Her thoughts dominated her attention while Rowena stood and began pulling on her clothes. They were primarily made up of loose-fitting men’s clothing which she’d purchased in a shop some time back. The brown leather leggings only barely clung to her legs, which were toned from constant hiking. The leggings were held up by a thin leather cord tied at the waist, which caused the material to bunch up around her. Her tunic, which was a deep blue, sat a little oversized over her slender, feminine form, much thanks to the fact she chose something a little too large in hopes her breasts wouldn’t become too prominent. The blue was as opposed to a white or off-white color, which she avoided because of her lifestyle and the amount of time she spent sleeping on the ground. The ensemble was finished off with a pair of custom, dark leather boots that reached almost to her knees. They were the only thing she brought from home that she still kept, as everything else had been sold in an effort to keep herself afloat. Because of this, the boots were the only thing she wore that fit her perfectly.<br/><br/>Things would have been substantially easier for Rowena if she had ever learned to sew or make her own clothes. It wasn’t often that you came across a seamstress willing to fit male clothes to a woman-- this was why her clothes were so ill-fitting. The young Fae-halfling never learned the art of making her own clothes largely thanks to her Noble upbringing; it wasn’t expected of a woman of high class to learn these skills, because she would always have servants to do it for her. Even though, as a child, she showed interest in learning new things, she lacked a willing mother or patient servants to teach her anything. She recalled the utter annoyance on Meridia’s -the woman who made all of her clothing- face every time she would come in with tattered dresses and skirts. Rowena was especially notorious for ruining a dress the same day that it was given to her, which in hindsight, she realized, probably made Meridia feel like there was no purpose to her work. To make matter’s worse, Rowena’s father always refused when Meridia requested to simply sew in patches to repair the damaged clothing. He wanted only the best to broadcast their wealth and success. Rowena was meant to represent the high class of their family.<br/><br/>Family… She scoffed at herself as she began weaving her damp, wavy locks into a braid over her shoulder. The only ‘family’ she ever knew in person was her father, and it was barely that. He was never around, and never he never knew her. She didn’t consider him family anymore, especially after he cast her out merely because she was ‘different’. Bitterness began to boil in the pit of her stomach, making Rowena grow nauseous. Or perhaps she was only getting hungry, since her last meal had been the morning prior. It wasn’t that she hurt from losing what she had as much as being insulted for who she was. The man was truly all she had, and the only time he sat down and talked to her was to tell her to ‘get her act together’. Now, her face was turning nearly as red as her hair. That ass didn’t deserve a daughter. He didn’t deserve a wife either.<br/><br/>No wonder her mother wasn’t there.<br/><br/>Not that she had a clue what happened to her mother. She never got a straight answer out of him or any of the servants. It wasn’t until long after she left, it felt like, that she found out anything at all about her mother, and that was when she realized what she was. Regardless, she had no knowledge as to whether her mother was dead or alive, and although part of her hoped she might find the woman who gave birth to her, someday, this whole quest was not about that. It was about finding and understanding her roots.<br/><br/>Her internal rant distracted her even as she walked back to her camp and began packing for travel. It didn’t strike her that something was different until she habitually turned her attention to put out the fire. The woman blinked a few times at the lively flickering flames. They weren’t like that when she left. The fire was quite close to being entirely dead, in fact. At first, she thought maybe it became this way on its own, as a delayed reaction to her earlier coaxing, but that didn’t make sense to her. It would have needed more fuel to grow as large as it was now, which led her to her next assumption. Someone was here.<br/><br/>As if to confirm her suspicions, the sound of clattering metal echoed of the trees nearby, making her jump with a small squeak of surprise. She never thought anyone would travel out this far, not even the hunters from nearby villages or towns. The only trails she found were animal trails, and even those weren’t heavily traveled until one got close enough to the water. It felt like she’d frozen for several moments in fear, just listening for an indication as to where the sound had come from. It didn’t strike her that she was unarmed until long after that, which was when Rowena dove for her cloak. The heavy material was wrapped around a simple short-sword with a ratty and beaten sheath. With her hand on the hilt she stood once more and looked around. She wanted to call out, but at this moment she thought the element of surprise might give her a better advantage, in case someone had darker intentions toward her.<br/><br/>Her face reddened to think about the possibility that a stranger had seen her bathing in the pond before. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to get the images out of her mind of some dark figure lurking in the bushes and watching her. When her eyes opened again, it was just before a stranger appeared from the woods. The first thing she noticed was the silver armor, which caused her grip to tighten on the hilt of her sword. But then her eyes caught the hooves, and the buck that was attached to them. “Who… who are you? What are you doing here?” She demanded, only growing confused the more she took in of this male. His hair was unnaturally white, and he didn’t look like anyone she’d encountered in the city. Why he would be hunting and bringing a kill back here, of all places, was beyond her, but Rowena was not about to let her guard down until she found out.<br/><br/><a class="username" data-user-id="294" data-username="@Annukai" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/294/">@Annukai</a>