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[Nasrin the Wolverine Warrior]

The woman shifted her eyes to the daemon as he spoke, barely catching the words. A horrible snarl emitted from the creature's lips, and it appeared to be shifting into attack mode. Honestly, Nasrin didn't want to scare it away. If it didn't want to die, then it shouldn't have wandered so close to her sleeping grounds. That was her opinion. Of course, she was a deadly warrior - her opinion usually led to the injury or death of whatever it was she had been asked her opinion on.

Well, that wasn't completely true.
That statement made her sound completely barbaric, didn't it?
Ah well. Screw the opinions of others on her level of savagery.

"Now."

She bounded to her feet at the signal, spear in hand.
However, the woman froze for half a second at the snarl Gabriel unleashed, and her hazel eyes flicked to the daemon. They widened at the sight before her. Gabriel was... dangerous looking. She supposed she should have known better - a mistake on her part. The daemon had spoken of the lethality of the daemons, but Nasrin had never imagined him looking so lethal. Of course, he was still beautiful, but a different kind of beautiful. Immediately, without cause, a new-found respect for her companion crept up into her brain.

After all, something that looked so beautiful but was actually incredibly lethal was a wonderful opponent.
No one would expect it.

But, that wasn't relevant right now. She needed to work on 'scaring the creature away', even though she wanted to stab her spear through its skull instead. The woman twisted, scraping her spear against the rock floor and throwing up sparks in the direction of the hound, who had stepped back a few feet because of Gabriel's snarl. A war-cry escaped her lips, not nearly as animalistic as the daemon's but just as terrifying. In response, the creature threw back its head and howled, tongue flicking out of its mouth.

"Well, I don't think its going to run. Good. Scaring it away didn't seem like a good tactic anyway," the warrior stated, a smirk forming over her lips as she brought her spear forward, ready for a battle.

[Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar]

Though Gabriel didn't risk taking his eyes off the hound, he felt Nasrin's gaze rest momentarily on him. Fair enough - between him and the hound, the Daemon was the far more dangerous creature in the area. Damn; he hoped Nasrin didn't scare too easily. He was enjoying the company and he had no desire to frighten her off - somehow, though, he guessed the warrior would only see him as a more interesting opponent. It wasn't often that he spent large amounts of time in the company of just a single other, able to learn their ways and natures so thoroughly. He wasn't ready to give it up yet.

Besides, as much as he might intrigue the Human warrior, she intrigued him too. A human and yet so different from his expectations, an enigma to the curious Daemon. He was not accustomed to viewing their species as anything more that dull and vulnerable, but the learning curve to changing his opinions was a pleasant one.

"I don't like to kill creatures from my home without definite need," Gabriel sighed, shrugging one shoulder resignedly.
"But you're right, this one isn't going to take the warning. I'll leave the deed to you, however - no doubt you'll enjoy it more than I would." Gabriel was not against killing, per se - in fact, as Daemon Lord, he fended off challenges by killing those who saw fit to try and take his position. And he was notoriously tempermental, prone to fly into murderous rages when insulted badly enough. He was an efficient and deadly killer, choosing singular fatal blows with his claws and fangs to the throat, heart or head rather than carrying any weapons (which he'd never bothered to learn to use) but, when angered, had been known to forcibly tear his way through attackers with a lot of messy limb-removal, disembowellment and beheading.

It was the creatures of Dream Land that proved a rare exception to his delight in finishing off anything remotely threatening or stupid enough to screw with him. They were a tenuous link to his lost home, a reminder of the place he'd lost. And they often embodied many similar qualities to the Daemons.

Not that he would hesitate to retaliate if this hound attacked. However he had a companion with him who would no doubt like the chance to remove the threat herself - sharpening one's skills was always a good thing - so no need to stroke his guilt, however fleeting that guilt would be.
He wouldn't leave her completely alone, though. Dream Hounds had high body temperatures and could burn most people, but Gabriel was resistant to such attacks. So he slid out of the cave, speaking in an unfamiliar and strangely poetic language - presumably the Daemons native tongue - entrancing the Hound with his hypnotic teal eyes and soft, velvet voice. It followed his progress with its own glowing red eyes, snarling but entranced, until it had turned it's head enough to expose its throat.

Hopefully Nasrin knew what to do from there.[/font]

[Nasrin the Wolverine Warrior]

The words Gabriel spoke confused but fascinated her at the same time. It was so poetic and musical but it came from such a lethal looking creature, giving it a dangerous hint. Perhaps it was the original language of the daemons. She would have to ask after the hound was killed, as now was her chance to take the hit.

It was unfortunate that the daemon made it so easy.
Yes, it was an effective way of killing the creature. No, it was not a challenge - no skills were required in this. All she had to do was walk up and stab the hound in the throat and it would die. It almost seemed like slaughter. Where was the thrill of the hunt? The adrenaline that came with knowing that you could die just as easily as your prey could? Some of the respect that she had just gained for Gabriel diminished at the way he chose to kill the creature.
He wouldn't even kill it himself.
He had set it up for her to kill, and she wondered why he had done so. Were daemons not hunters and warriors?

Nasrin, however, didn't mind killing the hound.

Spear in hand, the woman walked up to the hound, staring down at the creature for a few moments. The daemon had said that this was a creature from his home. To her, that meant that it was probably a worthy opponent under normal circumstances. For half a second, she was saddened. The warrior would have enjoyed a challenge.
That half a second was over quickly.
She drew her spear back and thrust the head into the hound's throat, immediately slicing up until she felt the metal meet the hound's jaw then tearing down and out of the creature's throat. Blood splattered the ground underneath the hound, and it made an odd, gurgling noise as it dropped. The entire time its eyes had stayed on Gabriel's.

Wiping the blood from her spear, Nasrin looked up and locked eyes with the daemon, staring him down for a few moments. "I did not expect such an easy kill. Next time, if you do not want to kill it, leave it to me." She kept his gaze for another moment then turned and walked back into their little cave-camp, plopping back down where she had been laying while she slept.

[Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar]

Gabriel stepped backwards just in case any stray spurts of blood headed in his direction, unwilling to get coated in the stuff because that would mean having to wash. This was a task the Daemon didn't enjoy - with his Fire Elemental lineage, water was actually painful in any great amount. Therefore although he was, like most Daemons, scrupulously hygenic, he didn't go out of his way to get messy when he didn't have to.

But he didn't take his eyes off the hounds. Gabriel watched, face impassive, as the glowing red dimmed and flickered before going out altogether. Daemon's possessed an extremely honed talent for hiding their inner experiences so nothing showed on his face, but he didn't regret depriving Nasrin of her challenge.
She was growing more and more intriguing with each passing minute. Plainly the woman was bloodthirsty and violent, truly a warrior of her tribe. Not so very different from Daemons at all, except that almost all Daemons retained a fierce loyalty and respect for their own race, their original home, and the creatures that had come from it. Gabriel would not apologise for that.

He was sorry, however, that she was so disappointed with the lack of excitement. Perhaps a good bar fight in Spirit or something along those lines were cheer her up. Violence was rife in the city.
"Under normal circumstances I wouldn't have interfered. In fact, under normal circumstances I happily - more than happily - dispatch of things myself. But those creatures are a link to my home, are creatures more similar to Daemons than any sentient race in Litharia. The least I could do for it is ensure it felt no pain." Seemed this Daemon had some compassion, which was lucky really - those without any compassion at all were not suited to living anywhere near other individuals. The specifics of Gabriel's compassion were vitally important in crafting a personality that made him a successful Daemon Lord - it was such that it ensured his priorities were for his own race and the things important to Daemons, above anything else - including Nasrin's fun.
Nonetheless, he probably owed her some explanation.

"My position among the Daemons is such that I hold our race, the Daemons well-being, and the well-being of those things connected to Daemons, as more important than the lives or health of any other race in Litharia. It's vital that I do this or else I would not make a suitable leader. So I cannot apologise for ruining your fun in this instance because protecting Dream Land creatures is part of both my job and my personality - I can, however, promise that you can do whatever you like to attackers not related to the Daemons." Gabriel grinned, dropping back to the ground opposite Nasrin, his claws and fangs now retracted and his appearance therefore more normal. He hoped she'd understand. Regardless he'd have done the same again. His priorities did not include indulgence of any Human, no matter how interesting he found her.[/font]

[Nasrin the Wolverine Warrior]

She leaned her head back and to the side, listening to the daemon as he spoke without actually turning around. So the creature was from Dream Land, where the daemons were originally from? That explained why she had never seen such a creature before. "What is that creature called?" It was even more information to bring back to her tribe, after all. A new kind of hunt, perhaps?

Nasrin's eyes met the daemon's as he plopped down in front of her, so he could easily see her eyes widen in mild surprise. Gabriel was the daemon leader he had been telling her about? Well, she supposed that made some sense, surprising as it still was. The man had charisma - leaders generally needed some sort of charisma about them or a great deal of respect, or they never would have become leaders at all.
So, she was traveling with the leader of a very chaotic, violent race.
It sent a thrill of excitement up her spine.

"I understand. I would have done the same thing, had the creature been a link to my home. We, however, don't have many links running around, so the chances of that happening are very, very slim." A small smile formed on her lips, directed at the daemon leader. She laid her spear down next to her, back where it had been originally, and stretched her arms over her head. Her heart was still pounding from the thrill of the hunt, but it was slowly starting to wane and she was beginning to slowly feel tired again.

However, she didn't want to sleep now.
The few hours she had gotten would be plenty to get to Spirit.

[Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar]

Gabriel glanced once at the fog-shrouded body of the creature, pleased that Nasrin could see his point of view. It would be gone by morning; like all Dream Land creatures, the hounds were vulnerable to sunlight. He wondered if the links Nasrin referred to were the Wolverines themselves - although they seemed to treat them almost as deities. Perhaps killing one at all would be out of the question.

"They're rather unimaginatively named Dream Hounds - don't blame the Daemons for that one, we have a more elegant name in our own language but while in Litharia we speak the common tongue. They're similar to regular wolves in behaviour...social animals, reasonably intelligent." And, probably as an artifact of their Daemonic heritage, apparantly quite violent when confronting or confronted.

As he spoke Gabriel once more trailed his hand through the flames, as mesmerised by the fire as ever. The cave warmed instantly again as heat rolled off the seated Daemon.
"They have a high body temperature, much like I do, and can burn you if you're not careful. The heat will be gone now though and if you so desire it, you could take the skull of that one. It will sell for a fairly high price in Spirit if you can find a collector and, as it happens, I know collectors. It would make your stay more comfortable and much easier if you possessed some of the coins Human's use to trade for services." Gabriel was a regular visitor to the City - Spirit made a convenient meeting place, an enjoyable escape, and a valuable information source. And, naturally, many knew him.

He didn't miss Nasrin's reaction to his explanation. Another detail he'd not planned on divulging - not because it was in any way secret, but because Daemons didn't go around demanding respect like Human rulers. He was quietly familiar to almost all Daemons and many Fae, but Humans and Shifters were as likely to pass him in the street without a second glance as recognise his position. He liked it that way. He didn't want the suspicion, adulation, any attention really, that would come from being a public figure.
Daemons didn't do decorum all that well.

Mind you, he'd only not told Nasrin because it was not something he announced without good reason. Doing so would contradict his whole anonymous ruler status; the only purpose that would have served before now was to imply some kind of inherent respect was required. It wasn't. Daemon's were proud creatures and respect must be earnt, even for the Daemon Lord.

"We can leave whenever you'd like. I've being playing with fire quite long enough, I think." The Daemon smiled, pleased that Nasrin didn't show any sign of treating him strangely. That, more than anything, was irritating because other Daemons knew far better what behaviour was expected around the Daemon Lord - the same as around any other Daemon, for the most part.[/font]

[Nasrin the Wolverine Warrior]

She was definitely interested in learning about the creature, a Dream Hound (Gabriel was right; that wasn't a very imaginative name, but it was practical). Suddenly, the daemon leader's tactic of charming the creature didn't seem like such a bad idea, at least not if the temperature of the Dream Hound was as high as Gabriel said it was. Nasrin didn't enjoy being burned. It wasn't pleasant.

Take the skull?
Nasrin's eyes flicked to the fog covered body. Well, it would certainly make things easier, wouldn't it? The woman glanced toward Gabriel and nodded, silently thanking him for the advice before she grabbed her dagger and stood, making her way toward the creature. Removing the skull would be slightly difficult, since cutting through bone was hard, but she could handle it - it may not be the prettiest skull in the world, but it would be intact. That's really all she cared about.

As she worked, the woman thought about the new information she had gathered.
It was certainly a lot more than she had hoped to glean.
After all, Nasrin's mission only included the humans.
Wouldn't her tribe be pleased that she had gathered so much already? They better damn well be pleased.

Finally, the skull came loose. Nasrin grunted as she pulled it the last time, snapping it from the neck. Immediately, her gaze flicked to her dagger - she would have to sharpen it at some point... It wasn't meant to saw continuously through bone, after all.
Taking the skull, she turned to Gabriel.
"I'm ready to go now. I'm interested in an actual city - I've never been in one before."
Really, she hadn't ever been in a city. They confused her: the walls, the noise, the smell, the lack of wildlife... It was slightly bothersome to the nomadic warrior, she who was used to moving freely through the trees. Maybe that was how the fae felt.

Speaking of fae, she still needed to talk to one eventually. And a shifter.

[Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar]

Gabriel watched with mild interest as Nasrin took the skull of the hound - a valuable collector's item indeed because most people avoided the extremely dangerous Marshes and the hounds rarely ventured out of there. It seemed though help could only be given when asked for, advice was generally welcomed. Another small fact for his knowledge bank on Nasrin and her strange tribe and a sensible decision. Why learn from your own mistakes or successes when others could allow you access to theirs? Especially when mistakes in Litharia could easily cost you your life.

And once Nasrin informed him that she was indeed ready to go, Gabriel nodded his assent and climbed gracefully to his feet. Seemed every movement the Daemon made echoed his strength, his speed, his natural agility. He was oddly cat-like in fact, not unlike the majority of his race.
"You've really never been to a city?" Of course she hadn't, now he thought about it. The strength of her tribe relied on their unity - unity which was found in travelling in groups and in territories they were comfortable in. A lone warrior like Nasrin, though certainly strong, could never be as strong as a group of warriors bonded by family ties and loyalty. Most likely this departure from her tribe was a fairly rare event when the gleaning of information was considered an important asset to the Wolverine tribe.

Like now. Well, Gabriel could give her that much. A regular visitor to Spirit, the Daemon knew plenty of the locals and the regulars. If interesting company was what she was after then Gabriel was one of the best equipped individuals to deliver it.
"It can be overwhelming if you're not used to it. I used to find it that way - obscenely crowded, busy, filthy. No plantlife but plenty of criminals and as many unsavoury characters as you could hope for. But also plenty of excitement, a new kind of fare, and alcohol of course. Daemon's are particularly fond of that." Gabriel spoke as he walked now, having once again picked up the correct trail. Only a few hours lay between them and Spirit now, little more than a stroll for an always-on-the-move Daemon.[/font]

[Nasrin the Wolverine Warrior]

ooc|;;
Perhaps we should move them to Spirit now?
'Cause I'm not sure there's much more for them to converse about on the way there... xD
Well, basically, I'm running out of stuff. Bad Dani.

[Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar]

OoC

Good idea XD