Astra was stading near the end of the port looking out over the ocean and waiting for the sun to rise, she hadn't been able to sleep all night and she was half asleep. She barely noticed the wind picking up and blowing loose pieces of litter about past her feet. Usually a person would feal cold but Astra wasn't, she sat down with her feet hanging over the edge and over the water. She was lost in her own thoughts. She leaned back on the dock still thinking silently but not getting anywher at all, eventually she decided to get up and take a look around to see if anyone else was about. She walked out of the port and onto the street looking around for anyone, a thud caught her attention and she thought the saw a shadow turn a corner.
"Hello?" She said "anybody there?"

"Not a soul..." the voice came out of nowhere, in a hoarse small whisper that could have been mistaken for the wind. The shape of Espio the Assassin was unseen next to a building. He had blood on his sword tonight as his mission was coming to an end with the sun, which was trying to break free of the cool grip of the moon and all of her stars that had wrapped it into a thick black blanket. His mark was young, prosperous, boisterous and arrogant. All of the attributes he absolutely abhored. When the job was presented to him, he took it with an eager heart and clear head. He was grinning in spite of himself as he went to return to his normal day life, where the general population had no idea of his life of espionage. He was a freelance killer and he made no apologies for that, his hair changed with the moon, his eyes went silver to match, he was a shapeshifter, even though he rarely used it to a decent extent, just small adjustments so even if he were somehow spotted, he would not be able to be pointed out by anybody. He saw the girl observing the ocean tiredly, her attitude seemed simple and apathetic. He wondered how old she must have felt in this fresh daybreak when she got up and walked into the city itself he went ahead of her. Her short, deep red hair was moving in the still breeze, as was were own silver spikes. It was not until a cat had bolted off around the corner he was on did she notice him. He immediately slipped around the corner and gave her the whisper he used when he was messing with people. He did not care of she saw him, so he might as well talk to her for a while, but she would have to come to him.

"Hello?" Astra repeated "who's there?"
She walked closer to the corner and heard a voice drifting from out of nowhere. Astra stopped, had she heard that or did she think she heard it.
"Hello?" she repeated "there is somebody there right?"
Maybe I am asleep and this is all a dream? Astra thoughtWell, only one way to find out
She walked closer and looked around the corner, a cat scurried past her and down the street; she watched it as it ran off.
"Maybe it was just the cat," she told herself "glad I'm not going crazy then, but I definatly heard something."
She glanced back into the street where she'd seen the shadow expecting to see somebody there.

Ooc: Not sure if you had anything planned with this. If you did, I can easily change my post to where Darius isn't the one you heard moving about in your previous post (If that makes any sense).

EDIT: Evidently, I am slow as a slug. I'm editing this thing... right now. :D

All right, fixed. It should make sense with the new posts that have cropped up before mine.

IC:
Darius hadn't gotten the ideal amount of rest when it came to nights in Port Adúnë. He had a slight headache, though nothing to be too concerned about, and he found himself, on several occasions, speaking to himself about everyday occurances. Namely, he would often remind himself to step away from the water, the inner voice in the back of his mind warning him against falling in. It wasn't as if he was stupid, or even insane, but he was tired, and there was no telling how senseless he was when suffering from fatigue. Accidents were more prone to happen to those in the same condition as he.

Needless to say, he was still in his right mind, just a bit more cumbersome and less graceful than he normally was. It was for this reason that his quiet step was intruded upon by an act of clumsiness. He had made it a point to be rather quiet as he made his way down the docks, mainly because it was so peaceful and silent that he hated to ruin its very air of existence. But as he rounded a corner, inattentive as he was, he managed to run into a heavy crate of cargo laid carefully against the wall of a building. He suppressed a groan of protest when his shin thudded mercillesly against the dark, wet wood, then leaned up against the wall so that he could nurse his injured limb.

It was at this time that he could make out the faint traces of a young female voice, lingering in the salty air of the Port Adúnë docks. They were directed at him, no doubt, after he had made that unceremonious racket. He gave an almost pained sigh, not knowing whether or not he had frightened his newfound acquaintance, and made his way back around the corner, to give the girl a tentative wave and an apologetic grin.

"Sorry about that," he remarked casually, as if making pleasant conversation. "I didn't mean to make all that noise, as odd as it may seem." He made one last limp before composing himself and moving all of the way around the edge of the building, finding nothing else to do but move closer toward his new companion. "I'm sorry if I intruded, or anything like that. I promise it wasn't intentional." He gave another grin, this time wry, as if he was making a joke that was actually worth laughing at. As he grew nearer, he noticed that the woman looked a bit bewildered, as if his awkward entrance hadn't been natural. But he was pretty sure that he wasn't the first to blunder their way through these docks... or anywhere, for that matter.

"Is everything okay?" he asked then, his interest catching the best of him. "You look as if I... caught you off guard there."

The problem was, it didn't look as if she was wondering about him. He gazed around instinctively, half expecting someone to jump out at them from the shadows. And he wasn't all that convinced that there wasn't anyone watching.

Astra heard the dull thuf of several footsteps coming round the corner, she looked up wondering who it was this time or just another cat. A man rounded the corcer limping slightly, Astra raised an eyebrow. He'd evidantly made the noise when he banged his leg.
"Hello," Astra said simply.
"Sorry about that," the man said cherrily "I didn't mean to make all that noise, as odd as it may seem."
"Well not many people do," Astra said "not by naging their leg anyway."
The man seemed tired as well but as ultimately seemed a little more careless than Astra. He limped round the corner fully and moved a little closer to Astra.
"I'm sorry if I intruded, or anything like that. I promise it wasn't intentional."
"No, I wasn't doing anything important," Astra said "Just thinking, that's all."
The man gave another smile, Astra couldn't see anything to be smiling about, after all he'd just banged his leg against something and that was nowhere near funny. He took in her look of slight bewilderment and said something else.
"Is everything okay? You look as if I... caught you off guard there."
"Well I was kinda all by myself and not expecting anybody else to be about so yeah," she shrugged.
She looked past the man's shoulder, she could half sense that she was bieng watched by somebody else out of sight, she was sure that the phantom whisper hadn't been the person she was talking to right now it had sounded different.
"So, er are you up late or early?" Astra asked but the man's tired expression probably said it all.

((Well posts like that take a while, you're good))

There was another voice there too...a male one. He had seen her face and the second before she realized he was there, he dissolved into the shape of a chair. He was a shapeshifter, and a damn good one at that. There were rumors going around about an unknown assassin known as 'The Chameleon'. It was said that he could take any form, any shape any color. This was true, but there were other rumors that made him out to be some kind of demi-god. These were not. All in all Espio did not see what the big deal was, a few unsolved assassinations and suddenly he has a nickname and rumors going on about him? There were even a few people trying to say he could become totally invisible. This was also a falacy as of yet, but the Ainur know he was trying. The cat was watching the trio, or duo to the other two's eyes. The cat's name was minx and he belonged to a friend of the chair's. Almost on cue, the friend in question had came bolting out of a house after his cat, who looked almost dismayed that his freedom was cut short so. Espio wondered when the appropriate time to reveal himself would be. They were two pretty harmless looking individuals and he was not in the mood for any more histile action, he'd had his share of that for the night, and these two were not on the list. Espio decided to hold his chair form a while longer and see what would happen. Just watch...one of them's going to go sitting on me... he thought to himself as the two drew nearer.

OoC: Ah, thanks, but I'll try not to bog you down by taking quite as long from now on.

IC:
Darius frowned at the girl's question, as if he had to think about it before giving her an answer. "Late," he remarked, but after a moment he added, "and early. Late and early. Both." It would seem that his clumsiness did not stop at the physical sense. Even his wit was a bit on edge lately. He gave a weak smile, noting that he was probably one of the most odd people he could be at the moment. A blundering, weary fool that had nothing of notable interest to say. Maybe it didn't matter.

"I guess you notice it, too?" he asked then, noting with a mild amusement that she was looking over his shoulder, as if she, too, had expected something strange to happen about her peripheral vision any moment now. He pondered for a moment, almost thankful for the eerie silence that had settled upon the port. But he heard nothing - not even the faintest stirrings of another sentient being. He thought he could catch the muffled noise of a cat, but he figured that it was just his mind playing games after he had caught one scittering past not long before he had run into this woman.

"I can't say that we're entirely alone," he remarked casually, "but I don't know why. Just a feeling that I have, I guess."

He paused, looking about himself yet again, and though he didn't feel quite nervous, he was not at all about to let his guard down. He never liked the feeling of being watched, and that was what he had now. It was prickling at the back of his consciousness, telling him to be wary throughout the happenings of the day. And as if he was uncomfortable by this silent warning, he continued the conversation, mostly for the sake of having some life going on between the two of them.

"My name is Darius, by the way. It's nice to have... stumbled upon you, of all things." He held out a hand covered by worn riding gloves folded thickly over at the wrist. It wasn't the most elegant of greetings, but he had nothing else to offer.

The man frowned slightly, he seemed more tired than Astra had first though so he'd evidantly been up late.
"Late," he said after a while "and early. Late and early. Both."
Astra raised one of her eyebrows briefly, it was not the answer she expected. She checked over his shoulder again but there was nothing but a chair behind him, nothing entirly threatening.
"I guess you notice it, too?" the man said having noticed her curiousity.
He then fell silent and had a thoughteful expression on his face. Astra turned her head at the miow of a cat, it was back and watching them. Astra watched it too wondering what it wanted in terms of interest out of her and a stranger. Soon the owner came out of their house and picked up the disgruntled looking cat bringing it back indoors.
"I can't say that we're entirely alone," the man said after awhile bringing Astra back to earth with a bump "but I don't know why. Just a feeling that I have, I guess."
"A feeling?" Astra repeated "I get that all the time, I just ignore it I've had it for ages. Besides who else could there be there's only you and me here, and a chair but I don't think that counts as a person."
"My name is Darius, by the way. It's nice to have... stumbled upon you, of all things." the man said after another long pause.
"Well thanks," Astra said unsure of weather Darius was refering to her as a thing, but she brushed it off "I'm Astra, nice to meet you."
She spared another glance behind the man and then over her own shoulder just to make sure.
How long has that chair been there anyway? I'm sure it wasn't there before.

The chair had listened to them banter back and forth, each in the quiet tone of voice people use when they wake before the sun. The chill breeze of the sea region was warming up as the sun peaked out from it's star covered blanket. Espio sat in his odd four leged form for what seemed like thirty minutes, boredom was setting into his mind, and his body was sure not moving for a while. He was used to sitting back in disguise, unmoving for hours, maybe even longer, but this was is time off. Just then, a rather amusing notion had crossed his mind, maybe he ought to shock them really quick. The chair gave a peculiar twitch and then the same disembodied voice from earlier said "Alright...that's enough of that..." and in a sudden rush of purple and silver, the surface of the chair shimmered as it transformed back into the form of Espio. There was a matte purple customized katana with a black, cord-gripped handle protruding from it's sheath strapped to his back, and his cloak was a dark black with a silver trim, while the rest of his outfit was a deep purple with silver and black armor pieces in the vital and neccesary places. His mask was off and his hair was a purple-silver hue, his eyes golden. The rising sun had been creeping and edging slowly over the red horizon. "You two are the least observant people I have ever seen." he said sardonically, like he was oblivious to the fact that a chair just turned into a human, as he stepped towards them on silent feet. "Do you have any idea how much of a cramp that can give you?" he asked, his voice carrying the tone that said nothing wierd just happened, or that they were all old friends.

He stretched his arms out over his head and patted the pommel of his weapon to make sure he didn't leave it behind. After he popped his neck and his back, he turned back to them and looked at their faces. She was plainly quite pretty, and he was a common face, not one you would remember very long. It was perfect for an archer or an assassin. As Espio took note of their faces he became aware that hostility was always a possibility when you pop out of a chair like that. And he stepped back about a foot or so, he watched them, awaiting their next move though his facial expression gave no sense of wanting to fight. Briefly, he wondered what it would be like on their end. What would he think if some random chair spoke to him, then turned out to be a trained killer that has been responsible for several local assassinations. Espio took that into consideration as he held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "I don't mean any harm." he said assuringly, though he wasn't sure they would buy it so easily.

The woman seemed a bit hesitant at his greeting.... He figured that he had said the wrong thing, though he wasn't sure exactly what. He was like that, even if he didn't usually mean any offense at all. He figured that she would take his tiredness as a sizeable excuse and leave it be.... And though he wished to apologize, he had no idea what he would apologize for, so he let it go.

"Actually," he replied, "I've learned that just leaving strange feelings be can be deadly, and yet sometimes the best thing. It just depends, and I never saw the point in risking a complete disregard. I've been travelling for most of my life, so you learn to catch even the slightest things and worry." He smiled. "I envy you. I wish I wasn't as paranoid as I am."

By the second time she had looked over his shoulder, his mind was telling him to do the same. He shifted, gazed over his own left side, and noted with interest that there was a chair in a spot that he could have sworn was empty just a few moments ago. Maybe he was more tired than he had initially believed, and he was now stumbling past things that should have caught his attention. Had it been there? It seemed to be in a suitable enough spot, just out of the way of walking beings and where someone might choose to take a rest. Hmm, odd. But yet, not entirely.

And then, as the figure shifted into one of a human man, Darius blinked as if he were only mildly concerned with the fact that he may have been going nuts. He turned around completely, so that he would face the moving figure as it went about its speaking, noting a bit dryly that they were the least observant people he had ever seen. And then, Darius grinned, as if suppressing an amiable laugh.

"That's not unexpected," he replied casually, returning the man's 'I know you, you know me' demeanor. "I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in days."

He observed the man with a now unveiled curiosity, silent at his remarks and yet contemplating them all the same. It would seem pretty odd that he didn't think much of a darkly-clad figure moving from one shape to another, but perhaps - in all of his weariness and quiet realization - he didn't quite believe that he was fully awake.... And, thus, he had no proof that what he saw was real. Aside from that, he had seen a good deal of crazy things in his day, and he wasn't all that certain that this wasn't a normal occurance. After all, the fellow acted as if there was no cause for alarm, and so Darius took this manner as a sign that he should feel the same. For now, at least.

"I suppose you haven't shown any sign of ill-intent," Darius then replied, "but I'm curious why you would choose that form just to listen to some strangers' banter." He grinned, as if finding some inner joke the highlight of his day. "I must say that's an entertaining trick, though."

"Actually, I've learned that just leaving strange feelings be can be deadly, and yet sometimes the best thing. It just depends, and I never saw the point in risking a complete disregard. I've been travelling for most of my life, so you learn to catch even the slightest things and worry. I envy you. I wish I wasn't as paranoid as I am."
Astra smiled slighlty and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Well it's often false alarms," she said "I don't think there's ever anything to be wary about."
In the corner of her eye she though she saw the chair move, and then the same diembodied voice floated through the air.
"Alright...that's enough of that..."
Astra was completeyl taken abak as the chair cuddenly turned into a man stading infront of her.
"Or not," she said "that porves it, I am still asleep."
"You two are the least observant people I have ever seen." he said as though nothing had happened and he'd always been a person and not a chair. "Do you have any idea how much of a cramp that can give you?"
Astra was a little too surprised to say anything at the moment but Darius wasn't wuite as surprised.
"That's not unexpected, I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in days." he replied with the same heir of 'hi stranger let's talk like we're old friends' "I suppose you haven't shown any sign of ill-intent, but I'm curious why you would choose that form just to listen to some strangers' banter." He grinned, as if finding some inner joke the highlight of his day. "I must say that's an entertaining trick, though."
Yeah, very entertaining Astra though sarcastically.
"Er, not to be rude but who are you and how the hell did you do that?"

He listened to the man ask him questions and it was a total relief that he did not seem too surprised, and even more relieved that he spoke with the same manner as Espio himself. The same could not be said about the lady, however. She acted like she had never seen a chair talk before. As he was attacked with questions, Espio found he was more awake than he thought, but remembered shapeshifting did that to you. The young man had spoke first, "I suppose you haven't shown any sign of ill-intent," he said, "But I'm curious why you would choose that form just to listen to some strangers' banter." he asked, but then added as an afterthought, "I must say that's an entertaining trick, though." at this, Espio bowed sardonically. "Thank you." he said simply, "I was...erm, working," he said for lack of a better term, "And I just recently got off the clock, as it were. And I do enjoy the random listening in on the conversations of others. Consider it a bad habit, if you want." he said as a response to the man's question. After the lady had recovered, she seemed to want to ask questions too. "Er, not to be rude but who are you and how the hell did you do that?" "A good, but simple question, milady." He said a bit extravagantly. "I am known by many names around here,the most common being a nickname the public was so kind to bestow upon me for my, deeds. I am called 'the Chameleon' around these parts, and I do believe you just sort of found out why. That aside, others know me as Espio, short for Espionage, which is a certain subject I tend to specialize in." he clarified for her. "As to how I can do that..." he began, then paused and thought about it for a second. "I just can." he finished with a shrug.

"And now, I do not think it would be rude of me to ask the same questions of the two of you?" it was no secret that he talked in a very strange, fluid manner that seemed to flow and was kind of amusing to hear.

"A good, but simple question, milady." The man replied "I am known by many names around here,the most common being a nickname the public was so kind to bestow upon me for my, deeds. I am called 'the Chameleon' around these parts, and I do believe you just sort of found out why. That aside, others know me as Espio, short for Espionage, which is a certain subject I tend to specialize in. As to how I can do that..." he paused for a second before answering and shrugged "I just can. And now, I do not think it would be rude of me to ask the same questions of the two of you?"
Astra glanced briefly over at Darius then back at Espio.
"Well my name's Astra," she replied "but if you were listening to the conversation surely you'd know that anyway?"

Darius smiled somewhat, regarding the two as if he was actually relieved that his day had become something other than simply boring. He listened to their exchange of words quietly, unwilling to intrude upon the conversation just yet, and when they both glanced in his direction and seemed to be awaiting his reply, he spoke up casually.

"My name is Darius," he repeated, though he knew that they were both aware of who he was. "I was just making my way through here.... I tend to like being outdoors when I need to clear my head. It's a thing I do when I have a lot on my mind or I'm suffering from something or other.... Today, my problem is fatigue." He grinned at the calmness with which he said this, as if he was used to having some illness or other on all sorts of occasions. He glanced at his bandaged hand, remembering that his first time to the city had been with a wound from some "beast" that happened to obstruct his passage.

He wasn't sure how long Espio had been here, so he continued, simply for the sake of keeping the life in the situation. "I happened to run into this fine young woman when I was in the least of my wits," he said. "It's always rather awkward, meeting people when you feel like a piece of... dirt. It doesn't make a lasting impression, I assure you."

Done making fun himself for now, he pondered the situation. "Espionage, hm?" he said. "You seem so... open with your involvement in illegal activities." He shrugged, though, seeming not to care about this fact. "Ah well, I suppose that's a clear sign that you're not worried about being caught, so I'll be sure not to try and get on your bad side. I am, after all, not in my best of conditions anyway, and wouldn't like to be fending for my life against someone that knows what they're doing."

He looked out to the calm waters at his side, a stray breeze sifting through his already wind-mussed hair. In truth, he probably looked like he had just tossed his equipment on as soon as he stepped out of bed, and he realized that it was probably best to worry a bit more on general appearance. At any rate, he was used to being the target of amusement for those that found him odd, foolish, or simply unaware of the more important and higher happenings of Arda. Today wouldn't be much different than it had ever been when he was in the company of those more well-versed in its more complicated occurances.

With these thoughts accompanying him, he could almost hear his mage "ex-companion's" derisive laughter, carried away to a faltering beyond by the port's salty air.

Espio was practically amazed by the man's intelect. How did he deduce that? he wondered, refering to how the man knew why Espio was so open with his...peculiar sense of career and lifestyle. He let no mark of emotional disturbance cross his face, even his eyes, but he did think the man did not gice himself as much credit as due in the fighting category, all injuries aside. That thought in his head, he asked "How did that happen to your hand, again? In detail, if you don't mind my asking...". He liked to gather information on as many things as possible, even backgrounds on people he just met. He always thought it was best to know yourself, your enemy, and anything in between.

(Sorry for my lack of length, I am in a hurry as of now, if you're bored go on ahead and post, but if one of you doesn't get here before me, i'm going to lengthen this. If you get on here though don't worry, just post.)

Darius didn't seem the least bit affected that he was giving information about himself to a man that was skilled in espionage... and, no doubt, assassination. Perhaps it was the fact that he didn't see any reason for someone to be going after him. Or maybe he was just careless about his own wellfare. Maybe he just didn't care, period. He did, however, seem quite concerned with what he was telling the man, for he in fact turned a visible red at the cheeks when he looked down at his bandaged hand. He averted his eyes, but with a calm voice replied.

"It's a funny story, actually," he said. He then cleared his throat. "I, uh, ran into a ... creature... on the side of the road on my way here to the city. Being as travel-worn and tired as I was... even more so than I am now or have been for some time... I was careless enough to let my hand within its reach. And it... bit me."

He rubbed the back of his head. "It's never happened to be like this before," he said. "In fact, I can't think of anything more embarrassing." He chuckled a bit, finding that this was the least of an impression he wanted to make on any new acquaintances. He hardly worried about pride, and here he was, stripped bare of it.

"Did you know that the children of most beasts have the sharpest of teeth?" he inquired through his teeth in a wry yet tentative grin.

"My name is Darius," Dariusa said in reply "I was just making my way through here.... I tend to like being outdoors when I need to clear my head. It's a thing I do when I have a lot on my mind or I'm suffering from something or other.... Today, my problem is fatigue."
He grinned again, he seemed to be making a habit of it, if Astra had never had a decent upbringing she'd have rololed her eyes and tutted at him.
"I happened to run into this fine young woman when I was in the least of my wits, it's always rather awkward, meeting people when you feel like a piece of... dirt. It doesn't make a lasting impression, I assure you."
Astra blushed slightly at bieng called a 'fine young woman' but it wasn't the first time she'd heard it.
"Espionage, hm?" Darius continued "You seem so... open with your involvement in illegal activities."
Astra looked back over at Espio wondering how he'd react to the statement, she didn't know that much about espionage but she did know that is wasn't the most legal thing to do. Espio's expression was thoughtful but he eventially spoke with a question.
"How did that happen to your hand, again? In detail, if you don't mind my asking..."
Astra glanced down at Darius' hand, it was enbalmed with a set of bandages that she hadn't noticed before, she looked up at him as he told them.
"Can'tve been the friendly sort then, huh?" she said.

"It's a funny story, actually," said Darius. He cleared his throat and then decided to ellaborate. "I, uh, ran into a ... creature... on the side of the road on my way here to the city. Being as travel-worn and tired as I was... even more so than I am now or have been for some time... I was careless enough to let my hand within its reach. And it... bit me." he clarified it simply, though he hesitated a bit."Cant've been the friendly sort then, huh?" Astra had noted a bit dryly at Daruis' reply. Espio shook his head in agreement with her. "If you would be so kind as to not mind my asking..." Espio began, "Exactly what, did you say it was that bit you?" he asked a trifle bluntly. This was definately a bit of a strage man, Espio, he knew they must've thought that as his range of questions went from mildly curious, to random and seemingly unimportant in detail, which he also asked for. His eyes took in Astra's features as he asked Daruis the question, which was also odd considering it was obviously not her he was speaking to. He took in her eye color, her skin tone, her exact hair color, which seemed to match her eyes. She was obviously aorund the age of fourteen and was kind of short, but then again, he was not even 5'6". She was pretty and fairly close to his age, though he would probably never say what that was. He was sixteen, going on seventeen, but that was hardly common knowledge around the neighborhood. He had no time for interests anyway, being a rogue of his like. His eyes snapped over to Darius in case she got any ideas from his glances, and so he could memerize his looks too. He then became aware of the fact that he had asked a question, and he payed attention more to with his ears now, than his eyes, though they still hovered from person to person.

Darius shifted his hand somewhat as it became the center of attention and the topic that lingered in his very own mind, its dull and numbed pain slowly returning to his general awareness. He couldn't help but rub his wrist, as not to get too close to the wound itself, and picked his mind in order to recollect that exact occurances of that day. He pondered for a moment, as if it had been so very long ago, and indeed it felt a bit awkward to be speaking of something he would have rather left behind him. Yet the man seemed truly interested, and in either recklessness or indifference, Darius saw nothing wrong in expressing the truth.

"I believe I had just recovered from an illness," he said as he narrated the own story that played out in fuzzy pictures in his memory, "and was weak. But I was still very much aware, and very capable of taking care of myself in the most basic of situations. Or so I had thought. Unfortunately, though, I fell, and there was some stray animal near the walk that was worn by caravans and trodding horses alike. I believe it was a trail often used by those moving from one city to another. I didn't pay much heed to the thing... I think it was a dog, or a wolf, actually... and it... bit me." He shrugged a bit, looking down at his hand without sympathy, as if he didn't deserve any forgiveness for his foolish inattention. "It was just a pup, as far as I could tell. But it took a good bite out of me, that's for sure."

Again, he rubbed the bottom of his hand just outside of the area of affect, though it was still sore and sensative as he nurtured it. "More than anything, though, I believe it just saw me as a threat. It was rather scared of me. It ran off as soon as it realized that I wasn't in my right mind in the first place, and I didn't see it after that. With good reason, too, as I probably would have done something terribly unforgivable." He let out a half defeated chuckle, half dry laugh at the very story that had just escaped his lips.

"I suppose it's what I get," he added, "for being an idiot at the most inopportune of times."

Astra noticed Espoi shaking his head in agreement with her earlier statement, she glanced briefly over at him then back at Darius.
"If you would be so kind as to not mind my asking..." Espio continued "Exactly what, did you say it was that bit you?"
Darius looked down at his wounded hand seeming to notice the first time that it actually hurt. He began expalining his stroy in more detail seemingly lost in another world entirly.
"I believe I had just recovered from an illness, and was weak. But I was still very much aware, and very capable of taking care of myself in the most basic of situations. Or so I had thought. Unfortunately, though, I fell, and there was some stray animal near the walk that was worn by caravans and trodding horses alike. I believe it was a trail often used by those moving from one city to another. I didn't pay much heed to the thing... I think it was a dog, or a wolf, actually... and it... bit me." he concluded.
He shrugged and looked down at his hand again, it didn't look like the best of sights even with the badages on and Astra wasn't keen to take a look underneath.
"It was just a pup, as far as I could tell. But it took a good bite out of me, that's for sure."
He rubbed his bandages still staring down at them, Astra glanced up into his face then waited for him to continue.
"More than anything, though, I believe it just saw me as a threat. It was rather scared of me. It ran off as soon as it realized that I wasn't in my right mind in the first place, and I didn't see it after that. With good reason, too, as I probably would have done something terribly unforgivable."
He gave another one of his half hearted chuckles thinking about it, Astra couldn't help respecting him for seeing the funny side to something like that.
"I suppose it's what I get, for being an idiot at the most inopportune of times." he added as an afterthought.
Astra folded her arms and leaned against the wall, she was still pretty tired and just stadning about talking wasn't helping much. She rubbed her eye and held in a yawn not wanting Darius to think he was boring her.

"I believe I had just recovered from an illness, and was weak. But I was still very much aware, and very capable of taking care of myself in the most basic of situations. Or so I had thought. Unfortunately, though, I fell, and there was some stray animal near the walk that was worn by caravans and trodding horses alike. I believe it was a trail often used by those moving from one city to another. I didn't pay much heed to the thing... I think it was a dog, or a wolf, actually... and it... bit me." Just a wolf... thought Espio, he now had some other thoughts stirring through his mind. A person, showing nocturnal tendancies, after being bitten by a wolf. He shook his head at the thought, Daruis seemed too good natured to be a post transformed werewolf. Darius indeed rubbed his bandages for a second or two, then continued his reply. "It was just a pup, as far as I could tell. But it took a good bite out of me, that's for sure. More than anything, though, I believe it just saw me as a threat. It was rather scared of me. It ran off as soon as it realized that I wasn't in my right mind in the first place, and I didn't see it after that. With good reason, too, as I probably would have done something terribly unforgivable." he laughed kind of quietly here, Espio's eyes drifted back to Astra, making sure he had her face right too. As he did so, he noticed an expression of respect flicker at the corners of her mouth. A different feeling was stirring in Espio before he looked at her. A feeling of 'He deserved it' brewed, though once more, his face did not betray him. "I suppose it's what I get, for being an idiot at the most inopportune of times."

"So are you a hunter, or something?" Espio asked, his voice was level and his face was calm, but he despised people who thought they were any better than the other animals on the earth. "What other unforgivable act would you have done?" he asked curiously.

"A hunter?" Darius' brow quirked in subtle surprise. "No, no, of course not. If I ever hunted anything, it would be for good cause and reason. Like food, for instance." He let his hand fall, then absently scanned the water once more, the salt now dominant in the scent of the air, now that he had it on mind. "I only meant that had I seen the thing again, shortly after it had injured me, I might have harmed it. That in itself is something unforgiveable in my own opinion, because I would have felt terrible afterward." After having cleared up the meaning of his words, he paused, then went on. "I wasn't in my right mind at the time, as I said. Had I done anything at all that day, I probably would have regretted it later on. At any rate, I've spent far too much time traveling and in the forests to ever consider myself a hunter. I respect Arda too much for that."

It did occur to him that there were all sorts of hunters - such as those that sought information, people, objects... like Espio, for example. But he knew well enough, from the man's referrence to Darius' encounter, that he had specifically meant a hunter nature-wise, as in that of animals or the creatures that dwelled outside of the cities. Darius almost cringed at the thought of killing or hunting for sheer sport, or doing anything that was considered more of a hunt than it was a simple attempt at survival. He had killed animals in the past, yes, but never out of revenge or anger - only as a result of self-defense or hunger.

He shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not the sort to go crusading for animal rights or anything, but they share this place with the rest of us, and we're just as much an alien to their territory as they can be to ours. Out of all the years that I've had to share anything with them, including land and food and resources, I've made it a point to respect and understand the things that were placed on this world with me."

He rolled his shoulders a bit, finding an uncomfortable knot in the muscles that he would have liked to get rid of. "At any rate," he said, "I was being extremely stupid that day. It isn't all that important, and the wound isn't serious." He had to admit that he was trying to change the subject, but it wasn't because of embarrassment or pride - bringing up the subject in general had eased those negative feelings. It was, however, partly due to the fact that he found it uncomfortable to be talking about himself in a three-person conversation. He felt as if the others needed an opportunity to get in a word of their own, and not one about him - but about things they would rather talk about. As boring as he could be, he almost felt sorry for them having to listen to him speak all day.

Astra was content just to listen to what Darius and Espio were saying, she was a little too tired to talk anymore. She heard Espio asked if Darius was a hunter of some sort.
"A hunter? No, no, of course not. If I ever hunted anything, it would be for good cause and reason. Like food, for instance."
Astra looked up briefly before looking back down at her own feet again, she was trying to stay awake while listening to two people prattle on about how Darius got his hand bitten, not really the most entertaining thing in the world.
"I wasn't in my right mind at the time, as I said. Had I done anything at all that day, I probably would have regretted it later on. At any rate, I've spent far too much time traveling and in the forests to ever consider myself a hunter. I respect Arda too much for that." Darius continued.
He shrugged and began talking again but Astra was only half listening, the smell of the sea was making her a little drowsy.