Closed [Okomo Villa] Colour the Sky

[Zeva]

x

---5th Summer 518AV

zintia peak ⬩ sometime after the 8th bell

Zeva stirred, eyes slowly opening to the sight of the fabric of her bed's canopy - loose and draped - dancing lazily in the faint breeze that trickle in from her open window. Her room was bathed in a cool, white glow and she moved enough to draw a hand to her face, digging the heel of it into one of her eyes as if trying to physically push the muddiness of sleep from her head. Slowly she roused herself, sitting up and allowing the blanket to pooled down around her inked frame.

She knew she needed to get moving; it was her fifth day in Lhavit and she had one last peak to explore. She did her best to try and drum up the name of this last peak but failed. Did it start with an 'S'? It seemed so many did and she found herself struggling to keep them straight. She did know that this last peak was home to the Okomo - that much had been drilled into her by the few residents she had spoken at length to.

In addition to the day being associated with the fifth and final peak in the chain that made up the city, it also happened to coincide with a festival for the strange animals she had heard so much about. The boy at the Cosmos Center, Oishi, had been particularly excited about today and had tried his best to explain the traditions that Lhavitians took part in to honour the horned creatures. Zeva wasn't entirely sure what the hype was about but a festival was a festival and she knew she'd be able to have some fun at the very least.

Unlike the previous days where she had visited the other peaks in her Avikki form, today she'd favour her human form and, thus, began the process of dressing herself, tugging on her woolen leggings and red sleeveless silk shirt, pausing long enough to luxuriate in the feeling of the smooth, cool fabric against her skin. She then wound one of her colourful sashes around her waist, fixing it tightly in place with her belt, and began fussing with her hair. Despite the perpetual tousled and windblown look she wore, she was quite fastidious about grooming and preening and spent a good twenty chimes brushing and tending to her vibrantly hues locks. Her nimble fingers wove bits into braids before throwing the rest carelessly to one side.

Donning her boots, she then plucked her cloak from its resting place and draped it loosely over her head before tossing the ends over her bare, freckled shoulders. If today was anything like the previous days then it would be unseasonably cool and she wanted to be prepared. Last but not least, she then layered on the numerous pieces of jewellery she had and then tucked a handful of kinas into some discreet places and her waterskin into the folds of her sash before finally heading out the door.

Oishi had told her to bring food for the Okomo as a gift - something she inwardly scoffed at then - and, feeling in a particularly good mood, she felt she might as well indulge in this city's traditions, her travels taking her to the Surya Plaza where she had asked one of the shop keepers what sort of things Okomo might like. She had left with a small bag of oats, promptly tucking them within her sash as well.

She had a feeling it would be a decent trek out to the last peak so she made sure to stop in to the nearby Sunrise Nook and got herself a berry tart to nibble on. And nibble on she did, fingers a bit sticky and powdery as she savoured the treat while walking at a brisk clip towards the bridge that would lead her to the now familiar Shinyama Peak.

sharai peak ⬩ just after the 10th bell

The first thing the Kelvic noticed about this particular peak was the greeness. Even with the ever-present fog covering the city like a blanket, stifling Syna's light, Sharai managed to remain a brilliant shade of green. Her red-rimmed, light blue eyes wandered the view before her, drinking up the rolling farmlands like a new draught. In truth, she hadn't ever see large swaths of arable land before and her eyes danced over it all, pausing occasionally to take in the glinting glass shapes filled with ever more vibrant shades of green and the small pastel shapes that slowly grazed below her. It was mesmerising, a smile forming as she took it all in.

She finally made her way towards the first true series of structures she could find. Comprised of long, low buildings situated on a gentle hill, the area around them was filled with a flurry of activity, torches burning in a bid to combat the haze. She heard voices as she drew closer, gentle words of caution warning attendees of the uncharacteristically restless nature of the Okomo. Okomo. She had heard the word enough to be sick of it but now, at last, she could finally really get to see what these creatures were all about.

Her hand moved to the bag of oats she had purchased earlier and slowly began retrieving it from where she had ferreted it away within the folds of her sash, eyes dancing over the scene before her until they came to rest on a particular beast. It looked much like the one she had seen when she had first arrived and she stepped towards it, exercising little caution as she spoke to it, "Hello you strange thing." She then shook the bag, gaining its full attention - along with a few others in the near vicinity - and promptly dropped to the ground, legs splaying out gracelessly in front of her as she grinned, watching as the Okomo approached. "Yeah, you're like me. Any chance to get some food, huh?"

Her pale hues took in the strange horns of the creature slowly plodding towards her, its head bobbing, causing the long, thin pointed horns to make small stabbing motions at the sky. Despite how beautiful they were, Zeva couldn't help noticing - once again - how dangerous the looked and her body grew tense as the Okomo that was approaching her failed to slow, instead coming right up into her face and giving her shoulder, neck and jaw a bodily nudge with its head.

"Hey!", she squawked, hands instantly up and shoving at the things head, muscles flexing to put as much oomph into the action as possible "Off!" And so there she was, being accosted by Lhavit's very own Okomo.

Receipt :

1 cup of oats (1/5 lb)			-1tk 4jk
Berry tart			-8jk
Total			-2tk 2jk

x

[Raeyn]

For Raeyn, festivals weren't really his scene. Much rather would the alchemist prefer to spend his tree time at the lab of the Twilight Tower than meandering though crowds and delighting in truly insignificant small talk. There was one of such festivals, however, which he attended religiously every single year out of his own choice rather than the relentless nagging of his mother or twin sister. That very festival was the day of the sacred Okomo. Having grown up in Lhavit, Raeyn had a very passionate love of the city bread into his very djed and with this love came the deep reverence for the city's sacred animal.

Though perhaps he would have been happily accompanied by his Mara or Orath, the alchemist chose to go alone early in the morning. There were days he was less comfortable in the company of his loved one than others. But the festival he could not miss thus, armed with a little pot of paint he had purchased that morning and a bag of oats for the Okomos, he made his way to the vast pastures of their home peak.

Raeyn had been clad in his very best attire that day as a sign of respect. Richly died robes of navy and scarlet clothed his lean, muscular body. A fur lined cloak draped over his shoulders. Following the ever-vibrant fashions of Lhavit, he was draped in tasteful jewellery which caught glimmers of Syna's rays when those broke though the mists. Raeyn was really quite dignified in every motion of his hands, the stride of his feet. The very way he carried himself was that of grace. Even his hair had been braided more elaborately than usual. But behind the white rimmed eye was a twinkle of uncertainty. One not often seen in the beautiful Inarta man.

He'd take a moment to fill his lungs with the misty Sharai air once he had arrived at his destination. To him, few places of agriculture were more beautiful but then again Reayn did not boast the most intimate knowledge of Mizaharian agriculture. He had never stepped off his mountain after all.

In the distance, Raeyn spotted a flurry of red locks. Mistaking it for Mara at first, he made his way towards the girl, being followed by two Okomo closely, as the beasts pinned their eyes on the bag of oats in his hand. But soon enough, to his disillusion, his eyes came to realise that indeed he was mistaken. The girl who had been wrestling with a new Okomo friend of her own, was indeed not his sister but a stranger. Realising this a little too late to avoid an embarrassing social encounter however, Raeyn deemed it polite to at least say a hello especially since she wasn't at all hard on the eyes.

"I think he likes you." he smiled politely. Still not a peek from those odd voices. The festival day was turning out to be quite a pleasant one but he wasn't about to jinx it by counting his blessings just yet.

At that very moment, the two Okomos caught up to him and whilst Raeyn wasn't quite paying attention one began nibbling at his bag of oats, tearing a hole open in it. The grain came spilling into the grass. Without hesitation both of the beasts started wolfing up the feed as fast as their mouths would allow them.

"Patience is a virtue." laughed Raeyn, speaking to them softly and placing a hand on the furry scruff. It seemed conversing with animals rather than people came far easier to him. He gave the Okomo a little rub behind the ears as he watched them eat, pleased that they would at least enjoy the grain while it lasted.

[Zeva]

x

The Kelvic's world began to tip as if in slow motion and she desperately shot a hand out to grab at one of the creature's horns in order to keep herself upright. Her abdominals flexed as she fought gravity, straining to remain seated and not wind up on her back and then focused on gaining better purchase of the Okomo's horns. To every onlooker, it was plain she was grappling with the hoofed beast, especially as she readjusted her hold, both hands wrapped firmly around each horn. Then with all her might, she began to try and wrestle it away, arms tensing and burning as she pulled and pushed in equal measure, straining against the animals thick and muscled neck.

It barely budged and only let out a loud, strangled bleat at the indignity of being handled in such a fashion.

Then, just to add insult to injury, someone felt the need to address her, words too smooth and sweet for her liking. Zeva ground her teeth and shut her eyes as she released an exasperated groan, 'Really? Really?!'. She certainly didn't find her current situation remotely amusing and used the sturdy beast and its horns to help her struggle to her feet.

"Laviku's ass he does," she spat as she brushed her hands down her leggings, dusting off her bum as her eyes shot daggers at the fellow who had spoken. The Okomo gave its head a vigorous shake and snorted, the Kelvic mimicking the noise as if to punctuate her feelings on the matter as her eyes shot back to its woolly form, "Mongrel."

The Okomo was nonplussed, snuffing and huffing. Its nostrils flickering as it took two small steps back in her direction, causing her to tense and ready herself to fling her arms up - as if doing so could scare it away - but it now only seemed preoccupied with the parcel she had brought, its face lowering to give the sack a nudge and nibble.

Her hands moved to her hips and formed tight little fists as she stewed over the audacity of it. That was her gift to give... not something to just be taken. Her brows narrowed, "Oh, right-o, ya bully. Take all the food I brought for you and your buddies. Good on ya. You greedy little pig." She shook her head and then noticed the two near the man being gluttonous bandits, as well.

She motioned towards them, vibrant pale eyes transfixed on their two forms, "Is this normal? Do these.. Okomo.. usually steal food off of people? Is this why you Lhavitians like them so much?" Her eyes finally bounded back to the man and she took the time to take in his features, having not bothered to previously when he had first addressed her. He had fine features and was impeccably dressed. Pretty, even, with his long, lush braid and pale eyes. She noticed a faint discolouration in one of his eyebrows - as if it faded in to the tone of his clear skin - and found it intriguing. She fancied his attire - that coat, specifically - and she cocked her head faintly as she gave that garment a long, appreciate look. Without missing a beat, she added, "I'm surprised you don't use them to make yourselves nice coats like that one," she lifted her solid chin in his direction, "It's one of the nicest ones I've seen, by the by."

She kept babbling now, her eyes momentarily lifting to regard him for a tick before dropping down to the sack she had brought, seeing it now in tatters and oats spread out messily as the Okomo munched away happily, "What're they good for, anyways? Their horns sure are nice... I bet they'd make a pretty necklace or earrings... maybe even rings." Her eyes darted back to him, as if waiting for acknowledgement - agreement - before she continued, crouching down as she moved a hand - palm out - towards one of the creature's horns. Partially as a means to try and fend it away if need be and partially to get another feel of it, she allowed herself a moment to appreciate the colours before pushing against the beast once more as she did her best to try and snatch up what she could salvage of the bag.

She only managed to be successful in raining oats around her feet and she grumbled at this.. especially as another pair of Okomo began to approach, their horns painted in vivid colours and playful patterns.

wc 759

x

[Raeyn]

The situation quickly turned from perfectly pleasant and almost lighthearted to an offensive irritation. Hearing the woman’s disrespectful language brought a sour taste to Raeyn’s mouth. Such indignity. He could hardly stand the shade of it all and truthfully if she had been a man then perhaps he’d have been far more inclined to start some sort of an altercation. Being of a somewhat sexist disposition however, Raeyn did his best to let it slide.

“I wouldn’t say such things around the Okomo if I were you.” said Raeyn, visibly unimpressed by her although doing his best to keep up a calm appearance. “I see you’re not from here so consider this information a kindness. These incredible creatures are very sacred to us. Disrespecting them is not looked upon kindly. And I sincerely doubt you’d like to be thrown out of the city for such foolishness, especially with these worrying rumours as of late… unless you have a death wish of course.”

Raeyn unclasped his fur lined cloak and laid it by his own pile of spilled oats, where the Okomo were grazing happily, so that he’d have something to sit on. His outdoor attire was far too expensive to dirty it with soil and grass. As he did so, a length of knotted cloth peaked out from underneath that wrapped around his left arm. A sling to help heal his most recent injury. With the other hand he tumbled though his pockets for a moment and then pulled out a little pot of colourful paint and a paint brush which for a moment he struggled to open before using his teeth to aid the process. Doing stuff one handed was proving to be far more difficult than he expected.

Satisfied by the gift of food, one of the Okomo came right up to Raeyn and prodded his cheek with it’s soft nose. A little strand of red hair fount it’s way into the beast’s mouth but it didn’t try to eat it. It just licked it, a little taste, before letting the hair hang wet against the Inarta’s cheek. Raeyn smiled, respectfully running his palm over the Okomo’s nose and giving it a little scratch beneath the chin. Satisfied that Raeyn was indeed not food, the pastel beast raised it’s head and narrowed it’s ears to the wind, watching over the pastures for anything else of interest.

“They are children of the mountains. In the early days of Lhavit, their assistance was paramount to the survival of the city. They protected and helped us and now in turn we protect them. The Okomo make far better companions than clothing, I’ll asure you of that.”

The Okomo that had been standing over him had now settled itself beside the inertia and laid it’s massive head on his lap. The beast seemed to be after some affection. A request to which Raeyn gladly obliged. He was soon to dip his paint brush in the paint and began covering the base of the Okomo’s left horn with a very simple pattern. His hand a little shaky. He wasn’t really the best of painters, and it showed, but he sincerely doubted the Okomo would mind too much about the aesthetics of the process.

[Zeva]

x

The Kelvic fumbled with small burlap sack, eyes studying it to see if there could be a way to salvage the tattered thing as she listened to his words. She didn't even have to look at him to know he was displeased; his attempt at composure only made him seem more rigid whereas he had simply been pompous before. She huffed through her nose, a noise somewhere between a scoff and a laugh, and cast her pale blues back in his direction.

"Yeah, yeah, I've been told a million times over how sacred they are to Lhavit and Lhavitians. I wasn't trying to twist yer small clothes.." 'so ya can pull 'em out of yer ass', she thought, arching a thick, dark brow as she watched him settle his fancy looking coat onto the ground so he could sit with the woolly, smelly beasts that had started to crowd him. She didn't get it - surely someone would have seen the opportunity these creatures presented. What wonderful cuts of meat they'd make! And the wool! The gorgeous coloured horns! There was a profit there if she ever did see one. Pity the Lhavitians were too moony for the beasts to see it too.

Her eyes skimmed over his frame now that it was revealed to her and she noticed his even finer clothes... as well as the sling around his arm. She regarded the Okomo near her once more, along with the two others that had only just joined her, eager to make the most of the spilled oats she left behind. Their horns were painted which seemed a bit strange to her - Oishi, the boy at the Cosmos Center, hadn't mentioned anything about paint. She found her answer once she glanced back towards the man, noting his struggle with what she assumed to be a small tin of paint since a paintbrush had found its way into his possession as well.

She had questions, so many questions, and she gave the Okomo near her a final look before moving closer to him, oblivious to his feelings towards her. She lowered herself next to him, a hand moving through her hair to ruffle it and toss it to one side, lending her an even wilder look than before. She sat close enough that she could feel the heat of his body, and observed the gentle affectionate exchange with genuine curiosity. She supposed that perhaps this wasn't much different than the love and bond shared between a Svefra and tavan, although Zeva, herself, couldn't quite grasp the concept.

She stayed quiet as she listened to him tell the story of the Okomo and why it was so special to the people of Lhavit and she supposed she could understand to a degree. It still didn't change her views, either way. Then, as if out of the blue given the subject matter, she offered, almost timidly, "That coat looks way too nice to be sitting on.." Okomo be damned, she wanted a coat like his and reached a hand out towards one of the corners near her, wanting to feel it. It looked so luxurious and warm. She was fixated on it as she asked, "Are you not worried about getting paint on it... or what the Okomo could do to it?" Her words held a tinge of horror as her mind swam with the many ways the Okomo near them could ruin such a beautiful garment.

Lastly, she added, a bit confused, "Is the paint... part of the festival?" Such an odd thing. Where were the drinks? Where was the feast? The music? The dancing?? This was turning out to be the strangest festival she had ever been to.

x

[Raeyn]

He arched his brow once again, refusing to dignify the comment with a response. His eyes for a moment meeting her blue ones. Nothing but disappointment twinkled in his.

Raeyn thought the red rings that lined her lashes a little strange but he didn’t immediately clock her as a Kelvic. No, jostling by the slang and unrefined nature of how she talked, and the eyes, he thought there was only one explanation for the woman’s heritage. She must have been a Zvefra. Raeyn never had much nice to say about them. A group of sea scoundrels who were good for little else than providing the city with much needed trade. He tolerated them but didn’t exactly adore the race. What other explanation was there for how very very different the two unlikely acquaintances were? Certainly in Raeyn’s mind she must ave been a Zvefra.

It was difficult for Raeyn to stay too bitter for too long however as more Okomo came to join them. Two with painted beautifully, clearly by the steady hands of an artists and the imagination of a trained eye. Another one came frolicking by. A tiny one, likely a kid from this year’s littler. It hopped around them playfully, far more energetic when cloaked by the thick, dense fog, than any other the others; including the human and the Kelvic who seemed in a hurry to find herself too close for comfort.

A little unnerved by this, Raeyn shuffled towards the free end of his cloak. Having previously been pretty sure that whatever emotions had arisen between them from this meeting, they were more likely those of mild annoyance and discomfort with each other’s presence than anything warranting such close proximity. Then gain Raeyn was never good with women…. Or people in general. Perhaps he was wrong in that assumption.

Her next comment caused their eyes to meet once more before Raeyn firmly plunged his gaze back in the Okomo’s gorgeous pastel fur once more. His freckled cheeks turned a little pink. “You have an eye for quality clothing I see.” He said doing his best to not let on his embarrassment. Attempts that weren’t exactly most successful, but not a complete failure either. “Indeed the paint is part of it all. We paint the horn of the Okomo to show our appreciation of them. Here. Why don’t you try it? It’ll give you a chance to make amends for your disrespect.”

Raeyn inched the little pot of paint towards the woman, pulling out two more brushed from his bag, both of which had seen many festivals such as this from years prior. “Help yourself, miss. But if you get any paint on my cloak I’ll feed you to the Okomo my self.” He added, a little playfully but with a hint of complete and utter seriousness.

“What’s your name, anyway? I can tell you’re not quite from here. So I suppose an apt question would be; what brings you to Lhavit?” An attempt at small talk was the best she could hope from him. It was still more than he’d grant just any boring stranger on a normal boring day.

Patiently, Raeyn focused on painting the horns of the Okomo who had now closed it’s eyes and rested on his lap, breathing rhythmically and twitching ears. A sign of a happy Okomo. A brief thought passed though the Inarta’s mind. How incredible would it be to keep such a beast in his own home. Granted he’s probably have to move into quite the villa for a little apartment with no garden to speak of was hardly befitting of the gorgeous, goat like creatures. He had always found himself so very fascinated by them. The scope for study and companionship alongside such an ancient creature could only be a dream for Raeyn as he steadily painted another set of patterns along the Okomo horn.

“My name is Raeyn… If the name is something you were curious of. I’m a local hunter.” As he spoke so very politely, his eyes would peak at her every so often, just to make sure she wasn’t covering his clothing with paint by accident, or worse. Although could there be anything worse? “How about you? What do you devote your time to?”

[Zeva]

x

Unlike the red-haired stranger, Zeva felt little discomfort or irritation after they previous exchange. Heated banter was something she was used to and, if anything, she only found the man's stuffy and uptight behaviour to be curious and amusing. She noted the man's motions as he moved to put more space between them and couldn't help the playful half-smirk that lifted a corner of her lip as her eyes swept up from the glorious coat to the side of his equally glorious face. She cocked her head, regarding him with a mischievous sideways glance but said nothing, absorbing his words all the while keeping her gaze locked on him, a small part of her content enough to toy with his apparent unease.

They remained for nearly a chime before finally wandering to the proffered instrument and tin of paint and she eyed them warily before, at last, she regarded the bevvy of okomo that now surrounded them, her words flat and matter-of-fact, "They're more likely to damage that coat before I am.". From small and fluffy to robust and shaggy - with coats every shade of pastel one could imagine, the strange creatures seemed drawn to the pair - more specifically the stranger in her company. Her eyes roamed them one by one, her body growing more rigid with each new woolly beast her eyes encountered. She wasn't sure how she felt about them being so close - and in such a large number - yet her companion seemed to find this... normal. She scoffed at the notion and sat up ramrod straight, seizing the implements as she shoved her tension deep down.

Fine.

'Silly smelly festival with it's silly, messy traditions' she thought as she settled the tin into her lap before taking back whatever distance the man had put between them with a big scoot of her own. Leaning over him, she reached a free hand towards one of the okomo lounging comfortably in his presence, once more angling to take hold of it by a horn, "C'mere, you. Let me paint you like the Lhavitians do." The okomo gave a low bleat as it felt the tug, Zeva flexing to try and literally drag the beast to her. The ones from earlier had stolen and eaten all her oats, after all, which left her with little options - at least, that she could think of.

Much to likely everyone's surprise, this particular okomo responded with little resistance, getting to its hooves before allowing itself to be guided by the tug she gave on its horn. It eventually settled down in front of her - something she wasn't entirely sure she was comfortable with - and she hesitated momentarily before rising up onto her knees. Settling down into her heels, she then dipped the paintbrush into the paint and began to make some basic sweeps of colour along its spiralling horn.

Growing more confident with every stroke of the brush, she slipped back into the conversation. "Zeva.." she offered in return, his words a bit distant as she poured her focus into the basic design she was working on, "I arrived at the beginning of the season. I'm originally from Nyka but I did most of my living on the sea with the Svefra." Her full lips stayed open then as if not finishing the 'a', obviously needing to contort her face in such a way to master a particular spiral that swept around the okomo's twisting horn. There was a long pause before she continued, peppering dots upwards towards the tip, "Decided to stay cuz its pretty and I like pretty." At last, her attention shifted, eyes lolling in his direction as she regarded him, "The people are pretty... the clothes are pretty..", her eyes returned to the okomo before her, "the animals have pretty coats - although not as pretty as the people's, and the buildings... the domes and the glass. It's all very pretty."

She paused her painting and settled back, eyes going over her progress thus far. "I don't really do anything yet," she hardly seemed bothered or concerned about this fact, "I was told there could be some bar work available at the Obsidian.. place." Her eyes narrowed then as she puzzled over the actual name, trying to remember, but then decided it wasn't all that important. He likely knew the place, he seemed like quite the local. Rising back up onto her knees, she dabbed a blob of paint onto the tip of the horn she had been working on before settling back down.

"A hunter, hm? Is that how you hurt your wing?" She didn't even regard him, eyes never once straying from the horn she was slowly becoming comsumed with decorating.

x

[Raeyn]

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It was curious. Curious indeed. The way Zeva seemed more worried about his coat than seemingly anything else. Raeyn raised an eyebrow at her comment but paid it no lip service. More interested he was in her reaction to the Okomo which to a native born Lhavitian was just that - curious.

For a moment he had diverted his attention to one of the Okomo, giving it a gentle little chin scratch before finding himself in quite the ordeal once more. Like puzzle pieces on a chess board, they were. Raeyn and Zeva. And she was always two steps ahead of him - or perhaps two scoots. For in a blink of an eye, before the man had even the slightest chance to react he had found himself with her slight frame, draped over him like a blanket, his hand in the air, his heart in his throat and his face red as a tomato.

He’d been used to the unwelcome advances of women before but they were always shy, appropriate, courtly. Zeva was something else entirely. And in his misinterpretation of her actions, as he did, the mage rummaged the very voids of his mind for something to say to not make this situation even more awkward, and came up empty handed. The gods were laughing in their celestial seats at him now. That was a certainty. They had brought him a woman to embarrass him beyond human understanding.

Thankfully as it turned out his confused silence had done little to vex the woman. As it seemed for she soon took to partaking in the festival’s traditions like a Lavitian should.

Raeyn listened, nodding with agreement, trying to fight back the burning sensation in his cheek. They were the same in that aspect. A sensitivity to aesthetic that ran deep in their blood. He committed her name to memory, her place of future employment, making a mental note to avoid it like the plague from hence forth. Not that he was much of a usual patron in the first place.

But it was what she said next that forced out a little snort out of his lungs before the Inarta covered his mouth with his palm, suppressing the indignity of it. “Wing?” He asked. Now he was certain of it. She must have been mad. Only madness would explain her strange behaviour. What else could it be? “You mean… my shoulder? Why ever would you call it a wing?”

*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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[Zeva]

x

The red-headed stranger was lucky - Zeva had been far too engrossed in her newest hobby to have noticed just how flustered he had become due to her actions and presence. The Kelvic did, however, note the red flush in his cheeks during one of her brief glances in his direction - yet her attention seemed to remain steadfast on the okomo before her. Or, more importantly, its horns and the amateur patterns and designs she was quickly filling them with. Beautiful things that they were, finding every faint tendril of Syna's weak light and shimmering in defiance of the fog and haze that blanketed the city. It almost felt wrong to coat them in paint... but, she was quickly realising, Lhavitians were a strange sort with even stranger customs. With a blink, she hijacked and veered their conversation in a different direction, seemingly nonplussed about the polite - albeit superficial - banter the man next to her seemed content in sticking to.

"Okomo horns." She paused, and flicked her red-rimmed gaze in his direction, "they're..." she searched for a proper term to truly define what they did and how they were, gaze drifting back to the lazy beast that sat patiently before her, "they're luminous. It seems odd to paint them, to cover this," she stabbed a dot of paint at a mid-point in the horn, "whatever this is." Her brows knitted, lids narrowing faintly in thought, "It's different than any horn I have seen. It.. shimmers." Her eyes narrowed, eyeing the bizarre creature and its equally odd horns with a mixture of scrutiny and suspicion for a solid three ticks before stroking another line of paint upwards from the base to a point where the spiral forced a natural stopping point.

Then, as if giving up, she walked on her knees, turning her not quite ninety degrees to face him and slumped down onto her behind. Her legs folded ungainly off to the side, brush poised off in the air, held between index finger and thumb in a near annoyed gesture, "Everything shimmers here.." Her tone was accusatory, as if he, too, were in on this strange phenomena and her eyes narrowed to pin him with a steady stare. She expected answers, that much was clear.. but then she realised she didn't know his name. She stroked at the air between them with the paint brush to try and draw his name from his lips, as if that were some universal gesture he'd know.

It was then and only then she noticed the depth of the shade of his flush.. eyes dipping for but a blink to note it spread down along his neck to the neat, structured neckline of his equally neat and structured robes. It was plain she didn't quite understand exactly why he had grown so uncomfortably flustered but she revelled in the thought that she was the cause and sat up a touch straighter, shoulders back as a result. Her eyes roamed him, searching for clues as to what may have triggered this reaction before his final words finally sunk in.

She sniffed, eyed him oddly and then glanced back to the okomo. Her free hand moved to run a tentative stroke of her palm over the creatures pastel coat, her envy still evident. "Why would I not call it a wing?" Her gaze flicked back to him, seizing his own blue ones. Her own narrowed again, a sure sign she was thinking - perhaps too hard in this instance. "Yours is not a wing, then?" Her lips pursed in disappointment, eyes rolling as a faint huff left her nose. "Mine are... " her blue hues darted back to him, a harsh, teasing glint to them as she lofted her chin, her vibrant red-orange hair falling down her back as a result, "and both are intact.." She wiggled her shoulders for emphasis and then added, words holding a bite, "Better to have wings, it seems."

x

[Raeyn]

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Zeva indeed was a puzzlement. A circus of oddity, entranced by the bioluminescence of the Okomo horns as if it was the only sparkly sparkle left in the whole of mizahar, which Raeyn couldn't help but watch with a frazzled expression, from afar, where it was safe. Gods only knew what she might get transfixed on next. And as a man who had an unfortunate habit of attracting the unwanted attention of women like a magnet, Raeyn feared for the sanctity of his solitude dearly.

He tried to focus on his own painting of the okomo, but glancing from the corner of his eye every half a tick or so, just to make sure the woman remained where he could see her, did little to aid his concentration. A delightfully distractible distraction is what she was. Thus soon enough he abandoned any hope of making his patterns any more intricate, abandoned the pot of paint on the grass and proceeded to run his fingers though the thick okomo mane. 'What did we get ourselves into, my friend?' he thought to himself. But it was too little too late to get out.

"Everything shimmers here..." The accusation came as a little bit of a surprise to Raeyn who'se wide eyes turned to her, threating something sudden had happened. His eyes met hers before instantly dropping to the ground with the rest of his self respect.

"They don't call it the Star of Kalea for no reason." he murmured.

It was then that a sudden shift in the way she held herself puzzled the man who had grown almost entirely certain that she had no decorum to speak of. A question from her lips came in one ear and out the other, Raeyn was certain of that. Because at first thought he didn't seem to comprehend it, so odd it was. His grows pulled together, forehead wrinkled up as his eyes turned from uncomfortable to pitiful as the alchemist quickly grew convinced she was a mad woman. What other explanation was there?

"I'm not sure I understand. But if you say so..." he wasn't even entirely sure how to put words to his thoughts. It would have been bad for to call her mad and stride off on his high horse after all. And she did indeed puzzle him in her madness. "What would make you think you have wings? They're arms just like mine, by the looks of things." he smirked, a little more confident.
*Boxcode by Allassanachassanya

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