Friends Made In The Most Odd of Ways (Chapiko, Wrenmae)

by **Chapiko** on February 21st, 2012, 2:24 am

Oooh. Ana. What a pretty name. She wasn't magical, nor would she pay a miza to know that the girl didn't sleep well at night. She didn't need to know anything else.

Wrenmae. Wren may. May the wren? Interesting name. Girly, though. May the Wren Sek Wilmot. Wren, like the bird. Why a wren? Hm... Her mind whirred, making odd connections that only made sense in her head. She didn't know he was coming, she wasn't paying attention. Pity. But this girl, Ana, brought her a new friend to play with. Ana had other friends, she must've. Chapiko wanted friends. Neither of the two knew her name, but no matter! She could tell them in a moment. But not her full name, no. Koko would do. How many names Koko could mean! Endless possibilities. It was sad they couldn't speak Tawna. If Ana spoke Tawna she would know what a Chaktawe was, and she didn't. May the Wren and Ana. What an interesting combination!

"Oh, my name is Koko." She looked at both of them, slightly squinting. Ana seemed to know who this May the Wren was. Well of course, they knew each others' names. Ana seemed a bit flustered, though. And...tense. May the Wren...must be the reason. He made her feel uncomfortable. But then, so did Chapiko.

"Yes, that's a nickname, but you don't have to know the full, May the Wren." May the Wren seemed much more fitting for him than Wrenmae. She giggled, but not at or for any outside stimuli. Just her own odd imagination. It had been about 29 days since the last time the voices stopped...that would mean they would stop tonight! May the Wren had reminded her. The feeling made her feel giddy, that she could be without the whispers. She should make the best of the day by making friends! Because friends were always a good thing. They could help her survive in this Gods-forsaken city. She had to make her place in the world, and be it ended by a stab in the back by one of her 'friends', so be it.

by **Wrenmae** on February 21st, 2012, 7:01 pm

"Koko, huh?" He grinned, sudden jubilee in the face of new knowledge, "Kinda sounds silly for a nickname, no offense, so I hope you don't mind if I 'rename' you." He winked, sliding in between Ana and Chapiko, pulling his cloak around himself to such an extent that he almost vanished in the shadow of the building. "Ko, and your eyes are black...so I'll call you Coal...I'll charge that as the going price of referring to me as May the Wren." The name sounded girlish, almost painfully so, but it was in the way people heard it, after all. Not much he could do to alleviate that sort of phonetic pitfall.

He glanced at Coal again, taking in her rich tanned skin, vibrantly black eyes. It was almost frightening, staring at her. Those eyes were like black pits to some inexplicable void. Not that he hadn't seen them before, but they were always a little unsettling to him. "Chaktawe, huh?" He said at last, entwining his fingers together, "Long way from the desert, aren't you?"

It wasn't often such overt strangers entered Sunberth. The population was a supersitious sort, the kind that would stab an Isur in the night for little more then existing. It was an uncomfortable place for nonhuman outsiders...and although Chapiko held the correct dimensions, she may find trouble based on her eyes alone.

Maybe she should invest in a little morphing.

Of course...a mage was hardly more liked than a non-human in the first place.

"What brought you here...Coal?" And with the question came the lilt of hypnotism, a seeping Djed creeping into his words and tugging at her secrecy. It was almost habit, the manipulation. It was natural to him, like the punctuation to his sentence, enforced with a little bit of magic to get the tongue wiggling.

He was a storyteller after all...and it would do no good for her to hide her tale behind the guise of secrecy.

by **Ana Sol Starris** on February 22nd, 2012, 1:00 am

Bringing a hand to cover her mouth, she was trying to hide or rather push down her smiling muscles down, though the corners of her mouth twitched upwardly. She had called him 'May the Wren' why, for whatever reason Ana could not think of. Eyebrow raised she watched the two, the mood was certainly light and Wren appeared to be not so spontaneious nor blood murderous. Ana liked it when he was like this, it was so much easier to relax around him then. But... If he later cornered her for smiling, even almost giggling at the little nickname Koko had come up with, well she turned her smile upside down and glanced upwards, the sun almost blinded her so she looked to the ground. Criss crossing her arms for the warmth that was now receeding from her body and watched the puffs of breath formulate in the air from her current companions.

Ana's attention was more than less focused on Wren and she seemed to give a jolt of surprise when she thought she saw his body disapear, only to focus closer she saw the very dim outlines. She wondered how he could do that.. Just melt into the shadows.. It was probably just a little trick of the light, or the dark, they certainly were in a shady area. So it was probably just her eyes playing tricks.

He knew what a Chaktawe was too... Curiosity began creeping up on her, she wanted to know more about these 'Chaktawe' with the special hands but she couldn't bring herself to speak. His expression put her on alert, a spontaneious action to Ana, and even more so when he came up with a new nickname for Koko. Coal, how could that be used for a name? Does that mean he is planning to burn Koko soon... Ana thought to herself, because thats exactly what coal was used for, burning, warmth, then it hit her. Koko was beautiful in some odd, creepy way, but pretty, Ana was sure Wren was thinking or rather planning something. But what? She wanted to know.. But didn't know how to ask.. Then again she shouldn't assume he was so quickly.

His voice acted much like a drug, she couldn't help but listen to him and her head had turned to look at 'Coal' for her response, choosing that name because it was funny to Ana. Feeling awfully awkward though, as if she were some third wheel, she contemplated backing off from the two. Ana just couldn't think of anything to say, other times it was beyond easy to speak, but.. More than one person at a time made it harder, more odd, she just didn't know how to interact with groups albeit even small ones and especially if complete attention was focused on her. So in a way, Ana was glad she was only a little speck at that moment.

Keeping her arms crossed, she just listened and watched the two.

OOC :

by **Chapiko** on February 22nd, 2012, 2:58 am

Chapiko didn't mind the fact that May had decided to rename her, nor the fact that he wanted to know why she was here. Her main and only concern at the moment was whether it was 'Coal' or 'Kohl'. Coal was a simple black substance that you burned for warmth and fire, and kohl was something that was used to line eyes and to enhance beauty. Chapiko preferred 'Kohl'. It was black as well, and the Eypharians lined their eyes with it, she knew that. At least, kohl or gold dust. And anything that the Eypharians used to enhance their beauty was better than something burned for warmth. She had even considered buying some kohl to line her own eyes with it, but decided against it.

"Coal, that you burn for warmth, or Kohl, that you line your eyes with?" She hoped he meant Kohl. But considering her chances, her meant Coal. She had called him 'May the Wren'. But still. He wanted to know why she was here, in Sunberth. She felt compelled to tell why, but not exactly of her own accord.

"I hear little airy-whispers from the desert calling my name, but today's a full moon. Today, they won't bother me!" She clasped her hands together, excited to continue the story. "And I came here, faar away from the desert, to make them go away. But they haven't gone yet!" At this, her expression went a bit dark and forlorn, as if she were telling the story of how someone was murdered. But almost immediately it went back into her happy expression, and she looked like she were proud of herself.

"I heard some people talking about Sunberth. So I came here! To make them go away! But no one else can hear them, can they? Oh, that's a pity, they can be quite beautiful sometimes." She paused for a moment, as if contemplating what she had just said. Then she remembered Ana, standing off to the side looking oddly at her.

"I get night terrors sometimes. Do you, Ana?" She asked, drawing out the name and facing Ana. She bent at the waist, clasping her hands over her knees, so that her head was at the same height as the much shorter girl's. It seemed like a plausible reason as to why the girl had dark circles under her eyes, but Chapiko didn't pry too much. She would probably start demanding Mizas again.

"Why are you here?" She asked, as she stood up again and looked at May the Wren. If he was going to pry, why couldn't she? Besides, new people were always the most fun to pry into, crack open like a walnut. If someone was doing it to her, there was no reason why she couldn't. And besides, walnuts were silly. They tasted good though, when they cracked and you could get at the bitter flesh. Yum yum.

by **Wrenmae** on February 22nd, 2012, 2:45 pm

Vague answers, the reach around excuses of someone not telling the whole story. Wrenmae was content with this, at least at first. He didn't know Coal, not well enough at least, and couldn't afford to connect himself emotionally. Her story was no doubt interesting...they all had stories. But to devote his time and Djed to such a dangerous practice as extricating that information for no other reason than to know her....that was pointless. Wrenmae relaxed the magic inside him, letting it seep back to where it was before.

Her answers were strange, a lilting laugh off the end of her sentences left an unsettling darkness in his throat. She was...touched, a strange half mark between sane and insane. Her mannerisms were calculated, but her words were manic, confused, speaking of nonsense and whispers.

"Coal," he said, nodding, the hint of a frown around his mouth, "The kind dark as nightfall."

He thought about his own purpose here in Sunberth. Certainly he hadn't planned on being here. He no more planned on arriving in Sunberth than he did with the ship wrecking into the coastline of Sylira. No, all of this was not planned....and he had no reason to stay. Certainly Shroud had some investment in the motions here, but Wrenmae wanted nothing more than to pursue what had originally pushed him.

The ink, the wolves.

He knew none of them still...and it bothered him.

"I had no choice," He said to her at last, frowning, "I simply don't have another place to go at present...and till I do, I remain in Sunberth."

by **Ana Sol Starris** on February 23rd, 2012, 1:01 am

Whispers..? Ana echoed the word Coal used in her own head, looking at her with a mild expression of disbelief. Frowning, Ana wondered what she meant by whispers, did she mean warnings? Something similar to the warnings that would bound about Anas own head? Rebounding off the walls of her skull madly as to not being heeded, richocheting wildly. She couldn't help that though. If you didn't do something then nothing would ever get done, if you never took a chance.. You would never move on or achieve goals. Though Ana could follow the warnings more often, that was for sure, she was always getting into some kind of trouble for being a curious cat, for ignoring the warning calls.

Just as they were now, to be quiet, to not answer the question but she knew if she didn't give an answer, more mizas or not, Coal would probably pester her till Ana would give in. It made the little thief give a light glare at the seemly ecstatic woman "no," Ana snapped, rudely but calmly, it was a lie, a complete and utter lie. Ana was able to sleep, it was easy, all she had to do was shut her eyes and let her mind drift away... It was a choice however, one that she forced herself to obey, to avoid the nightmares that would haunt her. She couldn't face them repeatedly every night, it was dehibilitating to her own mind, a destructive force to her will to survive "I just can't sleep." Even if the choice affected her mental health in a bad way.

Glancing at Wren, then actually taking note of the suns rays, warm, comforting. T'was rare for them to be shining out at this time of year it had seemed, she missed the sun. Cocking her head to the side, the pain in her back was starting up again, probably from lack of rest needed during sleep. Although there were those slight pains, Ana ignored them, she had lots of questions still, and many still unanswered but in front of Coal? No, probably not the best of times. The thought of him leaving Sunberth made her a bit sad, or well, the thought of him leaving her specifically was what brought her mood down. She was almost certain he wouldn't take her with, a useless wretch.

Though, a little hope budded, maybe she could follow him without him knowing? "If you do leave, where are ya' gonna go?" She asked politely, a tinge of.. Resentment..? Or maybe a bit of a plea to take her with... Or maybe a little of both, she couldn't decide which that rung out more in her words, hoping it was the plea. Trying not to betray anything but curiousity on her dirt smudged face, Ana was glancing between the two.. She had stayed quiet till then.

by **Chapiko** on March 15th, 2012, 5:36 am

The earlier mention of the slave markets registered into her mind. The only reason for that, though, was the fact that Pasho might be there. It was the tiniest chance, but she still wanted to check. It would have to wait until later, because her current companions didn't seem like they would want to visit the place. With good reason too...this lawless place seemed like anyone could become a slave, and especially Chapiko. Rarer races seemed to appeal to slavers more than a generic human...but she would check it out, anyways. Wouldn't hurt to try.

Chapiko felt a twinge of envy at Ana; she seemed to know what she was doing, how to survive in this city. And she didn't hear whispers or get night terrors. They both had something in common at the moment, and that was being terribly exhausted. She only just now realized how little sleep she had gotten, simply because it was too loud. The Drunken Fish constantly had people brawling and yelling and being stupid, and it kept her up all night. But at least she had some sleep; this Ana looked like she had none.

Syna was out of her cloud-bed today, and it made Chapiko happy. The sun always made her happy. It reminded her of Eyktol, with Syna burning down on them as they trekked across the burning sand. She missed it. Much better than this place of snow and cold, of freezing days and nights. And both kohl and coal could be black as night, but she didn't dwell on it. He most likely meant the latter, anyways.

"I," she said, not particularly responding to Ana's question but more of just saying it, "wish I were back in Eyktol. It's quite lovely there." She also really wished that someone here spoke Tawna. Then, they would be able to understand her better and converse like she was so used to. It seemed that so many words she wanted to say didn't exist in Common. Which was sad, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She stood up from leaning on the wall, now appearing considerably taller from her previous leaning position. She stood a good head taller than Ana at least, but not as tall as May the Wren. She stretched, the action reminiscent of a cat's, and then she crossed her arms. The look on her face was that of...well, confusing. Not confused, confusing. Her mood was difficult to pinpoint at this moment, but her voice would portray it accurately when she next spoke.

by **Wrenmae** on March 15th, 2012, 8:59 am

"Ekytol huh? Fascinating...never been myself." Wrenmae mused on the location, the deserts beyond what he knew. Once, he'd met a Dhani from around there, a seductress with a taste for Hypnotism. He shook the evening from his mind, turning back to the topic at hand. Coal spoke with the lilting sort of insanity that made the storyteller a bit nervous. She sounded like Weaver, at least a little...enough to make him uncomfortable. Ana looked up at him with dusty apprehension, but he was so focused on Chapiko that he hadn't noticed her flare of sudden protectiveness.

"Avanthal maybe," he answered her with a smile, wistful, distracted, "I hear they all tell stories there, that it's a part of their heritage. I'd very much like to meet one or two, share some tales." He shook his head, "I don't have the money or means to travel now, but soon I think." He trailed off, leaning against the wall and sighing again, just letting his wishes explode out of his mouth and vanish into the air.

"Coal," he asked at last, curious, "What do the voices ask you to do? Or rather, what do they say?"

by **Ana Sol Starris** on April 22nd, 2012, 6:24 am

Hearing Wrens destination, Avanthal, Ana wondered wondered if it was warm there or perhaps cold. Or even in between. Tilting her head to the side lightly as she eyed him, the thought of him letting her travel with him crossed her mind again before she shook the idea off and looked over to Coal. Really, both places sounded interesting to her ears as a prickling sensation crossed her body that was most likely from the cold. Rubbing her hands together for warmth and then blowing into them, she couldn't decide what would be a good idea..

Glancing between the two, random, weird people next to her person with questioning thoughts and ideas, "is Avanthal warm.. or this Eyktol?" A place unlike Sunberth in the winter that wasn't cold, was a good place indeed. But then there was also the Spires and the monkeys..

So many places to go yet she didn't have the means, the same as Wren, to travel around. It made Ana feel rather small compared to everything, placing her hands into her armpits for more warmth, she shivered again. Though the sun was out, it always seemed to get colder when the clouds began to crawl away.. The two had started talking again, and Ana listened to them, not exactly sure what to say once more.. Yet she was also curious why Coal heard voices..

"why not just ignore the whispers..?"

It was a simple suggestion, and it was rather randomly placed into their conversation.

ooc :

by **Chapiko** on June 8th, 2012, 4:27 am

OOCI'm really sorry for not replying sooner! I've just been busy with family/psychological issues lately so it's been hard getting to Mizahar. ALSO, sorry for a super short post.

She glanced back and forth between Ana and Wren, black eyes roving over the curves of their faces. The thought of the two in Eyktol threatened to have her double over from laughing. They would barely last a day.

"Eyktol, yes, very warm. You wouldn't last a few days, Ana. No pockets to steal from, only crows and sand. If you knew how to look," the words dripping from her tongue with the heavy accent she had yet to rid of and her hands held up to emphasize the tiny, gel-filled pores that symbolized what she meant by 'looking', "You would last longer. Much longer."

Looking over to Wrenmae now, she whispered, "They tell me wonderful things. They whisper my name and show me what to do. It's lovely." she looked back and forth between them, and set her hand on Ana's shoulder. "But not today. Today, today is a full moon!" she continued, before letting out a slight laugh. Then she noticed the people looking at them.