𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔲𝔫𝔢𝔰

❝    right    ❞   a  dry  response   /    yet   ,   very  characteristic  of  you.   curiously   /   you  watch  her  dig  through  the  piles  of  endless  sands  to  reveal  a  hidden  passageway.   you  peek  a  little  bit  down  there   /   while  a  different  part  of  you  that  you’ve  been  trying  to  hide  peeks  its  ugly  head  in  your  mind   (   barking   &   gnawing  at  any  rational  thought   /   screaming  for  you  to  not  trust  the  stranger   ).   you  steady  your  hands   /   as  you  watch  roah  head  straight  down.

contemplating  for  a  second  or  two   /   before  following  after   (   you  would  die  on  your  own  out  here   ).

honestly   /   you  don’t  remember  how  long  it’s  been  since  you’ve  been  wandering  through  the  desert  before  you  met  roah.   you  were  running  low  on  waters   /   you  wondered  if  you  would  have  simply  died  there.   you  suppose  it  would  certainly  be  a  bland  end   /   for  a  criminal  like  you.   perhaps  your  worries  of  this  stranger  backstabbing  you   /   will  come  into  fruition   (   &   yet   /   in  your  experience   /   you’ve  come  to  learn  when  someone  tells  a  lie   /   it’s  unlikely  she  would  be  lying   /   unless  she’s  just  a  damn  good  liar   ).   

if  her  heart  is  truly  good   /   you  worry  what  a  future  like  her’s  awaits.   you  can’t  imagine  it  ending  well   /   it  never  does.   not  like  you’re  one  to  talk   /   the  life  you  lead  didn’t  end  well  either   (   perhaps  both  sides  of  the  coins  were  both  awful  odds   ).

while  lost  in  your  thoughts   /   you  notice  something  different  from  the  walls  of  this  cave.

❝    is  that  it  up  there   ?    ❞

╸༺ ⦃ A small ramp stretched downwards in front of them from the bottom of the ladder- dropping off into a second, lower floor in the cave system.

         She offers a silent answer by just pressing onward- walking down the ramp and towards the ledge. It was a three foot drop.

         Despite being underground, it was lush with plant life and well-lit; almost like if the outside just had a stone roof over it. Roah hops down to the lower level- there was a second ladder, but she just decides not to. A few other Shaquaal sheepishly wave at her as she rounds the corner into the main chamber of the cave- the common room. They were all similar to her in terms of appearance- blue skin, jackal-like ears and paws instead of feet. Roah seemed to be the only one with more arachnid-like features; her tail.

unfortunate  for  your  eyes   /   an  arm  hovers  above  your  face  in  an  attempt  to  keep  from  the  sand  getting  in  your  eyes   (   you  are  not  successful  in  your  endeavors  in  doing  so   /   a  pity   ).   shielding  your  mouth  with  the  collar  of  your  coat   /   you  do  your  best  to  keep  up  with  roah   &   making  sure  not  to  lose  sight  of  her.

what  should  of  been  a  short  walk   /   felt  like  an  eternity   (   but  you  manage  to  cross  it  anyways   ).   a  quick  shake  of  your  head   /   coughing  up  any  sand  in  your  mouth  you finally  turn  to  roah.

❝    no  where.   i’ve  always  been  on  the  move  for  a  long  time  now.    ❞

╸༺ ⦃ She kept herself at a manageable pace- knowing that non-natives had a harder time traversing the sandy winds of the Shaquaal desert; but not quite understanding the more specific difficulties that a sandstorm may have on someone. Roah herself had been living in this desert for all her life- sometimes she would totally miss that a storm had even happened.

▬-▬-𒆨⦅ “ Hm, really ? Sounds kinda tiring ... “

            Ichor was very fortunate to make it through, because he could’ve very well been left behind for some time- Roah may be smart, but she can be a little air-headed at times. As soon as they arrive at the ruins, she stops and turns to face him again.

▬-▬-𒆨⦅ “ The others tend to get a little excited when a                   new face shows up - don’t be afraid to let                   them know you want space, okay ? “ she chuckles.

@atdzimis​ said: 👀 + why do you try seeing the good in everyone ? you'll only get yourself hurt like that.

╸༺ ⦃ A scorpion tail swishes to the side- dragging a line in the sand.

          There’s a single moment of thought- silence filling the gaps between the question and whatever answer Roah would give.

▬-▬-𒆨⦅ “ ... I don’t just rush into fights without thinking                   about what I’m up against. Not in a threat way;                   but y’know ... when it’s not just mindless beasts,                   I can’t help but think that there’s a reason they                   wanna kill me . “

                “ Everyone gets forced onto their side from                   some kind of circumstance. That’s why I                   try to see the good in everyone . “

                “ We all fight for something . There’s always some                   way to work together . “

                “ And... “

We’re 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕- 

---- - A GLORIOUS FLAME !

                                          --------                         Independant, private, selective                                           ROAH

                                Written by Whisper                                           -------- 

there  certainly  was  a  many  variety  of  strange  beasts  here   /   still   ,   it  seems  roah  took  quick  work  of  it.   you  suppose   /   she  is  a  warrior  after  all.   it  makes  you  wonder  what  else   /   was  around  here   (   best  to  keep  moving  forward  you  suppose   ).   while  the  sand  was  kicking  up   /   you  could  make  out  something  past  through  it  all.

❝    so   ,   not  far.    ❞   you  take  a  single  moment  to  dust  yourself  off   /   to  the  best  of  you  ability   (   you’re  probably  gonna  have  to  wash  this  coat  when  you  get  there   ).

╸༺ ⦃ The beast disappeared in the distance as the pair slid down the dunes- drawing closer to the outskirts of the ruins. Once Roah was back on her feet, she was walking again. It wasn’t far- it just seemed like a far walk because of the sand blowing in the winds.

          Roah walked through the sand at normal speed- not even having to shield her eyes from what was almost a storm.

it’s  only  a mere  moment   /   do  you  see  the  falter  in  her  smile  before  she  goes  down  sliding  the  dunes   (   ah   /   you…   certainly  weren’t  trying  to  strike  any  unfavorable  memories   ).   you  skid  down  the  side  of  the  dune  as  well   /   in  an  effort  to  keep  up  with  the  other.

it’s  best  not  to  pry  any  further.

❝    right.    ❞   for  once  your  tone  sounds   /   a  bit  more  understanding.   no  need  to  stick  your  nose  in  something   /   that  doesn’t  concern  you.

❝    so   ,   how  far  is  it   ?    ❞

╸༺ ⦃ On her way down, a giant crocodile beast bursts up out of the sands. Roah just jumps up and does a handspring off of its head- and they both blaze past it. It’s far too slow to catch up.

           Roah falls to a crouch to absorb the impact of the fall.

▬-▬-𒆨⦅ “ - You see those ruins up ahead ?! “

╸༺ ⦃ Dead ahead of them- on the other side of a light, sandy breeze- was the outline of a run-down city. Pyramids, statues- all decrepit, lost to weathering and age.

▬-▬-𒆨⦅ “ ... having to kill to help free the Shaquaal from the underground . “

                   “ I went into the hero thing fresh, y’know ? It’s not easy                   to just take a life the first time around . “

MY , WHAT AN ENTRANCE THAT CERTAINLY WAS && ROUGE CAN CERTAINLY ADMIRE SOMEONE WHO GOES ABOUT THEIR LIFE WITH A LITTLE BIT OF FLAIR . the bat gives a small two fingered salute in her own greeting , smiling softly at this character - who certainly seemed interesting and , well , different . though her answer isn’t verbal , the ease in her posture indicates that she doesn’t mind the other’s company . she can be quite the social butterfly when she wants to .

despite being a stranger , the other clearly knows how to get rouge onside : compliments .

“ oh ? why , thank you - but , one thing y’should know about me is that i’m always prepared to handle anything . ” a humble brag . with her smile coy , she holds out her hand , “ rouge . ”

╸༺ ⦃ Roah’s smile widens.           She was social!           It was always so hard to run into other people that were as excited to meet people as her- Roah always jumped on the opportunity to make connections.

▬-▬-𒆨⦅ “ Oh - “                 “ That’s great ! I was actually just about to let you know about the dangers of the Shaquaalan desert ! “

╸༺ ⦃ She reaches down to the shorter mobian to grab Rouge’s hand- and gives her a solid handshake. Her scorpion tail swishes back and forth behind her- before settling and resting on the sands below her.

eager   /   way  too  ready  to  lend  out  a  helping  hand   (   yeah   /   the  resemblance  is  all  there   ).   it  makes  you  wonder  what  drives  it   /   how  could  one  be  raised  so  selfless  like  that.   you   /   born  selfish.   it’s  no  wonder  the  two  of  you  couldn’t  see  eye  to  eye   /   some  people’s  fates  were  simply  worse  than  others.

❝    ichor.    ❞   a  name  that  feels  more  like  a  curse   /   you  leave  it  at  that.

❝    you  must  be  pretty  special.   if  a  whole  tribe  would  listen  to  your  request  of  letting  a  stranger  in.    ❞

╸༺ ⦃ Roah’s smile falters slightly.            It was a perfectly reasonable question- something that warranted some kind of explanation... one she was happy to offer!

           Just as she was about to start sliding down the dunes again- she turns back around and flashes a sharp smile at Ichor.

if  all  it  takes  is  to  play  nice  for  some  shelter   /   you  suppose  it  wouldn’t  hurt.   if  anything  else   /   you’ll  be  able  to  take  some  time   (   &   relearn  the  meaning   /   of  peace   ).

❝    i  promise  not  to  bite.    ❞

however  a  doubtful  weed  clings  to  your  brain   /   it  will  not  be  put  to  rest  if  you  do  not  act  on  it   (   after  all   /   it  was  always  best  to  learn  about  those  around  you   ).

❝    before  we  go   ,   who  exactly  are  you   ?    ❞

╸༺ ⦃ She blinks at the jackal a few times, and lets out a small gasp. Roah always had a tendency to get far, far ahead of herself like this.

           Ichor’s statement about not causing trouble almost would’ve made her snicker, were it not for what he’d followed up with. Realizing that she’d never even shared her name? She felt a twinge of embarassment.

▬-▬-𒆨⦅ “ Oh, I never introduced myself !! “

good   /   she  gave  you  back  your  personal  space.   gives  you  comfortable  enough  room  to  breathe   /   without  feeling  threatened.  you  suppose  this  was  something  you’ll  never  get  use  to   /   you’re  always  so  watchful  with  your  eyes   (   you  take  notice  of  every  slight  movement  as  a  sign  of  hostility   /   it’s  taking  a  lot  of  mental  strength  not  to  act  on  your  reflexes  right  now   ).

❝    you  remind  me  of  someone.    ❞   you  quietly  mutter   /   not  really  meaning  to  say  it  aloud.   she  reminds  you  of  a  certain  hedgehog  quick  to  lend  out  a  helping  hand   /   even  to  those  undeserving  of  it.   you  could  never  understand  it   /   then  again   (   you  were  born  into  a  killer   /   perhaps  you  were  never  meant  to  understand   ).

❝    if  you  feel  like  being  helpful   ,   i’m  not  from  around  here.   is  there  shelter  anywhere  nearby   ?    ❞

╸༺ ⦃ Roah places a finger to her chin- eyebrows raising.           She reminded him of someone? Odd.            His low volume gave off the impression that it wasn’t really a comment worth bringing up again, though- so she just giggles softly under her breath and clasps her hands together.

▬-▬-𒆨⦅ “ I’m sure my tribe would be happy to                   let you stay for a little while ! “

╸༺ ⦃ Especially since Roah is the one asking... she’d already done so much for Buhro village.

you  almost  flinch  when  the  stranger  leans  in  towards  you   /   resisting  the  urge  to  pull  out  your  sword   (   no  one  here  knows  of  you   /   you  could  be  free  from  your  sins   ).   just  a  little   /   your  shoulders  relaxed.   you  could  be   /   way  too  stiff  sometimes.   you  suppose  you  couldn’t  help  it   /   you  were  simply  not  raised  to  be  relaxed.

❝    it’s  of  no  concern  to  you.    ❞   your  voice  dull   &   dry   /   apathy  in  your  tone.   you  move  the  conversation  somewhere  else   /   before  the  other  could  say  anything  else  on  the  matter.   ❝    who  is  this  princess  you  speak  of   ?    ❞

╸༺ ⦃ She does take note of the stranger’s stiffened posture once she approaches- and stands up straight instead of leaning into his personal space. 

▬-▬-𒆨⦅ “ Hey, I can’t ignore someone lookin’ all grumpy like this ! “