Somehow Familiar

[Vayl]

x

41st Spring 514AV

Vayl looked up from the grassy floor. Odd. since when had his room had grass in it? Vayl then raised an eyebrow. Half of his room had been torn away, the wooden planks splintered, the wall crumbling. Ahead of him was a vertical drop, all the way down to lake Ravok. In the distance a vast thunderstorm brewed. The cracking of thunder shook the floor and the brief flashes of lightning lit Vayl's large purple eyes up dramatically.

Vayl's eyes narrowed back to their normal size, hidden slightly behind his hair and the shade of a dark, violent lavender.

Well... this must be a dream. he thought to himself. He had had similar dreams like this of recent. He could tell them from reality mostly because of the storms. Ravok's weather, much like its public appearance, was impeccable.

Hopping down onto a floorboard jutting out over the immense drop, he sat on his hands and swung his legs.

Well then, let's see what happens this time

x

ah, death at last
my escort to blissful frailty

[Engghaen]

With a scream, Engghaen fell down through the floor, hitting the floor beneath it. 'Gods, please help me...' This was not the most comfortable way to wake up, but that didn't really matter. She had found a patch of grass, so that was good. This...was a room. Half a room, to be precise. She quickly got on her two feet as she realised there was someone else in this room.

Awkward..

There was a storm ahead. That might as well have been the reason why she fell down, she thought. The girl walked down to the edge of the drop. It did not calm her nerves that somebody would sit here. After all, it was rather.. deadly.

And so she just stood there, watching, not wanting to interrupt the person's thoughts.

[Vayl]

x

Vayl heard a slight crash behind him, over the gentle yet unnervingly violent breeze that blew his chalk white hair over his his eyes.

Turning slowly he look over his shoulder. A small girl stood there.

"Oh. Hello. How did you end up in my dream?" He tried to do a friendly smile, but he didn't really know how to do one of those, so he just moved his mouth, hoping the fangs didn't scare the girl.

Vayl wondered if this girl was real or not. He had read that people's dreams sometimes collide, perhaps her half of the dream was the storm. Somehow he felt the storm was his too. It felt part of him. Suddenly he leant his head back and laughed softly. It sounded like silk falling through fingers.

"Aheheheh. The storm is me." he spoke to himself. It was his anger and hate, all bottled up. Vayl smiled triumphantly to himself. He wouldn't be letting it out. Not quite yet.

"So girl. I'm Vayl. What shall I call you?" he called out over his shoulder. He wondered if he could figure out a way to divine whether this other person was in his imagination or not.

x

ah, death at last
my escort to blissful frailty

[Engghaen]

Then he turned around. She had to say something. "Oh, um... Hi. I should ask you instead. Why exactly am I dreaming about..

Lake Ravok..?" That was long ago. She tried to smile back. Oh, how she missed that place. "I have a weird habit of dreaming about Symenestra. Well, if you're curious where I came from.. I fell through your roof."

"Who are you?" In essence, Engghaen was trying the same as Vayl. She however didn't understand what he'd said earlier about the storm. She was worried it might be hers.

[Vayl]

x

Vayl raised an amused eyebrow as the girl asked who he was. With a flash of a rare grin, he continued staring out over the lake.

"I just said. I am Vayl." but quickly he frowned, violet eyes reflecting the lightning ahead of him.

"And what makes you think I am a Symenestra?" he asked darkly. He certainly wasn't going to fall for that trick, but it definitely seemed like she knew. Still frowning in thought, he hunched over his knees a little more.

"Well I assume you're real if you say you're dreaming as well, if I can trust my own mind not to lie to me." at the mention of Lake Ravok Vayl's eyes flashed. This girl knew a lot more than she let on, he needed to be careful.

"Well, maybe you are remembering some time about when you used to be there?" he suggested blankly. As of now he didn't trust this girl, as was his default to any new person he met. And it was disconcerting that she knew so much about him so fast, so he would keep as much of himself hidden unless she specifically asked.

Better to be safe than sorry after all.

x

But one day
you will stand before death's decrepit gate,
without really knowing why

[Engghaen]

A low sigh escaped. She hadn't heard what he said about that. Maybe it was the thunder or she had been busy thinking about other things. Either way, she missed it and now that made her look like a fool. A bit absent, she answered his question. "Oh, the fact that your face lights up with every flash. Your hair too. It looks like it's glowing.. And your fangs of course." She didn't really understand the essence of this question. He himself knew. She knew. Was he testing her?

Then Engghaen realised she'd been stupid. He of course noticed she knew.She was dropping hints about her so - sometimes - carefully gathered information. The cat did that every time when she met someone new. Trying to find out, preferably without asking. But she'd forgotten she didn't need him to notice.

She clenched her fists. What was she thinking anyway? Looking down at Lake Ravok, she got angry. Why would she even dare trusting him? Hadn't she learned about what happened last time? Then, as if a drip of ink fell into the lake, it turned black, bubbling, gurgling, splattering, smoking. It looked angry.

"That's my part..." she mumbled.

[Vayl]

x

Vayl watched, knees still under chin, impassively as lake Ravok turned into some monstrosity.

"Very impressive" he murmured. "I assume either you're angry or poisoned. Which one would it be?"

He cast a sideways glance over his shoulder, a flash of fang revealed a small smile.

"And very observant on what race I am. Most people tend not to know what a symenestra actually looks like, more often than not we're confined to horror stories." all humor fell from his face and he turned back to the view.

"I have to say I don't really appreciate it."

x

But one day
you will stand before death's decrepit gate,
without really knowing why

[Engghaen]

"Hmm, poisoned? No, I don't think so." Ha? She? Right here, right now? She was just angry, that's all. Not at him, but at herself. Very rarely she got angry. When she felt stupid, when somebody threathened family or a friend, but never ever 'just'.

He started about what she'd explained about Symenestras. A sly smile slid over the cat's face. "In Lhavit they do. They don't like you. Kids are taught you're monsters. " It was horribly true. She didn't like it, but that was the case. As a Sym you wouldn't even dare come to the city of Lhavit. Too dangerous. In Ravok there was more diversity among the inhabitants, so she could imagine living there. "And if I wouldn't know by that alone, I'd wait until you'd try to repeat my name and I'd know."

[Vayl]

x

Vayl's eyes sparked at the mention of Lhavit. She was certainly not worried about her identity being shown.

"So you hail from Lhavit I take it then, and used to live in lake Ravok, seeing as you recognised it by name"

his violet eyes glinted victoriously from under his fringe. Abruptly he stood up and pivoted, his hair splaying, before pacing towards the girl. There was a very slight pause in his gait as he got a proper look at the girl for the first time. She... was small..

The first thing to come into his mind was that she was rather similar to Redd, which then made his mind leap to the assumption that she was also kelvic. But he had no evidence to support that as of now, so he would hide his suspicion.

"So, child, what is your name, since you seem so keen for me to repeat it" he murmured, looking down through his hair.

x

But one day
you will stand before death's decrepit gate,
without really knowing why

[Engghaen]

''Ehhh...'' Great. Now she'd let go even more information about herself. How stupid was she? Could it get any worse? Then she saw he got up and walked towards her. She was, least to say, small compared to the tall person in front of her.

Then he did something that angered the little cat. Child. She was small, she was a cat, - not that he knew, or, she hoped he wouldn't after all her clumsyness - but she was certainly not a child.

''I might look small, but I'm past my childhood! I'm three years old, is that a child to you?!'' the girl let out. Oops. Here she went again, with her smart actions. A sigh escaped from her mouth. ''I'm Engghaen.''

''..but if you ask for information, it's only fair to give some back for it. Information is precious, even when the wind picks it up sometimes, and the wrong ears hear.'' Engghaen was not a person who spoke cryptically often. It didn't make sense. Too posh. Besides, she was too clumsy to think of anything, but sometines, just rarely, she did. Just to sound awesome.

VyvianSorry for the wait!