soul not for sale // joining

[rainier]

She needed this. Maybe more than she was willing to admit, and at this point, in her state, Amparo was willing to admit to a lot of things. That that last stunt had been dangerous, and the consequence of imprisonment had sucked, sure, but her method of freeing herself and then the following fiasco could have...gone over...less horribly. That's just how it is! She repeated to herself for the millionth time, pausing to eyeball her destination with a hesitant flick of her piercing-burdened ears. You win some, you lose everything. It's fine. It's fine! I can bounce back. If this place didn't chew her up and hack out the bones, at least, but now that she was thinking about it, would that be too horrible? Fuckin' hellfire's coming up behind me at this point, if I'm jumping into something just as bad or even worse, that's an issue for tomorrow-me. When one is scrawny and being pursued by Angry Jackasses, one needs shelter. Preferably shelter with a dangerous reputation. She hadn't been able to wring much about this place out of the people she had passed between busting herself out of ass-backwards pseudo-jail and waltzing right into the rainforest, but most everyone who could say anything had had spoken the name Rosebloods like the word itself left something sour or decaying in their mouths.

That was what Amparo needed right now. Big, scary meatshields. If this was out of some kind of frying pan and into a fire, then so be it. She had hauled her tail this far through a stretch of empty desert that had her realizing that the canteen she had brought was absolutely not enough and now, as she found the earth slanting downward and sand giving way to lush foliage, she was stuck between wondering if this was legit and if she really should've done that walk to herself in the first place. All throughout, the answer had seemed to be no, but it's too late to turn back so keep marching, bitch but now that she seemed to have made it, Amparo figured that maybe a hot stretch of sands was exactly what she needed between herself and her pursuers on top of foul, dangerous company.

Once you hit rock bottom you can only climb up, she told herself, blearily shouldering past plant life almost too thick to pass by in pursuit of the sound of running water. Wailing an introduction out into the forest would have to wait until her mouth was no longer too dry to form words in the first place. Amparo almost cried out in relief when met with the sight of a small creek hugged tightly by a mossy bank that she crawled down onto before shoving her entire face into the water. This is what climbing back up feels like.

[teef]

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[color=#7E354D]BAI SHI
" my own illusion come to be "

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a form regarded the female from the shadows with plain amusement. they had been in the area searching out ochres and dyes for a project they were preparing. flicking their bushy tail, they moved to the edge of the plants, sitting down on the opposite side of the bank.

they appeared to be a fox, a plain expression on their face as they observed amparo. they were relatively new to the territory, but they had a simple idea of the layout of the land that they lived in now. adjusting their bag they would be content to wait for the femme to realize that she wasnt alone.

their posture was meant to be unthreatening, head tilted to the side and ears up, a quivering sound of question ready to drip off their tongue. they would wait though, for the woman looked rather thirsty, considering her head was all but buried under the surface of the river. it oddly reminded them of an ostrich with its head in the ground. what a strange comparison.

[rainier]

Her dry-as-dust canteen had been discarded onto the plush bed of moss she was stooped over and Amparo managed to keep herself submerged while she hungrily guzzled for an alarmingly long time. When she did resurface, it was with the dramatic kind of gaaasp somebody would only make if they thought they were alone, all wide-mouthed and bulging eyes with water dripping from her face. When she finally noticed Bai Shi, Amparo reacted by immediately recoiling, lips peeled back to expose rows of sharp teeth with jaws parted in a silent snarl. Even though the creature showed no hostility, she still didn't like that she had, in her thirst, overlooked something that could have potentially been a threat.

"[color=#6BABB3]W-W-Were you ju-, you just going t-t-to si-sit there and, an-and ssstalk me?" She accused, eyes darting away from Bai Shi to the surrounding area. Who else had she overlooked? Had she been watched this whole time? Was this some kind of set-up? Were they expecting me? Do they know? Her claws curled into the moss underfoot and she forced herself to breathe. This was what she wanted, was to be found. So she could go about joining. Chill out, for fuck's sake. And if this was somehow a plot against her, then...well. At least she was hydrated enough to do some more running, right? "[color=#6BABB3]Fuck it, wha-whatever. Are yo-, uh, are you...? Y'know? Roseb-b-blood?" How fuckin' hilarious would it be if this stranger had no clue what she was talking about? If Amparo had just trekked through the wrong desert and wound up in a different canyon with a whole 'nother rainforest in it? Could be the case, she thought sourly, staring intently at Bai Shi. They didn't look particularly frightening now that she was over her initial shock. Guess y'never know.

[teef]

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[color=#7E354D]BAI SHI
" my own illusion come to be "

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a smile dragged upon their face, "yes. i am of the rosebloods. you are within our territory currently, if that is what you intended for. it seems that you have made a long and laborious journey just to be here. go on. drink your fill and eat and you need." they told her, ears up in curiosity.

"but do tell me, what are you? i have not seen one with your markings and colors before. oh, manners." they chuckled, amusement plain in their tone. "no worries. for now it is just you and i, others may come along after." they hummed as they got up and stretched, scooping up a pawful of dusty red mud and formed it into a ball, dropping it into a nest of leaves and depositing it into the bag that they carried with them alongside their jian, a blade belonging to their cultural heritage.

[rainier]

She nodded, giving the surrounding area another look. Until further notice, this was home. That was the hope, anyway. Amparo went about filling her canteen and then shrugging the strap back around herself, not because she feared not having water but because she didn’t want to have to go out of her way to get it again (even if wrestling with a canteen that wasn’t designed with a small wildcat in mind was an eternal pain in the ass).

“[color=#6BABB3]Wh-What am...? Jeeeez, cree-eep, you re-, uh, y-you really have a, have a, a way w-with wo-words. D-Don’t mind if I, I, I swoon over he-here.” She rolled her eyes. “[color=#6BABB3]I-I’m mmme. Ampa-paro. A-A-And I’m, I’m joini-ning, if that’s, if that’s, uh, a-an option. Tha-That’s all yo-, all you sh-should worry ab-b-bout.”
She didn’t see why not. I’m a total catch. A valuable asset! And so far as she knew, these group-types were normally pretty obliging to would-be joiners.

Amparo watched Bai Shi go about their task with the mud and, of course, she made a face. “[color=#6babb3]Wha-aat the, th-the hell’s that fo-, that for, c-creep?” She pressed. Amparo wasn’t feeling this. The first stranger to find her, and it was some armed creep out making mud pies. Her little ears pressed back flat against her head and she shuffled a few steps back just in case. I really hope this freak’s just an outlier.

[teef]

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[color=#7E354D]BAI SHI
" my own illusion come to be "

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bai shi perked up, sensing her nervousness. they couldnt help a little smile, oh how afraid you would be of me if you saw my true body. they thought silently, trying to look more friendly, "its not very nice to call others you've just met creeps. me, I'm not here to hurt you. rather, I'm out here collecting mud for the painting I'm working on. I suppose you would like an answer. as far as that goes -- yes, you are allowed to join us here. my name is bai shi, a pleasure to meet you, ms amparo." they responded.

pausing in their movements they sighed, "my jian is not meant to alarm or hurt you. it is a piece from my culture, and a weapon of self-defense. currently, it is my only defense other than this feeble body." they explained, unshouldering the jian and putting it into the bag to help her relax. inside, was a beautiful large pearl of blue and white colors, similar to the sky. they felt that they might be able to have some fun with her, given the chance, just a few pokes and prods to amuse themselves after their disastrous encounter with their sire not long ago.

[rainier]

“[color=#6babb3]It, uh, i-it’s not ver-very nnnnice t-t-to be a, be a huge creep t-to, to, to others.” She countered hotly, using a quick black-padded paw to wipe at the water that still soaked her face, and from there to take a good moment to preen as they carrier on past confirming that she was allowed to join and past their introduction. “[color=#6babb3]Bai Sh-Shi.” Amparo repeated. “[color=#6babb3]B-B-Bai Shithead.” Was the insult she arrived at not long after, sharp little teeth bared in a shit-eating grin and fur bristling with excitement.

“[color=#6babb3]Ri-iiiiight, well. Kee-Keep y-your, your uh, yo-your jian-thing aw-way from. F-From me.” She warned. “[color=#6babb3]Or I, I’ll sho-sho-shove it up yo-, u-up your feeble ass.” She did seem pleased when they put it away for her sake, though. Amparo also seemed greatly interested in the flash of blue inside Bai Shi’s bag. Blue. She knew that running around stealing things in this place was ill-advised, but if it was something blue she didn’t know how she’d stop herself. Amparo looked away, biting back a question about what else was in their bag. “[color=#6babb3]So. Wh-Where so I, do I, d-do I s-sleep? Wh-Where’s every-rything hhhha-happen?”

[teef]

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[color=#7E354D]BAI SHI
" my own illusion come to be "

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bai shi smiled through the insult, "i would advise against calling me that. it doesn't bother me much, bèn dàn, it would bother my relations far more." they retorted calmly, tightening the strap of their bag. some of the other's comments seemed best if ignored, they found.

sighing they yawned, "follow me." they murmured, leaping ahead to start them off, following the river tightly. they would follow it up to the waterfall and show a secret way down to the bowl beneath. that was what they would show, and leave the rest up to the newcomer to figure out.

[rainier]

“[color=#6babb3]Th-They’ll get th-, get theirs, sssssoon.” She promised in a clipped voice, none too worried about the idea of there being repercussions for her actions. Amparo was quiet, though, for the trip that followed, sparing only a groan of annoyance at how her canteen thumped her side .

When they reached their destination - secret! very cool - , Amparo more or less took off to take things into her own paws. “[color=#6babb3]Bye B-Bai. Sh-Shithead.”

[teef]

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[color=#7E354D]BAI SHI
" my own illusion come to be "

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an amused short came from the fox as they dipped their head to her, "no thanks or anything. as well as it is, I suppose. goodbye, bén dán."

//out