And so it begins....once more (Khiara)

[Orion]

Timestamp: 81st day of spring 510 AV


His now tiresome feet suddenly stopped moving as he just stopped and let his body hit the grass not caring for anything around him. Looking around him, he found that it will soon be time; time for Syna to relinquish her bonds to the sky in order for Leth to rule once more. A glorious sundown started to recreate itself once more, and even after so many times, it was still a sight worthy of the eyes of those same gods who created the very ground he was now layed back onto, the very air he was breathing, it was all nothing compared to the majestic power of the setting sun. His body started to change in a whirlwind of sparkling dust, it was a truly marvelous sight to look onto, but to him, it was a rather boring and lame routine. He looked onto his arms as they started to change shape and lose their divine glitter, and as he looked into a nearby water puddle, he saw the face of that ugly mortal once more, that ugly mortal that was a part of him.

For the goal of shrinking his boredom to a minimum, he slowly unpacked his drawing kit and started to connect simple arrays of stars in his mind as he drew them carefully. One map was done, but it was not good enough, and another, and another, and soon there was a bunch of scrap paper laying around his feet, but none of those atempts was worthy of those dusky eyes of his. He landed a half finished map next to him slowly, his thoughts said it was a promising atempt as he left it so he could study it later. His fingers gripped around another piece of paper gently as he started drawing his environment while he could still see some of it with his eyes now turning into that same sorrowfull shade of blue that somehow glimmered hope aswell.

He drew the outline easily, he drew the surrounding hills and pastures, he drew it all as if it was nothing, but than his gaze stopped at a distant figure moving towards him. A woman, not much more could be known from this distance and so he looked a bit at her and a bit at his scetchbook as her divine like appearance completed his drawing of the landscape. Her hair swirling in that little wind that was left to travel in the air, her eyes shining in the distance from the moonlight, if he did not know better, he would say it was a dream, but he had way too many lifetimes to have dreams this big, or this real.

Something in him pushed him to keep drawing her and only her as he could now see her more clearly, he threw aside carelessly the previously completed drawing as he started to focus all the talent he had onto drawing her the best he could, but it was not going all that well, or so he thought. Her figure was now close enough to see him sitting in the grass leaned to a tree and looking at her, and so he stopped his drawing momentarily as he left the piece of paper laying on the ground, he than took back the star map, took it back into his hands and started to revise it. His attention was now fully comited to the map, for he knew it was probbably for the best if he just stays low and pretends he did not notice her. But those 2 pictures, those 2 drawings looked back at him accusing him of a terrible treachery as he left them there in the wet grass.

[Khiara]

Khiara left Vanator's pavilion as fast as she could without running, keeping her head down to try and stop the tears she knew were coming. How could things turn out like this? Her eyes flashed gold as she moved, unseeing as she ran the events over and over in her mind. It wasn't fair, on her or on Pygmy or on Vanator, this whole situation. She'd said she would come to Riverfall, she'd agreed breathlessly to come...but right now she knew where she was going. Vsenri was only a saddle away, and once on him, she could ride and ride and get away from this whole horrible, painful mess.

The vantha slowed, she couldn't bring herself to flee like that. Not after all that had happened, but Goddess how was she supposed to just ignore her heart. Veering suddenly, the young woman turned away from the main encampment, heading towards the privacy of the trees and slightly wet grass. A breeze swept across her, blowing her hair away from her face. Still, she kept her head down as she walked. Finally reaching the grove, she stopped, taking deep breaths and pacing back and forth. Eventually, she stopped, wiping the tears from her cheeks and sighing. This was not the way to handle herself. She could be stronger than this. She had to be.

Turning slowly, she jumped as she saw a figure leaning against a tree. It was initially the suprize of seeing somebody their that made her jump, her gaze picking up his features in the faint glow of the camp. What she saw froze her. For a moment, just a moment, she believed she was looking at a memory, sitting in the grass teasing her heart. But Eliac was dead, gone. This was....a vantha though! Here!

"Hello," She said in a soft voice, speaking Vani. Surely this was some sort of dream.

[Orion]

He could sense her approach, he could sense she will be here, he knew it was going to happen, so why didn`t he just run away? This thought kept bugging him as he looked up at her and started to blink slowly. She was even more beautyfull now that she was fully in sight and basking in the marvelous moonlight, sighsing slowly he carelessly threw all he had in both his hands and his lap aside, he spoke slowly in a lyrical soft tongue of the Vani: "Hello, and who may you be, fair maiden?" his voice echoed in the silence as only the few roaming crickets broke it`s pace occasionaly.

He slowly got his gaze as far away from the stars as he could and now it could be seen, the colour was slowly flowing back into them, they were now those same deep blue eyes he was always fond of. As the greyness disappeared completely he just looked at her slowly making every detail of her stature sink in into his memory before he can continue this conversation. Her olive skin, that looked as soft as silk and satin, her hair that was still wiglling in that slow wind that kept swaying the valley to it`s will. His mind wandered of carelessly as he let himself remember many past lives, many past friends, many past lovers, many.....

Her eyes gave him a reality check he was in a need for as they started to shift colours again, gold, no wait violet, no gold again, he was not sure of anything anymore, but she did look like she just saw a ghost as still warm tears on her face were now starting to dry up. Her eyes were now shifting between the abyss of unknown and the pure surprise of the moment at hand, and so he awaited for her to respond, still not sure what does she want him to do....or say.

[Khiara]

Even his voice was like some sort of dream, some otherworldly response. Reaching up to brush the hair from her eyes as the wind tossed it gently, she found herself caught by the brilliant blue of his eyes. It was familiar, and welcoming. The homesickness she didn't know she was harbouring struck her as she stared down at him, registering his words. Who was she? In Vani, the words seemed so foreign and so comforting. Blinking, she gathered herself, feeling like if she moved, she might break this illusion.

"I am...I am Khiara Snowsong, of Avanthal." Finally breaking his gaze, she looked down at the materials beside him, her eyes settling on the sketches of a woman. She looked sad, and with a little shock she realised, it was her. Moving a step closer, the vantha studied the pages.

"These are beautiful...you drew these? I didn't realise anyone was watching me..." Trailing off, she shifted her violet eyes to his sapphire ones.

"Did you travel here from Avanthal too?" She asked softly, trying to picture his face from home. If the man before her had been in Avanthal with her, she might know him. But he didn't look familiar. Still, the simple presence of another vantha right now was more comfort than she realised. It took her mind off what had just occurred.

[Orion]

He looked at her at first curious, but later more and more that curiosity grew into happiness, for he found another name to make eternal. Finally her stature started to change as simple movements took her close to those very traitorous drawings laying on the warm dark land. Still not sure how to react to all she just said he only slowly nodded when she asked if those were his drawings, but when the Avanthal question came he let his tongue slip his mind as he gave her a hint in lyrical Vani: "I have been travelling for quite some time now learning and absorbing all the ways of this world, but i do not believe i ever saw a face quite like yours before".

He said too much, he should not get too much attention on him while he is in this despicable form, for it was a shame to make people look onto such an abomination more than it was needed. His eyes narrowed slightly as her hair and eyes threw off a small shine back at him, while moonlight made them shine.....shine even more.

Skipping the formal introductions he just continued to simply ask rather than answer: "It is a rather strange thing that we met here, but now that we did, you do not look so good, surprise that you just noticed me aside, you still look like something bad happened, are you feeling well ?" his head tilted to the side as the sentance hanged in the air around them waiting to be dealt with

[Khiara]

So he was a traveller just like her. Somehow, it made the woman feel better - about leaving and about Mizahar itself. If he left, and she left, then others left too. Even the Goddess herself left. And in the end, they would all eventually go home. His comment about her face caused the woman to look away, unsure what to say. It was a sweet comment, and true vantha in all sense of the word, but her heart still hurt. Even so, a small smile touched her lips. It was impossible not to be touched, his words reminded her of Eliac and home.

As he asked about her, the feelings she had been able to put aside in her shock flooded back, and her eyebrows furrowed as she struggled to keep her composure. Finding herself moving closer, Khiara sat down beside the man, hugging her knees to herself and staring off at the pavilion she'd just left. There was a sensation of loss, keen and cutting as she remembered the warmth of the drykas' arms. A warmth she would always hold close to her, like the sun on a winter day. Shaking her head slowly, she spoke, continuing in vani.

"I left Avanthal to escape a terrible pain in my heart. I travelled the whole of Mizahar and ended up here, where I found someone who knew what I felt. Who understood my pain. We have only known each other for a short while, but he helped me to realise that even though it hurts, the pain will go away. I was free again to care and to live...but...my heart choose him. I finally felt love again, after so very very long." Frowning, she sighed. There were no tears, only a lingering sense of defeat, and a confused sort of expression.

"But, my best friend, the one that introduced me to him. She loves him, and she deserves to be loved by him. So...I must love him only as a friend. I went to him tonight, to say goodbye. Goddess it was so hard. And in the Summer, I will be travelling with him, and her...and I don't know how I'm going to do it." Resting her forehead on the palm of her hand, Khiara turned her head to look at the man, smiling slightly.

"Forgive me. I don't mean to ramble on, but you make me feel comfortable. It's been nearly two years since I've seen another vantha. I'd not realised how much I missed my own kind. And you remind me of someone I...I lost a long time ago."

[Orion]

He was now sure of the deception she was under, he was no Vantha, no mortal, no kinsmen she could ever hope to meet, but as he thought more and more about it, he decided to simply put that matter aside as he looked back at her observing her strange movements. She wanted him to be something he could never be, and he wanted it too, for the sheer sake of happiness......he wanted it so bad.

His eyes narrowed slightly focusing on her face as it made a rather wierd, wierd but sad expression. He thought about saying something, but he just prolonged the silence as he looked a bit at her and a bit at the stars. It was all so beautyfull, even more so, as he could now see bright flashes of both moonlight and the sky in her glimmering eyes.

His voice took over his mind struggling to get free as simple words came out: "I am trully sorry to hear that, you look way too young to have a heart condition that bad. And i know i have no right to say anything, and no domain over your feelings, but are you sure escaping is what you trully want? Is that really a suitable solution for one such as yourself? his eyes narrowed even more as he stopped the urge to cry as he remembered many things he wish he has never knwon. He continued in the lyrical Vani: "I lost...many.....and saw many people survive the same, so do not worry, you will survive, my only question is, are you seriously going to just give up the possibility of sheer happiness that hangs over your head? Yes it is unfair and selfish, but that is what happiness truly is in it`s most basic essence, it is neither right, or wrong, it just is" his eyes were now fixed onto her face as he searched for a hint, some sort of reaction that has disturbed the already uncalm pond of her mind.

His thoughts recorded everything she said, every impression he made, every tear she was yet to shed, every blink that brought her collapsing figure closer and closer to the edge. He wished to touch her, hug her, do anything to make her mind diverted for a bit, but as his gaze was now down onto his hands he could not bring himself to steal that precious time away from her, for even that one day was someone`s eternity. Even as he knew it would not take effect until the morning, he was still cautious about making any physical contact what so ever.

Thninking he owes her more than a lame worn out speech he oppened his mouth only to say: " I call myself Orion, my real name being long lost, but not yet forgotten".
He was on bring of laughing as he realized just how much it would hurt her to tell her the truth, tell her what he was.....just tell her.

[Khiara]

The young woman looked at him for a long time after he spoke, thinking on what he said. Could she really put someone else's feelings aside for her own happiness? Maybe, deep down inside she probably could...but not in this situation. Not with Pygmy. Smiling, she rested her temple on her knees, hugging her legs and looking at him bathed in the moonlight. It could almost be Avanthal again...except for the heat and the warm grass tickling her thighs.

"It's not what I really want...but my friend, the one that introduced us...she is like a sister to me. I would have died a thousand times over were it not for her loving, caring soul. In fact, if it were not for her, I would not have met you...Orion." Testing the name, she lifted her head slightly.

"How do you loose your real name? Have you got a Hold?" The vantha asked softly, curious about the man who called himself Orion. He seemed so melancholy...as though something haunted his memories. Khiara sat back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You don't have to tell me. I know sometimes, its hard to talk about things we have lost." Her voice indicated she knew that pain in a deep and personal way. Still, she offered him her smile, eyes violet in the moonlight with scarcely a hint of gold.

[Orion]

He looked at her as soft grass was withering in the wind all around them, and the smell of trees was in the air.....yes trees, he was not sure what all this means, but he was still curiously looking at her as he litsened to her answers, her reasons, her truths. People did not tend to lie to a one like him, first of all, most people would stay clear of him, but adventureous people from all around the globe would always approach him, the trully majestic ones, ones in need of truth, no matter how small or insignificant it was.

"Leth be my withness, if we were ever destinned to meet, we would have done so no matter the obstruction, for fate moves us all. After all one does not cling onto the truly happy moments in life until he knows what is at stake, until he knows death....it is always a hefty price, but a lasting one" his face smiled slightly as he heard of her sweet voice say his name, but he did not get too carried away, yes he dreamed and imagined many things, but with both of his feet on the ground.

"My name has been seen by the blind, heard by the deaf, and sensed by the emotionless as i remain cursed and unable to mimic it`s very sound. I do not really know what you mean by a hold, but i guess that means i do not have one" his gaze piercing her very appearance he was now narrowing his eyes a bit before they changed their colour to that same lifeless shad of grey. It was too late for him to hide his face now, he never liked the face of that Vantha that was given to him, there was always too much emotion on one`s face.

Her last words pierced him like a sword, it was not that he thought it as an insult, but it sure was painfull for someone mortal, someone like her to speak as she had died many times over and over again. This way of thinking never brought any good so he dropped everything quickly only whispering: "I understand".

[Khiara]

Khiara listened carefully as he spoke, his words almost cryptic in their buried sorrow. She watched his face as he told her of fate and of the curiousness of his name. The unmistakable shift in his eyes was like a beacon in the night sky for her, and the vantha wondered why he couldn't think of the name of his Hold. His words made her think of one that has been so traumatized, they completely forget who they are, and have to start anew. A deep sympathy for Orion filled her, born of empathy and almost kinship.

He was right. It was easier to cling to happier things when all you had known was death and destruction. Vanator was her light after the dark, and her heart desperately clung to him...making it harder to let go. Sensing Orion's shift in discussion, she reached out to take up one of the pictures he had drawn of her. Studying it for a long time, she smiled.

"Your drawings are so real...I feel like I'm looking at time frozen on a page." Looking up at him, Khiara handed over the picture.

"Are you staying in Endrykas for the Summer?" She asked quietly, enjoying the calm she felt right now, vani flowing freely between herself and the man.