Open Soaking is Good for the Soul (Vanari)

[Nyael Atuin]

Night 5 of Summer, 513   Nyael watched the sun set as she soaked in the Travertine Hot Springs. A peaceful sigh escaped her lips as she basked in the tranquility of the hot springs. She had decided the evenings where her favorite time of day. The city slowed down. It was as if everyone just paused to take a breath and enjoy the cool evening air after full day of rushing here and there under the hot summer sun. It was, overall, less intimidating to take a walk outside. Nyael closed her eyes and let her body immerse more fully in the bubbly hot spring.   The hot springs reminded her of the heat vents at the bottom of the ocean floor. It smelled terrible there--like death--yet to her surprise, she would find the most peculiar creatures thriving with no sunlight. There were blood red tube worms, blind albino shrimp, and scaly-foot sea snails. Sometimes she would even find fanged fish or octopuses. Whatever she found by the vents, there was always sure to be a lot of them, huddled together by the only source of heat at the pit of the dark abyss.   Nyael opened her eyes to find the sun had set, leaving a trail of oranges, purples, and indigo. Under the fading sunlight, the pools of travertine glimmered like sparkling gems. The ocean floor heat vents never looked like that, Nyael admitted, and the hot springs smelled nowhere near as awful as the vents.   I don’t know why it took me so long to find this place, Nyael thought. This feels amazing!   The hot springs were fairly empty and there were few enough people that Nyael could put a more than comfortable distance from the other bathers. She was still getting used to the new city and felt rather skittish around strangers. Though she did find it ironic that the deep sea creatures would densely pack together by the vents and here she was trying to distance herself from others.   Nyael wondered where Belo was and what sorts of adventures he was having and whether or not he was travelling by himself or in a pod. She suddenly felt a foreign sensation, one that hadn’t found its way into her heart for some time.   She was feeling lonely.

[Vanari]

Summer, Day 5, 513AV

It had been a rather long but fun-filled day, what with bumping into both a troupe actor and an old, Akalak acquaintance, as well as feasting on scrumptious portions of lamb, learning of theatre life, and even dancing a little with Korin...

Vanari smiled wistfully at that last memory. It had been an impromptu thing, as there were no proper festivities yet before sunset. But, some opportunistic musicians had been busking on the streets outside of Atri's Place, and the young Akalak had quite literally swept her off her feet in a merry little jig. The very fact that he could dance surprised her more than his ability to throw her about like a ragdoll; he was unexpectedly graceful and even burst into a few ridiculous solos, leaving her doubled over with laughter for most of the dance.

Sighing, the Vantha looked over the incredible view of the Travertine Hot Springs as she was confronted with a problem. Since she arrived only a few days ago and was unsure of how long she would stay, Vanari had tried her best not to spend too much coin on lodgings. She still needed to pay her way to Syliras, and could not count on much busking aboard a ship, what with her lack of sea legs and all.

This was where the issue concerning the Akalak came in. He had generously offered to play host in his humble little house--and not the guards' barracks, thank Morwen--and Vanari was sorely tempted to accept, given her present circumstances. She hadn't slept on a real bed, taken a real bath, or worn a decent pair of feminine clothes in ages. Actually, that seemed to be the eternal state of her life, but every now and then some change was desperately needed.

With that said, had he been of almost any other race, Korin's offer would be amazing. She was hesitant, however, whenever the Akalak part of him was involved. Oh, sure, he was charming and handsome and covered in beautiful muscles, but he was also an Akalak. That meant two souls, one body, and big trouble for anyone foolish enough to believe the darker brother could be repressed for even one night. Vanari had only met Amon face to face once or twice--though it was hard to be certain sometimes--and she already found herself highly against the idea of being alone in a room with his twisted soul lurking about Korin's psyche.

She shook her head, wrapping her towel closer around her. It did no good to think about it without having properly relaxed first, and she had already told Korin where she was headed, effectively buying herself some time to come to a decision. The Akalak, naturally, had offered to join her, but she flushed from head to toe at the very idea. His leather armor already left little to the imagination, and his great big, purple presence would certainly not have allowed her much privacy to carefully consider his offer.

The Vantha looked around for a spot with another sigh, consciously trying to avoid other bathers, as she was painfully awkward when strangers and nudity were mixed together. A moment ago, the place had been relatively empty, but several visitors had shown up during her bout of worry, and there were no longer as many empty spots as before.

Suddenly, something caught her eye--one particular bather who was neither human, Kelvic, Akalak, or anything else she could think of. Amazing, it was most certainly a being of a race she had never seen before! And he or she...well, it looked like a she...wait a tick, is that...was she a fish person?

Never one to relinquish an opportunity to meet a new race, Vanari quickly picked up her things and moved to where the stranger bathed. She slowed to a halt as she reached the opposite end and asked politely as she could, "Hello there! Sorry to bother you, but my name is Vanari and I was wondering...would you mind if I joined you?"


" "

[/indent]

[Nyael Atuin]

Night 5 of Summer, 513 Nyael still had Belo on her mind when a newcomer jolted her from her reverie.   “Hello there! Sorry to bother you, but my name is Vanari and I was wondering…would you mind if I joined you?”   “Oh gods!” Nyael squeaked in Char while nearly jumping out of the water. Up until now, none of the other bathers had approached her, much less spoke to her. She clung tightly to the towel wrapped around her to prevent any immodest exposure. In the corner of her eye, Nyael saw her clothes resting nearby but resisted the urge to dress herself.   “Sorry,” Nyael flushed, completely horrified by her overreaction. In her flustered state, she took longer than usual to respond in the Common Tongue. “Uhm…”   Say hi, advised a personal coach her mind just conjured up on the spot. Craving something familiar to calm herself, her subconscious made her coach into the likeness of her favorite sister Yves. Tell her your name. Ask her to sit with you. Tell her you’re new to the city.   “Y…yes,” Nyael’s tongue clumsily stumbled through the Common Tongue. She could tell her accent was particularly heavy right now, probably because she hadn’t practiced speaking it for some time. “May you sit with me. Uhm..." Well that didn't sound right. Nyael powered through the rest. "My name is Nyael. Pleased to meet with you.”   Nyael scooted aside to make room for Vanari. The woman looked human, but Nyael couldn’t be sure. Despite the darkness of dusk, Nyael could still see Vanari’s eyes shifting seamlessly from one color to another. They reminded her of way an octopus changes its skin to camouflage with the seafloor. It was probably rude, but Nyael couldn’t help staring at the mesmerizing kaleidoscope that were Vanari’s eyes. Ask her about her eyes, Nyael’s coach suggested.   “Uhm…ah…what is the word…” Nyael pointed to her own eyes, “the colors. Why do they change? They look very…u…nique.” Nyael felt especially proud of using that word; it sounded sophisticated.

[Vanari]

For a moment, it seemed as if this creature of the sea would refuse. Then she unexpectedly scooted aside, making room for the much larger Vantha. Smiling shyly and nodding her head in thanks, Vanari slowly dipped a food into the hot water and submerged herself until only her shoulders and head stayed dry.

This being was wondrously strange, unlike anything the Vantha had ever seen before. Vanari tried not to stare too rudely, but couldn't help notice the subtle sheen of her...flesh? Scales? It was hard to be sure, but it was exotic and beautiful nonetheless. What struck her as most surprising, however, was not the fins or webs or teal colored skin, but rather the obvious kindness on the being's otherworldly face. She seemed no more capable of threatening someone than her informal guest was, and doubly so because of her small size. Vanari relaxed a little, realizing the fish woman was probably as nervous as she was.

As though further proving this theory, the woman stumbled through a question as she stared openly at the Vantha's eyes, which were most likely shifting right at this very moment to mirror all of the emotions she had just sped through. Curiosity had seemed to win against anxiety for the stranger, and Vanari's face split into a wide-toothed grin.

"They change with my emotions, like when I feel sad or happy," she explained, aware of the fact that the common tongue was still unfamiliar to this wondrous fish person. "All my people have eyes like mine. We live in Northern Taldera in the city of Avanthal, where it's always white and never stops snowing. What about you? Where do your people come from?"

Then, before she could even think, Vanari beamed as she blurted, "You must have a fantastic story of how you came to be here. Please, tell me all of it!"

" "


" "

[Nyael Atuin]

“Oh, You are like, uhm…how are they called. With eight arms.” Tucking in two fingers, Nyael formed an octopus hand puppet and made it swim under the warm hot spring waters. “Octopus! Yes, they change their skin color. Sometimes to hide. Sometimes to show emotions also.”   Nyael paused. This would be the first time she would tell anyone about herself. She thought about what she would say and how she would say it and how much she would omit. In all honesty, her story was just a permutation of the naïve country girl travelling to the big city; it wasn’t very interesting. Maybe she should embellish.   “It snows deep in the ocean too.” She tried to find a relatable topic before diving into telling a complete stranger her life story. “It is called…ah…marine snow. It is…food for the creatures down there. But you must travel very deep to see. Charbosi is not so deep. That is where I am from. Many Charoda live there.”   As Nyael continued speaking, she realized her apprehension earlier had greatly exaggerated her accent and her Common Tongue was much actually better than she had thought it to be. She couldn’t engage in any philosophical debates, but she was more than intelligible. It was then that the floodgates opened. Before she knew it, Nyael talked about her 33 siblings and, unfortunately for Vanari, expounded on all the corals she found around Charbosi. She confided in Nyael about Yves and how the two sisters slowly drifted apart. She told Vanari about the burning itch to travel that proved a constant distraction. And then she spoke of Belo.   “He is the strangest Charoda I ever met. He always spoke of joining…living on the surface world.” Nyael explained. She decided to leave out the specific stories Belo told her, in case they turned out to be mere fish stories. “He didn’t like that Charbosi was so far from the surface cities. He said it was backwards thinking and that the surface world isn’t as…hostile as it once was. So I left home to see this world he always talked about, to see if he was truthful.”   Nyael paused to take a breath and then realized she had monopolized the conversation. “Oh, please do tell your story. Are you living in Riverfall?”

[Vanari]

Vanari laughed at the way Nyael imitated an octopus. The Charoda--as she had assumed the race was called from Nyael's description of home--was much more suited for fishy imitations, with her teal skin and dark green webs.

It snowed in the ocean?! How fascinating! The Vantha felt a twinge of sadness; she would never get to see such a phenomenon so deep in the water, but the idea was interesting none the less. She had little time to dwell on it, however, as the Charoda went on with her tale, her struggle with the common tongue growing less and less apparent.

After a few chimes, Nyael suddenly stopped, appearing flustered. “Oh, please do tell your story. Are you living in Riverfall?”

Vanari blinked, having entirely forgotten that they were still strangers, and that she had her own story to tell. "Actually, no I--"

Something splashed noisily into the water in front of them, startling them both violently. Vanari would have screamed, had she not seen whose purple face the devious grin of the new arrival belonged to.

"What the petch are you doing here, Amon," she seethed, phrasing it more as an accusation than a question and deliberately calling out the Akalak's darker half. It irked him whenever she could tell the difference.

"What's with the sour tone?" Amon responded, feigning hurt.

For a split second, he seemed just like Korin. He had the same handsome face stretched in an easy grin, and his muscled arms were propped lazily behind his head at a familiar angle. Ah, but Vanari knew better than that. "You were taking too long, and I fancied a hot soak myself, so here I am. What, not happy to see me?" He quirked an eyebrow as an attempt to appear disarming, but the wicked look in his eyes undermined the gesture completely.

"We were just leaving, actually," Vanari abruptly declared, glancing at Nyael with a worried look. The Charoda was unaware of how stealthy Amon could be; it was best if they left together. With that thought, the Vantha stood up from the water, glaring down at the Akalak and hoping that Nyael got the message.

Amon let out a low whistle, then grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down next to him. "Didn't think we'd get this kind of view again," the dark brother whispered in her ear, then said seemingly to the air, "Hey, Kor, enjoying yourself in there?"

"Let. Go." She glared straight into the Akalak's ice blue eyes, until something in them wavered. He let her go as if he had just awakened from a dream, and Vanari felt her heart ache at the sight.

Then the wicked grin was back again, and the Vantha shook her head. There was no helping it; they just had to let Amon run his course this time around. "Nyael," she inquired, her gaze softening as she turned to the Charoda. "I'm kind of hungry, want to come grab something to eat with me?"

This was a lie, of course, as she had downed a whole rack of lamb not one bell ago, but they needed a low key escape that wouldn't prompt more stalking. Amon looked less in control now, but there really was no way to be sure. Silently, she watched Nyael anxiously as she waited for the woman's answer.

[Nyael Atuin]

“What the petch are you doing here, Amon.” Vanari demanded of the Akalak who was sporting a devilish grin.   Nyael didn’t know who Amon was, but from what she could tell, he was no friend of Vanari. He seemed obsessive and possibly crazy. In frozen terror, Nyael had watched as he relentlessly harassed Vanari. And that’s when Vanari gave Nyael a very clear cue.   “We were just leaving, actually.” Vanari cast Nyael a pleading look as though to ask, Do you understand? It’s not safe here. Nyael nodded discreetly.   But then Amon seized Vanari’s wrist and dragged her to his side. Nyael’s mind wheeled through various scenarios in which she tried intervene but they always ended in Amon overpowering them both. As a Charoda, she didn’t practice any martial arts nor did she have any need to inflict harm on another being. She was essentially a gardener; the most violent act she had ever committed was probably pruning dead leaves and branches from an otherwise healthy plant. Amon whispered something in Vanari’s ear and then spoke to no one she could see. He must be insane, Nyael decided. But then, inexplicably, Amon let Vanari go.   “Nyael,” Vanari’s tone softened considerably, “I’m kind of hungry, want to come grab something to eat with me?”   “Yes,” Nyael said in a stilted voice. She was never very good at acting. “Yes, I am hungry, as well.”   She hopped out of hot spring, grabbed her clothes, gently took Vanari’s hand in hers, and then scurried away with Vanari behind her. Her heart raced from the rush of adrenaline. If Amon had voiced any objections, it was drowned out by the ringing in Nyael’s ears. The night had cooled the summer air, and Nyael found herself shivering as her feet quickly padded across the creamy travertine stone.   “Who was that?” Nyael asked once they reached the changing rooms. She entered a stall and swiftly dressed herself. She gingerly peered over the top of her stall, out into the dimly lit springs. Though she only saw two sets of wet footprints leading to the stalls, she still felt uneasy. “Do you think he followed us?”

[Vanari]

Vanari threw on her clothes in the stall next to Nyael's, grateful for the Charoda's swift course of actions. Korin was probably almost back in full control, but she preferred not to be present whenever he returned. It was always painfully awkward, since Amon usually did everything in his power to humiliate his lighter brother once his ruse was exposed. That, and Korin would have just bolted away anyhow, like he always did. Who knew a macho Akalak like him could be so easily embarrassed?

"That was an old friend," she answered once they were both fully dressed. "I don't know how much experience you have with Akalaks, but that's pretty much how things go on a daily basis. It's a good thing Korin is stronger--he hasn't let Amon hurt anyone so far, unless they deserved to be hurt."

On that cryptic note, Vanari trailed off and heaved a giant sigh, scratching her chin. Where should they go? What should they do? It was best not to stick around for much longer, mainly to avoid confronting Korin.

She turned to Nyael, drawing nothing but blanks. "Is there anywhere you'd like to go? I only suggested eating as an excuse, but I haven't really got a clue as to what we should do now.

Looking up, she noted how quickly the sky had darkened, and felt a hint of apprehension at letting the slight Charoda walk all the way home by herself. "Do you live nearby? Perhaps we can continue are chat as we make our way back to the city."

[Ragdoll]

Grade Awarded!

Nyael-should you return to Miz and want your portion graded, shoot me a PM.
Vanari, I omitted any lores about Nyael who is inactive.

Vanari :

Skills

Skill	Points
Socialization	4
Observation	2
Teaching	1
Rhetoric	1

Lores

• Race: Charoda
• Akalak Apprehension
• Escaping Unwanted Attention

Comments

Sad to see this thread end prematurely-it would've been interesting to see how Vanari and Nyael's relationship developed! Ah well.

Don't forget to edit your grading request! Though I try my hardest to award you what you deserve, I may occasionally mess things up! If there's something you'd like to discuss about your grade, then please don't hesitate to send me a PM and I'll be happy to work things out with you.