[Juniperstar45]

.::.Belle.::.

The sun edged slowly through the sky, the barren rock plains shook momentarily as another icy avalanche showered down the mountain. A scraping sound of struggling claws disturbed the little lifeless edge. Belle emerged from the far side, a gust of snow sweeping genteelly up into her face. Growling, she knocked it off and continued her walk. A few pebbles fell off the ledge as she scrambled up another steep slope. Heaving with effort, she grabbed the nearest frozen puddle and dug her claws into it, forcing her to climb farther up. She parted a small, shriveled bush and sat down. "Wow,"She said absently as she looked down at the small town that she started in. A pile of snow whipped around her and fell to the valley below. She hissed, startled at the sudden appearance of the snow. Shaking her head she focused on the ground again, watching the slight shifting of the fine snow. It almost looked a stream, but it was too white. It mimicked a stream though because of the sudden juts of ice coming from the ground. It trailed smoothly along until it came to one of those, then it would lightly go over, covering the entire ice with constant flow of misty snow. Belle then looked up at the sun. It wasn't a sun at all per say, it was just a lightened spot in the clouds. She sighed and thought about Jour. He must feel terrible after their fight. Where did he saw he was going? Wilt'no? "He can't go there!" She exclaimed loudly. The ground shook and another avalanche flew by her. She shuddered, this was just as dangerous.

.:6:.

[MillietheWarrior]

((Let’s get this train a’ rollin’! Oya manda!))

Mereel peered cautiously over the edge of the cliff-like hill he'd decided to pitch his camp on. "Good shabla choice," he muttered to himself, blinking slowly as he stared down at the nearly sheer drop below. "Why the shab did I choose here of all places? Dini'la..." It wasn't the cold that bothered him, far from it. And despite the snow whipping about his legs, he seemed perfectly content. No, it was the height that disturbed him. Even Mereel, crazy as he was, didn't think risking his neck camping on the side of a cliff-face was a good idea. Maybe he should just move camp. He walked back to his small, but welcoming fire, and reached up to un-pop the seal on his helmet, removing it from his head. He turned it over in his hands, scrutinizing the dark, t-shaped visor-like slit in the front. A half red, half yellow line ran up the front of it, all the way to the back. There was a small fin on the top that was yellow on one side, and red on the other.

His beskar'gam (armor) was completely white, unless you counted the yellow and red vertical lines down his shoulders and arms. A red kama was tied to his waist. A kama was traditionally used for decoration, and was linked to the hunt. It looked like a skirt of sorts, but everyone who had dared to call it that ended up with a fist in their face. It was a kama, not a skirt. The inside was yellow, while the outside was red. He sat down heavily on a small log he’d used as a chair. His boots thudded hard against the ground, and he sighed, watching as his breath materialized in the air, and was picked up and whisked away by the wind. “Shab, it’s cold.” He reached up and sealed his helmet back on, effectively sealing out the cold as well. His amplified HUD display caught every sound and every bit of movement within a 360 degree radius of his person. A soft beeping started up inside the helmet, and he blinked his eyes in rapid succession to bring up the small screen that would alert him to what was going on. His helmet was picking up signs of life not far from where he was. Great.

Mereel rolled his eyes, unseen to the outside world, and heaved himself to his feet, grabbed his blaster and slinging it over his shoulder. His vibroblade was tucked inside it’s sheath on his gauntlet, ready to be whipped out at the first sign of trouble and shoved into the nearest collarbone. As he carefully made his way to the edge, the beeping intensified, and his HUD displayed the heat signature of the person or creature that was slowly making it’s way up the cliff, but it was fuzzy, and inconclusive. Mereel pushed his blaster to the side, careful to keep it near his hip, where he could reach it if he needed it. He peered over the edge, and the heat signature became clearer, and finally visible to his HUD. Female. Lucain. He sighed. Haar'chak...company. Aruetyc company at that. But it was a female. A plus. His amplified voice, courtesy of his high-tech helmet, bounced softly down the cliff, careful not to start any of the snow to rolling. “Hey there,” he called. “You need any help, ma’am?”

[Juniperstar45]

Belle shivered as another gust of snow and icy swirled around her face. She hissed impatiently and swung her head around to face the flow of the wind. This would make her stronger, in one way that is. Pacing to the edge of the cliff she took one too many timid paw steps up to the edge. Rubble showered down again as she leaped back uncharacteristically startled. She bit her lip as she regained her calm composer. This place was trying to test her. Her breath caught when she heard an unfamiliar voice. Was someone stalking her? She growled and whipped her entire body around to see her pursuer. It was a...normal? No not even a little bit normal, but a man was walking down the cliff side. Again she measured her expression and reaction, Yes I'm in control, that's nice to know...But then again, no need to get myself into anything... She then stalked away calling over her shoulder, "Yes, just fine thanks."

.:7:.

((Mereel is so...interesting!   I'll PM Cookie to tell her we started, then she can join in whenever))

[MillietheWarrior]

Mereel raised a brow, but his expression of annoyance and 'oh really?' was hidden by his helmet. She looked like she was being pushed to her limits, and even someone like him had a hard time surviving up here. He crossed his arms over his chest with the cold metallic sound of armor clinking together and shifted on his feet, blaster hanging idly behind his back. This Lucain was no threat. She wasn't even a blip on his radar. He could dispose of her in a heartbeat if he needed to. But he really didn't, so as long as she remained a neutral party, he wouldn't have to take her out. He sighed heavily, but to her, he would seem only slightly impatient; all the sound or faces he made would be heard only within the confines of his helmet. "Aruetiise," he muttered in his lightly accented voice. "Can be so stubborn. And full of pride..." Then he blinked to turn on his audio outside his helmet. "Oh yes, ma'am. I can see that you are. But the fact that where you are walking is nothing more than a crumbling dangerous mountainside, I'd say you'll be fine for another...Oh, five or so minutes...You know, before it all comes toppling down on you....With respect, ma'am."

He offered her a two-fingered salute, touching the tips of his fingers to his helmet and dipping his head. "I've got a fire here, ma'am, if you'd like. And some food. It can get pretty ugly out here. And I don't want to hike down the mountainside and find a frozen Lucain-cicle two days from now. It’ll be unpleasant for all parties involved. Mostly because you’ll be dead, ma’am.” He crossed his arms over his chest again, and there was that faint and distinct clack of armor as his plates clashed together against his breast-plate. He was, to put it simply, very blunt. He didn’t care if he offended her; he just told the truth. Ori'haat. It was just the truth. "K'olar. You can share my fire. And let go of some of that pride. Taking a bit of proffered help every now and again never killed anyone...Except maybe Ko Sai..." He had to snort at his last comment, but it was made within his helmet, where she couldn't hear. She probably didn't even know who Ko Sai was. Hardly anyone did. The name left a bitter taste on his tongue, and he shook his head to rid himself of the thought. His t-shaped visor was pointed in her direction, offering a blank and expressionless mask for her to stare into.

[Juniperstar45]

She paused, this was really strange. This person, was somehow immune to her psychic connection. There was absolutely no sound, or thoughts for that matter, at all coming from where he was standing. Possibly the armor is blocking the connection. Dang, I wish I could mess with his head right now... Belle glared crossly at the newcomer. Pathetic? That's what he thought I was, no? He was just being polite...that's perfectly normal... "Really though, you predict I have five or so minutes until I die?" She snorted, "Gee thanks..." Her eyebrows knit together though. What was he saluting me or something? "Personally, you've got just as much nerve as me to come up here. Besides, why do you think you have more of an advantage then me?" Rolling her eyes she sidestepped away from the edge. The snow whipped again at her gradient fur. She bit her lip, Should I let myself trust this person? Nodding slightly she growled, "Fine. You seem to have caught my attention. Please lead the way..." Her claws dug deeper in the crevices of the rock.

.:8:.

[MillietheWarrior]

Mereel allowed himself a triumphant smile, arms still crossed as if in defiance over his broad chest plates. Of course, the female Lucain could not see the expression on his face, and all for the better; she'd probably be offended that he'd treated their little meeting like a game...And won. Satisfied with himself, he slung his blaster back over his shoulder where it had slipped down to rest against his hip, and tilted his head in her direction. Her glare did nothing to faze him; in fact, he seemed amused by it, though it was impossible to tell form her vantage point. "One, I'm not affected by the cold in my beskar'gam. Two, I've survived in places far, far worse than this. And three, I'm genetically engineered to be the best at whatever I do. Sorry ma'am, but I've one-upped you on all counts." He turned on his heel, not offering her any help, and stalked off. He knew she wouldn't appreciate it anyways and would only snap at him and refuse. He didn't care to deal with a female induced attitude this late in the day, this high on a mountain, and in weather this cold.

He cleared an easy path for her in the deep snow without meaning to as he trudged back to camp. He just happened to be taller than her (But then, he was in his human form. And he was pretty much taller than most everyone he met.) so his long legs made a rift that would allow her easier access to his camp. As he finally made it back to the fire, he noted with annoyance that the wind had partially coated his logs with snow. The fire was dwindling, and slowly dying. Kneeling down, he tended quickly to the fire, wiping away the snow, and adding a few more chunks of wood. As he stood up, he removed his blaster pistol from the holster at his hip, and fired once into the pile of logs. Instantly it was ablaze again, and he sat down on his makeshift chair with a satisfied smile, hidden beneath his tri-colored helmet. He lifted his head, his eyes locking onto the female. "Have a seat, ma'am," he said politely, nodding to the small patch of cleared ground. He didn't think she'd want to sit on a log; how awkward in Lucain form. "You hungry? I've got some food lying around somewhere."

He didn't bother to move or even turn his head to give the appearance of searching for the mentioned food. He was waiting for her to speak, waiting for her reaction, eyes trained on her face and eyes. If she'd been able to see his stare, it might've gotten to be a bit disconcerting or uncomfortable for her to be scrutinized so closely; but his buy'ce gave him complete immunity to any anger he might incite from her by his intent studying. "Gedeteyar," he muttered to himself, his words audible only to him. "I don't usually carry a lot of food. But I am today. Lucky us," he then said out loud, his helmet filtering the sound out into the cold, frigid winter air. She wouldn't have understood the first word he'd said anyways. It meant 'Be thankful.' He was referring to the fact that he'd found her when he did, and that he was carrying extra provisions. He reached over to the large, white backpack (Even his bag seemed to be armored) and pulled out a bit of tough, dried meat, made from an unidentifiable creature. It looked...Questionable. "Haili cetare," he said with a tilt of his head, holding it out to her. "Tuck in. It's better than it looks, ma'am." He also had some haashun, a thin, paper-like bit of bread, but he decided that she'd like the meat better.

[3, 56]

[Juniperstar45]

((Whoops   Sorry about that!))

Belle stuttered, of course she was slightly intimidated by his gun. That was probably one of the factors. But her cool mask slowly eased into an annoyed twitch. In what world am I living in? This weirdo just called me a...a buskar-something? I don't even know! She choked out a baffled reply, "Well excuse me! Apparently I missed that chapter in my textbook. Oh wait let me look it up under, 'Strange People Running Around Talking Like Weirdoes and Beating you in Every Subject Known to Thrill-Seekers'!" She screeched loudly at him, her rampage flowing without a stooper now, "Or better yet, since when did I know we where all in crazy town. Let's skip on down to the shnickflargin shop and pick up a wangdoodle with a side of quilshly sauce!" Her cheeks turned crimson with fury, as she struggled to compose herself, "Would you mind telling me what language you are speaking? It's bugging me just a little bit..." She crossly stamped her unnaturally blue colored paws in the small path that he made. Sure it was 'nice' but unnecessary. She needed to be tested; it would drain her when moments like these would happen. Moments when she would loose her calm mask and her temper would flare. How Belle pictured it was that if her temper did get unleashed she could literally burn the person with her fiery and acid comments. She cringed as a pile of snow flew up into her face. Pawing it off madly she scowled at the surrounding snow, as if sending a mental message not to push her any farther, her patience was wearing thin. Then the clearing was coming into view. How noble, he has a little camp were he can stay. I bet that baby can't even sleep in the open out here! She snorted and leaped lithely on top of the snow covered log. She let her long tails wrap protectively around her paws, also using them as heaters. It probably wasn't healthy that her paws were blue. Oh well... "By the way, you don't have to call me ma'am...Call me Belle." She sniffed. The thought of someone addressing her as, ma'am! She felt disgusted and revolted. "Nope...I'm not hungry anymore. I ate at the bottom of the mountain and well, I didn't have to work too hard to get up this mammoth rock of a mountain." She gestured at the steep slope. Shrugging at his next comments, she eyed the meat curiously. Sighing she ripped a small piece off, chewing it thoroughly before swallowing. It was okay...for being hikers’ food. Okay, okay fine! I have to admit this guy is pretty prepped for anything. She nodded once when she glanced over his protective shields and armoring.

.:9:.

((Wow, this is probably one of my longer posts, sorry if there are any errors...You make RPing in long posts look so easy   ))

[MillietheWarrior]

Mereel observed her moment of hesitant stuttering with a vague look of boredom. She probably had no idea what he was thinking, given that she couldn't see his face. In fact, he wasn't even facing her. People had a tendency to believe that he was looking at whatever his visor was; when really, in essence, he was observing them out of the corner of his eye, or using his three-hundred and sixty degree vision to scan their faces for emotion. "Maybe not every subject, ma'am. But I'm definitely a thrill seeker...A bit iffy on the weirdo part. Maybe fifty-fifty." He quirked a smile beneath his mask, and finally turned his helmet to face her, the cold, chilling t-shaped visor staring her in the face without emotion in an unblinking, challenging stare.  "Ma'am, I think the cold is getting to you," he said, a slight humor to his voice. "Your speaking nonsense." What language? Maybe he should ask the same of her. "Mando'a," he said simply, with a clacking shrug of his shoulders. "Native language. Not many people know it. In fact, only Mandalorians know it...Or so I like to think. Aruetiise don't usually speak our language, and we don't expect them to."

He lifted a lip in a near smile as she wiped the snow off her face, and leaned back a little. "For someone who isn't hungry," he muttered, and reached up to unclasp his helmet and remove it. "You sure ate that fast...Belle." As he set his helmet in his lap, he offered her a bemused grin. His skin was dark, smooth, a rich almost coppery color. His hair was black, and had a slight wave to it, as if when he let it grow it would be slightly curly. His eyes were a deep unnatural blue, but they looked bright, and even childlike; filled with wonder and amusement and a definitive sparkle that was hard to place. He often wore contacts so that he could be an individual among his brothers (He also dyed his hair, but he'd forgotten to do that on this particular trip). The smile he wore on his face seemed constant, and he had small marks and creases around his eyes and mouth, as though he laughed often. He was very young; perhaps twenty-two or twenty-three, and surprisingly handsome. But the ageless and endless sorrow set behind his deep blue eyes seemed to bespeak of a witness to many unspeakable things. As did the small scars set just above the top of his jumpsuit, at the neck.

He leaned on his helmet, his head sheltered partially from the wind and the snow by the small clearing and tiny trees set around them. "Udesii. You're pretty defensive, for a hiker. Don't you know that offered help is the best kind? Sometimes we all have to swallow a little pride and accept that hand up." When he moved, his armor clacked and creaked, and a strange metallic sound seemed to come from his boots and where his helmet on his lap. A series of soft beeps issued from within the HUD, but he seemed to ignore them as he took a bite of the dried meat. "What're you doing all the way up here anyways, m-...Belle? If you don't mind me asking. You're pretty gutsy. Nehutyc." He patted his blaster, and then picked it up, pulling a small rag out of the bag set near his boots. With skilled hands that had done it a thousand times, he began to clean the weapon, his eyes seeming to dart around and rest on her at the same time. He seemed relaxed, but his body was tense, his posture straight, as though he was waiting for something. He carefully set the blaster in his lap and cleaned it quietly. A faulty weapon slays no enemies.

[4, 57]

((No worries. ^^ And thanks. I absoloutely love Belle and her character traits! Unfortunately, it'll take quite a bit to ruffle Mereel's feathers...If at all. XD))

[Juniperstar45]

((Haha! That’s funny I was just editing my post when it told me you posted Sorry I have to keep you waiting, I also just ate dinner...   ))

Belle rolled her eyes, "Whatever, you can be fifty-fifty if you want. But in my book you'll always be more weirdo then trill seeker." She marched swiftly, staying totally nonchalant. After a moment of being rude she replied to his statement, "Getting to me? Well, that's your own opinion isn't it." Her hiss was as menacing as a kitten. But she didn't intend it to be so...light? That made her anger more pronounced, "Native? Manado-whats?" A tide of confusion whacked her in full fury. She tossed several ideas around. The snow was blowing in the wind again for a moment but it quickly settled. "Like I said," Then she grinned a tight smile, "I guess I was downplaying that factor just a little bit." Her ear twitched and she swiped a paw madly in the air. "Stupid bugs, didn't know they even existed up here..." She muttered looking wearily around her. It was harder then she thought, to not stare at him. She observed his features, with definite care. No one ever caught her doing this..."A hiker? Where did you get that idea. I've never been away from the house before so really I'm not too special." Her eyes flashed when he mentioned her personality, "I like to keep a low profile when it comes to being helped. My pride is all I really have." Then she chuckled darkly at the trivial fact. Yup, that's all I really have left, besides Jour and Poppi I guess. She allowed. Then her thoughts darkened, and saddened in a way. Poor Jour, I pushed him away from home, now Poppi's all alone! I'm terrible...but it was his fault anyway, he...nope my faulty here. Her stubbornness got in the way sometimes when she was trying to be kind. She grinned a playful grin, "I like to test myself, and it was getting boring just mountain climbing around my house, cave, thing..." Her mind drifted when she thought about that. "Gutsy is my middle name! I like to be tough, bold!" She made herself mimic a statue, she then let her shoulders slump and her head drop from its playful position. This kindness was getting out of hand, I'm dangerous and I need to tell him that.

.:10:.

[MillietheWarrior]

Mereel took a bite of his meat, chewing thoughtfully. She was an odd one, he’d give her that. All puff and bluster. She'd certainly give any Mando man a run for his creds. “At least I’m in your book, right?” he said with a devilish grin, winking slyly in her direction. And there it was, his true nature asserting itself, if only slightly. He was a girl chaser. No ifs, ands or buts. When his buir once asked what he’d spend his money on if he got any, he replied, ‘Good food, fast speeders and slow women.’ It was his nature, something he'd been chastised about more than once by his brothers. Belle was interesting, to say the least, but he didn’t think she was his type. She was, for one, too smart to fall for any of his tricks. He wasn’t used to women being….Intelligent; at least, not the ones who usually clung to him. He shrugged mentally, face physically impassive and blank. “Yup. Mando’a. It’s just a language. Don’t stress about it too much, though. I’m from Mandalore, and that’s what we all speak. Your not expected to ever even have an inkling of what it means. We just don't expect any outsiders to know it. So you know...”

A crunch of armor as he shrugged, and he cast her a veiled, almost amused look. Mereel watched her carefully, not hiding the fact that he was studying her. She could think what she wanted. He honestly didn't care; if he cared what people thought, he'd be Ordo. He bit back a snort at the thought, refusing to look like a lunatic for laughing out loud at a joke inside his head. “Well, usually people who hike up here are called hikers…” he deadpanned, eyes twinkling with secret humor and wryness. “So I assumed...” His dazzling smile never seemed to fade; Ordo was often annoyed by the fact that Mereel always seemed amused by everything around him. He kept his eyes trained on the strange Lucain female in front of him and leaned back, his armor clanking as he did so. Whoever designed the armor, certainly hadn’t accounted for comfort-ability when sitting down. He squirmed in discomfort for a moment, before settling with one leg tucked up and one stretched out.

“Middle name, huh?” he asked. “Well, let’s hope it helps. This place is nothing but a big heap of osik. It’s cold, annoying, and uncomfortable. I don’t know exactly why you’d trudge up here, but to each their own.” He gave her a sideways glance, eyes crinkling at the sides as if he were smiling, though he certainly wasn't. “You look tired. Do you want to rest?” he asked, his sharp eyes catching the slump of her shoulders and head. If she noticed that he never directly said her name, she sure didn't seem to say anything.

[5, 58]
((Edit: Fixed it. Hehe, now it's better. ^^))

[Juniperstar45]

Belle's eyes rolled, so he was one of those types of males. "Huh, I guess you are...Strange..." She muttered, releasing all her breath in an odd sigh. He just doesn't seem to grasp that I'm...different? She felt like pacing right now but that would be impolite. When she paced sometimes it wasn't exactly just to pace, it was to blow off some steam, or so to speak. Sometimes she'd shout, others cry, and maybe even she was happy and she just didn't understand why. Creepy. Belle began inhaling, her brain all tangled in random knots. Mando'a? Cool, that's interesting. Are all people like this? Odd in their own special way? Her delicate orange and green patterned eyebrow lifted, "Who said I was stressing?" Belle tried to hide the mocking in her voice, but if you where paying attention you could hear it. Her tails swished at the thought, Stressing, such an insignificant word that means so much to me...my personality She pondered on what Mereel said, then she answered with a snort, "Aw, gee, thanks for giving me a new lesson, How to Figure Out the Obvious!" Heavy sarcasm, "Of course you assumed...that's what a lot of people seem to do to me. Never once has someone actually engaged in a conversation with me." Her playfulness faded as she stared up into the clouds, a few flakes melting away on her cheeks. She shifted moods again, hearing his armor clank was starting to get annoying, "Yeesh, do you ever take that stuff off? Doesn't look very comfortable to me." Her eyes began to wander. She noticed their location more easily now, there where a few snow mounds gathered here and there and a couple of trees that where about to snap at any second because of the weight from the constant snowfall. Then her eyes locked on the fire, it drew her thoughts away from everything else and she was immediately fixated on the little flames. "All I need is luck and a thick pelt on my side and I can go anywhere." She muttered. Her voice hardened, "No, I'm fine."

.:11:.

((It's fine, it was a good post before this but now it's amazing   ))

[MillietheWarrior]

"No one," Mereel replied off-handedly, his face becoming passive, blank and completely disinterested. "Certainly not me." Of course, he was being sarcastic; he had just told her not to stress. But he'd never said she was stressing. Play on words. He wasn't sure he was very keen on that tone of voice she used; he squinted one eye and glanced off into the distance, ignoring her for a brief moment. With a soft puff of air, he reached down and placed his helmet back over his head in a gesture of defiance; if he didn't want to listen to her or be seen by her, he didn't have to. She didn't know that of course; she probably just thought his head was cold...Which, granted it was.

"Well, I'm engaging in a conversation with you right now. And I must say, I'm getting very little out of it. Except for a few key bits of information; one, you like being sarcastic. Two, you seem to have quite the pent up little temper, don't you? And three, your not giving me any information about you except what I'm getting wrong. So it's not at all hard to see why I know nothing about you. The only way to learn anything in this situation is to assume, because, inevitably, you'll tell me my assumption is wrong, and then I can go on to assume something else. And by process of elimination, I will, eventually, find out something truthful about you that I won't need to assume about. Because, by using this method, it will have been you who inadvertently gave me the information. So, when we're all done here, you'll probably have told me all about yourself...Even if you don't want to." He ended with a quick, triumphant smile, which she couldn't see. He simply stared at her, his t-shaped visor pointed in her direction with an eerily clam and unwavering look.

"How about I let you know something about me? My name is Mereel. I am a Mandalorian. I am a genetically advanced Null ARC. I hate the snow, and I would much rather be in a cantina somewhere with a drink in my hand and a girl on my arm. No, I don't take my beskar'gam off unless I'm on leave, which I get little to none of. And I love my shabla armor, even though it's not very comfortable to sit in." He took a sharp breath, and leaned back, his armor making a soft chiming noise as he did so; it was getting very cold, yet he still could not feel it. He didn't elect to tell her about how many people he'd killed, what he did for a living, how many illegal things he did when he went undercover, and how, soon enough, he'd bang out of the kriffing GAR with his family for good. If she had things she wanted to keep from him, then two could play the same game. And Mereel was very good at games.

[6, 59]

[Juniperstar45]

"Of course not..." She murmured, still fuming. She began to wonder what he was thinking, to bad she didn't have that kind of power. She snorted at the thought. Belle sat back and stretched her now aching paws, sitting on your hunches will do that to you. She was almost half tempted to leave. Her eyes began to dance around the area, his little makeshift 'hideout', and she noted a couple of things. His gun had especially stood out to her. She wanted to burst out laughing but that wouldn't go over very well. I wonder if that's his only weapon of mass destruction he has hiding around here! She thought icily. Her nose wrinkled when he started his speech about, assuming...She, personally, hated the word. "Sure, I guess you have got most of me down." Belle chuckled blackly. Her despair was crushing, she hated the supernatural. And of course, she was considered on of them. Thanks mom... Her teeth ground together. Jour doesn't like it either, but then again he doesn’t complain so much. Of course he hadn't almost killed the entire world... Her mind flip-flopped on the positive and the ugly. "Mereel? That's an...interesting name." She hid her wicked smile quickly. Mereel! What kind of name is that?! "Not ever? You don't ever take the thing off? That's weird don't you think?" She pointed out. Her ear twitched, I wish I could see his expression...that would help me

.:12:.

((Sorry I don't post often   It takes me awhile to get into Belle's mood))

[MillietheWarrior]

Mereel leaned back on the log he was using as a makeshift seat, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Silently, he watched as her eyes danced around his small camp. He was impressed at the way she took in detail, but couldn’t quite guess the reason why she didn’t ask him why he was up here. Ah well. The less she knew, the better. Unlike his brother Clones, Mereel was quite comfortable around new people, even going so far as to speak Mando’a in front of them; something others might not dare to ever do. Belle didn't ruffle him one bit. With a clink of armor, he crossed his arms over his knees, his t-visor pointed in her direction as he continued to watch her and listen when she spoke. “Glad then,” he said simply, a cheery smile that she couldn’t see lighting up his boyish features. But just as quickly, his face fell again. He might not be a jetii, but he could definitely sense when something was amiss. A little black cloud of anger and something else Mereel couldn’t place seemed to follow Belle around.

Ordo had the same look on his face from time to time when something was eating him up on the inside. And he did not miss her wicked smile. “Yep. Love my name. But I dunno about the name ‘Belle.’ Sounds a little sketchy to me,” he shot back, completely uncaring about what she thought of his jibe. “And no. I don’t take it off unless I want to get shot. If you're fighting in a war, even if it’s war no one knows about, you don’t drop the only armor you have and shout ‘Here I am! Come shoot me!’ It’s like waving a big neon colored flag in the air and advertising to your enemies that your completely vulnerable. When I sleep at home, or when I go out as a civilian, I wear civvies. But otherwise, my armor is all I have standing between me and joining the great Manda in the sky.” He grinned suddenly beneath his helmet. “Let me ask you something...” he trilled. “You find my lack of expression annoying, don’t you? You don’t even know if I’m making a face at you right now or what. Does it bother you a lot?”

[7, 60]

[Juniperstar45]

Belle begun to drift, her thoughts twisting and turning around what Jour had said to her and what Poppi had countered. Am I really just an open book? I'm I so vulnerable I bring on my own trouble? She glanced sideways at Mereel. Yup, I bring on my own trouble... Her claws began to trace patterns and lines in the log, it was something she did absently, sometimes she could come up with doodles or a work of art. "Humph." Was her brilliant reply. She began to focus more on her drawing. It was a Lucian from behind and he was staring into the sunrise. Jour...? She puzzled. She stopped drawing and looked up, "Sketchy? You..." She took a deep breath, "Well that's a first..." She snorted, "But I would rather like to know what people are thinking about me instead of them kindling some dark secrets from me." Her nose wrinkled again at the thought. Stupid assumptions! She returned her attention to her drawing, finishing the details of Jour's fur and the birds flying into the sun. "You are fighting a war? That's strange; I've never met anyone who constant feels on edge, besides when they're around me." She smiled evilly. Then she started up at the sky. A few snowflakes where still coming down and she blew one off her muzzle quickly. "Sure, go ahead." She quickly wanted to take that back. Great, what if he asks me something like, hey, come join my war? Easy, I just say no. She nodded a few times before answering his question, "Well Mereel, truthfully, I would kindly hate your guts if you've been thoroughly lying to me this entire time. And yes it does bother me. I don't like hidden meanings or anything like that. I only want straight up answers and questions...that's why I don't like Poppi so much, she just likes to dither on things that I don't really give a rat's hat about!" She hissed. "But, you know that I can't control that, so I'll just suck it up I suppose..."

.:13:.