Open Far From Home

[Byron Allestor]

Far From Home
Spring 38th 515 AV
Location: The Great Harbor

So far their trip had led them only further and further across the waters that quickly became the Suvan Sea, all while at the tail of their journey the idea of home grew smaller and smaller while the world proved it was only bigger. Their venture to Riverfall at first seemed strange and while they had several major adjustments to make, Byron deemed it necessary to put that place behind them for a short time being, until he felt he were in better control of... whatever the petch that place did to them upon arrival. It had been a weird transition he didn't notice off hand, something he wouldn't have immediately thought about until he finally noticed the signs. The way his brother acted there, the way they both acted while there felt backwards from what he originally intended, and that didn't really contribute to his search for any possible answers with ways to discover memory restoration. Alas he felt that this had not only turned into a wild goose chase, but more into a wild adventure that would only continue to grow out of hand, should he attempt to carry on any further away from their homeland. They had arrived in Syliras; capitol city of Sylira or so he heard. He didn't take the word to heart without considering it himself, first he wanted to see the city with his own eyes before he decided anything.

Now with the harbor finally in view and the sailors allowing departure from the ship Byron eased out of his lean against the bow and knelt to grasp his travel bag, and then stood straight with a hand down to Tailen to help up the younger brother. The trip across the sea had been shorter than he expected but it still felt like forever, and now that they were on solid land once more he had to get over the motions of sailing that lingered within his legs. "So this is the city of Syliras the sailors were talking about!" The younger brother cheered as he bounced a couple of times out of excitement, one last look cast over his shoulder to the sea. Byron figured Tai did so to look at the ship before they were gone, granted they probably wouldn't be sailing anywhere for a while now.

"That's right. Now that we're here maybe we can really find ways to regain your lost memory, and if nothing comes up then the least we can do is enjoy the air here and see if anything comes up." He reasoned with hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers as they walked further along the harbor, they reached shortly reached a stop though as the older brother looked upon the sight of the city before them though. Riverfall looked a lot more intimidating than this place, it had big blue giants about that ran the place, and the geography was much more... well it was different. The further they sailed the flatter the land looked it seemed, but this place looked like an over-sized fortress with overwhelming walls to surround it. "Huh, makes me wonder if they're trying to keep everything out or everyone in..." He muttered the thought to himself before he sent a notion for Tailen to follow him. The two brothers had to find a place to rest their heads for the season and for a means of income, otherwise they were both practically screwed and homeless. While they walked onward Byron adjusted his shoulders to cope with the tension, the weight of his gear proved taxing in energy while he felt the bow tap against his back off and on.

[Kalvina Skyglow]

KALVINA

~

Today was the day Kalvina had decided to venture outside the gates of Syliras. The first time since she had moved here. To think she hadn't left the protected walls in over a decade was astonishing to the extremely pregnant woman, who walked with a certain bounce away from the rather intimidating, tall stone walls circling one of the most protected cities in all of Mizahar.

At least, to Kalvina's knowledge.

She walked slowly, ever so slowly, down the beaten path that seemed to be more beaten than when she first saw it. Her stomach's bottom showed in the exceptionally tight shirt she donned, and there were stretch marks aplenty to be seen on the lavender-haired woman. She whistled as her boots hit the packed dirt and cobbles, and as the bag to her side hit her thigh in rhythm with her descent down the path that led to either the docks or the Woods. The Docks was her current destination, as it held some particular memories she remembered from when she'd first moved. She wanted to see it again.

That was her prerogative.

She flipped flamboyant purple hair from her eyes and continued down the path, which started to slowly decline. She was out of breath already, and it was pretty understandable; she had another 23 pounds on her person, and it was extraordinarily humid. When Morwen's grace left the lands and spring gave way, the clashing of the two seasons had left much moisture in the air.

And this air was the cause of her spilling her pack's contents onto the earthy floor. Her foot had found itself on a particularly wet patch of ground, making her nearly slip forward. She stumbled, crying out, and had luckily caught herself on a large tree trunk to her right, but her grip on the little pack had been loosened, and it slipped from her grasp.

A loaf of bread, a bowl, some forks, an onion, parsley, oregano, and 2 beef sausages rolled from the protective case and onto the moist, dirty floor.

"SHYKE!" the Mutt yelled, trying to catch the sprigs of parsley and some oregano from the floor. But, she found herself unable to fully bend over.

"Can anyone help me?" she asked, rather futilely. Who'd be out here right now besides some Knights or sailors?

Then, she heard the voices.

StuffIf I missed anything or royally screwed anything up, please tell me! Thanks!

~

[Byron Allestor]

"I'm telling you By, this place might actually be a good change of pace for us!" Tailen encouraged while they continued up along the beaten path, the older brother of course still didn't seem all to impressed with the sight of the fortress however.

"Its an over sized cage to me, its bound to be cramped and stuffy here. Besides just what makes you think we'll find a way of recovering your memory in a place like this?" He argued while each of his thumbs took turns touching the fingertips in his pockets, the pace they were at was no more than a mere stroll along the path towards the city as he tried to sort out the things they needed to do. Since they were here it wouldn't hurt to do a bit of research about the place, maybe spend a bit of time chatting with the locals and in turn visiting their local library if possible. He wondered if they might've had a library big like Lhavit's, as he wanted to see Riverfall's own library but never found the motivation to. I swear that place made me feel backwards about myself.

"Well you never know, we might actually find an actual lead here for once. I know we came pretty close back in Riverfall a couple of times." The younger brother reasoned while they continued their walk, Byron sighed a little when he reflected on those times. If anything he'd rather forget about the experience the place brought him altogether. All the mopey stuff with little to no motivation really put a sour taste in his mouth, needless to say he did enjoy meeting some of the people that they ran across there. So overall the visit had been a bittersweet one seeing as how there were both good and bad things to take into account! Suddenly a woman's plea for help cut through their conversation into town, their attention shot directly ahead towards their right where a random lady stood. An unusual woman with randomly colored hair the shade of lavender looked to need assistance with her things, as they had spilled out of her back and all over the place around her. At first Byron wondered why the lady would ever so helplessly wait for someone to assist her, since girls in general easily played the 'damsel in distress' card to get men to do what they wanted... this didn't appear the case though.

The lady seemed to be having issues according to her weight, but not in the manner that suggested she were lazy either. Usually if one were careful about how they bent over and they were a woman, specifically a woman with a bump to show at her lower belly, then that could suggest that she was indeed carrying a child. "Well don't just stand there brother! Let's go help her!" Tailen insisted as he took the lead towards the lady, Byron had finally been brought back into action after his moment of observation had passed. Without any further hesitation the boys moved along to reach the area where she stood and began to gather her personal things. A loaf of bread, a bowl, and then several forks were gathered in his arms while Tailen handled what had been left, the two eager to present them to the pregnant woman in need. "Here you go!" Tailen cheered as the essentials were offered for her to take, after a brief period of patience the woman had recovered all her things, and so the boys gave short greetings and farewell so they would continue into the city.

[Claudia Blackwood]

It was a relaxing day for Claudia. Well, it was as relaxing as it got. She had just finished an entire morning of grueling squire training. She had done weapons training, sparring with other fellow squires, all that after a series of lessons about the history and protocols of the order. She was both physically and mentally exhausted. The perspiration that had soaked her shirt during the entirety of the morning's training now clung to her skin clammily. Thankfully, she had been given the rest of the day off by her patron, Ser Bastian, provided she ran an errand for him as well. Accepting it was without question, as his errands were fairly simple, and were usually just fetching things or buying items on his behalf. This time he had requested he had requested a basket of loaves of bread and a bottle of wine. That was simple enough.

Setting out for the stalls spilling out from the Grand Bazaar, she quickly found one stall selling bread among all kinds of fragrant smelling pastries. She handed the cloth-wrapping over to the hawker, which he promptly filled with fresh-smelling bread. Coins exchanged hands, and she was on her way to finding a wine stall. The money was provided by Ser Bastian, and all she had to do was purchase the requested items. Finally acquiring the wine, she placed it together with the nicely wrapped bread in her backpack. Now it was time for to unwind and have some fun.

She knew exactly what she would be doing to perk her back right up, a leisurely walk through the city. She loved walking through the city, looking to see what the townspeople were doing, as they went about their daily life. There were people everywhere in Syliras. As the busiest and most populated city in the region, there was always something interesting to be seen somewhere in the city.

Due to the fact that that everyone resident in the city needs to have a job, beggars and the like were few to none, and one could always see people going about their jobs, from the knights patrolling the city, the squires and pages carrying out their errands and duties to couriers and merchants hawking and selling their wares.

She walked past a row of merchant standing at their stalls, advertising their wares, and crowds of onlookers browsed their wares. Claudia had no intention of spending any money today. Squires were not paid, and she couldn't afford to waste any coins on needless purchases. Still, she gazed at the variety of products on offer, looking purely for interest's sake. The massive throngs of people thinned into a different crowd as she got closer to the main city gates. She loved watching the stream of newly arrivals enter the city.

People of all walks of life entered the fortress of peace, hoping either to start a new life or a business in the busiest city in the region. She loved to play a game where she stood somewhere near the main entrance, guessing what the newly arrived would be doing in the city. You could make out the mercenaries warriors, the merchants, the travelling artistes and performers among many others. She was doing well in her game, until she chanced upon the sight of two figures which got her stuck. They looked rather young, and she could hardly place them in any of the other categories she had done so far. Perhaps they were just simple travellers?

They were a young man, and a boy. From her distance, she roughly gauged the man looked to be around her height and both of them had a mop of dark brown hair. It was of shortish-to medium length, and they were dressed simply in shirts and trousers. They did not have a warrior's build, so she ruled them out as warriors. But one may never know, and she was a classic example of not judging a book by its appearances. When they cleared the entrance checkpoint, she would walk up to them, introducing herself. They had piqued her interest and she wanted to find out more.

Maybe even find herself a new friend or two.

[Byron Allestor]

The venture into the new city felt like Byron was at the threshold of a brand new world, and honestly it scared him greatly to feel such a way now that he'd arrived. Yet he hid that intimidation with focus in his eyes as he looked all around, inquisitive eyes wandered from spot to spot to absorb all the environment. What would they find here? What did this place have to offer? Where were they going to stay at? Eat at? Where were the best places to go in this city? He hadn't a clue where to start and it pained him honestly, all this unknowing felt just as dangerous as it was out of place. Back home he hadn't the need to worry so much, the ideal of turning to books usually sheltered that notion easily.

That sparked another question he wanted to know; did they have a library? Or even a place to read, maybe even do some research? Tailen could see past the facade well enough to know Byron appeared troubled, yet he didn't do anything to point it out either. Instead he supported the brave face Byron wore and stood proud in his own way, they were in a new place ripe to explore after all. While it might've intimidated them both he had to show he was brave to, that way his older brother could better manage with his own doubtful thoughts. The air here is... different. It feels stuffy, no where near clear as the mountain air. He had to remind himself of course that no place would share the same quality of air, that is if he were to compare it to the air of their home anyways.

The mountains always had a crisp fresh air he never really noticed, not until they finally set out on their journey that is. Ever since then he'd unwillingly started to miss that, because in truth it just reminded him of the most important thing he'd left behind. Too many reminders remained back in Lhavit and when he dwelt on them, he started to feel a sense of regret build inside his chest. Thus when it came to the memory of home, he shut it out and simply put to rest whatever thought brought it up. It seemed that their arrival however already struck a blow of interest, as one of the locals approached them with a smile present. A girl that looked to be close to his age and stood about the same height came towards them, her features quickly observed as the bothers came to a stop once she stood at their front. Gilded brown hair loosely framing her face while her eyes reminded one of greener pastures, with an overall warm and welcoming expression worn over her face. This stranger... actually looked pretty to Byron.

"Uh, hi there." The older brother muttered out of surprise, Tailen of course followed along with an additional "Hello." Byron cleared his throat before he decided to address the girl, a little curious as to what exactly led her to approach them. "Is there something we can help you with?" He tried to ask politely, although he started to feel like an bumbling idiot already.

[Claudia Blackwood]

As she got closer to the pair, she could make out what they looked like, even clearer than before. As she had spotted earlier, his hair was a shade of brown and short-to-medium length. What she managed to see now that she couldn't before was the startling blue eyes that the man had, and it complemented very well with his fair complexion and brown hair. Claudia thought he looked rather handsome. As she introduced herself, it seemed to have come off as a shock. The older man looked visibly surprised, uttering only an "Uh, hi there." The younger boy looked less affected, his expression devoid of expression of any sort. The only words he said was a "Hello." The elder one then cleared his throat as he asked her "Is there something we can help you with?"

She began her reply with a bright smile, "You look new to the city, are you? Whereabouts are you from?" The pair looked like a really interesting people. Were they brothers, they looked like one. Maybe they were just best friends? Whatever they were, she could tell that they were close. Living in Syliras her whole life, she had never really thought about what living in the city was like. It was all she ever knew, and the only city she had ever been in. She had heard people referring to the city as a gigantic box akin to a stone prison, but that wasn't exactly the case.

While the city was indeed encased within the boxy looking structure known as the Stormhold Citadel, it was far from a prison. Prisons were meant to keep people in, not letting them out. Here in the city, one was free to leave at will, provided they had not committed any crimes and were not wanted by the authorities. The fact that the city was contained in the Citadel, made it safer than your normal average cities, as for one to attack the city, they must first gain access to the Citadel.

But then again, she had wondered plenty of time before, what it would be like to live in a conventional city where one could see the sky whenever they please. One would be able to see the weather with just a glance out of a window. Here in Syliras, windows facing towards the outside were rare or practically unheard of.

As someone who is always curious and has a passion for learning, during her free time, when she was was not practising with her weapons or any other physical training, she would often be found in the Syliran Archives.

It was the grandest library she had ever since, but since she had never left the city, it was also the only library she had ever seen. It was located on the second tier of the Dyres district, and she presumed that it was only accessible by those in the order, as she had never seen anyone other than scribes, squires and knights in all the time she was there. It was a vast place of learning and research, and there were walls and walls of shelves lined with books and tomes lined everywhere within the premises. She wondered if these two were scholars or researchers?

They were not built like warriors, and were not likely to be merchants as they carried nothing that suggested that they came to do business here. If they were really intending on visiting the library here, they would soon find themselves disappointed, as only those in the order were allowed through. They would have to find something else to occupy their time. It was just things worked here unfortunately.

[Byron Allestor]

For some reason he couldn't help but think that she had to be one of the nosiest people he'd ever met, since she practically just walked upon them and immediately asked where it was they came from. He nearly scoffed but he managed to churn it out as a chuckle instead, an eyebrow raised on Tailen's forehead as he noticed the behavior Byron demonstrated. "Riverfall." The older brother bluntly stated in a slightly awkward manner, his hands gripped at the straps of his pack as he tried to tug at them momentarily.

"We're actually from Lhavit! But we came here from Riverfall." Byron glanced down to the younger brother almost aggravatingly, a plain expression on his face as he resumed where Tailen left off.

"Yeah, Lhavit. We're here on a personal quest and need to find a place to rest. We'll also want to know where there are good places for food, as well as where the local library might be located." He forced a smile then but it'd came about so easily, as the thought of books and research never felt so uplifting. Little did he know of course that what they had for a library wouldn't be open for outsiders, then again he really didn't know whether or not such a place existed here in general. While he had more or less wanted to know about the trivial things on his mind, Tailen however appeared to be further more interested in where they were instead.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking this." He walked a little closer with a bashful poster, his shyly manner present when he diverted his eyes elsewhere from the girl. "What's the culture here in Syliras like? What do people around here normally do?"

With the rate that this was going Byron already couldn't resist a quick eye roll, a wry smile on his face as he decided to hammer the head of the nail. "This is my brother Tailen anyways, my name is Byron Allestor though I just go by Byron." He gave a slight bow in manner of respect, seeing as how it seemed customary to do so when in the presence of other girls.