Save Me? [Vyn]

[Kari Muffin]

Eurwen was far from about about lying to her mother. It just came out of necessity. Neither child liked the idea of staying in the court under the watchful eye of their mother. The thought actually made Eurwen rather nauseous. She was old enough to be independent and out on her own, she didn't want to be tethered to a place like the Courts and have a curfew and such.

"Yeah it's...." she sighed. She never really knew what to say about losing her Dad. He wasn't particularly spectacular when it came to parenting, but he was better than having nothing at all. "Horrible. But my brother and I learned how to take care of ourselves from an early age. Dad was a bit clueless when it came to taking care of kids and we didn't want to disappoint Mom."

The mouse brushed the grief she was feeling aside. She had cried enough since the day when her father didn't come home, she wasn't about to start to cry at a time like this. She had just met Jovan and she wasn't about to ruin it with something like that. "But on a brighter note, thanks for this once in a life time chance to go to the Court of Hearts."

[Vyn]

Jovan smiled softly as he listened to Eurwen. Despite her independence she still seemed to care a great deal for her family. That was good. Independence was fine, but you couldn't forget about family along the way. What was life without loved ones?

Yet, the air was growing a little thick with emotions and, though he wouldn't have minded if the mouse had needed a shoulder to cry on, he was grateful for the conversation switch.

"It's no problem at all! I'm glad I could give you such an opportunity. It's a beautiful place, definitely worthy of being seen at least once in a lifetime." And she was a pretty girl who was a lot of fun. He definitely enjoyed the prospect of getting to spend more time with her.

They came upon the carriage station in almost no time and the young King excused himself to speak with the man at the window. After coins were exchanged a driver was called over and they were on their way. Making himself comfortable in the carriage, Jovan smiled over at Eurwen.

"So, if you don't mind my asking, what is it you do in the Capital? Your brother's a scientist, right? Do you have an interest in science as well?"

[Kari Muffin]

She had seen the Court of Hearts once when she was younger. Of course she had been there for a wedding and she had been... what... four? So it was pretty much like she had never seen the palace. She certainly couldn't remember what it was like.

Eurwen gave the boy a smile and waited patiently for his return. Her tail twitched absently in thought. What did the Court of Hearts really think about Clubs? He heard heard plenty of rumors about the various happenings, but nothing was solid. She couldn't trust random strangers on the street and really... should she be trusting Jovan right now?

Well he had saved her life.

She hopped in the carriage, double checking to make sure her tail wasn't going to get shut in the door. The question caught her by surprise. Her whiskers twitched in contemplation. Should she tell him the whole truth?

"I'm not much for science. I normally just help my brother with his research," She fiddled with the feathers on the end of her tail. "I'm kind of... like a bounty hunter in training."

The blush that was forming on her face was impossible to miss.

[Vyn]

The blush that spread over Eurwen's cheeks was terribly cute, especially in contrast to her 'chosen occupation'. Bounty Hunter? His ears perked forward and a grin spread over his muzzle. That sounded fun, to be honest, and if he hadn't already decided on a life spent in the Courts he might have been rather inclined to the idea.

As it was, it at least explained why such a cute and 'dainty' girl had managed to find herself in such an unpleasant encounter with a Lowlander. She'd shown she had a rather bold head on her shoulders but now Jovan had reason to suspect their was a fiery little attitude to match some of those scars.

"Really? What got you interested in becoming a Bounty Hunter? It's not the usual occupation." His grin grew slightly. Did this mean she could hold herself up better in a fight than her petite form seemed to suggest? His mother was a pretty lithe woman but she was still more agile with a blade than he'd ever seen in another Spade. Then again, her weapons had a little to do with that... "How long have you been training?"

[Kari Muffin]

Eurwen always felt embarrassed when she tried to explain her ambitions. She had yet to tell her mother a straight answer, and her brother was the only one who really knew what she had decided. After all Acantha was too busy being a Highlander to the core, and Khloris was obsessed with her science.

"I had an incident when I was younger," she motioned to the acid scar that consumed a good deal of her body. "I decided to learn how to defend myself from people who had stronger magic than me. I figured catching people for rewards seemed like a good thing to do once I started training."

How long had she been training? The mouse looked thoughtful for a few moments. "Two years or so. It's a slow going process since I'm so small... and It takes me a bit to pick up magic sometimes. The little garden on my back gives me a rather interesting ability that I discovered though."

[Vyn]

Ahhh, so the occupation was a byproduct of her training rather than the other way around. That made a good deal of sense.

So, then, did this mean that she was just naturally trouble prone?

"Self defense is a wonderful skill to have, a lot of people don't give it enough thought." Like Nico who continue to frolic through life as if everyone were his friend. One day life would turn on him and Jovan wouldn't be there to protect him... "And to make an occupation out of it is terribly clever. My work sort of just... fell onto me. My mother is a swordswoman and my father and uncle are both bodyguards -- so it just seemed natural to try and enter the Guard."

He nodded as she spoke of training. He honestly had been slacking on his training in the magical department, far more distracted by his training sessions with Alaster and his fondness for that beautiful hammer... "That's about the same amount of time that I've been training with the Guard, actually. If you ever need a sparring partner, let me know. It'd be good practice for both of us." He tilted his head, intrigued. "Oh? What sort of ability is that?"

[Kari Muffin]

The mouse flopped onto the seat in a more restful position. She might as well get comfortable on the long trip. She continued to fiddle with her tail as she conversed with Jovan. Wielding weapons came naturally to Hearts, it must have been terribly useful.

"Being clever is a natural gift, I suppose it comes from being part Corvie," She winked, "Kind of like how being a Heart means you can naturally use weapons. I don't think I'd stand much of a chance against someone well trained like you are if I've only been going at things for two years and don't have the natural inclination of heart nature."

She finally stopped fiddling with her extra long tail. She was starting to ruffle her feathers in an awkward manner, so she went to fiddling with a piece of ivy. "It's a pretty dangerous one. I only used it once and it was an accident. The poor bastard I used it on was buried alive because of it."

[Vyn]

Suits, had Jovan made her uncomfortable?

He'd noticed for a bit now that she'd taken to fidgeting and he was honestly somewhat surprised by the action. From what he'd seen of her so far she didn't seem the sort to take up a nervous tick like that. A little laundry list of concerns raced briefly through his head but ultimate fussed over the close quarters and the conversation.

A faint blush rose against the pale of his cheeks and he smiled bashfully. "Ah, well yes. Though that wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I'd want to know your skill level before I started trying anything advanced... I meant simple unarmed stuff, unless your goal is to strike fast and hard with magic, then hand-to-hand isn't exactly the most help."

The mention of her ability made him pause slightly. "Buried alive? Did he make it out of it okay?" That was a dangerous ability, but terribly impressive. Perhaps it was the Heart in him that itched to see her in action, but he had no intention of pushing her if she wasn't comfortable with the idea. He did not make it a habit to pick on beginners.

[Kari Muffin]

It was the close quarters and actually being in something that moved that made the girl fidget. She wasn't particularly fond of being cooped up and she needed to have a distraction so she wouldn't get mild motion sickness. Hopefully she would grow out of it.

"No need to blush," she said before sticking out her tongue. It was amazing how much white fur like to reveal. Her snake like tail flopped awkwardly on the seat as it curled with the girl's thoughts.

"He's fine. Otherwise I wouldn't have, you know, found out the extent of the ability. It's pretty nasty..." She never would have associated it with a daisy chain, but she supposed the expression "pushing up daisies" came from somewhere? That was an entertaining thought. "If you have someone around that you really hate I could show you. It seems to give the target a heart attack, and it does... pseudo kill them. Except they come back after a certian amount of time. I haven't tested the ability to the fullest extent so it's mostly guesswork."

[Vyn]

That... really didn't help. Jovan's cheers instantly turned a brighter shade of pink and threatened to continue burning once she stuck her tongue out. He turned his head away, laughing softly at his own foolishness as he tried to bite down his embarrassment.

He really was a blockhead sometimes, always tying to think of the most proper thing to say... and with girls he was doubly awkward.

Thankfully, he could discuss Eurwen's ability and do his best to bury his moment of embarrassment. "That is an impressive ability." He paused for a moment, trying to think. Did he have any enemies? The King's thoughts drifted very briefly to his Aunt before he firmly pulled himself back. No. He'd never been a spiteful person and now wasn't the time to start. "I must admit I'm fairly curious to see the ability in action, but I am utterly lacking in people to inflict it upon. It's rare I find someone I don't like." Another little blush brushed his cheeks but it was gone in an instant.

Everyone said he was too nice and, honestly, he had to agree.