Rosalie's Birthday (Open)

[Rosalie Morganthe]

Timestamp: Summer 6, 510 AV; Midnight Location: The Tisuma Baths Status: Open It was official. Rosalie was now 2 years old. To many that would mean still barely being able to walk, and always being watched over by a parent or relative of some kind. But, depending on what type, to a Kelvic that meant they were or were nearly completely mature. Being a Panther, Rosalie appeared to others of about 16 years, so that's what she called herself when people asked. She had been saying she was this age for a few weeks now because of her appearance, but today it was true, and today she would be celebrating it on her own. Five days ago Rosalie attended The First Thaw Festival in hope to find someone that was in need of a Kelvic like her, someone she could easily call her master and mate. Unfortunately, she didn't come across anyone and this is why she was celebrating alone. She decided to go somewhere that it wouldn't be against any laws for her to be nude, somewhere there wouldn't be any people at midnight. She chose The Tisuma Baths. She knew the very warm water would be soothing and relaxing, which was exactly what she needed. Approaching the pool, she stripped herself of all clothing and neatly folded them, placing them on the ground next to her feet. Rosalie took a deep refreshing breath, smelling the calming scent of the warm water and feeling a cool breeze sweep across her body, lifting some of her thick dark hair off of her tanned shoulders and back. She slowly lowered herself into the pool and sat down where it was shallow and only her head and a bit of her shoulders weren't yet warmed by the water. She rested against the side and closed her eyes, a small smile brushing against her lips. This is what I've been needing for a very long time.

[Vanir]

Like almost every day Vanir had lived since he became a Dek, today was a long day. It had been five days since the First Thaw Festival, his special treatment was gone. Today was the average day for Vanir, he did everything someone asked him to do, he was just a slave to the Inarta. His body felt sore from doing loads of work spanning the last 5 days. Vanir needed to relax. His body and mind ached for some moments of peace. He knew of a place where he could relax, The Tisuma Baths. But he had picked to go in the middle of the night for a reason. If he went during the day, he would be forced out by Inarta of a higher caste. If he went in the night, it would be abandoned and he could relax there without any one bothering him. Vanir slowly walked in looking around. He took each step very slow. He looked around. So far, it looked empty as it could be. That was just perfect in Vanir's opinion, if no one was there he could relax peacefully. If he only got a few seconds of peace, he would be a tad bit better than if he never went there. Vanir knew this idea was a good one.

[Lyra]

For six days and nights the Ethaefal who called herself Lyra had already endured the dawn change from her heavenly to her mortal form. The first few times it had been painful, like a rusty mechanism slowly learning how to properly work again. Lyra was slowly getting accustomed to it, nevertheless she liked the idea of taking a good bath to get rid of all the stress that had accumulated in her changing body over the last few days.

The woman had sneaked in Tisuma Baths shortly before Syna vanished beyond the horizon, experiencing the change in the humid water. It was something new, but she had enjoyed it. In both guises she had a very close connection to water. Her Ethaefal form had been reborn in the rough waves out at Thunder Bay which had been a rebirth in the water of her mother, Mizahar. Perhaps Syna had made a pact with Laviku so that her children would arrive safely in the mortal world. Lyra liked the idea of being cared for. Syna hadn’t yet forgotten her, she thought.

After the change a Chaktawe had left the comfort of the water and sank in one of the reed chairs at the edge of the basin. The floor formed a little terrace, and although the main bathing hall was dark, she had a fairly good view. Plus, the tiny black spots at her fingertips helped her sense any motion coming from the water or a person entering the bath. Naturally, she didn’t really expect anyone to visit Tisuma during the night.

Apparently she had underestimated the citizenry.

Another person entered the bath almost exactly at midnight. The liquid in her fingertips reported careful, but self-confident steps. Clothing was rustling in the darkness, and then the person silently slipped into the hot depths. In fact, Lyra felt a bit awkward, pretending not to be where she was, but her Chaktawe mind was clear. During many years in the former farmland of Eyktol she had developed a habit of observing people. She liked reading their body language, making up little stories about them. The person who had just entered was a female, and no Inarta.

To Lyra’s surprise, another person entered shortly after. This one walked more slowly, placing every step with the utmost care. A male who obviously didn’t want to be detected. Perhaps a Dek, considering the bits of ragged appearance she could discern in the dim light. For him it made sense to visit Tisuma so late, he wanted to escape the higher-ranked Inarta who would most likely harass him and drive him off. The life of a Dek was hard, that much Lyra had already found out about Wind Reach’s society, but she was also curious about why they endured the endless commands and hard work.

This night seemed to be just the opportunity to ask. For the time being, however, the Chaktawe remained silent in her chair and watched, sensed. What she didn’t take into consideration, though, was the faint scent of sun and sand her copper skin radiated.

[Rosalie Morganthe]

Rosalie's mind had trailed off thinking of her past and family. She had no idea that she had actually forgotten the majority of her child hood. She vaguely remembered what her mother or father looked like. The only moment in her past she would never forget was when she was left alone. Her parents abandoned her when she was only a year and a few months of age. That would be about 11 if she were human. She had made it well on her own and it had actually made her stronger, but she longed for someone in her life. Rosalie was startled from her thoughts at the site of another citizen entering the baths. She quickly concealed herself by quietly moving more into the shadows. She blinked hard to try and use some of the cat night vision she had in her. She succeeded in only being able to tell the person was Inarta and male before her vision faded. Even a little thing like that made her a bit hungry. Rosalie quietly sighed and tried to keep herself hidden, thinking that she would scare him off. She knew that no one in their right mind would come to the baths this late unless they had a reason, so she didn't want to ruin their relaxing time. Breathing in deeply she smelled a faint scent of.. heat.. sun. It confused her greatly but kept her eyes on the Inarta in site.

[Sira]

Sira was tired. It had been a long day of flying, hunting, and being made fun of. Early on in the hunt she had gone after a rather large walrus trying to impress the riders who were with her. This wasn't unusual for her, she had to impress them every day to keep their respect. But this time one of them decided to steal the kill, swooping past her and killing the walrus with a few well placed arrows before she had a chance to close the distance. Again, this wasn't that unusual for her.. what was unusual was that when she swerved to avoid the reckless Endal she smacked her wing against a rock and plummetted down into the water below. Unable to get out of the water, she was forced to shift and swim to the waters edge, getting a few nasty bruises on the rocks as she did so. And thus, she spent the rest of the day being made fun of by the riders until they finally returned home and parted ways. Normally if Sira wanted a bath she would have just used her own private bath, but that night she was looking for companionship conversation, even if they only did it because she outranked them. She'd been wandering around the commonrooms for about an hour before she decided to take a peek in the bath and see if anyone was around. To her suprise there were several, and outsiders at that! She rarely had time to speak with outsiders, much less two of them. Nobody seemed to be talking, but she hoped that would change soon enough. Sira was eager to see if those people knew anything of the outside world. Slipping out of her clothes she entered the bath, hoping the man creeping around the room wouldn't recognize her and say something. She was well known in Wind Reach, but not particularly well liked, though through no fault of her own.

[Kellan Lucia]

The day had been long and Kellan was more than happy to head to the Tisuma Baths. He longed for the warm waters to sooth his tired muscles. He had been working hard on his archery and of course there was his training with Alwin. There was so much that he was doing and he had so little time for rest and relaxation. Today he was dressed in his favorite attire, a loose button up shirt and a loose pair of pants. Still, his outfit really did not matter because soon it would be laying on the edge of the bath while he was in the warm waters. He could barely hide his excitement on his way to the baths. He had not been there in a while. He strangely did not wish for the baths to be empty like most others did. He never liked being alone. He really hoped that there would be someone there who would give him some good conversation. Kellan walked over to the bath to see that there were a few people assembled. Three girls who were obviously not Inarta and a drudge. He recognized one of the girls as Lyra, the girl he had met earlier while she was sky grazing. She looked much different though. Almost like she had lost her heavenly glow. It made him sort of sad. She looked so lost. Something was sticking out to Kellan. Over in the far edges of the bath there seemed to be a pair of glowing green eyes watching everyone in the bath. Kellan was intrigued. Not many things in Wind Reach had glowing eyes. He wanted to get closer to see what it was. He started pulling off his clothes and then slipped into the warm water. He sighed and smiled. It felt so good. He focused on the task at hand though, finding the thing with the glowing eyes. He walked closer through the warm waters to see it was in fact a girl and not a wild animal like he expected. Kellan walked over to her side and sat down. "You don't mind if I sit here right?" he asked with a friendly smile. She looked like she was trying to stay out of everyones way but Kellan knew that when a person was acting like that they really were just looking for someone to talk to. "I'm Kellan by the way, and what is your name? He asked lifting his hand out of the water to shake. "You have beautiful eyes, if you don't mind me saying." He smiled at her. He wanted her to know that she didn't have to be alone if she didn't want to. Kellan was open to being a friend to anyone who needed one.

[Lyra]

Lyra was surprised when two more people sneaked in to enjoy the bath at night. Obviously there were more nocturnal personalities among the Inarta than she had expected. But then, they were known to have great parties too. Perhaps one thing had something to do with the other.

Squinting, she tried to get a more detailed image of the two newcomers. One looked strangely familiar. Short, red hair, a lithe, yet muscular build and casual clothing – Kellan. He had been the first real acquaintance she had made in Wind Reach, the first one who had volunteered to speak with her. She liked him and his optimistic attitude, yet she wondered what he did so late at Tisuma. Then her attention turned to the other newcomer. Lyra could tell that it was a woman from the way she moved. She seemed to avoid communication, but there was some kind of lingering around her demeanor. Perhaps she wanted to speak, but something held her back. Caste restrictions. Gossip. Lyra had learned enough about Wind Reach to know that the social hierarchy was very important when it came to relationships.

Although she had been placed in a caste by the Valintar, Lyra still considered herself an outsider. She was no Inarta, didn’t even have the typical looks, so she couldn’t possibly belong to their society. There was no acceptance for her in Wind Reach beyond the point of silent tolerance and respect for the help she offered. Still, she sensed that she didn’t belong. And although she hoped that somewhere out there a place existed where she belonged she couldn’t be entirely sure. Sometimes she desperately longed for a companion to drive away the feeling of loneliness.

Out of that feeling she eventually rose from the chair and moved silently through the shadows towards the main basin. The leathery soles of her feet moved over the tiles almost soundlessly before the rustling of fabric disturbed the silence. Leaving a pile of Inarta clothing behind, she slipped into the water and waded into the direction of the woman. Lyra noticed the other woman’s feral grace and elegance. She seemed to be Inarta – but there was something else about her. Golden eyes cutting through the darkness. Lyra decided that she would try to copy Kellan’s friendly and open attitude.

The Chaktawe slowly appeared out of the shadows with a friendly expression on her copper-skinned face. Pitch-black, big eyes were framed by long lashes and the tips of glossy black hair barely reached the water. When she was close enough for the woman to see and hear her, Lyra began: “Greetings. I’m Lyra. Apologies if I’ve disturbed your private sphere, but I saw you were isolated from the others and felt a desire to talk to you. If you’d rather be alone, I will leave.” With a timid smile she waited for a reaction while curiously studying the woman’s features and body language. Hopefully she would get to know at least one more soul under the Kalean sky this night.

[Vanir]

Vanir was surprised, so far he hadn't noticed anyone in the baths, but he was still on his guard, if he met anyone of a higher caste, it would be hard getting even a moment of peace. He kept walking slowly towards the bath looking around noticed something copper, but ignored because he didn't remember recently seeing many Inarta with copper skin, or anything with copper skin for that matter. He rubbed his eyes, hoping that something wrong was with eyes. But his thoughts were interrupted when he saw someone else come into the Tisuma baths. A female, probably an Inarta because of the red hair, but, as far as he knew, she could be something else. He breathed deeply, calming his thoughts coming up with an immediate decision to leave the baths, because he knew orders would soon be coming. And his opinion of relaxing was having some peace and quiet, and he knew that would be hard to find with someone else bossing him to do their bidding. As he turned around he recognized a figure that he met a few days ago, during the Dek's feeding time. He didn't remember the name but he remembered how annoying he was. He turned around heading towards the exit. Relaxing was now not going to happen, at least not in the Tisuma Baths. He would have to go another night, and hopefully he would have some better luck. He then heard someone speak up, a voice he didn't recognize. He didn't pay much attention because he was obviously leaving.

[Sira]

Sira let out a long, slow sigh of content as she sunk below the warm waters of the bath, completely submerging herself to get her hair wet then slowly coming back up. She leaned against the edge of the bath, letting her muscles relax after a long day of hunting. Sira watched as the dek made his way out of the room, knowing full well it was probably because of her. She felt a bit guilty that the poor man couldn't enjoy a simple bath because she was in the room. But she didn't worry about it too much, such was the life of a dek.

There was another man in the room, one she recognized slightly. She had seen him around the aeries before, and new him to be as skilled an archer as she was, though she couldn't quite place his name. He seemed friendly though, and Sira hoped he might come talk to her if he didn't find the other woman to his liking, but these thoughts were interrupted as the copper skinned Chaktawe approached. She didn't speak Nari, which Sira was unused to. She almost always used Nari when she spoke, so when she responded in common her words felt a bit forced. "No, stay. That's why I came here. I'm Sira.. I have to say, I was really curious about you when I came in. What brings a Chaktawe to Wind Reach, if you don't mind me asking?"

[Kellan Lucia]

Kellan got up and looked for someone new to talk to seeing that the girl who he had tried to talk to did not seem to want to talk, or even answer. He went out in search of a different person to socialize with. He saw a girl who appeared to be about his age with long brown hair. She was the talk of the aeires. This, Sira was a kelvic wind eagle. While most of the riders pestered her and made jokes at her expense Kellan always did not. He was never one for making jokes at someone else's expense unless they were his friend and they knew he was joking. He did not see her as the other riders did. Maybe it was because he was not technically a rider yet because he had not yet bonded with an eagle. He found Sira interesting. Never before had he heard of a Kelvic wind eagle and he wanted to know more about her. Sira was sitting with Lyra, the girl he had met earlier that day. He saw it as a perfect opportunity for him. He would get to talk to the beautiful Lyra again and also get to meet Sira, the girl who had been mystifying him since he had first heard of her. He wadded over to the girls and sat down next to Lyra. "Hello miss Lyra, how are you enjoying the Tisuma baths? I told you Wind Reach was breath taking." he said with a smile. He really enjoyed being around Lyra. She was so easy to talk to and kind. Kellan then shifted his attention over to Sira. "And you must be Sira, the Kelvic wind eagle everyone has been talking about. It is go great to finally meet you. I'm Kellan by the way and you are Sira, right? It must be exciting to live as both an Inarta and a wind eagle. The thought is just... mind blowing." he said with childish wonder and a boyish smile. He hoped he was not coming on to strong but he was truly happy to see both he girls. He may have been a flirt, but when was a truthful flirt. If he told you that you were beautiful he sure as Zulrav he meant it.