Closed Rain, it Hath a Friendly Sound

[Eleret]

Spring 7, 513 AV afternoon The day had dawned gray and dim, the skies heavy with leaden clouds. Their dreary gloom hung over the city all through the morning, suggesting rain but never delivering upon that threat. Eventually, Eleret had decided the unrealized promise of rain wasn't enough to keep her inside; she wanted to be out in the open air, at least for a while. She had bundled herself up in scarf and cloak and gloves, her suvai on her belt and the smaller rucksack around her waist -- mostly in case she happened across some interesting piece of wood as she walked, though it wasn't entirely empty to begin with. The Konti walked for quite a while -- away from the inn and across the city, down East Street and back towards the Old Quarter, then out towards the hills at the edge of the valley. All the while, a stiff breeze blew off the sea, making her quite glad for her cloak; and though the wind was constant, and the clouds were constant, the weather became no worse all the while. Morning stretched on to noon as Eleret walked the city, and into afternoon as she explored the slopes turning so abundantly verdant with new leaves and fresh grass. What hadn't been visible from the distance, and were hardly more apparent in the hills until she almost tripped over them, were the first spring flowers -- little three-petaled white blossoms with an odd fuzz in the center, and tiny pink six-petaled flowers which resembled a star, and one she recognized as a white-petaled violet with purple veins and a yellow throat. Ne'len grew violets in her garden, if not quite of the type Eleret found here. Where the flowers were abundant, she carefully took an example of each, tucking them away in her rucksack; the Konti thought she might describe them to her sister in the next letter she sent home. ledger-1 gm for rucksack

[Khal'iah]

From the moment the light of dawn broke the shadow of night, the midnight-skinned warrior known as Khal'iah Vojak was awake and active. Though the vast majority of the city Zeltiva still slumbered, the Akalak, acting as disciple personified, strode forth from the Inn and began a brisk jog down the empty street. He was certain that his movements may have shaken a resident or two from slumber, as the clatter of his sword, buckler, and Lakan were enough to wake the dead as he jogged along. Nonetheless, he pressed forward, not having a shred of care for whose sleep he disturbed...for in his mind, they should all be awake at the crack of dawn going about their daily business. 'This city lacks discipline.' he mused to himself as his swift steps bore him outside of the city limits and into the surrounding slopes. Then, he broke into a full-on sprint, pushing his body to its absolute limit in terms of speed. He didn't bother pacing himself, as there was no destination to get to. Instead, he simply sprinted as far and as fast as he could: a test of his endurance before he settled into his daily routine of early morning training. Eventually, Khal'iah came to a halt a good distance out from the city, elevatinng his hands to rest behind his head as he caught his breath. 'Bah! I'm slower than usual...must be lazing about too much...' he thought, dissatisfied with his performance. However, he did not allow himself to dwell upon it. Once he had caught his breath, and afforded himself a moment to mop the beads of sweat from his brow, Khal'iah unsheathed his trusty Longsword and began to put himself through the paces. He battled against many invisible opponents, displaying his competence of swordplay and practicing the several forms of offense and defense he had accumulated over his years of training. In time, he switched to his Lakan, sheathing his longsword and assaulting another invisible opponent with the unique, twisted dagger. When the "last" opponent had cut to ribbons several hours later, Khal'iah then sheathed his Lakan and laid out upon the cool ground, once more attemping to catch his breath. His eyes looked upon the heavens as he laid, beholding the dismal gray that blocked out the stunning, azure blue that generally occupied that space. 'Heh, probably going to rain here soon...' he muttered to himself before sitting up. As he moved, he realized that he was no longer alone, for there, only a few yards away, was a woman idly plucking flowers from the earth. "Good morning." he stated, speaking in the Common language. He offered the woman a warm smile and a wave of his hand in greeting, then stood to his feet.

[Eleret]

Eleret hadn't been expecting to meet anyone out in the foothills, not on this dreary day. Or rather, if she was to meet someone, she expected to hear them coming -- footsteps in the grass, the rustling of brush. Or to see them first, walking up or down or sideways along the hills. Not to have someone pop up out of nowhere, not all that far away from where she stood. "Oh!" Eleret exclaimed, rocking back on her heels in surprise. The speaker proved to be an Akalak, towering a full foot over her, with the shadow-dark skin characteristic of that race. "Pardon," she said automatically in Tukant, though her vocabulary failed her at that point; the Konti continued the sentiment in Common. "I did not see you there." Both languages were accented in the manner of one raised on Konti Isle. Slowly, her brain caught up with the moment, processing the details of the man before her. There weren't many Akalaks in Zeltiva, and at first, she thought he looked familiar just on the strength of his race. That it was the Tukant-inflected words which struck chords when he spoke. But there was something about his posture as well, the way he stood... the features of his expression. But she couldn't quite put a name to the Akalak. She stepped forward, closing the distance between them, her head tilting back as she went so as to continue regarding his face. The Konti's brows creased as she tried to put together the connections she knew were there. "...I am thinking that I should know you," Eleret observed slowly, still in Common, her grammar slipping a bit in her distraction.

[Khal'iah]

As the bright, nearly shimmering eyes of the Akalak regarded the female before them, a vague sense of...familiarity plagued the male's mind. Though he could not, for the life of him, identify the woman before him, he felt as though he had met her sometime before...She first regarded him in Tukant, his native tongue, which greatly surprised the Akalak and left a bemused grin upon his face. He did not anticipate, at least in Zeltiva of all places, for anyone to speak his native tongue; this was a welcome surprise indeed. Furthermore, her voice, regardless of the Tukant or Common tongue she utilized, carried with it a particular accent that the warrior knew all-too well: the same accent his mother, a Konti, spoke with all his life. "It's quite alright." He replied in his accented Common, taking a confident step forward so that he may get a closer look at the woman. Indeed, the more he looked, the more he recognized: he most definitely, at the very least, had seen or met this woman sometime in the past, but could not recall her name! "You....also seem very familiar....though my mind is drawing a blank as to who you are..." he said, folding his arms across his chest in the habitual manner that has characterized him since the days of his youth. "But, if it's any assistance to your memory...My name is Khal'iah Vojak of Riverfall. A pleasure to, I surmise, see you again?" Silence ruled him following his introduction as he pondered whether or not the woman would recognize, if not his birth name, the surname that was carried by his sire and a great number of his kin; including his Konti mother..

[Eleret]

The recognition seemed to run both ways, Eleret thought, as her gift tracked his mood shift -- first something that smelled dark and mellow and almost smoky-sweet, an aroma she couldn't name but thought classed as friendly; then acquiring a second level, an overlay she knew to be anise, potent with curiosity or surprise. Or both. His following words confirmed the mutual familiarity -- but he seemed to be at the same loss for identification that she was. Not until the Akalak introduced himself did Eleret's difficulty clear -- by name alone, everything was explained. The Konti clapped her hands before her in surprise and satisfaction and joy, smiling warmly past their fingertips at her companion. "Khal!" she exclaimed, affectionate welcome coloring her tone. "You have grown much! But you do not recognize me? It is Eleret!" A beat's pause. "...You remember your cousin, yes?" she finished, with a crooked and teasing grin. They were a shade more distantly related than that, in truth, but -- close enough for casual use.

[Khal'iah]

At the instant the Konti before him spoke her name, a certain memory played before his mind's eye. It was, by far, the worst day of the Akalak's life: the day of his twin sibling's funeral. The Vojak household had made a long journey to Konti Isle to lay to rest Khal'iah's fraternal twin and held a memorial service that many of Khal'iah's extended family attended. Of them was Eleret, looking no more different then than at present...that was the last time he had seen her, and the memory, though it still stung his eyes to think about it, brought a smile to his face as he finally recognized his distant relative. "Of course I recognize you dear cousin. It just took me awhile, you know, since I remember being shorter than you last we met...it's been far too long Eleret!" Though they were not the closest of relatives, seeing as though their mothers were both direct cousins, it was still a welcome surprise to bump into a family member, especially way out in Zeltiva. Beaming, the Akalak stepped forward, arms-wide, to embrace his relative. "Tell me, what brings you all the way out here? You were on Konti Isle last we met!"

[Eleret]

Eleret leaned up on her toes to embrace her cousin in return. "I can say the same to you," she replied as she stepped back, still smiling. "Riverfall, it is not close to here. Do you travel with your father?" the Konti asked, recalling his family's trading profession -- a distinct contrast to her branch, who tended to prefer the arts and their homes on the Isle. A gust of wind blew through her hair and pulled at Eleret's cloak; she grabbed the edges of the garment and held it close, glancing out towards the distant sea from which the wind came. "Ah, that is a small story," she continued on the subject of her purpose here, looking back to Khal'iah. "But it is a story for inside, yes?" The weather itself seemed to agree with the Konti, as a plump raindrop landed on her head, followed by several others of its ilk. She twitched, surprised despite herself, then cast a glance up at the clouds, dark and foreboding in a manner she hadn't thought them to be just minutes before. The buildings of the city, with their stout walls and shielding roofs, suddenly seemed to be a very long ways away indeed. "I think the rain does not hold back anymore." Those few sporadic drops were followed by increasingly more, what seemed like it would quickly become a steady shower of chill water. Not a deluge such as the summer thunderstorms might bring, but no light misting to be shrugged off and ignored, either. For all that Eleret enjoyed swimming, being soaked by rain had no such appeal -- that was a good way to take a chill. Snatching at the hood at the top of her cloak, Eleret pulled it up over her head and shrugged a little deeper into the covering garment's folds. "I think we can wait this out, if there is... something with cover," she suggested, reaching Khal's hand and starting off around the hill to look for any likely protection against the falling water. A large evergreen... no, perhaps not that, here. The trees of Zeltiva weren't quite those found in the Silverwood.

[Khal'iah]

The Akalak briefly held the woman in his embrace before releasing and folding his arms before his chest; as was his habit. Before he could respond to her inquisition regarding whom he traveled with, a droplet of rain fell and splashed atop his head. This droplet was followed by another...and another...and then several more. In the span of ten seconds, the dryness of the warrior was gone and in its place was a growing dampness. "Ah shyke." he muttered, pulling the hood of his cloak over his head and gripping his cousin's outstretched hand. Squinting, he surveyed the landscape about them for anything that could be utilized as a viable shelter. Underneath the various trees that were nearby would not do, as the water would simply seep through... "There!" he nearly exclaimed, motioning to a formation of stones not too far from their current position. The formation consisted of approximately four large bounders that were standing together, enough so that a strong roof existed to provide solice from the rain. It was overgrown with nature, and the "floor" of the shelter seemed to be littered with leaves, twigs, and branches of various sizes. With no better option, the Akalak guided his cousin forward, his heading being that of the rock formation. At least there, they could wait out the rain without fear of catching a chill. "And to answer your question, I traveled here alone for the most part. The family's all still back home in Riverfall!"

[Eleret]

Khal spotted a possible refuge first, and pointed it out with his free hand; it didn't look like much of a refuge to Eleret's eyes, all overgrown with foliage. She couldn't see a better option, so didn't demur, but tagged along at the Akalak's side as he made for it. The Konti was hesitant about shoving her way through the growth around the boulders, but her cousin apparently had no such scruples -- and she had none about letting him forge the path. Eleret squeezed through in his wake, trying to avoid as many reaching branches as she could; but they couldn't all be evaded, and some snagged at her cloak and hair. At least she was drier while she untangled those. One left a leaf behind, clinging unnoticed to the Konti's pale hair. The space defined by the boulders was cramped when occupied by an Akalak and a Konti, but it was noticeably less wet. Water had started to drip in past the covering foliage in places, and would no doubt do so in more as it accumulated above, but Eleret tucked herself into a corner defined by two of the boulders where nothing was wet yet. "And to answer your question," she said, as she studied the damp material of her cloak, "this is not the first time I have come to Zeltiva. I studied at University, before. But this time I pass through." Eleret unclasped her cloak, bringing it around in front to where she could wring out some of the water from it. She would want to keep it on for warmth, but it would surely be warmer -- and less likely to dampen her inner layer of clothing -- if it was less wet. "My sister Tanell, you remember, yes? She is the one near your age. She went out on Call a few years ago. But we have not had a letter from her since the great storm. So I thought, if I go where I know she has been, maybe I will find something about where she is now."

[Khal'iah]

The Akalak certainly had to admit...the amount of elbow room present within the natural shelter left much to be desired. Furthermore, the agonizing first steps within the shelter nearly made Khal'iah want to seek an alternative place to seek solace from the rain. Despite ducking when he entered, his forehead was smacked with a low-hanging branch that smarted like no other. Then, more branches clutched at his cloak and snagged his dreadlocks. It took a large amount of skillful swatting to free himself and proceed deeper into the shelter. Even though it was cramped, dark, and filled with annoying branches, it was an adequate escape from the chilling waters which fell from the heavens. Once the pair had scooted their way within the cramped space, and Eleret came to a squat in one of the corners, the Akalak turned to face his cousin and could not help but laugh aloud. He strode over, squatted before her, and reached out in order to pluck the lead that had stuck itself to her pale strands of hair. "Looks like the bounders have taken a liking to you." he said, bemused, be rising to his feet...hitting his head on the ceiling of the shelter...and stalking off in order to collect the ingredients for a fire. After all, if they were going to wait out a storm, they were going to do so with a source of ample warmth so that they could at least dry off their clothes. Whilst rubbing his throbbing cranium, the Akalak plucked branches from the ceiling and collected twigs and dried, dead leaves from the shelter's floor. Whilst he collected what would soon become a modest blaze, he hearkened to the words of his cousin, silently nodding. "Tanell...yes, I recall. By Zulrav, you must be worried about her...I'll keep a lookout for any trace of her whilst I'm here. It's the least I can do." he replied, his tone devoid of the humor which characterized it only moments earlier. He then returned to the corner of the cave and set about arranging the twigs and dried leaves in a small pile, then circumventing said pile with the branches he had collected in a pyramid of sorts. His swordhand then dove within his pocket and he fished around for a bit until he produced his flint and steel. Though he did not have the majority of his goods on his person, he never left without his flint, steel, weaponry, knife, and money, so that in the event of an emergency he could survive. T'was smart thinking on his part, which was now paying off. Khal'iah struck his flint and steel together, creating sparks which heated the kindling and served to ignite it. Smoke soon rose from the midst of the branch-pyramid, into which he gently blew in order to encourage the growth of the budding flame. Then, the flame began to grow and adequately sustain itself on the fuel he had supplied. Satisfied, the Akalak sat back next to his cousin and unclasped his damp cloak from his neck. He set about mimicking his cousin, wringing out as much water as possible from its form, before setting it before the fire in order to dry out quicker. "If she doesn't turn up here in Zeltiva," he began, "where will you go next?"