Thank you so much cosmicrose! You kind comments always make my day...XD Thank you for liking her mask, I'm pretty fond of it, too! And about her eyebrow...it's hidden under the mask....XD. Pale Leaf's face is perfectly fine, the mask is only for disguise XD. And thank you for liking her story, though I feel I could have done better with this part...XD
Lol!! Keelan is hecka adorable in this. xDDD I am loving Pale Leaf's story so far!! I like the idea that she's hired to "take care" of the demon problem Keelan's village is having. xD & his expression is just so perfect!! xD I really love how you make that rune on her face though!! It's super cool & I never even noticed her eyebrow is gone, almost like she was burned!! Really cool!! I also love Keelan's outfit!! The patterns & fur trim are simply marvelous & Pale Leaf's sword - awesome!! :D <3
Pale Leaf stands up with a snort, "Since fate have brought us together..." Ignoring the boy's hem and haw, she brushes off crumbs on her hand and heads
straightly upstairs, "We set out at dawn." Being Frozen in awkwardness, Keelan watches the woman's receding figure and sighs, "What have I got myself into...."
Never in his life has Keelan been called 'Mr.', it takes him quite a while to get his head around the appellation. "No... " he mumbles, somehow
flummoxed. "Then why are you frightened?" The woman presses further, "We can't take risks..." the boy raises his voice. Now he gets it, she was mocking him and his people! "Are you afraid of me?" Again the boy is left dumb. With the hunter's eyes glowing faint orange in the shadow of her hood, it would a lie if Keelan says no.
"You see my hometown lives off hunting and logging. People on longer feel safe working in the mountain since she appeared. We have organised a patrol...but it only seemed to upset the creature. So the town elders decided it would be wise to leave the job to...professional hands." Keelan finishes his story, watching eagerly at the hunter. "Tell me Mr. Keelan of Dairnach, has she done any harm to anyone or anyone's properties so far, directly?"
"My name's Keelan, I'm from Dairnach, miles away up north. We need you help." Pale Leaf raises one of her eyebrow noncommittally, giving the indication of 'I'm all ears'. "Well, for months our worker in the mountain have seen a strange creature. She takes the form of a horned woman of blue skin. The elders say she has demonic bearings." the boy is clever enough to give it a pause, a chance to observe her reaction. But what he sees is only the same expressionless composure of the hunter.
Confused Keelan does not sure where to start. "I don't suppose you're here to have a drink with me, do you?" The woman takes a sip from her mug, in which steams the traditional northern drink, Glühwein (mulled wine). "Err, no..." Nervously the boy scratches his head. "Are you Pale Leaf the demon hunter?" It's so lame an opening to a conversion but the best Keelan is able to manager at the moment. "Yes, that's what I've been called." the hunter gives a light answer.
For one moment a strange thought flashes through the boy's mind, maybe the so-called mask is her real face
and her face is, in fact, the mask. "If you insist." The woman speaks, again to his surprise, with refined accent of the western coastal region. It's gentle flow stands so distinguishable against the surrounding harsh northern tone. Yes, not until than does the tavern resume some of its liveliness, but the volume is being kept cautiously, as if out of fear of disturbing a beast's slumber.
The woman tilts her head, candle flame lights up what hidden under her loose hood. Keelan has to admit, even with preparation, thanks to the rumors that fly around the tavern, he's still taken aback. Not that he sees some monstrous sight, the young woman is beautiful, demure if you're aiming for accuracy. But half of her face is veiled by a runed mask, just like what has being told in the tales. And her nud skin, if not paler, equally lacks colour of life.
"Mind if I sit here?" Keelan points to an empty chair by her table. Not until then does the boy get to look at this legendary hunter closely. A young woman cloaked in brown. Patches of snow, not yet melted by the warmth inside,stick to her somehow shabby overcoat. But there is something about this hunter, Keelan can't really describe, something that bounds the shabbiness only to the outfit, but keeps the person in it untouched.
Sending a reluctant barmaid to attend to the new customer, Hafgen the tavern keeper jerks his head towards the corner, "That, me lad, is your person." Keelan swallows hard, surely the appearance of this mysterious figure has extinguished half of his courage. But for the sake of his townsfolk, the boy musters the remaining half, well most of the remaining half, and wobbly approaches the 'desolated' corner.
Like a gust of chilling wind the comer sweeps across the tavern to a quiet corner, which is abnormally unoccupied in a crowded public area like this. The tavernfolks seldom go to that corner, in fear of soiling their hands with the matters of...its frequenter. All eyes follow the new arrival but waver away as she draws near, like candle flames disturbed by air currents, even the raging fire in the fireplace flickers in her presence.
