Open [Travertine Hotsprings] To Sooth the Soul

[Rinya]

Day 68, Season Summer, 513 AV There was something to be said about getting up with the sun. While Rinya very rarely did rise with sun, any time she took the initiative to do it she never regretted. The bay was almost as beautiful as sunset, and the breeze was by far the coolest. It didn’t take her long to hunt down enough fish for an easy breakfast before the small journey she was planning for the day. It would take a little while by foot to reach her destination, but it would be well worth it. Of course she could have always gone by wing. The breeze would have been easy enough to carry her to the springs in no time, but she had too much to think on and a long walk seemed like the way to go. Plus the sunburn from spending an entire day naked in the sun wouldn’t be worth it. She stopped by the butcher shop on the way, packing away an easy pound of smoked fish for the journey into her backpack and adjusted it next to her quiver across her back. That was hours ago though judging by the sun. And the sight before her was stunning. The area wasn’t covered in trees or grass. Nothing that was generally considered amazing, but the pools lying against the cliffs all filled with water reflecting the light had its own beauty. Passing a Cerulean, she followed the small carved stairs that lead down towards the cooler pools of water. Leaning forward to one of the pools, she ran her fingers over the top, judging the temperature before pulling them back. Perching herself on the side of her chosen pool she stretched out legs and took a deep breath. While the mineral smell would take awhile to get to, the quiet pools were quickly going to become a favorite for her. Pulling the rest of her equipment off, she rested it up against the side of the pool, laying her bow and a spare arrow on the edge. Always better safe than sorry. Stripping down and folding her clothes over her backpack Rinya gingerly stepped into the water, wincing slightly at the sudden heat to her skin. Not hot enough to burn, but surprisingly warm none the less. Sliding the rest of her body into the water, back resting on the side, she sighed and let the heat of the water relax her muscles. She really did need this. Ledger1lb. smoked fish

[Silnas Windhoof]

When Silnas woke that morning and found that she could no longer tell the difference between how her horse smelled and how she smelled, she figured that she was long overdue for a bath. Even if the scent might give her some camouflage during hunts.. it would make her unappealing to any future clients. Silnas left Skytrotter to graze outside of Riverfall. Any person who knew anything about Striders would hopefully not be stupid enough to try to steal her. And the guards would, no doubt, be watching her. Plus the horse needed to eat, just as her rider needed to scrub the layer of dirt off her skin. It was easy enough to find the springs without the aid of signs. Just keep walking south and soon the cliffs opened up into pools, glittering in the sunlight, steam rising from their still surfaces. Goosebumps prickled Silnas' skin when she drew closer as the wind shifted, blowing steam in her direction. 'This is exactly what I need.' She stripped off her shirt and stepped out of her pants, folding them both as she began to tip toe her way down the stairs-- until a sand-colored shape darted past her, weaving through her legs and splashing into one of the nearest pools, sending water everywhere. Silnas' stomach roiled as her heel slipped to the edge of the stairs, finding herself staring down the wall and into the dark blue waters of the ocean stories below. She hunkered down, trying to steady her breathing as she assured herself that no, she wasn't about to fall in the ocean and become fish food-- "Awrooo!" The growl distracted Silnas, and she turned to find in horror that the other Silnas-- her hunting cat-- had jumped into the pool and was making a B-line for the woman in it. "You-- CAT!" Silnas snarled in Pavi, her hands moving rapidly into the words "stupid" and "anger" before diving into the pool and grabbing the hunting cat by his scruff, ignoring as the cat squirmed and slashed. "Stay still!" She then shoved the cat out of the pool, where it glared at her, soaking wet, and began to lick its paw, looking sullen. "You think you can just do whatever you want and no consequences!" Silnas was still speaking in Pavi, her hands gesturing her growing exasperation with the animal, completely forgetting the other girl in the pool. "Could have killed me, feline! Then who would feed you?" A smug smile crossed her face, and her hands carry that same assured emotion, as if besting her cat with her knowledge was such a feat. OOC : (Do hope you don't mind my joining in!)

[Rinya]

Rinya had nearly dozed off, the heat of the water and sun causing her to feel drowsy. She hadn’t had time to herself since she reached Riverfall—and apparently she still didn’t have that luxury. There was a distinct splash that nearly caused Rinya to slip on the bottom of the pool as she jolted upright. Her fingers immediately wrapped around her bow and arrow, and in the next moment she was poised and aiming at the bloody cat that had jumped into the pool. Of all things it had to be a cat didn’t it? Before Rinya could release her arrow into the mangy creature however a woman equally as naked as she was jumped into the pool after the petching creature. Her hands seemed like they were flying in random directions before snagging the cat by the back of the neck and flinging it out of the pool. Lowering her bow into a more relaxed position, Rinya stared at the duo, completely lost at whatever the woman was saying to the cat—and Rinya was hardly able to keep a snort at bay at the thought that the cat could even understand her. ”You know that… that thing is too stupid to understand you right?” Rinya made a gesture with her arrow at the damnable animal. Maybe that was just her opinion—so much for relaxing… it was starting to look like she wasn’t going to get any rest today either. Huffing slightly, Rinya shifted her golden eyes to the woman. Rinya was obviously shorter than the woman, and had Rinya been anyone else she might have been a little intimidated. The woman certainly looked tough, but at the moment unarmed. And if she guessed right by the markings on her face, that meant she was Drykas. ”Tell it to go somewhere else before I decide to make it.” Rinya groused as she sat on the lip of the pool, not quite ready to put the bow down, especially if that cat was still around. She may not be in bird form, but she wasn’t comfortable with its presence none the less. And she wasn’t quite sure of the woman either. OOCI was hoping to get to meet Silnas!

[Silnas Windhoof]

It wasn't very often these days that Silnas found herself at the business end of an arrow. Usually it was predatory cats and the occasional glassbeak that she was the target of-- not, well, angry naked women with bows. The fact that she had been seconds away from turning her pet into skewered roast also didn't escape Silnas' notice, but for now she was going to play it by ear. She was cursing herself for leaving her spear behind... she didn't think people came to these places armed. Well, armed with other things, certainly not weapons. Silnas placed a hand on her cat's chest, balancing on the balls of her feet along the bottom of the pool as she took a few seconds to comprehend what the woman said and reply back in Common. "You don't know Pavi then. Animals, they know." She patted the cat's chest as she spoke, even though the latter was still glaring at the Kelvic, a pink tongue darting along its muzzle. "Non-Drykas don't know that. Also, is not thing. Cat." A smile with a bit too much teeth played across Silnas' face. "You... confused about what it is?" The danger seemed to pass, though Silnas was trying to get a bead on the woman, bracing her palms on the edge of the pool. Her golden eyes were probably the most striking thing about her-- and coming from Silnas, who had to contend with people asking about her own eyes a lot, it meant something. But she looked human... Silnas couldn't place whatever it was, beyond the fact that the woman was too arrogant for a non-Drykas. "Cat is not going anywhere," Silnas said, standing a bit out of the pool to grab her pants, yanking out a bar of soap from them and rubbing it between her palms. "Not so long as you have bow. You get bow, I get cat. Though, thought you said cat did not understand anyways." She started to scrub the dirt off her skin, working up her arms, the dirt flaking off. Part of her did feel self-conscious about doing this in front of another woman, though perhaps she should be more concerned about the bow and arrows still in her hand. "Best put bow away, girl, before pretty eyes get hurt." Silnas stared right at her, unflinching. OOCGlad to hear it~! c: Don't be afraid to straight up PM me if so wanted, unlike Silnas I'm friendly to strangers.

[Rinya]

Pavi… yup she was Drykas alright. Granted the girl could just be very fluent, but Rinya was willing to bet her last Mizas the girl came from the Sea of Grass. Rinya was slightly surprised though, she actually looked older than the girl in front of her. While Rinya was used to such confidence in older women, this girl obviously had spunk from years of hardship. One didn’t look at an arrow and simply believe it wasn’t going to hurt her—though that thought could leave the girl in trouble if she wasn’t careful. Rinya wasn’t bound to shoot her straight out, but being in the water was going to slow her movements considerably. Rinya had the upper hand, and the girl’s bravado was just that… for the moment anyway. ”Just because it is a cat does not mean that it is clever enough not to be a thing.” Rinya noticed the girl’s slightly broken common tongue, so she spoke slightly slower for her benefit. Smirking at the cat, Rinya placed her bow back down on the side of the pool; however the arrow remained in hand. It wasn’t even so much the presence of the two that had her twirling her arrow between her fingers, but more the fact that she had no idea what else the day was going to have in store for her. The last thing she needed was a Cerulean to get involved. ”But you were so quick to… adjust my way of thinking. If kitty there can understand you so well, why does it not listen to you? Obviously you were displeased with its actions. I do not need to understand Pavi to know you were unhappy with it.” Rinya did her best not to sneer at the cat, ignoring it all together as the girl started to wash. Rinya returned an obviously faked smile as she waggled her arrow in the direction of the Drykas in a teasing fashion. ”I would think someone of your… skill would know better than to doubt someone of mine. Too much pride will get you into a heap of trouble. You are lucky I do not shoot to kill because of insults. After all, I was here first, and it is your pet that disturbed me. I may not own the pools, but it disrespectful regardless.” Leaning back against the wall, Rinya sighed and went back to twirling her arrow. If she misjudged the girl, she would have no problems shoving the arrow into either one of them. She would just have to let the petching creature stay until the girl left.

[Silnas Windhoof]

Silnas snorted, the corner of her mouth twitching up to reveal a tooth as she continued to scrub at her skin, as if determined to take off the first layer with all the dirt that was coming off. "Don't know many cats, then." Silnas quipped, finally finishing getting the dirt off her left arm and working on her right. The windmark's dark red coloring stood out on Silnas' skin, confirming any doubts about her identity. The speech pattern was starting to irritate her. She glared briefly at the girl as she rubbed the bar of soap between her palms again. "No need to speak slower. Can understand just fine. Not stupid." She made a gesture with her hands, and judging by the sly smirk, it probably wasn't anything nice. The smirk showed more teeth when the girl waggled the arrow at her, egging Silnas to take it out of her hand and snap it over her head. She just set about to scrubbing her right arm vigorously. "Cats are... of free mind. Cat listens, doesn't always obey. Horse listens, horse obeys." She shook her head. "Only one who can't tell ass from head of cat speaks like you." Her cat kneaded the stone beneath his paws, and licked his muzzle again as he watched the Kelvic. Silnas was just too stubborn to admit she had little control of the cat-- though his behavior was puzzling her, as he acted the way he did when seeing a sparrow on a stalk of wheat. Something about the woman did still strike Silnas as odd-- there was a movement to her head, and the way she stared was... unnerving. Between the bubbles that were blowing off her skin in the breeze Silnas tried to once again study her "companion", but she was human. It was the next comment that caused Silnas to snort and laugh, sounding a bit like a hyena before her face fell as she stared at the other. "No kid yourself. You stab me with skinny stick, cat attack you with big sharp teeth. If not cat, then Akalak will skewer your with many arrow before my body hit ground." She shrugged. "We meet gods, attack each-other in eternity. Does not sound like good plan to me."

[Rinya]

Rinya resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She hadn’t had this type of discussion with anyone since her father left. The kind she usually lost—at least to her father she did. The girl seemed a little offended by the fact she spoke slower, and Rinya held in a huff of exasperation. She would have thought though that it was obvious she didn’t spend much time around cats. It took her a moment however, as she debated on whether or not to rise to the bait of the Drykas’ rant between horse and cat. Would it even be worth it to try and argue that point with her? While Rinya would easily admit that horses were so much more well behaved that cats, she figured the girl would have an answer for that as well. ”Don’t worry your pretty little head over my skinny stick. You aren’t worth wasting a good arrow on… however your cat may be another story. If it should come after me again, I am well within my rights to kill it. No Akalak would argue over this fact… if you do not contain the discipline to control your pet I am not subject to put up with its attack—nevermind how large or small." It wasn’t an insult, just a common place fact, and her tone stated as such. No teasing—no threatening tone, just a plain simple fact. Rinya would not put up with an attack from anyone, she was no one's plaything. Placing the arrow next to the bow on the side of the pool, Rinya pushed herself up out of the water to sit on the edge, letting her feet swish back and forth in the warm water. ”Besides, we can continue to play this little word game, or we can simply let it go. We will get nowhere at this rate.” Her eyes shifted for a moment to the cat, before observing the girl before her. Rinya had to admit just to herself she liked the girl’s spunk. And her eyes… the two toned color was actually quite attractive. Reaching up she gently twisted her braid, wringing the water from her hair.

[Silnas Windhoof]

'Petching girl,' Silnas couldn't help the thought that crossed her mind, and couldn't help the fact that she felt sullen about how her nice, relaxing bath had turned out so far. And this girl was just aggravating. She was acting so haughty and... arrogant! If anyone was hoping for Silnas to suddenly gain insight as to how she appeared to others, they were to be disappointed, for she only found the other's behavior irritating. A small part of Silnas, a vey small part, had a grudging respect for the girl. Too often Silnas had been berated by the white knights in the area, or just had people taking an inordinate amount of offense to anything she said... it was nice to see someone who gave as much as she took. But she'd never let the girl know. Of course not. That would be too... nice. And dangerous. Silnas let out an exasperated sigh when the girl went on her rant about being able to kill the cat. "Cat won't kill you. Cat listens to me just fine. For some reason, keeps looking at you like lunch. But won't kill less I tell it." For the sake of modesty of the other, Silnas turned her face away when the girl sat up out of the pool, and finished scrubbing her arm. With that, she began to take all the braids out of her hair, and when it fell out of its usual constraints.. Silnas had a lot of hair. She reached into her pants once again and got out a comb, flipping her hair forward so it covered her face entirely. She was still aware of how the other stared at her though, catching the Kelvic's eye through a gap in her hair as she brushed, and snorted at her words. "Say one thing, do another. Why keep staring if you have hate for me? Rude to stare." She flicked her hands in a Pavi word that meant as much. OOCStupid thing ate my post. Arggggh.

[Rinya]

Rinya couldn’t help the genuine laugh that bubbled out of her. Now the girl was worried about being her being rude? Shaking her head slightly, she rolled her eyes and shifted on the pool basin slightly to face the Drykas again. ”Hate you? Whoever in the world said I hated you? Your cat yes… but I have reasons to hate cats. And your cat understands that. It isn’t going to pretend any more than I am.” Judging by the look on the feline’s face, it certainly had no intention of letting her out of its sight any time soon. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the mangy furball. ”It has been some time since anyone has… debated with me.” Grinning at the girl, Rinya swung her legs from the pool and stretched them out along the side. The sun was hot enough that it wouldn’t take long to dry off. Unbraiding her hair, she didn’t bother trying to comb it out, just ran her fingers through it quickly. She was lucky she didn’t have the length the girl had, how it didn’t tangle out of the braids must have been a miracle. ”Your eyes are special. Beautiful even—they suit you. Forgive me if I’ve insulted you.” Rinya teased, actually tempted to stick her tongue out at the girl, but figured against it. Rinya wasn’t sure how’d she would take that kind of teasing. OOCSorry for the short post

[Silnas Windhoof]

The laugh actually... startled Silnas. Her eyes widened before she sneered again, pulling her hair away from her face. "What so funny?" She started to comb it out as best she could, still looking away from the naked girl and only glancing intermittently at her. Her next statement really threw Silnas through a loop. The girl... didn't hate her? For a while, there was only the sound of water droplets from Silnas' hair hitting the pool, until she shook her head and scoffed. "Not right. No one.... eh... likes me. You, up to something. Will figure out what." Maybe the girl was out of her petching mind. It would make sense, given the fact that she was lying naked in the sun with every Akalak guard on the second and third stories able to see her. She did glance once at her cat, who was still staring at the girl, saliva gathering in his mouth. "Cat really want to eat you. Not man-eater however. You part bird?" Silnas snorted, obviously thinking it as a sort of joke. Of course the girl wasn't part bird, that would be petching impossible. "Can see why," Silnas remarked dryly. "Not much of a speaker." The usual anger and vinegar was out of Silnas' speaking, however. As much as she hated to admit it, the girl was... growing on her. She was unabashed as Silnas was, and Silnas had to respect her for it. Silnas just hoped the girl didn't notice, and she flipped her hair back, hearing it smack the surface of the water, before her fingers began to braid it all once again, the tiny, tight cornrows along her scalp first. Silnas was stopped once again with what the girl said. It was so... so... unused to what Silnas had heard before, that she could only stare, before she shook her head slowly and went back to her braiding. "Water... gotten into your head. Something. You're petching... weird. You shouldn't be sitting out like that!" Silas untangled her fingers from her hair for a second to gesture. "Akalak here-- all petching perverts! See you naked, think you mean to bear them child. Get back in water, girl. Can't fight off more than one blue bastard." OOCS'fine! I'm a firm believer in quality v. quantity anyways~