Seaside Moors Thirty point three hours

Here is a stretch of land Deimos has never seen before. It's long, and flat. Along the edges of its windswept plains there's water that seeps into the soil. Shrubs dot the landscape, writhed by the constant buff of seaside wind. There is a wolf meandering between the knolls, an evenly made creature that almost blends in with the grey of the Moors. He's not too tall, not too short - his fur is well kept and his ribs layered with a healthy amount of fat.

If he is a loner, it's clear he has not been one for long.

Deimos continues picking his way across the Moor, and anyone could notice he does it with care to his step. He's not a fan of water, or beaches. He doesn't even like ponds that much, so why is he here?

The answer to that question is long and complex, maybe better saved for another time.

The seaside was not a tranquil place today, but that is what drew her along its edge. The rising of the sea foam against the grimace of rocks reminded the wandering woman of something sinister. A bad memory she'd sooner forget. As she slips across the sand she moves with purpose, with a certain sense of empowerment, as if she has somewhere to be. Maybe the jutting rocks along the ocean's edge have given her something to think about; she does not wish to linger any longer than she must, and finds her way to an embankment of dry reeds. It is at this burm that she pauses, because her eyes have affixed upon something new — someone — and the lethargy inherent to her features is temporarily banished by her surprise.

The stranger she's found is moving slowly, as if he does not wish to disturb a single grain of sand beneath his feet. How curious.

She watches him without speaking; despite his medial qualities he is still a man, and she has not had the best luck with their kind. Parvati wonders, too, if he is merely here to hunt. He is well-fed, healthy, and does not seem to be in a hurry to leave the moors. When she finally decides to investigate properly, he has moved along a fair ways ahead of her. The woman considers leaving him to his own devices for a split-second, just to be safe. 

But, inevitably, she drifts through the sun-bleached grass and follows after him.

Deimos had just dodged a sneaky pile of spongey earth when he hears a noise behind him, which prompts him to still despite his feet sinking into peaty substrate. He licks his lips and apprehensively turns around, spotting a traveler looking directly at him. He notices right away she seems detached, maybe like it was an inconveniece he was here. She definitely didn't appear happy to see him.

Deimos thinks of things to say, maybe something to buffer the weird silence he notes lingering in the air. "Hey there." He decides on a neutral greeting, and it leaves his lips with a cringe as the wind picks up and howls past them.

His good health speaks volumes to her. That he's capable first and foremost; that he could be a strong provider if the need arose, and most importantly that he wasn't alone. These were her assumptions and they were wrong - for the time being Parvati was ignorant of his true status, being a rogue just like herself. She did not wish to stoop so low as to steal from a pack wolf or to beg for help to feed herself, however the time may come where she will be forced in to such a situation.

This was a far cry away from her old life. If she'd only done what was expected of her — Hello, she parroted back at him sharply, curtailing her own thoughts and shunting whatever bad memories plaguing her, to the back of her mind. None of that would help her right now. The drawl of her greeting was slightly lilted, and the thin accent remained prominent as she took liberties to explain herself: I'm — she begins, but is cut short as a gust of winter wind blasts on by.

She ducks and cannot help but close her stinging eyes against its whipping chill, and when it dies down she cannot help but shudder from the cold. Parvati does not want to appear weak before this person — he may take advantage, and she cannot have that. I'm sorry if I'm intruding, was what I wanted to say. But she had been following him, so maybe that was a lie.

She closes her eyes against the wind and Deimos finds himself doing the same. It's a cold and biting wind, one he is not used to. He hasn't spent much time on the coast and the way the wind picks up and scours down the beach like a predator alarms him. He hunches his back and offers a slender smile. It's not much, but it's something.

"I don't live here, so you're not intruding to me." He answers with a shrug. He's surprised that was her first assumption. Maybe like him, she's not familiar with the area. "I don't think anyone does." He then realizes maybe she means her presence is intruding, but it's too late for him to take back what's already said. "I'm Deimos." He offers, hoping she might not find his misconception of what she meant awkward.

His lack of posturing and aggression are a good sign, once she can open her eyes and assess the situation again. She doesn't notice the subtle confusion that plays across his features in response to her words but when he reveals his thoughts, she nods and comes to her own conclusions. It seems odd to her that someone so healthy would in reality be alone, like her.

The woman decides to take his introduction as a cue that he means no ill will, so she drifts closer, remaining deferential in her posture; commanding in her gait but otherwise submissive just in case. It is a habit she keeps intending to break. His name reminds her of the grecian beasts that neighbored home but she does not speak on that, instead pausing to dip her nose and say, Parvati, a humble introduction.

With that out of the way she remarks, You seem like you belong here. I just presumed -- ah, it does not matter. It appears we are both strangers on a foreign soil, she smiles as she mentions this; her eyes alight as she regards him, then the expression fades, becomes tightly controlled and immensely somber again. I don't suppose you would like a travelling companion...?

Deimos mirrors the expressed gestures of Parvati, keeping his own posture inoffensive and limber. He is as relaxed as one can be around a stranger, his tail hangs loose and his gait rolling. He keeps his head level with hers, so he can communicate they are equals. He cannot help but notice the tightly lidded smile, and how it flees from her face as soon as he notices it. He tries not to take it to heart, knowing that traveling alone came with a litany of dangers and one should always be wary around strangers.

He can't say he expected what came next, and his ears perk as it registers. A travelling companion sounded very favorable, and Deimos can't honestly say he enjoys his lone pilgrimmage thus far. "That'd be nice. But I have to be honest, I don't know where I am going. I don't know these parts at all. Were you going anywhere in particular?" He hopes maybe she had an end destination in mind.. because at the moment, he was just a leaf blowing under the whims of the wind.

She smiles; very little emotion registers in the depths of her eyes, but she still looks upon him with favor and mirth, content that they have struck an arrangement. Travelling together is ideal. She has spent too many days alone — or in the company of rougher men than this — and Parvati feels her nerves begin to settle a little.

No, I have no destination. To be truthful, because it seems like a better idea to bare all now, get things in the open in case it affects his decision, I — I am on the run. My betrothed may come looking for me and I may need a protector. The woman watches him for the change; the subtle (or maybe not so subtle) hint of understanding. Will he revile her for this choice? Will he refuse her request in the end? There is no way to know.

He misses the way no emotion pools in her eyes, but Deimos did not miss the way Parvati watches him after she speaks. It was almost as if she expects whiplash, but Deimos wasn't one to judge - we all have our stories and our mistakes to bear.

He doesn't like the idea of her needing to be protected, not because he didn't want to protect but because it bothers him in some way that anyone would need to run from an arrangement they no longer wished. He's not one to believe in old customs or orders, and the idea that Parvati has to turn her life inside out and run from it to escape marriage bothers him. "That's fine." He manages, trying to convey his sincerity by meeting her gaze. "You don't have to run anymore, I'll help you." Protecting her might be the purpose Deimos needs to stay afloat.

She smiles thinly, a tense little expression that barely enters her chilled gaze, but accepts his words. If he is willing then the matter is settled; it will take time before Parvati is comforable enough to accept him as a true protector, as he is a man and in her experience men could not always be trusted, but she is in need and cannot be picky. If he is honest in his pledge then she will afford him the luxury of her trust.

Thank you, she murmurs with a dip of her snout, I doubt that anyone will notice me  missing, but... Just in case. She tried to affirm him, banish any doubts, but the arrangement is fresh and neither stranger knows if the other can really be trusted. There is safety in that - and no harm if their ways should diverge again. For now Parvati is content to know someone is willing to be her company - the road is long and lonely otherwise.

She's still tense, a fact evidenced by her thin smile. Deimos cant say he blames her - he doesn't know what she's been through, but he's understanding. It did no one favors to blindly trust strangers, and he accepts he will have to prove himself before Parvati truly feels at ease around him.

He's glad for the company, too. He's not the type to admit much emotionally but he's been lonely as of late, and even if nothing comes out of this, at least his days won't be spent alone. He's never thought of himself as a sensitive or emotionally needy man, but at some point being alone just gets to you. "I get it." He offers, hoping to assay some of the worry he can see hidden in Parvati's gaze. "Where would you like to go?"

Gonna fade here! :)

There was more that she could say, if prompted. Details of the life she had led and the weighted decision she had made to leave it. Logic to support her. Detailed plans for what could, potentially, lay ahead for her — but he did not ask, so she would politely keep those bits and pieces to herself. It was not as important as she first thought. Parvati was running from a life that had been chosen for her rather than chosen by her — and now she was here, that was enough. The only question the man had was, Where would you like to go?

To this, she smiled again - this time, as warm as the summerland she had left behind — and she said, Anywhere and everywhere, I have much of the world I would like to see. Her life had been so tremendously limited before; she was ready to undo all of it with her own force of will, ambiguous as it might be.