|
|
Post by Amber Sablier on Jun 17, 2016 22:11:41 GMT -6
| ❝ | My strength has brought me far, but if I only had a little bit more. My aim would be an endless blue sky bound by no limitations at all. And when tomorrow reaches out once again I'll hear its beckoning call. | ❞ |
It was quiet - almost too quiet.
The ever inquisitive Amber scanned the open meadow behind the camp. There had been a lot of moving around, a lot of sitting in Altimeda’s car and feeling claustrophobic. It wasn’t what she had grown accustomed to back at home, but Amberleigh knew she would have to make due. That life, after all, had been left behind. She was going to become a Huntress now - learn the ways of some of Remnant’s most legendary soldiers and, should destiny see to it, add her name among the world’s finest. Stretching forward and touching her toes, Amber jumped up excitedly before spinning around to face the camp.
“I wonder what Altimeda is up to,” she murmured to herself.
With a quick shrug, she half-skipped to an area where she had started preparing a small fire. Most of what they needed, she thought, would be located in Mr. Fontine’s car. That said, she wasn’t privy to digging through peoples’ belongings without permission, and as such decided to wait until he returned. After throwing a few bundles of sticks into the small pit, Amber looked around for where she had set her belongings. The prospect of losing the very few things she had stirred up feelings of panic, but they immediately subsided after remembering she had placed them underneath the bedroll she picked up a few towns back.
Her mind lingered back on that trip, recalling how very few people appeared to recognize her in, what she now admitted to be, a poor disguise. She really should have put more planning into her escape. With a crooked smile, she snatched up the heavy leather belt used to carry the Hound, clumsily wrapping it around her waist. It was going to take some used to, perhaps some strength training would help deal with the heaviness. With the sword at her side, it was the first time Amber had felt some sort of power for the first time. She had the Arsenal, sure, but even that had its limitations in her hands. Someday she hoped she would be able to wield the family Semblance with as much skill as her predecessors.
Sitting next to the now glowing fire pit, Amber hugged her legs, pulling her knees against her chest and resting her chin upon them. Homesickness was starting to set in now.
She knew it was only a matter of time.
Date/Time: November 8, 10:04AM
|
|
|
|
Post by Altimeda Fontine on Jun 19, 2016 7:10:20 GMT -6
And so it begins~ 544 | Wary eyes peered through the depths of the wood that surrounded the small cabin tucked away in these wood that Altimeda used as a base of operations. The area was not one he frequented—not that that made a difference in the bareness of the cabin. He did not make a habit of putting sentimental items such as photographs or trinkets that would link that location to him, and thus to his family, instead saving those things for the few locations he actually called home.
His hands moved automatically, loosening the string about the rabbit's neck and detaching it from the snares. A quick knot tied it to his belt alongside its match, the only other catch his snares had taken over night. A more proper hunt was perhaps in order, once Amberleigh was more accustomed to either moving quietly through the trees or defending herself when left alone. That latter was the reason for the Huntsman's haste as he stood and ghosted back through the lightening foliage back towards the cabin.
Much to his delight, Amberleigh had taken the liberty of stoking up the fire. As he came into view of the clearing, he made a point of whistling through his teeth, loud enough to carry through the clearing but not so powerful as to startle the wildlife. He had told Amberleigh that if she heard anyone entering the clearing without that whistle, she should hole up in the cabin and lock the doors. Whether or not she would actually take that advice instead of standing and trying to fight was not clear to Altimeda yet. The girl had a good heart and a strong will to fight back against the luxury that had claimed her early years, and as such he was unsure yet if pride would see her fight back, willpower would see her stand her ground, or caution would see her retreat to the cabin. No matter now, though. He had returned, and things seemed to be quiet.
"Morning." Quiet, calm, intoned like the early morning greeting it was. Altimeda plopped down, untying the rabbits from his belt and plucking his knife from the sheath on his leg to start dressing them down. "Sleep well?" He worked quietly, listening to her response while staring at his work. After a moment, he quietly spoke the words that he assumed she had either been dying or dreading to hear. "We've had enough running around. This place is safe, away from the populace. Wildlife can provide us food on top of what stores I have here. S'time you learned how to use that blade you nicked." He shot her a sober smile, his flatness belying his real feelings. He did not want her to get too enthusiastic about learning to get hit and thrown about, but if he was honest with himself, Altimeda was excited to work with her. It had been a long time since he had been able to pass on knowledge on such a personal level, and Amberleigh showed enough promise to be an ace pupil.
His excitement was only muted by the fact that he was unsure how she would respond. That was the learning process, though, and he intended to put her through it right, whatever that entailed.
Altimeda Fontine |
|
|
|
|
Post by Amber Sablier on Jun 19, 2016 23:49:09 GMT -6
| ❝ | My strength has brought me far, but if I only had a little bit more. My aim would be an endless blue sky bound by no limitations at all. And when tomorrow reaches out once again I'll hear its beckoning call. | ❞ |
Slightly startled by Altimeda’s return, Amber smiled happily at her traveling companion and waved. “Good morning, Altimeda.” She said in a cheerful tone. She watched him as he sat, observing carefully as he went to work on the rabbits. She had never eaten rabbit before, but the thought of cooking was enough to make the small girl’s stomach grumble. At this point, anything would do. “I slept very well, thank you. I hope you did, as well.” Amber’s curiosity remained fixated on the rabbits, but she kept her attention on her mentor nonetheless. To hear they were now in a safe place was exactly the reassurance she needed. Too much running had tired her out, and if she was recalling correctly, it had been about four months since her and Altimeda left Rift.
Setek was their destination, for what reason exactly she was unsure. It was the only Kingdom not separated by water, so that was a thing. In her mind, it was because it was simply the most convenient place to go. When Altimeda mentioned the sword, the Hound, Amber grinned excitedly. “I think I’m ready to learn, Mr. Fontine!” She said, lightly patting the sword at her side. “Hopefully learning how to fight doesn’t take too long. The basics, I mean.” She continued. “I wouldn’t want to be a liability in the heat of battle or anything. I’d much rather pull my weight and help the best I can.”
Revealing a knife she had found in Altimeda’s car, Amber helped herself to one of the rabbits. She watched carefully as Altimeda went through the steps of removing the fur and skin from the animal, and mirrored his movements as well as she was able. This was all still new to her, but at least she had the capacity to skin a rabbit. Between the two of them, the rabbits would be prepared in no time and they could prepare a hearty meal. Sitting with the Huntsman made her think about home, particularly about Sir Cullen and some of the thing he tried to show her while father was away on trips. Cooking was one such thing, and while she had never had rabbit, she assumed the process of cooking them was relatively similar to cooking squirrel.
“Do we have anything I could use to make a stew out of these?” She inquired, looking around curiously. “I might be able to whip something together for us that isn’t quite so...I don’t know, plain?” |
|
|
|
Post by Altimeda Fontine on Jun 20, 2016 12:23:51 GMT -6
— 399 | The Huntsman's eyes flicked over to her, a lighthearted chastising glint in them. "Just Altimeda," he corrected her for the umpteenth time, this time adding, "or at least call me 'doctor' if you're gonna call me by title. But save the honorifics for the castle, yeah?" The smile he cast towards her affirmed that it was all in good humor. That was a detail she certainly should have discovered by now: Altimeda was, for all his grandeur, very laid-back and easygoing. Titles were reserved for public appearances and the bourgeoisie's parties where one rubbed elbows with the movers and shakers, where being Dr. Altimeda Fontine was necessary to have a conversation with those who looked down on society from on high. Everywhere else, he was a Huntsman. No more, no less.
Her notion of not weighing him down in combat was amicable, but he stayed quiet on the reality of the situation for now, nodding along with her and nodding his head at the sword she held so fondly. "That blade's a fine one, should serve you well once you get your head wrapped around it. Soon as we're done with these guys—"he shook the rabbit, hanging by the last bit of flesh from its pelt—we'll get you started."
She cooks? What a good little housewife she was training to be. Good job, daddy. Altimeda quirked a brow at her and twisted a playful smirk to his lips. "Oh dear, you don't have to make breakfast for me," he droned in his best doting husband voice, chuckling personal laugh before jerking a thumb towards the cabin. "Yeah, there's some beef stock in the cabinet above the sink. Cookpot is right underneath it, big old black metal thing, can't miss it." Slowly, he was working on prying her away from all the bad habits she had undoubtedly had forced upon her as a princess, and this was just one more step along that path.
As Amber disappeared into the cabin, Altimeda let his mind wander. She was meant to be a Huntress, he knew, and for all his good-natured prodding at her history, some part of him deeply resented her father for trying to cull that potential out of her. Amberleigh Sablier was born to be something great, not a housewife to some nose-in-the-air diplomat, and just thinking about that fate for her made him want to vomit.
Altimeda Fontine |
|
|
|
|
Post by Amber Sablier on Jun 21, 2016 22:35:17 GMT -6
| ❝ | My strength has brought me far, but if I only had a little bit more. My aim would be an endless blue sky bound by no limitations at all. And when tomorrow reaches out once again I'll hear its beckoning call. | ❞ |
As she was being corrected, Amber rolled her eyes and smiled. Retaining laughter was easy until Altimeda added the bit about calling him “doctor”. She didn’t meant to sound rude, but she chuckled slightly at the comment, but she complied with her new mentor’s request and nodded. “Whatever you say, Altimeda!” she added with a snicker. Her attention remained on the rabbits for the most part, doing her best to help Altimeda prepare them for cooking. Part of her felt like the honorifics she was so used to using were upsetting him, but why that was she couldn’t put her finger on. The feeling she was going something wrong stirred around in her stomach for a little bit before he shifted the conversation back to the sword at her side.
Looking down to the Hound, she smiled fondly. “I’m sure the Hound will serve me just as good as it served Sir Cullen before I took it,” she said with a bashful grin. “It used to be a little heavy, but I think I’m getting a little stronger cos it doesn’t feel as heavy as it did back in Rift.” She grinned proudly as she daydreamed about learning to fight. The Grimm, the criminals! It was so exciting! This little fantasy was brought to a screeching halt when Altimeda shook the rabbit in his hand from its skin. It made her stomach turn slightly, and she flinched a bit as the last bit of the pelt slipped off the flesh. Shuddering slightly, she stood to stretch and look around the camp. The building was nearby, Altimeda’s little hideout whenever he was in the area. It was a nice little place, for sure. The only concern in Amber’s mind was whether it was a comfortable place or not.
Altimeda’s playful teasing was met with Amber strutting towards him before reaching down and flicking his forehead lightly. “I’ll cook if I want, Doctor Fontine. For you, or anyone. So don't you forget that!” She said back. “I’ll go and get the stock and the pot, so I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere, or I will hunt you down and kick your butt!” With an exaggerated “Hmph!” Amber made her way to the cabin, she once again began to anticipate her lessons. To say she was excited was an understatement, she was absolutely thrilled! Learning these things from Sir Cullen would’ve been a dream come true, but to learn from a man that had lived and breathed the life of a Huntsman and wrote about it? Now that was an opportunity she would not pass up.
Now...where was that pot? |
|
|
|
Post by Altimeda Fontine on Jun 25, 2016 6:34:37 GMT -6
— 306 | Altimeda watched with a fond smile as she ambled off into the cabin. Good heart in that girl. S'hope she can harness that.
The cabin inside was much as Amber remembered it from the night before. All one room save for the small sectioned off shower room—no running water meant no proper restroom—it was a reasonably comfortable little abode, considering the locale. The west third of the building was dominated by the kitchen, separated off by a bar counter top that extended from the north wall southwards and the south wall northwards with a break in between to allow entry to the tiled cooking area. A wood stove with two burners sat in the center of the room with a silvered hood over its top. To its left was a metal box with ice dust crystals socketed into the base that served as a refrigerator, the freezer on the bottom where the crystals were the coldest. To the right of the stove was the sink, cabinets set above and below from the sink northwards to allow for plenty of storage space. Those under the sink likely carried her pot, while she had seen foodstuffs and the like in the upper.
The center third of the building was nearly empty save for a training mat on the floor, a smattering of workout equipment, and an end table set against he far north wall with an electric-dust powered scroll dock. Altimeda's scroll was set on that dock, blinking with a message notification. The singular bed sat in the northeast corner with a single leather armchair and a writing desk set to its right, the shower room taking up the southeast-most corner. Amber had been given that bed at Altimeda's insistence while he slept on a pair of stacked bedrolls he had retrieved from under the bed.
Altimeda Fontine |
|
|
|
|
Post by Amber Sablier on Jun 25, 2016 11:10:32 GMT -6
| ❝ | MY STRENGTH HAS BROUGHT ME FAR, BUT IF I ONLY HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE. MY AIM WOULD BE AN ENDLESS BLUE SKY BOUND BY NO LIMITATIONS AT ALL. AND WHEN TOMORROW REACHES OUT ONCE AGAIN I'LL HEAR ITS BECKONING CALL. | ❞ |
Growing frustrated with her lack of familiarity with the cabin, Amber fumed in silence as she dug around for the cooking pot. It reminded her of life at the palace many years ago, where she would often misplace things in her room and take up all but the last few hours of the day finding them. This usually resulted in a disaster of a mess and her being scolded, but as she grew she learned to contain that mess. The thought of home made her wonder how her friends were doing. She didn’t have many, but she had nevertheless left some people behind. Were they worried about her? Did they even know she was gone?
The idea that her very best friends could have no idea she ever left made Amber a little sick to her stomach. Would her parents really go to such great lengths to hide her disappearance from everyone? She shook the thought out of her head almost instantly, almost chuckling at how ridiculous it sounded. Amber knew her parents, her father the most. He would raze cities to find her if he had to, and her mother would be by his side every step of the way. This was the first time since leaving that Amber felt some sort of longing for home, the first time she truly missed her mother and father.
She hoped they were doing well.
A metallic clink drew her attention, and Amber smiled gleefully as she pulled the cooking pot from its place in the cupboards. “Aha! Finally I’ve gotcha!” She chimed happily. Luckily, she remembered exactly where Altimeda said the beef stock was - right above it! Standing up on the tips of her toes, Amber opened up the cupboard and eyed the stock on the shelf. It was a little higher than she could reach, but she was determined to get it! With a great deal of care and finesse, Amberleigh crawled up onto the counter. Wobbling for a second, she did her best to retain her balance before reaching up for the stock. Once her hand was on the can, she threw her arms up in her special SUCCESS! Pose, causing her to lose balance and fall off the counter.
Landing on her back with a heavy “thud!”, Amber scrambled to her feet with the pot and stock, making her way back to the fire and Altimeda. “Here we gooo!” She sang cheerfully, “Got the pot, got the stock, got the fire! Now all we need is for the rabbits to be good to go, and we can start making a delicious bunny breakfast!” |
|
|
|
Post by Altimeda Fontine on Jun 26, 2016 6:39:08 GMT -6
Ol' Man Fontine 335 | Altimeda was lost in his thoughts when he heard a thudcrash! from inside. He twisted in place, staring at the doorway for a moment with a querying brow quirked at the door, putting together the pieces of the puzzle. Stock, countertop.... height. Gravity. Ah ha. He nodded to himself, affording a personal giggle as he set back to the rabbits. He still wore a grin when Amber returned to him, bouncing and lively and handing over the pot. He said nothing, but shot her a very knowing look as he set down the second rabbit and began on the third.
"Never stop being that young," he told her, accentuating the cadence of his words by wiggling the knife at her. "You keep that up and you'll scare off every Grimm for miles." For the last minutes of preparation, he worked in companionable silence, knife deftly cutting through muscle and fiber as he separated pelt from flesh and flesh from guts. Finally, he set the knife aside and reached for the trio of foot-long metal spike he had brought out with him that morning. A few twists and pokes later and the rabbits were spit up on them. Altimeda planted the bases of the sticks in the ground and spread his hands encouragingly to Amber. "Have at it!"
As the Huntsman watched her work, he went over the notes of her training in his head. Satisfied after just a minute, he finally broke his silence. "Breakfast, then right into training after about a fifteen minute wait to let the food hit your system. This'll be a workout. I'll teach you the dance that I prefer, over those froofy ball room affairs your parents like to throw." He cracked a sardonic grin, but let it fade after just a moment.
His voice became soft. "How are you?" The question was short, but carried with it weight both in tone and word. "Home isn't home, anymore, and your old home is a long ways away. You holding up?"
Altimeda Fontine |
|
|
|
|
Post by Amber Sablier on Jun 29, 2016 22:11:21 GMT -6
| ❝ | MY STRENGTH HAS BROUGHT ME FAR, BUT IF I ONLY HAD A LITTLE BIT MORE. MY AIM WOULD BE AN ENDLESS BLUE SKY BOUND BY NO LIMITATIONS AT ALL. AND WHEN TOMORROW REACHES OUT ONCE AGAIN I'LL HEAR ITS BECKONING CALL. | ❞ |
Amber smiled gleefully as she flopped down by the fire, just opposite of Altimeda, watching him carefully as he went to work on the third rabbit. Good thing he was here, and thank whatever creator the world believed in that he knew how to skin rabbits. Amber had learned a bit of that from Sir Cullen, but was nowhere near as good at it as her new mentor. A slight bit of daydreaming was prevented by Altimeda waving his knife in her direction. Never stop being this young? She stared at him, clearly confused, struggling to find a way to respond to the man’s words. Eventually, she scratched her head before covering her face and giggling quietly. “I guess that sucks for me, then!” She replied. “After all, I gotta grow up eventually, right? I’m not going to be able to fight the Grimm off if I don’t grow.” Hugging her knees close to her chest, Amber studied the Hunter’s work of skinning the rabbit until he was all done.
Then came her cue!
With a proud grin, Amber went to work preparing their morning meal. This was all going to be a result of memory, and for the first half a second of preparing the stock to cook over the fire, she second guessed herself. What if she messed up? Quickly, she did her best to shake the thought out of her head. Altimeda was quiet as she worked, which only added to her nervousness. It would be his breaking the silence, however, that finally helped her relax. In fact, it did even more than that, it helped hype her up even more. Training, finally! A smile stretched across her face, her eyes wide - a true physical projection of the excitement she was experiencing at that very moment. That changed with the sudden shift in his tone of voice, something that made the girl a little wary.
How...was she?
"I’m okay I gue-” She tried to respond, only to be interrupted by Mr. Fontine. So it was a “how are you doing away from home?” type of question, eh? Her smile shrunk slightly, and Amber’s gaze dropped down to focus on the pot that was hanging over the fire. “Well, to be fair, I’ve been trying really hard not to think about home.” She replied, stirring the stock slowly. “I mean, I miss everyone. It’s where my family is. Mom, dad, even Finn. I miss everyone, you know?” Her eyes eventually rose to meet Altimeda’s own, smiling happily. “How about you, Altimeda? How are you?” |
|
|
|
Post by Altimeda Fontine on Jul 2, 2016 6:40:19 GMT -6
— 383 | Altimeda could not help but admire her innocence. For all the misgivings her family had put upon her, she seemed neither bitter nor resentful of them as many would be in her place, and at the same time it was clear that she had no regrets about leaving them behind. That mixture of naivety and resolve was refreshing, something the aging Huntsman had not seen in a good many years.
He cracked a grin at her question and responded, "I am just fine," with a chuckle and added, "all the better with you here. Camps like this get pretty quiet sometimes, and I don't mind being alone or anything but the company is nice." He laid back in the grass and stretched his arms out, the first casual gesture Amberleigh had seen from him since they made camp. She did not know he had not actually slept last night for interest of keeping watch for pursuit, and it was eventually going to catch up to him. The shot of energy from the rabbit would do wonders for that, and for now he could play it off as early morning sluggishness.
"Hold on to that, though," he continued, speaking upwards into the trees while his eyes casually searched for the sun through the emerald canopy. "Not a day goes by that I don't miss Mae and Mel. I barely get to the see them a couple times a month, sometimes, y'know that? Sucks." He huffed a dry chuckle, but then shrugged his shoulders. "But it's what keeps it all in focus, for me. S'what keeps me moving out here when I have to camp in a damp, shitty bedroll in the middle of the woods or on the side of a road in a ditch to duck a tornado while being hunted by a pack of Barghests. True story, that last one."
He let himself smile at that before throwing his arms forward to help him sit up and regard Amber with honest eyes. "Find what's gonna keep you going out here, 'cause at the end of the day, that's all that's gonna keep you swinging that sword around. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don't have anything to motivate you to use it, you're going to flop."
Altimeda Fontine |
|
|
