Tainting The Streets With Footsteps (Open) Retry

[Lenonrie]

Streets of Syliras 35th of Spring, 512 AV Lenonrie walked, no, creeped down the cobblestone streets of Syliras, eyes shifting from object to object, person to person, taking all details in. It was like any other day to the residents of the town, everything seemed to be the norm. People were walking the midday streets attending whatever business necessary, nothing out of place or the ordinary, just the same old routine. Yet, within all of the mundane everyday occurences, that seemed no different than things had the day before, Lenonrie seemed to be seeing swirls. Mists, to be exact. A yellowish green fog swirled throughout the world around her, and her long liquid gold hair seemed to rise and float off of her shoulders, moving in all directions as if searching for something, though it was obvious by lack of reaction from the passer-bys', they could not see this, just a short blonde kid walking down the street in a daze. The swirls of the mist reflected in the colors of her eyes, if they looked close enough, they could see the reasoning behind the daze. When she breathed, it was as if she was swallowing ice. She could see her breath before her, but it was nothing more than another obstical through the rapid swirls. Yet, she walked as easily as she would have slept. One foot, then the next. Clicking, clacking, tapping, thumping, echoing off the ground, her feet drove her insane. And then it stopped. As abruptly as the insanity came, it left, leaving a confused, but not too concerned Lenonrie to stop for a short moment and continue onto wherever she had been going. The sounds and sights around her were clear again. She looked from face to face, seeing no distortion and offering a smile to each and every one. What else could she do? Who was she to question what her eyes willed her to see? It was kind of fun, kept her entertained on long journeys. It was nothing that she couldn't just brush off. This had been her regular cycle now for almost two years. Walk, zone, and smile. Talk to anyone who will hold a conversation. Make a friend. Then leave. Staying in one place for a long time has never interested her. She liked change, in mindsets and scenery. She hops from one two to another like she breathes, in other words, constantly. The area she was in was quite pleasant to say the least, minus the scatterings of ruin and debree from the Djed Storms, that and she could live without the smell. Too many people crowded together in one place, of coure the air would be a little bit tainted, like the ground she walked on. She tainted it with her footsteps, as did those before her, and as the people to come after her will do also. It wasn't as dull here as what she had seen coming through the poorer parts of town. She guessed this is where more of the middle class people associated themselves with eachother...lovely. Actually, she preferred those with less than others. They weren't strung up as high on themselves as civilians who made good livings off of their lies. She leaned to the side a bit, brushing back a piece of hair, as she apprached a walkway overlooking a bay. She walked toward the black railing, leaning against the cold metal bars to overlook the seafarers who were rushing back and forth with crates and bundles of supplies trying to ready docked ships for departure.

[Aveira]

Aveira had been walking along in the shadows, walking aimlessly. She was used to the wide berth people gave her by now. She was a young zith, fur dyed white with ammonia. She'd dyed it the night before and her skin was still raw from the chemical.

Hoping to find something cool to put on a rather nasty burn on her arm, Aveira made her way to the beach. The bright sunlight hurt her eyes, distracting her from the pain. She didn't even notice as she brushed past a human woman with long blonde hair. Whimpering slightly, she pressed her arm against the cold metal fence and sighed in relief. Her legs gave way beneath her and she sunk to the ground, eyes shut against the invading light.

This was not her world, no matter how much she wanted it to be. She briefly thought about traveling elsewhere, somewhere with more zith. She'd never met another of her kind before. She wouldn't have to dye her fur around them. She'd never had to suffer the agony of chemical burns again. Sighing again, she shoved such thoughts from her mind. The zith were disgusting creatures that deserved to be wiped out. She'd be better off without them.

[Lenonrie]

Watching the men, Lenonrie vaguely wondered how long they had been working on the docks. How many years had they spent slaving back and forth with crates on their backs. She wondered how they remained so dedicated to this work when their whole world had been destroyed a by a single storm. Did they have no loved ones? She bit her tongue, regretting that thought. The question really was, did they have any left? Her eyes strayed away from the men slowly, the brutal use of magic could be a horrifying thing, it's reprocussions of misuse leaving the world in turmoil and a sickly taste in everyone's mouth. Her attention was torn from her thoughts at the feel of another body brushing passed her. She looked to her right to see who it had been, catching the stranger sink down the bars next to her and settle down on the ground what a somewhat painful expression her face. It took several long seconds for it to register to her that it was an actual person who had just collapsed next to her. For a brief moment the mists returned, loudly this time, as she turned to face the girl, she did her best not to zone into them. Getting to her knees, carefully, very carefully, she placed her small fingers on the womans forearm. "Excuse me," she spoke softly, her eyes noting how oddly colored she was, "Are you alright?" At first there was no answer, so she pressed on. Her eyes skimmed her once more, now to features of her face. She was very exotic, obviously not from Syliras. Her accent laced her voice heavily as she spoke this time, "Can you hear me?" The looked like she was in so much pain. Lenonrie swollowed, the mists flashing back again, making her head pulse. She remained determined to keep her thoughts away from them. Pushing they away to the very back of her mind, she swishing sounds they made now sounding like crashing waves. She tried once more, "Can you hear me?"

[Aveira]

Aveira turned to look at the woman. "Yes," she answered back as she registered what the woman had said. Her mind was a little fuzzy from the pain and the shock of a civilized being speaking to her. That happened only rarely. "I'm sorry, do you want me to leave?" Aveira quickly stood up, not wanting to intrude upon this person's space.

Stepping away from the stranger, she kept her eyes lowered and her hands in plain sight. She didn't want to scare the woman away with what she considered to be a demonic or menacing appearance. Though she couldn't help the sharp claws on her hands, she hoped that the other woman would feel more comfortable knowing that she had no weapons.

Aveira took a couple more slow steps away. "Forgive me for intruding," she said in her low, musical tones. Her voice was pleasant to listen to, but she knew it was just a lie to trick innocent bystanders into a false sense of security. At least, that's what her parents had always told her. For this reason, she spoke softly and quickly, wanting to say as little as possible. Her burns were hurting her badly and she didn't want to give the knights any reason to come after her today.

[Mordechai Zoltar]

Mordechai had just docked in the town of Syliras. It had been weeks at sea and he was none to comfortable with it. Having gone to sea with a fleeting urge, he quickly found out what it meant to be sea sick. Regaurdless, he was now glad to be back on land.

And for more than one reason. For as he walked down the docks towards the castle he glanced up, and saw the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Golden curls, green eyes, and honey skin. She was captivating, oh yes.

But no, these thoughts shouldn't be followed. I'll only have to leave in a few weeks anyways, he thought. Still, I guess I might as well introduce myself.

He turned to the right and walked up the stairs to the point on the overhang where thought he saw her, and for a second it looked as if she had vanished. But looking closer to the guardrail, he could see her leaning down and talking to a fallen person. Or at least, I think it was a person, it didn't seem like an animal of any kind. Oh it can be so hard to tell sometimes with other races. Now, let's see here. Fur. Claws. The bulge of what could be wings at her back. Looks to me like a zith. Though not in good condition. She seemed terribly hurt by something.

I decided to hang back a bit and just watch them converse. My how interesting this city is going to be, he said as he pulled his hood down, revealing his soft brown, chin length hair, with a small braid on either side by his ears. I simply must meet this women, he thought.

[Lenonrie]

The moment the girl's gaze came into contact with her own, it became quite clear to Lenonrie that she was not human, and her voice had the smoothest tone she had ever heard. Lenonrie had never come into contact with anyone like her before, it sparked a curiosity within her to say the least. Her eyes seemed to unfocus and then return attentive as if her mind had left for a moment and caught itself. Lenonrie watched her cautious movements, as she kept her hand emphasized and always visible, leading the blonde to discover the sharp claws pertruding each finger. Her mouth opened a bit, in thought, as she tried to think of what race this girl could possibly be, but was cut short of thought and word when the girl stood abruptly. The girl then began to apologize, and Lenonrie frowned for a moment, furrowing her eyesbrows, before softening her gaze. "No, you have done nothing wrong." She stood from her knees as well, bringing up her hands, to show she meant no harm and felt no anger, and formed a warm smile on her lips. It was obvious the girl was very scared. And then the mists returned, with a sharpness and unignorable sound. She wasn't sure why, but the unbearable urge to turn and look behind her. Though, she didn't have to to know that they were not alone. She heard heavy footsteps and the felt eyes on her back. She turned her head slightly, keeping most of her body still frontward toward the woman. A man approached rugged, looking as if he had been traveling a good while. He smelt of saltwater and sawdust, an essense hard to miss as the wind blew. Turning her attention back to the girl, she offered her another kind look. "Do not fret, I am an enemy to no one." She held out her hand warmly, with a smile on her face, "Lenonrie." As she introduced herself, she kept her exterior upbeat, no need to worry the girl with the concern about the stranger behind them.

[Aveira]

Aveira relaxed a little bit. The woman probably didn't know what a monstrous creature she was. Perhaps she was from somewhere without zith. That would be a nice place to live, Aveira thought. A place where no one would know what a terrible creature I am. The thought cheered her up a bit, and she became a little more confident. I'm an adult now, she reminded herself. I can't be scared all the time.

Shaking her hand carefully, Aveira smiled a little, looking up at the woman's face and then away again. "I'm Aveira," she said softly. Because she kept her eyes mostly downward, she hadn't noticed the woman looking behind herself. She also hadn't noticed the misty look that had come over the woman right before she'd turned.

Hoping to keep the conversation going, Aveira voiced the thought that she'd had earlier. "Are you from here?" she asked curiously. "You seem different from the rest of the people in this town."

[Mordechai Zoltar]

It was only a short while I stood there watching them. They seemed quite involved in each others' presence. I was captivated though by the woman, she was a beautiful thing.

Stop that, I thought to myself. You're no man to be flirting with ideas like intimacy. Even friendship is hard to come by for me. I only end up hurt by those who leave, or push me away.

Suddenly the woman turned. It was as if she knew I was there. We locked eyes only for a moment before she turned back to the Zith and said something I couldn't hear. Oh damn, there goes that. Should I leave? No, that would only bring suspicion, and what would I say if I ran into them again? No, no, no, I must introduce myself now. A fake name though would be necessary, I can't have people knowing who I am, lest someone from my past show up.

I thought gently of the love my brother had shown me before... well, now isn't the time to worry about that.

I started walking towards the girl and the zith. She definitely looked like some sort of Zith for sure, though her fur seemed a tad unnatural in color. I wish I knew more zithanese, it'd probably be easier to gain her trust if I spoke her native tongue (assuming she knew her own language). My shoes made flat, packing noises on the cobblestone as I stepped. I tried my best to put on an air of calm and nonchalant friendliness.

"Excuse me, I want to apologize for staring miss" I said to the woman, "I was merely appreciating the ocean view when I saw you and this young one collide. Please, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lokh" I said with a forced but believable smile, despite internally wincing as using his name as my own. "I'm a traveling toymaker" I said, trying to appeal to the two.

Maybe these people can help me. After all I am still new to the area. Perhaps they can tell me of somewhere good to set up my tent. Or maybe they know where the local graveyard is.

I quickly put that thought out of my head. I must behave while I'm here. The Knights of Sylaris might not be too keen on my hobbies that would entail their deceased.

[Lenonrie]

Lenonrie was always a sucker for reactions. The moment she saw the girl, Aveira, relax visibly, it caused her own body to relax, for the most part anyway. For a few short seconds though, her eyes seemed far off in thought, the emotions of her eyes torn inbetween her thoughts, but Lenonrie made no obvious note of it, but only continued to uphold her welcoming demeaner. All the while, it was so painfully obvious that the man behind her was staring. Aveira shook her hand, a good sign, but one that was only short lived before she broke the eye contact. The mist ran across her senses again, causing her to sniff suddenly, clearing her throat. "And uh..." she couldn't seem to keep her focus, very distracted by the mists and the man who had to the clumsiest and heaviest footfalls she had ever heard in her life. She blinked away her aversions, "Where do you come from, Aveira." Lenonrie was hoping for an answer, but the man interupted, first apologizing for his blatant obviousness, and then the cliche explanation followed suit. He put on a persona of a gentleman, Lenonrie turned to look at him a little emotionless, he then attempted to lie, not being very good at it, and lastly came the business he attended. Lovely, sounds like a doll. She offered him a smile, never one for being rude on a whim, "Hello there," she greeted back, but her thoughts strayed to the girl behind ehr who didn't even seem comfortable with the idea of her being here, let alone a man. She didn't feel the need to introduce herself just yet. She watched him very carefully, curious of his intent.

[Aveira]

Aveira was just about to answer when a man came up and began speaking. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but she just couldn't place it. It was probably nothing. She listened to him speak, but said nothing, preferring to keep quiet and as unnoticed as possible. She stepped slightly behind Leonrie, hiding from the stranger.

Watching them speak, she was reminded of just how inferior she was. Despite being an adult now, Aveira still felt like a child. She was small and weak, despite her heritage. Perhaps I should find more of my people after all, she mused. Perhaps it would be best if I left this city and never came back...

OOCSorry for the short post, but Aveira is too shy to do anything else right now XD