Journeying Outside of Endrykas (Ronan)

[Leto Sunsinger]

Timestamp: 60th of Autumn, 511 A.V.

Time had gone by since the breeding of Arias and Dohaina, and Leto had silently watched over Sama'el's camp ever since he had disappeared. He hadn't yet said a word to Leto of where he had gotten off to, but Leto figured he was just very busy with the watch or something. As he rode into Sama'el's camp, he was wearing his glaive upon his back, in it's holster, and had a camping bag overtop of it, filled with gear for camping and everything needed in that fashion, his normal gear that he took with him when he went to hang out with Sama'el, which usually included some paper, a quill and ink, and a few premade sigils and glyphs. Arias was a fast strider, and swiftly took him to Sama'el's camp, in hopes of seeing his lover Dohaina again, but they seemed to be no wheres to be found.

"I guess they're not here at the moment," said Leto, as he himself had been busy throughout the season working for the reimancers in the creation of glyphs for them. As he dismounted Arias, and set his pack down on the cool autumn ground, he looked towards the campfire pit. It seemed as though it hadn't been used in quite some time. There wasn't even a sign of Jin, or anyone else at the camp, and the camp seemed to be deconstructed all together. "What happened here?" asked Leto as he looked towards the camp, which was no longer there, speaking to nobody in particular. Where the heck did Sama'el get off to? he thought, knowing that Sama'el was a good friend, he wouldn't have left without a word to him. This makes no sense at all. The random thoughts continued to drift through Leto's mind as he looked around, the remnants of Sama'el's camp was no longer there.

Starting to panic a bit, Leto looked around, and called out, "Sama'el!" but he knew that the younger drykas wouldn't answer. He was gone, and gone entirely. Leto didn't quite know what to do as this man had become one of his better and only friends, and now he was entirely absent from when Leto had last seen him. Falling backwards into the grass, Leto sat there with his arms folded across his knees. "Why didn't he tell me he was leaving Endrykas?" asked Leto as he looked down into the cool autumn dirt, placing his hands in it, and sitting back up looking into the sky. It most certainly wasn't like Sama'el to never inform Leto of a change that was this drastic. Maybe Leto had done something to upset him or other. No... Leto had been nothing but kind to him, as kind as someone could be to someone who showed absolute kindness.

He just didn't know why Sama'el had left, and his entire camp was no longer there, all packed up and moved out. Maybe someone would come along and inform Leto of this, but for now, he'd just sit in the grasses of Sama'el's old camp, looking up into the sky, and wondering where exactly Sama'el had gotten off too...

[Ronan]

Ronan sat atop Tairell, trotting around the city. He was building her strength, slowly and surely, she was there all but. The storm was just a distant memory now - for her at least.

He was just nearing Sama'el's camp when he heard a male voice calling. For a moment he thought it was Sama'el, but the memories came flooding back. He would be miles away now, on his journey to Avanthal. Ronan felt a pang of regret, but at the same he was glad he had stayed. He had chanced upon Akilah after all.

He hopped off of Tairell, and shifted her along slowly as he walked towards the voice. Whoever was shouting was clearly clueless to Sama'el's absence. Perhaps it was a friend, or an old acquaintance.

He walked forward with curiosity.

[Leto Sunsinger]

As he sat within the grass, he looked up, and saw him. A man was approaching, and Arias shifted uncomfortably at his approach, not knowing who he was. Slowly Leto pushed himself up from the ground, and looked forth towards the stranger, wondering who he was, and if perhaps he had heard Leto's desperate call for Sama'el. Perhaps he knows where Sama'el had gotten off to? thought Leto as he patted Arias, whom moved to get inbetween him and the man that was approaching. "Easy boy, i'm sure he means no harm..." said Leto as he walked around Arias whom was also disappointed at the disappearance of Sama'el and Dohaina.

"Hello," said Leto as the man approached him, and the elder drykas could see that he wasn't much older than the man whom approached him. "Are you a friend of Sama'el's?" he'd ask then, wondering if the man actually knew Sama'el, or just was in the area, and had heard Leto shouting for him. Eitherway, Leto would be glad to know this man, and hoped that he might be able to give Leto some lead as to where Sama'el had disappeared off to. The elder drykas had not thought about checking the web yet, but perhaps he would later to see if he could pick up any traces of where Sama'el had gone too, unless this man had a better idea of where the boy had gotten off to.

It wasn't every day that Leto had lost a friend so quickly, or at least thought he had lose one given the man he had been teaching the mysteries to, had disappeared without a word or trace to him, and it saddened Leto to think that he would leave without saying anything to him, given Leto had allowed him the use of Arias for stud breeding purposes to Dohaina, and Leto knew that Arias was quite fond of Dohaina, and probably was wondering where exactly his mate happened to have gotten off to. Leto knew the horses that came out of the breeding, if any, would be Sama'els, but it didn't stop a horse from wondering where it's children were, if indeed any came out of the breeding.

Leto looked onwards towards the man, and patiently awaited an answer with his obsidian gaze focused entirely on him, his black hair with blond highlights, short, but rustled in the breeze a little bit, as he brushed his hand through it, wondering what this man's relationship to Sama'el was, if indeed he even knew the younger drykas, a drykas that seemed far older in wisdom than even Leto himself happened to be...

[Ronan]

"I'm a friend, yes."

He looked at the man, young, impatient. He was judging too quickly, he realised.

"And it seems you are too."

He turned back to Tairell and petted her soothingly. Strangers worried her, ever since the storm. She was fragile, and he didn't want her to go back on all the progress they had made together.

"Sama'el isn't in town at the moment," he began, "he went north on an errand, and he won't be back for some time."

That regret returned again, bubbling to the surface. He could have gone. He could have travelled, and seen the frozen north. But he had played it safe, clinging on like he always did. And it was even harder to let go now - he had a family once again.

Why am I so unsure of everything...? He silently berated himself, and turned back to the Drykas. On closer inspection, he realised he wasn't so young. Yet there was something about his demeanour that gave off that impression.

"Did you need him for something?" he asked, comforting his Strider.

[Leto Sunsinger]

Leto grimaced briefly as the man explained where Sama'el had gone. To the north? on and Errand? Right after his Dohaina and Arias had bred? Was this truly the smart thing to do in this instance? And without telling Leto so that he could watch after Dohaina for him. It all seemed so awkward, and Leto wasn't sure of what to make of it. Allowed his obsidian gaze to look towards the man, with a youthful portrayal in his eyes, he then wondered, how this man knew Sama'el, other than being just a friend, perhaps he was a student of Sama'els, but then again, Sama'el definitely looked younger than this drykas, but one could never tell someone's age simply by their looks.

As he watched him carefully, a few moments passed before he could decide upon what to say. "I... well, you see, I had provided stud services to his strider Dohaina, and I was just coming by to check up on her, and see if she had become pregnant with children, if the breeding had taken place or not... And also to see Sama'el, and see how he was doing as i've been quite busy this past season..." he said slowly, gently, wondering how the man would react to this news.

Sama'el was a good friend of Leto's, and the man had developed some form of underlying feelings for him, but he would never speak of them, unless asked about them by others. His aunt knew of them, but his uncle did not, and he wouldn't allow his uncle the privilege of knowing about them given his nature. At least his aunt was somewhat accepting of Leto's genuine nature towards men, but he never seemed to act much different around them than women, although he tended to keep men's company much more than women's, probably the reason he had never been married at such an elderly age for a drykas.

Obsidian orbs flowed forth to look back towards the man, and Leto held out his hand for him, and said, "My name is Leto Treebearer, of the Treebearer pavilion, a glypher by nature... What might your name be, friend?" As he asked, he realized that he was becoming more socially adept given he was actually trying to introduce himself to someone else, another drykas, something Leto hadn't really given much thought to doing recently, but it seemed to be happening all the same.

"You seem a bit, interesting, in knowing where Sama'el went... are you both on the watch together?" Leto then asked, wondering truly if the man happened to be one of Sama'el's friends from the watch, as he knew that Sama'el had been working on the watch recently, and in doing so, had learned a great deal more about drykas, and the world they lived in. He was able to protect the drykas society, not something that Leto was really able to do yet, even though the elderly drykas yearned for it a bit, to be something more than a glyphing summoner, to learn more about the mysteries of the world, perhaps even learn from the reimancers at some point in time, so his glyphing could be used for things other than webbing and summoing. But for now he'd patiently await an answer from the man before him, after introducing himself, and then giving him a polite smile...

[Ronan]

"Dohaina..." he said slowly, nodding in understanding, "I believe she was pregnant."

The man was studying him, Ronan became aware. He turned away awkwardly. He had made friends with Sama'el, and he had a family now, but that didn't mean he was welcoming to every stranger.

Old insecurities rose up like phantoms, and he fought them desperately. If he let them, they would drag him down every time.

Sama'el took Leto's hand slowly, then firmly. "I'm Ronan Windsong, of the Windsong Pavilion. Sama'el was training me - eventually I hope to join the Watch, but my skills aren't enough yet."

There was awe to Leto's voice - and it didn't surprise him. Sama'el had that effect at first. He had achieved so much for such a young Drykas, and the wisdom he held was great.

He wondered just where Sama'el was now. Would he have reached Avanthal? No... he probably hadn't enough time. Perhaps he was at sea, Ronan thought with wonder. The thought of leaving Cyphrus sent a shiver down his spine.

[Leto Sunsinger]

Leto grinned when Ronan introduced himself and firmly shook his hand. It was good, feeling a firm handshake every once in awhile, and Leto returned it with a firm grasp of his own. Upon releasing, he nodded to what Ronan said, and then said, "If Dohaina is pregnant then i'm sure that Sama'el had good reason for not telling me sooner... But it is good news nonetheless..." A brief smile crossed his face after a small frown at the fact that Sama'el didn't tell Leto personally about Dohaina being pregnant. Perhaps there was something wrong with her, or she was sick during the pregnancy, those would all be possibly good reasons for not telling Leto about it, as he probably didn't want to worry him about the outcome of the pregnancy. Thinking on it for a moment, Leto allowed the feelings and emotions to pass as Ronan explained that Sama'el was training him to be apart of the watch.

"That's good that he's training you to work for them... I don't think i'd ever be cut out for the Watch, but my talents lie elsewhere, in the mysteries of the world that is, glyphing, summoning, webbing... I plan on learning more about them, but for now, i've got the knowledge i've got..." he said, as his obsidian gaze fell to the ground. He had always felt a bit insecure around people who were training or apart of the watch, as he barely had any combat experience, and had only trained a little bit in the War Pavilion with the glaive, to learn how to defend himself just a bit. As his gaze turned back up towards Ronan, he then asked, "Are you planning on meeting up with Sama'el before hit trip is finished? Before he comes back to Endrykas?" Leto's curiousity was founded solidly, and he wondered what Sama'el was doing, and where Denen was as well, given his last encounter with the healer didn't turn out so well, as he had discovered a similar secret that he held with the boy.

That secret was his to know though, and he'd keep it for Denen so long as Denen wanted him to keep it that way. Silence was a burden that Leto had carried for a good long time, and he didn't plan on changing his ways anytime soon. In his heart, he hoped almost that Ronan would be trying to meet up with Sama'el before he got back from his trip, if so, Leto would offer his services to Ronan to assist him in finding Sama'el, given the man's experience with the web would be of some use, unlike his combat experience, which probably wouldn't be of any use at the moment. At least he knew which part of the glaive was the pointy end. That was about it when it came to combat experience for the man.

Smiling as he awaited Ronan's answer, his thoughts drifted back to Sama'el, and his friendship with him, truly wondering why the young drykas had not given him an inkling about his trip to Avanthal, or his packing up of his camp, which was gone from sight now, with the exception of where the dirt from the firepit used to be...

[Ronan]

"Those might not be talents destined for the Watch, but they are worthy and impressive talents nonetheless. Sama'el showed me a little of Webbing, but my ability with it is a little... patchy."

He stroked Tairell again. The Strider was calming, Leto's speech was soft and careful, and that really helped the old girl's nervousness.

"Uh... I didn't plan to," he was unsure, and he could hear it in his own voice, "he's going to be away for a while. And I guess I'm happy here in Endrykas." I guess... why did that sound so wrong?

There was a feeling in his gut... Something told him he should have gone. But why? Why was it so important? It seemed like madness, but it was an itch he so wanted to scratch.

[Leto Sunsinger]

Leto felt that Ronan was completely unsure with his answer, his tone, gestures, and everything else said it blatantly right out loud, Leto could hear it in his voice, and could see it in his face as he spoke to him. Why didn't he go with Sama'el, thought Leto, if he's so unsure of the answer to that question? And for that matter, why the heck didn't Sama'el tell me about this journey to the Northern Reaches? All of these thoughts trailed through Leto's mind as he posed his next question, rather unsure of himself as well. "Well, I don't know much about the outside world of Endrykas... haven't been out of the city in over fourteen years..." he said, starting off with something a bit easy, akin to conversation, his tone gentle and mellow as he watched Ronan and his strider. "But I think Arias is itching to get out of the city, and perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to trail Sama'el in case he needs your help..." said Leto, putting the emphasis upon Ronan helping out Sama'el, rather than himself, as Leto had very little experience with the outside world.

Perhaps he could be tracked using the web, to trail him to wherever he happened to be going, and if so, Leto definitely was only a beginner at webbing, but had the necessary skills to be able to track someone, even if it was only a hundred miles, he was sure Sama'el would have left traces of his presence there. Soft obsidian orbs looked back towards Ronan, up from the ground. "And if you'd like me to come with you, i've been itching to get out of Endrykas and expand my horizons for the past year or so almost... It might not be a bad idea to journey together, given what is out in the wilderness and whatnot..." he said, memories of the glassbeaks that ravaged him when he was younger coming back to him, his scars visible on his upper chest and arms, along with the tip of his windmark above his leather vest he happened to be wearing, the triangle that symbolized power. He had other tattoes on his body, mostly glyphs that meant pieces of his personality, that only he knew the meaning of, and he rarely shared them with anyone.

As he looked towards Ronan, maybe a partner in a journey was what the man really needed, and if Leto was to be that partner, he would do the best of his ability to assist Ronan in whatever way possible, whether it be tracking via the web, or some other method, Leto was sure he'd be of at least some use, if not an extra pair of eyes for danger. The truth was though, that if this was a way to get to Sama'el, he'd take it, and he felt bad using Ronan's insecurities against him, it wasn't his goal at all, but if the man had wanted to go with Sama'el, there must have been a good reason he chose not to, but he still seemed urging to go, deep down inside.

Depending on his answer, Leto might have to be a bit more persuasive, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that, and a partner would be all the man needed in pushing him over the last little edge to go on a journey to find Sama'el, and see what they could do to assist him, as well as Leto being able to express his true feelings to him once and for all, given he was still quite upset that Sama'el didn't even tell him where he was going on this journey, and left without a word to poor Leto...

[Ronan]

"I can beat that," Ronan said softly, a wan smile playing on his lips, "I've never left Cyphrus at all. I've been out in the Grasses, and I went to Riverfall once when I was younger - but that's it. The World is a frightening thing, isn't it."

As Leto expressed his desire to leave Endrykas and trail Sama'el, there was a hopefulness evident in his voice. He didn't know Leto, but the man seemed genuine enough. And he seemed keen to find Sama'el quickly.

"I..." he stalled. Touching Tairell again, half for his own comfort, he pondered on the situation. He had only just gotten to know Akilah, and the remnants of his Pavilion, yet when Sama'el had first told him of his departure he had wanted to leave in his heart. He was torn, and he bit his lip in concentration.

"I'll tell you some other time, but my past has been a dark one... Just recently, Endrykas has lit up my life once again, and now I have a family here. Leaving feels... odd."

He shook his head miserably.

"But at the same time I want to come. I want to help Sama'el. After all, we will one day be brothers in the Watch." He stared into Leto's eyes. That was one way of gauging a man's intentions. "Why is it that you seek the Watcher, Leto Treebearer?"