Closed A Friendship Reborn (Euthisa)

[Alori Sai]

Time stamp: 38th of Summer 513 AV

Alori combed her fingers through her hair, pulling the strains of red and streaks of blonde to rest behind her right ear. With her vision cleared, the teen gently hugged the guitar in her lap at the base while her other hand slipped up to the top of the neck. Fingers lightly plucked at the strings as the others pressed and slid across to the end of the vibrating cord. The notes started slow and soft, the sound emanating from the strings as only a test to get her started.

The tiny Avora had woken up early that morning fully intending on getting out and enjoying her day. The hunt was done for the week, and what was left was hers to do with as she pleased. It was another humid day in the city, and Alori wanted away to escape the blaring heat. A trip to Thunder Bay came to mind, and the teen was reminded of just how long it had been since she had visited the place. With her destination in mind, Alori dressed and packed enough supplies to get her through the night and headed out. It was a normal thing for her, whenever she left the city to take her bow with her just in case she needed it. The guitar, however, was a new addition to her ever growing list of items to carry on her trips, but she couldn't put it down.

She was all set to make the trip alone and on foot as well. Alori was used to traveling on foot being a hunter, but with so much luggage, it was going to be a workout in the least. However, it seemed that the Gods had smiled on her and offered her a hand. Once she reached the cage, she noticed a wagon and bull waiting along with the driver sitting up top. The cabin was empty and she could only guess that he was waiting for someone.

"Hey, Are you heading out or just coming back?"

The driver nodded with a bit of a smile, before turning his head and spitting on the ground. "Yep, just about to run a couple of merchants down to the Bay. Seems they're running a bit late though. What about you? You sure got a lot of luggage friend. Going somewhere?"

Alori smiled, and her featured lighten with the news. A wagon ride to the Bay would be just what she needed. It was perfect really, and she would get there a lot faster this way as well. " I was actually going to the Bay right now. Could I maybe catch a ride?" She hoped he would say yes, and hoped that these merchants weren't the types with loads of stuff to take with them. "I can pay my own way, that's not a problem."

The driver nodded again and sat back into his seat. "Find by me, though you might be riding alone if they don't show up soon, I don't got all day. But long as I get paid, I'm good for it. Go on and climb in back, get yourself settled in there."

"Thanks." Alori said with a smile, before she walked around to the back of the cabin. It was completely empty and the floor clean for the most part. It didn't look like the type of wagon that carried much in the way of foods and oils. More than likely it was only used for people, unless the driver just liked to keep it nice and clean. Climbing onto the back, Alori removed her backpack and sat it down in the corner beside her seat. Already she felt lighter and her shoulders free. "Oh yea..that's much better."

"You any good with that?" The driver asked, glancing back and pointing at her guitar. It was one of the drawbacks of carrying an instrument around. People were always curious if she could play it. Alori practiced with it, but it was still a work in process and she hadn't played in front of many people. "I try, I'm not like great or anything, but I'm getting better." With a smile, the Avora lowered her head, flipped her hair back, and started to pull at the strings.

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[Euthisa]

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Euthisa walked along in the city, violin in hand, destination unknown. Today was a free day unlike most for the librarian, and she'd been neglecting her music a lot as of late. She'd woken for the day determined to be productive, and so she'd decided that today she would spend some time playing, and perhaps exploring. She usually sat in the Courtyard or her room to practice playing, and once she ventured to the Falls for seclusion, but she didn't feel up to any of those places today.

Ideas and places whirled in her head of where she could go, where she wouldn't feel like a spectacle among her people. The idea was to practice, and if she felt like she was being watched too much, she would surely falter under the pressure. The embarrassment would be sufficient enough to send her into hiding. Perhaps not, but she wasn't up for facing the scenario either way.

Lost in thought, she wandered aimlessly through Wind Reach, and was snapped back to reality when she stumbled upon the answer to her questions. Coincidence seemed too unlikely, and so Euthisa wondered if the Gods had a hand in the situation or not. Several yards off stood a bull and wagon, empty of passengers except for a young redheaded woman, who seemed interested in a ride. Going closer, Euthisa could just overhear the conversation to discover they were headed to Thunder Bay.

Euthisa had yet to visit the Bay. She'd been meaning to for some time now, but between working, spending time with Kovac, and the odd night out, she just hadn't gotten around to it yet. The woman hitching the ride also had an instrument with her, along with a bundle of supplies. Whatever her purpose was in going to the Bay, she was prepared. Walking up to the wagon, Euthisa almost felt silly that the only thing she had with her was her violin. No other supplies of any kind, and she wondered if going to the Bay was a bad idea after all. Determined not to let her doubts get the best of her, she pressed on.

"Hi there." She said, waving sheepishly. "I overheard that you are traveling to Thunder Bay. Anyone mind if I ride along? I'll pay for the ride as well."

[Alori Sai]

Alori continued to pluck at the strings with the fingers on one hand, and with the other she pressed against the same strings at the higher end of the neck to create a different sound. It usually took her a moment to find her note and start to play. But once she had it, the teen was ready to show her talent. She wondered what song she should play, and if she should sing along with it. The Avora's singing wasn't much better than her playing, but she had learned to hold a note, and with the addition of the lightly off tuned music, she didn't sound so bad.

The driver listened silently to the tune that she played and nodded his head. It was a simple tune, and he could tell that she was learning to buff it out more and experiment with the strings while she played them. He started to give her a compliment, when he was interrupted by another voice. He turned around to see a very attractive woman standing beside his wagon. "Well hello there." he said with a wide grin. He had to think over her request for a tick, he was already expecting more people, and had already let another join as well. "Climb on back, as long as you got the coin, I'm your man." he add with a smirk.

The driver made sure to get a second, and third glance at the woman before she went around the wagon. "It's gonna be a good day." he thought to himself. Alori had a very different reaction to the new arrival. The familiar voice easily recognized as her good friend Euthisa. Alori wanted to jump off the cart and hurry over and embrace the woman. But she couldn't, and the realization held enough weight to keep her planted on the cart. She wasn't that girl anymore, she was someone else, someone who didn't have any friends in the city, someone who was no one.

Alori sighed, pushed back her emotions and took a breath, the exact opposite of what she wanted to do. But she didn't have a choice, the exchange had been made, and there was no going back now. Lifting her head up, the little Avora smiled and spoke to the woman. "Hey, welcome aboard."

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[Euthisa]

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Much to her relief, the driver agreed to let her ride along, his main concern seemingly the coin for the ride. Thankful she'd tucked a handful of Pinions into her vinati, Euthisa gingerly climbed aboard the wagon, careful not to damage her instrument, or the other woman and hers. She'd welcomed her on board, a gesture Euthisa returned with a smile. Sitting down and making herself comfortable, Euthisa silently picked through the strange thoughts running in her head. The woman was familiar to her. To her knowledge, Euthisa had never met the woman before, but something about her nagged at the librarian's attention.

It wasn't her face, that was new. It wasn't her voice, she'd never heard that either. But this woman dressed exactly like a woman Euthisa was once close with. Her hair was extremely similar too, though this woman wore streaks in her hair that Aela didn't have. However, almost all citizens of Wind Reach were Inartans, and outside of caste differences, the sky peoples' way of dress was identical to begin with. Shaking her head, mentally telling herself to let go of such preposterous ideas, Euthisa settled in her seat. Nodding towards the woman's guitar, she attempted to strike up conversation.

"I apologize for interrupting your song. I'm Euthisa by the way. If you want, you can continue where you left off when I walked up. I may even join you."
She gestured to her violin. "I'm still very much learning, though I've had this thing my whole life, but I enjoy it regardless, and this would only be my second time playing with another person. That is, if you don't mind." She flashed a warm smile in the woman's direction. The day was off to a good start, and Euthisa's insides were tickled with a good feeling she didn't incredibly often feel.

♥I'm sorry it's on the shorter side. I struggled a little bit this time around. Let me know if I need to edit anything.

[Alori Sai]

"Hey, I'm Alori." the name still seemed alien upon her lips. It wasn't as bad when she spoke to people who she didn't know, but for those she did, the ones she had shared her life with, it tasted a lie. But if she could tell her, Alori wondered if she would want to. Would she want to tell her friend, how the bright eyed, ambitious teen had fallen right on her face? How she had destroyed her life and everything that meant something to her? It felt wrong to have secrets from her friends, especially when she needed them now more than anything. But it was the price she paid, and just another reminder of her past.

"I wish that I could tell you, but I hope that you will forgive me, even though you don't know it's me."

It hurt her, more than she would have thought, and made her feel cold and alone. Euthisa was the kind of friend that she could talk to about anything. Things as simple and silly as a strange wink from a guy, or more serious and emotional problems. In truth, she had thought of the woman as a sister, someone that she would share everything with. But not this, Alori refused to let anyone else get hurt because of her. "Oh, I wasn't playing much, just messing around." The teen forced a smile to her lips, wanting to make the best of the trip no matter what. The driver swayed around in his seat and arched his head so that he could look over his shoulder at the two.

"No, you were about to play a song for me, and if you want to join in. I'd like to hear you play too."

The man was speaking to both of them, but his eyes lingered on Euthisa. Alori looked back and forth between the too and slowly, her cheeks grew red and a tiny smile rose upon her lips. She could see it, the man was working his way up to flirting with Euthisa. It wasn't a surprise, the woman was very pretty, with a great head of hair and the type of curves that men loved. Alori wasn't as voluptuous, and her curves with slimmer now even more than they were before. The Avora always wondered why the God and Goddess made her appear younger and smaller than she originally was, but she would never know.


"Alright, alright I'll play." Alori said and started to pluck at the strings again. She gently, and slowly moved her fingers up and across the top strings to hold the notes longer, as she picked at the same strings at the base of the guitar. It was another light tune, something slow and soft. She hoped that Euthisa could play easier to it since the music was more like the type a violin might play.

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[Euthisa]

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The petite woman introduced herself as Alori, mentioning that she wasn't playing much, when the driver interrupted. He encouraged Euthisa to play along with the girl, obviously basking in their feminine company. Perhaps he was a naturally chatty fellow, but something told Euthisa he was more so today because two pretty girls were in his wagon. This thought sank in further when she noticed the glances and flushed cheeks of Alori. She clearly agreed, causing a wry smile and light flush of Euthisa cheeks as well. She liked this girl already.

With fingers a bit more trained than she gave herself credit for, Alori began playing a gentle tune, a guitar version of a song that sounded like something written for a violin. It was soft and slow, making it easier for Euthisa to play along with. Sitting in silence, she appeared to just enjoy the playing for a few moments, but her mind was hard at work. She carefully watched the young musician's fingers, looking for any kind of rhythm or pattern she could pick up on. When she found it, she lifted her violin to her shoulder, resting her chin on the worn and familiar chin rest, and placed her bow to the strings.

Her first draw of the bow was slow, slower than Alori's playing, a soft note as background to the girl's tune. Delicate fingers rose and fell on the different strings as she found the notes, eyes focused on Alori's fingers for a while, and then closing as she got the gist of things under wraps. She joined in the pattern, doing her best to keep time with the tune Alori played, and adding her own twist. She'd play the pattern of the song, but here and there she'd draw an end note out longer while Alori continued on, pushing the "spotlight" more on her, and sometimes between verses, she'd play her own notes, a spontaneous miniature solo; her own flare added to the piece and her own moments of spotlight.

It sounded much better than Euthisa first thought it was going to, the two instruments almost with a mind of their own to stay in sync. Only half of anyone to hear them would guess this was their first time playing together. Their close-knit concert eventually came to an end, the girls seemingly reading each others' minds as they brought the song to a close with perfectly matched, drawn out, notes. Setting her violin down in her lap, careful not to harm it, Euthisa beamed a smile at the girl. "That turned out so good! You play so much better than you think Alori! What did you think?" She turned and asked the driver. Excitement flashed in Euthisa's eyes. She felt so accomplished and proud of them both.

[Alori Sai]

Alori was glad to see that Euthisa could pick up the tune and started to play along. At first she wasn't so sure the instruments would work together well. But as they played and the gentle melody swept between them, she knew that it could work. Euthisa was talented and played with the grace of a violinist. There was a peaceful look upon her soft features and Alori just wondered how her friend had been over the seasons and what she had been up to.

The driver listened to them play, completely forgetting that he was supposed to be waiting and watching for the people who had asked him to bring the wagon to start. But for the time, he was more focused on the young beauties behind him. How often was it that he had two lovely women playing for him? Well it never happened and he was intent on enjoying it to the fullest.

Alori continued to play along, noticing Euthisa adding her own twist into the music. She was good with her instrument, and even taking the lead and going back and forth so that both performers' music were able to shine. It felt amazing for the tiny Avora to play like this with another person, and she couldn't stop smiling. They wrapped the song up, Alori smiling brightly and shaking her head at just how amazing it all was and plucked her last tunes.

Once they were finished, she turned her guitar upward and gently hugged the instrument and flipped her hair from her face. "That was amazing, wow you can really go huh?" she added with a giggle. A suddenly awkward clapping sound drew her attention away as the driver climed in to give his thoughts. "Ladies that was great, you two should start a group.Oh and if you do, let me manage you I know people." he smiled with a wink. "Oh..okay." Alori retorted giving Euthisa a confused look before grinning it away.

"Well it doesn't look like the others are going to show. Looks like you girls are going it alone then." The driver said as he looked around. Alori was mostly relieved by this, knowing now that she and Euthisa would have the wagon to themselves for the trip. The driver smiled at them again, though again mostly at Euthisa before he started the Bull off. "So...."Alori started. "What are your plans for the day?"

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[Euthisa]

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Both Alori and the driver agreed their playing was wonderful, and not only was this a confidence and ego booster for Euthisa, it was a goal setter as well. Now that she could play successfully with at least one other person in Wind Reach, she felt driven to find others she could play with. Expand her horizons and experience. The driver only encouraged these thoughts as he mentioned that Euthisa and Alori should start a group.

Nodding her head in thanks, Euthisa pondered further about the driver's suggestion. She and Alori seemed to get along great so far, they played wonderfully together, and they both possessed a deep love for their instruments, leading Euthisa to wonder if maybe this was a sign from Rhaus himself. Not wishing to get into such deep conversation and detail in front of the driver, Euthisa pushed the thought to the back of her mind for now. Perhaps she would mention it later in their trip if she happened to stick with the woman or run into her again.

Snapping her thoughts back to the present, Euthisa flashed a smile at the young musician. "My plans for the day? I don't really have any. I had some free time to spare today, and I've been playing when I can, but not as much as I'd like, and so I just grabbed my violin and headed out to let the wind carry me where it may. I've never been to Thunder Bay, and the opportunity looked like an open door to me. Do you have any actual plans for today?"

[Alori Sai]

The driver put the bull to work and it moved along the path and back down the way that it arrived. It would be a longer trip, a few bells before they would arrive at their destination. Alori took that time to get to know her friend again and whatever she had been up too since the last time they had seen each other. "Wow, you've never been to the Bay? So..what do you do all day, if you're not out into stuff?"

Alori had a good idea to the answer since she did know a bit about her old friend, but it wasn't her place to speak on it as she was supposed to be a different person. "Well it's pretty great at the Bay, and the ocean waters look really amazing in the day. There is also places to eat and check out there too." The teen felt a bit bad that her friend was still so withdrawn, if she had been around she would have taken care of that.

If only she had been around.

"I was thinking of going for a swim, and maybe check out the sights while I'm there. I hear the restaurant has a lot of good dishes to try." The driver would glance back every once in a while to look at the girls as he continued on his path. A few bells passed and they finally made it to the Bay in tact. Alori climbed down and paid the pinions for the ride and took down her gear. It took her a moment to get suited up with her bags, but once she did, guitar in hand, Alori turned to Euthisa and smiled.

"So..what should we do first?"

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[Euthisa]

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Pleased by the progression in the day's plans and the gentle rhythm of the wagon as the bull meandered onwards to the Bay, Euthisa looked kindly upon her new friend. There was still something she couldn't quite place about the girl, but such miniscule details were unimportant at the present time. What weighted her attention more was getting to know the young woman, and she seemed to have the same intentions in mind as she started inquiring about Euthisa. Flashing a warm smile, she was delighted for the conversation.

"For an Inartan, I'm very unlike our people. It's sure to change a little at some point but normally I'm not out and about very often. I stay mostly to myself, especially since most of my old friends no longer appear in my life. I spend my time working in The Enclave, tidying, reading, and helping others in their quests for knowledge of whichever kind. I'm mostly content there, I do enjoy it thoroughly, however I aspire to be greater than I am someday. I don't mind the lack of pressure my status holds, I don't mind not being important to our city, but much of the time I feel rather... basic.

When I do go out, I usually end up at The Inclement Weather, letting loose and forgetting all my worries, and recently I found myself at the Falls for some sight seeing and music playing. Other than that, I just tend to wander around Wind Reach on my own, usually at night when it's quiet and peaceful, either thinking about things, or clearing my mind.

I apologize for rambling on, Alori. What wings do you usually find yourself soaring on?"

The woman rattled on with options, seemingly excited to show her new companion around. The delighted feeling of acquiring a new friend when she'd lost so many, lit a flame deep inside the nerdy Inarta. It was true, she'd been lonely a lot more than she used to be, and she missed the old days with her friends quite often. She always wondered how they were and where their lives had taken them, if they were well, and the reasons she wasn't included with them anymore. But somehow she never found herself pursuing such inquiries. And truth be told, she was unsure as to why. Of them all, her main concern had been Aela. The woman had been very dear to Euthisa, sister-like and never anything but a bonus to have around, but she too disappeared like the rest. Pushing such thoughts out of her mind, Euthisa was happy to find they'd arrived at the Bay, and her time spent with Alori, could really take flight.

"Oh my... So many options!!! I think we should sight see and perhaps check out this restaurant you speak of, and save the swimming for later in the day when we've done all else. I'm afraid I only have the one change of clothes, and I'd rather walk about wet when it's closer to going home, than on our way to do other things, haha. I'll leave our direct plan mostly up to you though, seeing as how you know what you're doing and where you are more than I."