PM to join Oh, Hello! [Alexandra]

[Spirit Frostfawn]

--Spring 55th 513AV-- Spirit stretched and yawned, trying to figure out why she was so tired. Her work today had been relatively simple, just grooming horses, but for some reason... She shook her head, deciding to not bother figuring out why her head was so fuzzy. Instead, she turned and looked at the two animals that were standing patiently behind her. One was there of it's own will, a massive sled dog named Wind, who looked perfectly content. The other was a snow white horse, tall and majestic, with it's reins in Spirit's hand. The creature was perfectly content to be there, except for the fact that she was staring at the canine beside her slightly nervously. The two animals had only known each other for two days, and though Wind was perfectly fine with the relationship, the horse, Silver was not as enthusiastic, and was constantly suspicious of the dog. Spirit couldn't exactly blame her, but she hoped the two would work together better in time. She was hoping... ehh, it was only a thought. She shook her head slightly, and walked up to Silver. Spirit patted the horse for a while, before finally resting her head on it's shoulder. Silver just looked at her master indifferently, and accepted the weight with ease. The horse's mane was so soft, that Spirit couldn't help but bury her face into the soft hair. She made an image in her mind that this velvety softness was a reflection of Silver's personality, but she knew it wasn't that true. Just that morning, in the stables, she'd given the creature a thorough rub down with a brush, and had taken special care with the mane. It had definitely been worth it... Something cold brushed her ankle, and she turned around, startled. Behind her she saw that Wind was slowly licking her ankle, for apparently no reason. Smiling, Spirit turned to the dog and began petting him too, finding equally soft fur. What would she do without these two... She'd only bought Silver three days ago, but already treated her like family. She knew the three of them were going to get along well, no matter what the horse thought of Wind now. She would get over it, and realize the sled dog was quiet, and kind, and would never attack a horse unless it was an emergency. And so Spirit sat in the middle of the snow, outside, just patting and cuddling her two companions one after the other, once in a while giving them small treats. She was completely content to sit there alone with only the animals, ignoring the occasional passerby. Luckily, most people here were Frostfawns, and completely understood her love of animals. On occasion, Silver looked around nervously if another dog or a falcon came by too close, but otherwise she was content, except when focusing on Wind, in case he made any sudden moves.

[Alexandra]

Today had not been a good day for Alexandra, not at all. She was returning to Frostfawn Hold from one of her usual practice session which took her to the tundra around Avanthal, trying to avoid clutching her right hand. Just when the tall red haired woman thought that she had discovered the balance between power and control something went wrong, another screw up to throw her off course. Even with all of her experience under her belt the equilibrium managed to elude her.

Alex sighed as she entered the Hold proper, sparing a quick nod and a polite smile to a couple of Frostfawn hunters she knew in passing. It shouldn't have surprised her that the answer would require much trial and error, Flux was not known as the most safe discipline of magic. Considering her little experience with overgiving about two weeks back, Alex was inclined to give the solution time rather than try to force the issue. It was simply something she would need to meditate upon, the answer would come to her eventually.

The young woman worked her way through the Hold, her destination being her home here so she could meditate on this matter. There wasn't much else to do with her hand in the state that it was in, a sprain could very easily become something worse if she pushed the issue further. Another sigh escaped her lips, forming a small cloud before her face. Such things were a lesson in caution.

As Alex made her way through the Hold she happened upon a curious sight, a young Vantha was sitting in the snow, petting a white horse and a dog. She supposed it shouldn't have been a surprise really, the Frostfawn were fond of their animals after all. Still the sight brought a smile to her tired face, it was good that someone was getting some enjoyment out of the day.

The tall woman slipped her hands into the thick sleeves of her robes, flinching slightly as she moved her sprained right hand a little too much, and slowly made her way to the girl. As she did she wracked her brain for her limited knowledge of the Vani tongue, something she was trying to rectify. She figured that if she was going to be a guest in their city it would only be polite to learn their language.

"They are both very beautiful animals. Are they yours?" Alex said, her blue eyes gleaming kindly, a serene smile on her face.

Her halting command of the tongue probably would have her pegged as a foreigner immediately, but Alex was not one to care about such things. If the Frostfawns had cared about such things they would not have invited her to make her home here.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit looked up in surprise at the tall, young woman before her. She had auburn hair, so she wasn't a Vantha. Maybe a visitor... huh. Well, she was smiling, and asking about her companions, so that was alright. "Yup." She answered, smiling back at the red head. Her Vani wasn't particularly good, but it was easily understandable. She wondered why the woman was asking though, it seemed like a conversation starter. Her mental tiredness wanted to stop at a one word reply, but she forced herself to attempt a conversation. After all, it was pretty rude to just shove her away and return to Wind and Silver, as much as she wanted to. The sled dog had noticed the new comer, and being the sop that he was immediatly went up to the woman and sat right next to her, practically asking to be pet. As if he hadn't been getting enough attention already. Spirit frowned slightly at her companion, and called him back, hoping he didn't irritate the woman too much. You could see he was a people-dog... if that was a word, but he could have a little bit more dignity. "Wiiiind. Leave her alone, what if she doesn't want to pet you?" Spirit told the sled dog with a sigh. She didn't want to embarrass anyone too much, be it her, Wind, or the tall woman. She gave the latter an apologetic smile, before returning her frown back to Wind, who walked slowly back to the Vantha, giving a soppy look, that she could immediately tell was fake. Her frown deepened, before she smiled again and patted him behind the ears. She realized it was probably quite awkward for the young woman to look down at her, so Spirit stood up and brushed the snow off her pants. She was still holding Silver's reins in one hand, but wasn't paying much attention to the horse, who she mostly trusted. Still, you could never be too sure, especially with a new animal. "So... why ask?" She voiced her question quizzically, cocking her head slightly. Her eyes were a slivery white, with a tint of blue, displaying her curiosity and pleasure. She enjoyed talking about her animals, no matter whom to, and so this conversation was just as welcome as her time petting the two creatures sitting behind her.

[Alexandra]

Alex chuckled lightly at the dogs attempt at gaining attention and the woman's reaction afterwards. It was rather endearing really and brightened her day, if only slightly, still it was better than it had been a moment earlier. She noticed the change in the girl's eye color as she asked her question, it was something that she had witness with most Vantha, their eyes change color with their mood. It was a little odd, but then Alex was not in a position to hold judgment.

"I was curious, as the sight seemed unusual to me. I suppose I am still unused to the customs of the Frostfawn Hold. Throughout the cities of Sylira it is a rather unusual sight for a person to sit out in the open, caring for their animals in the city. Most time spent with them is in the stables or the wilderness." Alex responded politely.

Growing up in Zeltiva she had rarely seen something like that, people who did it were consider strange at best or touched at the worst. Syliras had been much the same, and Ravok even more so as the whole city was on a lake. After too much of the same, Avanthal was actually rather refreshing, if much, much colder.

Belatedly the red haired woman realized she had failed to properly introduce herself. Alex was not much one for social protocol, such things escaped her comprehension, however it was only polite to introduce herself to the person she had struck up a conversation with. The tall woman inclined her head slightly.

"I almost forgot, my name is Alexandra of Zeltiva. Though I suppose it is of Avanthal now considering my home is here." Alex said with another light chuckle.

She winced slightly again as pain flared up from her right hand, reminding her of the sprain's presence. It was a minor inconvenience and was unlikely to hinder her time spent speaking to this nice young woman.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit nodded, understanding the woman's words. She had heard that most places weren't as animal-friendly as Avanthal, or especially the Frostfawn hold. It didn't really make sense to her, as animals were her... life, but she accepted their customs and didn't judge them. She didn't really like to judge people until she met them. So she was new... and apparently had been around Syrlia. Cool. She grinned back at the woman as a response to her comment, then nodded at the next. "Nice to meet you Alexandra. I'm Spirit Frostfawn." She smiled after their introduction. So she lived here now, but had been around Mizahar. That was very interesting, and it must have been fun going all over the place. Maybe she could hear some stories about it... though she didn't know if this Alexandra would be as good as any of the Vantha storytellers. Probably not, but still, a good story is good, no matter who tells it. Spirit was about to voice this, before she saw the red head wince. Her smile instantly turned into a concerned frown. Was she hurt? Did she offend her in some way? That didn't make sense, and the Vantha couldn't come up with a solution to it anyways, so decided to focus on something she could solve. She was ok at medicine, so she could probably help... "Are you hurt? What happened?" She asked, letting the concern show in her voice. Most of her was actually worried about this new friend, but something in the back of her mind was thinking about how this was such great practice for her medical skills. She tried to force back this selfish thought, telling herself that she only wanted to help because she actually wanted to help some one. Still, no matter this internal argument, Spirit was still concerned about her. She didn't know how major it was, or... if it was something internal... or... or... she couldn't really come up with anything. It was probably better if she let the patient diagnose the problem, rather than her trying to guess from a wince.

[Alexandra]

Alex cursed her lack of control, this was not where she had wanted the conversation to go. Still, if she just brushed away the issue it was just likely to come up again later, which left the matter of addressing it now. There was no way she was going to mention her abilities with Flux, magic was generally frowned upon and wizards were treated with caution by most people. So to settle the matter Alex decided it best to just mention training and have done with it.

"Its nothing really, I simply sprained my hand while I was training outside of the city. It happens some times, no reason for concern." Alex assured Spirit.

Hopefully the young woman would take her word for it and leave it at that, it was not like she was bleeding from the mouth or anything. Rarely did she get sprains when just practicing her martial arts alone, it was only when she added Flux in that it occurred. Sometimes it wasn't a sprain, just a soreness in her limbs, those were the lucky days. Flux was a potent weapon, but it was also dangerous for the user as it could destroy their body if used incorrectly. This was something Alex had managed to avoid thus far, only though careful contemplation and control.

She had seen her father's control of Flux, it was a devastating thing to behold in the hands of one such as him. He had once broken a stone wall with a well placed punch and his hands were perfectly fine. Though Alex disagreed with his philosophy she admired his strength and control and sought to emulate it.

Perhaps one day that would be in her grasp, maybe she would even surpass him. That wouldn't happen until she found equilibrium, and at the moment that looked far off from where she was now.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Hearing the woman's response, Spirit continued to look concerned. She could help, quite easily. It wasn't like she could heal it or anything, but binding it would be a simple matter. If she had anything to bind it with. Suddenly forgetting the woman, she turned around, musing. She had no spare cloth on hand, and she slightly doubted Alexandra had some either. Sighing lightly, she turned back to the red head. "Riiiiiight. Here, I would bind it if I had anything, but you should chill it. And that isn't really hard here" She said with a laugh, coming up with a small compromise. Alex didn't want too much fuss, and Spirit wanted to help. It was a sort of win-win situation, in her mind. Snow was simple and easy to get, and provided quite a bit of relief. Practically the perfect solution. Spirit bent down and grabbed a handful of snow from the ground, and handed it to the woman. "Here" She said simply, holding it out for Alex. It obviously wasn't much at all, but it should help. A small smile touched her face, then she thought about the other thing the woman had said. "Training? What with?" Spirit asked, her curiosity returning. You could sprain your wrist doing any sort of fighting or exercise really, so she had no idea what it was with. It could be hand fighting, sword, staff, even magic... at least that was what she thought. The Vantha wasn't very knowledgeable in magic, having no experience whatsoever. Maybe Alexandra would teach her some, if they got to know each other better... She mused slightly, considering the option, but continued to hold snow in one hand and Sliver's reins in the other. The cold didn't bother her much, so she didn't mind.

[Alexandra]

Alex removed her hands from the confines of her robe's sleeves and took the snow with a polite smile. She flinched slightly when she covered her right hand in the cold substance but it did help to numb it at the very least. The tall woman was grateful for the assistance, as unnecessary as she thought it was, it showed that Spirit possessed some kindness in her if she was willing to help a stranger with some minor pain. Most of the Vantha she had met were a good sort, friendly and welcoming, nothing like Ravok's rather cold populace.

The woman mused how best to address her training, settling on talking a little about her martial arts. It wouldn't give away anything too important and it would explain the sprain well enough.

"I am a practitioner of martial arts, a skill my father was kind enough to impart upon me. I was going through the motions of one of my forms when I messed up and sprained my hand. As I've said before, it happens." Alex responded, massaging her hand lightly with the cold snow.

It was mostly true, she had messed up the form, by using to much energy on a brutal finishing jab designed to shatter an opponents defense. It was always Ruthless Discharge she managed to mess up on, Bloody Gavel was fine, then again the Gavel was a much simpler style than Ruthless Discharge. With the Discharge one had to constantly be attacking, dodging, and counter attacking so as to never give an opponent a moment's rest. It worked rather well, or at least that was what she had found though her combat experience against bandits and highwaymen.

Alexandra regarded Spirit with another of her quiet smiles, "What of you, Spirit? Are you following the traditions of the Frostfawn Hold in handling animals?"

It seemed a fair question, and hopefully one that would divert the focus of the conversation from her training. Alex was finding that she liked the young woman already, she was certainly attractive, slim, pleasant looking, and long dark hair that seemed to shimmer purple in the proper light. Her personality was also quite pleasant, very personable and friendly. Though it was perhaps to early to say Alex could see herself becoming friends with the younger woman.

[Spirit Frostfawn]

Spirit nodded as Alex answered her question, understanding. It made perfect sense, though she was slightly sad that the woman didn’t hurt herself through magic. That had been just an offhand thought though, a hopeless dream, and it didn’t really make sense anyways. Thinking about it, it must really suck to hurt yourself a lot. Though you would probably get used to it after a while, it still must be pretty annoying. Not like she knew much about it though, so she couldn’t judge. The Vantha shrugged mentally, pushing the matter from her mind. “Yep!” She said in reply to the new question, smiling widely. Yes, like all Frostfawns she adored animals with a passion, and she loved her work but still… she wanted something slightly more… adventure… This thought caused her to sigh lightly, knowing that any adventure would take a lot of effort, and probably wouldn’t happen for a while. Unless she… again, that was just an idea, and hadn’t really formed. It had been on her mind all season, but the closest she’d gotten to it was buying Silver, and maybe learning the basics of riding. That was about all. “Not to be nosy, but what do you do for a living?” Alexandra had said she fought, unarmed, so she could be a hunter, but that skill wasn’t really useful for hunting. Normally archery was the best way, though she knew most of that occupation had close combat skills too. Spirit was curious, unsure what the foreigner could do. She didn’t know if the Icewatch accepted non-Vanthas… and the woman obviously didn’t have a bear Kelvic with her, so that didn’t make sense either. While trying to come up with an answer, there was a sudden drag on the hand holding Sliver’s reins. Quickly turning around, she spotted the horse attempting to shy away from Wind, who had apparently sat down right next to her. Stupid horse… she glared at the creature, then looked at Wind. He had a slightly mischievous glint in her eye, so she finally realized it was his fault. “Wind…. Don’t scare Silver!” She told the sled dog sternly. He was such a suck up, and knew that scaring his animal friend was an excellent way to regain attention. It was a smart, effective way to get what he wanted, but was annoying. Spirit continued to glare at him, until the dog finally gave up in the staring contest, and slunk away with a guilty expression. If dogs were consistent with anything, they would never hold a staring match with an Alpha. And though they were family, she was still the head of their ‘pack’. In his image of the pack, the Vantha guessed that Wind thought of Silver at the bottom, and him in the middle. In truth, the idea was both of them to be equal, so they didn’t get into arguments and such. As unlikely as it seemed, animals argued too, and it got very annoying. Especially since they couldn’t talk…

[Alexandra]

Alex chuckled again as the younger woman chastised her animals again, she the feeling that it happened often. It was good that such people existed in the world, people with good and gentle hearts, they were truly the ones who could change the world. The tall woman considered herself to be a protector, a purely reactionary force, not one of change. Though her path was still out before her, Alex did not want to lead men and women or control nations. She wanted simple enlightenment, perfection of both body and mind.

The red haired woman smiled at Spirit's question, that was something she could answer in whole.

"I work as an escort and bodyguard for your Hold, actually. Usually I escort hunters, it is simple work but it suits me just fine." She answered calmly.

It was indeed easy work, rarely did her charges come upon too much danger and when they did she was usually able to handle it. Alex had been invited to take up the position after saving a wounded hunter of Frostfawn Hold, as well as to take up lodgings. It was a fine arrangement in her mind, simple work, simple pay, and plenty of time to practice and hone her skills in her downtime. Perhaps others were more ambitious, however she was content with this life style.

Occasionally she did get the desire to travel further west, intrigued by tales of the civilizations supposedly existing there. That was for another time, however, when her skills were a bit more comprehensive and solid. Perhaps sometime near the end of spring she would look to other horizons, but that would be a distant possibility.

"Your people have been most welcoming, Spirit. More so than the people of Ravok in any event." Alex said, inclining her head politely to the younger woman.

It was not exactly difficult to be more welcoming than a city ruled by Rhysol, god of chaos and lies, but it was certainly refreshing to be here if nothing else. The east was far more... brutal than the harsh north, considering that the north existed in perpetual winter that was saying something.