Completed Joining of Hands (Aventis)

[Sayana]

514 AV Fall 43

It was more than past time that Sayana got some proper clothing for the chilly days ahead. Part of her had stalled because she had hoped those cold days were merely occasional occurrences but too often she’d found herself shivering on the streets with only her light cloak to protect her from the wind. Today she wore said cloak. Fortunately it was warm enough that she wasn’t shivering underneath it, even though her red blouse only had thin cord-like straps and part of her stomach was exposed because the top didn’t meet her skirt.

What she really needed were some proper sleeves and maybe a warm coat if it was going to get as cold as they said it would. For the sleeves she’d definitely need a custom design and apparently the best place for that was a place called An Elegant Weave. She had left her apartment late that morning, typically sleeping in late from her long evening shifts dancing at the tavern. As she headed down the street, there seemed to be lots of people out and about. It was nearly midday after all and the Eypharian smiled at the busyness.

The shop was a good ways from her apartment in the Maiden District, but it was a nice enough day and she enjoyed the walk. As she reached the Winthrop Alley she smiled at the various shops and businesses set up. There were also plenty of sailors from the docks making their purchases here. She’d forgotten how much she enjoyed the lively and carefree nature of sailors and mentally made a point to come down this way more often. There was the din of clanging from the Ironworks and she fondly placed her low left hand on the dagger at her waist. Her other arms hung relaxed at her sides except for her highs that were gently crossed over her chest. The cloak covered most of her shoulders but she almost never covered up her arms since she liked the freedom of movement. Hence the reason she really did need some sleeves. And if they were custom, maybe she’d be able to design them to hide knives or other weapons within them.

[Aventis]

43rd of Autumn, 514 AV

Brisk. That's what it was. The chill nipped, it bit, it stung, but it wasn't cold. Aventis loved the weather. It sent chills down his spine, but didn't disturb him. It was beautiful. Today was beautiful.

Aventis walked with a cheerful cadence down Winthrop Alley, cheerfully watching people on their own journey. Aventis towered above the vast majority of Syliran citizens, and yet aroused no suspicion. Sure, every once in a while, he would catch someone glancing at his rather prominent scar or his slightly crooked nose, but otherwise, no one suspected his presence, which is nice because his arms, currently tucked under his coat, usually earned him a lot of unwanted attention. But today is a good day. Today the sun shines down on every man, regardless of race, occupation, or reputation. Today, the sky showed itself to all men. And that is what made Aventis happy. Every once and a while, when a by-passer would look at him, Aventis might even smile. He didn't know why he knew, or even how, but he knew that today is a good day.

Today is a good day.

Aventis

[Sayana]

As she neared her destination Sayana noticed figure who almost loomed over the other people in the alley. She couldn’t help but pause and shake her head. Some people were just really tall. Had she been closer he would have clearly towered at least a foot above her own height. Probably another knight of sorts patrolling and keeping the peace.

She was about to carry onwards when something about his coat caught her eye. It was subtle, just a bit of extra bulk under the coat and a hint of moment from within, but it was enough for her to be curious. It wasn’t often that she made attempts to conceal her own arms but it reminded her of what she thought she must look like. But maybe it was merely the shape of his cloak, or that he had something else hidden away. Regardless, she was curious and the shopping could always wait.

He was walking away from where she stood and she had to move quickly to catch up with him. With her high hand she tapped him lightly on the shoulder. “Hello there, I was wondering where you got such a nice coat. I’m trying to find something to keep the chill away. I only just got here in the summer and it never got this cold where I come from.” He was tall. She practically had to crane her neck to look him in the face.

[Aventis]

As Aventis carried himself through Syliras, he held himself high. Almost nothing could ruin his uncharacteristically good mood. He felt the wind through his greasy, unkempt hair. He felt the sunlight on his pale skin. He was happy. He enjoyed his space, his self, until he, by chance decided to look to the left. What he saw shocked him. It had only happened once, maybe twice in his lifetime. He knew what he saw. Without a doubt. He saw six of them. Arms. There was another. It had always presented a conflict to Aventis, seeing another of his kind; he each time wants to speak to them, to learn. Gods, did he want to learn. But every time he thought about it, he got dizzy. Just like now.

Oh come on... Today... Of all days...

He caught his breath, his smile immediately eradicated from his chin. He turned his head away quickly, pulling up his hood and trying to look as inconspicuous as Eypharianly possible. He ducked his head and started walking faster. She didn't see him. No, she couldn't have possibly. He was safe. Now, to get back to the...

There was a tap. On his shoulder. His top one.

"Hello there," He heard. Feminine.

Please no...

He could barely bring himself to look down. He saw... He saw exactly what he expected.

" I was wondering where you got such a nice coat. I’m trying to find something to keep the chill away. I only just got here in the summer and it never got this cold where I come from."

I feel faint...

Aventis

[Sayana]

“Oh come on,” Sayana said quickly growing impatient. She had tried the nice polite approach and he hadn’t even given a word of response or even acknowledgement. She stepped firmly into his path and faced him placing her mid right hand upon his chest. “Please? I won’t bite. I just…” She kept glancing at the folds of his coat with a sense of longing in her eyes. Longing to meet another of her kind so far north, and also longing to reach out to grab at his coat to see if there were indeed some extra arms hidden away. The latter she managed to keep at bay, at least for the moment.

Trying to retain every ounce of her patience she took a moment to look up at his face. The hood darkened the view but when he ducked his head down it only made it easier for her to see, being that much shorter than him. It had a rugged look, like that of a warrior, and it didn’t seem to match his almost skittish behaviour.

[Aventis]

OOCIt is currently 11 at night and I am beyond ready to pass out... I deeply apologize for this post. I know it's not one of my best.

"Oh come on," she said to him, stepping in front of him. Aventis took a step back, trying to keep his variable sanity. He was about to lose himself. This too much to process. He had never been so close to another before.

Yep... There's eighteen arms and two heads now...

She reached out and touched him. Touched him. Her hand was on his chest. Aventis was having a hard time controlling himself... He couldn't tell if he was leaning left or right, if he was truly awake or if this perfect day and potent hamartia were but a dream. He hoped the latter. He could barely hear her speaking, now.

"Please? I won't bite." She says to him. No... What you will do is much worse than a bite. What you will do is expose me. I can't have that. Not now. Please, not in public... He looked down upon her. She looked inquisitive... As if she were as anxious as he was, but for a different reason.

This isn't happening... Aventis told himself. She was glancing at the slight bulges his second pair of arms gave under his thin cloak.

"I just..." She started.

"No." Aventis said to her, speaking in a hushed tone. "You and I both know what I am. These people... All of them... They don't. They don't have to. And I don't need them to." To show her he was solemn and true, he gently brushed her hand away from under the cloak with one of his lower hands.

"I don't need this, miss. I really don't." As he said this, his breathing began to regulate. "Look, I need to go," He said as he began to walk away from the woman and what she could mean. He didn't want to turn back.

Aventis

[Sayana]

Part of her wanted to scream and yell ‘Traitor!’, but that was no way of befriending someone, even if she did have a hope at this point. But why would someone be so secretive, so frightened about such a fundamental part of who they were? Sure she hadn’t had the warmest welcome when arriving in Syliras and often the knights were unfair to her when fights broke out, and it didn’t seem to matter whether she was involved or just a bystander. He had already begun to walk away quickly from her. With a huff she pulled her cloak about herself using her high hands so that only her finger tips were showing. Not like it did much use since she hadn’t folded her arms in tight to hide them away but maybe he’d feel even just remotely less afraid. She cursed quietly under her breath. Why did he have to be so tall? She had to jog to keep up with his long strides. When she was only a couple paces behind him she half asked, half called, “Why are you so afraid? And if you can’t talk about it here, then take me somewhere that you feel safe.” She paused and then added in a more normal tone of voice, “I know what you look like.” Sure it wasn’t much, but even if he got rid of her now he might want to avoid having to be constantly looking over his shoulders in case she might be following him.

[Aventis]

The space in front of him was all that mattered. The wind had lost its splendor, the sunlight its exuberant pleasure. He had to get out before... Before he was tempted to stay. He knew the dangers of temptation, and had to fell to it before. He did not want it repeated. He strode with a wise cadence. He strode with full... Full confidence... Yes... Full confidence. The sun is still bright, he said to himself, The wind is still beautiful, he said, but it wasn't true. The air that sent pleasant chills down his spine... It was cold and it was desolate. The sun, the equalizer... It seemed... Dull. Dim. Dark.

His answers could be right behind him. All of them. He could know his homeland, as his first mother always put it... There was so little he knew. There was so little he could ever know. On his own. This woman could be his answer... She could be the harbinger of complete exodus to his misunderstanding, of his ancestral ignorance. So why was he walking away? He didn't know. Perhaps he wan't ready to know. Perhaps he didn't want to hear it from a girl he knows nothing about. He knew he wanted to know. He knew that he wanted to know of his family, the woman that gave birth to him, his home. Every orphan child does. But it is selfish of him to be so greedy with his wishes. If anyone is to tell him... He must deserve it. Then he earns what he desires.

"Why are you so afraid?" He heard behind him. She was following him. Persistent. On any other occasion, this would be a respectable attribute. But not today.

He kept walking. She followed.

"... If you can't talk about it here, then take me somewhere you feel safe." She said to the back of his head.

He turned around her sharply.

"Why do you persist? Why? I have nothing to tell you. I really don't. I don't understand why this is worth a chase to you." He turned around to her fully, pulled down his hood, took a step back, and spread out his upper arms. "This is me. You were so curious? This is all you see. This is all I am. Is this so important to you that you might follow? Fine. Say what you want to say to me. Do whatever you want."

So much for confidence in his decisions.

Aventis

[Sayana]

She looked him up and down with a faint smile of amusement as he gave his ‘speech’. It always seemed that the quietest and most shy would blather on the longest if given half a chance. At last he concluded it. ”Fine. Say what you want to say to me. Do whatever you want.” Letting the moment stretch out, her eyes wandered over his tall stature once more. His rugged face, his neatly cropped hair, his light brown eyes and a faint scar down his jaw. All that plus his obvious anxiety, his wish to seem normal, and his repeated attempts to shoo her away. “I think… you’re rather cute,” Sayana concluded but with a delightful grin on her face. She paused, waiting to see his response and then continued, “Now if I were smart, I’d ask you what was so horribly wrong with Syliras, or the world, that you’d want to hide who you were. I mean, hey, maybe I should be covering up too. But I doubt you’d tell me and I doubt I’d listen.” “And if I’m off the mark, and instead you simply hate Ahnatep and all its people… well then we probably have little in common.” She gave a brief frown. “If that’s the case then you’re right, I should be going.” She turned on her heel and started walking away. She was quite sure she had managed to hook him enough to follow, or at least prove that he wasn’t a complete racist against the people of Ahnatep. But even so, she wasn’t positive, and she hoped she wouldn’t have to awkwardly turn back around to begin chasing him again. A worrying thought crossed her mind. What if he really did hate Eypharians? He didn’t seem to have openly despised her but he certainly didn’t want to talk to her a moment longer than needed. As in what he needed to shoo her away.

[Aventis]

The woman seemed to evaluate Aventis quickly after his little speech. He took note.

She took a moment, letting the bustle of Syliras fade away, until he was fully focused on the strange woman. She better have the best excuse I have ever heard, he thought. He continued his thoughts, allowing himself to study the girl as she studied him. She was, in a sense, pretty. Although, most Eypharians were, in some sense, beautiful. The woman was no exception. But that wasn't what he was focused on. What he was focused on was her... Uncharacteristic attributes. She was short. Aventis didn't know much about his race but he knew that he's only tall due to his blood. She was also a tad... Darker than your average anatomically gifted. Of course, he had only seen one or two. But her biggest feature seemed to be the pride she granted herself. Beside being just barely over five feet, the woman held herself almost higher than Aventis. Along with that, she wore clothing that made a fairly loud and shimmering statement, and above all, she was obviously feigning her pleasant demeanor. She wanted something from him. He wasn't sure what, but she was persistent. He already knew this. She would try everything on her arsenal. She would intimidate, persuade, lie, or maybe even...

"I think... You're rather cute."

... Yep. Thought so.

Aventis wasn't much surprised within his own head, but he wasn't particularly used to flirtation. What the woman saw was surprise, confusion. He was skeptical.

She smiled at him.

What the hell is she...

“Now if I were smart, I’d ask you what was so horribly wrong with Syliras, or the world, that you’d want to hide who you were. I mean, hey, maybe I should be covering up too. But I doubt you’d tell me and I doubt I’d listen.” She continued, obviously setting up for something. “And if I’m off the mark, and instead you simply hate Ahnatep and all its people… well then we probably have little in common.” She gave a brief frown. “If that’s the case then you’re right, I should be going.” And with that, she began walking away.

Aventis sighed into his hand, mulling the situation over. "You never answered my question," he called out. "Leave now, your efforts are moot." he finished, in a somewhat vague attempt to call her bluff. She should know by now that he wouldn't hesitate in walking away and he wouldn't look back. The woman was smart if she could do a half-decent job trying to trick him. Maybe she was smart enough to realize that this was her only shot at speaking to him.

Aventis