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[the_marshal]

Who| Wyatt and... you?
What| Planning his next step
When| The day after the Cornucopia
Where| Let's say S4
Warnings/Notes| None

He'd survived the Cornucopia, and the subsequent swim to the next island. The cut on his arm had been dealt with (hopefully the salt water had cleaned it well enough to keep infection at bay) and the long night, spent just inside the tree line, had been uneventful if restless.

Now, with the sun already on its ascent through the startlingly blue sky, Wyatt stood in the sand, looking out at the rolling waves. Hunger was a gentle itch, scratching at the back of his gut that he could ignore for awhile yet, but thirst, well, that was going to be problem. And soon.

Mustache quirking thoughtfully, he ran a hand over his hair and sighed.

Shoud he follow the beach? Or head deeper into the trees?

Comments

[tailforbrains]

Well, paranoia in a setting like this was generally in one's best interests, as was keeping track of other people, whether you were in immediate danger or not... and if she hadn't been paying attention and missed him entirely, well, she'd quite possibly be dead already! But in this case, yup, she was at least partly lying. Or omitting something vital, anyway.

So Neeshka huffed at him, a blustery attempt at hiding being nervous, since without a handy invisibility potion or an ally to sneak around behind, well, she knew her chances in a fair fight. She had agility on her side, but not much else. "I don't know. Guess that's up to you, huh? You've got the knife." She made a face, too. "Since this is a whole death-match thing, I should probably be running away by now."

[the_marshal]

"I'm sure that's what they're hopin' for," he acknowledged with a small nod. "But personally? I don't see why you couldn't mosey along your way and I mine if we were so obliged."

[tailforbrains]

Well, that was nice of him, if perplexing. Neeshka gave him a puzzled look for a moment, trying to work out whether he was being honest with her, then turned it into a sudden grin. "Not really one for murdering, I guess, huh?"

Not that she really worried much about it, if it was them or her, or if they were between her and a big pile of gold, or they'd said they were a better thief than she was... but still. It was nice. Kind of reminded her of Kehlgar.

[the_marshal]

"No," he replied simply, honestly, standing tall on the beach, the breeze ruffling his short, dark hair. "Not particularly."

The way Wyatt saw it, he'd do what he had to, such as at the Cornucopia, but he wasn't going to let this place, these people, change him. They'd taken everything else, they weren't going to get his soul too.

[tailforbrains]

"Aw." Yeah, he definitely reminded her of Khelgar, now, which meant Neeshka was no longer particularly afraid of him. She came out into the sun, smiling, to offer him her hand for a farewell shake. "Guess there's some nice people in here, after all. I like that. I'll remember it, too."

And maybe not kill him from behind, if it came to that. Maybe. She'd just hope it didn't come to that.

[the_marshal]

He smiled, small but soft, and switched hands, resting the left on the hilt of his blade while reaching out with the right. (Just because they were agreeing not to kill each other outright didn't mean he'd forgotten the way she'd eyeballed the knife.)

"Same," he said, pumping her hand up and down in a firm shake before releasing and stepping back again. "Good luck."

[tailforbrains]

Well, damn. Apparently he was smart, too. The thought had, indeed, crossed her mind to snitch that knife... she really needed something sharp. Maybe she'd better see about that swimming, to see if there was anything left at the Cornucopia, or see if she could figure out how to smash rocks like coconuts to get something sharp for her trouble.

So the smile she gave him back was tinged with a little wryness, but she didn't make the snatch. Not when he looked ready to yank it out and use it if she tried. She just shook his hand, and backed off. "Same to you, Wyatt." With a flick of her tail and a playful little salute, she turned and bounded back off into the trees.

[the_marshal]

Wyatt watched her disappear, the long, strange tail the last thing he saw - flicking out of sight - and his smile broadened with amusement.

For a demon, she really wasn't half-bad.

With a low chuckle and a shake of his head, he turned from the trees and headed down the beach.