Closed Underneath Night Skies

[Nieve Glass]

25th of winter, 517 AV

Nieve had only been in Syka for a few days, but she found she was already settling in. She hadn't met many people yet, too busy setting up her parcel of land and creating what felt like a home to her. She was mostly done, though. Her tent was set up in a good spot, belongings stored inside; she'd even marked off an area some feet away where she intended on building her makeshift kiln in the sand.

It was late evening, the sky mostly dark save for a line of burning orange and red along the distant horizon that reflected off of the waves of the ocean. The crashing sound of the sea had become a constant, soothing sound that Evie had grown used to.

Crouching down next to the circle of stones she'd put together, already filled with various bits of leaves and grass she'd plucked from the treeline, she set up the sticks she'd collected into a rough cone, propping them against each other. It took her a few moments, but she finally managed to set them up.

Pleased with herself, she fetched her flint and steel from the tent. Getting down onto her knees in the sand, she scraped the small steel bit over the flint. A spark flew off, not quite strong enough to reach the tinder; moving closer, she scraped them together a few more times until several sparks finally landed in the pile of shredded leaves, beginning to smolder.

Tossing the flint and steel aside, Nieve cupped her hands around her mouth as she leaned down, blowing gently on the sparks until tiny flames began to lick at the leaves. Satisfied the fire was beginning to grow and wouldn't go out, Evie put away the flint and steel and fetched her ocarina.

For once she was fully dressed, or as close as she would get to it on the beach. Her loincloth swung around her thighs as she sat crossed-legged, a deep green scarf tied around her chest, the ends of it just barely brushing the sand.

The fire grew slowly, becoming cheerful and crackling. It cast long shadows along the sand beside her, and they whispered to her. A smile played over Evie's face. She told them she was going to play for them, and they wavered in excitement.

Placing the mouthpiece of the ocarina against her mouth, Evie covered a few of the holes at random with her slim fingers and gave a test blow. The sound that the instrument made was high-pitched and incredibly off key, causing the shadows to taunt her. Nieve simply laughed along, unbothered. She knew almost nothing about the ocarina or how to play it; everything she did was trial and error. The only thing she had to go off of was the distant memory of the melody her mother would play for her.

She tried again, and this time the sound was slightly softer. She moved one of her fingers over, and the sound picked up in pitch, though it wasn't whiny as it had been before. Moving her finger back, the sound dropped its pitch slightly. Beginning to understand how the pitch worked, Evie took in a breath to blow again when a sharp sound came from overhead.

It took her a confused moment to realize that she hadn't been the one responsible for it. The shadows tittered around her, trying to get her to continue playing, but Nieve hushed them. The sound came again; it made her hair stand on end and her skin crawl uncomfortably. It was as if two great big pieces of metal were being dragged against each other, but deeper and more rumbly.

As her gaze scanned the clear night sky, it suddenly erupted in a flash of light. It was a brief but intense flash, not dissimilar to lightning; except it wasn't raining, and the flash was a fiery red in colour. Nieve yelped in surprise and scrambled to her feet, eyes wide with terror as her heart beat hard in her chest.

She froze, her muscles tensed. The strange, unpleasant sound continued before abruptly ceasing, followed by another sudden flash of light; this one lasted slightly longer, wavering in the sky like a strange, translucent curtain before disappearing. Nieve squeaked, baring her teeth at the sky, and took off at a run. She clutched her ocarina tightly in one hand, not looking back as she sprinted across the sand.

She wasn't sure where she was going. She needed to find someone, to make sure she wasn't the only one who had seen the strange lights and heard the sound. She needed to make sure she wasn't going crazy, and while if she was asked she would vehemently deny it, she was terrified and confused by the phenomenon she'd just witnessed and didn't want to be alone.

The sand was cool beneath her bare feet, her curls whipping around her face. Glancing up and behind her slightly, to look at the sky, she suddenly found herself smacking into a very solid surface. She hit the sand with a soft thump and a quiet 'oof' as all of the air in her lungs rushed out of her.

Looking up, she found herself staring at a man with with dark hair; his strange complexion, in particular the shining, deep red arm that graced his left side, caught her attention immediately. Any irritation she felt at having been knocked over from running into him evaporated.

"Who are you? What are you?" Oh, no, that was probably a rude thing to ask. She scrambled to her feet, her breathing slightly quick from her impromptu run across the beach.

Curiosity briefly overwhelmed her, but then she remembered the reason why she had been seeking someone out to begin with. She whipped around, nearly tripping over her own feet with the haste in which she moved, pointing at the sky, her voice urgent as she spoke. "Did you see it? The lights!"

[Aladon]

It was a bell till sunset, and Aladon was looking for shrimp in the mangrove off of the shore. Mathias said that they tended to live among the roots of trees, but he been seeing them all over by the shoreline, especially in the crevices in between the rocks. Kneeling down next to the rock, he saw them walking around the rocks. They were smaller than the ones found in the mangroves, so when he went to grab them. It did it's best to swim away, but he was able to trap him with two hands. The rock shrimp were faster swimmers than the mangrove shrimp, but he didn't want to stick his hand in a plant roots of he couldn't see into them. It was a good way for your hand to be bitten. It was weird feeling the little creature try to escape in his clutches, but he walked to shore and dropped it into the salt water. Looking in the bucket, Aladon's caught five shrimp, Mathias had like twenty in his bucket shrimping in the mangrove. It wasn't a good number, but he knew that if he wanted to get a good fishing spot at the bar. He needed to get there early, so five shrimp will do.

Walking out of the ocean, Aladon went to his tent to get dressed. He didn't wear anything really nice since he will be dealing with fish, so he just put on his simple linen pants, sandals, and kukri. He got his trusty flint and steel, bug resistant candle, tackle and hooks, and put them into his backpack. He decided to carry the fishing pole and bucket of shrimp in his hands. He wished that he had more, so he had to make them count. Walking down the beach, he looked up at the sunset and smiled at the orange and red hues that Syna was gifting the settlement. The sand was still warmed on his feet as he walked to the Tidepool Bar. Suddenly, he heard music playing when he walked around a palm bush and saw beautiful human women with wavy brown hair sitting in the sand. He put down his shrimp bucket and listened to her song. It wasn't perfect, but the colors in the skies, the shadows of the palms shading her campsite, and beautiful girl playing the strange flute was perfect scene for the settlement on the edge of Jungle Wilds. Suddenly, he heard the high pitched squeal of a off note. He figured that she was practicing, so he would let her be. Aladon thought to himself, 'I will have to ask her dance one day...'

Aladon picked up his bait bucket and continued walking down the beach. He didn't want to be a jerk and disturb a musician if she was trying to practice. As Syna was dipping below the horizon, he had to stop and gaze out into the Suvan Sea. The horizon was still a shade of dark red, and the contrast of color in the sky and darkness of the ocean. It was pretty sight to behold. When Syna dipped under the horizon, he heard a loud thunderclap of metal meeting metal all around him and flashes of different colors in the night sky. The sound and lights made his skin crawl, but he had to admit. It was quite beautiful even if it was unnerving. He was here when the season started and was still baffled by the strange lights in the sky. A lot of strange things have been happening in Syka especially being shot by some strange alien creatures about six days ago. He still had the burnt mark on his rear end and the strange puncture wound. Aladon shook his head and rationalized the event and thought to himself, 'No! Those creatures were a figment of drugged up trip. It was just a plant toxin. I was hallucinating it all...Right?'

Suddenly, someone or something slammed into his back, so he lost his balance. However, Aladon was able to control himself enough to keep his precious shrimp in the bucket from spilling on the ground. He turned around and saw the pretty girl from the campfire was on the ground. He set the fishing equipment and bucket down, but she sprung to his feet as quickly as she fell down. She quickly asked who her was and the question that everyone ask when they meet him. What are you? He figured that she saw his blessed arm. In a urgent voice, she pointed up into the sky and asked about the lights and noises. Seeing the concern on her face, Aladon walked over besides her and said in soothing tone, “I have been here since the first of winter, and the lights and noises in the sky is just anomaly. Nobody knows the reason for them. There is many theories about it circling around the settlement that Morwen might be trapped in the jungle, some crazy mage activated something in the in the ruins, or the gods are having a dance party in the sky...” Looking at the lights still dancing in the sky, he said with a sense of awe, “You have to say that the lights are breathtaking. Do you have a theory about the lights and noises in the sky?”

Aladon added the last one to make the pretty smile. It wasn't a theory that the was discussed at the Tidepool Bar. It was just a joke to lighten her mood. She was clearly taken back by the strange phenomenon in the sky. The Isur decided to introduce himself to the human women, “My name is Aladon Blackforge Sultros, and I am Isur from Sultros, but I recently came from Riverfall about a month ago.” Look at the woman, he smiled when she was exactly the same height as him, and he asked, “I heard your music, and it was very soothing to listening too. May I ask you your name?”

[Nieve Glass]

The Gods having a dance party? Nieve turned to face him, bewilderment clear on her face. As her racing heart calmed, it took her a moment to realize he was joking. Oh. A flush spread across her freckled cheeks, but she found herself smiling regardless, pointed teeth gleaming white in the darkness of the settling evening. It was reassuring, at least, to know the lights and sounds were routine there, strange as they were.

She inhaled deeply as she faced the man; the first smell that met her nose was that of fish, and her stomach gave a small growl as her eyes slid to the bucket sitting in the sand. The man's scent came next; faintly salty, from the sea or sweat or both, but beneath that was the smell of smoke and fire and something faintly metallic. It was a warm smell, one that Evie liked right away.

A theory? Evie's brow furrowed. What could cause such strange things in the night sky? "Maybe it's the stars," she mused aloud, gaze drifting up past the man's head to gaze at the glittering spots far above them. "Perhaps they're playing." It sounded silly even to her own ears, so she was glad when the subject changed and the man with the strange arm introduced himself.

His name sounded familiar. Where had she heard it before? It clicked suddenly, and she clapped her hands as the realization dawned on her. "You! You're Aladon. You're the blacksmith! Randal told me about you." A wide smile spread over her lips, pleased that she'd recalled the information and also that she'd ran into the man. Granted Syka was small enough that she was bound to run into everyone eventually, but still. The scent she'd caught from him made more sense, as well.

She laughed, both delighted and amused at his words. "Soothing? That's not what I would call it." Belatedly, she realized she was still holding her ocarina, and she flipped it over in her hands, smoothing her fingers over it. "My name is Nieve. I came from Riverfall, too! I've only been here for a few days, though."

She gestured with her chin to the bucket sitting in the sand, containing the few meager shrimp. "Were you going fishing?" Something popped into her mind suddenly. "I'm sorry for running into you." It was slightly late, perhaps, but she was proud of herself for remembering her manners. Not waiting for a response, she continued to talk. "Can I go with you?"

She hadn't had the chance to socialize much, busy as she'd been settling in, and she sorely missed human - or Isurian, as the case may be - company. Not to mention the man, Aladon, intrigued her; and she still didn't want to be alone. The noises and lights in the sky may be a common occurrence in the settlement, but they still made her feel uneasy.

Provided he agreed, Evie would breeze past him and begin to bound down the beach. "Come on," she called, playfully, her curls ruffling in a faint breeze. "What are you waiting for, slowpoke?" Her teeth flashed in a teasing grin as she spun on her heel with a laugh, sand flying up around her bare feet. Her mood had lifted significantly now that she had company.

[Aladon]

Aladon smiled warmly at the human woman when a flush spread across her cheeks when he told her it was a dance party. When she smiled, he noticed her teeth were slightly more pointed than normal. He thought to himself, 'Whatever. I have a red arm, so if her teeth are pointed than we can both be strange together.' When she told him his theory about the noise and lights, the Isur's smile widen when she gave the most innocent answer that he heard yet. The stars were just playing. It was a good answer, and in a way, isn't it better to not look at the world in such a negative way. Nothing had to be doom and gloom all the time. The Isur said to her with a chuckle, “I really like your answer. It is refreshing to hear since I have been unnerved by them for a long time.” Looking up at the sky, the Isur said with a smile, “The lights are beautiful, but the sound...that is what really unnerves me.”

When she mentioned that Randal told her about him, the Isur nodded and smiled to himself. He was happy that the young founder was proud enough about him to mention himself to a complete stranger. Aladon couldn't help himself and smile at her because she seemed to personality that he was drawn too. When she mentioned that her music wasn't really soothing, he was about say something, but the young woman introduced herself to him as Nieve, and she came from Riverfall and only been in Syka a few days. He smiled to know that he wasn't the only new resident in the settlement. Aladon decided to say something about her music, “Believe me. I really enjoyed it. You have a talent. It might a little rough, but the talent is there.” He continued with a chuckle, “Think of me as your first fan, Nieve.”

Nieve must of spotted the fishing pole in the sand and the bucket of shrimp, and he nodded with grin, “Well I going to attempt to catch a fish. I got six shrimp, so I got to make them count. Otherwise, I will be buying our food at the Tidepool Bar.” When she asked if she could come. He said with a nod, “I have one condition if you come with me. You share a pitcher of beer with me. It much easier to catch fish with a mug of beer in your hand.” Giving the curly haired woman a wink, he said with smirk, “Besides a pleasant conversation with a pretty woman like yourself is always added bonus too.”

As soon as Aladon agreed with her, the woman sprinted passed him, turned around, and called him a slowpoke. The Isur chuckled at her reached down, grabbed his gear, and bucket of shrimp and chased her. He did his best to keep up with the spunky woman, but he having a hard time keeping up with her and not spilling his shrimp bucket. He was definitely losing ground with the woman. Eventually, he had to stop to catch his breath. The shrimp in the bucket were in a panic in the container. Looking up at the woman, he said loudly slightly out of breath, “Wait up Nieve! I don't think that I have the energy to keep up with you. Where do you find all this energy? Whatever. I still enjoyed myself...” The Isur wasn't out of shape by any means, but he tended not be a fast runner. She seemed to have more energy than he could muster holding all the equipment and trying not to spill his shrimp on the beach. If she didn't stop, he would just walk the rest of the way. He smiled at the strange pretty girl in front of him, and he was happy that she decided to join him tonight.

[Nieve Glass]

The catch that Aladon put on her joining him made Nieve flush, so she simply ignored it as she breezed past him. She realized after a few moments, however, that the man with the strange arm was a fair distance behind her. She could hear the water in his bucket sloshing as he tried to run after her.

He called for her to wait up, and Nieve slowed her footsteps, skidding to a halt. Sand sprayed up from her feet. Her chest was rising and falling quickly as she panted, but she wasn't quite as breathless as Aladon. She laughed freely at his muttering as she trotted back over the pale sand towards him, coming to a stop in front of him.

It was a nice change to have someone at eye-level with her; she was so used to having to tilt her head back to look up at people. "Try harder next time," she told him, but it was clear by her tone and bright smile that she was simply teasing.

She fell into pace beside him as they walked the rest of the way more leisurely, the faint sweat that Nieve had worked up cooling pleasantly on her skin with the ocean breeze. "So...why is your arm like that?" Nieve asked, peering over to the aforementioned limb. She never could contain her curiosity, even when it meant she sounded rude. She was aware the question might be taken badly, but she couldn't stand not knowing.

"It's really neat," she added, as an afterthought; while she knew her question could be taken as rude, she didn't want him to think she was judging him. She did indeed find it interesting. The unknown fascinated her, and she'd never seen anyone like him before.

They finally reached the Tidepool Bar, lit up brightly with torches. It was a pretty sight, out above the dark water, and it seemed there were a fair number of people there. She had yet to take a closer look, so she peered around with bright eyes as she and Aladon walked out along the pier, a bounce in her step.

"Did you want to get that pitcher of beer? I don't mind splitting it with you." Evie had never had alcohol in her life, but she felt willing to indulge the stranger she'd just met. If he did, she trailed after him into the bar area to order before heading out to the end of the dock; otherwise, she went straight there, wanting to enjoy the view.

The water and the rest of Syka was dark compared to the Tidepool Bar, but between her sharp eyes and the triangle that rested between her shoulder blades, she could still enjoy the view. It didn't occur to her that others may have a more difficult time seeing as she said, idly, "It's so pretty, isn't it? So peaceful."

So free, a voice in her mind whispered, and she didn't know if it was her own or if it belonged to the shadows dancing around the edges of the dock. Perhaps it was both.

Nieve sat at the edge of the pier, allowing her legs to hang off it, her bare feet dangling above the ocean. She absently swung her legs back and forth, cool ocean water occasionally spraying up and scattering her skin with stray droplets.

Quietly, her stomach rumbled, reminding her of their reason for being there. It was no wonder she felt so hungry; the air was laden with the smell of fire, cooking meat, and fresh fruit. It was mouthwatering. "So, fishing?" She tipped her head back to look up at Aladon, quirking a brow.

[Aladon]

The energetic young woman seemed to definitely out pacing the Isur as he ran through the sand. Aladon wasn't a runner. He was strong and powerful, but he was slow and lumbering. Not to mention that he wasn't a endurance runner, so he was having a tough time catching his breath. Finally, he stumbled to her, breathing heavily, and staring at the sand. When he heard that he needed to try harder. The Isur chuckled to himself, looked up at her, and said with shake of his head, “You went from stop to fast in a few ticks, Nieve. Never mind, anything I say would just be just an excuse.” Looking up at the pretty girl, he joked with grin, “You have to realize that I am built like a cow. I am heavy and slow, so it takes me time to build up momentum than watch out cause I am not stopping!”

Aladon was happy that Nieve decided to walk next to him. It was easier to talk with out her sprinting down the sand. It was easier to carry all his fishing gear with him. As the Isur walked, he enjoyed the sea breeze cool his thick skin besides the ocean. The sounds of the surf rolling into shore seemed to calm his mind as they walked to Tidepool Bar. Suddenly, the energetic human asked him about his arm. The Isur smiled to himself because it was the number one question most outsiders ask him about. Aladon said with smile, “It is a gift from the god, Izurdin. It aids me when I am crafting my wears. It has special qualities given to me by my beloved God.”

Looking around for a stone in the sand, he set down his fishing supplies and started to search the edge of the beach for a rock. When he found one being lite by the rays of Leth, he walked over to the ocean and washed the dirt of the stone the size of his palm. Walking back over to her, he said, “Izurdin gave us this arm as way for us to shape our environment and to perfect our crafts. I learned from experimenting that I can shape wood and stone like a potter shapes clay. Let see if I can make you something..”

Showing Nieve the round stone, the Isur held the stone with his right hand and he started used his red isur arm to squishing the stone into a flat disk. Aladon showed the Nieve the flat disk of stone and said with a smile, “See just like clay. Now if I ever get off my arse and learn sculpting this might be more impressive...”

The Isur held the disk, used the pointer, and middle finger to do his best to smooth out the rough and bumpy edges of the stone on each side of the disk. When he was finished smoothing out the rock, he took his red middle finger and pushed in two holes for the eyes and drew a U into stone to make a smiley face on one side of the disk. With his red pointer finger, he flipped the stone disk over again, put two holes for eyes, and made a upside down U to make a frowney face. When he was finished, he put his initials and one in a lower left corner. He handed her the stone disk with a smile on his face, “It isn't much, but I made the smiley face on one side and frowney face on the other side, so if you ever don't want to talk to me, you can just flip the rock to the frowney face.”

Picking up his fishing gear, Aladon and Nieve walked to the Tidepool Bar. The tavern on the water was already busy with people from settlement. Looking for a open table by the edge of the water, the Isur walked over to a open table and sat down his fishing gear. Nieve offered to pay for a pitcher, but he shook his head and said, “I will buy the first pitcher than you buy the second pitcher. What do you want drink? It is your choice?”

The Isur stood for a moment to gather in the atmosphere of the bar tonight. It seemed relaxed for the moment. When the young woman said the view was pretty and peaceful, Aladon said with a nod, “Yes, it part of the reason why I came to Syka. The location is paradise on Mizahar. Obviously every place has it's beauty, but in Syka, it doesn't hide it. It just there...”

Taking off his sandals, Aladon sat down next to her on the edge of the dock and dangled his feet off the side too. Once and while a mischievous waves rolls by a tickles the bottom of his feet. When the pretty human girl stated fishing like a question, he said with nod, “Yep, I learned it from Mathias. To the old human, it is a sport and less about survival; however, I am not really good at it yet, so if your hungry, we might want to order something from Stu..”

[Nieve Glass]

Nieve understood instantly when Aladon said his arm was a gift from a God; she had one of her own, after all, but she kept that to herself for the moment. It was fascinating to see the way these different gifts seemed to appear. Evie's hands itched to reach out and touch the man's red arm, to see if it felt like stone as much as it looked the part; but even she knew that was considered rude, so she kept her hands to herself.

She watched him scout out the stone curiously, and peered closely at it as he explained what his arm could do. In the moonlight, her pupils were wide, taking in as much light as possible and leaving only a thin sliver of green circling them. Nieve watched Aladon smooth the stone out before he carefully made indents on either side with his fingers before finally handing it to her.

Her teeth gleamed in a wide grin as she looked down at the smiley face, running her fingertips over the edges of the smooth stone. At his words, she flipped it over, and laughed at the frowny face that stared back up at her, a sound of pure and unadulterated delight.

"I love it," she said with a bright smile, looking up to meet Aladon's gaze, her fingers curling around the stone; she felt something warm settle in her chest, right beneath her sternum, like a stray ember from a fire. "Thank you."

As she sat on the edge of the dock, she clutched the stone, her ocarina sitting beside her; the smooth texture was soothing to circle her thumb over. A slight smile played at her lips; paradise, indeed. At his next words, Nieve glanced up at him. "My choice?" She frowned. "I...don't actually know what they offer. I've never had alcohol before," She admitted with a small shrug of her slight shoulders. A laugh escaped her when Aladon admitted his true fishing skill level.

"Very well. Let's go get some food and drink, then." She hopped up to her feet in one fluid motion, not forgetting her ocarina, and gestured for Aladon to follow as she made her way into the Tidepool Bar. The smells were stronger there, and Evie's stomach gave another rumble, her mouth watering slightly. She sniffed the air, sighing happily at the scent of cooking fish mingling with heady, alcohol-laden fruity smells.

She studied the drink menu seriously, her brow furrowed slightly as she considered; there were so many choices! "What about the Blue Whirlpool?" She asked Aladon, tearing her gaze away to glance over to him questioningly. She had no idea what exactly was in it, but it sounded interesting, at the very least.

Suddenly, her eyes widened; her hands were full, but otherwise they would have flown to her hips. "Oh, shyke," She cursed. "I don't have any Mizas on me. I wasn't really expecting to...well, to end up here, I guess." She looked at Aladon, a mixture of sheepish and apologetic, feeling slightly embarrassed, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why.

She usually had to make an effort to remember to bring her coins with her where she went; she didn't often go shopping, so carrying them on her wasn't a habit as it was for most people. In any case, Aladon had at least offered to buy the first pitcher; she supposed she would simply owe him one in the future.

Glancing around, Nieve tilted her head slightly; it was warm, but crowded and loud compared to the quiet of outside, and the combination of smells was overwhelming. "Do you want to go back outside once we've ordered?" She asked, hoping he would agree.