Closed What the Night Yields[Halin'a, Cynnya]

[Halin'a]

3 Winter, 513AV

Halin'a strolled down the street, enjoying the way the moonlight felt on his skin; there was a faint luminescence emanating from it, characteristic of his kind. He had heard himself referred as many things in the fifty-six years since he had fallen from Leth's domain: Fallen, Moon-Shifter, Moonie, Ethaefal-- that last seemed to be the "politically correct" term for a fallen child of Leth or Syna.

Halin'a missed his former home, but he had grown fond of his new one. After fity-six years in Syliras, however, Halin'a was curious about the changes in the home of his former life. Sometimes, Halin'a got flashes from that life; the life of a young human man who had drowned in the harbor of Zeltiva a long, long time ago. It seemed the city had grown, although recent disaster had struck it a few seasons ago.

Spotting an easy route up, Halin'a scaled a building, climbing out onto the roof. He liked being high up, liked being closer to Leth. While he had accepted his new life, he still missed his old sometimes, and when that mood hit, it was easier for him to be closer to Leth, even if it could never compare to how he had previously lived.

Settling in on the shingles, Halin'a pulled his knees to his chest, resting his arms on them, and his chin on his arms. "Leth," he murmured softly, closing his eyes. "I am lonely. I miss you, I miss my old life. I have grown to like this life, but it is no subsitute. Please, if you cannot do anything else, please help me to meet someone who appreciates you as I do."

The stars gave no sign of answering.

[Cynnya]

Whiskers twitched, ears stood still as the small rodent paused on the roof's peak. Beady black eyes searched the night for danger, not knowing that it lurked around the next chimney stack. The moon provided sufficient lighting for the scavenger to see by, and more than enough light for the awaiting predator. Cynnya's black-tipped tail twitched as she waited patiently, crouched low behind the chimney with her senses on high alert. Rodents ruled the rooftops when the sun set and an ocelot could make a hearty meal of the tiny beasts. She was sure the humans living below appreciated her keeping the rodent population in check, so every other night she prowled the rooftops in search of a meal. The rat scampered along the peak towards her and she prepared to pounce, adjusting her stance just slightly, bringing her hind legs closer to her front legs in order to give her more power. Just then, a tall humanoid figure scaled the rooftops, startling both Cynnya and the rodent. The rat darted into a small hole in the roof and Cynnya scampered up the chimney as she would escape up a small tree, at once annoyed that her hunt had been interrupted and nervous that this humanoid meant to harm her. Luckily for her, the chimneys on this particular set of buildings were literally stacked so she could climb from one to the next like stairs. The tallest one towered over the humanoid, no mean feat seeing as he was the tallest she had ever encountered. She sat regally on the tallest chimney, examining the individual who had disrupted the hunt and taken a seat on the rooftop. Aside from his height, he was also unlike any human that she knew in that he had horns curling around his ears and a strange luminescence to his skin. Her sharp eyes scanned him for any sign of aggression or tension and, finding none, she transformed silently into her human form. She remained seated on the tallest chimney, apparently comfortable with the height and balanced, her acute hearing picking up his whispers to himself. He seemed to be talking to the moon more than himself, which she found peculiar but humans all had different habits that she didn't try to understand. Gathering what little courage she had, and feeling no evidence of a bond forming, she spoke up. "Who is Leth?" she asked, tilting her head inquisitively. Her voice was not overly loud, but in the silence of the night she was sure he could hear her. { made by ally of thesintax and rpgd, please leave this credit intact }

[Halin'a]

Halin'a jumped when the girl appeared, his arms flying back to steady himself and keep him from falling off of the roof. He studied her for a moment-- why was she naked? Halin'a was no expert, but he didn't think most humans went around naked-- before answering, "Leth is the moon."

The Ethaefal tilted his head curiously. "Who are you? Why are you up here without any clothes? I know that humans get cold easily in this Winter season." There was something about the girl's eyes, however, that struck him as... non-human. He studied her more closely. Blonde hair, darker eyebrows, high cheekbones, she looked human, except for whatever it was about the girl's eyes.

[Cynnya]

Something about the way he was just as startled by her as she had been by him pleased her and erased most of her irritation towards him. They were both startled by each other, therefore they were even in her mind. She supposed she would have felt a little bad had he actually fallen off from being startled, but he didn't so there was no need to wonder about such things. "The moon, eh?" she repeated, glancing up at the silvery orb in the sky. "Why are you talking to the moon? It will not answer you." Cynnya may have some knowledge of history, but religions and beliefs of other peoples were foreign to her. She was very logical and did not understand why someone would speak to an inanimate object which could not offer any form of response. She looked back down at the strange man and smiled, flashing her slightly pointed and enlarged canines. "I am Cynnya, and I was hunting before you scared away my prey," she answered matter-of-factly, her smile vanishing. A breeze blew gently over the rooftop and it was then that she realized it was indeed cold, although not as cold as it would get as the winter season went on. Goosebumps pimpled her skin and she shivered slightly. She hadn't planned on changing out of her ocelot form this night, so she hadn't thought to bring her cloak along. "You're right, it is chilly. You wouldn't happen to have a cloak with you, would you?" she asked, wrapping her arms around her naked self. Without another word, she shifted back into her ocelot form and descended the chimney stacks agilely, her movements fluid and relaxed. When she reached the rooftop, she sat down and transformed again, hoping that answered his question. "You are not a human, yet you could pass as one without the horns. What are you?" she asked, genuinely curious. Her curiosity was all that was keeping her from going back to hunting and the warmth of her fur. She would endure the cold at least long enough to find out what he was and why he talked to inanimate objects. { made by ally of thesintax and rpgd, please leave this credit intact }

[Halin'a]

Halin'a shrugged off his coat and handed it to her before he answered. "The moon cannot talk back to me, now, but he did, once. I am an Ethaefal; one of the Fallen. Some call me a 'son of Leth.'" When she mentioned her prey, he inclined his head sheepishly. "My apologies. I didn't know you were hunting here, or I would have chosen a different rooftop."

Halin'a studied the woman, thinking over how she had changed forms so easily. "You're a Kelvic, are you not?" he asked curiously. He had met Kelvics before, of course, but he'd never had much cause to interact extensively with one; all of the Kelvics he'd met in Syliras had been bonded, and uninterested in conversing with him when they could converse or attend to their bondmates.

[Cynnya]

Cynnya took the cloak gratefully, wrapping it around her naked form against the cold. "Thank you," she said with a slight smile, not used to such kindness from strangers. Her head inclined slightly as he mentioned that Leth could in fact speak back to him at one time. Her brow furrowed slightly as she struggled to comprehend. "Son of Leth?" she murmured, pausing to look at him once more. "I'm afraid I don't understand. You are a son of the moon, it used to talk to you but now it can't and you have fallen?" It was easy to see where someone who had very little knowledge of other races might get confused. She shrugged as he apologized, glancing over towards where the rat had disappeared. "It's not a big deal, there are plenty of rodents in the city and plenty of time," she said, gesturing towards the other rooftops were small shadows could be seen scurrying about. "Yes, I am an ocelot," she replied matter-of-factly, staring steadily back at him with golden eyes, her pupils dilated in order to see better in the dark. "Have you met others of my kind?" { made by ally of thesintax and rpgd, please leave this credit intact }

[Halin'a]

"Yes," Halin'a murmured, looking back up at the night sky. "I am a son of Leth; when I last died, he took me into his domain. Then, I fell through one of the cracks that still litter his domain from the destruction of the Valterrian, and fell to the earth and took this form." The Ethaefal gestured to his body. "I only look like this while Leth rules the sky, however; once Syna rises, my body changes, and I look like a normal human once more."

He tilted his head to the side, studying the girl intently. "I see much of the ocelot in your form," he said slowly. "Yes, I have met other Kelvics; though they were all bonded, and were not interested in me when they could be taking up their bondmates' attentions."

[Cynnya]

Cynnya followed the man's longing gaze to the sky, hoping to gain some sort of understanding by looking with him at this 'Leth' as he called it. She glanced over again at him quizzically as he mentioned how he last died. "So you've died before?" she asked, looking at him with renewed wonder. "I'm sorry for all of the questions, I just have never met anyone like you. Do you miss being with Leth?" She wasn't worried about making him uncomfortable talking about his past, as she was just curious and didn't think much of how others would react to her questions. She wasn't good with reading people or interacting with them, as she was a solitary creature most of the time. Therefore she tended to be blunt and not as mindful of how people might react to what she says. She tilted her head at the man, almost mimicking him but not in an offensive way. Cats tended to copy other creatures in order to learn more about them and she was merely try to communicate in a different way. "I am not bonded, but like all Kelvic that is what my life revolves around. For now it is finding my bondmate, but I hope to not become so involved with them that I lose all interest in the rest of the world. I like to learn," she said, her thoughts seemingly unconnected in a way, but the way she said it she must have thought it made sense. Cynnya wasn't sure why she was telling this man about herself, but he was different like her and there were some similarities there. { made by ally of thesintax and rpgd, please leave this credit intact }

[Halin'a]

Halin'a nodded. "I have died many times; I had thought that, when Leth took my soul after the last time, that was it; however, Lhex had other plans. I miss it, a lot. Being with Leth was indescribable." He offered Cynnya a smile, and while it was tinted with sadness, it was not from talking with the Kelvic. "I do not mind the questions; it helps, to talk with someone."

He listened intently to her explanation about her bondmate-- or lack thereof-- and nodded when she had finished. "I can understand that," he murmured. "I have heard of all types of bonds-- some become exact mirrors of their bondmates, others complement their bondmate, some become completely infatuated and codependent upon their bondmate, and still others remain their own person." He was quiet for another moment. "Knowledge is good," he said finally. "A thirst to learn, even better. For while you wish to learn, you will never be a slave, to yourself or anyone or anything else."

[Cynnya]

This time Cynnya's surprise could not be hidden. He had died more than once? This did not fit with her understanding of most sentient beings and she was struggling to make it fit into her schema. She hesitated to ask more questions, finally picking up on the sadness that permeated the man's eyes and reached his smile. Her list of questions vanished at once as she realized she might be making him sad even though he said that talking helped. "Who is Lhex?" she asked, her tone gentler and less insistent, not wanting to upset him more. She wrapped the cloak tighter around her and shivered, but this time not from the cold. "I want to remain independent when I bond," she whispered, drawing her knees to her chest. She had never told anyone about her fear before and she wasn't sure why she was letting it slip now. In fact, she promptly shut her mouth about it and looked at him with fear-filled eyes, the rest of her expression blank. "Could you maybe teach me about your race and history? I am interested in the history of other peoples," she said abruptly, trying to get the topic of conversation off of herself. { made by ally of thesintax and rpgd, please leave this credit intact }