faithbound. [marquis & Earinor]

"We have no firewood.", Azrael quickly answered, "And fire creates light and smoke which could cause unwanted attention." Though the smoke would be fine during a rainy night like this, probably and the hut was leaky enough for the smoke to just dissipate outside instead of killing them. Still, he rarely made fires if he could avoid it, but Ignatius seemed cold and the sneezing wasn't a good sign. Azrael wanted to get out of his own wet clothes, but he couldn't just yet. "I'm going to secure the area, I'll be right back.", he told his travel companion and with that walked outside again and vanished into the surrounding woods. There was no one and nothing here yet, but he had his ways to be alerted of any demons early, even if it was only some scouts. They were small and sneaky little fuckers, almost looking like bats or birds in the dark, but demons couldn't hide themselves that well, especially not lower ones like that. It only took a few runes and crystals to ward them off or at least be alerted to them.

With everything done Azrael checked on the horse next. He got the saddle of it and put a blanket over it, so it would stay warm too. He brushed it a little, checked it's hove and concluded that everything was alright. There was some gras around so it could feed, but when they reached the monastery or another town, they should buy something to feed the horse with as well. It was too late to go hunting and no fire meant raw meat, which wasn't the best. They'd have to eat some of the food they got and Azrael bought for their journey. Hopefully the rain would stop by tomorrow. With that he went back inside and closed the creaky door behind him, and checked on what Ignatius was doing.

“Touchè.”, he replied. They surely didn’t; tearing down part of the hut would prove to be a stupid idea and living through stupid ideas wasn’t going to help them with anything. Ignatius was thinking for a second - he really wanted to warm up and not get sick, which also meant that they needed to get their warmth someplace else. This wasn’t just about him, he knew that, but using magic and then sleeping would probably make unwanted visitors come too close in too short of a span of time. “Take care, hunter.”, he told Azrael as he left to make their slightly miserable stay less, well, miserable anyway but it got Ignatius thinking. If everyone used magic, a demon could not track anyone anymore - it would confuse their senses, especially when thousands of people in a large settlement did so. Perhaps this was, if anything, a good thing. As he lost himself in thought, he slowly got himself ready for bed by taking off his shoes and the wet socks he wore, which was very much the only thing that he could get rid off - perhaps a change of clothes would be in order in the next monastery. Regardless of that, though, he sneezed again - something was off.

Ignatius contemplated if he was getting sick, which was a likely outcome and thought, but soon found that that couldn’t be it, either. Something was up, and whatever it was, it probably had something to do with the magic he used at the bridge earlier. The blanket now pulled all the way over his head, he lay himself down - the door creaked open and the priest-turned-worm looked up to see Azrael come back, safe and sound but infinitely more drenched than before. A bit of rain could really put a damper on a situation like that, no? “How about we huddle for warmth tonight?”, he suggested to the hunter. Factually, it might be nothing the church permitted but Ignatius didn’t want to spend a night longer than he had to in this hut. “All I’m saying is that it would probably be smart to combat the heat issue in this place. Besides, our clothes might dry faster?”

As Azrael entered Ignatius was already huddled up in a cocoon and he could only see his eyes and the flowing red hair. He sures stood out with that. It was getting dark now, darker than it was before with the rain clouds hanging over them like a bad omen. The hunter took off his coat and opened the door again to wring it out over the two steps leading up to their place for the night. Then he closed it again and hung his coat up on a rusty nail. He got rid of his hat too, then shook his head a bit and ran his fingers through his wet hair, making it stop sticking to his face. "You can huddle with Njeri if you like.", was his answer to the priests suggestion. he sat down and finally also got out of his wet boots and socks, putting them to the side. He pulled out his weapon too, drying it off as best he could so it wouldn't start rusting and leaned it next to him against the wall.

"Have you eaten?", he asked the priest who made a habit of forgetting that. Azrael pulled one of their bags over to get something for himself before bed. Something to fill his stomach for the night at least. He munched on some bread and cheese while he listened to the rain getting stronger and some thunder accompanied it, but it was a further away from them still. They were save hopefully, if lighting hit something then a tree near them, they only needed to hope it wouldn't fall on this little hut that would probably just give in immediately. "You should probably get out of all your wet clothes, it'll warm you up faster.", he suggested. He didn't want to cuddle with a priest, or anyone really, so he'd have to make his own heat. Ignatius had a sleeping bag and a blanket, it ought to be enough, right? "What happens if you get sick, will they send someone else?"

That had been his suggestion anyway, though it seemed as if he was only getting some ire from the hunter. Didn't seem like he was madly interested in cuddling, and Ignatius could understand that, albeit only because he didn't have time to wonder or quizz him on why that really was. "Outside? And catch a cold? I doubt it." With a beast? No, that really wasn't for him, but he imagined that she, too, could benefit from a slight bit of warmth. Regardless, he decided that he was better off in his little hovel of a sleeping bag and a nice blanket in here. For now, he looked at the hunter and accepted that he, albeit quite studious, was perhaps doomed either way. Was any of this worth the trouble they went through? Surely. "Why so defensive? It suffices if we lay together with our sleeping bags facing each others backs. I'm not insinuating we crawl into one, though, that would be too stuffy and too close for comfort.", he suggested furthermore, even if it was quite apparent that the two of them were not taking this in strides whatsoever. Wasn't that a bit sad?

"No, but I had breakfast.", he suggested to the hunter, almost cryptically, as if he were fine with one meal per day. It didn't help that nothing that he did was actually helping them reach their goal, but he knew that ressources were wasted if he ingested them now. Besides, he couldn't sleep on a full stomach either way - his time for food had long passed, maybe more than a few hours ago. "Perhaps you are right." For a moment, he thought about it and then, at the very least, relinquished himself from the blanket to get out of some layers - it wasn't like he only wore one anyway. Eventually though, he had to admit that he felt weird, standing there in his underwear - a shirt that still felt wet, even deep down to its core and shortened pants - but he hung his clothes up the best that he could. "If I get sick?", the drenched priest wondered. It was an odd situation to be in. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fixed up in no time, but ... if this is about the sneeze, not to worry, it's probably not actual, physical or treatable sickness." Magic took a toll on everyones body and that bridge had been a lot. "Perhaps they might if all else fails, just to nurse me back to health."

"Sure you didn't already catch one?", Azrael asked the priest, but it didn't really matter. Time constraints were annoying, but it wasn't the only thing that chased them over the river. Azrael looked at the priest and while the suggestion wasn't stupid, the hunter didn't want that. "I'm used to travelling alone." Or at least he slept alone apart from people who hired him and huddled up together, people who made a fire despite him telling them not to. It wasn't really an explanation or excuse, but it was his reason nonetheless. People weren't his thing, no matter if priest or someone else and being close to someone felt odd, maybe even a bit scary. The cold didn't bother Azrael much and it wasn't freezing, just uncomfortable with all the wet clothes. The air in here was also still moist. This journey started with the death of a lot of people and now they were already drenched and tired. He couldn't help but think this was a mistake, but he'd see it trhough. If not for the time constraint or possible demons following them, he'd have held off the journey for one or two days, hoping the weather got better.

"That's forever ago.", Azrael pointed out. "You'll just hurt yourself if you starve yourself, we have plenty of rations with us to make it to the monastery." Did that one have a city attached? Azrael almost hoped for it. He didn't intend to set foot into one of those holy places, but even he preferred a bed sometimes. Azrael got out of some more clothes as well, not as many as Ignatius though. It was too dark to actually see much, so it was fine and Azrael wasn't the one embarrassed. "What do you mean by that?", Azrael asked. If he needed to keep any eye out for supernatural sicknesses as well, he rather knew now. If he was supposed to protect this man, he needed to know how. The why he could ignore for now, but if there was something he needed to know, he better knew it sooner than later, or too late. Azrael grabbed another blanket that wasn't completely dry either and draped it around himself, then leaned back against the wooden wall. They should probably sleep.

Ignatius curled back up in a blanket and got into his sleeping bag; it wasn't as comfortable as the bed he was allowed in yesterday night, but it honestly was better than sleeping out in the open. The hut, despite being riddled with holes, kept the wind at bay and the thundering above them was still muffled, if only a bit. This was all he had for the night. "This isn't that.", he explained to Azrael. It didn't matter anyway. Even if it was, he'd have to push on - his flesh was nothing more than a cocoon, a nuisance that he had to deal with. Furthermore, there really was no way out of this, not when he knew that he had a prophecy to fulfill. "I am used to sleeping alone, too. This is nothing more than a suggestion, but if you aren't cold, I won't force it on you." Hunter or not, it seemed almost as if Azrael was hardly going to change his ways - he had his own opinion on everything and apart from that, he definitely had seen his fair share of problems, also. Wasn't this going to eventually get boring for him? All the travelling and hoping for something better.

"I wouldn't say forever." Forever would maybe be a week ago or longer than that. Ignatius was ressourceful, he wasn't even hungry. "I'm not starving myself, you have the wrong picture. But if you insist, I shall eat.", he relented and reached out of his cocoon to their belongings - he procured a bag of some bread from before and started eating out of it, nibbling away like a little mouse that was, all the while he looked at Azrael. Then, he giggled. "Oh, well, you know." There was little he could do about any of this, right? The redhead shook his head eventually and looked at him for a moment - was he ready to know? Should he know? It was something he couldn't quite answer himself, but he knew that it perhaps was only right he told him. "It just happens when I use my magic a bit too much. It doesn't impact me right now, it's just an occasional sneeze. There isn't anything that's brewing in me, it's a leftover from earlier." There really wasn't anything to worry about with that. "So." Silence. They should probably go to bed. "Got any stories from hunting?"

Ignatius was nice enough about his answer which didn't change and still now he made Azrael feel like he was overreacting. He was just not comfortable around others, whoever it was and he always looked forward to the day he was done with work, when he got paid and was alone again. He liked demon hunting jobs more, because it didn't involve going with anyone who wanted to have smalltalk or anything of that sort. He listened though and now came out of his cocoon to eat a little before bed. Good. They both needed strength for this journey. "I don't know.", he eventually replied to the cryptic answer he got, but eventually he learned anyway. "Hm, okay then. You should rest up I suppose.", he nodded. Ignatius seemed to have used more magic than he was used to and he should keep healthy. Magic sometimes had it's toll on people and this journey was far from over after all. In the end maybe they would just replace him with someone more healthy in the next monastery. It wasn't really of Azraels concern though.

For a moment there was silence. Azrael listened to the rain and anything that shouldn't be there, but for now they seemed save. He made himself a bit more comfortable and was about to close his eyes when Ignatius broke the silence. "Plenty.", he answered, he was kind of used to this question, people asked him before, especially in wet and ugly nights like this one, when people didn't know what else to do and didn't enjoy the silence too much. "Ask me tomorrow. We should both get some rest." They'd have plenty of time to talk on their journey and for now they needed some energy. Azrael slumped further down and closed his eyes, trying to sleep.

First, he’d expected that he’d manage to milk this guy for answers, but it didn’t seem so. Azrael was tough, he was used to not talking to anyone and he seemed as if he’d be fine if he’d just be out here alone, all by himself, and without anyone to question him, no? It was almost sad to see a soul so forlorn and muddled, though, that probably was his inner priest talking - Ignatius felt saddened for and by him, which proved to be a problem in and of itself, but it was everything that he had and all that he could care for. “Rest is important.” But he didn’t want to just do that - he didn’t feel like sleeping right about now, and it was as if he’d been right beforehand and all the food he’d eaten now, even if it was but a few nibbles of bread, had made him even more disinterested in sleeping through the damp and dark night that loomed over his head. Ignatius wanted to talk, or perhaps just stay awake, and yet, as his bones felt like they were aching, it didn’t seem as if he was going to get anything out of this.

It was only fair for Azrael to be the tired one, he figured - the two of them had taken strides and a long, eventful march through the backcountry today and the weather was only slowing them down. Besides, they had but one horse, which meant that the hunter had to be on his feet all the time because the priest couldn’t walk that fast or far by himself. A shame, but it would be better in a few days time regardless. “Mh, alright. Sleep well, hunter.”, he told the man with his many stories as he put the bag away again and slumped down. Ignatius lay there, looking at the ceiling in the dark for what felt like years before he was tuckered out enough to fall asleep - the moment he awoke, though, it felt like hardly anything had changed. Not even the time. How late was it? Ignatius didn’t even know, he just turned over, defeated by himself and his own decisions. “Is it morning yet?”, he whispered into the darkness eventually, when he felt as if it might have been long enough that he tried to rest.

Azrael closed his eyes and tried to sleep. His sleep was never deep, he stayed alert as he was used to, but rested as best he could still. He woke up some time later, feeling something in his pocket vibrate. A demon passed one of his runes, probably a scout. Ignatius seemed to sleep and he didn't want to wake him over it, so he got up and into his clothes quickly. Lastly he grabbed his weapon and went outside to see what this was about. It was still raining and not even the moon had a chance to light the forest. Azrael went out anyway and it didn't take him long to find two winged creatures flying about. They weren't used to fighting, they were scouts after all and Azrael managed to kill the first with one of his throwing knifes and then followed the other, which tried to flee. The pursuit took a bit, but he didn't intend to let it get away. Branches slapped into his face as he fought himself through the thicket and eventually he caught up.

It didn't take long to kill the second one too. Azrael wiped off his face, he was bleeding slightly, but it was just a minor cut. In a last ditch effort to survive it only grazed Azrael with it's claws but this too was only superficial. His coat and clothing had a hole now though. Azrael went back to the hut and silently entered again. Ignatius was awake though. "Not yet.", he answered, going back to his spot. This time he just threw the wet coat next to him and leaned back again. Maybe he could sleep a few more hours before sunrise. If he had to guess he had two more. "Sleep.", he told the priest. They needed the energy. Azrael pulled his blanket back over his body.

Ignatius wanted to know if he could get up for sure, but it seemed almost as if there was no way to go back to sleep this time around - Azrael showed up, not from behind him but from outside and he was left to wonder if that meant anything in terms of how behind they were. A quick gaze through the darkness told him nothing, it smelled like damp wood and needle trees in this hut and nothing else. "Are you alright?", he asked the white-haired man. There was no way of telling anything, but he was curious now, and he needed to know what was going on. Why was all of this happening right in the middle of the night? A good question. One that he wanted to ask, but he probably could guess what it meant - nothing good anyway. "I can't." It was simple, but Ignatius, as tuckered out as he was, now felt restless, as if his pulse was rising and that at a steady pace, through the roof. Why? Was he truly worried about this man? It seemed almost odd, and yet, Azrael was the one that kept him safe, so of course he had to be.

With no other motivation in mind, he got back up, at least from where he was, and settled next to Azrael, on his knees and looked at him - or at least what he could see of him. Was that too much? "Do you need help?" Actually, he was wet again and Ignatius loathed to know why he was outside in the first place. Factually, he had an idea - a silly one at that, but he had to consider everything, right? There was only so much he could do. "I can heal you if something happened." It was a simple offer, but he didn't know anything and now he was growing increasingly worried. "Should we move? Is it time?" Perhaps ... they should? It was only something that he could think off.

"I'm fine.", Azrael was quick to answer. He truly was, some scratches wouldn't kill him and he'd care for them tomorrow. Now he was tired and he too needed sleep every now and then. They were save now, so it was a good time to rest as much as he could. The priest had other ideas though. "Nervous?", he asked him. He'd never been on a journey like this, of course he was. This situation wasn't ideal and even if nothing was on their toes and time wasn't an issue, he wouldn't be surprised if Ignatius just felt homesick. Azrael knew the feeling, though in his case it had been a completely different situation. He'd been much younger, alone and there was no home to retun to. Anyway, there was no point in thinking about it now. He didn't have a home for the longest of times and he liked it that way. Settling down seemed impossible to him and he knew he'd die young, before his body grew too old to be out of business. In fact, for a hunter, he already was quite old.

Ignatius didn't want to go back to sleep. Azrael opened his eyes again to see his shadowy figure come over to him. "No, I'm fine.", he reiterated. He wasn't playing the hero, he truly was fine. "Just some scratches. You used enough magic for crossing the river. I won't die and it barely hurts.", he told him. The priest just wanted to help, do something apparently, but there truly was no need to spend more energy than necessary. "We're save for the rest of the night. Just some scouts, I got all of them." Would that satisfy the priest? Probably not. "If we left now one of us will break their legs out in this darkness. We should wait for sunrise." Azrael couldn't think of a task for the priest, just something to keep him occupied for the time being. "I'd like to sleep one more hour at least." There, he just spelled it out. Worst case he could still nap on the horse maybe, but he didn't feel comfortable letting the priest lead.

Was that panic that got ahold of him? Was he just losing it? Ignatius wanted to know, he couldn’t tell, he was already sweaty anyway and he felt like his palms were shaking, too - why was he worried? There was no way that something like this, with no visible or audible problems, would unsettle him so much. Did he care too much? Compassion wasn’t a sin, it was perfectly normal to feel a certain way and yet, it seemed almost as if the web he found himself entangled in would never let go of him again. “Yes.”, he confessed when asked. It wasn’t that he was nervous about the situation - he hoped - but he wracked his brain about the potential damage that seemed like a whole thread in the back of his mind. Was this what fear felt like? Ignatius wondered. Never had he felt such things before, at least not intensely. “Nervous about … the injuries, though.” What would he do? Stay at the next monastery until the end of his days? He swallowed. Fuck. That couldn’t be something that he fell for, or indulged in, even.

“Barely still means it hurts at least a bit. A minor healing spell isn’t going to hurt me or you.” He’d replenish the energy before dawn and he’d probably not even find it hard to do so now. Was Azrael really concerned about this magic trick taking a toll on him? There were many questions Ignatius suddenly had for him but he wanted none of them to matter in the moment - he felt like an idiot for worrying, but his fears weren’t unfounded. “I … thank you, but you’re still hurt.” It was the insistence that lay at the back of his brain. Ignatius could simply not ask and do his job; was it fine to overstep his boundaries? If only he knew. The redhead furrowed his brows. This was a moral dilemma. “But … no, you’re right. I’m sorry to disturb you. You should rest up.” Actually, he’d been restless all night and he didn’t know why - was it some sort of fear, settled in his very core? Ignatius shivered at the thought itself. Right, no. “Sleep well.”, he told Azrael as he crawled back over to his own sleeping bag and curled up. It shouldn’t be too hard to just sleep some more.

"I'm fine, really.", he reiterated. Ignatius was a worrywart and Azrael doubted that it was only about him being hurt. This was something else, he was probably scared out here all alone with just one guy he barely knew. Sure, he was a grown up man, but he never left his home before. Without any light he couldn't even ask him if he wanted to fix the hole in his coat. Azrael could do it himself, but if it helped Ignatius, he would let him. Without any light this task was a difficult one, so he didn't mention it. "It'll heal on it's own in less then a week." There was no need to use magic on this, Azrael had had worse and he would have worse again, this was nothing, literally. He left Ignatius hanging, but this time he took his decision. As he crawled away, Azrael made himsel comfortable. "Good night.", he mumbled, more to hammer down the point that he wanted to sleep, rather than hoping Ignatius would as well. He closed his eyes and tried to get some more sleep in before sunrise.

He woke up a bit later. It was still raining and therefor dark, but some light illuminated even there little hut now. This meant it was time to leave. Azrael got up and stretched a bit. "You awake?", he asked the bundle on the floor, but he probably was. Azrael looked outside, the rain got lighter, it wasn't a thunderstorm anymore, but it was still wet. They couldn't waste time waiting this out however, so he got dressed. There was a shallow cut right under his eye and a hole in his coat, but no blood, as he had promised Ignatius, he was fine. "You should eat some breakfast. I'm readying Njeri, then we can leave.", he told his travel companion already on the way out.

Falling asleep again proved to be difficult; no matter what he did, he found himself tossing and turning instead and overall was left wondering if and how and why all of this would happen again. Azrael was his last hope out here and he understood that he was being needlessly overbearing, and yet, it was the only option that either of them had. Who else would bother with them? It was almost as if neither of them had a real chance at this to begin with. Worse yet, not only was there nowhere for him to go, there also was nowhere for his thoughts to disappear to, either. Ignatius probably worried over nothing, a common denominator in his life, but he had to pull through this time. None of this had to happen, it just did, unfortunately so. He drifted off, back into a land of dreams that he so desired to be real, waiting for it to take him in and perhaps swallow him whole as he lay there in defeat over his own powerlessness over the situation. It was stupid, he knew that, and what was more, he was stupid too - he behaved much like a kid would, surely.

The next time he awoke, the sky was still dark grey and the weather seemed as if it hadn’t changed overnight at all. This meant they’d have to go back out in the rain and by the time they found their next place to stay at, they’d be drenched through. “Yes. Good morning.”, he answered Azrael once asked. Would he be able to stay positive? Truthfully, he wasn’t sure, but honestly, he had to - there was no way out of this and that meant that he, by all means, had to make amends for what he was doing. It only went to show that tonight wasn’t full of respite as he got up and got back into all the clothing he’d taken off yesterday, only to realize that it hadn’t fully dried and grimace at the fact. “Alright then.” Ignatius packed up, the few things he had anyhow, and once that was all said and done, he started nibbling away at some of their condiments and went outside to watch Azrael pack up. “Did you eat?”, he wanted to know. “If not you should as well.”

Azrael went outside and put the saddle back on their horse as well as the bags. Njeri looked rested enough to travel on and she drank plenty of rain water. She'd be fine this day and he brushed her a little bit as Ignatius came out of the hut as well. "No prayer today?", he asked without stopping and turning around. Ignatius had packed up quickly, now he ate and Azrael shook his head. "I'll eat on the way." No hold ups, the sooner they reached the monastery, the better. Not that Azrael would set foot inside, but still, they'd have some rest then hopefully, if only for a longer night than this one. He more so wanted to get there for Ignatius sake who's good mood seemed out the window after yesterday and yesternight. "I don't want to stay on the road today, I think we should trave downstream close to the river, is that fine with you?" Honestly he feared the roads were washed up from the rain and maybe even some trees were in the way. The riverbank provided more open space and the grass would have kept the dirt from swimming away.

With Njeri prepped, he took the rest of Ignatius belongings to load them on her too. Then, more to calm Ignatius down, he reached in one of the bags to get another piece of bread and some dried meat. "Do you want to ride?", he asked, offering help up. Ignatius boots would thank him. The hunter gazed at the sky for a moment. "I think it'll clear up today." Maybe a smile would have helped him, but Ignatius wouldn't have been able to see it anyway. maybe he ought to tell a story, though he wasn't a good storyteller. He told it as it happened and none of the demon hunting stories were pretty. Holy heroes that had slain demons too made it look like that maybe, but the truth was those were myths and overexaggerated versions of what happened. Mostly it was just dirt, blood, sweat and tears.

This wasn't for him, was it now? They had picked him for reasons, he knew as much, but he still was nothing but a young man that had lost himself in his own prayers and the otherworldly guises that everyone had offered him. Perhaps, being the strongest did not mean anything after all - this burden was his to bear, by himself, and he couldn't say he was happy about it. "I shall pray later, when I'm feeling better.", he told Azrael. Surely, he was happy to be out here, but even with that, he knew that nothing would change if he just sat idly by. "Alright." The faster they got away from the hut, the safer he'd feel, he figured. Something just wasn't right today and Ignatius, who loathed to have a damper put on his mood, was looking to figure it all out by himself, wasn't he? As he finished up his food and added the leftovers to the saddlebags, he stretched himself and shook the tiredness out of his bones. They had places to go, and places to be - standing around wouldn't get them far. "That is fine by me. You lead, I follow." There was nothing else to it.

As his gaze fell on Njeri, he wondered if she had slept well, out here in the cold and wet forest, but he ought to know better than to question a beasts wellbeing, if only for the fact that it didn't really matter. Whatever the case, he didn't know. "No, I'm fine. I won't learn anything if I just ride." And besides, they all had to make the same journey anyway. The road was perhaps easier for him to navigate on horseback, but Ignatius didn't see as to why he should be the one to indulge Azrael without much of a fault. "We'll see. Maybe it won't, though, I'd honestly welcome it if it did.", he admitted. There was no shame in that, was there now? And besides, there was no way around the weather either. The redhead gave Azrael a look over - he didn't look too roughed up and yet, he still didn't look like the night had really been enjoyable for him, either. "We should fix your clothes eventually." It seemed as if he was fine and Ignatius could stop being a worrywart. "Alright then, let's leave."

Maybe Ignatius lost faith for a second there and wondered if his god or goddess was punishing him with all that rain. Azrael didn't question it, he didn't believe in them himself and he also didn't know the prayer times and customs of this specific church. There were too many and Azrael was interested in neither of them. "Alright then." Ignatius was still his customer and if he would have preferred a different path, he would have taken it, but it was much easier like this. Azrael walked ahead, holding the rains of Njeri and pulling her with. Ignatius followed close by as well. "Alright, just tell me if you need to ride." Ignatius should walk on his own if he was capable of doing so. Azrael wanted to move himself as well, but he wasn't too prideful to take place on the horses back if Ignatius didn't want to. They could take turns, why wouldn't they? Azrael looked down on himself and the hole in his coat and all subsequent layers. "Oh that. We will." When they had a break, they could fix it.

For now both of them walked, eventually Azrael got on the horse, resting his legs a little while Ignatius wanted to still walk himself. They followed the road just a tiny bit, then found a good way back to the river and took the route downstream there. There wasn't much talking, Azrael wasn't one to striking up conversations anyway and Ignatius seemed in thought, or maybe he was just concentrating on walking. The rain got lighter and eventually it stopped. The sun came out too and while it wasn't very warm while it rained, the sun warmed everything up quite fast. Azrael stopped their horse by some trees. "Ignatius,", he alerted him too, "I think we should take an early break today." It wasn't quite lunch time yet, but close to it. Azrael got off the horse and tied it to a branch. He let it graze, then got out of his coat. He hung it up as well. "Let's take the opportunity and get dried up." With that he got rid of even more clothes, finding branches the sun could touch to hang them up. Eventually, he ended up in just his pants and boots.

A prayer to calm his nerves would help, and it did wonders for him - so much so that he was lost in thought soon enough. Was it normal like this? Living on the road was quite the experience - he liked it, it was almost relaxing to him, and it seemed as if it was wrought with the occasional hardship. As his guide got on the horse, Ignatius was the one that wondered if Njeri wanted to even carry either of them - would she not value a life full of freedom? Perhaps everyone would, but then again, she was fed and well cared for in captivity and perhaps that, too, was intriguing to most people. Living off the grid could be. Would he like that? Ignatius wasn’t sure. His holy mission was important to him and while he could pray to his goddess even in seclusion, he’d probably miss something - be it the community, the monastery or his brothers. Perhaps even the ability to visit the graves of his family, or to care for the peonies that sprouted at home. Being alive was, perhaps, quite cruel.

“Hm?”, he looked up upon hearing his name and stopped almost as if he was beckoned to. The weather had, thankfully, changed significantly and now that he looked up, the sun was almost smiling at them - it cause Ignatius to softly gaze back. “Agreed.” Before he could undress himself again, he wanted to pray, if only for a bit, though, as Azrael already unclothed himself, it once again wound up feeling inappropriate. For a bit, Ignatius looked at him and the scars that decorated the now exposed body - it was different from his own, if only because it had been formed by hardship, and yet, if Azrael already exposed himself like this, Ignatius ought to do the same. “That’s a good idea.” He, too, took his clothes off and remained where he was, in pants and boots, only for the rest of his clothing to dangle from a few tree branches, exposed to the nurturing sun. The key difference between them, it seemed, was the amount of scars that they bore and how they healed, too - and those aside, the fact that he still wore both rosaries, one around his neck, the other on his wrist. Now that he’d looked on for so long, he was starting to feel embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to stare.” He never did. “Ah, right, I meant to ask something. I’m guessing you live by your lonesome, right? How … is that kind of life?”

The sun seemed to cheer up the priest as well and while Njeri grazed happily, Azrael stretched his bones a little. Then he ruffled his own hair, loosening it up and getting it les sticky. The priest meanwhile undressed as well, hanging up his clothes in the branches. It was an early lunch break, but a well spent one if their clothes dried. The sky was still riddled by some clouds, but they all were white, there wouldn't be any more rain anytime soon. Next he walked over to Njeri, unloading some of their belongings and pulling out a little box that held some salve. He smeared it on the scratch in his face and the slightly bigger scratch on his side, so it would heal up better and not get infected. He stowed it away again. "Hm?", he asked when Ignatius apologized for something Azrael didn't even notice. "Don't worry.", he answered. He wasn't afraid of anyone gazes and that too was something he was oddly familiar with. While he didn't undress often in front of others, there had been occasions and it seemed like everyone wanted to know the story behind a hunters scars.

Azraels life hadn't been easy and he had multiple scars from his fights against demons, or sometimes even humans. None of them had been life threatening, some of them were bigger, some smaller. Stab wounds, deeper scratches and piercing wounds of arrow heads, he had it all. He even had demons biting him before, luckily some of the not poisonous kind. He turned around with one of their blankets, putting it on the ground to sit on it. The earth was still muddy and he didn't want to get his pants completely dirty. Now that he sat he got out of his shoes though, putting them next to him. "I do.", he answered Ignatius question, but didn't quite know how to answer the rest. "Well, I don't have to worry about anyone else, so I can do what I want, when I want." He was relfected enough to know why he never made friends in any town or with other hunters. Some of them worked in pairs, there were even whole groups and Azrael had been invited in one or two, but he never accepted. "I prefer it that way."

It seemed as if nothing would change in that very moment - the weather felt set in stone and this conversation, too, would perhaps be something that neither of them would think about ever again in a few days time. “I won’t.”, he assured Azrael, but he wondered - was it really appropriate to look at him like that, to quiz him about his scars and to expect an answer? People were curious, all of them always were and they were naturally obsessed with too many things as well - and yet, if it brought them happiness, even he wouldn’t interfere and let them live. It was theirs to have, to enjoy, to love, much like it was his to endure. There were thousands of questions he could ask someone that had lived a life so different from his own and yet, half of them seemed like they were barely appropriate. What a shame. It was the best he could do either way. “I’m not the only one that ever stole a glance, aren’t I?” Of course not. Azrael probably knew his fair share of people, even if he only ever met them once.

He listened, still, but he was the one that walked over to Njeri and gave her some well-meaning pats and strokes, before he retrieved some of his own belongings. It wasn’t much more than charcoal and paper; it had been thoroughly soaked, but as long as it held up now, he figured it would be fine - he’d just have to be delicate with his utensils. Ignatius, ever the studious one, crawled into the tree and sat on one of the lower branches, slightly overseeing the place they’d stopped at and looked down at Azrael. He hadn’t done anything like this in forever - and he felt quite inspired at the moment. “I see, you don’t seem to be fond of companionship in the first place, if I may say that.” Some people were loners, they even existed in the monastery and just kept to themselves - some of them never spoke, either, and existed like ghosts among them. “Do you ever get lonely?” Maybe Ignatius shouldn’t dig too deep, and yet, he had so many more questions and so few opportunities to actually ask them. What a dilemma. “How did you wind up working as a hunter? Were you born into it?”