Away from the village

[Costia]

It was early morning, the sun had barely risen and a soft drizzle fell from the sky, giving moisture to the land. A young woman trekked through the forest, she wore what appeared to be an overcoat of fur over her clothes that otherwise didn't look particularly warm. However, she didn't look like the cool morning air bothered her, she was probably used to the conditions. She held a spear in her hand and a sword rested on her hip, both these weapons were signs that the girl was a well trained warrior and therefore a force to be reckoned with if anybody were to challenge her.

Her name was Costia, she was a warrior of The Woods Clan and a close 'friend' of the Commanders. Ordinarily she would either be in Polis at the Commanders side or in the village of Tondc, seeing to her duty as a warrior. She frequently travelled between the two places, torn between her desire to be with Lexa and her duty to her village. Costia was done for the moment, Lexa was in Polis and busy with official work, she didn't have time for relationships at the moment, her duty as Heda did put a strain on their relationship.

Costia was travelling to a nearby trading post, that was why she had left the village so early, before many of the villagers had awoken. Before Gustus had awoken, he would assume that she'd left for Polis. But no, she was looking to go to the trading post to barter for some goods, maybe she hoped to find something of use, or maybe something would interest her and she would be forced to trade for it by an overwhelming desire to possess it. Or maybe the girl just wished to be away from the people she knew, take some time out where she no longer had to worry about her duties to her people, or to Lexa and she wouldn't be reminded of the troubles that they faced.

Seeing lights ahead, Costia picked up the pace, emerging from the trees to be confronted by a building. It wasn't particularly large, but it was obviously what she had been looking for. Confidently she strode forwards, pushing open the doors to step inside. Blinking rapidly to allow her eyes to adjust to the light from within. "Hei?" hello? she called out in trigedasleng, the native language that her people used. She assumed that the trader could not be far, they would not leave their post when their was a chance that thieves could take a chance and steal all of what they owned. The only way she could think to describe the trading post was that it was a very organised mess. To the untrained eye, it looked to be piled high with clutter, but it was obvious that the owner, whoever they were, knew exactly where everything was and had no problem in locating an item when it was needed.

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[amber4]

TRY NOT TO RUN FROM THIS FREEDOM ALWAYS HAS A PRICE TO PAY tagged: Costia

“You can’t keep pushing yourself like this! You’re going to kill yourself trying to find her!” The yelling took place in a room joined with the trading post, and no doubt the conflict could be heard. There was desperation in Niylah’s voice while her father packed another bag filled with supplies—this time it was enough for a week. Maybe more. “She’s gone and you know it! You’ll get taken by reapers! Or the Skaikru! You can’t keep leaving for days and weeks at a time you’re going to get yourself killed alone out there—“ still he packed; looking through Niylah as though she weren’t even there—pleading with him to stay; to rest. The pale man that shrugged his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the room did not look like a man that could take another journey. He hadn’t slept. He was aged beyond his years, and before he saw the young warrior he seemed entirely unresponsive.

“Niylah will help you,” he said simply as he walked past the woman slowly before heading out the door once again. Niylah heard him speak, but she needed a moment. Slowly she drew in a breath and pulled her hair back before wrapping a braid around it to secure it. No, she wasn’t crying. That would be childish... but she was angry. A compassionate woman could be furious... but really she was more helpless than anything. She couldn’t control her father, which meant she could not help him... she was embarrassed that whoever was out there heard the conflict, but she was quick to put on a straight face before she walked out of the room and into the post.

“My apologies—how can I help you? Are you looking to trade?” Niylah offered a stiff smile as she looked over the warrior across the counter. She was battle hardened and attractive—which was a dangerous combination she knew. She did not often get warriors in the shop. The intrigue was a nice distraction as she curiously took in the woman. “I have not seen you here before.”

OWL

[Costia]

Costia could hear people in the back, arguing, she thought that the argument sounded a little one sided as she could only hear a single voice yelling. The voice of a girl. She didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation but it was difficult not to at the volume in which the girl was yelling at whoever was back there with her. Even so, she only caught snippets of the argument, they were talking about somebody who was missing and she definitely heard the words Skaikru and reapers. That wasn't a good combination. Tightening her grip on her spear until her knuckles turned white, she stood waiting until eventually a man emerged.

Guessing that this was whom the girl had been arguing with Costia stood aside so that the man could leave unopposed. He was dressed for a long journey, wearing practical clothing and he carried a bag with him. If she had to guess, she'd say that he didn't intend on returning to the post any time soon. At his words Costia let out a grunt of acknowledgement, Niylah would see to her, this left her wondering who Niylah was, probably the girl who had been doing all of the yelling. Before another minute passed her suspicions were answered as a woman emerged from out the back, she looked a little older than Costia herself but she guessed that there was only a couple of years between them.

Costia arched an eyebrow questioningly at the girl, relaxing her grip on her spear a little as she watched her intently "Trade?" she questioned as Niylah spoke, a smirk playing on her lips "Maybe" she spoke softly, almost cautiously as she took a couple of steps towards the counter. As the girl spoke again Costia let out a small chuckle "No, I have not been here before... I rarely get a moment to myself, my time is taken up by my duty to my village, I don't usually have the time to travel to trading posts such as this one"

Laying a hand on the counter Costia met Niylah's gaze "I guess that all depends on what you have to trade, if I'm perfectly honest I'm in no hurry to leave, the silence in here is a welcome change from the fast pace of my village" she offered Niylah a small smile, one that seemed genuine but you could never tell with warriors. "But I'll offer you a tip, such a pretty face should not waste time frowning when a smile could easily lift your spirits" the smile that the trader was wearing was so obviously fake it was painful. Costia knew of fake happiness, she often used the very same smile to trick Lexa sometimes if she was displeased and did not want the Commander to know.[/p][/font]

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[amber4]

TRY NOT TO RUN FROM THIS FREEDOM ALWAYS HAS A PRICE TO PAY tagged: Costia

“Well,” Niylah breathed as she gestured to the crowded walls and shelves. Every inch of the trading post was filled to the brim with survival supplies, meats, fruits and oddities. “Take your time and look around. Surely something will interest you.” She was a warrior. No, Niylah didn’t assume because of her weapon. It was the way that she carried herself. “Silence,” she let out a short yet still musical laugh. Her smile was more sinister than it was genuine. There was rarely a quiet moment when both she and her father were under the same roof—but when he left... it got almost unbearable. She would wait in the back room, listening to the wood stove crackle as a way to fill the silent void. Funny that this patron looked for the exact thing Niylah tried to evade.

Such a pretty face—Niylah’s eyes locked on the warriors with a slight furrow to her brow. She was used to men coming through and trying to sway her with honeyed words and flirtations but rarely did women ever approach that way. Perhaps it was conceded of her to even assume. “Well unfortunately we don’t accept tips for trade,” she said coyly as she stood up to direct the woman’s attention towards the weapons they acquired. The words did make a hint of a smile play at Niylah’s lips—but it was amused.

“I do apologize for... well the chaos. We haven’t had a chance to organize. Things come and go so quickly, but we do have some very well made axes over here. Sharpened them myself; and reinforced them.” She pulled out a large axe with a handle and weight meant for two hands. She called it an executioner. “This is one of my favorites,” she held it out to the woman with a smile still in place before cocking her head. “If you don’t mind my asking, what’s a warrior doing all the way out here?”

OWL

[Costia]

Costia watched Niylah as she spoke and she found that she was subconsciously nodding along to her words. Tearing her gaze away from the girl she made her way over to look at a shelf that held a wide variety of items, some of which the warrior had not seen for a while. As the trader let out a laugh Costia's eyes latched back onto her, one side of her mouth twitching back up into that smirk that she had been wearing only moments ago "care to share the joke?" she asked, turning away from the shelf to watch the girl "where I come from, we don't often have time for humour..."

As the girl met her gaze, Costia was quick to look away, watching from the corner of her eye as she listened "Oh, well isn't that a pity? I have many tips that you could find useful" this time it was her turn to laugh, although laughter never lasted long when there was so much to grieve over in the life of a warrior, many of the people who inhabited earth suffered through hardships, it was difficult to find somebody who hadn't . As she heard Niylah get to her feet she turned once again to face her.

Waving away her words dismissively she smiled "everybody needs a little bit of chaos in their lives, otherwise things get boring and I think we can both agree that boring is never fun" speaking the words that she found to be true, she followed Niylah over to where they kept the weapons that they had acquired. Axes. That was what she had said. "You certainly are full of surprises" she chuckled, putting her spear to one side, she took the axe when it was offered to her and began to run her finger along the blade. It came away slick with blood, making the warrior nod her approval "You did a fine job, what do you want for it?" she asked curiously.

At the traders next question Costia's face went blank. What was she doing all the way out here? There were several trading posts nearer to her village than this one. "That's a good question" she muttered, almost to herself as she experimentally swung the axe, making sure that there was nothing nearby that she could knock over. "Maybe I just don't want to be found... Returning to Tondc with a new weapon should get everybody off of my back about why I have been gone all day, at least"

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[amber4]

TRY NOT TO RUN FROM THIS FREEDOM ALWAYS HAS A PRICE TO PAY tagged: Costia

“I’m afraid it isn’t very funny,” Niylah said softly as she leaned against the shelf and watched as the warrior ran her finger along the edge of the blade. Of course it cut; clean and sharp as the eye of a needle. She may not be a blacksmith, but Niylah knew a thing or two about bringing old wares back to life. “What do I want for it? Depends—what have you got?” She sized up the woman, curious about what she held or hid under those furs. She could see her spear, but was a spear worth a battleaxe Niylah had spent hours repairing? Admittedly she had grown attached to her little projects and oddities. Behind the counter, a curious plastic duck stood watch—which was something Niylah never wanted to sell. It was a piece of the old world and quite frankly it kept her company.

Her projects did just that as well, so seeing the axe in the warriors hands made Niylah’s stomach twist. “I always find things to do. Boredom is inevitable, but we have many things to do here... Organizing, repairs, skinning... Really, it’s busy work. Not nearly exciting as the work of a warrior I would imagine.” Niylah approached slowly and examined the patron, from the fur on her shoulders to the point of her spear.

“I take it you probably don’t have much to trade...” she said, wrongfully assuming.

OWL

[Costia]

A smile played upon her lips at the girls words "That makes me curious... As to why you would laugh at something that is not funny" she told her, lowering her gaze to the axe that she held in her hands. At the question the smile quickly turned into a smirk, her eyes flashing as she looked up to watch Niylah. "I have nothing and yet, I have everything" she told the trader, making sense to herself even if nobody else understood the puzzling words that escaped her.

"I wouldn't exactly call my lifestyle exciting" Costia muttered with a small shrug of her shoulders, as if the statement didn't matter much. "I have seen my friends slaughtered on the battlefield, felt the bite of arrows and blades as they have bitten into my skin... That isn't exciting, the blood... The war..." she trailed off suddenly, her eyes staring unblinking for a while before she seemed to snap out of her daze. "The most terrifying feeling in the world isn't whether or not you'll survive your next battle, it's the thought of the ones you love most perishing and leaving you to survive in a world without them"

As Niylah approached her, she took a hesitant step backwards, perhaps she was cautious of this trader. She obviously had many hidden talents, although the warrior seriously doubted that she'd be able to overpower her if she tried, she didn't want to take unnecessary risks. "It is true, I have nothing on my person to offer you, but... I have connections, reliable connections... Whatever you want for the axe, it is already yours" she told Niylah firmly, she knew that she could make such promises. Lexa had never denied her anything, anything she asked for was hers as long as it would not compromise the clans or the coalition and Costia would never dream of asking for anything that might hurt the ones she loved. She rarely asked for anything anyway, only for the Commander to take some time off once in a while, but that never seemed to be possible.

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