Clarence
**As she walked to the small stream carrying a basket to gather plants, she hummed a small melody unaware of the other presence around her**
Patricia
*He was also in the forest to gather herbs and plants which he would use in his tavern. He was approaching the small stream as he heard someone humming a tune, he went to investigate and walked towards the noise*
Clarence
**Hearing a stick crack she threw a small knife at the tree near it**

Who's there?
Patricia
*Seeing the knife fly in his direction he quick draws his katana and parries it, knocking the dagger to the ground*
"Not cool, I'm friendly I swear"
Clarence
**Hearing the male voice to her left she looked over startled** Apologies. You scared me
 **She smiled walking up and grabbing her knife**

I've never seen anybody out here but outlaws, I apologize for the knife. You have quite fast reflexes to parry that
Patricia
*He laughs slightly, still on edge about the sudden knife flying at him*
 "It's all good, I shouldn't have creeped up on you like that. It's just that I heard this lovely humming tune and decided to investigate"

*He regained composure, sheathing his blade.*
"Thanks, but I gotta say that's some outstanding spatial awareness, I wasn't even *That* Close."
Clarence
Not even *That* Close is what gets you dead with my job 
**She chuckles** 
What's your name? I've never met someone with quite as shockingly red hair as yours
Patricia
*He laughed as he waved his hand over at some nearby trees, causing a small red panda to jump out and sit on his shoulder*

"Well it's not like I can help it, I was born like this. I wouldn't get rid of it for the world tho. Although it did stop me from becoming an assassin or mercenary you know, too recognizable. But I assume that's not the case with you and your are in that branch of business. Oh, sorry. My name is Zyren, how about you?"
Clarence
**Narrowing her eyes she glares at him** Most people know me by the Red Hawk. How do you know my profession. I don't even have my proper uniform on much less all my weapons. **She backs up slightly, shifting her weight and in the process tripping and falling**
Patricia
*He couldn't help but laugh at her tripping before walking over and reaching out a helping hand*
"Well miss 'red hawk', you mentioned something about your line of work and my head just went there, and your also not the first one I met. And you seemed deadly enough even with only a dagger."
Clarence
**She grabs his hand blushing of embarrassment** Thank you, and honestly call me Aerith. As for the dagger your lucky I'm not carrying my poisoned ones right now 
**She chuckled as she brushed herself off**

Now why might you be out here. You're not an outlaw, and you're not a mercenary or assassin. So why?
Patricia
*He pulls her up and smiles at her*
"Well Aerith, it's nothing that interesting like that. I'm just gathering herbs and stuff, I own a tavern in the city so I need it for dishes and potions. What were you doing out here?"
*They were standing quite close now and he took a small step back as to not make her (or himself) uncomfortable*
"Speaking of cool weapons, I'll show you what mine does"
*He says as he unsheathed his katana*
Clarence
**She smiles as he pulled out his katana** I'm out here for the same reason, lots of dock and yarrow grow along the stream. Quite useful. **She noticed the step back and felt her ears heat up** 

Your katana is beautiful.
Patricia
*He smiles, knowing what's about to happen as he takes another few steps back as to not hurt her* 
"Watch this"

*He holds his katana out in front of him and suddenly, lightning appears all around it, causing his eyes to slightly glow too as he activates his magic. He held this for a few seconds before dismissing the lightning again, and sheathing the katana.*

"Pretty cool right, I also have a bow that can shoot fire but it's still at home. Anyway, what's your story?"

*He says as he smiles, walking closer to her again*
Clarence
**Staring in shock at the burn mark on the ground she didn't process him moving until he was right infront of her** 

Oh well, uh.. I carry small weapons like daggers and knives and most are poisoned. Each designed for a specific race
Patricia
*He looks her up and down for a second*
"Yeah that's cool. But what's your *Story* Tho."
*He says as he sits down on the ground, legs crossed. His red panda went to lay on his legs and fell asleep*

"Please, join me down here, it's quite comfortable to be honest"
Clarence
**She smiles and sits down on a small rock**

Well uh.. I was kicked out at 13 for practicing magic. Turned to dark magic and assassinations afterwards and have traveled and done my job ever since. I don't have a particularly interesting life. **She picked at the soles of her boots avoiding his gaze as her cheeks heated**
Patricia
*He keeps smiling while petting the red panda*

"Bullshit, I've never met anyone who doesn't have an interesting life and you're not going to be the first. Your story sounds very interesting, dark magic and assassinations? How is that not interesting?"

*He averted his gaze from her as he also felt a slight blush on his face. His eyes fixed onto the panda which he was petting*

"But I take it your a witch then?"
Clarence
You're assumptions would be correct, I am a witch **She fixed her gaze upon the red panda** Is he friendly?
Patricia
**He looks back at her**
"Oh very much so, he's a sweetheart, fierce fighter too but friendly when I want him to"
Clarence
He's a beautiful creature **She mumbled slightly, shifting off the rock closer to him** 

I suppose now I get to ask. What's your story
Patricia
**He laughs**
"Yeah that's fair, I grew up learning quite a lot about magic, my parents were witch and warlock too so they taught me a great deal. I got pretty powerful and I could have gotten even more powerful if it weren't for the attack."

**He paused for a second, he noticed he was getting quite emotional. He took a deep breath and continued in a calmer fashion**

"A pack of werewolves attacked the village I lived in, my parents defended it with all their might but it wasn't enough. Me and my sister ran and left them behind as they instructed. Now I own a tavern, and I don't even know where my sister is to be honest"

**He smiled again, thinking of his sister and his parents**
Clarence
**Stared at him in wonder as she picked at a stick in her hands** I'm so sorry that happened to you Zyren. Nobody deserves that as a kid. **She smiled and glanced down at her hands** My magic is very weak as of my mixed heritage of human and warlock. I can't use it for that long without passing out **She set her hand on the ground and attracted some vines, growing them along the way**
Patricia
**He looked in wonder at her hand as the vines grew** 

"Don't downplay yourself like that, I'm sure your plenty powerful Aerith."

**He smiled**

"So I take it your magic specialty is nature?"
Clarence
**She chuckles** 
Plants specifically, I can alter them and use them to my or others advantage.
 **She took her hand back and the vines retreated** The only problem is even that fatigued me. It's been a while since I've wielded magic in battle **Her look turned to one of disgust as she grabbed a flask and took a swig**
Bleh, tastes horrid no matter how many times I drink it
Patricia
**He looked confused at her with the flask**

"Nature magic is something I was never good at, I can do a little bit but it's nothing. You know, the more you use it, the less fatigued you'll be. It's like building stamina."

**He couldn't keep wondering and had to ask**

"What's in that flask?"
Clarence
Nature magic is the only one I can wield due to my mom being human

 **She took another drink of the flask**

As for the flask it's a combination of whiskey, peppermint, ginger, and ashwaganda root. Nasty tasting mix but it's made for fatigue.

**She capped the flask and clipped it back onto her belt**
Patricia
**He got lost in thought for a moment**

"Would it lose its effect if anything is added to it? Cause if not I'm sure I could make it taste better."

**He held his hand palm up and messed around with some wind magic**

"My specialties are in the 4 main elements: so that's fire, wind, water and earth. And a little bit of lightning too as you just saw **He pointed at the burn marks on the ground** So I'm not too familiar with nature magic, but I could try teaching you something sometimes. If u want to ofcource"
Clarence
**Minorly surprised by the offer she smiled laughing as she looked up** 

If you're ever around where I am I would love some magic lessons. All of mine are self taught from books and trial and error so I'm not really all that well versed on it.

**She took the flask from her belt and passed it over to Zyren**

And nothing would really change it if you didn't alter the dosages. It's a pretty stable recipe so if you want to try you can I suppose. I just need it back 

**She laughed and laid down on the ground looking up at the trees**
Patricia
**He took the flasked, poured some of the liquid in his mouth and just kept it there, examining the taste. It indeed tasted terrible.**

"If i'm honest, i don't have the stuff i need with me right now, so if you don't mind coming to my tavern sometime. I can try to fix it there, i just don't have supplies like that with me usually. Although... **He takes a herb from the little bag he was gathering them in and crushes it to a fine dust, then pours this dust into the flask. He closes the flask and stirrs it quite heavily** This should make it atleast a bit better"

**He opens the flask again, takes a sip and smiles**

"Yeah this is wayyy better!"

**He puts the flask next to Aerith and lies down next to her in the process. He was also enjoying the view of the birds, the trees and the silence, only being broken by slight breezes of the wind against the leaf's**
Clarence
**She observed him in her peripheral vision admiring his enthusiasm**

Thanks for making it taste better even if it doesn't taste perfect. You know I don't have many friends. Mainly enemies and acquaintances. This is the closest thing I've had to a friendship in a while.

**She chuckled quietly while watching two birds in a nest**
Patricia
**He couldn't help but smile and slightly blush at this moment**

"That's a bit sad you know, you should come by sometime. I would love to be friends with you"

**He was playing with a leaf in the air, making it dance around with wind magic, before letting it fall right on Aerith's nose. He smiled as he made the leaf quickly fly up again as he kept playing with it**
Clarence
**She shifts her head to look over at Zyren**

I think I would like that, being friends with you.

**She extended her fingers into the dirt and made some flowers pop up around his head**
Patricia
**He smiles as the flowers tickle his neck and ears**
"Then it's decided, Aerith... Whatever your last name is. We are now officially friends!" **He said in a joking matter, while smiling and also shifting his head to look at Aerith.**

**The little red panda came up on Aerith's belly and chest and layed down**
**He laughed** "I think Xylon want to be your friend too"
Clarence
**Laughing she felt her face heat up**

Jayashri, and I wanna be friends with Xylon too. He's fluffy and cute. And red like his owner.

**She stood up and climbed a tree hanging upside down by her legs letting her arms dangle freely**
Patricia
**He also stood up and looked at Aerith hanging from the tree**
"Damn, you got that high that quick, impressive. That branch is at least 20 feet up, but i can get high, quick too."

**He puts his palm on the ground below him, before shooting up on a column of earth he created. This column was about 10 feet in height so his face was at about the same level as Aerith's**
"See?"
Clarence
**Laughing she ruffled his hair**

Show off with your fancy magic

**Flipping right-side up she sat on the branch looking down at Zyren**

It's annoying to me how you're taller than me 
**She laughs and messes with a leaf**

Even if it's not by much it's still annoying
Patricia
**He laughed**"Well, some things are just the way they are... *Short stack* **He said that last part under his breath, he'd rather not get a dagger flying at his head**"

**He jumped to a nearby branch on the tree before lowering the pillar again** "Can't leave that standing there"

**He climbed up to her branch and also sat on it, it was a pretty thick branch so he thought it would hold them**
Clarence
**She pulled her mask and hood down and side eyed him** 

I don't know what you said at that last part but a part of me thinks it was about me

**She ran her fingers through her hair and yawned**

Do you need some water?

**Unclipping a tan flask from her side She offered Zyren it**
Patricia
**He wasn't able to avert his gaze from her, she was stunning. And she also had sorta red-ish hair**

**He was finally able to sputter out some words** "Yea-... Yeah i would love some water, thanks"

**He went back to smiling** "Looks like we have something in common" **He said, holding a strand of his hair in his hand**

"Although mine i a little redder tho **He laughed**"
Clarence
**Laughing at his spluttering she smiled**

We do, that's partially why I asked about it because I have almost never met someone else with red hair
Patricia
**He thought for a second** "Well, except my parents, i haven't either. So this is quite nice. 
**He smiled at her as he was, again, playing with a leaf with his magic. Although this time, he was actively trying to keep it out of Xylon's paws as he was trying to catch it while jumping from branch to branch**

"So anyway, where are you from?"
Clarence
I was born in Kahlo but have traveled all over the place since age 14.

**Reaching over she pulled a strand of his hair out of his eyes**

How about you? Where are you from?
Patricia
**He smiled as she pulled the strand out, slightly blushing too**
"I was also born in Kahlo, not in the city but in a small village decently far from here. But i have now live here forrrr... About 20 years, a little less i think, about 19 i would say."

**As he made a quick movement with his hands to keep the leaf out of Xylon's paws he heard the branch crack slightly**

"Perhaps we should go back down, i don't know how long this branch will hold to be honest" **He laughs, before jumping down. Landing decently graceful on the grass**
Clarence
**Falling backwards she lands on her feet and smirks**

Yeah I have lived in Kahlo for 79 years. It's a beautiful place, and I've yet to see a dragon.

**She walks back towards her basket and flask on the ground**

Shall we do what we both came out here to do?
Patricia
**He also picks up his stuff**
"Yeah, i haven't seen one either. Bit dissapointing to be honest. Yeahh... We might aswell, i gotta go a bit deeper into the forest for my stuff. Idk what kind of plant you need?"

**He calls Xylon back to him and smiles at Aerith**
Clarence
Mainly looking for Nightshade, yarrow, mullen, and dock

And yeah it is sad. They are said to be beautiful. I also heard a rumor there's a group of people going around killing dragons for scales
Patricia
**He thinks for a bit**
"I don't think they grow in the area's where my stuff is supposed to be. So i guess we split up here"

**He nodded**
"I heard the same rumor, i would love to give them a taste of their own medicine. Hurting creatures like that. Monsters."
Clarence
It's saddening however there's nothing we can do.

**She pulls up her hood and mask and reaches to pet Xylon before looking back at Zyren**

Until we meet again?
Patricia
**He smiles at her**
"You should let your hair out more often, its beautiful you know"

**He walks over to her and kisses her hand**
"Until we meet again"

**He turned around and started walking towards the forest, waving her goodbye in the process**
Clarence
**She stood there for a second feeling herself blush as she stared at her hand before she walked off into the undergrowth**

Damn emotions-