[PRP Tale] A Little High-Strung [Jakkoa | Barihn]

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

A Little High-Strung

Jakkoa could hunt.

Not so well as Hargitt. Not so well as the trappers who made their living off of it. Not so well as his father, but he could do it. He could hunt, he could track, he could trap, and he could nock an arrow, loose it, and down frightened hare through the eye socket on a good day if the wind was right. But generally he didn’t. Generally, others did it for him and better and faster, and there were things he prefered to do rather than romp about in the woods in brown leathers without color and wait in trees while sap dripped in his hair and birds squawked about—he much preferred people, whose language he spoke, rather than animal chatter.

But on some days the situation merited it just the same.

If he had not chosen to take the healer path—which he was even less suited to, given his natural complete and utter lack of affinity for magic—than he likely would have taken up the bow himself. It felt familiar in his hands, even if it gave his fingers callouses, and if he went too long without, he felt an itch.

Such had been the case today. He was restless. He was bored. His magic was as responsive as a wife in bed ten years into a failed marriage, and he wanted something else to do besides fuss over his beads or listen to yet another old coot ramble about this and that and what he needed to do in order to—

He shook his head. Enough of all that for now, in any case was the point. Though he typically preferred vibrant and lively spaces, it was occasionally refreshing to immerse himself in quiet, and it leant him opportunity to think, besides. On his sister. On destinations to come.

On Hargitt.

The difficult, stubborn, self-sacrificing, needlessly martyring—

Perhaps if Jakkoa had been paying just slightly more attention to his surroundings, as had been his intention from the beginning, then nothing would have gone awry to begin with. Generally he did. Generally he prided himself on his keen attention to detail, his active presence in the moment, and his—well, a good many things, but as the gods would have it, this was apparently a day of unusual things which did not fall within the category of ‘generally speaking.’

His shriek likely could have been heard within a hundred mile radius of point where the trap triggered, rope snagged, and in one unfortunate half-second, all of Jakkoa’s arrows were clatter-thumping to the forest floor, the bags at his hips tipping and dropping against his ribcage, and his hair sweeping down to hang like a sheer gold veil to point to the ground he ought to have been standing on. But no longer was. Rope held his ankle fast, high above his head.

The blood rushing to his cheeks could have been any combination of gravity, aggravation, shame, or ire. He preferred to focus on the last.

“Who the bleeding f-ck would—?” And before he thought any better of it: “HARGITT!”

He was going to need to cut himself loose.

It would have been a simpler task, if his blades were not in his boot and on the forest floor, respectively.

His ensuing monologue was not especially suited to the ears of children.  

[OpticPeach]

Barihn heard the man before he saw him. He had been wandering around with a couple of small creatures, hoping to catch something to eat in either one of his traps or by picking something. Both ventures had been a bit of a let down, but now there was something going on in one of his traps close by. From the sounds of it it wasn't going to be something pleasant, but maybe it would at least be interesting. He didn't really get anything interesting out in the forest very often. Maybe a a few travelers every now and again that happened too close, but nothing that really screamed excitement. Nothing he could get his hands on in one way or another. It was sad really, but he was trying his best to keep to the rules. No going to the village, no leaving the forest. He was atoning for his failures, whatever they may be that day. Today one of them was apparently catching other earthlings in traps. He would atone for that later. Now, well now it was just a bit funny.

"Heeeey, y'know those aren't really made for you," he drawled out, taking a good look at the boy stuck in his trap. "I meeeean, unless you wanted to be caught in it. Then I don't really want to know what your doing..."

The Only Black Uke

 

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Jakkoa froze.

Which, in this case if one was going to get especially technical, more meant that he ceased his thrashing temporarily and dangled for a moment in his startlement, hanging loose and swinging very slightly much like proper caught prey might eventually be expected to do—not that he was anything of the sort, but regardless.

Over his own bickering, jerking, flailing, cursing and otherwise loud, noisemaking attempts to either free himself or attract the attention of something that would, he hadn’t heard anyone approach, and it wasn’t until his company was right there, and speaking to him, that he became aware of the man at all. Boy. Man. Jakkoa tipped his head best he could, running a hand uselessly back through his free falling curtain of hair and squinting at what fate had dealt him: an adolescent leafling wild thing which looked very distinctly dirty, even from his angle and limited perspective.

He huffed, red-faced—not that he had much choice in that regard—and shook his head.

“Shockingly, I did manage to guess that I wasn’t the intended target, yes, now if—” He breathed out, composing himself as best he could—which, under the circumstances, was not so much as he might have liked, but again, alas. “If you’ll forgive me for springing your trap, might you please get me down? I was intending to do more with my day than hang about.”  

[OpticPeach]

Barihn watched the boy swing back and forth the more flustered he got. Back and forth. Back and forth. It would be a hypnotizing motion if not for the fact that it was a person swinging there and not a pendulum of some sort. He was blonde and very brightly colored, distinctly different from all of the leaf folk he had encountered before. He was half tempted to watch the boy try to get himself out, but that wouldn't have been to kind of him. Instead he decided to relent and help him, if only to stop his complaining.


"Okaaaaay. Give me a secooond." He tried the best he could to ease his worry, but his voice sounded a bit more soft and threatening than he would have liked it to.

Climbing the tree up to where the boy's foot was caught was easy. Getting him down without hurting him was an entirely different thing. He kept a knife strapped to his side, and the rope itself was easy enough to cut. Now he just had to attempt to lower him down slowly and...nope. The rope slipped unceremoniously through his hands and he watched as the boy landed roughly on the ground. Oops.  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Jakkoa shot his company an obscure look, only to mask it a half-second later on the thought that perhaps he oughtn’t be antagonizing anyone who might be about to help him—but by the goddess did the boy speak strangely. A breathy, rasping drawl as though every word was belabored somehow, or weighed down with deep, deep fatigue.

But evidently the leafling was going to help and, oddities aside, Jakkoa didn’t see reason to complain about that. Until the boy climbed the tree. And withdrew a knife, and—

“Are you certain that’s the best—”

It did not take an extensive amount of strategizing or forethought to understand what was coming, and Jakkoa clapped his lips shut the moment he realized it was, for all practical purposes, ‘too late.’ He was going to be cut free. He was going to fall in three, two—THUNK-kkllckattr. Having anticipated it, Jakkoa did at least — by some combination of foresight and sheer, dumb luck — manage not to break his wrists, arms, or neck on the way down. It was also, fortunately, not a particularly long drop, having been designed presumably for beasts at least slightly smaller than he, and he did manage to tuck—somewhat.

Still.

It was an awkward plop and roll of a landing, messy, jarring, unpleasant, if not bone-breaking, and he groaned. “You—did you not consider there might have been a better possible avenue to that? Goddess, what if I sprained a wrist or broke my neck—” Jakkoa managed to push himself upright as he spoke, however, testing his various bones and joints and rubbing his wrist. “And…” Belatedly, almost as an afterthought, his eyes skimmed back up to the boy, presumably layer of the trap in question. “Who are you?”  

[OpticPeach]

"The guy who made the trap?" Barihn stated, a tilt to his head. He assumed it had been obvious, but perhaps it was not. He could tell his trap from other hunters traps any day of the week, but that may have been a particular skill set the overly opinionated boy did not have. He sure did know how to talk. A few moments later and he was back out of the tree and on the ground, collecting his ruined trap as he went. He would have to fix it up and put it back out if he had any hopes of eating this day. Eating leaves only got one so far.

"You were caught in the trap. The trap was in the tree. I cut the trap out of the tree. Seemed to be the best option to me," the leaf nodded, inspecting the lad once more. Too bright. He'd be seen in any forest easily. He did not blend in at all.

"Do you....dress like that on purpose? Do you wish to be caught oooooorrrrr maybe you do not know what colors you wear? I have heard of color blindness, though I have not experienced it myself." If he did willingly dress himself like that, well, he couldn't help him then. Unless he planned on smearing dirt into the clothes to dull the colors. That would make it a bit safer for him in the forest.  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

“I—” Jak gave a sharp shake of the head accompanied by a scoff. Maker of the trap. “I knew that.” It was, he was finding, difficult to remain fully sweet and civil with this man. But perhaps he was taking the wrong approach. “Or, I certainly suspected,” he clarified, softening his tone but narrowing his eyes inquisitively as he studied his company. The boy looked almost as though he lived out here, and not merely temporarily, but as though the forest and all its trappings and inglorious bits had made itself a part of his permanent wardrobe. “What I meant was…” He pushed to a stand, wincing briefly at a crimp in his leg from the fall but adjusting his weight to the other to make up for it. “I am Jakkoa Vayle, and while I didn’t intend to meet under these circumstances…I am grateful for your…” ‘…uncouth and painful…’ “…aid. I just thought that between the two of us, perhaps you could have put something beneath me to brace upon or—”

Do you dress like that on purpose?

Jakkoa’s immediate expression was difficult to describe, but easy to imagine.

“On—yes I dress this way on purpose. What do you think—” He bit back the latter half of the sentence, attempting to determine in the time between whether he needed anything more from this man. Did he have to remain polite? It was usually best. He breathed out, folding his arms as loosely as he could manage and ignoring the fact that his right ankle seemed averse to supporting much more than a feather’s weight. “What do you mean ‘wish to be caught?’ No one is chasing me. I was not attempting to blend in, and unless your traps are very special indeed, I would assume they do not look particularly to lash onto especially colorful and well-dressed passers by.”  

[OpticPeach]

"I see. Clothing is very different from where you come from then, wherever that may be," Barihn stated, taking a mental note of it. What may seem unusual to him could be perfectly acceptable in other parts of Tendaji. He didn't know. All he knew for certain was that the boy in front of him did not seem to pleased with his comment. It would probably be best to try to at least smooth things over, just in case he had other people that could threaten him.

"Heeeeey, so since you weren't looking to get caught and all, what are you doing out heeere? It's not very....exciting around here. Just the forest full of trees and creatures. Also me. I'm here too." He watched him shift uncomfortably and feared that he actually had hurt himself when he fell. He hadn't really meant to do that. While the man was loud, he didn't seem particularly unfriendly. Just a bit....well ruffled.

Good job Barihn, hurting the only company you've had in months.

"I'll take you back to my home and we can take a look at your foot. I should have sooooomething to fix it up, or at least wrap it. If you're willing to put up with me for a while longer." He paused, getting momentarily distracted as he thought over all that he had in his home. Yeah. He should have something. "Follow me if you wish."  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Jakkoa opened his mouth—and shut it. ‘Different’ indeed. But he didn’t suppose it mattered enough to chase the subject. The leafling boy seemed willing enough to let it drop, and so, so did he.

“Hunting,” he answered instead. Then, as though spurned by his own comment, he glanced down, frowning at his scattered arrows and fallen bow. “Or, I was.”

A pinch of uncalled for heat moved for his cheeks and his shook his head in some half-hearted attempt to dispel the blush of abashment. He had, as it unfortunately happened, done about as poor of a job of the endeavor as he possibly could have—aside from getting himself killed, he supposed. He tossed the other man an underhanded glance.

‘I’m here too.’

Almost amusing, if also distinctly odd.

“Yes,” he said, attempting to crouch without disturbing his ankle—and more or less failing. “I…did notice that you were here.” Mid-reach for several of his arrows, his gaze flicked up, sharp gold and inquisitive at the offer. “Your home?”

There was, for a fraction of an instant, a niggling thought in the back of his mind that sounded distinctly like Hargitt’s ever over-worrying self that said he did not know this man, he was in the middle of the woods, Hargitt did not know where he was, he was hurt, and he likely oughtn’t just—

“I would,” he said, tucking the unnecessary voice of ‘caution’ under the rug for the moment. “But I am not leaving behind my things. And—” Jakkoa frowned, because the latter thought couldn’t actually be true, it was just a twist and he could walk and stand perfectly fine if he just—a sharp hiss escaped him at the first attempt, and he pursed his lips, only just regaining his balance. “Just…give me a moment.”  

[OpticPeach]

Barihn moved to help the man, being careful not to step to close to him in case he didn't like the closeness of him. He was curious how he had planned on hunting, but tried to keep most of his thoughts to himself. He didn't look like a hunter. Didn't really seem to know what he was doing or how to check for traps.

"Do you uh, know how to hunt? Were you doing it for sport or for food?" Things were different in the forest, and if he wasn't native to the area it would explain a lot of things.

"Come to my home and we can get you sorted out."  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

It wasn’t the first time Jak had been asked, and the question barely phased him. He managed, at least, to gather most of his arrows back into his quiver — with the other man’s help — and afterward strapped it back securely where it belonged.

“Yes. I know how to hunt. My aim isn’t so good as some, but it’s better than others, and straight enough to down a good meal when need be. And I was hunting for food…” Jakkoa reached, bracing his weight partly on his company’s shoulder without so much as asking—he was there, and had invited him into his home, and he wasn’t having much luck moving well without, regardless. “And to think,” he admitted after a moment. “But mostly for food…”

His gaze wandered up the trunk of the tree he’d unintentionally strung himself from, lips pursing.

“As you might have guessed, the thinking took a bit of precedence despite my better intentions and I got…distracted. I am sorry to have fouled your trap. If you can help me with my foot and would care to follow me back to my camp after…I am sure my travelling partner and I could spare you a meal in thanks and apology for whatever catch you lost in my stead.”  

[OpticPeach]

"Thaaaat....sounds agreeable to me," Barihn decided, grabbing hold of the other man and helping him along. It felt odd touching another person after having no contact for so long. He wanted to just sit and touch his hands and face for a few moments, but figured that would be incredibly weird and slightly uncomfortable for all involved. He was deprived of physical contact, and any chance he got to just be in the same vicinity as another was a great pleasure. It was one of the reasons he had tried to get him to follow him back. Who new when he would have another conversation with someone again, even if the man was odd.

Like you're one to talk. Oddest of them all.

It was all true. Lack of interaction had made him a bit...bonkers. He was not exactly the most sane person one would meet, on top of being the wild man of the forest. A sight to behold with his strange voice, awkward movements, and all around interesting way of going about things.  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

Jakkoa stole one sidelong glance at his company. An odd man indeed. The lingering breathy drawl to his voice continued to stand out. But, in the end, it seemed of little importance. He needed the help and had no immediate other options, the man didn’t seem violent—and if he was, Jak would have to deal with that when the time came. No need to concern himself with it yet when it struck him as unlikely at best.

Besides, the man was already holding onto him and—

It occurred to Jak some decent way in that he still hadn’t caught the leafling’s name. He wondered, for a moment, if that had been intentional. But then, surely it didn’t hurt to ask once more. Particularly if he was going to be traipsing about in whatever this avid forest-goer considered ‘home.’

“I’m sorry, but if you said it I didn’t catch it…what should I call you?”  

[OpticPeach]

"Oh ah! That is a good question I suppose." He hadn't been trying to stay the mysterious forest boy, but he had indeed forgotten to give the man his name. Then again, he wasn't too sure if the boy....man....whatever he was, had given him is own name. If he had he had certainly forgotten it in all the excitement. Though all things considered that wasn't hard for him. He had issue remembering most simple things.

There he was getting distracted again and not answering the question.

"My name is Barihn. What might yours be?" He finally asked as they drew near his tree house. It was a bit simple in design, he hadn't exactly had materials or help when he'd been kicked out, but even so it was a sturdy wooden building. Settled up fairly high in the trees, it was only accessible by climbing up the tree, or by a swinging rope he had in case he needed to drag supplies up with him. Everything about the home was made of natural material, and it seemed that the trees had simply accepted it as part of it. Vines crept up the sides, and even a birds nest or two settled up in the windows.  

[Miss Chief aka Uke]

“Barihn,” Jakkoa said, letting the name settle. While it was unlikely he’d ever meet the man again, he made it his habit to attempt to memorize names when given to him. As critical as they were to a given person, it never hurt one’s standing with them to remember them, particularly when the other person did not expect to be remembered. “I am Jakkoa,” Jak repeated.

He had introduced himself, back when he had initially hoped to get a name from the other man, but between Barihn’s wandering, airy voice and already notably odd mannerisms in general, it wasn’t surprising to assume that he had either not heard, not paid it mind, or simply forgotten entirely, given how much else was going on.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Barihn, and…” As they encroached upon Barihn’s ‘home’, Jakkoa’s brow furrowed, gaze skimming up—and up—to the ‘house’ wedged into the wild growth. With no access. No steps. Not even a rope ladder. “How…am I to get up there? Mind you, were this any other day I would be capable of climbing it, but as I am now…perhaps I ought best just wait here?”