A Trip Down the Mountain (Closed)

[Silwyn]

30 Fall in the Year 510 AV

Silwyn looked around her apartment which she had inherited from her teacher, Anhasha, after her death, at all the batches of white cloth that sat in a corner, waiting for her to bring them to life. Then she looked around at the piles of drying woad leaves, which she'd use to make a dark blue, huckleberry to be made into lavendar, sorrel roots that would make a dark green, grand fir bark that would make pink, madder that would make red, dried hibiscus flowers that would also made red, and sighed. She not only needed a few more buckets of water, and perhaps some salt, but the bark of various trees so that she could make shades such as brown. She figured that if she got the ingredients in time, she could dye a few clothes just in time for the middle of the fall season. Certainly, those who bought her wares would enjoy being able to buy the brown shades which she would produce for them.

Silwyn sat quietly in her apartment a moment, allowing the smell of the drying roots and flowers to drown out all the noise around her, and all the other smells, most of which, she couldn't even begin to make out. She was going to need someone to come with her. Although she knew a bit about using a bow, she was never particularly skilled with one. Besides, even if she were skilled, she didn't own one. Add to the fact that it was getting cold her, and the trip would take her at least a night, she would definitely need someone a little more knowledgeable in life outside of her home to help her.

Silwyn scrambled around her apartment, looking for her backpack. Now where'd it go? she thought to herself as she moved some herbs aside, and found it behind a large stack of red leaf buds. She pulled it out from behind the mess her supplies made and peered inside, it didn't contain much- only a little money, her toiletries, an eating knife, steel and flint, and the rest of her week's rations. It'll have to do she though to herself, as she cleaned her eating knife on her shirt, she felt that it was a little dirty. She closed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, thinking about how long it would take her to retrieve the oak bark, acorns, and the inner bark of the white birch tree that she needed for her dyes, and realistically, how much she could carry on her person, and who on earth would help her, after all, she didn't have too many friends.

She looked down at her small stack of cloth, she'd need to get more before the end of the season. She picked one up, let the soft cotton fibers tickle her fingers. Thinking that it may be cold, she threw it around her neck, a cheap, ugly scarf, but at least it may help her to keep warm.

Silwyn pressed her right hand along the walls, as she eft her home, and headed towards the outside world. It bothered her that she had to leave all of her supplies unattended. But then again, who would want to take them? To everyone but her, her supplies were a useless collection of tree bark, dried leaves, and twigs. She began to follow the maze of passageways until she found herself outside, in the cold fall air. The air was so cold, it stung her nose a bit, and she could just imagine it turning as red as her hair. She looked at the area that surrounded her- the sun hanging highly in the sky above her, the entrance to the homes of the inarta behind her, the bottom of the mountain below her.

Silwyn paused, wondering where she should go from here. Should she head down the mountain, and hope someone joined her on her quest for dyeing supplies? Or head back the way that she had come and ask around? In the end, she decided to head a little farther down, and see if any of the eagle riders were out and about and ready to accompany her on her short adventure down the mountain.

[Aidara]

While Aidara wasn't an eagle rider, she was out and about. As per usual. In fact, the healer was conveniently lounging around in the courtyard when the woman toting bundled equipment appeared around the corner. She watched the newcomer as she peered around, perhaps waiting for someone. With a lap full of worn hawking equipment Addy made no move to rise, instead continuing to oil the well-worn leather jesses, polishing supple leather hoods until they shined. Grunt work. That would be the last time Addy would half-heartedly clean the falcon's room with Val watching, as her off-days consisted of work piled on top of work, now. And she was going to use today to study up on her medicines! Her skill in the art had fallen by the wayside, and into disuse. That would not do. Her thoughts and her gaze had slipped away from the lost looking woman as she became more absorbed in her cleaning task. Must....remove...all... dirt. Aidara scrubbed at the leather furiously, hunched over her work with her teeth clamped down on her bottom lip with the force of her concentration. GAH! It was hopeless. Too many cracks and crevices. This would have to do for the old man. Addy hoped, for once, that Vals eyesight was failing. She did not want to deal with the reprocussions of completing yet another task sub par. Polishing cloth was tossed down in mild disgust. Running her hand through her thick red curls, Addy gazed around the courtyard again before her eyes skidded to a halt on the woman...still standing there, looking lost. Hm. Brows furrowed as the newly cleaned gear was gathered up against her chest. Rising rather gracefully to her feet, Addy strode across the yard, her boots kicking up clouds of dust behind her as she walked. "Hey, are you okay? Are you lost, or waiting for someone? I might be able to help with either." A smile was on her lips as she spoke " Normally I would extend my hand in greeting but..." the gear was hefted into view by way of explanation "I'm Aidara."

[Silwyn]

Silwyn heard someone approach her from behind. She turned her head to see who was coming and saw a woman with startling red hair. The woman's hair seemed all the brighter as the sun reflected off of it, and Silwyn found that it was hard to take in at first. Perhaps the woman saw her glance down, awkwardly, and shift her weight onto her left foot, wondering how best to speak to this woman. She couldn't tell if she should talk down to her, or speak to her as though she were her equal.

There was a strange silence before the woman introduced herself as Aidara, and told her that she wondering what Silwyn was doing standing awkwardly on the mountain, as if waiting for someone.

Silwyn turned to face Aidara head-on. She told her that she was a dyer in the area. She showed Aidara her hands, whose palms appeared to be a forest green color out to Aidara as proof. She explained that she was running low on some of her supplies, and would need to make a trip down to the mountain in order to gather more. She was hoping to gather tree bark in particular- white birch and oak, as well as any fallen acorns she may discover. She told her that she didn't have a weapon of her own, and even if she did, it would not be safe for her to journey the mountain by herself. She was hoping that she could find someone who would be able to help her.

Silwyn glanced down at her feet, and pushed her braided hair behind her back, as she put her bag down at her feet. She had just started to realize that it was getting heavy, and wanted to take some of the pressure off of her back, which had been hurting of late considering the large amount of time she had spent in her apartment, hovering over her work.

She looked back up at Aidara, and asked her how she could help her when she appeared to be so busy taking care of someone else's possessions. Did she know a eagle rider, or someone else who knew a safe way down the mountain, or was she simply looking for an adventure? Perhaps knowing a little more than she of life outside mt. skyinarta, perhaps not.

[Aidara]

"Oooh, are your hands always that color?!" With quite a bit of jostling and adjusting, Aidara managed to free a hand up. Her freshly cleaned gear was now gathered precariously in one arm, some of it slung over her shoulder, all of it in danger of hitting the dirt. However, the healer didn't seem to care, as she reached out said freed hand and grasped one of the womans green ones in her own. "That's very interesting, not something I would have considered happening just from dying. It's a pretty shade of green." She smiled, releasing the womans hand and re-adjusting the load in her arms. "I'm a healer. If you don't mind, can I come along? This is the perfect opportunity to expand my studies. And...well, it sounds fun." Addy paused, glancing at the sky to gauge the time and then back at the woman. "You never told me your name?" She posed it as a question, her eyebrow raising and her head tilting to the side. Maybe the woman had no interest in taking her on her foraging trip, after all. "I do have a bow, though, and I could defend us from any beasties. We would have to skip on back to my place so I could grab it." Since the woman showed signs of being shy and hesitant, Addy just simply decided to invite herself along. "It's this way." She pointed towards the aeries "But I have to drop this stuff off first." And she started off towards the direction of the gate, pausing with a glance over her shoulder as she waited for the woman to catch up, or even start to follow. As they strolled along, the nameless woman questioned Addy's workload, which made the healer laugh at the irony. "You know, I was just asking myself that a little bit earlier. I work with the falcons, with Val the gatekeeper. I do the busy works, he gets to hang out with the birds. Sounds fair, doesn't it?" She wasn't really complaining. The healer and the gatekeeper had a banterific relationship, always lobbing good ones at each other. Underlying the jokes and jabs was a deep respect, however. Aidara realized how much the old man could teach her, how much he was willing to show her. She had just barely finished explaining the mound of gear in her arms when the other woman launched more questions at her. Addys eyes widened, and she chuckled quietly to herself before answering. "Yes, I know an eagle rider. Although sometimes I wish she would disappear... Just come with me, I'll drop this stuff off and then we'll go back and get my bow." She intentionally left the subject hanging, since the woman was probably going to ask a question about it anyway. Across the courtyard and towards the gates they trotted. Well, Addy trotted while the other woman strode purposefully. Short legs were such an inconvenience. They passed by the Valintar's office, moving into the caves wound their way towards the gate, and it's keepers abode. When they came to the lift, Addy turned to her new companion and smiled "Just wait here, I'll be back in a jiff. Or as fast as the poor Dek can lug me up and back down again." The bar was lifted, and Aidara stepped into the cage as she replaced the bar behind her. Four tugs on the chain that hung above her head, a pause, and the contraption began to move upwards. With jerks and starts at first, and more smoother as the Dek found his rhythm, it was only a matter of minutes before Aidara was at the top, disappearing up through the hole in the top of the cave. Faintly from down below, the woman could hear a muffled conversation, or Aidara's side of it, at least. "Val! I'm helping a friend! I'll leave these jesses and hoods over here on your bench for your inspection...No, I'll clean the droppings up when I get back....No! VAL! C'mon!......Fine, fine, I'll clean, feed and rearrange when I get back.." There was a clank followed by a grinding noise as Aidara and the lift lowered into view once more. The woman had a feather stuck in the back of her curls, though she didn't seem to notice. The sparkle had gone from her green eyes, and she looked rather annoyed. "Bossy old men." She grumbled to herself. The trip down was faster than the trip up. Wordlessly, Aidara exited the lift and started back out of the caves, simply assuming the woman was going to either follow her or be left behind. "Okay, my bow." By was of explanation as they exited the caves and headed back towards the aeries this time. Luckily for the woman, Addy didn't see anyone of importance as they wove their way through the Endal living quarters. They were kind of in a rush, after all, and that would have only delayed them. Finally, Addy stopped in front of a wooden door that looked much like every other that they passed. Without further ado, the healer pushed open the door, stepped inside and held it open for the woman to follow. "Welcome to my humble abode." Aidara smiled, gesturing towards the plethora of seating available in the common room "Sit, please, while I find my annoying flight leader... SAI! GET OUT HERE NOOOOOOW!" By find, Addy clearly meant scream for. The smile never left her face as she plopped down into her favorite chair, and waited for her sister to respond to her summons. OOCWe'll wait for Sairque to post, Sil, then go you go again

[Sairque]

"SAI! GET OUT HERE NOOOOOOW!" Aidara's sultry voice boomed through the plush living quarters, shaking the artwork and threatening to throw vases to the floor. Without answering, Sairque popped her head out her door and fixed her sister with an attentive gaze. It was the same head Addy had, except her blood red hair was tied into a plethora of small braids, all fixed at the end with small glass beads. And if people were paying attention, she had watery yellow eyes and no freckles.

"Yes, Addy?" The normal banter between the two was suspended on her part, Addy should be spending her day off with Val, something about punishment for shoddy work done earlier in the week. While the reason for her appearance back in the aerie would become readily apparent, Sai had already ruled out that she was hurt, had gotten fired, or Val had died. With those three serious occurrences discarded, Sai was waiting for something unusual or silly. Either of which would be okay.

The other girl, the Inarta she didn't know, had been sized up in one raking glance. Not a fighter, not a rider, not a dek, not a glassblower, not a bowyer. Perhaps she was the one in need of help, perhaps she was the reason Addy had forsaken her duties. Or, perhaps, she was Addy's latest conquest.

Addy filled her in on the proposed trip down the mountain.

Nope. An herbalist. Score one for being able to rule out the other professions. She lacked the physical conditionings for fighting, wasn't a rider 'cause Sai didn't know her, didn't have scarred and burnt up hands, or the hands of a woodworker. Funny colored hands equals dyer. Add that to the list.

"And how does Val feel about you taking off in the middle of your special work day?" Sai pinned the healer with a hard look. Duties came first. If they were to survive, duties came first, no matter how small.

Sairque's features, so like Addy's, only less open and bubbly, more closed and hard, lightened when she finally turned her eyes to the girl in question. She wasn't shy about sizing her up, judging her, and it was clear on her face, but there was also a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Hello, do you want to ride or walk down?" Who needed introductions? "You're in luck, I just got back from a hunt so I'm free." And the girl could still be the next conquest. It hadn't been ruled out yet.

[Silwyn]

Silwyn found Aidara a little too quick for her. She was always posing questions, perhaps looking for answers which Silwyn didn't have time to give. She also found her a little too enthusiastic, but she tolerated that, knowing she too, was like that when she was younger.

Silwyn followed closely behind Aidara as she walked back from where Silwyn had come, and led her to her home. She was surprised by how well-furnished it was when she first walked in, not that she expected it to be a disaster, just a little more eclectic. It sure looked better than her own apartment, which was littered with various supplies. She wasn't much for organization.

Silwyn was startled by Aidara's voice as she called for someone named "sai," not only did it have a sort of sultry quality to it, but it was loud, very loud, and echoed about the room, bouncing back and forth from wall to wall. It reminded her of someone walking around in circles.

When Sai came into view, she sized her up, with a quick glance, she didn't want to make it look as though she were doing so. She had blood-red hair, and was a little shorter than Silwyn. She had watery-yellow eyes, which made her wonder if the woman had just been crying, or was blind. She was rather slim, and had heavily calloused hands, which told Silwyn that she worked with them a lot. She thought that she had to be an artisan, like herself, or an eagle rider. But she couldn't be absolutely certain of which of the two she was.

Then Sai's voice hit her, not only was she free, but she was wondering if they were going to walk or ride down. I guess she IS and eagle rider, Silwyn thought silently to herself. Silwyn stared at Sai, into her yellow eyes, trying to determine if there was something Sai wanted to hear- whether she wanted Silwyn to say that she wanted to walk down, or ride her eagle. But she couldn't be sure. "Think your eagle can carry all three of us?" she finally said, as she glanced down at the floor, wondering why Aidara and she lived together when they were of different classes, and had such different personalities.

[Sairque]

At the girl's uncertain stare, Sai stepped fully into view. Her white bryda and vinati were abstractly decorated with smudges of red, some broad, others thin, drops, and lines. Just when she was about to ask the girl what was wrong, because Sai didn't have the tolerance to repeat herself, she spoke up.

"Yes, he can. Catabasis, however, is not 'mine'. You'll meet him shortly," brows furrowed slightly, she held the girl's gaze a moment longer. When she glanced at Addy, the shift in her features was imperceptible to someone who didn't share the same face or hadn't seen it almost every single day for the last twenty three years. Addy had the benefit of watching that face go through puberty, lose the baby fat, and slowly become more and more closed as her position in their society soared. Addy would, if she was looking, catch the amusement in the tension of her features.

Crossing the common room to another door, the red smudges could be seen extending to the skin of her arms, or the occasional smudge on her defined abs, as though she had had the liquid covering a good portion of her body and neglected to remove it all.

"I need to bathe, so have a seat, chat amongst yourselves," she cast over her shoulder. There was a plethora of seating to choose from. One seat in particular and the couch both seemed to be well loved. The seat had green scarfs and bird stuff draped over it, while the couch had white scarfs and various books stacked nearby. The other seats in the room didn't appear to get as much traffic. There also wasn't as much random stuff anywhere else in the room, the shelves and tables were all clean and orderly with their art work.

While the two women in the common room chatted, or didn't, or Addy left the girl there to get her gear, Sai cleaned up. A quick trip back to the room she had originally popped out of later, she was emerging clothed in another set of white bryda and vinati, these ones embroidered with green designs. Sontav had been pulled on, as well as ankle high boots.

"Have yo-" Sai cut off, having been speaking to the dyer, head twitching to the side a bit with a roll of her eyes.

This is just a short jaunt out? Catabasis interrupted. Normally she wouldn't need to stop what she was saying, but the Eagle had such a put upon tone that Sai couldn't help but stop and analyze her man's feelings further.

"Have you ever ridden a Wind Eagle, Dyer?" she repeated as she mentally told Catabasis Yes, just going out to collect some weeds for the girls. Do you have somewhere to be?

He wasn't answering. Now he was talking to Aidara, apparently realizing that Sai was simply the brute of the trip and Addy would be the brains. Fortunately, it was the natural dyer that was going to get the brunt of the bemused amusement that sprang up in the flight leader.

"Catabasis is a large Eagle, one of the strongest in Skyinarta. He'll take care of us. Come with me, you can meet him. Don't touch him, unless he tells you to. You've had a Wind Eagle speak to you before, right?" She shot the questions out, motioning the dyer to follow her through a third door.

OOCSorry about the odd posting rotation, Addy will post next and then it will be your turn again. I wanted to post after you instead of her, so after this one last flip flop we should stay steady.

[Aidara]

There was simply too much for the healer to do, if they wanted to have a decent amount of time for this foraging trip, to stand around and chat. As Sai and the still nameless woman stood and prattled on about how awesome Catabasis was, Addy bustled off into her room. This girl really was an odd one. A little miffed, the woman held her tongue, biting back her snarky accusations of the dyers manners. Normally, when invited into someones living space, one offered one's name. But no matter, at this point Addy was simply in it for her medicine. Maybe the girl would open up, and prover herself. Maybe not. Such thoughts made the healer wince. Now she really sounded like her twin. She let such feeling surge along their link. Sai would appreciate the silent humor. As Addy pushed open the door to her room, the eagles voice echoed in her mind. It startled her, for very rarely did Catabasis talk to anyone but her sister. The fact that they were twins and so closely connected to one another was the only thing that made this possible. But it was still weird. Addy would go as far as to say she felt somewhat violated whenever the bird did this. What exactly am I getting dragged into, Aidara? The eagles voice was stern, almost disapproving. I don't know, Sir, the girl won't even offer me her name, let alone the whereabouts of our trip. I really need these herbs though, so I'd appreciate your help....please? Tightly taking reign on her irritation, Addy ended the mental conversation with her plead. When Catabasis didn't respond, the woman assumed his consent. Success. Humming to herself, Addy puttered around her room. Bow was taken from her wall, and laid on her neatly-made bed. The quiver was placed next to it, the cloth containing her bowstring inside the quiver. Next, she moved to the table the held her medicines. Bandages and half empty bottles all stood in neat rows. However, none of these things were made or gathered by Addy. She'd gotten them all during her studies, prepared by others. Carefully reading each bottle, sometimes consulting her book or notes, (both of which lay neatly piled on the edge of the edge of her table) she made a list of what was needed. Aloe, Anise, Balm, Basil, Chamomile, Clove, Coriander... on and on she wrote. When done, her brow furrowed. This was a pretty massive list. Hell, she didn't even know where to get over half of these. Intimidated by her task, and slightly discouraged, Addy gathered up her bottles, list, and a few other containers in which to hold things and placed them in her traveling sack. Quiver and pack in one hand, bow in the other Addy re-emerged into the common room. Sai was gone, the nameless-woman sitting awkwardly on the couch. Hm. She would have to thank her sister later. "Catabasis would like to know exactly where we are going? And how long did you plan to stay? He's not going to hang around while we play in the woods. Do we need to grab our overnight stuff?" She fired the questions off mercilessly. She felt Catabasis lingering in her mind again, listening for the response. Good, she wouldn't have to repeat everything twice. Luckily, Addy still had her bedroll and extra toiletries packed away in her sack. Food would take extra time to go and gather, if the overnight was happening. Sai could run to the kitchens and grab the essentials. Together the twins could most defiantly take down some kind of meat, although the camping spot would be chosen for herbs, not game. Maybe this woman didn't think out this trip very thoroughly, after all, if her lack of any authoritative voice was any indication. Addy hoped this wasn't the case, as she waited for a response and her sisters re-emergence.

[Silwyn]

Silwyn watched as Sai disappeared and Aidara appeared with her bag a few minutes later, and stood in front of the couch she had been instructed to sit at. Her golden eyes stared up at Aidara as she rapidly fired questions at her. She sighed, the woman must think so little of her, having been unable to get a single word across as she chattered and chattered and chattered some more, leading her all over the place.

Silwyn stood up so that she and Aidara would be more level, and stuck her hand out slightly, nervously, wondering if Aidara would even accept her attempts at being polite, and introducing herself at this point. "First of all, the name's Silwyn," she began, doing her best to create a sweet smile. "Since we're going to be flying, the trip shouldn't be more than a day long, depending on how long it takes to find and harvest our supplies." She paused there, her eyes glimmering, she knew that Aidara was, well, kind of overly enthusiastic. She knew that the girl was a healer, and had likely come along, at least partially, to pick up some supplies. However, due to Aidara's nature, she feared that the girl may bite off far more than she could chew, and if it were the case that she had agreed to tag along to find supplies, she may want to find certain herbs that weren't native to the area, or take back more than she could carry. Silwyn also knew that depending on what the healer may need to find, they may have to think things out a little more.

Silwyn went on to say that since she didn't exactly know if Aidara had intended on finding any sort of herb on their trip, and what she needed- oak bark, white birch tree bark, and acorns could be found in just about any forest. Perhaps they should discuss what Aidara may need, so they could plan things out better, since she may know places were Aidara could find some supplies. "That way, we can both get something out of the trip, and your eagle won't have to wait as long for us," she finished as she shifted her weight from her left to her right foot nervously. She bit her bottom lip. Just try to sound sweet and nice and accommodating, and polite and cute, and not like a total airhead, and maybe they won't think you're a total and complete moron Silwyn.

[Sairque]

What? Was she invisible? Sai stared, nonplussed, as the two women had their conversation like she hadn't just been asking questions. Or trying to lead the girl off to meet Catabasis.

And there was Silwyn acting like Catabasis was a pet, again! And Aidara's at that! What was wrong with these two? Maybe they would work out whatever weird tension was between them...oooh. Oh! The situation was examined with new eyes. Aidara was ignoring her because she didn't want her around to say anything embarrassing, and Silwyn was ignoring her because she was under Addy's spellbinding charm already.

Well, no need to stick around as a third wheel when there was gear to load. With little fuss, Sai slinked out of the common room. As quietly as possible she started pulling tack out of the gear room and carrying it to the aerie, they would need two saddle bags at the most. And they would use the two person saddle, the logistics for a third person would just have to be worked out when they mounted. Her gear and weapons had yet to be unpacked, so she popped into her sister's room and grabbed the gear gathered there, too.

They couldn't be staying over night. That would be torture. Addy would be cooing over Silwyn all during the herb gathering, and Silwyn would be blushing and giggling and not focusing, and then it would be time to go to sleep and that could go either of two horrible ways. Addy would not be allowed to share the girls tent because she would still be trying to act coy, in which case she would talk about her all night long and keep Sai up. Or, Addy would share the tent and she would be kept up all night long, anyhow.

Catabasis wasn't thrilled, he was tired from the hunt, but dutifully allowed Sai to saddle him. She was careful with his feathers while settling the heavy leather equipment over his back. Double checking the chest straps, she put her arms around him. It was rather like hugging a wall. Thanks for doing this.

With ease, his head dropped down and he fixed her with one yellow eye. Do not forget, Aidara's happiness effects me as well. The more adept she becomes in her chosen trade, the less it will feel as though I am bonded with two humans.

Sai turned and leaned back on his black girth, returning his gaze with a troubled one. I've been meaning to talk to her about using her healing abilities in a greater capacity. Becoming an official healer for Skyinarta.

He knew, she gave him a lopsided smile and continued. I think having the added responsibility and the approval of everyone would boost her self confidence and possibly solidify it. He knew that, too. His presence in her mind was tolerant and supportive. All right, I'll go grab them. I'm not looking forward to chaperoning a playdate.

Knowing that Addy wouldn't bring the stranger into Catabasis' home without approval, Sai ducked back into the common room and waited for the love birds to notice her.