Seeking Sanctuary

by **Litani** on June 8th, 2013, 3:37 am

3rd day of Summer, 513AV

All at once, she found herself engulfed.

Life, seething in all directions, bloomed in her consciousness as she walked out of the barren Sea of Grass that had surrounded her for so many days and into the heart of Riverfall. With only herself and her Gildling for company on the journey, with only the calls of crickets and the empty echoes of her Gift to listen to, she had become accustomed to a relative silence. Then again, everything was silent beside the chaos of Syliras.

She blinked, breathed. With a soft sigh, she swung down from her horse and took him by the bridle.

For a moment, she stood outside the city gates and simply drank in the sight. To her eyes, each member of the community seemed to move confidently and calmly, assured of both place and destination. She herself felt neither, but she let herself smile subtly and began to walk. Slowly, one foot before the other. Even if you don't know where you're going, moving will get you somewhere, she thought to herself. With a gentle chuckle at her own inner monologue, the young Konti began to explore.

by **Dasreide** on June 8th, 2013, 4:24 pm

Dasreide had finally had returned to the bustling city of Riverfall, arriving at the gates mere minutes before Litani had. He turned as the horse approached, the blue-skinned warrior glancing back with golden eyes as the horse stopped and the rider dismounted. It was another Konti, the race that seemed to flock to Riverfall in the dozens each week. Dasreide let out a sigh and reached a hand up to brush through his thick black hair, which was let out of its dreads to breathe for a day. "A little far out from your home, aren't you?" He called out from the side of the road, stepping out from behind a tree which he instinctively hid behind when he heard the horse approaching.

The warrior said nothing else, watching her with scrutinizing eyes. His frame was strong, well-built and packed. His skin was a deep blue, one that rivaled the depths of the ocean. His hair dropped down to his shoulders. He had several faint scars on his chest from battle and training. He wore a set of loose, white cotton pants and sandal-like shoes, but no shirt at all. His face was stern and wise, but only had the slightest mustache and goatee, one that took him ten decades to grow to such a thickness. His arms crossed over his chest and his weapon that was cleverly concealed on his back with a blue-colored sheath the same color of his own skin was revealed. It was an orange-hilted bastard sword that held a small red stone in the centerpiece of the hilt. The blade itsself was made of a blackened steel that had a silvery edge to it. He glared at the girl, waiting for her answer.

"Well?"

by **Litani** on June 8th, 2013, 6:28 pm

Home.
"A little far out from your home, aren't you?"

Litani blinked, turned her head toward the sound of the voice, and briefly narrowed her darting eyes as she searched for its owner. There he was, edging out from behind a tree. A hunter? Maybe... When Dasreide made himself visible, Litani smiled. It was quick, subtle, and disarming, and the expression leapt across the azure gaze of the Konti as swift as instinct, as natural as a breath. Whatever might be behind it was irrelevant.

An Akalak, she thought to herself as she saw him. ...a big one.
She inhaled, slow and calmly measured.

"Well?"

She drew herself up to her full height and turned to face Dasreide straight on, bringing her Gildling to rest by her side. This moment was bound to come, she'd known that since setting her feet on the path. She did not expect it to come so soon, but there was nothing for it now. I am here, now, the words wandered through her mind, centering her, the sky is clear, the ground is warm. I am here. Now. She raised her head, rolled her shoulders softly back, and faced him confidently.

"I am, aye..." she replied with a smooth nod. The smile deepened gently, relaxed. She glanced over him and then away, taking in the rest of her suddenly shifted surroundings. Where a moment before she had been secluded and secure in her thoughts, now she stood facing a member of the race she so respected and all her imaginings had gone from wisps of stray thought to a very real conversation. Abruptly, she felt small, and her mind seized with a lack of anything to say. He seemed to be alone though, and they were within sight of the city walls. She felt as though that should soothe her somehow, but it did not. Something about her posture remained vigilant. Not nervous, perhaps, but aware. Weeks traveling alone might have such an affect, but for all that, it was clear in her bearing that she'd been brought up with courtesy and decorum. She knew how she was expected to conduct herself, regardless of how she felt. "And you are not far out from yours, I should think. I should be envious." Her eyes strayed towards Riverfall, then back to him.

She stepped closer, forcing her gait to be slow, fluid, and easy. Perhaps he would be convinced. Tense or not, there was no mistaking her gracefulness -- here was a woman who knows herself, who is at home in her own skin. At a distance, one might mistake her for something else, but the birth traits of a Konti were all too obvious as she neared: soft silvers of scales trickled along her bare arms, flowing in tiny rivers from the backs of her hands to disappear beneath her clothing near her shoulders. The rest of her body was covered in a tunic of simple, undyed linen and pants well suited and sensible for riding, but the tiny webs between her fingers were unmistakable. Her wild, unbound hair looked bronzed by the sun and her features carried an intensely open, friendly expression. Whatever tension she might communicate nonverbally, her presentation was one of light serenity. "My name is Litani," she said quietly, her voice a soft alto that seemed altogether collected and confident in tone. "May I know the pleasure of yours...?"

And then the act of foolish trust: the woman reached out her right hand, offering the greeting that the humans of Syliras had seemed so comfortable exchanging on first meetings. I am here, now. She steeled herself, though against what she could not be sure -- either against his refusal or his acceptance, not knowing which would be preferred.

by **Dasreide** on June 10th, 2013, 2:45 am

She seemed to coax herself in a reminice when she spoke about the distance she had ascertained between her and the white isles. It was a humorous thought that brought a subtle, almost non-existant smirk to bear across his parched lips. Weeks of travel, months of studying and nearly half a year of training had finally brought the wizened warrior akalak back to his birthplace, but something uneased him about the way she called Riverfall his home. His gaze was drawn back to the gates which rose in the far distance, then returned to the woman.

"Incorrect." He said with a subtle motion of his head and a crossing of his arms, "A man's home is only where his heart resides. I have no reason to tether myself to the birthplace of my mother and father." He winced slightly as a painful memory broke free of the chains of repression he had slewn around it. For a moment, his eyes seemed to narrow and his expression grew fierce, but it vanished swiftly afterwards. Still, he brought his palm up to rest on his forehead, his fingers grinding against his temples in an ill-bought attempt to soothe the memory away. "I would not fault you if you are not envious of me." He had little to be envious of. His only posessions where his pants, shoes Lakan and the Guri he held on his back.

(Guri Definition)Guri is the proper Akalak term for Dasreide's bastard sword. It expresses extreme heaviness or a physical burden with an emotional toll.

With a grace and dignity befitting of a Konti, the woman sauntered forward, a gait in her step that tugged at Dasreide and forced him to sway forward only an inch before he realized the physical pull of her walking motion. She was... beautiful. A true specimine of the Konti race. Silvery skin with transluscent scales, soft features and sharp eyes. It was everything that an Akalak would be drawn to during the years that one would need a mate. But Dasreide was far past those years. Far past and far too inexperienced. Her sudden introduction, however soft and soothing it was brought a strange jolt through his spine. Litani. That is what she was called.

"Litani." He thought on the name. "It means... a series of repeated prayers or incantations. Interesting. My mother and father named me Dasreide, so you may do the same." He reached out and clasped her hand inside of his, hers being tiny and frail in comparison.

Then came the jolting change. Dasreide's eyes widened as he realized it too late to supress the change. His demeanor became more cold and relaxed, yet had a hyperactiveness beneath it. His hand drew back without releasing hers, yanking her forward and into him. Quickly, she was turned on the spot, her back pressing against his. His skin was cold and cool, his breathing precise. "You may be home..." He began as one hand continued to hold her hand behind her, thrusting it upwards so it was pinned behind her back, "... but your foolish trust will ensure you are never safe."

In order to emphasize his words, his Lakan was drawn and swiftly pressed against her neck, the cold, dry blade eagerly sinking into her flesh lightly. It wasn't enough to draw pressure, so long as she stood still. Even the slightest of movement and she would know that her skin would be serrated and her blood spilt upon the thirsting ground. "I would exercise more caution around men." His eyes trailed down her chest, his lips curving into a sneer. "Especially when such a fine specimen is so easily... caught."

by **Litani** on June 11th, 2013, 12:17 am

As the Akalak spoke of birthplaces and parents, the Konti permitted - or rather, couldn't help - a tiny flicker of sadness to color her smile. Doubtless, he thought her born and bred of Mura, a 'White Seer' steeped in their matriarchal hierarchy and pretentious sensitivities. To an ear that knows what it is hearing, her smooth contralto timbre could be said to decidedly lack the lyrical accent sounds of Kontinese; then again, she hadn't spoken much yet.

And apparently was not meant to.

Seeing that he would take the offered hand, she braced herself for the inevitable duality that she expected to feel. Only the rarest of occasions had seen an Akalak in her mentor's clinic - not surprising, given their skill - so her experience was vaguely limited. But there was one whom she had known so acutely, felt so intensely, that she was at least passably confident she could withstand the brief storms of this stranger for a casual handshake. Perhaps that was her first mistake, but clearly not the last.

Litani gasped sharply as she felt his pull, her body already subtly tensed from the brief mental preparations she had made, but in no way did that help her against his strength. A hundred things, a thousand, went through her mind in that moment. For a single heartbeat, her hand had been slipped into his and she had begun, naturally, slowly, to... feel him. Both of him, actually. And then the instant later, she was caught, turned, and pinned, her right hand trapped for its reckless invitation. Breath caught in her lungs and she struggled briefly against him, stronger than she looked and evidently hiding a powerful body beneath the featureless tunic. Her shoulders strained to pull her hand free; ... my Suvai. Damnit... They were too far, wrapped carefully and nestled in the saddle bags on her horse. There was nothing for it.

And then the steel.

A rush of fear made her heart race and a tiny cry escaped her, but she was rewarded with only the piercing, liquid sensation of the cut she'd so carelessly self-inflicted. Her left hand sprang up to his wrist holding the blade, white-knuckled fingers on midnight skin, useless for all their obvious urgency. She felt herself start to panic and her eyes darted, helpless, pleading in fleeting silence and receiving no reply.

There was no physical answer to the confrontation -- he'd already won on that account. The only other option was the one thing she did best... the thing made almost unavoidable by his touch. The escape, the subsuming of self that could make her ecstatic and sick at the same time. All it took was to let go... and then, all at once, she was aware of him again, pushing aside her feelings and taking on his instead.

"'Men'?" she whispered the challenge in flowing Tukant, suddenly calm. Or perhaps fury had taken the place of fear, for she was no less tense than a moment before. "You are Akalak." Her words were soft and low, but as sharp as the Lakan at her throat. "And what will your brothers do to you, I wonder, when you bleed a Konti in sight of Riverfall's gate...?" She paused just briefly, letting her confusing sense of him take her over. Her body shifted back ever so slightly, away from the blade... Back. Against him.

"A Konti," she repeated softly. "... the race made for you?"

Her eyes closed briefly against the flash of self-doubt, but she could not let him see. It was a gamble to be sure, and it would either pay off or not. She would quickly know which. Her eyes opened again and she glanced down to his legs, trying to catch a glimpse of where his feet might be but the hold he had on her made it all but impossible. Still, the card she had played was meant to affect a response. Now all she could do was wait and see what that response might be.

Avalis, sweet Lady, protect me.

Conflict happens in more than one way... and a willow bends when the wind tries to break it. She hoped this was not the hurricane that would tear her out by the roots.

by **Dasreide** on June 11th, 2013, 1:18 pm

"I fear nothing from my fellow Akalak warriors. I am senior to most already." He snarled into her ear, a deep, guttural chuckle erupting from his throat. "It is you who fear me and you should, for you do not know me. Danger lurks around every corner, child. Those who stick their hands into the maw of the beast will soon feel the sting of its teeth." The blade dug a little deeper before letting up, quickly returning to the sheath. The man shoved Litani forward enough to stagger an elephant. He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest again. He seemed to be discussing something with an unseen being, based on the flicker of his eyes back and forth.

"Your luck has saved you this time. Dasreide does not wish you to be harmed." He said with the air of a barbaric commander. His eyes narrowed at her as he continued, "And since he has dominant control over our actions, I will not be able to attack you any longer. You have shown fear, but you have also revealed strength that he had doubted before. He will return to control now." He grumbled before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

When he released the breath, his entire demeanor changed back to the way it was before. Calm, serene and knowledgeful. He was Dasreide again and his 'other' side was neatly tucked inside himself once again. His eyes fluttered open and locked onto the Konti in front of her, a sympathetic frown crossing his face that was mixed with worry and disdain. "Apologies." He said, inclining his head and placing a hand over his heart and leaning forward slightly, a martial bow. "I was not intending to allow him to come out today. I am at fault for allowing it. My sincerest of apologies." His eyes darted to the cut on her throat as he straightened, his frown becoming an inward scowl. "I will see to it that neither I nor he is in your presence any longer."

And with that, he turned on his heel, walking off towards the gates again. His mind was clouded now. He didn't understand how his other 'side' managed to slip past his awareness and take over so suddenly. He had gone through many years of training to keep that side subservient to his more dominant personality. This means that something is causing me to loose focus... but what? His mind traversed the realms of his knowledge and finally rested on his thought before the change had happened. Ruby. He recalled how the Konti woman, who called herself Litani, appeared similar to Ruby, who Dasreide had grown to enjoy her appearance. He frowned at himself. If it truly was her that triggered it, why did he go after Litani instead? I must figure out the reason for this as soon as I can. He hadn't realized it, but his pace had slowed severely, until he was barely walking. It was as if his body was trying to give Litani a chance to catch up.

by **Litani** on June 11th, 2013, 9:31 pm

For the first handful of seconds after she spoke, he continued to hold her and that knife continued to bite at her throat. She was still deep in the awareness of him as the breath of his words passed over her ear and a tiny shudder raced through her, feeling as though her very blood was attuned and listening. Instinctively, it dawned on her that while something had clearly disrupted his balance, she did not sense true savagery in him. He did not intend to kill her. That settled the ghosted edges of her nerves, dimly aware of them though she was when she let herself be this connected. Her pride, however, was still present. Too present. “I am no child,” she hissed softly in defiant Tukant, immediately wishing she had not. What she said was true, of course – she was years past her majority and, while still young for such a long-lived race, she had clearly been an adult in her own right for some time. Life has a way of doing that, early, if you walk the wrong path. But she was also acutely aware that she was still young enough to feel the need to defend the fact.

You’ve no idea where my hands have been, she caught herself thinking as he spoke to her, inadvertently letting the intrusion of the thought shake her concentration. That fraction of a lapse was all it took to send her off-balance as he shoved her forward and she briefly lost her footing, stumbling to the ground as the world reeled around her and the connection was cut. Thank the gods…

She staggered to her feet almost immediately and forced the dizziness down, but still her disorientation was more than clear. Her eyes were closed at intervals yet struggling to blink open, wide for an instant and then blinking again, and she fought valiantly for the ability to breathe in even paces. Her Gildling, in a rare show of helpfulness, pawed over closer to her and she found herself clutching the saddle for steadiness as she drug her body to its feet. When she looked up at him again, his ‘other’ was still speaking to her and she defensively put the creature between the two of them, forcing herself to ready for a quick mount up if she had to. Thankfully, he did not seem like to challenge her, which was just as well – she did not look steady enough to vault onto a horse just then anyway. She gave herself a moment to recover and her head fell briefly against the saddle, hiding her eyes for a few seconds. “Dasreide”, she whispered quietly, her throat dry, her voice barely carrying past the leather. She lost track of him for a moment and when her head came up again, his voice had changed. He had changed. He was apologizing.

A slow breath escaped her, weakening her knees. Her fingers wrapped tighter around the saddle barding. The slight trickle of blood edged down her collarbone slowly.

And then, just like that, he was walking away from her.

She watched him for a long moment as she returned to herself, tracking him with eyes that warred between hurt, anger, and mayhaps a few threads of something else. Her teeth pressed together as her jaw clenched faintly and she frowned at him, sighing quietly at his back. She had half a mind to let him go. In fact, she DID let him go, but she was also still staring at him as she processed what had just happened and she realized as she watched that he wasn't walking very quickly. She’d expected him to disappear as abruptly as he’d come, to vanish into the trees or into the city, and to give her not a further thought. Instead, he had all but stopped, clearly lost in his own contemplations. It didn't take a Gift to divine that what just happened was making him feel conflicted. I’m going to regret this.

“Dasreide,” she called softly, possessed of a tone that was both gentle and insistent. She waited for a few seconds to see if he would ignore her and walk off and, when he did not, she added, “Whatever I did to unsettle you… I am sorry.”

When the last word left her lips, Litani inclined her head softly and let her hands slide along her Gildling's neck to its bridle. Her left hand took hold of the creature and her right reached up to smooth Ansem's nose; "Thank you," she whispered to him, very quietly. She then looked back to Dasreide and moved closer with a tentative few steps, closing just enough distance to let it be clear that she had done so. No more. And in silence, she waited, standing beside her steed instead of shielding herself with him, instead of leaping into the saddle and being gone.

She waited. And she watched him.

by **Dasreide** on June 12th, 2013, 9:16 pm

Dasreide realized he had stopped when Litani continued with her thought. She apologized to him for 'unsettling' him. The motion perplexed Dasreide, all of his knowledge trying to locate her meaning, but finding nothing. He inclined his head and looked up to the sky, which was beginning to darken, the clouds overhead churning and cooking up a rainstorm. "It is going to rain." He said to Litani, although it seemed like the target of the words was to no one at all. He waited for a bit longer before walking towards the gates again, without another word. He wanted to turn around and confront Litani, to tell her why he had been ignorant to his other side coming out. To tell her why his mind was elsewhere when he saw her. To tell her that she reminded him of another.

But he could not. It would not only obscure his own thoughts, but would begin to cloud hers with worry. He would only make things worse by threading in those thoughts with the ones that mattered. He needed shelter before it rained and he was still a half-mile outside of the city. He would need to get to a place where he could clean himself as well. His hygiene as it were was a horrid thing. He'd only gotten chances to clean himself once a week out in the wild, whether in the streams that he passed over or under the occasional waterfall. The monsters that he had met on the road made it hard to keep clean for too long and the constant rain he walked through made it hard to stay dry all the while. Thus, a home to stay was a good thing to keep for a while.

by **Litani** on June 12th, 2013, 11:31 pm

Rain. It was going to rain.

The woman blinked for a heartbeat, let her eyes skitter off to the side, and considered. Seize me, hold me at the point of your Lakan, then tell me it's going to rain... Very well then. Her gaze moved back to him and narrowed in measured thoughtfulness. Clearly the one 'in control' was not the one she had felt so clearly, so viscerally as to take away her very breath. Two souls, one body. I must remember that... before it gets me in trouble.

Litani slipped into the saddle of her Gildling fluidly, pausing only for a glance at Dasreide. Whatever he was, however many he was, she was back within herself now and that foundation would never be shaken. She could not allow it to be. "When you're ready to be honest with yourself," she said quietly, "you'll know where to find me." With that, she tapped her heels and the horse took off, leaving the Akalak to himself.

Fool you are, she told her herself. She shook her head minutely as she rode away, blinking her mind clear of the last shreds of him. How many times are you going to do that before you realize? Over and over, she chastised herself, frowning inwardly at her lack of control and preparedness. At her lapse of judgment. You knew... you knew, and you did it anyway. It didn't matter. None of it mattered. She had learned, she knew who he was now, and whether or not she repeated the mistake would depend on him.

by **Magpie** on June 19th, 2013, 12:34 pm

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Litani :

Dasreide :

Notes :

If you have any questions or concerns about what was awarded, please don't hesitate to PM me.
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Completed Seeking Sanctuary