Once again Iskra had headed Morke in to the Royal Forrest for a ride. She liked the quiet serenity of the forest after the endless bustle of the city. It reminded her of the quiet woods near her home town of Uppsmier in Scanra.

She was dressed comfortably for riding with black riding boots and breeches and a soft green shirt that brought out the green in her eyes. She carried various knives on her as always, but was not obviously armed.

Iskra also needed to quiet her mind and prepare for the job at hand. Taking peoples lives was part of routine for her, but it didn't mean that the deaths didn't still weigh on her mind at times.

She was thinking about her father again. What would he think of her now? She allowed her mind to wander for once, knowing Morke would carry her safely with little guidance.

Ashley was walking through the Royal Forest utterly observed in his own crazed thoughts. Perched idly on his shoulder was a large white rat with three black spots across the neck. He was chattering excitedly to the rat, and anyone who didn’t know him would think him entirely crazy, but he just happened to prefer talking to a rat rather than most of the world’s population.

"Anyway, so if everything happens for a reason . . .why do I get the Gift? That seems like an insane ratio, and of all the people. Why me? And do the Gods really control every single aspect of life? Or do they just watch over their people or whatever you want to do?"

Iskra was startled out of her reverie by the sound of a male voice, or rather Morke reacting to the voice as he reared slightly to wake her up. She reined the horse in, a little shocked and brought the horse to a stop. "Quiet now." she whispered to the horse in Scanran.

Keeping still she watched a red-headed young man wonder in to view with a what seemed to be a large rat oh his shoulder.

A look of complete puzzlement crossed her features and she palmed a knife, just in case.

The rat whose name was Orwell cheeped or whatever you exactly called a rat sound and tried to climb down his tunic. “Hey!” Ashley admonished gently clamping his hand down over the rat to keep it from going any further. “What’s the matter?” He looked over and saw Iskra sitting on her horse and he swallowed a bit, giving her a shy little smile. “Hello.”

She was just old enough to make nervous, but just young enough to keep his jaw mobile. Ah, well.

Iskra raised her eyebrows and nodded, but refrained from a smile.

"Do you chat to small furry beasts often? Or is conversation amongst the well heeled so bad these days that it's the most intelligent answers you get." She said in her usual dry tones. Once again she winced inwardly at her Scanran accent which sounded harsh and odd against the Tortallan accent, even when she spoke Common.

"I find Morke here an excellent conversationalist personally, compared to the company I keep." She patted the horse's neck, relaxing a little. The young man hardly looked a threat.

“No, just to Orwell,” Ashley told Iskra as he kept the rat from crawling down his tunic again. “Stop,” he chided gently.

“And I’m not well-heeled.” His parents had money true enough, but as a university student money was a vision that always danced just out of reach. “And I don’t like talking to most people.”

A smile touched the corner of her mouth. She appreciated the honesty of his answer.

"Well sir, that makes two of us. I'm not well known in society for my excellent conversation....but then, I'm not well known in society at all."

She grinned.

“I’m well known by most. Mostly because they think I’m insane.” Ashley finally gave up and let the rat climb down the front of his tunic. It immediately climbed back out and scrambled up to his owner’s head, well, he immediately began rearranging his owner’s hair. Not that it would make much different.

"Ah, well somtimes thats no bad thing. People leave you to your own devices."

She took a second to appraise the young man. He was curious looking with his untidy shock of red hair, but seemed pleasant enough. She had to admit that few people took time to make conversation with her, usually put off by her surly and abrupt manner, or thinking she was younger than her years.

"...and what does a lunatic and his rat do in a city like Corus?"

As she said this, she hopped swiftly down from the saddle in a quick, well practiced movement.

Ashley shrugged, a quick, barely noticeable jerk of the shoulders. “I’m a university student for having the Gift.”

He pulled Orwell off his head and put him back on his shoulder and shook his rusty hair from his eyes.

"And attempting at a graduating someday."

Iskra took in the information. The Royal University was famed throughout the Eastern lands as a seat of learning, now easily rivaling the University in Carthak. As a child Iskra had heard her father talk of the place. There was no such centre for study in Scanra.

"Ah a learned man!" Iskra replied, "in my village if you could read and write then that was nigh on being a professor." She smiled. This was the first thing nearing a normal conversation Iskra had had since coming to Corus. Speaking with someone who wasn't Rogue was almost unnknown to her. You're going soft in the head! she thought to herself.

“I’m sure if you asked my teachers, they’d beg to differ,” He told her, rubbing Orwell’s head absently and nervously shaking his hair out of his eyes again. It never stayed out of his eyes long however, and his parents more than once had questioned as to why he just didn't get his bangs cut.

Iskra laughed, partly at Ashley's comment and partly at the fact the boy looked slightly terrified.

"Not teachers pet then?" she replied and added, "don't look so terrified laddie, I'm not going to bite...this time anyway." She grinned.


She put out a hand, accutely aware of how scarred they were. "Iskra." she said bluntly then added a greeting in Scanran.

“That makes me feel so much safer if we meet next time around,” Ashley commented and took Iskra’s hand. “I’m Ashley Calhoun.” He noted the scars, but didn't say anything. His was covered in dried ink stains and a few rat hairs.


((OOC: My first ID screw up. Yay!))

((OOC: Happens to the best of us. ;D))


IC:

"Well Ashley, as long as you don't approach me on a full moon you'll be okay." She laughed and winked.

"How long have you been in Corus? It's fair strange city and no mistake...and I've been to some strange places."

Her mind was already straying back to it's old, businsess-like self. How could this man be useful to her? What information could she get out of him. A tiny rational part of her mind fought back. Couldn't she just have a conversation with someone?
Would he have this conversation, she thought, if he knew she was a murderer.

Ashley paused to think. “Must be two years now. I think.” Ashley had never been good with dates. His friends had nearly given him cardiac arrest last year during his birthday. And after he’s finished gasping for breath the only thing he’d said was, ‘it’s my birthday?’

"and are you destined to be a great mage someday?" Iskra grinned. She grabbed a flask out of her saddle bags and took a swig. It was filled with the harsh alcoholic spirit that they brewed up in Scanra. She offered the flask to Ashley. "drink?"

Ashley rolled his eyes. “I doubt it. Anytime I get suitable angry something around me usually catches on fire.”

He eyed the flask. Now the smart thing to do would be to decline. Ashley got buzzed off the sugar in lemonade, but hey Ashley was never one for intelligence in these sort of situations. “Sure.”

"Handy for lighting your fire though." Iskra smirked, waiting to see Ashley's reaction to the ridiculously strong liquour. There was an old saying about people who could hold their drink in Scanran that popped in to Iskra's head.
Well, she thought, It's a sure way to get the measure of a man. He'll either vomit or he'll be very merry."

He reached out for the flask, sniffed it lightly. His nose twitched in response to the strong scent. Ashley lifted the flask to his lips and sipped at the liquor. It burned down his throat and down to his stomach. His eyes turned glassy for a moment, but then he adjusted to the burning sensation in his tongue.

“That’s . . . .” he paused to search for a word to accurately describe the taste. “burny.”

Iskra laughed huskily. "Fair play to you for keeping it down. I remember my first tast of this stuff as a child, I was sick for days." She took the flask back and took another long gulp.

"It numbs the senses pleasantly enough." She grinned.

“Oh, that’s reassuring,” Ashley sighed, swallowing again, wondering if he’d ever get the after taste out of his mouth. It was still as strong as when he’d swallowed the stuff and he was slightly amazed his tongue was still in one piece.

"Well Ashley, I have...business to attend to." Iskra stretched then thrust the flask towards Ashley. "Keep this, it'll get you through those long nights in the library. See you around young 'un."

She swung herself back up on to Morke's back. Giving the horses neck a pat. "Be careful in these woods," she added, "I hear there are stranger things than me lurking in here." She grinned then kicked her horse in to a trot casting a wave over her shoulder at Ashley.