Hermit - Ehmead Hill [Duke+Squirrels+anyone]

[Duke]

[There are plenty of game trails on Ehmead Hill, and this one looks no different. Except it twists away from the sea cliffs and heads into forested mountain range, winding along the tail end of the ravine from the Heralces' blast.

It opens out into a small-ish clearing that's really just a gap in denser forest near a clear stream, and something that looks more like a permanent campsite than a home. Someone's taken tents, some showing sign of great age, symbols of brigades, and created a shelter of sorts. A branch nearby holds well used pots and pans, a resting place for some small squirrels and birds, a cold fire-pit ringed by blackened stones, and someone in red and black reading against a tree.

Yes, there is a bird perched on his head.]

[Yeager]

(HI THAR I'M GONNA JUMP INTO THIS. SORRY IF I DESTROY CANON BY DOING SO)

[It happens that Yeager's in the area today, out hunting with one of his shady noble clients. They'd spent little of the morning discussing business, mostly making light conversation about their mutual love for guns. The noble owns quite a collection of rifles, it seems, but Yeager had still managed to one-up him with his beautifully carved semi-automatic hunting rifle, outfitted with a state-of-the-art scope and muzzle break. The thing is, of course, incredibly illegal in the empire, but the two of them are far enough out in the woods to not be worried about such things. After all, nobody's going to be out here, right?

Not too far from Duke's clearing, Yeager stops and aims, and one loud gunshot and flash of aer later, a bird hits the ground with a thump. The noble steps over to retrieve it and Yeager stands there smugly, satisfied with the shot.]

[Duke]

(LOL GO FOR IT)

[The loud crack doesn't quite manage to make Duke jump, but it does make him jerk and knock his head against the tree. There isn't any chittering remarks of amusement from the squirrels who witnessed his startle, because all the small wildlife has vacated the area.

Duke's book is closed, stashed in one of the hanging pots, and the pale man is prowling to see exactly what made that disturbance in his territory.]

[Yeager]

[The bird stowed away, Yeager points ahead of himself and the noble] You said there were deer further out? My, you should see how cleanly this gun can take one out...

[They walk a bit further, unwittingly heading closer to Duke]

[Duke]

[The silence of the forest tells him he's still going in the right direction, and the sound of human voice confirmed it.

Deer? Take one out? Hunters. Duke's hint of a frown becomes one, and he stops behind a tree, watching and listening, and feeling the Aer flow. Two humans, but one felt odd.

If Yeager and his noble hunting partner continued walking and don't glance to the left, they will completely miss Duke standing behind a tree. Watching them.]

[Yeager]

[Yeager just manages to catch a hint of red poking out between the earth tones of the forest and he falters in his steps, staring for a moment. Then he makes a beeline towards Duke, not recognizing that he's not a fellow hunter just yet, hoping he's not someone who'd report Yeager's interesting weapon of choice to the authorities]

Hello?

[Duke]

[Duke watches the blue human catch sight of him, then approach. That was indeed a rather interesting weapon, but all he knew was it was some sort of gun...

At Yeager's greeting, he simply tilts his head slightly to better keep both of them in sight, watching with slightly unfocused eyes, still frowning. And says nothing.]


---------

I'm sorry he's so wonderfully talkative.

[Yeager]

[Yeager doesn't know quite what to make of his silence, but still, he'll be polite.]

Ah, good afternoon, sir. We're just on a little hunting expedition here. I hope we have not disturbed you.

[Duke]

[Hunting expedition. He's going to absently watch the guns.]

.... Few hunt here. [or was he just away in hunting season? How best to indicate he didn't want them to kill around here without saying so many words? He doubted they would listen to him anyway...]

[Yeager]

Ja, we decided to go farther out in order to get a, how should I say...better selection of targets.

[Smiles rather pointedly at Duke, silently demanding to know whether he had a good reason to kick them out. Otherwise he'd like to stay, thank you.]

[Duke]

[Whether Yeager means it or not, 'better selection of targets' coupled with smiling pointedly at Duke makes him somehow feel that he fell under the range of targets for hunting. His expression remains firmly in a frown, as he debates how to tell them to get off his lawn without telling them it was his lawn.]

... The animals who dwell on this side, near the destruction wrought by Heracles, are protected. [Partially his own oddness, partially because he's quasi-bsing, but he's not looking directly at either of them. They weren't technically protected, but if Yeager and his noble friend were here just to kill, and leave the bodies behind... Duke would severely disapprove.]

[Yeager]

[Yeager's glance flickers back to the noble accusingly. Protected? It hadn't been Yeager's job to determine the territory they'd be hunting in, and if it was some kind of wildlife reserve, he sure as heck wasn't taking the heat for it. The noble, however, shakes his head vigorously, indicating that he'd done the proper research and this place hadn't been set aside as one.

He turns back to Duke, head inclined in interest]

How so?

[Duke]

[ He saw the look and the head-shake and kept his frown in place. He didn't like giving information but he didn't want them in this area with their guns and their death. Blank staring silence. ]

.... The human way of killing for trophy and sport is not welcome here. [ Although, he'd rather not have humans here either... ]

[Yeager]

[Then it is an unofficial ordinance, Yeager surmises, likely from Duke himself.]

Does this land belong to you? [The question is tinged with a hint of sarcasm, since he knows it wasn't bought up by anyone. Though, then again, Duke looks a bit too well-dressed to be a hobo, either. Why is he here, anyway?]

[Duke]

[ If Duke was someone else, there might have been some sort of sarcastic retort. But if he was someone else, he wouldn't be living out alone in the woods with woodland creatures and trying to figure out how to chase hunters away. ]

... It belongs to me as much as it belongs to the beings who live here.