force that deflected the blast of ice shards sent at his chest. The wind and his movements caused his long blond hair to be whipped around him as he darted in and jabbed with one end of his staff, a blade of energy coming out the end of it.

His opponent stepped to the side and grabbed the pole, sending an electrical current down it while Jason let go and jumped back, a burst of green energy blasting out the bottom of his feet and launching him further than he could normally jump. He landed in a crouch and sent out a solid green beam of magical force which slammed into the chest of the man he had tried to rob. The blast sent the man flying back and he cracked his head on a rock, which knocked him out.

Jason walked over and checked on the man, he was going to be fine, not happy, but fine. Searching him, Jason found some money and a few other things, there were some valuable pieces of jewelry on the man, but they looked like heirlooms, and that wasn't one of the things Jason stole. He left the man with enough money for a room and a good meal at the nearest town and removed the man's robe to drape it over him so he would get sunburned and suffer heat exhaustion. Pulled a flask of water off his belt, Jason left that with the man as well. He lived by a code. Never take more than someone can afford, and make sure they could manage after you robbed them.

It wasn't that he was soft-hearted or anything. Jason was simply a good person who had been dealt a rough hand in life and was making his way through life the best he could. This was why he became a bandit, very little choice. Well until the battle to come, but that was still a ways down the road in life, right now he needed to survive and polish his skills.
"Just wait brother, you'll see that your fancy spells won't mean dick when we face each other." he said with a hard edge to his voice and face, before resuming his perpetual smile. Patting the man on the shoulder he left and started heading to a small cave in the desert that he had started to call his home.

Walking through the desert, Jason was holding the metal pole over his shoulder and whistling merrily, he wasn't one to try and hide unless he was going to spring and attack his marks, right now he was unwinding, the spell caster he had taken down had been able to provide enough money that Jason could take the next couple of days pretty easily, this put him in a very good mood.

[crackbaby]

Penelope strolled around the desert as she kicked the sand up with her boots. She was bored with the Outlander's City and just wanted to get out. Kuneer Desert was the perfect place to just walk and unwind. Besides, she could see her friend, Xander if she wanted. She took her scarf from around her neck and stuffed it in her pocket. The desert was too hot for a scarf.

Her ears twitched and she stopped. She could hear a small fight a few yards away. She ran and started to blur invisible as she looked over a sand dune to see the two men fighting. She watched as the one blonde hair boy walk away with the pole over his shoulder. Penelope smiled as she started to reappear. She walked over the sand dune and continued to walk toward the man.

[Jyo]

Jason stopped walking and whistling when his finely tuned ears heard a sound that was unmistakable. The sound of footsteps through the sand. Not far from where he was, likely back where he had fought. Narrowing his eyes and grinning. he let loose with a burst of magical force from his feet and launched back to where he had robbed the man.

Landing he saw a person heading to where Jason had fought the spell caster and he gave a grin.
"Well hello there fellow desert wanderer." He said in greeting while holding the staff like a walking stick and leaning against it.

[crackbaby]

Penelope smiled and chuckled as she made her way down the sand dune to the new man. "Hey..." She greeted as she looked around him to the man he had just beat. "I saw your little fight and wanted to check it out." She laughed. Penelope picked the scarf back out of her pocket and placed it around her neck. She felt funny without it on.

"I'm Penelope by the way. Penelope Foxx." She smiled as she chewed her blueberry gum and held out her hand to shake.

[Jyo]

"An appropriate last name." Jason said as he gripped her hand and gave it a light shake in greeting.
"Name's Jason O'Connell, a bandit in these parts, or well any part I want to be in." He said with a smile as he let his hand fall away and into his pocket.

"As for the fight, it was over a little too fast for someone to enjoy watching." He said as he looked over at his fallen mark who was beginning to stir. He had only knocked the guy out, it wasn't a surprise to see him waking up.
"I'd love to talk, but do you mind if we do it somewhere else? I have a little spot I've been staying and I can treat you to a nice drink I lifted off one caravan that passed by a couple of days ago."

[crackbaby]

Penelope chuckled as he commented on her last name. "Yeah...I was just a Kitsune by conidnendecnce."

"The fight was pretty quick..." She took a looked at the pole he carried. "A bandit, eh?" She smiled.

She was surprised when Jason said he loved to talk. They did just meet. But Penelope actually liked the idea. The day had been boring so far. A small conversation would be refreshing. "Sure." She smiled. "That'd be cool." She looked over and saw the guy starting to get up. "Better go take care of that guy first."

[Jyo]

Jason placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
"No let's just go, I left him with enough to be fine and I'm not one for killing if I can help it." He said, hoping that this young woman didn't want to make a problem of this. Jason tried to live by a code and be nice as far as bandits go, but he had a nasty side that was better left unseen.

[crackbaby]

Penelope looked back. "Eh, good idea." She turned her glance back to Jason. She didn't want to start anything either. She just didn't want him getting and go Mr. Psycho on both on them. Penelope could tell he was probably just a little bit pissed off right about now.

Penelope turned and started to walk in one direction and turned back to Jason. "So..." Penelope twisted on her heel as her tail did the same. "Where we goin'?" She asked with a smile.

[Jyo]

Jason gave a smile as he let his hand drop away and jerked his head to the west.
"A small cave." He said as he started walking and motioned for her to follow him.
"I'm living there until I feel like going somewhere else. It's comfortable as can be out here." He said

"So why are you out here in the desert? I run around stealing from others and living off the land. So what's your story?" he asked.

[crackbaby]

"Um...well..." Penelope thought as she started to walk with Jason. "I used to live in Zationia. Parents got killed, I ran away. now i live in the Outlander's City, serving beer to a bunch of ugly drunks everyday." She said as she smiled sarcastically. "I wander the Waste sometime just to get away. My boss is a jackass and now my ass feels like a damn pin cushion."

Penelope never notices how she could talk about herself too much. But she didn't mind. At least she got to talk to this guy. "What about you? Why are you out here? Dontcha have any family?" She asked.

[Jyo]

"Sounds rough, I feel for you. You're welcome to hole up in my little hiding places whenever you find me, I'm normally out here in the desert." He said as they entered an area that was riddled with small hills and caves.

"As for family. My parents and brother live in Zatonia. My parents and I get along really well, but my brother and I... Well that's a complex relationship, let's just say that in about ten years, one of us is going to kill the other one. Stupid really, but that's how things go sometimes." He said. Jason couldn't keep a slight waver out of his voice when he mentioned his brother.

Though Jason had more raw power, his brother was still exceptionally powerful and much more focused in many ways, he was afraid of his brother, and not ashamed to admit it considering that he wanted Jason dead.

[crackbaby]

Penelope laughed at his offer. "Thanks...that's why i come out here. My boss can't get his fat ass off the couch in the break room and he can't find me. And thanks for your offer. I'd go to my friend Katrina, but she has her own problems." Penelope laughed as the thought of Katrina and Trigger popped into her mind.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute." Penelope said quickly, sort of chuckling and putting her hands up in protest. "You...and your brother...are gonna kill each other?!" Penelope said in a squeaky voice. She always does that when she can't believe something. "Now why would you two wanna do such thing? You guys are brothers!"

[Jyo]

"Katrina... Don't think I've met her, not a surprise really." He said as he continued leading Penelope to the cave he called home at the moment.

"As for my brother and I. This was his idea. I guess I have to do a little more explaining about this." He said as he gave a sigh.
"My brother and I come from a powerful line of mages. He was born eight years before I was, and is likely to take over as the head mage of our family. He's powerful in the ways of magic, and seems to be ever learning in it's ways." he said before bending down and pulling a line of rope that had been buried in the sand.

A complex system of pulleys caused a boulder to roll aside and revealed a cave of decent size, it had a bed and some boxes in it, with a lamp hanging from a hook that had been driving into the ceiling of the cave.
"I myself and powerful, in fact I have more raw power than my brother, but I'm not as focused, but all the attention I got and the fact I had a natural gift and squandered it in his view, well that pissed him off. This went on until about five years ago when he pulled me aside and claimed a blood feud. He didn't want me around as a threat, so here I am, training away from him so I can hopefully pull out a few surprises. But to be honest, he scares the hell out of me. I don't want to kill him, but he's pretty set on snuffing me." He said as they stepped inside.

[crackbaby]

"Cool..." Penelope muttered as the boulder moved and reveled a cave. She took a step in as Jason continued about his brother.

"So, let me get this straight...your brother was jealous of your powers and wants to kill you?" Penelope tried to make herself believe. "Either your brother is scared of you or in my mind, needs major MENTAL help." Penelope nodded as she pulled a box out and sat down on it.

"Let me guess...your brother scared the living shit out of you so you ran away out here to the Waste until the time comes for you both to kill the other, right?" Penelope guessed.

[Jyo]

Jason shrugged as he sat cross-legged on the ground and invited Penelope to have a seat.
"A little bit of both to those questions. My brother is indeed intimidated by my potential and incredibly dangerous. And I guess those thoughts may have driven him beyond the point of reason when it comes to me." he said as he pulled out a flask of water and handed it to Penelope.

"And I am terrified of my brother. Though I have much more raw power, his control and focus are beyond what I can imagine. I left home because I know he is serious, and if I am to have a chance, I must developer ways to control my abilities, away from where he can observe them. If I am to win I must be able to surprise him." He added. Jason truly did fear his brother, but he knew his brother was one for keeping to his word. The battle was still far off, and Jason had time to train. To do so in secret, he had to do it far away.

[crackbaby]

"Thanks." Penelope said as she took the flask and shot it down her throat. The desert sure makes you thirsty. Penelope was still interested to learn about Jason's brother. This guy seemed pretty screwed up.

"So, why not just skip the fight?" Penelope asked. "If he can't find you know, how is he gonna find you ten years from now?" Penelope shrugged.