Learn to Fly?! [Open]

[Akilah Windsong]

"Syliras? How is it?" That wasn't too far, especially when summer came around. Middle of summer especially, when the sun was at its hottest and it was almost impossible to cool down. She'd run down to the edges of the Suvan Sea, the cliffs hard to navigate sometimes. Late night would be spent hoping that Zulrav might bring a cool breeze and passing relief.

The borders of Sylira were nearby then and one could reach the city by land or water. Auldwin could easily get home, if he wanted.

Before she could ask, he answered the question. Akilah wasn't sure if he was a coward or just concerned but she didn't press the question.

"Yes, yes," she replied. He spoke like her grandfather used to, especially toward his last years. Hair thinning, beard grey, he'd talk to her in quiet, sad voice. As though the problems he had were to much to bear, now that the end was near, now that he could see there were no solutions.

Regrets were abundant in the elderly, it seemed. When she got to that age, would she look back too and only see the could-haves and should-haves?

A small bark broke her thoughts and she looked down to see Vespera's ears prick, his nose in the air. Alert, he turned behind her, still sniffing the air as he did. Her strider also sensed it, whatever that presence was, whickering lightly.

Akilah crouched now, her hand on the ground. She couldn't see what they sensed, couldn't hear it either. It was too far or too stealthy. Uneasy, she realized how quiet the meadow was.

"Can you see it?" she asked. Auldwin could float, probably. Or was he subject to the laws of gravity as well? She'd have to ask that, when they had time later.

[Auldwin]

Syliras, yes. How to describe Syliras? "Big." was the very first thing Auldwin could think of. Syliras was incredibly large and densely populated. The sheer amount of people was so vastly superior to anything he had ever seen while he had wondered around the Cyphrus region and Black Rock that there was simply no comparison. "Everything and anything is there. People as far as the eye can see selling every imaginable trinket and gadget. I suppose there's literally something for everyone. Food, drinks, weapons, architecture, animals, all kinds of things." Of course life in Syliras wasn't completely perfect. Many people came to Syliras, but often folks from other, less structured communities couldn't handle the rules and regulations placed by the Knighthood.

"But it's also loud, and crowded. There's a lot of walls, rock, wood, and stone. The living space you get is very small, because so many people live there. Sometimes the air would smell like sweat, but you'd get used to it. Heh, I suppose that doesn't sound very appetizing. It's just completely different from all of this. Outside of Syliras there is space and beauty though. There is the Bronze Woods of course. The Knights patrol it often, so compared to a lot of wilderness it's actually fairly safe. Not completely, but fairly. The wildlife there is tame compared to the man-eating bird creatures you Drykas have out here." he spoke, continuing on that train of thought. Syliras was great for a person who needed a structured, safe life. It was very safe. There was no way to dispute that, even his own life experience mirrored that very thought, considering the one time he finally got up the courage to leave Syliras he ended up dying horribly.

How ironic was it that after mustering up the courage to travel away from Syliras, now he didn't have the willpower to go back? He was going to go further before Akilah took an interest in the behavior of her animals. Auldwin's nearly non-existent brow furrowed, that once plush and well furred arch of hair lapsing into his incorporeal state. "Huh? What's going on?" if she was talking about someone besides Auldwin, he was completely oblivious to it. In a scientific sense, Auldwin was not truly bound by gravity. He didn't have any actual mass for gravity to effect. He found though, as was typical for most Ghosts, that through sheer mental reflex he had a tendency to stay close to the ground. It was just a natural reaction, almost like floating up and over a mountain when he could technically instead go straight through it.

[Akilah Windsong]

Syliras seemed interesting enough--she would like to see those Bronze woods, the vast markets. All those trinkets and baubles to admire. Out here in Cyprus, traders rarely came. It was a harsh environment, next to yet another harsh environment. Anyone wanting to travel to the cities in the desert took a ship instead, dropping them at their destination quickly without any of the hassle.

Most who dared to enter Endrykas didn't carry much, just a few exotic goods they were able to save as they reached the last stop of their travels. If she wanted to see more, she'd have to travel to the cities nearby, the strangers they traded with, and it was rare that she had the chance to travel there.

Syliras, with all its connections, was not like this at all. One could explore its shops for days. One thing was for certain, though:

"I couldn't live there then."

The sweat was no problem--she lived with animals, after all. With horses and foxes and wild cats, with scents that flooded the city after it rained and exploded over the hot months of summer. It was something she was used to but she still had a nose and it still noticed these things.

"I don't think I could handle a small, closed home."

Cyprus has always been one thing: vast. The sky can be seen almost everywhere, all encompassing, all enveloping. Akilah had grown up under this large playground, of open roofs and wide spaces. There were very few times she had been in a small, enclosed area, and never long at that.

To live in a hovel like that everyday...she shivered at the thought.

Listening to his response, she chewed her lip. "I don't know. It's just really quiet--aside from your crow, we haven't seen or heard any other animal. Not even a bird." She looked back at her two companions, at the tense muscles under their fur. Adámas was only slightly uneasy, shifting her weight as she lifted a hoof.

She took the slightly as a good sign--if the situation was dangerous, her strider would be doing more than just staring. Vespera on the other hand was crouching low, ears flicking left and right as he tracked the creature. He was still young, inexperienced, and whatever stock she put in his reactions wasn't too high.

"They seem to sense something here. Another animal?" Whatever it was, she could handle it. Probably.

[Auldwin]

Auldwin seemed to be concentrating at looking carefully around the area, as if enough focus in keeping his eyes wandering about would eventually lead to something hidden or obscured. Odd though it was as he did not possess eyes as a normal person did, his field of vision was relatively similar to the common man, "I wouldn't know. In the years I've lived out here with the Drykas, I still learn new things about this place every day. Also, though dead, my vision is the same as yours, mostly. They don't exactly need to adjust to the darkness, since there's nothing to adjust, nor do I need to shield them from the sun, since there's nothing there to cause me pain, but they see all the same.".

There were other senses that you obtained as a Ghost, of course. Not all of them were useful, though one could get a Ghost into trouble, as well as keep them out of it, "We can sense Soulmist, but that's about it. It's about the only thing someone like me would find appetizing, like a delicious meal I suppose. But animals are often quiet while I'm around, I seem to invoke that in them. Sometimes they bark and snarl, but mostly they wander away from me. This place you call home has plenty of terrifying creatures though, perhaps it's best for you to get back." he offered that bit of wisdom to the girl. His day of manipulating a bird's body was just about at an end anyway, he would need to rest and replenish his Soulmist so he could continue his efforts at a later time. It was better to conserve what he had, than to waste it frivolously.

"Go ahead..." he whispered to the bird as his Soulmist released it's hold upon the creature enough to allow it to begin beating it's wings furiously. Once the little avian had gained enough momentum with the rapid movement of it's limbs in an effort to get away from the force that had been holding it at bay, Auldwin pulled back his Soulmist fully, and the small black creature launched upward into the sky with an ability and grace that Auldwin was a long way from mastering.

[Akilah Windsong]

So it seemed being a ghost didn't improve your awareness. Biting back a sigh, she remained tense as she scouted the land.

There was nothing. As though her eyes could help her here. In the dapple shadow of the long grasses, in the logs and rocky terrain, it was all too easy for an animal to hide and make its way across to her. She should know--she had hunted many times before like that.

All you needed to do was keep low to the ground and make sure not to break the grass. Bending wouldn't do either--you had to carefully push your way through. It was an art she had yet to master but it came naturally to the predators out here.

"It just might be time to go home," she replied, trusting her senses and those of her animals. Cyphrus was dangerous to anyone who remained unaware and deadly to those who did not trust their instincts. It was those senses that could find what's wrong with the scene even if her mind couldn't understand it.

"I'll see you in town, then" she replied, still staring at the scene. The grass was swaying lightly--the wind or the steps of death, she couldn't tell. Distracted, she waved where she thought he might be, the thin air shimmering slightly there. "I hope you find your killer soon."

Then, with hardly a thought, she gracefully mounted her strider, her hands and legs moving in the familiar patterns. She never needed to make sure Adámas remained still during her mounts like she did with other horses, almost hobbling the particularly nervous ones. No, they moved as one, and as her hand grabbed the yvas, it was as still as it could be. Reaching up with her right leg, she quickly swung her left across. Her strider could handle the rest, adjusting underneath her until they were both comfortable.

Before they took off, she waved farewell. Looking at the spot he might be, she smiled as she started to move. "See you later."

And then they were off, Vespera barking eagerly as they ran through the grass. Akilah released her breath, relaxing her tense shoulders. She was safe. No one was faster than a strider here.

[Limey]

Auldwin: Skill and Lore Rewards Skills Lore Possession 5 Possession: For The Birds Philosophy 1 Try, Try and Try Again Projection 3 Life Is Hard To Let Go Of Rhetoric 2 The Indignation Of The Dead Akilah: A Curious Drykas The Search For Webbing The Sapphire Clan: Webbing Masters Drykas: Facing The World Akilah: Skill and Lore Rewards Skills Lore Animal Husbandry 3 Commands and Rewards Investigation 2 Vespera: Hunter In Training Auldwin: Vengeful And Sorrowful The Mechanics Of A Ghost How Soulmist Works Shared Lores: Syliras: A Shining City And A Golden Cage The Pain Of The Incorporeal To Seek, To Strive, To Find... And To Revenge Questions Are The Keys To Wisdom Additional Notes : Great work, guys! Not an action-packed thread,for a change, more a meeting of minds and an exchange of thoughts and intentions. Auldwin seemed much more proactive as far as that went, but then again, he is the one hunting for something. I liked Akilah's insatiable curisoity, too, peppering the ghost with questions. The Soulmist and Projction sections were eerily and well-done, too, good work. And Akilah, you must work with dogs, because they think just like that! I hope to see more of you both. Any questions or queries, please PM me.