Closed To Sleep Under Stars and Auroras [Miria & Svasra]

[Silarial]

Timestamp: 54th of Winter, 512 AV
Eight bell of the day

It had already been quite a few days since she last saw Miria and her baby snow hare. She wondered how the two had been doing, and how they have been getting along with each other. Silarial laughed when she remembered how things went with her and Snowball, her tinkling voice resounding through the busy street and blending with the multitude of sounds floating in the air that lovely morning. Yes, she named her baby Snowball. She was not really good at giving pet names to, well, pets. Snowball and her had a somewhat rocky start to their relationship, but the two of them were finally starting to learn how to live with each other. Speaking of which, she couldn't wait to find out what her friend named her baby snow hare.

Silarial walked in her unhurried pace, the destination she had in mind the Coolwater residences. She hummed a cheerful song as she made her way past people who stared at her for being so darn happy this early in the morning. She smiled at them warmly, receiving smiles from some, and glares from a few others. She didn't mind the negative responses; it's nothing new so she didn't take it to heart anymore.

A few more chimes of humming and singing, the Coolwater arvintas finally came into view. Her initial reaction was to wrinkle her nose as she inhaled the strong stink of fish blowing in the breeze from the sea. The smell of Frostfawn animasl and their wastes, she could handle to some extent. But the dank odor of rotten fish... well, with time, hopefully. It's a lot better when the wind was not blowing in her general direction though.

She soon continued inside the building, her olfactory functions finally relieved from the smell of fish. She flicked her eyes around and, quite frankly, was feeling a little lost. If only she had asked Miria about where her room was then this visit would have gone a lot smoother today. Standing awkwardly in the room for a few ticks, Silarial finally went up to a passing olive-skinned woman carrying a thin-haired baby in her arms.

"Umm... Excuse me! Do you happen to know Miria? She's a pretty lady who's really good with bows." She asked politely, and the woman flashed a gap-toothed smile in response. The child she was carrying, most likely no more than three seasons in age, gurgled happily at her. Silarial found herself giggling at the child's adorable expression.

"You a friend o' hers? I can show ya to 'er arvinta. Yes?" The woman replied nicely despite her seemingly rough way of speaking. Silarial nodded her head in assent and followed the woman and her baby as they climbed flights of stairs. She was then led past a few doors to her friend's arvinta. She bowed thankfully to the woman who just laughed amiably and left.

Now staring intently at the door in front of her, Silarial chewed on her fingers, wondering if she came too early for Miria's liking. There's also the possibility that she had already left for work, or maybe she had something important to do and would not want to accommodate visitors for the day. To knock or not to knock? To knock or-- whatever.

Cheeks puffed out, Silarial knocked loudly on the door and waited anxiously for some kind of reply coming from within the room. If there was no response then she would knock again. If there still was no sign of someone inside, she would finally leave, her mood greatly dampened for the rest of the day.

[Miria]

Recovering from a late midnight session of fletching Miria wasn't in the best of shape this morning. Waking to hard, thunderous blows echoing throughout her arvinta Miria got up with a start disturbing her sleeping partner. Why? Why in Morwen's name is someone waking me up this early? Rubbing her eyes before getting up Miria took her time getting her barings as she looked around her room. A smirk appeared on her face at the sight of a pair of beady eyes watching her. Hopping from out of under the table the baby hare she was taking care of greeted her good morning. Honey (Bunny) was what Miria ended up calling him as she walked close to her new pet. "Aww. Did I startle you Honey?" Miria cooed as she brought the hare into her arms. Honey fought for a few seconds protesting the feeling of getting handled before getting tired and just decided to hang from the archer's arms. The smile that came from Honey's owner was a genuine expression as she ruffled the pet's ears absentmindedly. Slowly but surely Miria started to grow attachments to the hare, kissing it softly on the head before setting him down. Honey has been slowly hopping to her heart as today marked the first week that he accompanied Miria on the bed. Sometimes it seemed that Miria felt more for her hare then some Vantha she knew, especially the one knocking on her door this early. Mildly annoyed by the morning interruption Miria started over to the door before calling out. "I don't know if I love you enough to let you back into bed with me love." Miria chuckled slightly as she grudgingly opened the door to see... someone who probably should not have heard that. A bemuse expression was on Miria's face as she faced the younger Vantha she spent that lovely evening with. What was her name? Oh yea. It was- "Silarail! So nice to see you!" Miria quickly recovered moving forward to give the Sila a hug. Looking back Miria wasn't sure if her roommate had already left this morning. Still the Snowsong was in the know so she had to set the record straight. "A friend of mine is in town and I offered to let her stay in my arvinta while she was here." Miria explained in a hushed tone. Silarail did not need to know everything about her situation. Nor her preferences and tendencies with other people. That the younger Vantha will have to pick up on her own. "What are you doing here?" the Coolwater finally asked flustered. oocFeel free to assume I'll go along with what your suggesting/doing

[Silarial]

Silarial’s mouth hung open upon hearing Miria speak from behind the door. Come back to bed with her... love? It seemed it was a very bad time to have paid a visit. Argh, how could she have been so stupid? Of course Miria was old enough to have a husband. Why does she keep forgetting that not everyone prefers to be an Icemaiden like her?

The door opened to the baffled face of her friend. All fairness to her, Miria reached forward and gave Silarial a hug. Choking a bit with words, the embarrassed dancer finally managed to say, “Ah. I’m so sorry I woke you up so early.” The older woman immediately explained why she said what she said earlier, and it only left the younger Vantha more confused. It was intended for her friend, who was a girl? But, but what about her husband? Does Miria swing that way?

Shaking her head to remind herself that it's not her business, Silarial chewed on her lower lip before answering to Miria’s inquiry. “Actually, I came here because we never saw each other again since the last time we were together. I was wondering how you and you’re snow hare was doing. I hope I’m not being too much of a bother.” She chewed on her fingertips once again as her friend let her in the arvinta. She sat on the chair Miria pointed to and smiled broadly. “Did you have something to do today? I was wondering if you’re interested in an all-girl camping? I have a friend who wanted to go camp outside the city and she invited me to go with her. I just thought it would be nice to have another girl in our group. It would also be the perfect time to introduce two of my friends with each other. So... let's go camping?”

When Miria said yes to her proposal, Silarial stood up and did a crazy ‘victory dance’ consisting of jumping and twirling around in place followed by the wild flailing of her arms. She stuck her tongue out playfully as she finished and waited as her friend got herself ready to go out. When Miria was finally done, the two went out and headed to the Snowsong Hold.

As the two neared the Snowsong arvintas, Silarial broke the silence between them. “So what did you name your pet? I named mine Snowball. Haha I’m not sure if she likes her name a lot or abhors it. Every time I call her that, she stops whatever she’s doing and looks at me with those cute beady eyes! And I think it’s nice that you and your snow hare seems very close with each other already."

A few more chimes of brisk walking and the pair were inside the building. She led Miria across a hall and up yet another flights of stairs towards Svasra’s arvinta. Glancing at Miria with a wide grin on her face, she knocked at the door and called out, “Good morning Svasra! It’s Silarial. Hope we’re not disturbing anything.” She said the last part more to herself than to the girl who was hopefully on the other side of the door.

OOCI was tempted to persuade Miria to do the silly victory dance with Silarial since you told me to assume she'll go with whatever Silarial suggested lol. I did stop myself from doing though, but the mental image of Miria flailing around in a dance is forever etched into my mind.

EditsI'm sorry for the color change. I can't seem to get the right color to match the post box. I hope it's legible. :/

[Miria]

Silarail seemed like such a considerate Snowsong to Miria. Such compassion for her fellow Vantha was not wasted with the archer as Miria could feel the genuine smile forming her face. “It has been only a mere two weeks and you've come up with this? How can I say no to such a cute face? I'll get ready for the trip right away love.” Miria grinned. The Snowsong exploded at the response getting up every which way showing off her excitement. Miria found herself caught up with Silarail's enthusiasm hopping in time miming her jumps. Sharing a laugh with her guest Miria excused herself as she packed up the mere essentials for camping. Which the archer did not have now that she thought about it. Excusing herself from Silarail Miria went to her step family's arvinta. There her in laws greeted her with the usual response that Miria learned to love. They were better off then most Vantha with their trades with other major cities but they still were very approachable people. So when Miria asked to borrow some camping essentials she was allowed to take a sleeping roll alongside some snowshoes if they had heavy snow during their trip. Miria thanked the pair for their understanding as she promised to return or even pay if something were to happen. Passing by Silarial once again there was only two things left to do before they left. First was to feed Honey which she left a few handful scraps of vegetables lying around his little area. “Alright Honey be good. Momma is going to go now. Don't let the other honey eat you.” Miria joked before jostling the hare one last time. As her last chore Miria left a note for Vaspira telling her where she went. “Gone for awhile. Be good. Don't eat my Honey.” Whether not Vaspira knew how to read common was another issue Miria had to look into later. For now though Miria was too distracted by the chance to have some girl time for once. Hooray social interaction! It was nice to have time with people that just want to have a genuine, clean, fun time for once. Miria had enough of the alternative weird stuff people shared and Miria sincerely hoped that this was not the case with Silarial. “Oh? I just called him what I love to call my little pets.” Miria started. Smiling wide Miria bit her lip relishing the other's reaction before laughing in good faith with the Snowsong. “I'm joking of course. His name is Honey Bunny but I call him Honey for short. Who knows what our dear hares are thinking? Maybe they are just content with the sound of their mothers calling them.” Miria winked playfully. “That reminds me! We should set up a play date for the two later! I bet they would love to meet with their 'long lost' family!” Finally the two awaited with much zeal at the predestined location. Who was this Svasra? The small fear of her being a horribly unadjusted vantha flitted around Miria's mind a few times. There was no way! Silarail was such a sweet girl! I'm probably the worst this ball of excitement had to deal with. With that Miria couldn't help but feel a slightly proud from that. Odd. Anyways there was no hiding it from Silarail much longer anyways. Her friend might as well know too since she was around. Miria was an insatiable tease when the mood struck. Already the archer knew what she would do when they were introduced. “Hi there I'm Miria! How dare Silarail keep such a friend from me?” Followed by an aggressive hug that clung too tightly. Finished by a low 'rawr' whispered in this Svasra's ear before they broke apart. Perhaps having such a fun roommate is a bad influence. However it was all in good fun and making an impression wouldn't hurt. Right? Perhaps this camping trip made Miria too excited. oocSorry for not noticing this sooner. Can we change the date a few more days up? Perhaps the 54th? I met Vassy around the 50th.

[Svasra]

Having days off of work always threw Svasra into a dizzy. She was used to rising in the morning and doing a few chores around the house, perhaps record a tale or two, then be off to the Red Diamond for a while. It was a routine that was comforting and familiar, one that Svasra worked into her life easily. Every-so-often though, Svasra was given two days off. Two straight days of not needing to be a barmaid, in which she had completely to herself. She had three sets each season, and this was her second. It put her in an odd position to wake up and realize she had nothing to do, except perhaps go out on her horse or visit friends. On the same hand though, the feeling was very liberating. The sensation of having time to herself was marvelous, and she loved the two days passionately to not only spend them wisely, but also to make sure they stood out midst the pattern of the rest of her season.

Washing the dishes from the morning meal, Svasra wondered exactly how she might spend these two days. She thought of going out for a day-ride with her mother, and her father if she could drag him along. It was getting later in the season, and Svasra could practically sense Spring coming faster than she wished. The time to tell her parents was drawing closer and closer, yet Svasra shied away each and every time.

It was unusual, for Svasra, to feel this sense of wariness with her parents. People she had counted on and lived with her entire life she suddenly kept a secret from. It wasn't her first, and probably wouldn't be her last, but secrets came few and far between within the Havok-Minara household seeing as they were considered dishonesty. Svasra admitted to herself to come to terms with the fact she was straight-out lying at this point. Even more odd, Svasra didn't feel particularly guilty. In her mind it was rationalized by the fact she wasn't positive of her leaving. It was still quite up in the air as she had yet to do the research needed to know how to even get out of Avanthal.

Those worries were not for these two days though. Svasra had risen early with her parents today, and resolved to go for a horse-back ride with them later on when they returned from their shopping trip.

"Can you see me? From your place in the stars?
Can you hear me? Are you really all that far?
I wish I could feel your touch again,
I have faith, I'll stretch out my hand
Come hold me from your divine land," Svasra sung as she put the dishes to dry and drifted off to write in her journal.
"I'll take a step, try to follow me
In my dreams we'll be lock and key
I don't believe you're away at all
You're -" A banging rattled the door and Svasra dropped the song as she jumped in surprise.

"Good morning Svasra! It’s Silarial. Hope we’re not disturbing anything," came a familiar voice, and Svasra's expression turned from curious to friendly.
"Silarial," she called back warmly, walking over to open the door to her and her parents' Arvinta. Silarial was not the only person standing outside her door though, and the fellow Snowsong was accompanied by another woman. She carried herself with a sense of mischief and carefree happiness that Svasra could find herself relating to.

She probably would have taken an immediate liking to the happy Coolwater, that is, if she had a chance to look at her. "Hi there I'm Miria! How dare Silarail keep such a friend from me?" came the woman's light voice, that was followed with a hug that made Svasra gasp in surprise, though she politely returned it. It lasted a moment too long and before they parted, a quiet, "Rawr," sounded in her ear as the other pulled back.

It was honest to say Svasra was slightly wary, and very amused by the persona of Miria. For a moment, the Snowsong stayed silent and watched the girl with a small smile. She must have found something though, since her smile widened. "Lovely to meet you, Miria," Svasra said with a light laugh as she bowed her head slightly. "Please, come in, is there something in particular I can help you with?" the Vantha added as she stepped out of the way of the door and ushered the two ladies in.

[Silarial]

She looked on at the two women, mouth agape, when Miria suddenly pulled Svasra into a tight hug. Perhaps a little too tight, Silarial thought. She had not expected such a bold greeting from Miria, especially for someone the Coolwater had just met for the first time. And so she waited for Svasra’s reaction with bated breath, fingers fumbling with the ends of her blouse.

Finally, Svasra’s lips eased into a smile, eliciting a similar reaction from the young dancer. She was glad her two friends seem to be getting well with each other. For Silarial, there was nothing better than friendships formed and strengthened, especially during these trying times.

“Svasra! Do you remember the last time we talked about camping together? Yes, it was after that intense snowball fight, ” Silarial replied to the Snowsong’s question as their host let them into her arvinta. Silarial wondered if Svasra’s parents were home while she surveyed her eyes around her friend’s abode.

Remembering the reason for her unannounced visit, she continued, “We figured we couldn’t go through with the outing unless we have some means of protecting ourselves. So I thought of asking Miria here to go with us.” She gave a quick, excited glance at her Coolwater friend. “She was ecstatic about coming with us! And she’s really good with bows too, so that takes care of having to protect ourselves out there.”

She clasped the storyteller’s hands with her own, eyes the vivid green of the Aurora. “Think about it! Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a girl’s night out with just us three? It would be a perfect opportunity to know more about each other, and maybe learn some useful things while we’re at it too. Miria, you tell her!” She was grinning widely in excitement, her voice yearning as a child longs for her favorite flavored snow, all manners learned forgotten in the heat of the moment.

OOC :

Svasra, friend. Thank you for doing such a big favour for me. Honestly, these codes are getting the better of me and my sanity, and was making me utterly confused for record time. You're a lifesaver!

[Miria]

Stifling a laugh Miria smirked at the reaction of her new toy. This one it seems was free to play with. The Coolwater was too giddy to feel embarrassed sharing a smile with Silarail giving her a look that said 'your the best for inviting me.' Miria truly cherished the chance Silarial gave her. Given the bad reputation the Coolwaters had in the beginning of the season Miria was surprised that Silarial wanted anything to do with her. The archer stepped forward taking care to not disturb or otherwise knock down anything in Svasra's arvinta. It looked quaint enough by Miria's standards much like her own even. Listening at Silarial Miria gave a confused expression hearing of how protected the trio would be. Didn't Sirarial remember the last time they were out they got beat by a father hare all by his lonesome? Still if she trusted her Miria would do her best not to disappoint the Snowsongs. "Of course!" Miria pipped out with a show of bravado. "Yes stay close to me my Svasra I'll protect you." Miria said purring the last part before taking the Snowsong's hand. Giving a blank stare to Svasra Miria looked deep into her eyes for an awkward length of time. Six no eight ticks Miria stared until finally a small twitch betrayed her jape. Releasing her grip on Svasra's hand Miria covered her smile before scolding the Snowsong. "You really should not let me tease you dear." "On a more serious note I would love to learn about you pair of birds. I wonder how well both of you Snowsongs sing." Miria commented standing beside Silarial. "You can teach me how to sing along with you. Then I can teach you whatever you desire of me and we can have some fun with that. All while watching the sun set somewhere new. What are we waiting for?"

[Svasra]

The pair certainly showed no hesitation in entering her home, coming and quickly laying down business. "Svasra! Do you remember the last time we talked about camping together? Yes, it was after that intense snowball fight," Silarial said as her eyes swept the Arvinta curiously. "We figured we couldn’t go through with the outing unless we have some means of protecting ourselves. So I thought of asking Miria here to go with us. She was ecstatic about coming with us! And she’s really good with bows too, so that takes care of having to protect ourselves out there." The little Vantha was severely excited about this, gathering Svasra's hands in her own as she continued, "Think about it! Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a girl’s night out with just us three? It would be a perfect opportunity to know more about each other, and maybe learn some useful things while we’re at it too. Miria, you tell her!"

Svasra seemed quite surprised as she turned a wide gaze to Miria, who was quick to act in the manner she was beginning to simply pin to the female. "Of course! Yes stay close to me my Svasra I'll protect you." Her hand was taken from Silarial, and Miria stared deeply into her eyes as though about to profess some deep-hearted love. Svasra had to admit, it was seriously comical, though she only quirked a grin. "You really should not let me tease you dear," Miria finally said to break the silence, though Svasra only laughed lightly, shaking her head.

"On a more serious note I would love to learn about you pair of birds. I wonder how well both of you Snowsongs sing. You can teach me how to sing along with you. Then I can teach you whatever you desire of me and we can have some fun with that. All while watching the sun set somewhere new. What are we waiting for?"

Svasra took a breath, and settled her weight against a wall as she stared at the two Vantha woman in front of her. It was definitely a lot to take in when they burst into her door and suddenly she found herself face-to-face with a camping trip. Though her expression remained polite and neutral, Svasra struggled to keep up with the pace and digest the notion they threw at her.

Did she really wish to go camping? Svasra sighed quietly to herself, and her brow furrowed in thought. She would have to get used to sleeping outdoors if she ever planned on having the guts of leaving alone. The woman seemed slightly torn, but said nothing as she weighed the vague personalities she could glean from short interactions with both of the woman in front of her.

Silarial was a fellow worker at the Diamond, and started the same day as she. They had met a few occasions, formally and informally, and were often in each other's presence at work. Svasra wondered how much of the outdoors the talented dancer really knew, but from the sounds of it, that would be quite minimal.

Miria on the other hand was simple whirlwind of energy. She was quirky, odd, and had a protective air that made Svasra unconsciously relax. Though they had only met, she felt Miria was a good woman to trust, and probably wasn't too shabby with the weaponry she would carry.

She smiled slowly, and nodded her head. "That would be wonderful!" Svasra finally chimed, her smile widening. "It is the perfect time to go for a camping trip, it will be so much fun!" In the midst of her excitement though, Svasra seemed slightly concerned. "There is a small problem though," she added, "I have no camping supplies ... I've been meaning to go out and buy some .... perhaps we can do that now ... together?!"

oocDon't mention it, I am only glad I could help.

[Silarial]

The dancer blinked at having Svasra's hands taken from her own by the oddly behaving Miria. Crossing her arms in front of her chest in idle amusement, she had almost laughed out loud when the Coolwater gave her fellow Snowsong an -in her honest opinion- awkward stare that lasted a tad too long. Silarial covered the itch to laugh with a conscious cough, tucking loose strands of her dark hair behind her ear.

She was just glad Svasra didn't feel offended, or invaded for that matter, by Miria's sudden... touchy-feely-ness. Silarial knew that the older Vantha meant well for both her and Svasra. But in all honesty, she was quite taken aback by her friend's sudden display of playfulness. The woman seemed so much different from when they last met, and she can only guess as to what instilled such a change within her in such a short span of time. Even so, for her Miria is still Miria, and whatever side of her personality she was showing, she's still to be her friend. Besides, it could just be the excitement talking. The younger Vantha nodded her head slightly while thinking this.

Svasra's sudden silence took her back from her thoughts, the quietness making her uneasy. Silarial struggled to search for hints of refusal in her friend's face, but there was only the usual politeness that almost always graced her features. She glanced at Miria with eyes the color of deep blue, and back to the pondering Snowsong. Silarial found herself holding her breath once more; she seems to be doing it a lot around her friends recently.

At last, her friend finally broke into a smile, and exclaimed that the camping trip was a wonderful idea. Silarial grinned when Svasra agreed to go with the plan, but the woman hastened to add that she did not have the necessary materials for such a trip.

Silarial tilted her head slight and laughed, "Of course! Miria and I will go with you. And... I'm sorry I suddenly barged in like this and asked you out in such short notice. I was so excited that Huzak gave me a couple days off, and I totally forgot to ask if you were free." She blinked her eyes and looked at her workmate. "You are free though, yes? You wouldn't have accepted if you aren't. Oh please, tell me I'm not keeping you from doing something important!" The dancer's hands flew once more to her lips, fingers picking anxiously at its skin.

[Miria]

Raising an eyebrow to Svasra's muted response Miria placed her hands on her hips as she tried to read the seemingly meek vantha. If Svasra did not want to come then she does not need to hesitate in saying no, Miria thought simplifying the matter. A movement from the waitress caught Miria's attention as a small smirk came from the archer. Trying to otherwise mimic the motion Miria's face slowly turned into a sulk as she realized that she could not quite match the move. I'll have to ask her to do that again sometime. Miria thought as she silently sized up Svasra. Her first impression of Svasra was that she more of a sensitive type unlike her or Silarial beside her. Even when confronted by a relaxing or entertaining gesture Svasra seemed like the type to take a moment to consider everything. Mimicking the soft smile Miria gave a small nod of approval at Svasra's answer before breathing a bit easier now that everything was all set. Or not. Pouting at the news Miria was going to suggest that they should cram into the same tent before deciding against the suggestion. There was playful teasing and then there was comments that just bordered on making people truly uncomfortable. Miria heard the polite cough from earlier and tried not to burst into a smile right then and there. Given enough time others will realize that the Coolwater was just continuously toying with them. Perhaps these Snowsong might know Miria well enough to know when she was joking or not. Maybe. For now though it seemed that there were more important things to consider. “Don't be so quick to apologize Silarial. Perhaps Svasra is the not the type to prepare for such events.” Her eyes narrowed as Silarial proved too nice of a girl for Miria not to scold. “Silarial she said that it was the perfect time to go camping. Don't sell yourself short dear, friends are important too!” Shrugging slightly the archer gave a reassuring wink at Silarial before shifting her backpack uncomfortably. Carrying all this extra baggage proved to be a challenging venture. “We should hurry to the market then. If we are lucky we'll get the picks of the bunch before anyone else is there.” Finally everything seemed to fall into place in her backpack before heading out to the door. Looking left and right Miria looked curiously at the direction where music can be heard. Already some of the Snowsongs were practicing their trades as Miria walked in file with the pair of Snowsongs. “Silarial you have to show me around in your room sometime. Something tells me we have the same style in... certain household accessories” Miria motioned her head at her bow to explain the certain part of the sentence. Then it was time to badger her new companion with a question. “Svasra! Can I call you something else? Never mind. I was wondering if you can do that thing with your eyebrows earlier from earlier. I tried it myself but I couldn't quite get it down. You seemed to move them in such a strange way.” Since the Coolwater felt she still had to break the ice so to speak Miria decided to add a compliment somewhere there. oocI'm pretty useless in deciding what to buy for the camping at this time. If you ask I'll suggest whatever I got from the in laws. Probably a big tent too unless you want to share the same tent together. (Which will be fine for Mir ^^ )