Unfortunately for her Sirus couldn't sympathize, as he had never truly thought of anywhere as "safe" in his entire life. Sure, some places were safer than others, and some were more dangerous. But nowhere was ever truly going to be safe for him, it was only a matter of time before danger caught up.
Gwen sighed a little and continued towards the weaponsmiths tent. She had seen the scarred woman around but their interactions were few… actually less than her interactions with the healer.
(poke)
(Frick!)
(Dammit I keep losing this one in the sea of threads I stalk…)
.
Sirus said nothing as they continued, wondering what the tribe's weapon master was like while also trying to prepare himself for the long journey ahead, knowing full well Gwen would probably end up seeing more of him than he was comfortable with, which also meant the reopening of old wounds and bad memories. That and the shadows he'd left behind were a ticking time bomb just waiting to mess everything up again, but he tried not to think about that just yet.
(It's ok. I stalk a lot of threads too.)
Gwen hadn't even considered how the journey meant that the simple acquaintanceship between them would change. In the back of her mind, she knew that it would. She’d heard stories from knights at the palace about the ties formed during missions for the king but she had not consciously acknowledged that in regards to herself and Sirus. Her focus still on preparing for her trial, she continued to lead the way to Ruena’s tent.
Sirus meanwhile was pulled away from his thoughts by the growing ache of his burns, which he still hadn't put ointment on. And he probably wouldn't, rather saving the disinfecting and soothing salve for worse injuries in the future. But of course, walking around in human form meant he'd also been using the shadows to keep his shirt off of the wounds, so he was feeling the beginnings of a migraine from that too. Not that he showed any of this outwardly.
Gwen smiled a little when the tent came into sight. “Ruena.” she called out before she opened the tent for both of them.
“Come on in.” came the friendly reply. Ruena had all the build of a former warrior but all warmness the healer seemed to lack. “Aw, Gwen. I heard about your trial and your shadowy friend.” she smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
Sirus offered a nod of acknowledgement, but not much more. The key to hiding that he was in pain, he'd found, was to remain as silent as possible so as to fall into the background. Either that or to do the exact opposite, depending on the surroundings.
Gwen nodded slightly, remembering that Sirus usually preferred to be silent during these kinds of interactions. “Well, if you heard about my trial then you should know why I'm here.” she said politely but firmly.
“Of course.” Ruena acknowledged, pushing a braided strand of her multi-braided hair back. “What do you and your friend need?”
“Just some more arrows.” Gwen answered for herself.
Sirus nodded, keeping quiet and letting Gwen do the talking, focusing instead on even breathing and slowly letting go of his shadows, knowing the fabric of his shirt would stick to the raw skin underneath, but not really able to do anything about it right then. Not like he even wanted to since he knew the injuries were minor. Sure, they'd scar if he didn't treat them, but having that salve for other injuries, worse ones, was important.
Ruena gave a short hum before picking up a full quiver of arrows and handing it to Gwen. “I had a feeling you would as for that. I just finished making these after you came back as a hunter.” she smiled softly.
“Thank you.” Gwen smiled as she accepted the weapons.
“What about for you? Think you'll need anything?” the weaponsmith asked Sirus.
Sirus shook his head, "I have what I need for the time being." he said, remembering the extra set of knives in his pack. That and he knew how to get more while on the run, so he wasn't worried.
“Alright then.” Ruena nodded, turning back to Gwen. “Then I think all that's left is to wish you the best of luck. I look forward to fighting alongside you one day.” she smiled as she placed a hand on Gwen’s shoulder.
Gwen smiled back and gave a small nod, placing her hand on top of Ruena’s “Thank you. I look forward to that as well.” she replied sincerely but with perhaps a little less enthusiasm than the other woman.
Sirus hummed a little at the show of camaraderie from the weaponsmith, glad that Gwen would have a place to return to once this was over with. But at the same time he felt a sharp pang to the core of his being, that sense of displacement that came from being taught from the very beginning that he didn't belong.
Gwen let out a calming breath and took a step back. “We should be going. We have everything prepared… and Corbin or Rhes would have told Jeim about this by now.” she said softly. Of everything else she had to do to get ready for tomorrow morning, saying goodbye to the boy that treated her as an older sister was something she wasn't looking forward to. But she couldn’t just leave him without saying it.
“Then I will see you both when you return.” Ruena said calmly as a farewell.
Sirius nodded, following Gwen out of the structure once she had said her farewells to the weaponsmith. He wasn't sure what to make of the idea that she needed to say goodbye to people. But he supposed that's what came with actually having people that cared.
If it was possible, Gwen almost looked more nervous as they headed back towards her tent. Perhaps it was because everything was practically ready for her to leave and the final steps in her quest to be recognized as a warrior were imminent. Or maybe it was more likely that a part of her didn't want to say goodbye to her adoptive family. Whatever it was, it was causing her head to spin and her heart to race.
Gwen wasn't the only one affected by the thought of leaving the peaceful tribe behind, because as much as Sirus was unwilling to admit it, the people here were kinder to him than anyone else he could distinctly remember ever had been. And it wasn't just one person, it was the entire tribe. And as much as he didn't want to think about it….
In any case, despite all ryhme or reason for it, some small part of him would regret leaving her, because when he did return, it would be brief and then he'd be on his way again. Alone.
Gwen wasn't thinking that far ahead, though she probably should have considered it more. She had this daydream about returning to her father's kingdom one day, a fully recognized warrior covered in war paint as she marched confidently to the throne room and telling her father all her thoughts on ruling that she had to keep to herself for years. She shook her head with a small chuckle as the thought flared in her mind for a moment as she remembered what she still had to go through first. Though the brief fantasy did calm her slightly in regards to the upcoming goodbyes despite the heaviness in her heart as she knew how much she would miss this home.
Sirus had his own problems to eventualy resolve of course, but as of right now, and for the past several years, he had been steadfastly ignoring and running from them, not wanting to face the consequences of his actions coupled with the cruelty of those he had offended by merely trying to stay alive.
Gwen sighed a little as she saw the family's tent. She was going to miss that sight but it was something she would have to deal with. “Sirus… Can I ask you a couple of questions?” she said gently, turning to look at him.
Sirus blinked, pausing for a moment to process what she'd said before nodding. "Go right ahead," he said gently, "No guarantees on answers though." he added, making sure to give himself a temporary out in case she asked something too personal.
“I was just wondering… You travel a lot as a bounty hunter.” she started, turning to look at him. “How do you manage to keep from missing home? Or someplace you care very much about?” she asked as she didn't want to assume anything about his life.
Sirus took a breath at that one, looking away to the ground for a moment before facing her with calm eyes. "It was very simple for me." he said softly, "I have no home, and nowhere has ever cared enough about me to give that same sentiment in return. Leaving everything I once knew was a breath of freedom, one that I refuse to give up for as long as I live." the look in his eyes was surprisingly calm having said that, and he wasn't sure why he revealed as much as he did.
Gwen's eyes widened slightly at that but she nodded. "I see. I… I can understand that feeling." she admitted, managing to meet his gaze. "It took me a while, once I was brought away from… my father's land, but I realized that freedom the longer I stayed here." she explained with a soft smile. "I wouldn't trade it for anything either."