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James used the cool water to brush all of the dried blood and dirt off, as well as thoroughly clean his hair. He could already tell that it would look much lighter when it dried than it had before. He submerged fully again, and this time he remained under water for as long as he could hold his breath. The water looked so much clearer from below, and the rays of sunlight that pierced through the surface illuminated the river bed, shining off of a few precious rocks here and there. When he emerged, he gasped for breath but smiled as he did. It had been a long time since he'd been able not to worry about anything at all. He continued getting all the dirt off from his body, and a few minutes later when he finished all that remained to tarnish his skin were the cuts, scars, and bruises which constantly reminded him of the life he lived. The worst of them, however, were invisible to the naked eye. As he stood up again, the water reaching up to his chest, he realized he'd brought no cloth to dry himself with after he finished. Sighing, he pulled himself out of the water and stood staring at the Sun. It would take a few minutes for its rays to dry him up. He slid on his undergarments and sat down on the rock by his items. Still dripping water, he grabbed the herbs and began working them into a paste he could use. Again, with only one hand, the job took longer than he expected. But with no one around, he wasn't in a hurry.
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She ducked back when she heard him getting out, and when she picked up her head again, saw James squishing herbs together. Without all the dirt, she could see the bruises that were starting and the cuts that were still there. She could see how his fighting had sculpted his muscles, and how lean he was. Her nose itched, and she rubbed at it once, twice, and sneezed. Gosh darn it Jacky you have goofed up.Old Age of War stuff here:
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James finished with the herbs and carefully wrapped the bandage around his wrist. He made it tight enough that he couldn't move the hand at all, but then he was unable to tie it up so it wouldn't come loose, which it did in a matter of seconds. Sighing, he laid back on the rock with arms crossed behind his back. He was too at peace to get frustrated over it, so he would simply wait for Elwood to come back and help. For now, he let the warmth of the sky and the cool of the breeze and a sneeze keep him company. His ears twitched as he heard it, clearly pinpointing it all the way behind a nearby rock. He didn't jump or make any sort of indication of being alarmed, despite his surprise. Instead, he called out. "You know, rather than spying it's better to make someone's acquaintance by helping them tie a bandage around their injured wrist." He pushed himself to a sitting position, shaking his head, spraying more water all around him, some of which dripped down his chest and back.Comment
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Jackylin rose from her hiding place, blush painting her cheeks. She shuffled over to James and kneeled beside him. "I wasn't spying, I was watching from afar. You could have known I was there at any time. You were the one with your guard down," she said quietly, picking up the edges of his bandages. "How tight do you need it?" She asked, taking it off his wrist again so she could start from scratch. It was easier that way, so she knew exactly which way it was going and what way to knot the ends of fabric.Old Age of War stuff here:
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James smiled when he saw it was Jacklyn who had been watching, and even blushed a little but not enough to be noticed. "Well, I guess it's true one tends to be vulnerable as they're taking a bath, you know?" he grinned, shaking his head. "As tight as you can make it," he added as she got to work on the bandage, "I can't be able to move the wrist around or it won't heal properly." He used his free hand to brush the wet hair that was clinging to his forehead back, tensing the muscles in his arm as he did.Comment
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She wrapped his wrist as tight as she could make it, watching to see if he winced at all. When he didn't, she figured he must of had a very high pain tolerance, which was no wonder, given how muscular he was. "How's that?" Jackylin asked when she finished, sitting back and starting toying with the strand of hair she kept out of her braid. She wrapped it around her finger, let it uncoil, and repeated the process almost subconsciously.Old Age of War stuff here:
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When she was done, James tried to clench his fist. Upon observing that he couldn't, he nodded with approval. "Hm, better than I could've done too. Thanks," he told her, and ended the statement with a crooked smile. He sighed, looked up at the sky, then back down at her. Her amber eyes were quite ameliorating to the rest of her expression, perfectly rounding off her embarrassment. He stopped her hand as he noticed it kept playing with her hair, and gently tucked said brand of hair behind her ear. "So what were you doing back there, Jacky?" he asked calmly, looking straight at her. His naked chest rose and fell slowly as he breathed in an out.Comment
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Jackylin's blush deepened when James tucked her hair back, and she forced herself to leave it there. "Uh, well, you see," she stammered at first, and forced herself to take a deep breath. She put her fingers over the back of James' hand, and continued. "The camp went back to their activities, and I didn't have anything to do, you see? So I wondered if you would be okay being injured and all, since you fought the old man, and you looked really beat up." She said her words all at once, not wanting to stammer if said anything slower. "So I followed you, but I didn't want to seem creepy, but, I guess I already messed that up, so I sat a ways away. I didn't see anything though, I promise!"Old Age of War stuff here:
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James chuckled at her nervousness. "Thanks, not many people worry about someone they just met," he said as he slowly inched closer to her. He could already feel her breathing on his skin, her hand on his, eyes blinking slowly. Then, a hard object hit him on the small of his back, where it shattered. He jumped back and spun around in a second, fast enough to see an octorok floating on the surface of the river, menacingly getting ready to fire another projectile. James moved forward so as to block Jacky from danger and raised his uninjured arm to block the blow. The object shattering stung his skin, but he'd felt worse. He quickly reached for his bow, and in a less than swift movement due to his injured hand, raised it and tremulously pulled the string back with a light arrow already nocked in place. Holding the bow with the patched up hand was hurting even more than the octorok's blow, but it didn't take long for light to charge up the weapon and leading to him releasing the arrow, the bow instantly dropping from his hand. It whizzed forward faster than the eye could perceive and the octorok exploded into a thousand particles of light. Not only that, however, but the energy surge was so large that the water around where the octorok had been suffered a large amount of pressure, which was released in the form of a giant wave that rose high above James' head and came crashing down, drenching both James and Jacky. Completely wet after having been almost dry, and with the moment ruined, James couldn't help but turn to look at Jacky and break out in laughter. Luckily, something he would have regretted later had been avoided.Comment
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Jacky grew more nervous as James got closer to her, and heard the smack from the Octorok rock. She was, admittedly, amazed at how fast James jumped up, and how he could use his bow when she'd tied his wrist. When the wave crashed down, her loose strand of hair was plastered on her face, and her braid stuck on the back of her shirt. She laughed back at him, his ruffled hair pushed down by the water. "To answer you," she said between laughs. "Not many people watch somebody walk away from a fight like the one you were in earlier, and be able to function like that."Last edited by amaterasu; 02-17-2014, 09:35 PM.Old Age of War stuff here:
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James grinned and once again thoroughly ruffled his hair trying to get the water out. When he removed his hands, it was standing in all the odd places and overly messy. He laughed some more and returned next to Jacky. He laid down next to her, very careless as now even his underpants were drenched and it would take the Sun even longer to dry him. He looked up at the sky and used his healthy hand to twirl Sephira's pendant, which was the only thing he hadn't removed from his body when he went into the river, around his fingers. "Thanks," he answered, the laughter finally subsiding. There was that vacant noise that's left after people laugh overly loud when he stopped talking, so he decided to keep going. "I've been training most of my life, to be honest. And while not all of it's been good, I can't deny it has paid off." He flexed his muscles again to reinforce his argument.Comment
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Jackylin grinned and rolled her eyes, lying in the grass next to him, knowing she'd need to pick the grass out of her hair later, but that didn't matter right now. She watched the few patches of clouds swim by, some of them falling apart and others clumping up together. None of them stayed very long in front of the Sun, and she could feel thew warmth dry her face. "What were you training for?" She asked, stretching her arms in front of her. "Was it something here, or in another country?"Old Age of War stuff here:
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"I'm from Hyrule, actually. Just gotten to Termina when we were swept up into this petty Revolution," James said, still looking at the skies moving and changing shapes. He remained quiet then, not answering the question immediately. Some crows were flying by over them, but they payed no attention. The river rushing through made a soothing noise that seemed to bring the entire world into a slowed pause. He sighed, not sure on how to answer the question. Clenching the pendant in his hand, he closed his eyes. "For revenge."Comment
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She was quiet, listening to the birds overhead and the glubs of the water, before James said why he had been training. When he answered revenge, Jackylin propped herself up on her shoulders, and brought her braid over one shoulder. "We're both from Hyrule then," she smiled to herself, glad she wasn't the only one in the camp who was foreign. Then, she asked another question. "Revenge?" It was probably rude of her to ask, but, she was curious.Old Age of War stuff here:
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"I...didn't have a normal childhood, per say," he began, still with his eyes closed. "My father, biological father at least, was a member of a group of lowlifes that tortured people for a living. Led on a false preamble that he had been an honor guard of the King, I always wanted to grow up to be him. So I trained for that purpose. After I discovered the truth, however, everything went to Hell. My best friend was murdered, as was my mentor." James stopped as something clotted his throat. With his eyes still closed he could see the faces of Fer and Jacques floating before his eyes, smiling. His eyes flew open. "So I did what I'd been taught." They flickered momentarily to Jacky next to him, then back to the clouds. "Revenge."Comment
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