Closed The Water's Edge

[Ariann]

Ariann's eyes widened slightly and her eyebrows lifted slightly when he asked her for a personal possession. She had one, but... Why does he want it? She pondered, looking away and reaching a hand up to rest over her seaweed chest wraps. She looked rather nervous as she nods, reaching underneath the bindings to draw out a strange crystalline figure, one that looked like a rising sun beneath a raindrop. "I have this..." She says, hesitantly holding it out to him. "It's called Nir. It symbolizes the connection to the goddesses that have granted me wisdom and it's very precious to me." She ecplains, "But before I let you have it... I'd like to know why you want it."

He'll break it, no doubt... The thought crossed her mind, causing her to frown, After all, land-dwellers are always up to something... She shook her head. She couldn't believe that. There was always good in people. He's a good person... he wouldn't carelessly break something so valuable to me...

She held the crystal symbol out to him, the rock shining slightly with unseen rays of light. She kept her eyes averted from Erekez, the heat in her cheeks now searing. She didn't know why, but she felt unusually comfortable around the land-dweller.

[Erekez]

Smiling at her request, Erekez removed the glove from his right hand. It was only fair that she knew what he was wanting to do with something so precious to her. With any luck, he'd be able to find the information that he wanted. If not, he'd just need other items that she had handled. He put his hand out between himself and Ariann, showing her the symbol on the back of his hand. "Lykata is the mark of my Goddess, Eyris." The rings and lines that made up the symbol glowed with a gentle light. "It allows me to take a look at some of the things about an individual that has come into contact with that item. I'm hoping to find something to put my mind at ease." He could see the apprehension in Ariann's face. She had so many childlike characteristics that it was hard to believe that she was seven years older than him. But how long did Charoda live though? She could still be quite young for her race. "I promise, I won't do anything that will damage it." He took the crystal from her with great care, gently closing his hand around it so it sat in the palm of his hand. He understood the ideal of respecting another's possessions. He expected no less from others with his own items, and no less from himself with other's. Erekez tried to push thoughts away about where she originally had held it. He tried to push any thoughts away. Lykata's usefulness drop considerably if the user had too many thoughts floating around to see the images the mark brought. Erekez closed his eyes and breathed slowly and deeply. It was difficult to meditate without anybody explaining it to you. It wasn't as simple as not thinking. You couldn't think about not thinking, it contradicted itself. He had heard one person describe meditating similar to initiation into learning voiding. He didn't know how accurate that comparison was. Meditating was clearing away stray thoughts, not focusing on nothingness. A name he had never heard pushed to the front of his thoughts. Erekez grimaced. It must've been the name of the creator of the crystal. That wasn't what he wanted. A feeling floated forward, as Erekez brushed the name aside. It was gentle, careful. It felt like compassion? A feeling that didn't consider hurting, but helping others. Erekez opened his eyes, watching, as the glow from Lykata began to dim. He smiled as he came to think that he understood. Ariann feared what she didn't know, as most people tended to. However, her action of helping heal his cut tied in with what Lykata had revealed to him. Lykata couldn't show images of a person that were false, even if they were acting to get what they wanted. Any contributions that it read came straight from the contributor's true personality. Unravelling his hand, Erekez gave the figure back to Ariann. "Thank you for that. I think I have all that I need to know."

[Ariann]

Her cheeks grew brighter in the shade of red when he handed it back, a sigh of relief escaping her lips as she tucked the thing back into her chest-wraps. He didn't break it... She thought softly to herself. That must mean he's a gentle person... the Nir isn't able to be handled by cruel people... She smiled softly, placing her hand over where the necklace ornament now rested, between her bosoms. She looked up and then quickly averted her eyes when she noticed he was looking at her, cheeks hot with embarrassment.

"S-so...? What did it tell you?" She asks, hesitantly. She had a nagging feeling that her true side was something awful and unimaginable. "Did I pass?" Only then did she look back at the man, keeping her eyes lowered a little from his own so they wouldn't lock eyes. She really wanted him to stay, for the mere fact that he was wounded and she was lonely. She couldn't allow herself to let a man who's hurt simply walk out. "Will you stay now? Or do you still want to leave? Because..." She paused, trying to desperately come up with an excuse. "... because you are hurt and you shouldn't be out wandering around when you are hurt." She said with a childlike nod. Good going, Ariann... way to sound foolish. She turned bright red and spun around, clapping her hands to her face. "I mean... I don't recommend it... I'm not... desperate or anything..." And now she really -did- sound desperate. She was a lost cause, for sure. She turned back around as if to try and justify herself again, raising a hand upwards with a single finger extended and her mouth opened slightly before she simply sighed, looking down at the ground and beginning to nibble on her bottom lip again. "I must sound rather desperate..." Was all she said, barely whispering.

[Erekez]

"Just a bit." She had said that it got lonely on her own. Ariann didn't seem to be able to deal with it as he had. Erekez had suffered wounds similar to the one on his arm before and worse. Other city doctors usually let him out with some of them, reminding him to come back if it looked to be getting any worse. Healthcare wasn't around every corner outside cities. He chuckled to himself, finding it amusing at how she would dig herself into a hole and then try and get out of it. She only seemed to succeed in digging a bigger hole. Ariann had said she was lonely, she was trying to convince him to stay for a cut on his forearm, and her face had already turned a deep shade of red. He could put two and two together. "Answering your questions in order." He started, "Lykata gave me the impression that you are unlikely to harm an enemy, but are likely to heal them if you haven't already run. It sounds something similar to what a follower of Rak'keli would do. Compassion for all. Is anything I am saying sounding accurate? Or have I misinterpreted what Lykata showed me?" Her next question didn't sit right with him. Calling it a test made it sound like a failure was her fault for being who she was. Lykata could've shown an image involving killing another, but it would've been down to Erekez to decide if that was out of self defence, or malice. If it was self defence, would the fear she felt trigger a need for it? Regardless of the image, it would've set him on edge, knowing she would kill. As it turned out, that was not what he had been shown. "I'd prefer you didn't think of it as a test. Rather something to put my mind at ease, or make me aware that I need to keep alert." He explained. "But, putting it in you terms, yes, you passed." "My answer to your final question now depends on your answer to one of mine." Erekez leaned forwards, watching her face and the red it had turned. "Would you like me to stay?"

[Ariann]

Ariann leaned back when he leaned in closer. He knows, doesn't he?! She asked herself, eyes widening as she began to nibble on her lower lip. She nodded softly, looking up at him in the most innocent way she knew how, her eyes becoming round and even more emerald-y, if that was a word, as she looked at him. "Yes..." She murmurs for a moment, then nods, repeating it a little louder for him to hear, "I would like it if you stayed, Erekez... She felt the heat on her cheeks return when she spoke his name.

She then leaned forward and brazenly placed a kiss on the man's forehead, a chaste one that lasted less than a millisecond. It was something her mother did to her when she went to bed and it always gave her good dreams. After she kissed him, she leaned back and awkwardly patted his head and began to say something under her breath, an in-audible tone to it as if she had lost her breath. Truth be told, she really had. The fear of him not liking the motherly kiss caused her heartbeat to quicken tenfold. She swallowed slightly and pulled her hand away, turning around to stand and take a step back. She fidgeted with her fingers for a moment, thinking. I know I shouldn't be so trusting... but he's hurt and... well... he's cute... She nibbled on her lower lip, the redness in her cheeks fading slightly as embarrassment was replaced with fear. Had she made the wrong choice after all?

Some times you just need to say no, Ariann...

[Erekez]

Erekez was taken aback by Ariann's sudden boldness. His eyes had widened as he felt the soft and smoothness of her lips against his forehead. It was almost unnatural at how much they were so that Erekez sat for a while in silence, trying to understand what had just happened. The gentle way that she patted his head felt familiar as he began to focus soon enough to see Ariann withdraw her hand, but not so to hear what she had said. There was something to that display of affection. Something beyond healer and patient. Something he had long forgotten, and he hated not knowing what it was. Desperately trying to wrack his brains for any kind of hint as to what that feeling was, it frustrated him when it had slipped his mind. The closest he could think was 'caring', but not what type of caring. Ariann had tuned away by now. She looked as if she was trying to become reclusive, avoid looking at him, but Erekez didn't understand why. Did she regret what she had just did? Why would she feel the need to? Erekez stood up, trying to think of the answers. Sometimes, thinking about a problem doesn't help get things solved. You'd need to ask questions at least once. "Hey," He spoke softly as he placed his right, gloveless hand on Ariann's upper arm. "What's wrong now?"

[Ariann]

She had been a little too brazen. She saw the man's eyes widen before she turned around, knowing that she must have done something wrong. Her culture had no problem with kissing another of the opposite gender upon the brow. It was seen as affectionate, but nothing out of lust or love. The bright redness returned to her cheeks. "I'm... I'm sorry... That must have been rather strange for me to do, but my mother always kissed me on the forehead when I was hurt and going to bed..." She tried to explain, her fingers still fidgeting with each other.

She couldn't look back at Erekez, but when she felt his bare hand on her shoulder, her eyes closed tightly as if she was ready to be struck for being so forward. He's going to hate you now... She thought to herself, whimpering slightly at the thought. Her body cringed slightly, barely moving for a moment before she got used to the feeling of someone else's hand on her skin. The land-dweller's hand was rough, not soft like hers. Years without constant soaking would do that to a person, even more so to a Charoda.

[Erekez]

"It was only strange from a human's perspective. I'm aware of the fact that Charoda are likely to have different ways of doing things in their own culture. You don't need to worry about it. I appreciate the thought." Kissing in human culture, even on a friendly level, was usually reserved for someone you had gotten to know quite well. Maybe. Truth be told, that was how Erekez considered it. Avoiding contact with most people for three and a half years left you a little out of touch with things. If kissing was acceptable in Chadora culture, who was he to tell them their way was wrong? He was almost certain he hadn't misheard the whimper, or imagined the cringe when his hand touched her skin. Erekez drew his hand back slowly after seeing the way Ariann reacted to his touch, replacing his glove as he did. He sighed. Sitting back down on the bed, he leaned backwards, stabilising himself with his arms, looking up at Ariann's back to him. Years of beliefs about a certain race weren't going to go away after one meeting with a member of said race. Erekez was a fool to think otherwise. He might've had Lykata to help him make his decisions on people now, but Ariann only had their words. And that was difficult enough when you knew what you needed to look out for. "You're afraid of me again, aren't you?"

[Ariann]

She shook her head, eyes still clenched closed as she spoke, "N-no... I'm just not used to being touched..." She lied. She was afraid of him, still, even after all they had gone through. "Your skin was... colder than I expected..." The drastic contrast between their skin temperatures had made his hand appear colder, but only because it was a sensation she rarely had to recognize. Her skin was heated internally, the outermost portion of her flesh cold to the touch.

She looked back at Erekez and tilted her head slightly when she noticed he was laying back a little, yet using his arms to prop himself up. His stance looked relaxed and yet tensed still. She frowned slightly, her eyes wandering along his body as she remained still, her emerald-green eyes coming to rest on his chest. "Is kissing bad in human culture?" She asked curiously. She had so far managed to keep her fear in check, but her knees still shook a little. She hadn't learned everything about the humans and the thought of meeting or finding out something that she had yet to find scared her.

[Erekez]

He was still sceptical, but Erekez didn't know enough to be able to decide if she was telling the truth or not. He suspected that Ariann had lied as she didn't look at him when she spoke, but that was just speculation. Erekez knew facial expressions of humans, but didn't know if that stretched to many other races. Body language was lost on him all together. When she did look back, Ariann asked the question that Erekez had been expecting. She wanted to know about the race she had heard so many bad things about. She had that chance, now that one was sitting in her house. If she planned on going in to the city any time soon, it would help her whilst she was there. Ariann was likely to get a few stares. He doubted there were very many people who knew of the Chadorae in Zeltiva, and even less who had met one. He felt slightly privileged that he had now. There would be some who would be lenient because she was unaware, others would be looking for trouble with what they didn't understand. Especially if they thought Ariann was clueless and they could get away with it. "It's not bad, no," It was nice, actually, "But a kiss does show a level of affection greater outside of family than I think you are expecting. It's not something that is used lightly in human culture." Erekez shrugged, letting a small smile touch the edge of his lips as he looked up at Ariann again. He enjoyed being able to help her. "I suppose it's better I tell you what I can, instead of letting you make a mistake because you were unaware. Wouldn't you agree?"