Need to clear my head...

[Guest]

Who: Alkaia and anyone else
When: Right after the Warriors' curfew
Where: Headed toward the forest

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Alkaia rubbed her temples as she headed into the forest. Most of the other mentors knew that she preferred going there to clear her mind, since it reminded her the most of her home back with the Amazons. She could have gone back, but after she had committed a taboo amoung her people, she couldn't face them ever again. Her gaze wandered over the grounds, standing there for a moment to watch the students head back to their quarters. Her gaze hardened when she saw a couple male students, ones she had never really liked.

The Amazon leaned back against a tree and stared up at the sky, her eyes looking a bit dazed as she remembered her days back in the Athenaeum. Suddenly, his face flashed into her mind. Her eyes widened and she pulled out her club/blade and forced herself not to strike the tree she was leaning against. Mnem would kill her if she did that again. With one last look at the students, she headed into the forest, her body tense.

She didn't think anyone would come, since none have bothered with her before, so why would one start now?

[Guest]

"Lady Alkaia!" Ainia called out, perched upon the branches of a nearby tree.

Ainia was just about to follow the rest of the crowd to the Warrior's Quarters, but she saw the older Amazon go towards the Forest. She's not a Mentor for any of Ainia's classes, but was the Mentor for her sponsor Goddess, Athena. So Ainia never met her much except outside classes. But she had seen Alkaia teach and was impressed by her Amazon spirit.

"Patrol duties?"

[Guest]

Alkaia blinked and turned to find the fifth year Amazon student standing there. She bowed her head in acknowledgement. "Good evening, Ainia. You should be headed back to your quarters now. And no, I just need to go clear my head right now. There's a lot weighing heavily on my mind."

She felt no need to go into details of her personal life with a student and didn't want to trouble them either...especially another Amazon. No one must ever find out about her breaking the taboo rule.

[Guest]

Back again from another long trip, Kal wearily started up the path through the forest towards the Athenaeum's main building. He loved to travel - he really did - but there was some part of coming home to a warm bath, and a few good friends and family that was good for him too every now and again. Bit by bit, he was getting more attached to the Athenaeum, and more comfortable staying there - old wounds healing. It was a slow process, but, compared to when he was a teenager, Kal felt... Mature. How odd. I should really go out and do something crazy just to correct that notion, Kal mused, as the thought crossed his mind.

He had come back through the forest gate this time. There were many gates to the mortal realm all over the Athenaeum, and Kal knew each one of them intimately, as he had come and gone through the Athenaeum more times than he could count. This specific gate wasn't one he normally used, especially if his sister was with him, but today he had felt like being different. And so here he was, trudging through the forest, ready for night's sleep in his own bed.

Kal walked at a slow pace, the trees rustling softly, branches swaying in the breeze. He was silent for the most part, but there still was the occasional crunch of a branch between his feet.

Making a turn, suddenly he heard voices, and noticed up ahead the two Amazons conversing. Amazons. Oh.. Not good, Kal thought, freezing immediately and hoping silently, and probably in vain, that they didn't see him. Granted the Amazons were all either mentors or students and were supposed to respect him as a mentor, but he himself was a perfect example of how people didn't always do what they were really supposed to do. And so he avoided Zeus's nephelae, and most of Zeus's students for good measure, that awful librarian (gods only know why she hates men so much), and Amazons, if he could help it.

Kal didn't really like instigating fights, especially as tired as he was. Maybe he would just wait for them to leave? If he hadn't been afraid that the noise would alert the Amazons he would have sighed. Why hadn't he just taken the main entrance?

[Guest]

Alkaia heard a rustle and her eyes flew to the sound. She stalked through the forest, telling the student to go back to her quarters. She walked through the woods, listening for any indication where the stranger may be. Honestly, if it was a man, she was not going to be very happy. Why couldn't they just stay away from her when she was in the kinds of moods she was in at the moment. She finally found the person and pinned them to the tree, the blade of her weapon to their throat. Her eyes widened slightly before narrowing when she found it to be Kal. She stood there for a moment before letting him go.

"What are you doing out here, Kallistrates?" she snapped, her eyes showing she wasn't in a good mood.
She leaned the club part of her weapon against her shoulder, shifting her weight to one leg. "And don't try to escape with your fancy wind magic, or I won't hold back," she threatened.

[Guest]

Shifting his weight tiredly, Kal looked back to the clearing and realized that one of the Amazons, maybe both of them, was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could get to -- SLAM. Suddenly Kal felt himself being thrown backwards, pinned to the tree, a long knife at his throat.

So the Amazon had found him. Just great. He winced, and opened his eyes, which he had shut while he was slammed against the tree, and stared into the dark, narrowed eyes of Alkaia - Athena's mentor. Well that was just great. She loved men just about as much as the librarian did. But she was a mentor, and was honor bound to treat him with some respect. And she did. She let him go. Eyes still narrowed suspiciously, as she eyed him, no doubt taking in his ragged appearance - worn from weeks on the road.

"Isn't it obvious," he asked, indicating his well worn travel gear, his pack stroon on the floor from when she had hit him. "I'm returning from a trip, on my LADY's" he said, stressing the word Lady "orders." He had actually saved a young woman from being offered up as a sacrifice to a false god, but he doubted that the man hating Amazon would believe him, or that that fact would redeem him in her eyes. Besides - he didn't want to try and coax her into liking him. If she wanted to play nice she'd have to do so of her own volition. Kal wasn't going to try and make her if she didn't want to.

Besides - Kal was tired, hungry, sweaty, and in a slight bit of pain from being thumped against the tree. While he didn't want a fight, he'd be dammned if he was going to pander to the rude amazon. She started it.

"I came through the gate at the far end of the forest, and was just returning home - ON THE MARKED PATH I MIGHT ADD - for a good meal, a bath, and a good night's sleep when SOMEONE decided that she needed to attack me, and plowed me into a tree." He shot her a glare. "I realize that you need your space Alkaia - and I realize that the forest is comforting for you - believe me, I understand - but that does not mean that you own the whole damn forest and can just go attacking anyone you please. I'm NOT going to escape with my fancy wind magic, I'm simply going to walk back, because I didn't attack you Alkaia - and I'm not in the mood for a fight, nor do we have a reason to fight." He said in a tone, that just dared her to argue with him.

He picked up his pack on the ground, and made a move towards her, to get back on the path.

[Guest]

Alkaia's bangs covered her eyes and her arms were shaking as she gripped her weapon with her one hand. She was pissed. She swung her club before he started walking, slamming it against the tree and splintering it right next to his head.

"Don't act as if you know what I'm like, stupid man. You know NOTHING of how I've suffered," she spat. She then pushed away and started walking deeper into the woods. Damn, that Nephelae just got under her skin so much...

Once when she thought she was alone again, she took a deep breath and looked up at the stars, their soft glow falling down on her. She closed her eyes and turned her head away.

"No...I can't ever trust a man...not after what happened before...," she whispered to herself.

[Guest]

Kal winced as her club smashed into the tree next to him, but he let it pass - knowing that if she knew what was good for her, she'd miss. Assaulting another mentor was the same as assaulting their patron goddess. And granted his patron was famous for her neutrality, Athena was a friend of his lady's and the Amazon would certainly be in trouble if she did any real damage.

Although he was tired and grumpy, he made a note of what she said as she stormed away. He knew nothing did he? For someone who touted his fancy wind magic, she really didn't know much about how powerful wind magic was. Although it could be used in battle applications like other forms of magic, wind magic was by far the best strategic magic - specifically gathering information. Kal should know. It was his sister's specialty. And while he wasn't the naturally gifted receiver that his sister was, he could call on his powers at a greater level than she could, simply because of age and experience. Usually he believed in respecting privacy - a view he had failed to instill in his sister for the most part - but in this instance, he decided it was better to advance his knowledge. Calling on a tendril of magic - he asked the winds to tell him what they knew of the Amazon.

Whispers and conversations flew surrounded him - snippets of the past.

"No...I can't ever trust a man...not after what happened before...,"

Kal's heart wrenched, in-spite of how grumpy he was. So the Amazon was like his mother. That explained a lot of things. But apparently she was a lot stronger than his mother. She was still alive.

Brooding even worse than he had before - he trudged up the long path towards the athenaeum. Maybe tomorrow after a good bath, a meal, and a bit of rest, he would see if she was in a better mood...

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