Closed Kindness is a Language Even the Deaf Can Hear (Aider)

[Kiaramali]

2nd of Fall, 513 Outside the walls of the Safe Haven Hostel Backward. She couldn’t keep her thoughts from twisting that way, no matter how hard she tried. There was nothing to be found in the past that would soothe her spirits or settle the unease coursing through her body, so what did she seek there? Kiaramali rubbed the pad of her thumb over the worn rune stone in her coat pocket and stared at the empty street. Her inky eyes sought, but found nothing familiar. The sensation of packed earth beneath her feet still unnerved her. In the two days she'd been in Nyka, she'd barely stepped a leathery foot outside of the Hostel where she stayed. As much as she hated the walls around her, the feeling of not knowing where she was going disabled the fledgling Chaktawe hunter. During her northbound trek, she’d been so focused on getting away that she hadn’t needed to worry about where her journey would end, but now that she'd gone as far as she could go, she found settling in...disconcerting. Never in Kiaramali’s life had she lacked direction; if ever she was lost, she just held out her hand and un-balled her fist. Her fingers would guide her. Doing that here in the city kept her turning circles, doing nothing to ease the disquiet in her belly. Her pulse raced as she turned to look over her shoulder. She felt Taima’s presence before she heard the gruff squawk of his voice and lowered her chin to catch a glimpse of the eagle's familiar form. His ebony wings fluttered as he settled in on the steps in front of the building. At once, her guardian's thoughts formed a picture in her mind. The warm glow of the desert took the place of Nyka's cold streets. So perfect was the image he sent her, she could feel the tiny grains of sand between her toes. “Thank you,” she said aloud in Tawna—out into the chilly air, though the words were meant to be a thought aimed only at Taima.

[Aider Silander]

The morning was crisp and clear, what one would expect at the beginning of fall. This kind of weather that Aider enjoyed so much. He smiled as he walked through the streets of Nyka. He shifted his jacket on his shoulders, as he heard a voice he didn't recognize and a language he didn't understand. He stopped looking around for the source of the voice. He saw a beautiful woman standing in front of him, obviously a foreigner. Aider smiled a sly smile, before walking over to the lady. "Excuse me Miss, can I help you?" he asked, in a warm friendly voice. One that made someone fill relaxed. "The names Aider, I live here. Have for my whole life, you look kind of lost?" he asked.

[Kiaramali]

“Excuse me miss, can I help you?” Common. She understood it well enough but the words this stranger spoke sounded rough around the edges, like chewing on Keerdash root. The language prickled her ears, but the soft tone of his voice was less unpleasant and his brown eyes seemed to lack the same hardness his voice did. It was the most unusual of her experiences in this celestial city, so far. It had been quiet in the shadows of the cramped Hostel room she crouched in. Kiaramali liked it that way. It was wise to assess the landscape before she made a move in any direction. "Keep the sun at your back and your fingers to the wind, unless you want to lose yourself in the sand dunes," her father had drilled into her as she was growing up. So many of her friends hadn't come home. She was about err on the side of caution and tell this man to keep moving when Taima hedged up alongside her and flapped his wings once more, not wanting her to let go of the warm image still floating in her thoughts. It was hard to voice her apprehension with him in her mind. Her body relaxed some, despite her wariness. "The names Aider, I live here. Have for my whole life, you look kind of lost?" Aider? Kiaramali smirked at his name. What kind of name was Aider? It seemed a strange name for a man to have. Her men had strong names with many syllables. Aider was blunt and short, like all of Common in her mouth. There was nothing short about the rest of him, however. He towered over he just slightly and his confident stance reminded her of the way her mother navigated the desert—with surety. He might not be the worst of allies if he made his way through the maze of streets with even half the skill her mother moved them through the Burning Lands with. Kiaramali took a chime to chew over her words before she said them, uncertain as to how much she cared to share about herself or even that she would be able to make him understand her. She pointed to herself. It seemed a universal gesture. Why did she feel so slow-witted now? Her speaking of Common was out of practice, but she knew it well. “I am Kiaramali.” The words were wooden, but they worked. “And I am lost. I should find the Employment Yard.” The end of the sentence slipped out in Tawna, her Common lacking for a word for it. “I need to be worth my weight in water,” she spit out, trying to cover up her mistake by waving her hand in the air.

[Aider Silander]

Her voice rang in his ears, the last of her words in a language he didn't know. He paused looking interested at her. "You're looking for work?" he asked simply, "I could show you the way to the employment center... If you would like". He smiled, brightly and asked "Where are you from?" He turned around and walked down the road that he arrived from. "This way" he said waving a hand for her to come walk beside him. "What language was that?" he asked, his normal barrage of questions coming out one after the other. His quest to learn never ceased and if he had the chance to learn something new he pounced on it. He turned to look at her, his eyes sparkling in the early morning light. Her unique beauty captured his thoughts, causing him to stop short on his barrage. He took at deep breath and released it. The crisp air feeling good on his throat and skin.