epidemiology | breaking in the new year

Entry tags:

breaking in the new year

CHARACTERS: Kida (

yob), Ban (

perma_banned) and Masamune (

wardance)

DATE: Jan 7

WARNINGS: blood/violence against animals/hunting

SUMMARY: It's duck season—no, rabbit season!

for ban: continued from here.

[ The inn he isn't banned from--that would be the Krozm, being the only place many of them can get a decent bed these days. Ninat can't accompany Kida so far into the city, so she comes alone, dressed in her warm wool cloak and her favourite sweater underneath (which might be missing some candy canes), and with lovely blue mittens. She has her spear, but that's really the only testament to the purpose of the excursion; having never taken any kind of flying animal before, she has no idea what to bring. She's a quick study though, and now that she isn't drunk she'll have markedly better motor skills. ]

Ban!

[ She flags him down cheerfully enough, coming to stand by his side. ]

Let us go, yes? I am excited to try this goose!

[ She genuinely is. Pearl made her cookies, and Hellboy had her try pancakes. She's discovering all sorts of flavours and textures, and wondering how she'll bring all of it back to her people. ]

for masamune continued from here.

[ Let's hunt, she'd said, when in reality she actually hadn't hunted at all since arriving in Chantes and, given the snow, had no idea where to start. Still, she's nothing if not curious, and hadn't Masamune called himself a northman before? He must know snow, and what game to find, or at least she hopes so. And if not--they'll have spent unproductive time in good company, which isn't a waste.

She asks him to meet her on the city outskirts, far enough from the lights that she needs to use her pendant to see by; what's good about the darkness, at least, is that creatures are out and about. She suspects they'll have better luck in the fairy wood; the beasts have been teeming since that enormous tree sprang up, and the native faeries calmer. Ninat stands beside her, occasionally pacing circles around her master to keep her heat up; the cold isn't her favourite. Kida keeps one hand on the great cat's flank, keeping an eye and ear out for the man on horseback. ]

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[Just a touch less inebriated than usual--Ban hunched over a leather bag he had gathered, filled with small nets. It had a few sharp knives, a sharpening belt and string. Ban was dressed a bit more comfortably than usual--wearing thick leggings, leather boots and a dark fur coat.

He stood up and gave Kida a bit of an arch look, especially when he looked to her sweater.]

Hey, Princ--... The hell's that?

[ She looks at him, her cheerful greeting apparently aborted, then down at herself. ]

What is what?

[ She palms her cloak, her sweater, looking for the offending object. ]

Your sweater. [Lacking a real sense for personal space, Ban reached over to the collar of the garment to give it a little pinch. It wasn't just a weird article of clothes--it was over the top even when concerning nobles.]

It's reaaaally noisy.

[ Noisy? Kida will concede that it's...attention-grabbing, but then she'd never really considered pattern in a garment before. She just wore whatever was made for her--or bought for her, as in the case of most of her Chantean clothing. ]

It was a gift!

[ Why is why she's giving him a huffy look and closing her cloak over the sweater. Her first Christmas gift, okay--it's special. ]

You're gonna scare the birds off with somethin' like thaaat~. [Ban ran his fingers over his chin before reaching up over his head.

Snapping his fingers, Ban brought a large fur coat into existence. He caught it between his fingers, holding it up for Kida.]

Somethin' more subtle oughta work ♪.

How did you do that?

[ Also: how is a full-length fur more subtle????? ]

I will look like a bear. They will doubtlessly flee.

[ She does take it from him, though, wrapping it around herself on top of her cloak. She's warm already--almost too warm. ]

Magic.

[It was, flat out, as elegant an answer as Ban could provide. It was also the flattest possible tone he could muster.]

We'd need another ten of you to make a bear, trust meee ♪. 'Sides, they won't mind bears. Considerin' bears prefer foragin' over hunting and the berry trees are fightin' the cold pretty well... You won't cause a stir.

[They would be more spooked by Ban, but that was only because he was an abomination against all gods.]

[ He's an abomination that's pleasant to be around, at least. She snuggles up in the coat and falls into step with Ban as they begin to walk. ]

I will trust your word. I have never hunted goose before--or any bird.

[ A beat, as she thinks on that. ]

Atlantis has flying lizards, but no birds.

They're less skittish than smaller birds, but they're still tough to hunt. Problem iiiis... [They reached the edge of the woods, but they wouldn't really enter it. It was just easier to get through when one had a path and people had camped right outside of the woods far more than within it.

So, following the line of the trees, Ban cast an idle look back to Kida--one that was a bit curious.]

You got dragons, too~? Man, it's been awhile since I've seen a Tyrant Dragon~.

Yes, they are--[ She makes a line with her palms, about the length of a duck from beak to tail-tip. ]--about this size.

[ A Tyrant Dragon? She imagines one of Atlantis' small birdlike flying lizards crossed with Anwick's large fanged beasts; nothing good appears in her imagination. ]

Problem is, what?

[ She trails along after him, looking ahead and trying to figure out their intended destination. ]

Oh, like the baby whelps? [Though, smaller than the whelps. Even so, the Anwick dragons weren't as big as Tyrant Dragon whelps, which Ban figured was just a blessing for everybody.

Just one of them could have taken out the capital.]

--Oh, the geese? Weeell, I dunno what they'll act like when it's this cold. We might have to look a bit to find 'em. Hopefully, they'll be actin' more like sparrows~.

Yes, about so.

[ She doesn't know what a 'sparrow' is, either, but she imagines they're still in the vicinity of talking about things that fly, so, some kind of a bird, probably. She'd probably be able to identify the bird itself on sight, having seen many around the city--she just doesn't have the words for a lot of things. ]

Is that because they are usually...gone?

[ He did say they migrated, right? ]

Would the cold not have killed them, if they are unused to it?

Yup. Course, a goose gettin' stuck in the snow isn't impossible outside of a weird situation like this. Geese is another question, buuuut...

[Ban was running through those ideas on the spot. It was clear he hadn't pre-meditated the trip beyond the simple goal of 'hunting birds'.]

Feathers ought to keep 'em warm, plus they're pretty meaty birds. It wouldn't be too easy for 'em to freeze to death. Given that they flock together, too, we'll probably have good luck.

They'll definitely huddle for warmth.

[ Atlantean flying lizards--yapik--are also group animals, so she has some idea of what he means. ]

I have never hunted flying animals before--at least, none that could...fly very far. [ She motions at the black sky, distant. ] Atlantis is inside a cavern. We would use netting to capture the yapik in nets tossed over them, but they were almost docile.

[ They're nearly domesticated animals at this point, simply from living in and around the city so long. ]

[Ban was distantly paying attention--focusing a bit more on the woods.

Without a doubt, geese wouldn't go into the forests at all. It made flocking safety plummet with a lack of open space to move.

Trees were a good cover from the elements, but not predators.]

Sounds like easy food~. A bit too easy, actually.

[ She shakes her head. ] They still fly. And it is not as if we could simply eat them all--if we had none left, then what?

[ The other side of living with limited resources: population control, husbandry, crop rotation. It's a balancing act between 'having enough' and 'having enough to last'. And last they do.

Distantly, Kida hears a sound--like a duck? Only louder, brassier. It's geese, though she couldn't recognize it. Ban has probably long since heard it. ]

Is that--?

There's that, yeah.

[He was certainly paying attention and listening--on both fronts. He wondered what sort of place Kida had been talking about that they had to worry about eating every single animal they had available. In a country bordering the sea with so many outlets for food, Ban didn't get the right perspective.

The geese call, though--it was something that snatched his attention a little later than he would have preferred. He lifted a finger to his lips, speaking to Kida in a hush.]

Alright~. So, you're hearin' correctly. We're gonna be movin' at a crawl from this point on, got iiiit? Or else you wanna walk the whole length of the field a second time~.

[ Kida nods. While she has no experience hunting geese, she has plenty of experience hunting--so that's the cue she takes, sliding her staff forward and stepping lightly. She does a good job of staying silent, even though snow is unfamiliar and creaky underfoot. She follows whatever pace Ban sets, the pair of them keeping to the shadows of the trees. ]

How shall we catch them? I brought no net.

[ It's a low murmur, as she hears the raucous calling grow louder. ]

[Ban knew the geese would be spooked by most anything at that point, but shifts in the snow would be sounds they likely wouldn't worry about. They would be more used to sounds in the trees, in grass and quick cuts of the air. Ban nodded all the same.]

Usually, a bow would work best--but, we've just got stones and...

[One hand slipped into his clothing, removing what looked like a small leather bowl set with a strap and string.]

A sling. For today, you're watchin'~.

[He could catch them all, if he wanted. The geese up ahead were still just geese and he moved faster than any wind, but it did no good to operate like that. Kida wanted to see something practical--so, he'd teach her the normal way of things. The normal way was better than the showy approach.]

Point is--we wanna hit the neck or the head. Either disorient, knock it out or kill it in one blow.

[ A sling; it's a crude weapon, to be sure, something Atlantean children use in play to test their marksmanship, shooting at fish in shallow pools. She hasn't used one in centuries, though she doesn't think she's forgotten the trick of it.

She'll be glad to see the use Ban makes of it, especially against birds, an unfamiliar prey. ]

The neck or the head. [ She nods along; makes sense. ] I shall watch. Show me.

[ Her voice hovers at a whisper, her body a curve meant to hide herself among the line of trees. ]

Edited 2016-02-01 03:22 (UTC)

[Ban made sure to show Kida how he held the sling--the draw of his index finger and thumb being more important. It was a child's tool in many instances, likely because it was forgiving for small hands. His index finger would do the trick.

The strap tucked--Ban fished a stone from a thin placement of snow. He lifted a brow in surprise. He was lucky to find one of the right size so quickly. Ban popped it into the bowl and then began spinning it over his forearm in slow, controlled arcs.

When he was ready, he threw his hand forward and with it--the slung bowl. The stone flew, catching a straggler among the geese. It went down, struck in the back of the head with accuracy befitting an archer. Even before it fell, Ban's free hand found another stone, readied in the event that he would need to compensate for a miss. None of the other geese moved--as their straggler fell softly in the snow.]

If you want, gather a few stones. Practice once or twice in the snow if ya' need to.

[ When she goes fishing for stones, Kida doesn't have Ban's luck. She plucks one out too small at first, then too large--by the time she's found one of appropriate size, the geese have scattered a bit, making the throw harder. No matter; she won't let that stop her.

The snow does a lot to muffle her steps as she crouches and moves forward, getting her sling at the ready. She aims and, with a steady hand--fires.

The goose goes down, slammed at the base of its neck with a stone. Its head jerks back suddenly and the sound and the movement alarms the entire flock, which take wing. Kida makes a sound of disappointment, watching them take wing.

She turns to Ban, apologetic. ]

Forgive me--I frightened them all.

[ Two down though, that isn't bad for a first expedition. ]

[While Kida's first moves weren't as smooth, Ban followed her with a deal of focus when she followed through. Her second move was deliberate, with precision that put her first attempt to shame. He stood up straight, ignoring the need for cover. At that point, it was meaningless, since the geese took off.

Then, she apologized. Confusion stole Ban from his impressed disposition. She couldn't have been serious.]

You took down a meal for four people--possibly five.

[When he finally looked her in the eyes, he understood her disappointment. She wanted to do much better. It made sense that she wouldn't want to settle for just 'surviving'.]

Princess--you did one better than I expected, for someone hunting in unfamiliar territory, you know.

[ Food for four is good, but it's frustrating to think that she's back to being an apprentice at something she thinks of herself a master at--hunting.

Room for improvement always, she supposes. ]

Not completely.

[ Her goose isn't dead; stunned, possibly suffering some trauma, it flaps futilely in the snow, its feathers raising up powder. Kida walks up to it and apologizes under her breath, before taking that long neck in both hands and snapping it. A quick death. The bird slackens, and she realizes how heavy it is--Ban's right, this would provide a lot of food. ]

The snow is easier than I thought it would be. It muffles.

[ She shifts her weight, noticing no sound from it. ]

Would you like them both? As payment for the lesson.

[Contemplating Kida's expression, Ban looked away and gave her an idle shrug. Pride was a fickle thing--something he had very little knowledge of. To him, accomplishments were just proof of success. If one method worked, he could use it more and more until a better one came around.

Thieves weren't the same as hunters. Success was his only tool used in that measurement.]

What matters is--you compensated. Getting one in on the first shot is for the best, but adaptability saves you in the moments you need the most patience and skill for.

[She broke the goose's neck clean, prompting him to turn back to her. Not many people noticed how soft the noises of snow were. Steps could sound loud up close depending on how quickly one moved, but from afar--it was dead silent. Ban couldn't even hear Kida move when she tested it.]

As for the fooood~. I'll whip something up for you. I don't really need to eat in the first place, after all.

[ He's being encouraging; she appreciates it, though she knows herself capable of better and remains frustrated at not being able to attain it. Ah, well--next time, perhaps.

She turns to him, holding out the goose by the neck, its long wings dragging. ]

That is true, but do you not enjoy it? The act of eating?

[ There's more to breaking bread than just nourishment, after all--it's an act of sharing. In fact, come to think of it, this will be the second time he makes food for her, isn't it? She smiles, airy and teasing. ]

Will you make me pie, Ban?

[Immortal or not, his metabolism didn't allow him to pass food quickly enough. He liked reserving as much space available for liquor--which was easy enough for most people to tell, if they had spent any real amount of time with him.

Kida held out the goose and Ban took it, looking over the clean break. Truth be told, she was reliable, especially for a Princess. There were few people whose hands didn't shake when they needed to really do the deed. It reminded him of the spearpoint she had fixed on his throat when they met. If she really had the need--]

Eating's good from time to time ♪. Depends on what I'm makin', anyway.

[His favorite type of food? Literally anything. When starved near to death, one had no preferences.]

That said, I could~. I can think of a stove I may be allowed to use.

[ when he arrives, Masamune demounts not too far away from Kida and her companion, his horse slightly nervous at the present of the large creature. The last they met, afterall, it had just arrived in this foreign place and it and its master had an unfortunate meeting together.

This horse isn't taking one for the team with Masamune if it decides to be agitated still with him. It hoofs at snow with a snort, though, lowering its head towards the big cat and Kida—maybe in greeting? Who knows, probably only interpretable by the two animals present.

... Or three, for as Masamune now closes the distance on foot, being closer to the woods and enough away from the city that the population is not a threat, a goshawk screeches to make its presence known and comes to land on Masamune's arm that stretches out in response to the sound. The Date lord offers Kida a friendly smile in greeting once he's close enough for conversation without any need for raised raises. ]

Yo~. You been waiting long?

[ Ninat recognizes him as the man who hurt her and her master in an earlier encounter, but Kida's body language tells her she doesn't need to worry. She trots up to the horse, extending her own neck to greet the other animal; the last time she'd met the horse there hadn't been much time or inclination to get to know one another. As a pescivore, Ninat doesn't eat animals as big as Masamune's horse. The bird that lands on his arm, however, is more interesting.

Kida gives Masamune's horse a pat on the neck, before stepping over to the man himself, admiring the goshawk settled on his arm. She's really not familiar with many birds, this one included. Her education's been made for ducks, geese and chicken, but this one is different. ]

A new companion? He will be accompanying us?

[ If she looks uncertain, it's because she's never really hunted with an animal before. Ninat gets her own food from the woods and river, it isn't really a team activity. She doesn't even realize falconry is possible, nevermind something people do. ]

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breaking in the new year

Baaaan

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