PM to join Accidental Nighttime Adventures (Cal)

[Alia Beaudouin]

81st of Summer, 514
Late at night

Oh, this was bad.
Very, very bad.
It was bad beyond all of Alia’s knowledge of bad.
This was horrible.

Alia had woken up to twilight in the world, with Syna’s light nowhere to be found. The beach she sat on had long since lost it’s glow due to the sun’s rays. The water, previously blue and sparkling, now appeared to be a murky black, almost as if it was made of oil. It was an almost frightening sight, for the world to appear day one tick and night the next, even if it hadn’t been ticks that passed- It had been bells.

She must have fallen asleep at the beach, which wasn’t surprising, the day after feastday. Everyone in Riverfall had spent the day digesting the harvest they had celebrated the day before, but no, Alia had to go to the beach. In hindsight, it probably hadn’t been her best idea. Although, this was obvious now.

Once Alia had gained the knowledge of what the hai was going on, she had immediately jumped up from the spot under a shade tree that she had fallen asleep on. Unfortunately, this wasn’t such a good idea either, as it gave her a horrible headache from moving so fast right after waking up. Holding her head in her hands, Alia decided now was a good time to question life and why it did these things to her. She had never been out this late, as she was too scared to venture out much after Syna’s light had left the land.

Alia sighed, all she really had with her was her sunhat and…
Her map!
At least there was some shred of hope left for the half-Inarta girl. Even if it was near impossible to make out features of the land at night, she would at least know about where she was, and where she needed to go. Standing up once again, more slowly this time, Alia drew out her map and looked it over. It was quite hard to read the paper in lighting so low, but once her eyes adjusted, the task became much easier.

It seemed Alia wasn’t too terribly far away from her home- The Northwind Suites- though it would take quite a bit of walking. She tried to get her barings by turning the map so it faced the ocean- the way she faced- but that only got her even more lost. She couldn’t have been on the south side of the Bluevein- She never walked that far- but she still needed to figure out where on the beach she stood.

Turning towards the city, Alia tried to figure out what building closest could help her find her way. Fortunately, it seemed the tables had turned in her favor. Thanks to a lit oil lamp coming from one of the windows, Alia could make out the Kuahala Estates, just up the beach from her. That meant she was closer to the Northwind Suites than she thought.
Keeping the map out for future reference, Alia began trekking towards the buildings at a fast pace, hoping to reach the suites before the night drew on any longer.

A few chimes later, Alia was on the road towards the Suites. She had found out the hard way that it was far too easy to take wrong turns in this city at night. A map wasn’t so useful when you couldn’t see anything. Picking up the pace in a futile attempt at getting home faster, Alia wondered what would happen if she couldn’t find her way back. Would she be found the next morning, dead on the street? She remembered the body that was found in the bazaar at the beginning of the season. Would she be the next one found?

Alia shook her head, as if scattering the thoughts. There was no need for such thinking, especially when it was of no use to her. Right now, she needed to concentrate on getting home… Somehow. Maybe if she found some sort of light source, or ran into someone who could help her.
That’s ridiculous. Who would be out this late at ni-

Alia’s thoughts were cut short when she walked right into something- Or someone. Whatever it was, it seemed to be a person, Alia just couldn’t figure out what kind. She could barely make out the fact that it was a sentient being, nevermind race or gender. All she knew is that this person was out late at night for reasons unknown, which was not the most comforting thought.

Then again, this was Riverfall, was it not? It was safe... Right?
In any light, Alia felt like she should apologize, especially since she had probably scared whoever it was just as much as they had scared her. She stuttered over her words, wondering if a better idea was to just straight up run for the hills.

”I- uh, sorry for... Um, I just… Really need to get home...”

[Calters]

You knew, Cal chastised himself silently,You knew it would give you a stomach ache and you ate it anyway!

Calters had very much enjoyed the festival. In fact, he may have enjoyed it a bit too much. He had eaten as much as he possibly could...and then a little more just for good measure. Oh, the food! Even now, with his stomach gurgling angrily and his eyes droopy from sleep he still remembered the taste with relish. Apples that were juicy and crisp at the same time, peaches that were just sweet enough to make the children grin as they ate, and more baked goods than he could recall the names of had tempted him down into the festivities and kept him there.

He had collapsed into bed as soon as it was over and fallen asleep- clothes and all. He still wore a colorful green and orange wreath around his neck (a gift from a slightly tipsy young Drykas woman) and his typical plain leather strap around his torso. It wasn't comfortable, but in his ale-soaked mind, he hadn't cared.

At least, not until he woke up tangled in the wreath with an aching stomach and a pounding headache. He was unsure of the time or day, only that it was pitch black outside.

As if to remind him, Cal's stomach sputtered out a loud groan. Cal mimicked his stomach bitterly. "Yes, I know. You're not happy. Well neither am I right now!" He said grumpily. As he lay on his bed, he tried to think of something that would take his mind off the pain.

His ocarina passed his mind first, as it always did, but that thought was shooed away. It's too quiet. I would wake up the whole town.

Next, he thought of drawing. He considered this, but found nothing in his head to give him an idea of what to draw, so that option was discarded as well.

Drained of his usual ideas, Calters stood and shuffled awkwardly to his door. Perhaps there would be something more exciting outdoors. At the very least there would be fresh air. I might be able to see the moon if it isn't too cloudy, although we are overdue for a bit of rain so I'm not sure which way would be better...

Momentarily lost in his rambling thoughts, Calters hardly noticed that he had made it outside already. He did note, however, that his lower half vaguely hurt as though he had flopped down the stairs and his hands were flushed red from rubbing them along the walls for support.

Now in the open, Cal fluttered his wings lightly, admiring the way the moonlight caught the normally dull brown flaps and turned them into sparkling wings. Preparing for flight, Cal launched himself off the ground with his tail and flapped his wings vigorously. He must have had a bit more ale than previously thought though, because he only made it a few streets before crash landing on the pathway with a clumsy thud. His head pounded, his stomach ached, his lower half was sore from the stairs and he couldn't fly. And to top it all off, he had snagged his wreath on something on the way down! Unbelievable!

"Hai!" He swore lightly. "This cursed thing will be the death of me!" Which thing he was referring to, even he was unsure of. He shrugged out of the colorful noose and tugged on it, but it held fast. With a huff, the dejected Akvatari threw himself on the ground just beneath the dangling wreath. He lay on his back so that, if he were lucky, he could still see the moon he had come out to see.

No such luck for the poor boy. Whatever had snagged the wreath was blocking his view as well. He could make out only its shape in the dark.

He didn't care enough to move it anyhow. He settled for breathing in the soft night air and sitting himself up on the warm ground. It is rather nice, all other things aside. He mused. Quiet, warm...

Just as Cal closed his eyes and relaxed his tense muscles, he heard the heavy sound of footsteps. Frowning, Cal closed his eyes tighter and tried to ignore it. Only when the feet stumbled into his tail did he acknowledge that he would have to move.

"I- uh, sorry for... Um, I just… Really need to get home...”

Calters shook his head imperceptibly and let out yet another puff of air. The woman (if he was judging by her voice, he was sure it was a woman) spoke so jumbled and nervous that he was unsure if she was speaking Common at first. He pondered her words for a tick, concluded that they were, in fact, Common, and then replied in his heavy baritone voice.

""Don't mind me, just trying to enjoy the night."

He paused to think. He had two options. He could help her or let her continue on her way. He thought of the dead body found not too long ago and decided that it would be polite, maybe even expected of him to help her. A stray thought ghosted through his mind as to whether she might be the killer, but he didn't bother with that one too long. She was clearly afraid and a killer would surely be quite confident.

"You said you were looking for a way home?" He asked slowly. Calters stood on his wobbly tail, shook out his wings and gave the wreath one last tug in an effort to show his strength for the woman. He successfully retrieved the wreath but, of course he couldn't have too much good luck. He was an Akvatari after all, and he was sure the world hated him as much as he loathed it. Cal fell flat on his backside in the effort to show off.

Looking down at her feet, he coughed in embarrassment and muttered beneath his breath.
"Well petch."

[Alia Beaudouin]

It seemed Alia had tripped over quite the person.
Tail included
As the man- Judging from his voice- stood up, Alia found that what she had thought were legs were actually joined together, forming a tail. She could still only barely make out the shape, but with what she could see, she was shocked.

It seemed Alia had ran right into a dangling… Seal.

This was something the girl had never seen before. She had never even heard of a race with a tale, nevermind met one. It was almost surreal, and for several moments Alia wondered if she could be dreaming. She last thing she had really done was sleep, so it wouldn’t surprise her if it was all a dream. Then again, it was a very realistic dream, if it was one.

As Alia inspected the man, or what she could only guess was a man, she questioned what exactly she had gotten herself into. Sure, she hadn’t run into a monster, or a murder, it seemed, but what had she run into? Mizahar was quite the place, with quite the set of people, but really, a tail? A seal tail?
It seemed the tails didn’t do much good, anyways, it seemed. After he spoke, the man seemed to attempt to untangle himself from his necklace prison, only to find himself flat on his back. If she hadn’t been so confused and, though she wouldn’t admit it, scared, Alia would have laughed.

Every time he struggled, Alia grew more confident that he wasn’t a killer. He had gotten himself hung by a garland. A garland. How dangerous could he be?
Staring in a way that could only be described as shock, Alia attempted to put her hand out for the man to grab, to hoist himself up. That is, if he had arms.
Hopefully he had arms.

”I… Uhm…”

Alia tried to force herself to speak, but it seemed as if she couldn’t manage so much as a sentence, never mind a conversation. Her mind was still processing the fact that the man had a tail, so she hadn’t had much time to think of what she should say. Luckily, the man decided to speak first, giving Alia an opportunity to think.

It seemed he would be willing to point her in the right direction, if not lead her home. It wasn’t as if Alia didn’t need the help, but she was dubious about letting the man lead her. He did seem rather unstable at the moment, tripping over flat ground, getting hung by a necklace, falling backwards when he attempted to stand up.

Alia wondered how these sorts of people walked. They didn’t have legs, and the beach was, by now, quite far away, so what was the half-seal man doing in the middle of the street? He had said ‘enjoying the night’, but how did he even get this far? It wasn’t as if he had…
Wings.

A flutter of movement behind the man’s silhouette back caught Alia’s attention. At first, she dismissed it as a rat, or maybe a bird, but when the shape stretched out, she had second thoughts. Turning herself slightly so she could get a better view of whatever it was, Alia, as her eyes adjusted to the dark, found that the mysterious shape were, in fact, wings.

The man had a tail and wings.
How had Alia not heard of the race before?
It seemed like all of Mizahar should know who these people were. They were, quite possibly, the strangest and most unique race of people Mizahar had to offer. And Alia had just met one.

Shocked once more, Alia circled around the man, taking in all of his features. She wondered if it would be considered rude, but really, she didn’t care. Curiosity was driving the woman at the moment, and she was far from low on fuel.

”I… Sorry for staring, it’s just…”

As the wings on his back fluttered once more, Alia wished she could see the man in full light. Right now, even with her eyes somewhat adjusted to the dark, it was near impossible to make out heads or tails of the man’s wings. A shame, as they, even in the dark, were quite a sight.
”...You have wings.”

As she completed a full circle around the man, Alia wondered if she would ever see anything like him again. It seemed strange to say, anything like him, but it was true in this instance. It seemed that, whatever race the man was, Alia wouldn’t see them often. This was her one chance to learn about them.

”I’m terribly sorry if this seems rude… But… What are you?”

[Calters]

”...You have wings.”
”I’m terribly sorry if this seems rude… But… What are you?”

Cal didn't know why he was surprised. He had gotten too comfortable on the shadow covered ground and now, this was what he had found. Or rather, what had found him. Clearly, this woman thought he was some awe-inspiring creature and Calters saw no reason to correct her. If he had to explain himself to every person he came across, why not have a little fun with it?

He debated for a tick about how much to reveal to the night-walking woman. Coming to the conclusion that she was no threat, he settled in to tell her his life story. As long as she would listen, he was willing to talk.

Putting on a show, Cal crossed his arms indignantly and held his head high, letting his wings flutter lightly as he did so. "I am called Calters. I am of the Akvatari race- a Child of the Sea and Sky! I was born and raised here in Riverfall. I am a bard like my father befo-"

What surely would have been a long-winded speech was cut short by Cal's awful balance. He didn't fall, but ended up wheeling his arms in the attempt to stay upright.

Careful not to hit the woman, Cal reached a hand out for her extended one and steadied himself. Once he had gained his balance again, he let go of her and sighed. His wings sagged towards the ground pathetically. So much for a grand introduction. I look like a child.

In a last effort at impressing the woman, Calters smiled sadly and joked, "Not much of a wonder now, am I? The only thing I can actually manage to do right is play the ocarina."

His hand absent-mindedly crept to his neck where the clay instrument normally hung. An instinctive bolt of panic ripped through him when his hands encountered only air. After briefly reminding himself that he had left it safely at home, Calters continued addressing the woman.

"You can call me Cal, if you prefer. It's much more befitting a creature like me, I think. And you are..." He squinted in the darkness, taking in her long hair and sturdy build. It was impossible to tell one humanoid from another in the dark.
"In need of some better lighting." He finished.
"Let's get you someplace safe."

[Alia Beaudouin]

"I am called Calters. I am of the Akvatari race- a Child of the Sea and Sky! I was born and raised here in Riverfall. I am a bard like my father befo-"
It seemed whoever it was Alia had met was quite fond of itself, albeit a bit uncoordinated. Calters, he called himself. A child of the sea and sky. She supposed that explained the wings and tail, as that seemed to be normal for this Akvatari race. Curiosity itched at her, but for the moment, she kept it at bay. Instead keeping quiet as he continued.
Or at least, as she expected him to continue.

It seemed this half-seal man was not the best at balancing, especially on his tail. Not that Alia expected standing on a tail to be easy, it was just that she expected him to be more experienced, his body was his own, after all. They couldn’t fly all the time, could they?

The question sparked even more curiosity in Alia’s mind.
If the Akvatari had wings and a tail, did that mean they could swim as well? Could they fly higher than merely a few feet off the ground? It seemed there were endless possibilities of just what the man could achieve. And of course, what Alia could learn from him. He seemed like quite an interesting man, even if he downplayed it a little. Once he regained his balance, he continued with a sigh. One part of what he had said stuck with Alia, though. Apparently, the man played an instrument as well. An ocarina, he had said.

Alia had never seen such an instrument, nevermind heard one. It could be quite the learning experience. For the moment, though, Alia decided not to get ahead of herself. From the empty grab the man had made at his neck, she assumed he had left the instrument at home, or was missing something else. From the conversation, though, Alia assumed it was the instrument.

”Well, Cal..” It seemed so strange to give a name to what Alia could only make out as a blob in the dark, but she had to remember he was a person too. She couldn’t be talking to air, otherwise this was a very realistic dream. ”I’ve never heard of an ocarina, but I’m sure you play it well.”

As the man mentioned moving into somewhere with more light, Alia nodded, wondering where they could go. Sure, they could make their way to Alia’s apartment, but it didn’t seem like the best idea to let an almost complete stranger into her house.
She knew well it was not a good idea to put all her trust into this mysterious half-seal man, but it wasn’t as if the man could get away with killing her very easily. He was obviously having trouble making his way around at all, tail or not. If all else failed, Alia could certainly outrun him.

”Well, we’re not going to find any light around here, are we?” Alia motioned at the inky blackness surrounding the two. It wasn’t as if Calters could see it, but she went through with the movement anyways. It wasn’t as if he could see her to judge her. At least, not yet. From what Alia knew, and from what she had seen, the pair was relatively close to Alia’s house, though she didn’t want to bring the man there. Of course, there might have been resturants open nearby, namely The White Crane or The Almond Blossom, but Alia didn’t want to lead Calters somewhere if he already had an idea, so she stayed quiet. Littering her voice with humour, Alia spoke again, looking up where she could only imagine the tall man’s eyes were. ”What do you suggest, then, ‘Calters of the Sea and Sky’?”

[Calters]

Calters gave a half-hearted grin at her word choice. The little shyke was teasing him when they had only just met! Her words bounced around in his head, all chronology lost. Calters of the Sea and Sky...not going to find any light around here...I've never heard of an ocarina...What do you suggest...but I'm sure you play it well...are we?

Muddled by the late night ale, Calters could make neither heads nor tails of his thoughts. From what he could gather, she did want to find a place to go. It didn't seem like the woman wanted to go to her home though. She hadn't seemed at all eager to tell him her name, let alone where she lived. Unless he had forgotten that part. No, it seemed that she wanted to find a place to sit. Perhaps an inn? She may need a place to spend the night.

He knew of only one real way for him to travel (if he was to be efficient, that was). Cautiously, he took to the air. Just barely above the woman's head he stopped and glanced around. The world swayed with the dizzying after-effects of ale, but he managed to steady his view enough to see that home was not so far gone after all. Just down the road, he could see the lights of Northwind Suites beckoning him back to sleep.

Although the building was a bit more difficult to pick out in the dark, Cal knew that even closer than his apartment was the White Crane. In an amazing show of skill, Calters managed to land on his own tail. He cocked his head in the direction of the White Crane in a question.

"What about the White Crane? As long as they're open, I wouldn't mind stopping for a drink." Or perhaps some bread to help sober up.

OOCSorry about the short post. I've got a bout of writer's block tonight.

[Alia Beaudouin]

"What about the White Crane? As long as they're open, I wouldn't mind stopping for a drink."

The White Crane.
The very place Alia had been putting off visiting for what, three, four seasons now? And, of course, by chance, a random stranger invites her to visit. Not that Alia would object, but, if they were so close to The White Crane, they were also very close to the Northwind Suites. Turning the map she had brought accordingly, Alia looked around just as Calters pointed in the direction of the Crane.

Low and behold, a white stone building stood where the pair had turned two. Candlelight burned from the windows of the building, and Alia silently wished she had brought her mandolin that day to the beach. After all, it was a musically-oriented place, but now Alia had nothing to show. She probably wasn’t good enough for the place, anyways. At least, for now.

The White Crane was the one place Alia felt musicians were really, truly appreciated in large numbers. Large numbers being people actually came to see them, instead of their services being brought upon the patron by chance or luck, call it what you want. The White Crane was the place where buskers didn’t busk, they performed.

And perform they did.

Even from the doorway, Alia could hear the sound of music emanating from inside. It seemed to be a harp, lute, and perhaps a flute performing at the moment, despite the late hour. The atmosphere was quite calm, with the patrons there obviously enjoying themselves. Stepping in first, Alia looked around for an empty table. She quickly found one, near the back of the room, in as much as a corner as they were going to get, the room being a circle.

Of course, a flying fish-butterfly thing definitely caught eye, especially when it stood next to a bright red haired woman. This being because it wasn’t every day that, in Riverfall, one saw a being of Cal’s description. Then again, he was probably used to it, being who he was. Alia, however, was not. She shifted awkwardly to her seat, leading Calters on as she did. The stares didn’t stop, though, in fact, they seemed to intensify as more people noticed him.

Sure, Alia was sort of used to the occasional stare, usually from a man, in a city with forty percent of the population being women, especially with her hair, but this was a whole new level. Of course, Alia tried to ignore it, instead focusing on her new perspective of her companion. In the new light, she could observe him in more detail than ever. Surprisingly, she had been wrong about a lot of his features.

Instead of the dark brown hair Alia had imagined, he had a wispy mop of blonde hair, and, though she had pictured him having deep brown eyes to match her vision of his hair, his eyes were really a bright blue. Quite easily the color of the sky. On top of that, Alia now got a better view of his… Tail. And wings. One couldn’t forget the wings.

In the better light, Alia could appreciate the sight that was Calters, and, like many of the other patrons, was left just a little bit under gaping. Sure, she had known the features were there, but they still didn’t cease to surprise her. What really surprised her, though, was how Cal managed to maneuver himself about without knocking over or breaking anything. It seemed like not having feet would be a problem, but wings certainly covered it. Making a note to ask him about it later, Alia returned her attention to the task at hand, and the waiter, who now stood at their table.

The service was surprisingly fast, though Alia suspected it was because of what a strange sight Alia and Calters were together. Mostly Calters, but that was besides the point. Smiling as to defuse the overall awkwardness from the waiter, Alia ordered a simple plate of fruit and a cup of tea. Once the waiter took Calter’s order and walked away, Alia dropped the smile from her face and solemnly looked around.

”Do you ever get used to it? The… Stares?”


Expenses(Fruit plate price based on The Almond Blossom prices, as The White Crane itself does not list prices, and the price list doesn’t have a fruit plate price listed. Tea price based on the Alements as the price list does not list prices per cup of tea.)
-3 CM for Fruit Plate
-1 Sm for Cup of Tea

[Calters]

Ah, being in public. Calters could never get enough of it. The paranoid stares of those he didn't know, the way they watched his every move as if he were performing, the whispers when they thought he couldn't hear- what wasn't there to love?

Calters did his best to ignore the attention of the patrons as he and the woman slid into their respective seats. After ordering his own loaf of bread and pitcher of wine, Calters leaned back in his seat and faced the woman in the full light.

Her features were common for what he assumed to be an Inarta. Her red hair was long but well kept and brushed softly against her light-colored skin. Her eyes were a plain blue that reflected little of her emotions making it difficult to guess what she was thinking. The woman was not particularly eye-catching, but upon closer examination she could be deemed beautiful. It seemed to Calters that practicality was her aim and that, she achieved well.

The young man's assessment of the woman was cut short by the sound of her voice. She spoke lowly and in a serious tone.

”Do you ever get used to it? The… Stares?”

He felt it might be the right thing to do, but Calters did not laugh or smile or even shake his head. He felt ashamed that he had brought such unwanted attention upon his acquaintance. A soft blush dusted his cheeks by the time he answered.

"Not really. It's not pleasant by any means, but that's what people do in Riverfall. Maybe they stare at outsiders everywhere, but somehow I doubt it." A deep breath prefaced his next words. "That's why I want to get out of here someday. I want to go to a place where new races are so common that no one will think twice about an Akvatari. I will just play my music and they will love it because it's good, not because I'm so...different You know what I mean...Miss?".

Without even realizing it, Calters had shared his ambitions with the woman whose name he didn't even know. Mustering all his effort, Cal silenced a nervous cough. His teeth pulled at his lower lip instead, peeling away the skin and with it, his anxiety. Had he revealed too much? Had he gotten too deep into personal matters too soon? Being so reclusive had its side effects and a tendency to rant was one of them.

In an effort to reclaim the conversation, Calters asked her a more mundane question.

I've just realized I don't know your name. So sitting here we have Calters, Child of the Sea and Sky and his newest acquaintance..." A brief gesture in the woman's direction indicated to her that she should fill in the blank.

[Alia Beaudouin]

OOCSorry this took so long!

Of course Alia would do something like this.
Become so distracted over a new person of a new race that she forgot to introduce herself, even after Cal had told her his own name. Now that she thought about it, though, Alia realized he had reminded her that he did not yet know her name once before, possibly twice. She was, in a way, being a bit rude, as Calters told her stories, explaining details about himself, yet Alia remained anonymous.

”Oh! Sorry about that, I completely forgot I hadn’t introduced myself. My names’ Alia…” Pausing for a moment as she threw another glance around the room, Alia went on with introducing herself. She knew so much about Cal, yet Cal knew little about her. So, of course, she decided to even the trade. ”Besides the stares… And the tail… And the wings… I’d say, from what you’ve explained, we have quite the common interests. Music, for one…”

Once again, Alia regretted not bringing her mandolin. She usually did bring it, but, due to a series of unfortunate events, (not including falling asleep on the beach,) Alia had left the instrument at home. A shame, really, especially when they had come to the White Crane. After all, it was a place of music, first and foremost.

”Like you play…” What was it again? Oca-something. ”...an instrument, and I play an instrument. Mandolin, in case you were wondering.” Curse her fleeting memory when it came to names. Even names of instruments. Mentally scratching her head, Alia finally remembered the name of the instrument. Ocarina, that was it.

”I don’t work as a busker, though I’d like to in future. Right now, I’m doing what I love nearly, if not as much, as I love music…” Alia paused to thank the waiter as she came back around with the drinks. ”Acting.”
Taking a sip of her tea, Alia let the noise- or, rather, music- overtake the quiet conversation the pair were having. The musician currently playing was handling a violin, playing an upbeat yet majestic tune. That was the sort of thing violins did well- Atmosphere. Happy, sad, dramatic. In this case, all of the above.

Thinking back to what Calters had said, Alia wondered what he meant by that’s what people do in Riverfall. Sure, she hadn’t been here long, but the city had petching giant muscle men of every colour marching around. Surely they would get used to wings and a tail eventually, right?
Alia sighed, bright red hair in a sea of dull colours was nothing compared to what Cal was going through. She could dye her hair, hide it away, but one couldn’t exactly hide some wings and a tail. No, Alia was really just making mountains out of molehills. If anything, deep down, she really did like her hair, just not the implications that came with it. Maybe it was like that will Calters. He liked his wings, his tale, he just didn’t like the stares that came too. A package deal, with only half of it good.

Sighing, Alia shook her head at the thought. She could never really understand, no matter what she did. So, as the rest of their food arrived, Alia decided to learn.
”What’s it like, being an Akvatari? I mean, with the wings and tail… Terribly sorry for asking outright, but you’re just so… Cool. Interesting, I mean.” Quickly thinking of the many, many other times Alia had been clueless when presented with a race she didn’t know about, she decided to propose the idea had used before. A question for a question, an answer for a answer.

”I mean… How about, if you’re OK with it, we kind of get to know each other? I ask you a question, you ask me a question… I’m not really sure what you’d like to know, but if you’re okay with answering questions about your…” Nodding towards the butterfly-like appendages attached to Cal’s back, Alia continued. ”...Unusual race, I think it we could do it.”

[Calters]

Calters took in her words without comment. He merely sipped his drink and listened, letting her words sink in. He still felt apprehensive about sharing so much with this stranger- Alia- but she had shared so much with him that it was only fair to agree. Besides, the game seemed innocent enough.

Calters noticed that she was delicate with her questions, asking them tenderly. He almost wanted to tell her that she could be rough; she didn't have to act as if he were made of glass but he stayed silent.

"What's it like being an Akvatari?" The Akvatari mused aloud, "Well, for one thing, it's lonely. It's an extremely rare occasion where I meet someone of my own kind. I have a hard time going out anywhere without being...gawked at."

He didn't want to make Alia uncomfortable, but it was the truth. Most others were just like her- curious. Few realized that he was still an individual. He had traits beyond those of an Akvatari's melancholy and artistic skill. He was also shy and soft. He did not like to fight but was the first to defend his friends. He was just Calters, in spite of the tail and wings following his every move.

The young man could not bring himself to say a word of this. When he next opened his mouth, it was to continue the game.

"Let's just say I wouldn't recommend it." Calters chuckled at his own joke. "What about you, Alia? I had guessed you were Inartian on account of your hair, but I suppose you could be a straight Human. What are you, and does your race treat you well in Riverfall?"