Closed Defining the Different

[Krysanthe]

Krysanthe was somewhat disgusted by Vaas’s cluelessness, for when his hand was jerked away, it was clear that he took a minute to realize just what exactly he had been feeling, for he turned bright red. Then Reila started howling with laughter, making Krys realize how much she herself must be blushing. At the mockery, Krys’s grasp tightened around Reila’s wrist, simply as a reflex. It did take quite the pull to get Reila’s arm out of her grasp. And out of nowhere, right in the middle of some almost disturbing response from Vaas, who had the nerve to call her beautiful after such a creepy encounter, some strange man with a peculiar instrument strapped to his back came up to them, throwing about names as if they had been friends forever. Who the petch is this guy? Krysanthe thought, completely exasperated. He was older than her by a few years, so they were likely not in the same nursery. Judging by the way he spoke and how he carried himself they certainly were not in the same trade. How on earth did he know her? Now Reila began to flirt with Norien, then quickly turning back to Krys to ask what she had been up to. Krysanthe was so confused by this entire situation that she found that no words came to mind. She opened her mouth to say something but not a sound came, so she was actually grateful of Norien’s habits of cutting people off, for now he began to speak. He gave his apology for cutting people off, which made Krysanthe almost laugh at the irony, and then she watched with both amusement and horror as Norien took Vaas’s hand and rubbed it over his face. What kind of greeting was that? In all the years that Krys has known the blind man, he has never, not once, greeted someone like that. It was a total invasion of personal space! Krysanthe was well aware that her people were not one for boundries, but she had grown to get an all too human bubble around her, and this whole situation was making her incredibly uncomfortable. As they went on, Norien shaking Vaas’s hand and flirting back with Reila. Her head? Oh, at this point, Krys was certain that there were many problems up in Reila’s head, problems that alcohol was not going to solve. They seemed so cozy together, maybe they should just go catch up and Krys could go on her merry way, for this was not a situation she wanted to get into. And then suddenly, the focus was back on her. What are they doing? Krysanthe hadn’t even had the chance to tell Vaas why she was here before she was interrupted, and finally, the focus was on her as everyone waited expectantly for some confident off hand response as Norien and Reila had been throughout their rather one sided conversation. Again, no words came. Krysanthe may have matured considerably in the past few years, but that didn’t mean she was suddenly a social butterfly. She took a step back, trying to come up with something. “I… I mean, ah, we… Well, just me. I was…” She must be more red than the blood that flowed through her veins now and her frustration grew. Both with herself and the people around her, she grew more and more frustrated. She didn’t want to be here. This isn’t how this day was supposed to go. Now she was clueless with a blind man, an alcoholic, and some ignorant fool who she didn’t even recognize. “For the love of gods!” She exclaimed at what would seem like nothing, but in actuality was just her own thoughts. She raised a hand to her forehead, for now she had a headache. “Look.” She stated simply. “All I wanted to do was go out to the forest and see if I could catch one of the creatures effected by the Djed storm, just for the sake of observation. No mischief. No. None of that. Not an adventure. Not a quest. Not a job. No. Just.. Just no. “ Krysanthe wrapped her hand around the strap of her backpack, her knuckles white because of how tightly she grasped it. She felt so out of place now. She just wanted to get out into the open air before the walls fell in on her, for that is what she felt like. Everything was closing in, taking away her oxygen. She did her best to take a breath before she finished her little rant. “Just a little hike to get a little squirrel.” She hesitated, but she would stay true to her heart and not exclude anyone just for their quirks. “You guys… you’re welcome to come. But it’s going to take patience,” she stated with look to Norien, “silence, to a certain extent,” she looked at Reila, “and… well, none of us are really going to know what we’re doing, so everyone needs to lend a hand.” That statement was directed at everyone. “Okay?” She shifted her grasp on her backpack, still incredibly uncomfortable. She had no doubt that her cheeks were still red, but now the color was not from embarrassment, but from just being so angry at this whole situation.

[Aidara]

"I don't really know why I bothered with this net!" Shouting over her shoulder as she shifted the bundle in her arms, Addy paused only long enough to wait for Aela to catch up. "It's much too big for what we need, I'm starting to think."

The two women had worked their way through the winding inner corridors of Wind Reach, heading towards the Gates. It was a slightly blustery day, the wind whipping about the mountain jus hard enough that Addy had plated her hair into twin braids, one over each shoulder. The bright summer sun only accentuated the red in her dark auburn hair, lightly kissing the pale skin and freckled nose. A slave for fashion, Addy was dressed as trendy as she dared on an excursion into the Unforgiving; a pair of sturdy leather boots laced to mid thigh, flowing brown bryda and a tightly fitting cream vinati top left her with the freedom of movement while...well, still looking fabulous.

At that moment, a fold of the net tumbled from the small woman's arms, pooling on the rough stone as she continued forward; it took only a single step and a well placed footstep to send her tumbling to the ground. "Oh, petch it all!" With the netting tangled about her legs, Addy had no choice but to sit down and try to undo the damage.

"What do you think we'll find out there?" Little fingers deftly picked at the knots thanks to the endless hours of tying and untying bandages in the Infirmary. It only took a few moments before Addy was back on her feet and re-gathering the giant fishing net into her arms. "It's a nice day for it, at least."

Picking herself back off the ground and dusting off any clinging bits of dirt, Addy re-gathered the net in her arms and tossed her head at Aela and they continued on their way. The softly echo of their steps in the otherwise empty hallways filled the companionable silence between the two women as they made their way past the Crafts Gallery and out into the Courtyard of the Sky. "I think we will be able to-"

Cutting her own sentence short at the sound of voices, Addy furrowed her brow and glanced at Aela; While most of the noise seemed like excitement, the little healer couldn't help but get a sense of.. uneasiness. It only took a moment to find Krys and the rest of the gang, standing together in a loose cluster.

"Uh... Is everything okay here?" The young woman's normally easy going tone had disappeared, replaced by a hardness that made her words carry above all the others, even though she had hardly raised voice at all. Addy had 'gone Endal.'

OOCAela is going to enter with me, Please let her post before you respond

[Alori Sai]

"Considering the trouble we went through to find and gather it all up, I say we should make the best of it. Besides, we could always tie it off and..." Her words trailed off as she thought about her suggestion. Tieing off a net is a sure way to damage that part of it because it would be nearly impossible to undo the knot that was created when the net was tied. She looked to Aidara with a bright smile, trying to hide her idea blunder behind her quick wit. "Well...We're bound to catch something with it." Aela had awoke that morning with much anticipation. The first Djed-mutated creature was brought in days ago and the city was full of excitement over it. Aela was especially excited to go out and explore, thinking that maybe she could bring back some mutated beast for all to see as well. Luckily she ran into her friend Aidara, who was also interested in the new mystery and they had planned a day to go out and see it for themselves. Aela also wore twin braids in her fiery red hair, each braid was lightly decorated with two glass arrowhead beads that she had fashioned herself. She wore a form fitting burgundy red vinati, midnight black bryda and the lacing in the brown leather boots she wore stopped just below her knees. Aela didn't have the fashion sense that Aidara had, or the means to enjoy it, but she tried to look her best. She hurried to catch up to Aidara, as she strapped her backpack across her shoulders and lowered her bow to rest inside the straps. She looked ahead of her just in time to see the net tumble away and Aidara behind it. "Wow...careful." She quickly kneel down to help her friend, but as she did she noticed that Aidara had already begun to undo the tangle. She was surprised at how fast and easily she picked through the net and freed herself. Aela stood again as Aidara did and thought about the question she asked. Aela had no clue as to what they might find out there. There were many creatures in the wilds, some more dangerous than others and she hoped that the less dangerous creatures were the ones that were mutating. "I don't know what we'll find but...I think we're ready for it." She said with a smirk and tapping the right wing of her bow. When Aidara was ready to move again and motioned to Aela, she followed closely. As they made their way through the hallways and outside, she looked around her. It really was a beautiful day to go out, and Aela could think of no better way to spend it than with her friend Aidara. "What?... What are we doing?" Aela said after she was suddenly pulled from her thoughts. She waited for her friend to speak, but when she didn't and turned around and looked at her. Aela paused and silenced her thoughts. In the distance she could hear chatter, and lively chatter at that. Aela wasn't sure what to think, but the look from Aidara told her that something was up. Aela followed as Aidara took off in search of the disturbance and found that a small group had gathered. Aela stood beside Aidara as she spoke to the curious gathers with authority in her voice. Looking over the people in front of her, she noticed Vaas standing there, with two women standing closely beside him. A smirked formed on her lips and she folded her arms against her chest in amusement. She had thought the man shy and had hoped that people weren't giving him a hard time. But it would seem that her impression of him had been completely wrong. Aela didn't recognize either of the women or the other man standing with them, but at this point an introduction was sure to come. "Vaas are you okay?"

[Reila]

"Reila, yes. I recall. Having been out in the world so long, I learned this thing called 'tact'. I had forgotten that we don't have that back at home. How could I forget our little 'chit-chat'? But answer me this. Does your head still pain you?"

More than ever... she wanted to say yet the subject had changed in the span of about a second. When you had the life expectancy of an Inartan there was little time for words. The focus was now directed at Krysanthe and her friend Vaas as the question seemed to hang heavy over their heads. There was an awkward silence followed by, “I… I mean, ah, we… Well, just me. I was…” It was all Reila could do to hold in her laughter as Krys once again became as ripe as a tomato. “For the love of gods! ...look, all I wanted to do was go out to the forest and see if I could catch one of the creatures effected by the Djed storm, just for the sake of observation. No mischief. No. None of that. Not an adventure. Not a quest. Not a job. No. Just.. Just no. “ Reila was taken aback by the sudden ‘outburst’ as it were from the quiet, younger woman. This time she did laugh.

Supposedly they were going to go on a hunt and it just so turned out that she was invited to go along with them. A hunt? ….What harm could it do? She was fairly decent with a bow despite the headaches and all this talk of mutated wildlife had sparked her curiosity. “I’m in!” A smirk crawled up the side of her face as she threw an arm over Krysanthe’s shoulders. “Try not to blush so much... it excites me so...” her breath smelled heavily of wine and her golden eyes were covered by a certain haziness.

"Uh... Is everything okay here?"

Reila removed her arm from the glass blower apprentices shoulders and turned to face the commanding voice. Endal... the word tasted sour in her mouth, a spear in the side, salt poured into a wound. I could have been an Endal, it was within my grasp... if only... if only... Reila abolished the thought from her mind, she knew better than anyone not to dwell on past hopes. “...and what do we owe the honor of an Endal’s confrontation?” The mischievous smirk was back again. Reila was not exactly the type to obey or bend the knee and this had gotten her into trouble with Endal’s in the past. It was lucky that she had a father in such a powerful position as she had been threatened to be thrown into the pits on more than one occasion for back answering to those of a higher caste. She could see the Endal clearly now, she stood slightly shorter than herself but the hard muscles that rippled beneath her clothes and pale skin were unmistakable. The mark of a powerful hunter.

Perhaps the huntress did not know of Reila but she certainly knew Aidara. It was hard after all not to be known when you were the pride and joy of wind reach. The Endal’s were what every boy and girl in wind reach aspired to be, they were almost like heroes in the eyes of those of a lower caste. Not for Reila however. "Vaas are you okay?" Another woman had crept up beside the Endal though she seemed a fair bit younger than her counterpart. Reila wondered why such a small group of misfits had attracted so much attention. The bloody elder council themselves in all likeliness will arrive next...

[Norien]

“For the love of gods! ...look, all I wanted to do was go out to the forest and see if I could catch one of the creatures effected by the Djed storm, just for the sake of observation. No mischief. No. None of that. Not an adventure. Not a quest. Not a job. No. Just.. Just no." Norien was snapped out of his reverie when Krysanthe shouted. "Whoa, whoa, sorry," he said, gently. "I didn't know it was such a big deal. I'm sure we'd all be up for just going and finding another Djed-warped creature. Right everyone?" He gestured around at them all, trying to placate the distraught Krysanthe. Jeez, she's kind of touchy, he thought with a small grin.

"Uh... Is everything okay here?" Norien turned at the sound of the voice and even though the female he saw wore a frown, he smiled. "Aidara! How have you been?" He said warmly, smiling. It had been quite some time since he had seen her, since before he left to see the world. He looked around at the little group and saw Reila tense ever so slightly at the appearance of his old friend and her friend. Uh oh... he thought as he put a calming hand on her shoulder. If Reila is anything like she used to be, she's definitely a handful. And I'd rather not have my homecoming be noted by a fight... “...and what do we owe the honor of an Endal’s confrontation?” "Reila..." Norien murmured under his breath, "Don't pick a fight." He had seen that impish smirk and knew that she was up to no good. Still, it's good to be home...

[Vaas]

As Norien grabbed Vaas' hands and started rubbing them down his face, Vaas starts to think about the events of the morning leading up to the eventual humiliation in front of all the Darniva Common rooms. Being fresh Mice Day, Vaas woke up and did his normal morning routine of running his hand through his hair, so he looks halfway presentable before he went out in public and feeding the bird, but this time since Wind Dancer was molting, Vaas left without taking his feathered companion. Something Vaas has never done before since he first got the hawk, and this was his first mistake. Second mistake was going outside his apartment this morning. Maybe Ivak had it in for him today? Maybe she thought it was funny to place the rock in front of his door, and he must have had a good laugh as Vaas tripped over the cursed stone.

At this point everything went from strange to down right weird in a matter of minutes when Relia decided in the most forward and creative way to introduce herself to him. Honestly, he didn't mind running his hands over her face since it was a new and creative way for him being blind to visualize her, but suddenly she shoved his hands to her breasts. Honestly, his hands on her breasts were a pleasant experience, but the shock and realization what he just did in public was horrifying to say the least. This whole experience with Relia was strange, but he smell smelled alcohol on her breath. He decided her playful intentions were just...being playful, and he will have to ask her later what a pomegranate.

On the other hand, the man named Norien who happened to see Relia greeting to Vaas decided this was the official blind man greeting of the Inarta. Vaas was starting to wonder if somewhere in his travels Norien forgot the mannerisms of his own people. Now the whole situation started to get down right weird. Did he ever meet a blind man before who greeted everyone by rubbing his hands over their face, or was he just doing it for a laugh at his expense? After the weird experience was over Vaas gives the man a grin and says as politely as he can muster, “Norien ...you might need a shave and bath, you're smelling a bit ripe from your travels, friend.” After that he pulls away from the man with a frowns and inside his gut a sense of growing irritation is starting to boil.

Vaas feeling very uneasy with the whole situation decides to turn around, taps around with his staff for the rock. When the staff hits the rock, he decides to sit down on it, take of his boot, and start massaging his toe through his sock. He winces in pain when he rubs over the big toe. Honestly he didn't realize through those long ten minutes, how much pain he was actually in. When he hears Aela voice say: “Vaas are you okay?" Vaas responds to her with just a smile. He just too angry and in to much pain to care about anything going around him at the moment.

[Krysanthe]

“Whoa, whoa, sorry. I didn’t know it was such a big deal. I’m sure we’d all be up for just going and finding another Djed-warped creature. Right everyone?” That answer, right there, is a great way to rub Krys the wrong way. The last thing she wanted was to make someone go defensive, and personally, she found the answer a little rude. It’s like he was accusing her of something. That ‘I didn’t know it was such a big deal’ comment was like saying ‘you’re just going on a hunt? And to think, I thought you were doing something fun with your time. Soooorry.’ Well, as far as Krys was concerned that is what he was saying. Then, Krysanthe cursed herself for her kindness, because suddenly, the two people that she really didn’t want to spend time with were jumping on the bandwagon and volunteering to go with her on her hunt. She wanted this to be her time to relax and get away with a couple of friends and maybe a mentor to help figure out what she was doing. That is clearly not what was happening. “I’m in!” The sudden arm around her shoulder caught Krys off guard and she flinched at the touch. Thinking that Krys was ‘touchy’ was a pretty accurate statement, but she’s been through a lot. She reserves the right to be touchy. “Try not to blush so much... it excites me so...” The stench of alcohol wafting off of her breath made Krysanthe’s stomach churn. She just wished that the woman would let go of her, but she couldn’t think of anything to say, and she felt frozen, like she couldn’t move to get out of her grasp. And then there was a voice that was at first her savior. “Uh… Is everything okay here?” Thank goodness. Reila lifted off her hand. Good! Now she didn’t have to deal with the touching anymore. Her second thought was that she recognized the authoritative voice as being the one of Aidara. The last time she had spoken with this woman was at her huge party for her coming baby. Krysanthe had given them a little purple stuffed animal. If her memory serves her, it was a rabbit. Or something like that. Was it a rabbit or a teddy bear? She should have gotten them a glass ornament. What was she thinking with giving them a stuffed animal? Another voice stopped Krys’s thoughts from getting too out of wack. It came almost immediately after Aidara’s. “Vaas are you okay?” Krys turned her head around, realizing Vaas had sat down. He smiled, and Krys nodded, turning, recognizing that he was just as flustered as she was and was simply staying out of this whole mess. Smart man. And then it hit her. They had just been approached by an Endal. And she didn’t seem particularly happy. Great. Now they were going to get in trouble with a higher caste. What a day! Krysanthe just wanted to crawl back to her bedroom and act like she never made the mistake of leaving it. And then of course Norien greeted her like he was greeting an old friend. What the… Did he just know every single person in all of Wind Reach that he could call them all by name? No… He didn’t know Vaas. So there was hope. “… And what do we owe the honor of an Endal confrontation?” Reila! What are you doing! At the snarky comment, Krysanthe pleaded, “Reila, please.” Her statement wasn’t rude or angry, but it was a genuine beg for her fellow glassworker to get out of that mode of that she is just as good as everyone else for long enough so they could safely make it outside. Incidentally, Krys’s plea was vocalized at the same time as Norien’s warning. Sure, he was trying to hold her back so to speak, but he still looked so smug. So he was home. Congrats. Did he honestly think that this was some kind of warm welcome? Krysanthe then realized that Aidara was holding a net. Maybe this could be her salvation. Before anyone else said anything else that could damage this fragile situation any further, she stated softly, “I’m sorry, Aidara. It’s still morning and already some of us have had a long day.” Reila and her drinking. Vaas and his possibly broken toe. Norien and his grand return. Herself with her intercepted adventure. Silently now, she pulled the backpack off her shoulders and pulled from it a small net, less than half the size of Aidara’s. The size difference alone was enough to make Krys feel absolutely pathetic in comparison to the Endal woman. “Are you going hunting too?” She asked, really just trying to ease the steadily growing tension, most of which was probably Krysanthe’s own fault. She had in no way intended to insult Aidara, nor expected that she would ever go hunting with the likes of Krys, a simple chiet glassblower. Then again, she noticed that Aela was with her. Aela, another woman who could be friends with everyone. Why was it just so easy for some people? Krys only recognized Aela from the Reverie. (For a moment, she wondered how she and Vaas knew each other. It wasn’t entirely surprising. It was just weird to think of Vaas as having any other friends, simply because Krysanthe really did not.) They really hadn’t spent much time together, just as she and Reila had not. Perhaps if Aela and Aidara could be friends, there was still hope for her. Still, Krys had no doubt that she was still as red as vermillion, and the butterflies in her stomach were beating so quickly it was a wonder she didn’t just fly away.

[Aidara]

Addy heaved a sigh. By the time Aela caught up, the entire group gathered partway down the hallway had frozen mid-conversation. And they were all staring at her. There was practically icicles forming on the air between the two groups. Great.

And people wondered why she never acted the Endal part.

"Bring the hackles down, I'm not going to spank you." Unable to keep the irritated bite from her tone, green eyes rolling in frustration, the little healer shifted the net in her arms as it began slipping back towards the ground. It wouldn't do to face plant in front of this adoring crowd. "Raised voices, cursing, a bunch of people all gathered around another..." Letting the sentence trail, Addy waved a hand and shook her head. "Like you all haven't seen the same happen to a Dek or two before."

Still struggling with the net as she spoke, Addy tore her eyes away from the handful of gazes that bore into her, distaste more than apparent. A big section of the fishing net had slipped down the little healers front and landed back on the ground with a soft slithering sound that was maginfied by the current silence. "Son of a..." Giving up all together, Addy tossed the net to the ground completely and folded her arms over her chest. Emerald eyes flickered back to the group, lingering on each face before she settled on the one who had replied first, the snarky redheaded hunter girl with the sour expression.

"I'm Endal by technicality only." Reila wouldn't be able to drop Addy's gaze without giving into the subtle challange that lingered there. "I'm sure I've healed all of you at one point or another. To what do I owe the honor of such a warm welcome?" A dark auburn brow arched and the woman's gaze flickered away from Reila, meeting each individual's gaze again before settling back on the huntress.

When none of them spoke immediately, Addy sighed and turned to Aela. "Apparently we're not welcome here. We'll go to the forest and try to capture something ourselves, then."

OOCHey guys, sorry for the long delay!

Also, I have a suggestion. It's much easier to reply, especially in thread with many people like this one, if you just assume that the reader has read the post before yours. Then you don't have to re-quote everything everyone says. With everyone re-quoting everything, it actually makes it harder to read than if you just referred to so-and-so having spoken.

[Alori Sai]

Aela looked on at the conversation between the group. All eyes were on Aidara in a show of respect, although not all seemed to feel that way. She watched the conversation between the two women that stood across from them, and while it seemed like one was asking for a fight, the other seem to try to bring her to reason. Aela narrowed her eyes toward the two, and the older man with them, who was also trying to calm the storm as it were. They were a curious bunch and she wondered how they knew Vaas. She didn't bother to ask because it wasn't really her business but she noticed that her blind friend didn't look too happy with them. When the rational, golden eyed woman tried to explain, Aela noticed the net she retrieved from her backpack and realized that this was some form of hunting party? She gently brushed away a few strains of loose hair from her eyes as she studied the group. The woman with the pack seemed uneasy but still maintained a respectful attitude. The woman beside her was clearly not impressed with Aidara and may have even held a grudge against her. The other man looked even stranger in the group but he spoke as if he and Aidara was friends. "Is he flirting with her?" Aela turned back to Aidara when she noticed the healer's feelings toward the troublesome net finally rise to a boil, causing her to dump it on the ground in from of them. Shifting her backpack higher on her back and shoulders, she watched as Aidara challenged the other woman, who seemed to think she were above the Endal. "What's with this woman?" When Aidara asked for introductions, Aela smiled a bit thinking that now things may begin to clear up and the mysteries surrounding the group. Ideally, having a bigger party could be useful provided that the others had the skills to aid in the hunt. But when no one answered and Aidara decided that it was time to leave, Aela looked back and smiled kindly to the group and waved. "Well.....Bye." So it would be just the two of them going out. Just as it had been that morning, and the days it had been planned before.

[Vaas]

Even with the pain in his foot, Vaas was listening to the whole confrontation between Reila and the Endal woman, and he frowns when Aela and her friend didn't feel welcome to join their little band of misfits. He decides to take action, slowly stands up, and says louder than to normal to get their attention before they left, “Aela, please tell your friend to wait.” He cringes inwardly to himself hoping that it didn't sound like a command. He limps over to where Reila and Norien were standing, and leans heavily on his staff. He says in a normal tone to Aela and her Endal friend, “I can't speak for Norien, Reila, and Krysanthe here, but both of you are always welcomed in front of my door.” He gives both Aela and Endal woman a warm smile and asks everyone, “Aren't we all Inarta first regardless of caste?”

Honestly,Vaas can't believe he spoken so directly to a Endal before. As a child in the nursery, he was drilled by his instructors that Endal were the main providers of Wind Reach, and that they have the highest authority over the lower castes. Vaas understood this fact, but he always wondered how far their authority went? He never tested this the question. He keeps his injured foot raised and says to them, “Honestly, I didn't know till five minutes ago that Krysanthe was heading out to try to catch a purple bunny or a wing squirrel. If she asked for me to come, I would of said yes.” He turns to where Krysanthe voice originated from and gives her a friendly grin.

Vaas turns back to Aela and the Endal woman and asks in a friendly tone, “Catching a pink squirrel could be fun. Would both of you care to join me? I might need a little help since I not even sure what a squirrel even looks like. Let alone a pink one.”