[Flashback] New faces

[Rista]

Timestamp: 35th of Spring, 509 AV Location: Wind Reach, Courtyard of the Sky Status: Closed, tag Raiyari The snow was almost gone. It had been melting quickly the past ten-days, and the huge piles of snow that covered the Courtyard and the Amphitheater was evaporating under the sharp gaze of Syna. The weather had been beautiful for several days now, only interrupted by the occasional gray sky and chilly rain-mixed snowfall that did little to rebuild the layers of cold snow on the ground. The heat from the living mountain helped clear the snow away as well, and with the improvement in weather, the spirits of the people of Wind Reach was brightening. Perhaps the food would last after all. The first hunters had already left, Riders and Avora alike who all seemed eager not only to get away from the city but also to fill their stomachs again for the first time since mid winter. Everyone had grown tired of the taste of Blue-mold paste, and the prospect of bringing back the first elk or goat, or perhaps even walrus was tempting enough to make more than one Endal defy the threat of lingering storms. The yasi enjoyed their increase of freedom as well. As soon as they got a chance between lessons, bendi and meals they rushed out on the open courtyards around the city, running and playing and throwing sloppy snowballs at each other. They laughed and brawled, frolicking like foals on a summer field, delighted to finally be able to feel the sun against the skin and get away from the cramped gloom of the warrens. One of the favorite games among the older yasi were a game of tag, which they called Eagle Chase. Two of the children connected their hands in a 'bond' meant to represent that of an Eagle and Endal, and the rest of the kids were assigned as 'prey'. The prey could try to kill the Bonded by catching them within a circle of connected hands, but they had to do so without getting touched or caught by the chasing pair. They could also try and separate the two Bonded; if that happened, the one that served as Rider would be degraded to 'prey' while the Eagle would find another to bond with, thus continuing the game. If a 'prey' was caught by the hunting pair they would be killed and have to step out of the game. If the prey managed to catch the Bonded then the game was over, same if the Bonded managed to kill off all the Prey. Depending on the amount of yasi playing, there could be more than one pair of Bonded. For being such a simple game, it was played with dead serious attitudes and could oftentimes become both rough and even dangerous. The Bonded could treat their caught 'prey' pretty much however they wanted, and the children that were playing prey would often team together too, forming factions that worked together t catch the Bonded or fight against each other to try and sell others out in order to spare themselves. Sometimes the game ended in serious fights where fists flew and noses bled, all in order to settle some minor details or simply to determine who was more in the right... Such was the situation Rista found herself in one late afternoon, where a warm sun slowly was giving way to the chill of night. The sun was setting behind the mountain and threw long shadows over the Courtyard of the Sky where the game often was held. It would be dinner soon, and the game was deteriorating at a rapid pace; the kids were getting tired, no one ran as fast as they did before and the plans of capture became poorly thought through and even more poorly executed. Laughs were slowly turning into wheezes and shouted protests as someone broke a rule. The piles of snow scattered over the courtyard had been dragged out all over the place as they trampled through them, and their bryda were soaked and heavy with cold water, as was the chests and backs of those that had tripped or been muled by snow while caught. Breathing hard after running for so long, the copper-skinned girl found herself trapped against one of the arched columns that were scattered over the yard, made for the Eagles to perch on during events. In front of her was two pairs of Bonded yasi, all with faces stretched in victorious smirks as they closed in on her. She tensed, bending the knees slightly as she shifted her weight to the balls of her feet, hands ready to defend herself should it be necessary. The half-blood girl knew this part of the game all too well. This was the part where the others usually stopped playing Eagle Chase and started playing Tease the Mongrel. She usually didn't have much choice in the matter as her dark, red-streaked hair and colorless, jet-black eyes made her a perfect target for harassment. Normally she would have tried to avoid getting involved in the game in the first place, but the day had been beautiful, and she had been so excited when she was invited to play along... "You don't want to go there" she tried to warn and glanced warily on the two that approached from her sides, still with their hands clutched within one another's. "Leave it alone, or I'll make you regret it!" "Don't be cocky, Rista" one of the boys teased with a grin and took another step forward, his green-yellow eyes excited about this newly found sense of power. "You might be good at swinging those fists around, but you can't take down all of us at the same time. Just give up, you're not going to win this." "I won't give up to someone like you!" the short-framed girl growled, her face darkening at the suggestion. Her temper was quickly starting to take the upper hand on her ability to act rationally, and along with her judgment her tongue was slipping fast. The yasi around her made annoyed grimaces, the insult not passing them by. A hand was raised threateningly, another jerked forward in an attempt to startle Rista into doing something stupid; she hissed and sunk down deeper in her stance, tensing and waiting for the first first to come flying towards her. The odds were against her, but by the wrath of Zulrav she would fight!

[Raiyari]

The air was chill and thin atop the Inartas' mountain, but the climate only reminded Raiyari of her own home. A pang of homesickness resonated through her, and was quickly squashed. She didn't need emotions getting in the way of her mission. Sighing, the Lhavitian pulled her robes tighter around her slender frame and cleared her mind once more. It was hard to do, what with the cries and laughter of the children echoing through the courtyard. The hours passed and Rai's ramrod straight posture began to slump down millimetre by millimetre. There was no way this was going to work. Not here, in this strange place where there were no manners, no protocol. There was no refuge in the cold civility of formal etiquette. This "city" was too different, too alien for an Acolyte like Rai to achieve a peaceful mind. When the Acolyte opened her dark eyes, she noted that once smiling faces of the children had hardened with exhaustion and malice. Her heart beat a bit faster as memories of similar occurrences in her childhood flashed through her mind. From experience, Raiyari knew that they would soon find a target to vent their anger and frustration on. As the sound of taunting reached her ears, Rai knew that she had been correct. Her shoes clicked lightly against stone floor as she made her way towards the children’s voices. It was not her problem, not her city to defend, and not her duty, yet Rai felt drawn to help whatever hapless child had found himself or herself in this situation. Just as she would have wished secretly that someone would have been there for her, though her pride would never let her admit it. The spunk of the cornered child brought a faint smile to Raiyari's calm and emotionless face. The Acolyte stood behind the boys who were taunting the young girl, her black topknot, Lhavitan clothing, and prayer beads striking a thoroughly foreign figure behind them. "Trouble?" asked Raiyari in thickly accented Nari. Her arms were crossed over her chest, revealing two scabbards and their respective blades tucked into her sash. As a woman, she might not have made the most imposing impression. But she was a foreigner, mysterious and quite unknown to the children. An armed foreigner, who bore the blades on her hip with the practiced ease of someone whose life had been devoted to combat.

[Rista]

Surprise suddenly passed over the face of the copper-skinned girl and made the approaching yasi frown before looking over their shoulders. Following the gaze of the mongrel the young teenagers caught sight of the foreign woman, and suddenly their attention was torn away from Rista and onto this newcomer who not only was completely different in appearance from anything they had seen, but also dared to interrupt their game. The woman was faced with five pairs of curious yet annoyed glances, four of them colored in pale hues of translucent blues and greens - and one pair of solid black eyes that seemed to regard her warily, with poorly hidden indignation over being rescued. Rista wasn't stupid, and the words the foreigner had uttered in scraggly Nari made it perfectly clear that she was butting in to save her skin. "Who are you?" one of the boys asked cheekily and looked over the woman, scrutinizing her foreign clothes with no attempt at hiding his contempt. "What we do is none of your concern, foreigner. This is Wind Reach, not whatever place you come from." "Yeah, mind your own business!" A red-haired girl soon chimed in, her chin lifting cheekily as she stared at the dark-eyed woman. Her swords didn't impress them, and neither did they seem to be concerned about her gender. In Wind Reach one was judged for their ability to aid the city, not their gender or bloodlines, and overall foreigners made little use of themselves. Unless specifically assigned to a different caste by the Valintar they were considered Dek, someone belonging to the drudges that could be commanded by anyone - even a yasi. In the eyes of the kids this bothersome person were lower than them, and until they were proved wrong they would treat her like they thought she deserved, for being a useless freeloader. Rista didn't join in with the questioning, but didn't try to defend the woman either. She wasn't grateful for being protected. The girl was used to fighting for her own honor and her own safety, and she didn't want anyone to think that she was weak and had to be rescued. Even though she knew her defeat to be the probable outcome of a fight with the other youths - especially four on one - she would rather take the bruises than be humiliated by a foreigner. Her own odd looks with the black, red-streaked hair, the copper-toned skin and jet-black eyes didn't make the girls mind any less Inartan. She still saw herself as one of the fiery, red-haired people, albeit a rather ugly looking one. Her gaze wandered between then woman and the other yasi, quietly watching them to see what would happen. It would have been a splendid opportunity to slip into the background and remove herself from the pinch. In fact, retreating would have been the smart thing to do. But the young girl was more proud than smart, and her own pride forbade her to run away from a situation that could make people doubt her courage. She would stand her ground until she was beaten down or she had won. That, and a sense of curiosity towards this woman made her linger on her spot, keeping the back protected and her muscles half tensed as she shifted within her prepared posture. Relaxing wasn't a good idea, not when the situation could turn for the worse at any moment. Perhaps the strange, black-haired woman wouldn't take well to the challenging glares she was given.