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[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow 40th Day of Summer 514 AV T he morning sun was obscured behind a few clouds and a gloomy feel to the day's start was hanging in the air. Saraphina walked through the gates of Zeltiva with a spring in her step regardless of the heavy moisture in the air that promised a rainstorm later on. She was happily settled in the campsite with Enthere and had spent the last few days wandering the wild lands in her animal form. There were more people outside the walls than she'd first thought and after exploring outside for a bit, Saraphina had felt the urge to return to the city. It was odd, normally she was perfectly happy in the wilderness. Zeltiva must be really starting to grow on her. So far, she hadn't felt any need to move on and until she did, Saraphina was happy to stay in the port city. Walking through the crowded streets, she headed for the stretch of beach she'd first experienced when she'd gotten of the ship that brought her here. It was easy enough to find, though it took the better part of 3 bells to get there. S tretching her arms up above her head, Saraphina looked around at the beautiful scenery. The beach was abandoned, as it had been when she'd first visited. Placing her pack by a chuck of wood and slipping her shoes off, Saraphina tiptoed onto the sand. Wriggling her hips in a circle and lifting her legs up and down, she felt the muscles in her thighs stretch and burn as she warmed them up. Finishing her mild exercise, she bobbed on the balls of her feet. Fisting her hands, she jabbed at the air, envisioning an opponent in front of her. Yuri had said Kata's were what he used to practise with his sword. If he could remember a series of movements, so could she. Dropping low to the ground, she swept her leg out, kicking up sand and spinning in a circle. Jumping back up, she lashed her legs in a double scissor kick. Each time she made a maneuver, she envisioned an opponent in front of her. It seemed to help with the accuracy of the sparring practice.

[Halin'a]

Halin'a had been wandering down the beach in the early morning; after working the night at Loveless, he wasn't quite ready to return to his apartment. He needed some time to ground himself.

It wasn't that it was hard work, being a prostitute-- it's just that it was, well... Not easy. Halin'a had had to learn to detach himself from what was going on, to allow his body to work mostly by itself, with little input from him. Some nights were rougher than others, but tonight had actually been slow. Those were the worst nights; the nights that allowed Halin'a too much time to think. He couldn't help but feel that perhaps he was desecrating his body, the body given to him by Leth, by working this job. Then again, he didn't particularly have much choice. He needed the money, he didn't have very many (useful) skills, and people, men and women alike, were willing to pay handsomely for a night with an Ethaefal.

Halin'a was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of someone grunting. Looking away from the surf, Halin'a scanned the beach, finally finding a young woman... Exercising? That's what it looked like she was doing, at least. Halin'a approached carefully, wary of startling her, though there was nothing to hide his approach. "Hello?" he called.

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow H er time in the wilds had certainly brought her senses back to normal. The approach of the man was noticed by Saraphina almost immediately. She glanced at the brown haired male out of the corner of her eye as she moved on the beach. He was taller than she was, something she hadn't come across yet in those she met, but Saraphina could sense no threat. Not yet anyway. So she continued with her practice, keeping part of her senses tuned on Halin'a. Shifting back onto the balls of her feet, Saraphina un-fisted her hands and swirled them in front of her. Bringing her open palm of her right had unto her eye, she jerked her arm forward, picturing her fingertips being driven into an opponents throat. Swinging her head and upper body down low, she followed the jab with an overhead roundhouse kick before the approaching human finally got close enough and spoke to her. S araphina's muscles were warm and limber, she was feeling the easy movement of her body and the familiar burn of a good workout. She didn't really want to stop what she was doing to chat with a random stranger. So she didn't. The fights she'd been in previously were coming back and she was making up a series of movement as she went, creating her own unquie Kata. She replied to the brown haired male as she punched a series of short jabs into the air in front of her, "Hello. Can I help you with something?" Saraphina wasn't trying to be rude, or if she came across as such she really didn't care. Her breathing was coming in more rapid intakes and a small stitch was forming in her side. Decided to take a slight break, she stopped her impromptu Kata, she turned to the newcomer, tilting her head and silently accessing Halin'a. T here was an odd scent about this man, one that she hadn't come across yet. He was not Kelvic, at least she didn't think so. Her race tended to have a wildness and somewhat animalistic scent. But....her instinct seemed to tell her that Halin'a also wasn't human. The dark blue eyes and rather normal human appearance were indicating otherwise however. Saraphina shifted back and forth on her feet, keeping her arms hanging at her side and focused her rather intimidating golden cat-like eyes on Halin'a, all body language indicating caution and readiness.

[Halin'a]

Halin'a watched the girl move, admiring the way her limbs flowed from one movement to another with only slight hesitation. When she spoke, Halin'a brought his gaze back to hers. "I saw you exercising," he said by way of explanation. "I found myself curious-- I have not seen anyone move the way you do." The Ethaefal took note of the careful scrutiny the other was employing, and realized that they did not know each other's names. "I am Halin'a, son of Leth," he said by way of introduction, smiling and sketching a shallow bow. "May i ask your name?" OOC : I am currently on my phone, and will usually be replying from there, so if a reply is short, then that's why (or else I just didn't have the inspiration for more than that. But usually it's because I'm using my phone rather than a computer, which I rarely have access to)

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow C uriosity was something Saraphina understood very well, so in response to Halin'a's reply she quirked a corner of her mouth in an wry smirk. How funny that she should draw the inquisitive interest of someone wandering by rather than the other way around. Glancing over Halin'a from head to toe, she gauged no threat from the 'Son of Leth'....whatever that meant. Saraphina bounced on the balls of her feet again. The burn in her muscles was fading and she wanted it to return. So she stepped away from Halin'a and shifted her stance to a wider one before performing a series of front kicks and punches. "I'm Saraphina. A friend of mine introduced me to a type of exercises he called Kata's. Basically a set series of fighting techniques designed to help practice and perfect the different styles. He uses a sword... and I learned a bit from him. But I usually prefer to use my bare hands in a fight. Plus....I like the beach...even though it looks like its going to rain." S araphina's natural feline grace made the normally brutish fighting style appear smooth and elegant. She bent backwards and attempted a back walkover...but the slippery sand made her loose her hand holds and she fell to the ground half way through. Her breath whooshed out and she lay on her back for a moment staring up at the sky. Turning towards Halin'a, she smirked a bit from her prone position, "Practising here is harder than in the city. The ground shifts under you, so you have to adjust your balance. Once you can move on sand and dirt, stone and wood surfaces are easy. So....what brings you down onto an out of the way beach front this early in the day Halin'a. If your looking for trouble, you might have more luck on East Street...trust me....I know from experience." Pushing back onto her feet, she brushed off sand from her pants and took a moment to look out at the gently shifting waves.

[Halin'a]

Halin'a watched, fascinated, as Seraphina moved; she looked, to his untrained eye, like she was doing well at her exercises-- her Katas. He didn't laugh when she slipped; Halin'a knew all too well the shiftiness of the sand. In answer to her question, he said, "I just... needed a distraction, I guess." He shrugged, smiling softly at her statement about East Street. "Yes, I do know-- but I get enough of trouble at my work," he chuckled. "That's part of the reason why I came here; I just got off of work, and I did not want to return to my apartment just yet." Halin'a remembered the slight look of confusion on Saraphina's face when he'd called himself a son of Leth, and decided to expand upon that rather than linger on the subject of his job; that was why he'd come down here, after all, to distract himself from that. "I am an Ethaefal, by the way," he said."That is why I introduced myself as a son of Leth; Ethaefal are either children of Leth or Syna."

[Yuri Lehrer]

Yuri was wandering around his campsite in full ‘combat’ dress, consisting of his camouflage armour, cape and his broadsword, with a light sheen of sweat on his brow form his morning exercise, wondering what to do for the day, aside from his regular routine of wandering aimlessly around Zeltiva, looking for something to do, when he had a moment of revelation I could go down to the beach, after all the last time I was there I managed to fit in a bit of training… before I ended up bitten by an eel and having my life saved by Ariann. Resolving that things should end up better than the last time, no matter how much misfortune befell him, Yuri walked over to Theophanes and checked the saddle girth straps, making sure to tighten them so he wouldn’t fall from the back of his horse because the saddle came loose. Looking up at his horse, Yuri patted him on the face, gently and spoke in a soft enough voice “All right Theophanes, I’ve decided that I’m going to go and train on the beach once more, after all, what’s the worst that can happen? Being bitten by an eel?” Yuri chuckled silently at his own lightheartedness of the events which had transpired during the late winter of the last year.

Untethering, then leading Theophanes out from the small glade he had made into his campsite, Yuri grabbed the pommel of his saddle, placing his left foot in the stirrup as he did so, then swung his right leg over the saddle, mounting Theophanes with relative ease. Yuri then grabbed the reins and turned to face the general direction of the beach, unconsciously guiding Theophanes by tugging on the reins gently, he then sat in the saddle and gently jabbed his horse in the ribs to get him to canter, and set off towards the beach, looking forward to his day of training.

When Yuri reached the beach, he noticed that there were some clouds gathering Probably going to rain soon he reasoned, when he saw a patch of beach which looked mostly uninhabited, save for a couple of people who were enjoying the relative warmth of the summer sun, he brought Theophanes to a halt, and dismounted, stretching his muscles which felt a little tight after a bit of time in the saddle, before loosening the girth straps to make Theophanes more comfortable and talking to his horse “I swear you understand me sometimes.” To which Theophanes snorted and nodded his head as though saying Of course I understand you Yuri just shook his head, smiling as he did so, then produced an apple for the horse, who took it with a single bite. While his horse was munching on the apple, Yuri looked around for somewhere to tether him to, and found a suitable tree; he grabbed the reins and lead Theophanes to it, before tying the reins to the tree, Yuri took a moment to talk to his horse once more “I’ll be back soon, be good Theophanes.” Patting Theophanes on his head, Yuri turned away from his horse and began to jog out onto the sand of the beach, cape fluttering in the breeze caused by his speed.

When he was about halfway to the water, Yuri decided that he would begin his training here But what aspect to practice? My Swordsmanship? No, I do that often enough, I’ll practice my acrobatics instead After he thought for a couple of seconds, Yuri sprang into action, jogging towards the water, but stopping just shy, he then turned back and began running faster and faster towards an imagined obstacle. Just before he collided with his imagined obstacle, Yuri chose that moment to launch himself, closing his eyes as he did so, diving over and avoiding the imagined obstacle, before coming down towards the sand of the beach. When he felt his shoulder hit the ground, Yuri rolled the rest of his body over, so he would come up from the roll faster than if he had let his momentum do it for him, when he was standing, Yuri unconsciously drew his broadsword quickly from under his cape, a skill he had been practicing ever since his failed attempt at acrobatics the day he’d met Saraphina, a Northern Tiger Kelvic, to fend off any enemy which would have chosen that moment to attack him, when he opened his eyes, Yuri was surprised that he had drawn his sword and considered this for a moment I suppose that all of my training is making some movements almost... instinctive After he had considered the benefit of his training, Yuri sheathed his sword, it was also the moment he heard a somewhat familiar voice call out “Hello?”

Yuri, thinking that the greeting was addressed to him, was about to reply when he looked in the direction of the shouts origin, and saw a couple of familiar figures, one was the figure of the Ethaefal, Halin’a, whom he had met no less than 3 days ago, under circumstances created by Yuri’s own curiosity, the other was the Northern Tiger Kelvic, Saraphina, whom had wandered into his camp almost a week prior. Yuri wondered what they were doing out on the beach when he noticed Saraphina’s movements, she appeared to be fighting any number of unknown or imagined foes. She seems to have made her own Kata, an unarmed one. She certainly is a quick learner.

While Yuri thought about that briefly, another thought crossed his mind She must have decided to come out here to train herself in the art of unarmed combat... which I, myself am unknown to, I really should get someone to teach me how to fight without a weapon should I get disarmed in a fight. When he had finished his quick session of thought, Yuri decided he might as well say hello, when he remembered that he was wearing his camouflage armour, and cape. Smiling guiltily, Yuri altered his decision to say hello slightly, opting to try to sneak up on his acquaintances instead, he crouched over, letting his cape conceal the movement of his legs and began moving towards them, slowly but steadily, trying to keep Halin’a on the opposite side of Saraphina so he would be unaware of Yuri’s approach, unsure if he was successful in this, when he was reasonably close to them, Yuri stood up and called out to them “Why hello there! What brings you to the beach today?”

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow H alin'a's explanation of Leth made Saraphina's golden eyes light up in understanding. So that was it, 'Leth' was another God that she hadn't heard of...or really hadn't bothered to learn about would probably be more accurate. But the term 'Ethaefal'...that was odd. Saraphina had never heard of any race called that. Was it another name for a different human, like Shoshana who was a desert Eypharian. Halin'a looked human and acted human....but there was that scent. Something that she couldn't quite place. A deep, earthy smell highlighted with an airy, floral aroma. Tilting her head at the sandy haired man, she just decided to ask flat out and bluntly....like she usually did when something didn't make sense, "Trouble had a bad habit of following me as well. And I'm going to be trying out being a mercenary so I thought that a little practice was in order. What's an Ethaefal? Another type of human? I've met a desert girl and I know a lot of Vantha's from Avanthal. I've never heard of Ethaefal though." S araphina's acute hearing picked up on the distance sound of someone else wandering the beach. But the noise was still a ways off, so she didn't really pay it much interest. The conversation with Halin'a was much more enjoyable. Saraphina's focus on the Ethaefal and on her own made up practice maneuvers dulled her senses and left the Kelvic distracted. As she paused and continued her conversation with Halin'a, she failed to see or hear Yuri's stealthy approach on her rear. When the swordsman spoke out, he was very lucky that he was out of Saraphina's reach. Spinning around with a loud, guttural snarl at the unexpected sound, Saraphina's fingers curled into tight fists even as she lowered her center of gravity into a defensive crouch. Her golden eyes had narrowed to thin black slits and her lips were pulled back from her teeth to show her elongated canines. If Yuri or Halin'a had touch her in that moment, either of them would have immediately received a punch to the jaw. W hen Saraphina's eyes finally focused on the new figure and recognized the mountain mercenary she swore loudly at Yuri, "PETCH YURI!!! What in the world are you doing sneaking around like that. If you'd been any closer I would have hit you." She breathed out deeply and stood up straight from her crouched position. She shook her hands in the air, trying to stop her muscle tremors that had been caused by the rush of adrenaline through her body. After a bit, she calmed down and managed to smirk at Yuri, even though she was still a bit annoyed at having him creep up on her, "Your explanation about Kata's was interesting and I thought I'd try to invent my own. I'm not doing too bad....mostly I just wanted to walk on the beach. What's brought you down from the pass....did you get a job in town?"

[Halin'a]

Halin'a smiled. "Ethaefal are sort of another type of human, sometimes," he began, searching for the right words. "We fell from the realms of Syna and Leth; we have different looks-- our mortal seeming, and our Ethaefal seeming. This--" he gestured to himself "-- is my mortal seeming. It's based on a past life, before I was taken to Leth's realm. At night, I change into my Ethaefal seeming, where I look like the body that Leth gave me when I joined his realm." Halin'a, lacking the heightened senses of the Kelvic, didn't notice Yuri's approach; as such, when the mercenary popped up, he shrieked and jumped back, hands raised defensively in front of him; he almost fell on his bum on the sand, but luckily he managed to catch himself before that happened. When he heard what Saraphina called the human, he grinned. "Yuri!" he said enthusiastically. "I see you didn't keep the outfit I picked out for you. I'm almost offended." Then, however, Halin'a turned his attention to Saraphina. "What are you?" he asked curiously. "I've never seen a human be able to lengthen their teeth. Are you a Kelvic?" He'd met one other Kelvic, an ocelot named Cynnya, but he hadn't seen her half-shift. OOCYeah I kinda made up a bit of stuff about the Ethaefal; I think it still fits in the lore, but I kinda twisted the explanation a bit.

[Yuri Lehrer]

When he stood up and called out, Yuri never would have imagined the chaos it caused. Saraphina spun around quickly, letting out a growl as she did so, raising her fists and dropping into a defensive crouch, her eyes became slits and her teeth were elongated, Yuri was very glad he hadn’t gotten much closer, or it would have most likely ended with him sustaining an injury... or worse. Halin’a’s reaction was altogether more amusing; he shrieked and raised his hands while physically jumping back, stumbling as he did so. Yuri couldn’t help but let out a laugh as Saraphina swore out loud and stood up straight from her crouch, he also looked apologetically at her and said in a tone full of humour “I know, I know... but that is why you should never completely engross yourself in your training, lest you get a rather big surprise... sort of like a tiger wandering into your camp.” Yuri couldn’t help but smile as he walked closer to his acquaintances, looking at Halin’a as he did so.

When Halin’a made a remark about his state of attire, Yuri said “I do apologise, but I hope you understand that I’m not much of a fashion person... I prefer practicality with my outfits.” With that, Yuri did a small twirl, letting his cape billow out with his actions. When he returned his attention to Saraphina, Yuri noted that she was shaking her hands in the air ah... probably letting the fight or flight response die down he waited until she was done before stretching his own arms above his head while she spoke "Your explanation about Kata's was interesting and I thought I'd try to invent my own. I'm not doing too bad....mostly I just wanted to walk on the beach. What's brought you down from the pass....did you get a job in town?" Yuri finished stretching before he replied. “Ah, I’m not here on business today, I’m actually here for more or less the same reasons that you are, I thought I would come down here and train, I didn’t expect to run into you down here.”

When he finished his explanation of why he was there, Yuri realised he hadn’t explained why he had snuck up on them It would be rather rude of me not too... considering their reactions After this thought crossed his mind, Yuri launched himself into an explanation in an apologetic tone “Also... I do apologise once more for startling you, but I saw an opportunity I just couldn’t resist, and decided to try sneaking up on you, I was as surprised as you were when it actually paid off as well.” Yuri decided that he should find something to sort of lighten the mood and remembered something he could compliment to do so, gathering his thoughts for a moment, Yuri began in a tone of something akin to awe “... Saraphina, your reaction and timing at being surprised was... well amazing, you were ready for almost anything and could have counter-attacked in an instant, I wish I had your reactions.” With this, he bowed to Saraphina. When he rose out of the bow, Yuri stood there and listened to the conversation which was going on about him, waiting to see if his input would be required.