Open Of Deserts; In Snow

[Yousef]

1st of Spring, 513 AV Seventh bell of the day A soft cool breeze embraces the first day of Spring, a very important day to the citizens of Avanthal. The air was alive with birdsong and the wind is crisp and cool. Up ahead, the townsfolk are bustling with life, everybody busies themselves with the preparation of Queen Morwen’s return. Not so far ahead of the city, a modest little camp has been set up. A dark horse paces a bit restlessly around; it gives out an impatient neigh and shakes its head about. After a few moments of fruitless striding, it finally decides to lie down in a patch of snow in front of a bulky looking tent. Inside, a young Benshira snores lightly, oblivious to the festivities going on further in the city. He tosses in his bedroll, moving from his sides to his stomach, and stretches his feet comfortably. A sudden piercing cold meets his toes and he jolts awake, retreating his feet to the safety of the blanket. He leans forward and inspects the end of his bedroll— thin films of ice seem to have formed overnight. He groans upon remembering his current state—trapped in a land of ice and snow. Begrudgingly, he rolls off his bed and prepares for heading out into the city. Outside, frost sparkles in the pale sunlight and bits of snow float lightly in to the breeze. One snowflake in particular lands on the muzzle of a handsome black stallion. Surprised with the cold feather touch, Hassan shakes his head and bolts up, making frantic stomping motions. Upon hearing the ruckus outside, Yousef exits the tent only to find a troubled Hassan; he approaches the horse and reaches for its reins, giving them a gentle tug. “There, there now Hass. It’s only a little snow, nothing compared to the amount of snowfall we had to go through right?” Yousef said in a low soothing tone. His horse has become quite jumpy lately, possibly because of how long they’ve been travelling. After Hassan settled down, Yousef tidies their camp and prepares to leave. He makes a motion to return his blanket only to realize something, “Hey Hass, it is just me or did it get… colder?” The horse gave him a questioning look and slightly tilts its head to the side, the Benshira laughs at himself and thinks out loud “Of course, how would you know, you’re quite well adapted aren’t you? Well good for you then buddy, you wouldn’t need these to keep your ears from freezing off!” Yousef motions to the blanket. He keeps his saddlebags and carries them over to Hassan. He then puts the blanket over his shoulders, turning them to a make-shift cloak, ignoring how ridiculous he must have looked. And with a sharp exhale, he heads for the city, pulling on his horse’s reins. OOCI finally got a thread up! Praise Yahal! On a side note, Yousef speaks Shiber to Hassan.

[Miria]

As the first of many days of spring started Miria found herself quietly wandering outside near the icewalls. The archer needed some fresh air after spending so much time whittling away wood in her arvinta. Real fresh air in fact. After going outside the wall so many times the start of last winter Miria would find any excuse to venture out into the wastes and take in it's majesty. The feelings of danger mixed into the sense of adventure was all too alluring for the solitary Vantha. Clutching the snow at her feet Miria whittled down the firm white layer to reveal only more and more snow. One day she hoped to happen across a place where snow is not all there is to see. For now though Miria settled with waiting for keeping watch for the first view of Avanthal's queen returning to the city. Morwen's rounds throughout Mizahar ended as spring arrived and Miria was all to eager to see the majesty Morwen just oozed out. However as luck would have it Miria was not able to spy the silhouette of Morwen but rather that of a makeshift camp. Standing stoically Miria checked behind her to make sure she was not too far off from the wall. The archer kept her cool opting to watch from a distance though keeping her hand on the hilt of her sword. The motion was not to intimate the traveler but rather to calm the Vantha's nerves. This traveler appeared to have arrived a bit late and missed the winter season. "Too bad for you." Miria muttered to herself watching Yousef talk to his horse.

[Kalimalka]

Kali plows through the knee-deep snow wearing her human skin and a half cocked smile. Along with nearly every piece of clothing she owns, which isn't much, admittedly, but she isn't going to be caught wearing anything less when the cold weather hits. And the cold weather will hit today, with Morwen's return. Morwen's return can also explain her smile. She has only been to one spring celebration but it was quite possibly the most fun she has ever had. The heart-stabing fact that she will be going alone this time can be cornered somewhat by the prospect of a community full of people turning up for the event. Kelvics are, she is sure, not meant to live alone. And she desperately craves company. And thats what this event will be: fun and company. She is so lost in these thoughts and the closeness of the gleaming city gate that she almost misses the poor human hobbling in the same direction leading a large black stallion. And the human is wearing a coarse horse blanket, of all things. The Kelvic stares for a moment, a question in her eyes, before loping over with a skipping motion much like how a horse moves. As ridiculous as it looks she has learned that its the easiest way to cut through the snow. She stops a couple of meters away and keeps his pace. Her relationship with horses fluctuates between sour jealousy on her part (as they always seem to compete for the same jobs), or kick-to-the-face nervousness on the horses part (flighty little assholes that they are). So she has learned to keep a respectable distance, just in case. "Are you here for the celebration, Traveler? You might want to change your attire before our Queen arrives. Not to mention the cold will be right behind her", she states, keeping the sideways smile. There is a Vantha woman right ahead, hand on her sword in what looks like a habitual gesture. Kali gives her a nod; she must be waiting for Morwen too.

[Yousef]

Keeping his eyes down, Yousef scowled at the snow, never did it cross his mind that he’d come to hate water, well a form of water anyway, the liquid was scarce in the desert and so, possessing enough of it meant one’s survival. However, this loathsome frozen slush was not the same water he was accustomed to. 'What a vile thing snow is', he thought. The Benshira continued to grumble to himself as he kicked at the ground. The cold weather was starting to get to him and it dampened his mood far too early in the morning for his liking. He was too wrapped up in thought to notice the women eyeing him. Hassan on the other hand wasn't as ignorant as his owner. He stops abruptly when a strange woman got close enough and he started pawing at the ground, sending sharp snorts at her direction. It was a crude indication of the stallion’s dislike for the stranger. Yousef snaps out of his thoughts just in time for him to hear the woman talk, "Are you here for the celebration, Traveler? You might want to change your attire before our Queen arrives. Not to mention the cold will be right behind her". The woman had him utterly off guard and Hassan misbehaving didn't help the situation either. But wait, did she say Queen? “Queen?” he repeated in Shiber, completely forgetting that he was in the presence of a foreigner. He had no idea this city had a Queen. Yousef takes a moment to collect himself, while he tugged lightly on Hassan’s reins, egging the horse to calm down. He noticed the woman nod and upon following her gaze, he sees another woman not so far ahead of them. Being too preoccupied with Hassan, he fails to spot her sword and he blurts out “A friend of yours?” in the wrong dialect.

[Miria]

The archer saw Kalimaika first noticing the episode of hesitation as she noticing the traveler. Rather Miria thought the indecisiveness was due to the traveler. Still the woman seemed capable enough to greet him and even criticize the traveler's attire. Smirking in approval Miria hid her face silently ridiculing Yousef as well. Where do these people come from? Miria's gaze wandered to Yousef's makeshift camp noticing an extra set of clothes almost bursting out of his bag. Shrugging nonchalantly before looking back into the distance Miria distanced herself from the two's conversation. The traveler will need another set of coats when Morwen finally comes to Avanthal. The horse blanket would be a good subsitute for the moment but the need for having something more suitable will arise soon enough. That was something this Yousef will have to figure out one way or another. How to travel for an extended time, proper wilderness survival and perhaps instruction on how to ride a horse. Miria glanced back at the pair before interrupting Yousef until he confused them any further. Stepping close Miria shook her head in disapproval while waving her hand in a dismissive expression. "Vani. Do you speak it?" Miria voiced clearly in her native tongue. Glancing at Kali seeing if she wanted to add anything before the traveler spoke Miria addressed both of them. "Might be a difficult to exchange pleasantries otherwise," Miria commented in common tongue. "I don't believe we have met" Miria went on giving a quick appraisal of Kali. "What can I call you?"

[Kalimalka]

Kali laughs at the forigners expense when the Vantha woman materializes to add another layer of critisism on the travellers back. The overactive horse is being pointedly ignored, at least on the Kelvic's part. What a welcome party they are turning out to be. "Dont tease him", she chides, still smiling and continuing with Common speech. "He dosen't seem to speak Common much less Vani. Maybe hes lost... Ah, maybe hes lost in the wrong region entirley. Poor thing. Do you think he could be thick in the head?" She crosses her arms and gives the brown haired boy a solid once over. Indeed, where did he come from? Somwhere far away for certain. She's never seen a black beast like the one he's leading before. And while the Kelvic doesn't look at all like a Vantha, its fairly obvious she has some winter blood in her. This boy on the other hand is so obviously far from his element its ridiculous. He's as wiry and hard as a gymnist or a dancer, without the subtle brand of hardiness that you see on the Vantha men. His skin is deeply tanned from years of sun in a golden shade you rarely see on the northern folk, and his eyes are stuck on one shade of green. Calling him 'exotic' would be putting it lightly. "And call me Kalimalka. Or Kali if you prefer", she turns back to the Vantha woman. "You're that Coolwater archer. Miria, right? Well met", she inclines her head. "Now why don't we get this guy out of the cold until we figure out what to do with him?"

[Yousef]

The Benshira colors deeply upon realizing he’d spoken in Shiber in front of the foreign women. His mouth opens and closes a few times through out the women’s exchanges, he wanted to interject but he was afraid to seem disrespectful. ‘They think I’m some sort of lost creature…’ he noted as his face reddens even more. His expression changes from subtle confusion to a look of horror as the hooded woman says something in their dialect, it could be an insult for all he knew or worse, thoughts of mugging and bandits flooded his mind just to have it interrupted with the amused laughter of the other. She was smiling as she spoke in Common, “Ah, maybe he’s lost in the wrong region entirely. Poor thing. Do you think he could be thick in the head?” Yousef stares in disbelief and furrows his brows in irritation. ‘I-I’m not thick in the head!’ the blue eyed woman then turns her attention to him, Yousef stiffens self-consciously. To distract himself from the piercing stares sent at him, he starts to fumble with Hassan’s harness, taking it by the neck and massaging the horse till it calms down. Thankfully Hass was no longer acting up,Yousef knew his horse disliked strangers but it was overdoing it this time around, what could it be so worked up about? It leans towards the blue eyed woman, sniffs her for a while then grunts disapprovingly. "Hassan! That’s rude!" he whispers to the horse’s ear. After the women were done with their introductions he clears his throat, hoping it would calm his nerves. He’d perked up considerably after Kalimalka had mentioned something about getting him out of the cold, he’d appreciate that a lot. “Yousef…” he stutters in a low tone, “My name is Yousef… I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any trouble earlier.” He bows, hoping it would make up for the odd impression he’d made earlier “I’m looking for warmer clothes you see…” OOCI've edited the time to seventh bell of the day just for clarification since Morwen's arrival is around mid-morning-ish, that way we can all greet the Queen.

[Miria]

"I like how Kali sounds." Miria kept an even gaze up until the woman seemed to know who Miria was. By hold and by profession. Her even gaze went from a relaxed affair to a more critical look trying to evaluate what just transpired. "That's right" Miria smiled warmly slightly embarrassed by the woman's knowledge. Later Miria would have to find out if this Kali knew her name from doing good deeds or perhaps more haughty affairs. "A pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Beside her Yousef seemed to be understanding at least partially to the pair's conversation. The timbre in his voice spoke volumes of his part in the conversation. Without turning her head away from Kali Miria's eyes looked straight at the strange man before giving way to Kali's earlier suggestion. "Sounds good. Yes that's a wonderful idea. You can lead us out of here I imagine?" As far as horses go Miria had to admit that she was somewhat excited being near such an exotic breed of horse. At least she thought it exotic. So when it started sniffing around Kali and in turn harrumphed in disapproval Miria was all smiles at the interaction. "That's quite the steed there." Miria noticed it too late but she had an undertone to her voice. "I'm sure it's owner is quite the individual also." Miria added hastily giving Yousef some quick reassurance. Putting her arm forward Miria played with the idea of nuzzling the horse but hesitated as Yousef spoke up. "Ah so he speaks common." Averting her eyes Miria gave Kali a knowing grin before nodding in approval to the man's apology. "No need to apologize here. Your just finding you way after all." Miria's face scrunched up stifling a laugh at the bow Yousef gave to them. That's so adorable! He's quite the gentleman. Nodding her head she pointed out a nearby structure in the distance. "Let's go in there and see if we can warm you up. Your going to need to look your best if your going to present yourself to Morwen." oocIf it's colored and in italics it's common

[Yousef]

“Actually…” the blue-eyed lady began, “I’d best get going,the Queen’s return is nearing. Miria, I leave our visitor to you.” She nodded at the archer, her smile never faltering. “Good bye, a pleasure to meet you. And you too.” She leaned towards her horse with a taunting grin, in return, Hassan gave out an annoyed nicker. And the woman called Kalimalka set off once more, leaving behind a very anxious felling Benshira. As the woman plowed through the pathless street, Yousef couldn’t set aside the thought that she was different—immediately he shook off the thought, the snow was starting to cloud his brain. He exhaled deeply and faced the Vantha archer, he remembered Kalimalka saying something about her… a Coolwater was it? “I, uhm…” the young man began, unsure of what to say to the woman. “I’d appreciate it a lot, if the offer to warm up is still open?” he murmured, hoping Miria could hear him. He had a hard time focusing on the Vantha’s face, so instead he dropped his gaze on her weapon. A shudder evidently took over him and he began to look worried “Ah Miss, if it’s n-not to much to a-ask, you’re not a bandit are you?” he blurted out in a shaky tone. The woman looked appalled. Yousef cursed under his breath. Who in Yahal’s name would ask something so rude?! “Oh, I mean, I mean that you looked so tough and strong with your sword and everything, that I thought um, that I thought—” he rattled off, his eyes on the ground the whole time that he did. Hassan seemed to take no interest with their conversation anymore and began pulling on his reins, the straps sank into his chaffed un-gloved hands, Yousef paid no mind. “I thought… you were somebody else…” he finished lamely. Hik. “I’m sorry, I’m so very sorry...” the Benshira bowed to his waist, his face flushed a deep red. “My mouth has its way of ratting off before I could, er, think of what I’ve said.” He slid off his turban and ran a trembling hand on the brown mess of his hair. Finally, he decided to match her gaze, “I don’t mean that you’re bad though… please don’t take it the wrong way.” He smiled apologetically at the Vantha woman. A note to the STMiria's player and I have agreed to continue this thread with out Kalimalka, seeing as the PC has been retired. I apologize if I've inaccurately portrayed her character or had let the character exit in an odd manner.

[Miria]

An odd for notion from Kali for sure. Though some people are just so excited to meet the queen afterall. "Hmm?" Miria's attention going back to the young foreigner tried to give her best impression of a warm smile. "But of course. You need only to ask."

Keeping a steady gaze Miria kept a stolid face at Yousef's next question. Slightly irked by the question Miria's hand went to the hilt of her blade. It was not out of anger but comfort though Yousef probably wasn't familiar with the notion. "I don't think myself as one. I'm just work around hunting is all. A fletcher has to know how to use a bow." Slightly put off Miria started to see a pattern with the traveler's way with words.

"Ohh really now? Is that a compliment you say to girls where your from?" Where exactly did he come from? The majestic horse besides the young man was a prime focus for Miria as her eyes went back and forth between the two. Such a curious pair. A slight blue shone in Miria's eyes struggling not to try to sound too informal at her Yousef's declaration. "I am someone different. Yousef you called yourself? It's very nice to meet you. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Miria."

Curtsying slightly Miria found herself finding the formal behavior of the traveler to be quite entertaining indeed. "So I've noticed. No harm done saying sorry was enough." Putting a reassuring hand on Yousef Miria stared back unabashed trying to relay that the Vantha understood for the most part. "I don't know what I am Yousef. A bit of this and that. You'll just have to find out."

Looks can be deceiving but if Miria had to guess Yousef would be spending time with some of the Frostfawns. "What brings you into town?" Decieding that settling Yousef into the Warrens was the first priority Miria ran off a list of what they could possibly do in preparation before Morwen arrived. "After we get you settled in we can probably ask for a change of clothes for you to borrow until we visit the market. We can also settle your horse in the stables unless you would like her to see Morwen also? In the meantime though how does a bath sound?"