Eye of the Beholder [Sighard]

[Tara]

Winter 15th, 511AV.

It was early in the morning, much before the majority of Syliras would be waking. The sun should be breaking through the clouds and bringing morning to Syliras but a thick wall of grey clouds stopped it’s entry. There was a light drizzle of rain blowing in the morning wind, but it seemed to be stopping shortly. Tara walked down the silent street, the wind blowing her hair behind her so it fell into a messy heap. At the moment, Tara couldn’t care less about her hair though.

Her amber eyes shone even in the low lighting. They stood out against her pale skin and soft black hair. Her silver dress blew in the wind and wafted gently around her knees. Tara wrapped her cloak tightly around her, shielding her skin from the icy morning. It was not that far into winter yet but the cold weather had already started to pick up. Tara considered shifting into her cat form, but carrying everything that she was carrying except in a smaller form seemed foolish.

She hissed in frustration when she turned a corner and did not see what she expected to. There were not as many people outside as there was later in the day, so Tara had figured that she could go out now and find some place to eat breakfast without having to sift through thousands of human-scents. Tara was not afraid of humans, but she was afraid of what would hide it’s scent amidst the crowds. She was not generally a paranoid person but the unknown scared her. So did being startled by something unexpected. She always liked to have an escape and Syliras did not offer her one. She was lucky it was a relatively crime-free city, or she’d probably go insane. She never understood how humans went about their lives without a sense of smell or hearing. Well, that would be an exaggeration but to Tara humans were near deaf and could hardly smell a thing, since she had the senses of a cat. While a canine would have better sense of smell than Tara, cat’s still did have a good one and their hearing is what enables them to land on their feet.

Tara flopped down and sat with her back leaning against the wall of a building. She blew upwards to send a stray strand of hair out of her face. She was cold and now lost, so Tara was not in a good mood. Being lost was not a big deal but it was a blow to her pride. She hadn’t slept much that night either, and she was hungry. Tara sighed. Today was not starting out very well.

[Sighard]

A momentary reprieve from the pressures of his knighthood left Sighard meandering about the gaping streets of Syliras. It was a tranquil time and one where he embraced the echo of his own footsteps along the worn cobblestone way. The path would for several hundred meters until he’d found himself in the more occupied section of the first ring of the city, which, to his surprise had not been as bustling as he’d liked it to have been. He’d gotten rather used to spending his free days mingling with the common folk and leaving a positive impression upon those he’d be guarding in the future. The coordinated system often worked to his benefit when helping investigate cases of wrongdoing when they appeared. Alas, it seemed he’d have to drink in the unique scenery of barren stalls illuminated by nearby torches. He lifted his face to the sky and allowed the pattering of rain to splash against his features and refresh and cleanse.

He wore nothing extravagant, or at least anything that would have signified him as a Knight within the city. His plain breeches, tunic and cloak of a drab brown color were the attire of choice and he carried the family blade at his side. Thick leather boots protected him from the slick surface of the ground beneath and pair of woolen gloves helped fight back the biting cold which nipped at his extremities. The cold was a bitter thing indeed, but its presentation in the safe haven of Syliras was beautiful in its own right. Though perhaps it was not nearly as beautiful as the creature he saw leaning against the wooden wall of the Rearing Stallion.

As fate had it, Sighard’s gaze dropped from the sky at the exact moment that he was walking past the lone Tara. She seemed a silent girl that could have been hidden by the dull roar of the noisy tavern within and it was a wonder to the squire that he had not walked past her. Elegantly, he turned in his stride towards the female. A soft grin had dominated his features which were littered with drops of blue rain.

A gloved hand extended courteously outwards towards the girl and Sighard spoke in the sweetest of tones.

“Can I be of some assistance, Miss. . .?”

[Tara]

Tara looked up, slightly surprised. She had noticed his scent but expected him to saunter on down the lane, right past her and on with whatever business he had. Slightly dazed from being suddenly interrupted from her thoughts Tara took the human’s gloved hand and stood up. She shuffled her feet slightly, unwilling to admit that she had gotten lost in the very city she grew up in. Not that he knew she grew up here, though. It was more of a personal thing that not many people knew, but that was somewhat irrelevant to Tara at the moment.

She took a moment to properly study the man standing in front of her to the best of her abilities. She knew he was human, and not a scrawny one at that. He seemed like he could take care of himself, which meant he had some training. He was a Syliran Knight, perhaps though he was not wearing anything to signal that he was one and Tara didn’t jump to conclusions. If it were important he would tell her in due time. His tone was sweet so Tara did not assume he meant any harm. His smile seemed genuine and his eyes did not portray a different emotion, so he wasn’t hiding something from her that she needed to know.

She sighed and decided to somewhat give in and seek the man’s help. But she would do it in an indirect way. Tara was a proud kelvic and went to great lengths to protect what pride she had. She figured if he started anything she’d just run like hell and hope for the best. Now she just had to figure out what was the best way to approach this, and she had to be fast. She’d taken up enough time deciding whether to run or stay put.

”Well, I was just wondering if you knew how to get to someplace warmer…” she didn’t give herself much time to think of a strategic way of going about this so she went with a straighter option. If she could find some place to get warm, even get herself a meal then it was worth it… probably. She accompanied her question with a small smile.

[Sighard]

“You must be new,” He responded with a hearty chuckle. An unoccupied hand gestured to the sign which hung prominently above the young girl’s head and swayed heavily in the wind upon the loose wire it was attached. Carved into a hearty red oak was the famed picture of the rearing stallion which maintained its elegant ferocity and lit up brilliantly against a nearby torchlight. Sighard maintained that the drab weather, coupled with the fact that the girl seemed to have been visiting the city lead to this confusion, but he seemed polite as ever as he continued, his tones according to the swing of conversation. “The Rearing Stallion always keeps a roaring fireplace for its patrons. Come, let’s head inside and get something to eat. They’ll be serving breakfast right about now.”

While he spoke he jerked his head towards the heavy oaken doors which lead into the establishment. They had been closed shut to protect against the brutal winds and all but the loudest sounds were muffled into obscure, low pitches. He proceeded forth and, with a strong push, pressed one of the doors open. The colorful sounds within spilled into the street along with the warm glow and pleasant scents from within. Smoked sausage and burnt hickory smells pervaded the senses for the moment and made the interior of the Tavern seem all the more inviting.

“Quickly now. It’s best that you don’t get any wetter than you already are!”

[Tara]

Tara looked up in confusion. Last time she had checked there was no sign hanging there… Her cheeks became a little less pale than they normal were. I’ve been here before too… she internally scolded herself. However inside they were serving breakfast and Tara was starving so running off now and hoping the man forgot about her seemed out of the question. She walked into the dimly lit tavern and took a couple short sniffs.

Whatever they were having for breakfast in here it smelled good and drew Tara in. She rubbed her hands together in an effort to dispel the cold. She hung up her black cloak on a nearby peg and went to sit down at a table near the hearth. She sighed as the fire radiated warmth and made her black hair shimmer with orange lights. She looked over to make sure that the man had followed and hadn’t just left her here.

A young man was waiting on tables. Tara had seen him when she was last in the Rearing Stallion. She caught his eye and he came over to the tables and asked the two what they’d like. ”I’ll have whatever’s for breakfast” she said with a friendly smile. She handed him 4 silver mizas before turned around to wait for her meal. It wasn’t long before a plate of smoked sausages and other foods that Tara had not seen in a good while was placed in front of her. She shook her head when the man asked if she wanted anything to drink and then he walked away.

Tara ate slowly, well aware of the man in front of her. She then realized that she didn’t even know his name. She stopped to chew and swallow a piece of sausage before looking up at him. ”I forgot to tell you, I’m Tara” she said with a small smile. She was not completely trusting of him, but he had been kind to her and so she would go with innocent until proven guilty and hope that it doesn’t backfire.

[Sighard]

The scenery changed, arguably for the better for the two as they stepped inside the building and shut the cold, brutal world out behind them. A surge of warm air embraced Sighard and caused his slightly numb cheeks to tingle in the lesser shock of temperature change. His head swiveled and bobbed to greet all those present to which he was familiar. Veteran bards and regulars accorded to his presence by courteous rising of their glasses of milk while the morning alcoholics dipped their mug in his direction. The general atmosphere of the place was slow and groggy as mornings were apt to do to any place. People stuck to their meals and words were few and far between.

After removing his cloak and placing it on a nearby wooden rack, he followed his new companion courteously to a table, awaited her to be seated and then slid in across from her as she gestured to look towards the boy. He spoke in warm, friendly tones as he ordered his breakfast of sausage and drink of water, and threw his gaze to the female as the waiter ambled dutifully off. She was more beautiful than he’d remembered just moments ago. Something about the way the light caught her features and sheened off her ebon hair caused the boy’s pulse to quicken. He likened it to the feeling of anxiety before a spar, an uncertainty that washed away as soon as he’d engaged himself in battle, or, in this case, conversation.

“It’s a pleasure, Tara. I’m Sighard, squire to the Syliran Knights.” His tone was amiably weaker and more vulnerable. The moments for him had become strained and isolated, and the silence which pervaded those empty minutes in which they had waited for their food became somewhat of a bother to the otherwise confident boy. Rarely had he ever nervous in the presence of another female. But, then again, the fluttering which had erupted in his stomach had also not been a familiar feeling. He took a bite of his sausage. It was delicious but cold and greasy and that did not accommodate his disposition well. After a quick drink of water he inquired, “May I ask what you were doing sitting by yourself in the rain?”

His words bubbled over with an innocent smile and quirk of the brow that implied his true engagement to this individual. It was odd but, he’d had a sense that the girl was different from many of the others he had met. She seemed . . . off in a way that he could not accurately describe.

[Tara]

Tara smiled as he introduced himself. ”Nice to meet you. Sighard” she said, praising herself mentally for guessing that he was part of the Syliran knights. She tilted her head slightly. He appeared less confident than before, almost nervous. Maybe it was because the place was darker to him than it was to her. Humans couldn’t see half as well in the dark as feline kelvics could. Though, she doubted that was it. It was hardly plausible that a Syliran Knight would be afraid of the dark. He was probably used to it, anyway.

Tara studied her food nervously when he asked her what she’d been doing sitting on her own. ”Well that is a very long story” she said, not really answering his question. She had gotten the hint when he quirked his eyebrow slightly. Tara had never been in this kind of situation before and didn’t really know how she should act. Clearing her thoughts she decided she would just calm down and go step by step. At least she knew now that he probably wasn’t planning on harming her, which was always a good sign.

Sighing, she decided to fully answer his question. ”I was just kind of frustrated so I sat down” she said. She noticed it wasn’t really a very long story; she just had wanted to avoid being interrogated. Even now it sounded strange. Earlier on she had decided that walking round in circles was getting her nowhere, so she had sat down to clear her thoughts. And while clearing her thoughts she somehow ended up right beside where she was trying to get to… Maybe she’d forgotten because last time she went she’d drank a little. Tara was not one for drinking so it probably had a bad effect on her system. She felt better now that she had justified her mistake to herself.

[Sighard]

Sighard bowed his head dutifully towards the girl, his heavy strands of hair slapping noisily against his face in the gesture. They pressed comically to his moist skin as his head bobbed upwards and he brushed them away with a single sweep of his hand, wiping away a few irking beads of rain that had stubbornly remained in the process. Was it truly nice for her to have met the man, or was she adhering to the formality of the situation. One did not generally allow themselves to seem peeved by the company of a Knight. The power over the lives of thousands accounted for the general attitude of his kind and it was sometimes difficult to gauge the actual feelings of another.

“Frustration is not becoming of one so beau—elegant as you. There is little shame in requesting help.” His words rattled instinctively, and he caught himself attempting to flirt and impose himself rather early. Words were a funny thing, and he knew from experience that even their slightest variation could amount to drastic changes in response. It was quite obvious as to why he’d succumbed to a more conservative approach when dealing with this girl. Her temperament told some degree of fragility and he dared not test the breaking point this early in the situation. Rather, he continued coolly, his gaze never faltering from Tara as he spoke.

“There is a wealth of kindness amidst the people of Syliras. The sacrifices we make are all the more worthwhile because of it.” Gingerly he chewed a piece of his sausage link off, and the subtle crisp of its seal breaking transitioned the momentary silence that followed. In the Rearing Stallion, however, silence could only be accounted for in one’s immediate vicinity. There was always a song playing softly in the background or the powerful roar of drunken men’s laughter that responded to some bawdy joke.

[Tara]

Tara smiled at the compliment, deciding not to notice that he tripped over his words slightly. Even though Tara knew well that his words were true, she didn’t like to ask for help simply because she felt as if she were opening up to weakness in front of a stranger, who may or may not be an enemy. As much as Tara would love to believe that all people could be trusted, it wasn’t true. Though she had become more open with asking for help since arriving in Syliras, as the people in here were slightly more trustworthy than those outside the gates and most would not cause trouble due to the strict way that law was kept. But even so Tara was wary when trusting strangers. Knights were a small bit less suspicious as they were the ones upholding the credibility of Syliras. Tara knew that she would be wise not to cause trouble while she was here, or at least not to get caught but she did not know the workings of other’s minds.

The soft crunch or Sighard eating one of his sausages brought Tara back to the room and reminded her that she still hadn’t finished her meal. She took a small bite of one of her sausages but having already eaten two she was starting to get full. When she was travelling and even now she didn’t eat much food and she had gotten used to it being that way. She felt bad wasting food but there was nothing she could really do about it. She felt worse knowing that she had paid for the meal and now wasn’t eating it all. She’d get over it though, as it wasn’t too expensive and seen as she had never the need to buy a home she had a bit more coin than the average person round here.

The silence had been drawn out enough so Tara quickly searched for something to say. She was never good at conversations, which was one of the benefits of her cat form. She could let out a mew and people would be delighted. ”Why don’t you dress like the other knights?” she asked and as soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them. ”Never mind, I’m sorry” she said quickly, hoping he wasn’t short tempered.

[Sighard]

Sighard allowed the statement to hang in the air for a little bit. He sipped at his glass and only smiled at the innocent, apologetic features of his current companion. Her erratic musings and subsequent follow-ups brought to mind a number of questions that he certainly would have liked to ask. There was something to be said for discretion, however, and when he took the opportunity that was presented by the girl he made sure to react in the most generous of tones to assure her of his intentions.

“You must be new.” He repeated, the smile never quite leaving his face. As he dropped his glass back to the table he looked towards the girls features in curious observation. It was tough to decipher because every time he looked closely, it became less important to realize any objective feature. The powerful dominion his heart held over the situation made it rather difficult for him to get a read on Tara and for that he became internally flustered. Though he did not show it, it was difficult to manage his cool nature which often-times tried to elude him in the course of this conversation.

“It would not be rational for me to take offense to that question, Tara. You will rarely see a knight in his or her armor when she is off duty and you will rarely ever see a squire outside the grounds in such armor. The truth of the matter is we are citizens of Syliras like anybody else. There is no unique feature that defines us all.” Sighard’s explanation was emphasized by gestures and proper enunciation that helped her to understand his situation. He continued after a short breath.

“Do not apologize. I rarely hear questions on the etiquette of Knights and it is a refreshing change of pace. Most people want to know of the latest news of the outside world or what beast in the forest is going to eat them. But then again. . . you aren’t most people, are you?”