Rejection [Finished]

[Mindi]

Mindi drew back suddenly as if Vitalos had hissed at her like a giant serpent. Her hands instantly clenched together as they were lifted to her chest, she didn't take her eyes off of Vitalos, she wanted to argue, she wanted to tell him that he could help cure fatigue and muscle exhaustion, but she had a feeling he would reject the offer again. Something awkward had just happened between them. Mindi was genuinely caring like this, even though she was cold on their first meeting, more 'like a giggling school girl' today, and now shifted to a mother hen. Mindi sighed, the way he began to look at her disturbed her for some reason. For several seconds she closed her eyes, forced herself to take exceptionally deep and slow breaths, and reopened again and nodded. "Sorry. I was just worried about you."

With that, Mindi turned and began walking again, though her gaze would not glance back at Vitalos for a long time, if at all. Whatever had happened, Mindi didn't understand. Rak'keli asked little more of her than to heal everyone without discrimination. That meant, quite simply, everyone. Friends, strangers, and foes alike. Mindi was given the power to heal so that other would not have to suffer as much as they could be, and it was so rare that she was straight up rejected like this, it was shocking. That wasn't what bothered her though. It was the way he looked at her, the look in his eyes. He might have crouched to see eye to eye, but the two of them didn't understand anything about each other, even though he was human, and Isur were known for being very similar to humans, they knew and understood very little of each other.

'What am I doing? I should have known he was alright, he is obviously fine, I can see that now. Why did I instantly assume something terrible? Maybe I shouldn't have hit him. Maybe he is weaker than I thought. Maybe I hurt his pride. Do I need to justify myself? Does he understand? Would he even bother to listen...' Mindi's mind was feeling foggy, her thoughts began to run together like two different colors of ink colliding and swirling, but not truly mixing together, but chaotic disorder. She felt a little light headed. 'It's not often I hurt somebody when I'm serious. Maybe I should be more Isurian again. It may be less pleasant, but it's for a greater good. The Gods will understand. Rak'keli, did I do something wrong?'

Mindi's left hand lifted to her shoulders and grabbed the hood of her black robe, and slowly she pulled it back over her head, once again hiding the black hair and a majority of her lightly silver tinted face. She felt like destroying something, like building something, like screaming, and locking herself in an empty room of silence. She wanted, felt a strange urge to go to the blacksmith and just watch whatever man, probably an Akalak Giant, forge weaponry. It wouldn't be the same as the fires at home, but it would bring her a little closer to it.

[Vitalos Umbreffigia]

Vitalos watches Mindi walk away with a confused expression on his face. Rather, confused was an understatement. Vitalos was utterly bewildered and dumbfounded by Mindi's reaction. Such a simple misunderstanding, transformed into a conflict that seemed life-altering. He had no idea why she was suddenly reacting so dramatically and so vehemently to this. It didn't make any sense... Part of him wanted to walk away, just let things cool down so they could talk things out. But ultimately, he decided it might be better to explain things now so there was no chance anything would fester.

After a moment, Vitalos rises to his feet and jogs after the Isur. He ignores the stares that the exchange had drawn and weaves through the townsfolk, eventually coming up beside her and finding her hood drawn up. Cutting herself off from him? Damn it, there had to be something more to this. There was no way she was simply freaking out because he had stumbled back. Or maybe there was some great insult he had delivered; he didn't know.

As he falls into step beside her, he opens his mouth to speak, then shuts it, instantly feeling the discomfort in the air was palpable. He attempts to think of some way to break the ice, but all that came to mind were cliche remarks on how awkward it was. It was best, he decided, to simply get right on with this.

"Mindi, hold on. I think we need to talk about this. It seems to me that it's just a minor thing that got out of hand. I think if we both just share our thoughts, we can clear this up and, I dunno... Make things not awkward?"

He was trying to put things as gently as possible for now. He didn't want it to escalate any further than it had already, but right now Mindi seemed like a lit fuse and he had to douse her before she went off. For all he knew she could be about to break into a fist fight...

[Mindi]

Vitalos came after her, it wasn't long, but when he spoke, asking her to slow down, she did so, completely stopped moving in fact. Mindi knew he was right, it did become very awkward all of a sudden, and she even knew why. They were different, very different from each other. They didn't understand how each other thought, how they acted, what they felt, it was natural that they wouldn't see eye to eye, or react or even understand the other's reactions. Mindi turned her face to see Vitalos, and on her lips, she was smiling. She didn't particularly want to talk about it, but suffering in the fog of awkwardness wasn't appealing either.

"Vit, you are a caring man, more so than most humans I've met, and I've only just met you. The truth is that we cannot understand each other within a few words exchanged or within a few bells' time. I don't wish for you to be awkward around me though. I'm not worried about myself being awkward around you, everything you've seen about me isn't awkward or strange, it is how I am. You don't have to be unnatural or feel uneasy about these things. I care for others more than I do myself, a worry for your sake more than my own. I apologize if my... strong feelings on some subjects mix with cold feelings on other like water and oil, but it is who I am. Mindi of the Vizarian Clan, Isur, follower of Rak'keli, Izurith, and Cheva, ex-apprentice of a blacksmith, Comrade of Vitalos. Let us not try to memorize everything we can about each other, it isn't possible by conversation nor within a single day. You do not come to learn from and understand others by explaining, but by living with them, being around them." Mindi's small smile grew slightly as she began to walk slowly again, making sure Vitalos could easily catch up within a few full strides. "We'll understand each other someday, but for now, we can do nothing else but accept each other for who we are."

That was just what Mindi believed of course. Perhaps he had a better idea or a different philosophy he wanted to pass by her. She would listen if it was so, but it would only strengthen her belief that they were very different after all. "Now, what was it we were talking about before you nearly collapsed? Your awesome wrath or something about charm wasn't it? I must say my mind shifted on me so quick I cannot recall accurately." Mindi was joking again, or at least trying to, making a verbal jab at Vitalos's "Near Death Experience". Mindi would, much in contrast to what she said, feel a little awkward for a good while, or at least every now and then when they spoke. It was bound to happen again, similar scenarios of panic and misunderstanding, but she could recover, she always did.

[Vitalos Umbreffigia]

Vitalos flashes her a quizzical look at her initial smile, but as she explains her plan of action, the expression fades. His mouth begins to twitch slightly, as if repressing an emotion, and as she finishes he begins to laugh aloud. He wasn't exactly sure why, he just found the entire situation funny. The night before she'd been so cold and flippant. Today she'd been energetic and humorous, then suddenly transformed to being caring to the point of hysteria. Immediately after, she'd turned a cold shoulder, and now she was back to being talkative.

Just my luck that the two women I'm going to journey with are completely insane. Ah, well...

He frowns slightly at his own thoughts, as if he could sense something not quite right about them, but shrugs it off and responds aloud to Mindi.

"Hey, if you wanna drop it, it's fine by me. We'll just let this one slide for now, call it a 'cross-culture hiccup' or something to that effect. If this little ordeal has taught me anything, it's that we're definitely not going to understand each other so easily."

He flashes a grin at her.

"And for the record, despite your quirks, I think you're quite caring too. If a bit cold at first. And possibly insane."

He chuckles, once more clearly joking. Still, he felt a bit uneasy; he supposed it couldn't be helped. It had been one hell of an odd occurrence. Either way, it was time to put that past them for now. As he'd said earlier, it was best to live in the present and the future, for the past didn't matter.

It had damn well better not... What would I do if it did..?

"I don't even remember. I think I made a threat, and then I started hitting on you or something. You wanna stop somewhere, or did you have a destination in mind? I wanted to watch the clouds for a little while."

[Mindi]

"A cross-culture hiccup?" Mindi pondered the phrase a moment, she never heard of it nor considered it, but it made sense, if even it seemed a little childish. Then ago, there was plenty of childish comments said within the short amount of time they've been chatting. "I think I like that. We'll call it a hiccup then. Anyway, I didn't mean completely drop it, just to understand that a long boring drawn out conversation about it won't fix it. I'm not broken... nor insane..." Mindi flashed Vitalos a mocking 'best-evil-and-angry-face-that-I-can-make' as she spoke, which probably looked about the equivalent of a pouting or child trying to force a fit to get was he/she wants.

"I prefer misunderstood. Besides, the way I am is simply because of how I was molded. I care because I was born and raised to do so until I simply cannot not care." Mindi paused, wincing lightly at the obnoxious sounding grammar mistake she said, but simply could not find words to get around it, she continued. "I am cold because I am Isur, and I am misunderstood (she put an large dose of emphasis on this word) because I am a woman, I am in unfamiliar territory, and I don't understand most people yet." Mindi spoke with a 'matter-of-fact' tone of voice and an almost triumphant glow in her eyes, she was confident as well, another trait that was probably obvious to Vitalos now that the others didn't quite grasp.

Mindi took another moment to pause, pondering Vitalos's offer to 'watch the clouds'. In all her travels, which weren't outstanding, but were more than most people experienced, she never took the time to leisurely watch the sky. She didn't even really have a destination in mind either. She smiled and nodded. "I can't imagine clouds being worth so much attention, but I can't see the harm in it. If it will keep you from stooping to the level of promiscuity of these large Blue Men towards me, then let's watch them." Mindi nodded lightly and shifted.

"I suppose you are Emma's chosen 'Second-in-command' anyway. Lead on Captain Vit.'"

[Vitalos Umbreffigia]

Vitalos rolls his eyes at the idea of his being a "captain." As far as he was concerned, the notion of this group needing any designations was ridiculous. Perhaps informal ones, but it wasn't as if they needed a damned bureaucracy to keep five people in line. Emma had gathered them, and Griffith was collected enough to be mediator. Vitalos had experience in strategy. But none of that meant that the others couldn't take care of themselves.

"Please. Emma's command means as little to me as dirt. Look, if we're in a pinch, I'll do my best to keep everyone alive. But I'm not going to treat you guys as if you were soldiers. You're all my equals. We go into this with a command structure, we're not gonna be so willing to keep one another alive. I mean, would you rather fight to keep alive your closest companion? Or your mediator? Pragmatism has its place, but emotion drives the spirit further than logic."

He flashes a teasing grin at her attempt at intimidation, letting her know how pathetic it was.

"You should stick with looking scared. You're very good at that."

He smirks lightly in jest. He considers her idea of her being 'molded.' He wasn't a large fan of that idea. He supposed it might make more sense in Isurian culture. To him, however, people were not molded unless they allowed themselves to be. Everything came down to choice. Freedom. Mindi did not care because of the way she was raised. She cared because she chose to care.

Despite this, there were greater matters that needed attending.

"You've never watched the clouds? Why the hell not? They're nature's greatest gift. I mean, they're gorgeous... And the different shapes they make; perfect if you watch with other people. Everyone brings their own perspective. It's a viewing both of nature and of other people."

He shakes his head. It still amazed him that people took clouds for granted. No one ever paid much attention to them, yet Vitalos found them to be incredible. To him, anyone who had never watched clouds was missing out on life.

[Mindi]

Mindi grinned lightly as he obviously shared his expression of loathing for the idea of leadership. It was quite absurd in her eyes really, and it made her more comfortable to know that the one with the second most given power in the group hated the idea himself. Perhaps she liked this human more than she thought. He wasn't money-hungry, power-hungry, but there was something that bothered her about Vitalos. He didn't seem to have any inspirations, aspiration, or motivation for what he did, whatever it was. Mindi had more than enough to do what she did, Gods require a lot of attention and respect. Dedication was a must. Vitalos though, seemed to have nothing, for all she knew, Vitalos could be using the group until he found a better idea or path he'd prefer to take. Perhaps he was trust worthy when he had something to fight for, but Mindi wasn't so sure he had something to fight for, and she couldn't expect him to simply put his life on the line for a few mortals he had just met. Her grin slowly faded.

"That makes two of us. I'd trust your instincts over hers any day honestly." Mindi couldn't help but hesitating about adding 'except that she seems to have motivation for this', which she of course decided not to say. Mindi couldn't help, however, to smile at his little speech. Companions, if he truly saw them as such, then maybe he was trustworthy after all. Trust, that's all she would give him for now, the trust that he will do what he says.

"You should stick to being wounded yourself, it suits you better, Captain." Mindi smiled in retaliation, if she was scared for his life, then he was pathetic enough for her to babysit.

Mindi's jaw opened lightly as he accused her of never watching the clouds. No, was he scolding her?! Mindi frowned lightly as she tried, without success, to defend herself. "I've seen clouds before! I mean, I know what they look like and what they do... and how they look." Mindi's voice slowly faded out, she didn't like this idea, knowing that whatever images she saw, Vitalos, the 'Professional Cloud-Watcher' would probably destroy. However, going along with his game was about all she could do to make up for the freak-out moment she tossed on him, even if it was all in caring.

Mindi, however, could not figure out Vitalos. A man that willingly and openly defied the Gods, all of them, yet took the time to watch clouds? Sure, they brought rain and they added personality to the sky, but they didn't protect or heal people, they didn't grant strength to those that needed it. Who would shun Gods but worship clouds. Mindi couldn't help but feel like she was in the presence of a blasphemous human. He was very intriguing at least.

[Vitalos Umbreffigia]

Vitalos chuckles and takes a left, heading riverside. Of all the tiers, the second was his favorite. Merchants hawking their wares, shrieks of people slithering through the streets, all of it awed Vitalos. And besides, there was this great spot near the third tier's waterfall that was absolutely gorgeous... No matter how many times he went, he always had a pleasant feeling whenever he headed in its direction.

"Well, we'll see. First impressions are sometimes off. It's doubtful, but maybe Emma isn't as bad as she puts on. Here's to hoping, anyway."

He says this without much confidence in its ever coming true, but clearly with hope. He honestly believed that Emma might get them all killed if her ineptitude of command kept up. But he'd had enough of dwelling on her. When they got on the road, then he would worry. For the moment, he would enjoy his final days in Riverfall, for it was assured that they would not last.

Mindi was in fact correct in her analysis of Vitalos. He, of everyone there, was the least trustworthy by means of goals. He was not particularly motivated to go on this 'treasure hunt,' beyond finding his own path in life. He would leave at a moment's notice if he stumbled upon something better, more appealing. He really didn't have any aspirations, any inspirations, and these facts had become viscous, eating away at him, devouring his conscience. He was tired of having no direction, no purpose. He needed something in life. He wasn't sure he would find it in this journey; in fact he very much doubted he would. This wasn't exactly the sort of crowd that would give him much of a life-changing epiphany. It was better than nothing, though. Better than staying in this stagnant city, doing nothing every day but practicing his martial arts and finding the occasional job, jobs that never seemed to last all that long. They never seemed to hold much value to him, or any greater purpose. He needed a greater purpose. Something to fight for. Something to die for. He needed something that made life worth living.

If I could only find the bloody thing!

He snaps back to attention and rolls his eyes as Mindi calls him 'captain.' He almost waited for the salute.

"You're not going to stop calling me that, are you?"

He smirks at her, though that was all he did in retort. He would let it slide, for now. She would present some weakness at a later point, and when she did he would strike and tease her mercilessly. For now, though, he would probably just come up with a nickname or something to that effect. Likely just a shortening of her name, perhaps something more. It all remained to be seen.

He shakes his head and grins, chiding her jokingly. It wasn't all that surprising she had never watched the clouds. So few ever had. It was only a reminder that people did not take the time to enjoy the simpler things in life. Maybe he could change that in Mindi, at least for a day.

"No, no. You've seen clouds before, of that I have no doubt. But I do doubt that you've ever taken the time to notice them. If you had, you wouldn't be saying you know what they look like. Clouds are always changing, molding into different shapes. No two are ever identical; at least, not in my experience."

He chuckles softly.

"Maybe you'll like watching them, maybe you won't. It all depends on how much you are willing to make yourself relax."

[Mindi]

Mindi pondered the option. There was truth in Vit's statement. Perhaps Emma did appear to be a psychotic feline impersonator with a hunger for shiny objects and mauling the shyke out of people, but that didn't mean she wasn't reliable. Sure, first impressions, Mindi always heard, were the most important ones because of their lasting value. In Mindi's eyes, the first impression was the first strike of the chisel and hammer carving a design into a stone surface. It can't be undone, so it must be done with extreme caution. Thank Izurith for giving the Isur such a knack for such arts (the metalworking, stone working, construction, etc, not first impressions particularly, but Mindi was viewing them as the same thing now). Mindi only shrugged before responding. "I do hope you are right. Emma, she worries me. I may need to talk with her to make sure she's more competent than I am assuming right now." Mindi paused a moment to think, then shrugged slowly. "It doesn't matter. Take me to your clouds Captain." Mindi, as much as she wanted to believe in Emma, was skeptical (which may be ironic for somebody that follows the Gods) of the girl's uses. However, Mindi was ignorant of the situation, she was unaware of what Emma was, and where she seemed like a child, she was actually a Kelvic, something she hadn't considered.

You're not going to stop calling me that, are you?

Mindi smiled instantly and nodded in reply. "Yes I will. Whenever Emma is around, I'll drop the title. She probably wouldn't approve of it anyhow, and I'd hate for her to drop her furious wrath on either of us." Her smile widened farther as she resisted the urge to laugh. Emma didn't scare Mindi in the least, and it was either very low expectations for their leader, or perhaps arrogance from the Isur herself. Either way, she was probably going to be proved wrong at some point, at least for the usefulness of Emma.

"I notice the clouds." She spoke again, once more trying to defend herself, which was really a pointless battle. "I watch them for rain when they turn dark, and I look for them when Syna blesses Mizahar with an unforgiving scorching sun. I don't see how else you can see them." Mindi let out a brief sigh as she continued to follow the significantly taller Vitalos.

"You know, two blacksmiths never make identical swords either, same as two sculptors making the same statue, or writers completing two books, word for word... unless one copies the other I guess. In fact, a blacksmith make two swords perfectly identical is rare in itself, but those Isur that have the blessing of Izurith (there was a brief tone of distaste in those words, perhaps because she wasn't chosen to be marked by him) have been known to make perfect weapons, same weight, same durability, same elegance and beauty, perfect and perfectly identical. They never change, reliable they are. Like the Isur." Mindi smiled, she meant that last part as her, being both perfect and reliable, which of course was a joke, but teasing is what they've been doing this whole time. It fit. "Anyway, I will see what I can see in your clouds, but someday you have to promise that join me returning home, and let me show you the splendors of my people. Then we can compare."

[Mindi]

[[ Ended Prematurely ]]