Location [Wind Reach] The Sanikas Gates

[Darkness]

Darkness looked at the man, blinking. If his first reaction had been anger then he would've attacked the man, but surprise took its place, and after that came the urgent need to get in the city, something he'd definitely not get if he raged. "I-it's not a lie." He replied, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "I do want to learn about non-Zith. I..." He sighed, realizing he'd have to explain his thoughts to the man. "I'm... half blood. Not Zith. Part human." He looked down, staring at the floor in shame, but he kept explaining. "I always... was interested in humans. Learned about them in Xy, but there, people are too scared." He looked up, his face a mixture of pride and shame." Everyone around has heard of Zith. Heard we're monsters. They fear us, they'd kill me!" He swept his hand in front of his face. A moment later, realizing what he'd done, he brought it down, his breath agitated. He continued after a few seconds, calmer. "I heard Wind Reach... it's a human city, it's isolated. I thought maybe they hadn't heard of Zith. I heard men fly here, and I thought maybe I could learn to fly like a human, like a real Zith." He sighed. "But I guess you heard of us." He looked at the keeper, waiting for something - not even he could say what. He felt... empty, like he still hadn't assimilated the blow.

[Invictus]

Fatherly appraisal sculpted the endless sheet of wrinkles stretched across Val’s face, his smile warming again with good humor to the younger man’s plight. The paper crumpling voice that had befallen the ears of countless visitors rasped with a tea scented chuckle, hands humbly returning from the small of his back to clap once before him in gleaming eyed delight. Together, he rubbed some warmth into the flesh, old age having constricted the blood flow and sapping him of much purpose when he was apart from the fire for too long.

Then, gently, he reached one hand up to the half blood’s shoulder and began leading him towards the entrance gates, eyes cast to the stone while his smile slowly waned. Never a threat to tone his words, the retired Endal simply gave the man something to dwell on. ”I encourage you to control that temper while you visit Wind Reach, traveler. We Inarta are an equally passionate people, and will not take kindly to what it is that you represent.” Val’s eyes glazed over as he raised them to meet with Darkness’ own, heavy heart draped across his sleeve.

”I do apologize that your lot in life shall cause you such duress, but there is little an old man can do in these times. Yasi may run from you. The Avora and Chiet may give you some odd looks. But beware the Endal. If you give them reason to feel threatened, they will strike with impunity, for they run this city, and have experience in dealing with your more troublesome kin. I will not stop you from making this choice, lad. I only urge you to be cautious, and to visit the Valintar before you go further.”

Coming before the gates, Val’s feet shuffled to a halt, hand drifting away from his guest’s fur covered shoulder to rest calmly along the hem of his bryda. His peppery old smile returned once more, cloudy eyes wishing his companion the best of luck. ”We are all required to work to keep the colony alive, and you look like you could use a bit of clothing.”

Turning his back on the half blood, the gates began to open to the sound of massive chains being pulled and scraped against stone, the dimly lit passageway opening up to Wind Reach’s newest visitor. Over the cacophonous sounds, Val’s voice could barely be heard. ”Good luck, son! You will most certainly need it!”

[Inshin Taelian]

Inshin had been standing still for very long, without showing any interest in moving. His body shaking uncontrollably, while having a silent conversation with Shade, trying to ignore the new Shape that had spoken to him. This new Shape looked a lot like a Despair, and Inshin didn't want to talk to another Despair. He hated them. He wanted them all out of his life. Then again, he had more or less become used to Shade. Shade was pretty nice, for a despair. He didn't try to frighten Inshin, or anything. He only lied, scary lies, certainly, but only lies. And Inshin knew this. Shade was a liar, but nicer than Enemy. Enemy wanted to hurt him. Shade only lied. Lies might be hurtful, but they didn't hurt as much as Enemy did. Inshin wanted to kill Enemy, and he had, once. But it hadn't been enough. "Hush now, Shade. I know what's real, and what's not real. And you won't fool me, with this Other Despair here! I'm not stupid, you see! I am not!" He muttered towards Shade. And then he turned to the Other Despair. He now realised that Other Despair was in fact not a despair, but actually a human. The man had gripped his shoulder, after all, and no Despair ever touched him. Neither did a Love, actually, but he accepted that. He didn't really like touch all that much, anyway. He turned to the man, who he now presumed was the guard of the gate. "Oh, I'm sorry! I thought you were a Despair for a moment there, mister! My name is Inshin Taelian, and I'm here to try and make a living for a while. Umm, I come from over near the Big Water, but I havn't been there for over four years! I've been living in the wilds, you see!" Inshin let out a smile, and looked at the Man-who-was-no-Despair. Not the best of choices, as his face became rather hideous at that point. But it was a sincere smile, and his dim eyes seemed happy, like the eyes of a child who sees it's father for the first time in years. He then sat down on the warm furs and sighed happily. "Now, that's very comfortable!" He said, with a voice filled with pleasure.

[Sphinx]

Really, this man came off as quite insane. Muttering to himself about Despairs and Shade. The way he spoke and introduced himself gave Val the impression that he was also unlearned, that maybe he was a half wild man of some sort.

He frowned. Half wild wasn't half good.

"Now listen here, boy. You bring trouble to Wind Reach and you'll have to answer to the Valintar. You get it in your head to call Endal anything they will take as insult, you will know justice." The firm tone he used left no room for it to be mistaken as a joke. It was a sincere warning that he hoped this newcomer, Inshin, would take to heart. "Now tell me what you look to gain here, aside from work. Winter is coming soon and you'll be stuck in the mountain same as everyone else until the thaw."

He stood facing Inshin as he sat and gave the poor, rather unhandsome stranger, something akin to another kind smile. There was worry there, tempered by the watchful stare of Imsun above.

"Do you actually know what the city is called, now that I think of it? And, by the way, my name is Val-Imsun." The way he tacked on Imsun's name sounded like his family name.

[Fraha]

Timestamp: Winter 2nd. around 2:34 PM Was it over? The awfully long journey that sucked up a good piece of Fraha's energy had finally come to an end? Or at least a checkpoint she hoped. "Now according to common sense, amount of snow, and the stone construction that really looks like a gate I may deduce that I have arrived." A habit Fraha used to have was to speaking with her own self, specially on long journeys. Assuming it was a principle of dehydratation the inner conversation partner would pop up to keep her company and focused on things. Standing in front of the construction Fraha could only compare these gates to the ones seen in Syliras. "Great, if this isn't the entrance I'm in big trouble am I? Now, where are the guards.." She'd expect, as in Syliras or her homeland at least two aromored brutes standing there, blades ready to kill the good mood of a newcomer but instead she found a chain. Near to it a small alcove with a pretty old man sitting near a pot. From the scent she deduced it had to be some kind of tea which would keep the old man warm. "May I be of assistance? asked the elder smiling gently. What was he doing there? All alone with a tea and fire? A curious scene. "oh Falim sir, no thanks I must get inside, it's pretty chilly out here" answered Fraha with the respectful tone that elder people deserved. "oh would you look at this, a door bell of some sort? And glass on it, guess I'm really in Wind Reach am I" She gently pulled the chain which made a nice tingling sound. As one would expect the gates would open and Fraha would finally see some form of local authority but again, no. Instead, nothing happened just a metal and glass tingling sweetly. She pulled the chain again a bit stronger now and heard the same tinging as before but amplified. Leaning slightly backwards Fraha, surprised, was questioning now the nature of the chain. She turned the eyes to the old man and met his eyes. "Ahm...." pronounced she confused. .