Gwen sighed lightly with a small smile as she pushed aside the flap of fabric that served as a door. The blank canvas only fueled her desire to complete her training. Though there was something that she considered an achievement but it wasn’t something that could be painted. For her it was the lack of guards and the freedom she now had in the village. When she was first brought here, this tent was more of a prison with two warriors at the door. Now the closest thing she had to a guard was also her mentor.
Honestly, her tent was also a bit smaller than most but there was still room enough for her to have a guest.
”Come on in and make yourself comfortable.” she said, breaking the silence between them.
Sirus snapped back from his thoughts and nodded, unshouldering his pack and stepping inside with a nod. "Thank you for offfering to let me stay with you." he said, knowing full well he could make himself comfortable in the trees bordering the cmapsite.
”It’s no problem.” she said as she took off her cloak, revealing her shoulder-length hair and tan skin before she sat down near the small unlit fire ring. ”Besides, I’m sure that you have a few questions for me.” she told him as she had no doubt of his own ability to survive without help… but it didn't hurt to be polite.
Sirus nodded, "Not really questions. I find observation tells me much more most of the time." he said, his tone even, but not in a way that was threatening.
Gwen raised a brow slightly but shrugged. “Your choice. This kind of thing is your job anyway.” she reasoned. “You probably made a few observations already.”
Sirus nodded in response to that, "Of course… I mean, it's pretty hard to not to notice the fact that you seem to fit in pretty well here, enough that it's hard to imagine you in court."
She chuckled at that. ”There’s a simple reason for that. Court life was suffocating, living in a gilded cage but not really living.” she said plainly, with a brief note of disdain. ”Life out here is… much more liberating. There are still rules for the tribe to survive but none of them are as controlling as in the palace.”
Sirus nodded, "Understandable." he said, taking stock of his surroundings before refocusing on Gwen.
The inside of her tent was just as simple as the exterior. Her bow and quiver were near the entrance along with a spear, she still had her dagger strapped to her side. A small pile of firewood was within arms reach of the ring of stones in the center and even closer was a small cooking pot. And aside from a bucket of water, the only other thing in the tent was a simple bedroll made of animal furs.
All in all it was a functional layout one would expect of a newcomer to the tribe. Someone with all the potential in the world just waiting to be released.
(squeals happily I am legit blushing for my character… That would be a high compliment to her if she heard that!)
(Noice! Also sorry my replies are short compared to yours… I've been trying to get them longer but I can't think of what to write.)
(It's fine. I just feel I have to write a little more to describe the setting…)
((Yeah, I kinda got into the habit of less is more over the years in school, (idk why) so I find it takes less words for me to be satisfied or to understand something.))
Because of her successful hunt today, she was going to get her first decoration soon. In fact, Gwen had already picked out the spot where she was going to put those antlers once they were ready.
Sirus figured her hunt had earned her something, and soon the rather dull space would become more interesting to look at, but for now the bare bones of potential were all he could see.
Gwen looked at Sirius curiously for a moment as a thought occurred to her. ”May I ask you something?”
"No guarantees on an answer." he said, nodding for her to ask away.
She smirked a little. ”Fair enough. I was just wondering why you came to take me back.” she explained.
"I came because I was paid to." said Sirus, "Something about needing a neutral party so as not to start a full on war."
She nodded a little, understanding her father's desire to avoid a war. ”Do I want to know how much he paid you to save his weak, helpless daughter?” she asked as she tried to not get angry though she did clench her hand into a fist at her side.
Sirus let out a soft sigh, "No, you probably don't. Especially since it was paid now, more later type deal." the look in his eyes was sympathetic with her anger. "If I had words to make that any better for you I'd use them.."
Gwen nodded slowly, biting her lip and closing her eyes. She forced herself to take a deep breath and relax her hand, she hadn't drawn blood yet but she had definitely left marks. ”It’s… It’s ok. I appreciate the honesty. There’s really not much more you could have said.” she told him, refusing to even think about crying. She knew when she asked that question that any answer would hurt her…
Sirus let out a soft sigh at her reaction, but made no move to go near her for the moment. He understood how parents could be absolute jerks, having been unlucky enough to experience a lot of crap as a child.
”Thank you.” she said softly as she finally calmed down. She was far away from that life now and had no plans to go back. At least, not for a long time… until she was stronger and more ready. She hadn't forgotten her responsibility to the people of her kingdom.
