The Thieves Nest

Iapto half dosed, half kept track of passing time. It was always difficult trying to gauge whether or not someone was asleep. She had to rely on breathing patterns and how much the fire had died down.

When the flames were low and the coals glowing, she shifted. Not much at first, just moving from her side onto her back. As far as she could tell there was no reaction from the three travellers. Moving carefully she rolled into a crouch and quietly shrugged off her coat. Before rolling it up and shoving it into her backpack. It was too heavy to run while wearing, the fabric would tangle in her legs and slow her down too much.

Still in a crouch she gripped the handle of one knife, and crept around the dying fire, taking care not to kick a stone or stray stick. Eyes flicking from Echo, to Nootau, to the cat thing called Ida. She stopped close to them, a little too close for her own liking but the pack was in reach. Holding her breath she reached out and managed to hook one of the pack’s straps.


((DUN DUN DUNNN!! Cliff hanger!))

"Are you really going to take that?"

Echo asked, without moving so much as a muscle, simply a smirk slapped on his face, while the other two seemed quite deep in to their sleep.

"Are you really going to take that?"

Iapto hissed quietly and at the same time drew her knife from its sheath, holding it in a defensive manner in front of her.

“Nooo, I was just going to creep over here and stare at it for a while. What do you think?” She hissed glaring at the back of his head. Her eyes flicking briefly to the Shinlai next to her.

Echo turned towards her "ah, so you came armed. Here I was starting to think this was going to be easy" he got up with a streach and kicked his pack aside, out of her reach. Crouching down in front of her and staring at the blade "You gonna kill me with that?" he smirked again, somewhat teasing the woman.

"Ah, so you came armed. Here I was starting to think this was going to be easy." He said kicking the pack away from her. She cursed to herself, however it meant her other hand was free for her second knife. "You gonna kill me with that?" He taunted. Crouching in front of her with a smirk.

She gave an annoyed sigh and narrowed her eyes at him. “Ohh, a patronising male. The joy.” She muttered sarcastically. “I wasn’t planning on killing anyone. But plans change.” She snapped, flicking her knife so the point was just under his chin. “Don’t push me, scruffy.” She warned.

She jolt forward, her blade close to his chin. She was fast on her feet. Not the most comfortable situation to be in, but then again nothing that he hadn't gotten in to before. “Don’t push me, scruffy.” The female threatened, but hesitated. Echo took the chance and pulled a hidden dagger from his belt, smaller, but still pretty effective, and jabbed it in to the her side, then twisted it slightly "Hesitation is a bad thing." he snarled and kicked her back, pulling the dagger back with his hand.

She grunted as the small knife pierced her side. As she was kicked back away from him she rolled back onto her feet a safe distance from him. "Hesitation is a bad thing." He snarled at her.

“You know what else is a bad thing?” She asked, pressing her hand to the cut, it was bleeding, but not badly. That was a good sign in her book. “Letting a woman who killed several guards live.” She said looking up at him, a manic glint in her eye and teeth bared in a grin.

Without hesitation she drew her other knife and leapt at him. Both knives aiming for him from different directions.


((Lol I wont ask what happened to the no fighting/blood rule xD))

(you set me up dammit :U it was bound to happen)


“You know what else is a bad thing? Letting a woman who killed several guards live.” The woman leapt at him, both blades bare. Echo's eye went wide, he threw himself aside in a roll trying to avoid Iapto's fury, pulling his own blade from the sand "Dammit woman--!"

Nootau and Ida seemed to be rocks, Echo couldn't blame them, they hadn't slept in days themselves.

"Dammit woman--!" She heard him say as he rolled out of the way, grabbing his own blade on the way.

She skidded to a stop and twisted to face him. Crouched and ready to strike. “Oh I’m sorry.” She said mockingly. “You’re fine about stabbing me, but not so impressed when I fight back?” She asked tilting her head to one side, eyeing him for weaknesses.



((She didn’t lunge for him XD Just pointed the knife at his throat >.>))

(XD oh well. )

“Oh I’m sorry. You’re fine about stabbing me, but not so impressed when I fight back?”

"Y-You started it!" Echo shout in a childish matter and raised his blade in front of his face, waiting for a retaliation on her side. The wound on her side seemed to do little to nothing, despite still bleeding. It would take some time, but if he could avoid her knives long enough it should ware her out enough for her to falter....or at least that's what he thought. Then again he could always call for Nootau's help if things got bad.

"Y-You started it!" He shouted, raising his blade ready.

She gave a bark like laugh, stopping quickly as her side flared up in pain. With a low hiss she put it out of her mind. “I may have started it, but you’re the one who stabbed me.” She retorted. She was surprised that Nootau or Ida hadn’t woken up with the racket they were making.

Without warning she launched herself at him, one of her knives locking with his, she used her momentum to push him onto his back, and pinned him with one knee. She glared at him for a moment before shoving herself up right and stepping back from him, a frown of her face. “I don’t kill for no reason.” She spat in annoyance. “Just be glad this wound isn’t too bad.” She snapped curtly. She watched him warily, maintaining a tight grip on her knives, less he should try to finish her off.

Echo let out an 'Oof' sound as she pushed him on to his back, pinning him under her weight for a momment, before getting back up.

“I don’t kill for no reason.”

Again, she didn't even try to get back at him for the stab. He sighed and picked himself up off the ground, glaring at her "I tried to kill you. You had the chance to do the same, why'd you back out on it?" He asked, almost an order

“I tried to kill you. You had the chance to do the same, why'd you back out on it?" He said, a snappy ordering tone to his voice.

She watched him levelly. “I’m sorry, would you like me to change that?” She asked, hefting her knife and taking a step towards him. “It’s not like I would gain anything from your death is it. Well nothing but a pissed off Shinlai anyway.” She said bluntly.

“But if you really want me to kill you...” she said taking another step forwards.

“I’m sorry, would you like me to change that? It’s not like I would gain anything from your death is it. Well nothing but a pissed off Shinlai anyway.” Echo watched carefully as the woman took a step towards him, knife up.

“But if you really want me to kill you...” the female took another step forward

"One more step and i'll be sure to finish you off this time." Echo replied bluntly, before dropping his dagger straight in to the sand. He threw a glare at Iapto still in a ready-to-pounce mode and walked back towards his pack slowly, picking it up and throwing it at her "If your looking for anything valuble you're wasting your time. Last time I checked, thieves don't walk around with valubles in their pockets for long." he said, sitting back down in front of the nearly dead fire. She wasn't going to kill him, or else she'd have done it when she had the chance...at least that's what he was hoping. He pat the sand next to him, gesturing her to sit "If you behave, I can stitch up that wound for you" he offered in a calm tone, throwing a small log back in to the fire in hopes it would spark a flame again.

"One more step and I'll be sure to finish you off this time." He warned, before stabbing his dagger into the sand. He glared at her and walked over to his pack. "If you’re looking for anything valuable you're wasting your time. Last time I checked, thieves don't walk around with valuables in their pockets for long." He said flinging the pack over to her. She caught it before flicking it back to him. There was no point now.

“What you consider valuable is probably different to what I see as valuable.” She replied, flinging her knives into the ground by his. She was too tired to do any more fighting. A long day walking and a cut side didn’t really help her.

"If you behave, I can stitch up that wound for you." He offered calmly. She raised an eye brow at his behaviour comment.

“I’ll behave as long as I don’t get stabbed again.” She muttered quietly. She walked over and bumped down onto the floor next to him, resting her head in one hand and watching him.

(oigh...long time no reply x_x sorry hun)


“I’ll behave as long as I don’t get stabbed again.”

"Don't worry, you won't" he grabbed his pack and pulled out a small thread and needle. Echo quickly hovered the needle over the fire to disinfect it, then tired the string to the end "Please to pull up your shirt maddam" he scoot a little bit closer.
Nootau watched them discreetly with one eye open, he never really did get a chance fall asleep.

((That's fine chuck! <3))

"Don't worry, you won't." He said pulling a needle out of his pack, followed by thread. "Please to pull up your shirt madam." he said after he disinfected the needle.

She eyed the needle warily and tugged her shirt out of her thick belt, lifting it high enough for him to access the wound. As he shifted closer she automatically tensed and looked away from the needle. Biting the inside of her cheek to stay quite.

‘Don’t freak out. Not now. You’ve made it this far.’ She thought looking away from the needle and thread. She normally bound her own wounds and let them heal naturally. The few times she had been stitched up she had been unconscious and unaware of the needle.

With a deep breath she said. “Alright then. Try and be quick though.” She said, her voice sounding surprisingly calm.

“Alright then. Try and be quick though.”

Echo blinked and watched her as she tensed up and looked away. He chuckled "What? Are you afraid of needles?" he glanced up at her with a smiled on his face

"What? Are you afraid of needles?" She heard him chuckle.

She looked around at him to see him smiling. Her shoulder dropped from her hunched position and she raised an eyebrow. “No actually, I quite like being stabbed several times with a tiny metal thing.” She said cheerfully.

Her face fell again. “I can’t stand them to be honest. Knife I can cope with. Needles are small and hard to remove.” She said quickly. Looking back to the fire.

“No actually, I quite like being stabbed several times with a tiny metal thing. I can’t stand them to be honest. Knife I can cope with. Needles are small and hard to remove.”

Echo let out another chuckle "I suppose you're right, although I'm sure a knife hurts alot more than a needle any day" he looked back down at the wound and ran his finger over it to remove some of the blood around it. "It's a question of blocking the pain out by doing something else, I suppose looking away is a good idea, though you are still thinking about what's coming." He poked the needle in to the wound, from one side to the other then paused "Maybe if you keep talking, you can get your mind off it"

"It's a question of blocking the pain out by doing something else, I suppose looking away is a good idea, though you are still thinking about what's coming. Maybe if you keep talking, you can get your mind off it" She heard him say.

She felt him wipe blood of the wound as she stared at the fire, gritting her teeth as she felt him start to sew up the wound. She managed a weak laugh. “Isn’t it typical? When you need to talk you don’t know what to say.” She said, smiling faintly. “Uhm.” She mused as she cast her mind around for something to say.

“I told you I lost my family at six didn’t I?” She said trying to remember what she had already told him. “Well an Earth Shinlai by the name of Dagda found me and looked after me until I was about seventeen. His mate was away at that time, I don’t think I’ve met her properly yet, but he was lonely and wanted company. That makes it sound like he kidnapped me, which he didn’t.” She rambled away for several moments, making sure to stay fixated on the fire.

She glanced over at Nootau and Ida. “Well they look happy enough.” She said quietly, with a smile, watching the two of them sleeping.

As she mumbled on, Echo quickly finished up the stitches, pretty sure she had hardly noticed a thing. "Finished" he ran his thumb over the wound once more, then sat back "Wasn't so bad now, was it?" he smirked.

"Finished." She heard him said. She looked around at him surprised. "Wasn't so bad now, was it?" He added with a smirk.

She raised an eyebrow before looking down at the wound. She pulled a face at the sight of the stitches. “Ugh, just don’t put me through that again.” She said running a hand over the wound before tugging her shirt back down and tucking it into her belt.

She rolled her shoulders trying to loosen up. She smirked before turning and lunging at Echo without warning. Her hands thudded into his shoulders and she forced him backwards into the dirt. Pinning him with one hand she pointed down at him. “That’s for stabbing me.” She scolded with a smirk.

Echo fell back with an 'oof' as she pinned him

“That’s for stabbing me.” she smirked. At least it wasn't a stab back for revenge, which revealed him. "Haha--um..er....ngh- " he chuckled weakly and glanced up at her with a slight blush. Echo. NOT the ladies man. "S-Suppose we're even then?" he asked nervously.

She watched him as he chuckled weakly and blushed slightly. She raised her eyebrows and tried to suppress a growing smirk. "S-Suppose we're even then?" he asked nervously, glancing up at her.

Iapto patted him on the cheek. “Until I have enough strength to punch you, then yes.” She said. She rolled off of him and stood up, brushing down her trousers, before offering him a hand to sit up.

“Where were you and Nootau heading?” She asked keeling by the fire.