[Syliras] A Mysterious Woman [Arae]

[Lynes]

57th of Summer Somewhere in the Courtyards of Syliras Lynes walked into Syliras' courtyard, looking at all the couples that littered the perimeter of it. Each one having their own form of intimacy. Some only by holding hands, others lips brushed against each others, and even more rested in each others arms, rocking back and forth. These were acts he hadn't experienced, acts he couldn't understand. Flowers grew in patches throughout the entire courtyard. The Citadel to his back, it's stone walls a strong barrier between the outside world and the majority of Syliras. With each step his thoughts floated somewhere else. Slowly he progressed, thinking of his past, of his uncertain future, and of all of the races that existed on this world. His skin, semi-pale, shined as the sun's rays grazed it. His brindle hair ran to the tops of his shoulders, as his golden eyes scanned the scene before him questioning why he had come here. He had no reason, he walked with no purpose, just waiting to see what would happen each day. He wanted something interesting to happen to him. He wanted something to do, somewhere to be. He shook his head to try to get himself out of the mood. Laughing out loud he stopped, held still for a moment. What did he have to be sad about. It had only been a little over two years since his birth, does it really matter what he does right now? He has a ton of time left, and all he has done is fight off a couple of burglars. He stopped and sat down on the bench that was in front of him. He wore a white shirt that had the sleeves torn off from his “adventures” and brown pants. He didn't wear shoes as he already found the rest of the clothing an inconvenience, so the shoes would have been even more of a pain. He watched the entrance to the courtyard as more and more people flowed into it. His mind wondered to the question of what he would do today, or even the days after. His previous master that had kicked him out had always occupied his days and he had never had to actually think of something to do himself, so the choices had become a pain in the ass. He had no need for money as he had plenty, and he had no need to spend it, because he desired very little, as there was no real necessity that he needed other than sustenance. The only thing that would have improved his life would have been a bit of company. Someone to talk to, his pack instinct was beginning to push him further as he was constantly alone. He needed someone or a group of people that he could talk to. His curiosity was a whole different topic, it constantly caused him to do things that he would either regret or really enjoy, but there was rarely an in between. He wanted to know about all the races and about all the emotions that people feel. He always felt that he didn't get to experience the majority of his existence as he was primarily made up of his instincts instead of led by his emotion as most races are. So, this caused him to reach out to try to be more emotional and so far he had succeeded . He had found that if he let his emotions run his instincts then he was more like the other races, and that he enjoyed his life far more. Flirting with beautiful women mainly, affection was an emotion he adored playing with. So, he sat on the bench and awaited something interesting, after all, what else was there to do but wait?

[Arae]

Syna shone warmly on Arae’s face, but didn’t do anything to light a fire under her steps. Her amethyst skirts swished around her ankles as she meandered down the pathway toward the courtyard that stretched out endlessly in front of her. Syliras was a massive city and she recognized none of it. She glanced over her shoulder, down the path she’d come, sure the Temple was in the opposite direction. Somewhere along the line she’d lost her way, but it had been many chimes since she’d tried to turn herself around. She whispered to herself outloud, “Was it this way?” Two women walked by her, smiles spreading. They spoke in hushed voices to one another and Arae had the impression they were talking about her. They could barely be bothered to nod in her direction. She moved to the side, widened the paces between them and gave them a wide berth to pass. Her dusky gaze fell on their backs, following their course and something inside of her twisted. Friendship was something she’d been lacking. She couldn’t remember the last time she had someone to share her thoughts with or lead her out of an unfamiliar place. As the pair disappeared around a corner, Arae turned her attention back to the sprawling courtyard in front of her. She was never going to figure out where she was going. Everything looked the same in the city. It made her long to be back in her tent. If she’d spent more time paying attention to where she was going and less time worried about what she couldn’t have, she’d be in a pew in the Temple by now. She muttered a blessing under her breath. She looked to her left, then to her right. Her golden skin glimmered in the heat as panic set in. If she stopped and went back the way she came, she’d be better off, but she was so turned around, she wasn’t really sure which way it was anymore. There were several people scattered throughout the courtyard. One of them had to be able to tell her where she was. Once she got her bearings, the panic that was settling in her stomach would pass and things would get better. A man sat alone on a bench not far from her. She walked over to the bench and stood in front of him. Her long shadow fell across his lap. “Excuse me sir, do you know where the Temple is? I think I’m lost.”

[Lynes]

Lynes watched as a tan, beautiful woman entered the courtyard only to stop briefly and look around. The look of bewilderment meant that she must be new to city. He had to admit that it was a pretty confusing place, but you got use to it after a while, even if every corridor did look the same. Two women muttering about how the “strange woman” had just stopped in the middle of the pathway were walking towards her. This made him want to laugh, to be so selfish to believe even the innocent bystander is wrong is a whole new kind of ignorance. He adored his heightened senses, although sometimes it caused him to hear things that he would have rather not heard. Such as the moans and screams of the people on the other side of the walls as he slept on the outside of the apartments. Couldn't they at least be polite enough to quiet down for their neighbors sake? The woman at the entrance stepped aside kindly for the two snickering witches and then continued to look around confusedly. Her hair was a reddish gold that seemed to absorb sunlight rather than reflect it as did her skin. She took in the courtyard before beginning to walk in his direction slowly. Coming to where he sat, she requested his guidance to the temple in Syliras. He had been right, she was lost. There wasn't much of a temple in Syliras, but there was a prayer wing. He had passed it many times through his travels. Lynes wasn't much of a religious person himself, so he had never actually stepped into the wing, but he had walked by it. He lacked the knowledge of any of the religions as he had never taken the time to learn what each stood for. All he knew was that there were some people who had become completely absorbed by their's and he didn't wish to become one of them. Standing he greeted her, “I do know where the prayer wing is and I will happily take a beauty such as yourself to it...” After a brief pause he continued, “...In exchange for your name that is.” Although his deep voice was steady, in his head he was cheering. He thought he did pretty well for a spur of the moment response. Perhaps this was the interesting thing that he was waiting to happen? He hoped so, he needed something to do today.... ooc: : I suppose I didn't actually get it in before the end of the night.....but it's only 23 minutes past, so I do beg your forgiveness for the delay.

[Arae]

Arae’s heart settled lightly as the man with the brindle hair spoke. His calm words were reassuring to hear, but it was worse than she thought. She was completely lost. Not just a little. The man seemed to know how to get he back out though. His orange eyes appeared genuine enough even if they held a hint of wild and he looked a little out of place in the city courtyard. Then again, he wasn't the only one. His compliment to her, as he finished speaking, made her blush, but she was still relieved. Finally, someone was willing to help her. She smiled at him and wondered where the sleeves of his shirt had gone. He looked as uncomfortable in his clothes as she felt in hers, though his smile was contagious. It spread first to her lips, then to her eyes, lighting them up. She introduced herself at his request. “I’m Arae. And you are?” She reached out to touch his hand in thanks, hesitated in mid-air and let it fall back down to her side. Better to be careful. She didn’t want to forget herself. She had no idea how strong he was. The smile slipped from her lips. “I’m so confused. I can’t believe there’s no Temple here.” The red across her chest crept up her neck. “Would you mind showing me how to get out of here? I seem to have lost all sense of direction. There’s something about this city that effects me.” She looked around for a clue as to where she’d come from but there was no marker that looked familiar and hoped he wouldn’t think she was too needy.

[Lynes]

For a split second he wished that he could see into her mind. It would help him understand the thought processes that she was having so much better. Lynes watched the woman's blue eyes as she spoke, for the slightest moment they shined following her lip's example, but the moment quickly vanished as the hand she had raised to him dropped back to her side. This confused him a bit as he didn't believe himself to be that intimidating. Putting it aside he watched her blush, causing his smile to return. “Arae huh? Such a wonderful name.” Reaching down he took hold of her hand very gently, turning it in his hand as he bent down and kissed it before returning it to her side. “Well you have to understand that 90 percent of the city is within that castle behind you, so there isn't necessarily a temple, only a wing within the castle that is dedicated to prayer.” “As to the city, it does it to everyone when they first get here I believe. Most of the hallways look the same and the only flourishing portion within the city is here.” Turning to the right he began to walk slowly towards a different gate that returned them into the inside of the castle. His mind began to wonder. How long had she been here was one thought that came to mind. Perhaps this woman could hold his interest for longer then just through this day, well that would depend on how long she wanted to spend praying and if she had any other interests besides that. After walking for about ten paces he turned his head to left to look behind him, looking at the girl. “Well, come on now beautiful, can't leave the prayer wing waiting for you now can we?”

[Arae]

It took her a minute to recover from his touch before she realized he was walking ahead of her. He still hadn’t told her his name, but she liked the sound of his voice. Maybe he hadn’t heard her. She had a tendency to eat her words around strangers. Her long legs carried her quickly to his side and almost matched his stride but he seemed to be just a little bit faster than she was. It was nice to have company for a change, even if it was only for a few chimes. Her eyes lingered on the back of the stranger’s head. “Will you tell me your name?” she asked, maybe this time he would hear her. She slowed her pace, hoping he would too. Whether they were headed to a Temple or a prayer wing, she’d be there all day. Having someone to talk to made the walk there more enjoyable and anything was better than where she’d been. She hummed softly, clearing her throat to make sure her words didn’t get lost when she spoke this time. “I don’t really know anything about the city. This is my first time here, but I guess you already figured that out.” Her cheeks were still a little warm, but the rest of her was cooling off. As they walked and her body settled into a nice rhythm, she decided she’d spend the next day exploring, probably tethered to a guide, but she wanted to know where she was going so she wouldn’t get lost again. She realized she’d been in the city for a few days and this was the first person she’d really met. She hadn’t ventured much farther than her tent. Then the one time she did, it ended in disaster. Well maybe not a complete disaster. Her view of his backside wasn’t a bad one. Another smile lifted her lips. It felt good on her cheeks. “That big castle has only one small wing dedicated to prayer?” She decided she better keep her thoughts focused before she forgot where she was going again. The time she’d spent in Lhavit and Ravok went by so fast. She felt like she’d rushed from one to the other without accomplishing anything. What did she have to show for her time in either? She wasn’t a whole lot closer to Syna and she was starting to feel a definite divide in herself. She’d lost her train of thought again. With a sigh, she looked up at him. “Have you been here long? In the city I mean. Where you born here? You seem to know a lot about it.”

[Lynes]

Lynes looked forward when he heard Arae's voice from behind him requesting his name for the second time. He had completely forgot to answer that question. He hated when he did that, constantly getting ahead of himself. “Name's Lynes, my apologies for not answering you the first time.” He would generally blame that on his instincts as the wolf side always felt like he should be rushing, that he should always be a step ahead of everyone else. Since he had grown he had stopped bringing up his instincts as he just had to try to coexist with the other races without pointing out his lack of emotion or thought. As she slowed her pace, he reluctantly slowed his to be only barely in front of her, knowing that it was what she hoping for from him. Listening to her as she hummed was even slightly relaxing, better then always being on the lookout for people who looked threatening and listening to the sounds and conversations of the random couples. He listened as she gave her explanation to why she didn't know the city very well; the comment made him smile slightly. He had forgotten that most people can believe that they are making a bad impression on others even when they aren't. He had never really been one to care for the worry. He heard Arae's voice again, but this time with a question, one questioning if the castle only had one wing devoted to prayer. “Yeah, although it isn't exactly small; it is more like an entire side of the castle.” He wondered if he really knew as much of the city as he really should. He knew where the common stuff was, but that was about it. Perhaps he should do some more exploring or venture out beyond his normal routine. Perhaps just helping the random stranger wasn't exactly a routine at all. Every once and a while he would go and hunt for some meat, but that was the most entertaining thing that he would do. “Yeah, I was born here. Haven't lived anywhere else, so I know my way around pretty well. What about you? What's your story?” ooc: : Sorry, it's been almost three days since you replied to me, I had no idea it had been that long. I'll try to respond quicker from here on out.