Open Dula Fruits

[Eldecrok]

Spring, 35. 516 AV
16th Chime, 5th Bell

"It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming... On days like these..." No. I can't be happy. I shouldn't be here at all.

Eldecrok was amidst one of the great gardens of Lhavit, walking around and drawing a bit with his notebook and ink sticks. He was in an area where Dula Trees were the main plant in the area, the top high above the ground with fruits that were slowly growing to maturity. Surrounding the area was various flowers of the region, as well as a couple of exotic flowers. Eldecrok sighed and was seated on the bench, looking at the slowly developing fruits and drew them in his notebook to keep record of how fast they were growing. "I wonder if I too will have the fruits, the fruits of labor." Another sigh passed, and he continued his work in silence, only occasionally shifting his seal tail to keep it from being sore.

[Julla Orrinade]

They'd traveled there some time before, as had initially stumbled upon it by accident. They found an odd appreciation for the site, as the grandeur of the garden brought familiarity to them. While they hadn't remembered seeing such a specifically designed plot, it reminded them of the free openness of back home. How, despite geographical limitations, the grass and trees were free to decide where they grew. Nonetheless, these too could grow at their own time and pace. While they were more restricted in where their roots traveled, it did not determine their blossom or their fruitfulness. They appreciated every moment they could spend looking at flora and fauna alike.
They walked into the garden, the bridled hawk perched upon his master's shoulder. With tender affection they talked, the beak of the avian lightly latched to his owner's index knuckle. The whistling and clicking of their talk could travel far, while not required to do so. After a time of their conversation, the young man ordered his companion to his arm, speaking the common tongue, then.
"Come now," he ushered. "On with it. I know you like my shoulder, but you bare on too tightly. Your wings need a proper stretching, anyhow. Get on." A final prompt and the bird gave in, climbing to his master's arm. With a light lift, he sent off his hawk, watching him take off to soar in the open air. A small smile appeared on his face, his eyes gleaming.

[Eldecrok]

Eldecrok took notice of the man with the bird and stared with fascination. As the bird took off into the sky, Eldecrok would put away his ink sticks back into his pack slowly, mesmerized by the bird. It was not until the bird was already in midflight for quite a while when he would put away his notebook as well to take flight. He flapped his butterfly wings and simply flew up, maneuvering past a couple of branches along the way until he simply followed the bird from behind. He was far enough not to get noticed by the bird, yet close enough to scrutinize the array of feathers that the bird had.

As he flew through the sky, he took out his notebook and an ink stick, began to draw various sketches of the various feathers on the bird: Long, thin and sleek. Short, Plump and Fluffy. It didn't matter, it was a new breed to him, and rarities like these are precious both in material and psychological value. If there were any feathers dropped into the breeze, he would reach and pluck them from the air, and put them into his sack.

He would appear as a large cloaked figure, with greyscale butterfly wings on his back with two circles on each wing that appear almost alive as the eye shaped dots are large and dark compared to the rest of the wing. His tail is that of a seal, and acts like a weight when he is flying. Without getting close, you would not be about to see what the man behind the cloak looked like.

[Julla Orrinade]

After some time of the hawk's flight, the young man was surprised by the sudden gust of wind. A creature near them had taken flight, soaring up to follow his feathered friend. At first, he thought the beast's intentions were harmful, and pulled arrow to bow in preparation. Aiming skyward, he waited for opportune time to loose. However, as he watched the creature, he realized that it had no intentions of harming his companion, and sheathed what he'd uncovered. As he lowered his bow, he attempted to discover what this creature was doing. After some time, he threw a question to the sky, hoping he could relate in equal tongue.
"Excuse me!" he began. "What are you doing, exactly?"

[Eldecrok]

As the veil of the cloak partially blocked his sight, it wasn't until the man started yelling that Eldecrok's attention would turn to him. He would slow down his pace and softly float down to the ground with a light thud at the touchdown. Being only a couple of inches taller than the falconer, Eldecrok put away his various trinkets and sketches collected from the flight. Finally, pulling down his hood he gave a soft nod before responding;

"Is that not a bird, and why the roar? It is delightfully lovely, yet does not resemble the common 'gull along the shore. The 'gull of the shores are very dull, to the point of being a bore. Yet Elegance is transient, even more sans a core. Alas, this makes me long for more a-"

A pause, a blink, and a sigh. The man wanted an explanation, not a serenade. "Ahem, Do excuse me for my manners. I'm Eldecrok, how do you do?" Pulling out the feathers and his sketchbook, he presented them to the man and simply waited for him to fumble through it as he said, "A couple of drawings is all, along with something for ink."

The feathers were somewhat roughed up when swiftly put into his sack, but were otherwise fine. The sketchbook on the other hand seemed ancient, only its spine was fairly new. The rest of the pages seemed as if it came from a distant past, but it is evident that the edges were trimmed in a wave-like pattern to prevent tears. The page that the man was presented with was a fairly elegant sketch of a bird, ready to be shaded in. Though not perfect due to the nature of a sketch midflight, it surely was a competent work that would sell well in a museum.

[Julla Orrinade]

The pictures and sketches intrigued him mostly. All the while, he soaked in the words of the Akvatari. An artist, was he? A fine one at that, then. He found that his head would turn to the side with wonderment, fascinated with the rough marks and lines that made up the familiar creatures. And his notes; fancy that! Clipped wings and scavenged talons all lined this book of birds, and the young man's smile widened as his eyes widened with admiration.
It was then that he heard the creature's name. Eldecrok; it was a fascinating one at that. Then the man remembered his own manners and, closing the book delicately, he held out a hand to shake.
"I am Julla Orrinade. It is a pleasure to meet you, sir." A friendly nod followed Julla's soft response. He added with pointed finger, "That up there is my hawk, Iscr."