Open Strange new experiences

[Naredu]

21st Day of Summer, 514 AV The seasons were a totally different thing above the crashing waves, beneath the water the seasons were differed by what was in the seas and oceans at the time, and a slight difference in the temperatures of the water and the strength of the currents. Up here though, the seasons seemed to be something else entirely – it was summer and the temperature was so much higher than Naredu had ever experienced. It wasn’t warmth that was nice to feel against the skin, it was a heat that dried out the Charoda’s skin and it was uncomfortable, he knew he could only spend only so much time outside of the water, he had been warned of such before he had left home and he had been trying to get used to it the more time that he spent in Riverfall but Naredu still found himself spending more time in the sea than he did on the land. Today however he was determined to get a much better look at the structures of the city, he wanted to understand why the surface dwellers built their cities in the way that they did. Charbosi was a grand city that was entirely natural – grown from the very living beings that inhabited the world beneath the waves, the surface dwellers though. They cut and carved, and built and changed their natural habitat to suit their needs. Their structures reached tall and were carved out of a variety of materials; they were not made, from living organisms, not as far as Naredu could tell anyway. They were dead, lifeless, and soulless. However they were also complex, sound, and built to last their shapes and architecture was interesting and it was what Naredu had wanted to learn about most while he was off exploring the world. He wanted to learn new techniques, and bring them home to Charbosi. Leaving his apartment shortly after the sun rose, before the temperatures became too hot him to bare, he moved upwards into the city. There were other strange customs that the surface dwellers had that the Charoda did not in Charbosi. Clothing was one – he was used to swimming free and not being bogged down by the clothing that the surface dwellers clothed themselves in. As he wandered upwards through the tiers of the city, Naredu wandered what Caiyah made of the surface dwellers cities. Did she approve of them? Were they frowned upon? Given how well looked after the city of Riverfall was, Naredu had to believe that Caiyah must approve of the surface dwellers cities. Although they were not natural, they appeared to blend in with the environment and those that lived in the city seemed to care for the environment in which they lived in. Wandering through the streets of the city, Naredu’s greenish eyes were often aimed upwards towards the buildings walls, roofs and features. All things that he wanted to see if he could someday replicate in his own coral growth. It was still very early stages for that though, while he could build basic structures to protect himself from the dangers of the ocean floor, one day he dreamed to be able to create structures not entirely dissimilar from the ones that the surface dwellers built in Riverfall. Weaving in and out of the various peoples that went about their daily lives in the city, Naredu found his way to the Valkalah Academy. He wasn’t interested in going inside of it not. He was more interested in just standing outside of it, his eager eyes eating up every dome, spire and column that he could see. This was truly a remarkable piece of architecture, the detail and complexity of the building. The problem was, while he was focused on the building itself, he wasn’t paying all that much attention to exactly where he was going.

[Lynx]

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Lynx was making her way towards the Valkalah Academy, where the Valkalah Library was located within. She had been frequenting the building a great deal lately, for it was a source of knowledge, knowledge that the curious mind poured over as the pages turned, wanting to devour more words. She wasn't exactly sure why she had turned to books, for such a source of knowledge, perhaps it was because of the simple fact that the pages underneath her fingers brought back a familiar feeling and that she hoped it would also bring back a memory. However, there was no such luck upon that course of action but that didn't mean that she would stop hoping, she just had to be patient and maybe one day, she would be rewarded for such patience.

It was at that precise moment, that the Ethaefal who was currently in her Konti form, decided to pause before the steps of the Valkalah Academy. She pressed her palms over the front of her long white dress, smoothing it down a little as she pondered whether she should spend another day within the library or whether she should just go back to her room and do something else. She then swiped her white hair from her pale face, her ice blue eyes glancing up at the massive structure that she stood in front of. However, inside that building was a mass of books, just waiting for an eager eye to pour over them, to capture the words so then she could use them in her arsenal of knowledge.

However, something suddenly seemed to have ran into her form from behind, which caused the woman to stumble forwards, her arms swinging outwards as if to try and regain some semblance of the balance that she had before. Once she was sure that her feet was firmly underneath her once again, she turned around to view what appeared to be a male being. It had some appearance of a human, but it looked a bit fishy in a way. His skin was a greenish and bluish kind of colour and it appeared to be rubbery in a sense, not like the skin of a human being. It also had pointed ears and fins, that ran along the back of its head. It was certainly a race that Lynx had not encountered before and she angled her head as her ice blue hues took in the green eyes.

She wasn't exactly sure whether it spoke the common tongue or whether it would understand her when she spoke, however, this being had turned her attention away from the library. Perhaps it was a sign from Leth that there was more to be seen upon the streets, that books were not the only wells of knowledge. As she spoke, her voice was soft, as she felt that a loud voice was not really necessary in most situations. "Uh, hello, I'm sorry if I accidentally stopped in your way."
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[Naredu]

The problem with staring upwards and admiring everything that the surface dwellers built, was that his eyes were never down for long enough to truly pay attention to where it was that he was going. Even with the extra speed that the lack of water provided him with, it wasn’t enough for him to react in time for when the figure of Lynx loomed in front of him and the Charoda bumped into her. Almost instantly Naredu’s webbed hands shot up, ”Begging my apologies.” Naredu sputtered as his face contorted with alarm and he tried to express in his broken common, just how sorry he was for what had happened. He knew he was an alien of sorts in these parts, his kind were not common in the surface cities, thankfully though it didn’t appear that he was about to get cut down in the street where he stood for bumping into her. ”It is all my fault. I no look where I was going.” Some of the alarm starting to seep away from his face, as he calmed himself. Even if it had not been his fault, the chances were, he would have apologised. This wasn’t home, he did not know the subtleties between all the races and he did not know whether some people would take offense to being bumped into. So from his view point it was much safer to accept the blame for it and hope that his profuse apologies would be enough to placate the woman. ”I was uh… I was looking up at the building” He pointed upwards at the architecture of the academy and hoped that Lynx would understand why he would be looking up there and not downwards where he should have been. However to the surface dwellers they saw buildings like this all the time, perhaps they were not as awe inspiring for them as they were for Naredu. ”I have not seen buildings like this often. So I look up more than I should.” A slight grin began to spread across the teenagers face, he couldn’t help that his head was in the clouds. ”I am Naredu.” He quickly added as introduced himself. ”I not long been living in here.” He added as if it wasn’t clear already that he was relatively new to the city still.

[Lynx]

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The being itself seemed to have alarm rise within its features, well, she hoped that it looked like alarm, seeing as this was not a being that she was used to interacting with. Well... From what she could remember anyway. He spluttered in broken common and she angled her head slightly to the right as he icy blue eyes watched the being for a moment, wondering where it had come from, what was its first language and why did it come to Riverfall. It kind of reminded her of fish really, mostly because of its skin and fins. He continued to apologise in broken common and her gaze drifted a little over his shoulder, was he in a hurry? It would explain why he had bumped into her in the first place. Was he being chased? It might also explain why he wouldn't be looking in the direction that he was going.

”I was uh… I was looking up at the building” Lynx would nod her head at this, that would also explain why he wasn't looking at where he was going. Her gaze followed the pointed webbed finger of the male towards the top of the architecture of the academy, a smile gracing her soft lips, it was indeed an eye catcher, she could remember the first time she had seen it herself. It amazed and inspired her to try and reach great heights herself. ”I have not seen buildings like this often. So I look up more than I should.” She glanced back at the male and it wasn't for the first time that day that she wondered where the male had hailed from. At least he didn't appear to be alarmed like he had been before, in fact she thought that he might actually be smiling now.

”I am Naredu. I not long been living in here.” Naredu, that was an odd name, but then again, who was she to talk? She had basically named herself after a constellation when she had been reborn. "Naredu? That is a rather interesting name." She lifted her right hand so then she could gently place it, open palm, against her chest. "I am Lynx, I have only been here for a year." She paused as she wondered if it was considerably rude to ask some one where they had come from, he had been willing enough to tell her that he hadn't been here all that long, so maybe not? What if he didn't even understand what she was saying? "If you can understand me, I was wondering where you were before you came here."
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