Closed [Alheas Park] Skinnydipping (Martini)

[Allister]

Autumn 63, 518 AV
16th Bell, Dusk Rest

Allister was wandering about with his face aglow of the radiance found in Alheas Park. The trees and the flowers all seemed to glow as he enjoyed Dusk Rest. The kelvic was slowly adapting to a new environment as it seemed like each move was taking less and less time. Alvadas felt like a constant period of adjustment and Riverfall never felt like home. The giant blue men were rude, there were these crazy shadow things that stalked the general populace and Madeira had elected to shut her bond mate out of the very thing that tethered them together.

The long and stagnant journey on the ship was something else entirely. The pair had rectified their differences and the spiritist had finally allowed Allister to worship the goddess at her altar as she deserved. He recalled such things fondly and watched as the memories of her silent exultations dimmed the colors around him. Beautiful as Lhavit was, it would be boring and useless without Madeira. Long strides carried him from one place to another until he found himself near the shores of a beautiful lake. The waters were very still and peaceful. Black peers down into the tranquil pond and scoured for fish but the twinkling lights of the flowers and lilypads on top of the surface made seeing beneath it impossible.

The world stopped in Lhavit. The kelvic had never experienced anything quite like it before and he felt truly amazed at how easy life seemed here. Allister found himself wanting to do more than just stare at the wonders of this place so he made his way to a bench formed entirely of glass. He placed a hand on either side of the back and then pressed down with all of his strength. The pale arms locked into straight bars that pitched his shoulders. Slowly, the hyena focused on his breathing as he lifted one foot with a bent knee and then the other. His arms shook slightly under the strain of supporting his weight in this manner. The kelvic persevered for a count of twenty in his head before he set his boots back upon the path.

Allister took a step back and removed his trenchcoat then took a moment to fold it up as he had been taught before he set it on the end of the bench. The man moved around to one end where the arm rest was and eyed the piece of furniture in front of him with eyes as black as inkwells. He set his hands upon the elevated piece of glass which capped the bench in a way that twisted his arms outward so that his fingers pointed back at his toes. The former slave leaned forward by bending at the waist and applying more pressure to his arms and shoulders which slowly began to absorb more of his weight. Like a see saw, the kelvic began to pivot from the fulcrum at his elbows created by flexed arms. The pale man elongated himself slowly to help balance with the weight of his head and upper body while they tipped every forward to the bench’s seat.

The muscles in his arms ached while his back felt tight and the backs of his legs protested the strange rigidity being forced upon them. With a series of deep breaths, Allister prepared for his final move. With a dual kick, the former slave pushed his feet up into the air while maintaining the stiffness of his form. Like a plank, his body shifted until he was horizontal. The trembling of his body was not subtle and he felt the pressure of his body’s rushing blood pressed against his temples, eyes and throughout his entire body as every fiber of his being felt like it was being torn apart. When Allister felt his hands begin to slip, it was all he could do to drop his weight back and land on his feet again. He slumped down next to the bench and let out a sigh of relief. He was shaking still and turned his head to rest his cheek upon his forearm.

The lake twinkled beneath the widening pattern of lights that flourished on the plants above. The canine’s nose picked up the smells of other animals in the park but it appeared to be feline which made his face bristle into a slight grimace. Cats were everywhere on these mountains. No matter. Wild animals tended to avoid creatures like the kelvic.

On a whim, the man shot up and stripped out of his boots, pants and shirt. He folded each article up and placed it between the folded of his big, heavy jacket then turned and faced the pond. Allister smiled as he dipped his toes in just for a moment. It was warm -still holding on to all that hot air from Summer, no doubt. He took a few steps forward until the water came up to the middle of his calves and he stood for a few ticks while his body adjusted. It was almost as warm as the first time he took a bath. Allister smiled and strode confidently into the waters until he was up to his belly button. He had never been swimming before and didn’t want to get to far out but it didn’t stop him from splashing his body with cupped hands. Hair, face, neck and chest, the kelvic rinsed the worries he held away and simply allowed his body to be free in the warm waters.

He sighed in relief and bent his knee until his chin touched the smooth surface, his face pointed at the bench where his belongings rested. Willing to take a few small risks, Allister pushed his body forward like one who leaned against a strong wall. His torso glided through the water and when he began to sink, he jumped with his feet then brought them up underneath his center of gravity once more. Based up in the squishy siol of the lakebed, the kelvic stood once more. As his upper body rose from the waters, it ran in tiny rivers between the well-formed muscles of his chest, broad shoulders and carved abdomen. The droplets seemed to amplify some tattoos while masking the others but the entertainer didn’t mind. He decided to take a moment to find a melody then started spewing random words which came into his thoughts. The tune was something of a rhyme but more serious- perhaps even a bit intense. Allister focused on maintaining a constant volume as he change notes quickly in an effort to stretch his current abilities.

“Oh, mountains of glass and light
I sing for my scraps of bread
Whether wrong or never right
How quickly his eyes ran red.”

WC1128

[Martini Elwood]

Settling in was... the least of Martini's concerns. Not to be confused, she was settling in fine; the city was beautiful, peaceful even... It was just so easy to forget that her new home hadn't let her escape as she'd hoped. She settled for running away every time, it was nothing short of pathetic. She would scoff when she thought it as she was now, unwilling to admit the shortcoming that prevented her from moving forward. Regardless she was always running away, even then.

Her footfalls turned soft in plush grass that lined the area, something she hadn't noticed until she shook herself from her thoughts. She surveyed the area nervously, hoping she hadn't just trespassed. She'd not been here from what she knew, it was entirely new part of the city she had yet to explore... Just what she needed to run away, something to freely breathe - or cry, whichever she felt like doing - in peace. With naught but a dagger strapped to her side and gloves on her hands she removed her shoes. The grass was cool against her feet, and wiggling her toes revealed it was soft as well.

Holding the shoes in her arm, she stalked forward alertly. She didn't want to disturb anyone - but it seemed she was alone so she simply kept walking. The area positively glowed to life, no, it did glow. And it was stunning! She felt the smile creep it's way onto her features as she laughed lightly, her best view yet! She had to have chosen today of all days to leave without her kit!


She was somewhat excited by the view, so much so that she was running around like a child, looking over everything as if she was a newborn. It was just so... gorgeous! She simply didn't know where to look, it was all so enticing... She laughed giddily as she approached the water, but turned as she heard a voice. She silenced herself and listened, trying to discern where it had come from as she fumbled around. It sounded like singing..? It wasn't all that bad, she might add. It seemed so intense though...


Without realizing she was drawn closer, peaking around the brush as she arrived. There was a bench with clothing on it, but she was more intently staring at the man in the lake whom sang as if he cared little of what others heard. A tall one, pale skin and tattoos dancing around his skin. From her position she couldn't read them, but she inched closer if only out of curiosity. She sat quietly at the edge of the waterbed holding her shoes to her chest as she watched the man.

OOCSorry it's short! It'll get better, promise!

[Allister]

Allister sniffed at the air. His head cocked to one side while he stood looking out over the lake. The dog inside bristled but the man just shrugged his shoulders to reveal the tight balls of muscle underneath his skin which was the color of fog. The dancing ink was not on his mind. The newness of the world was not on his mind. The crushing weight of having a child on the way sat heavy on his heart. The kelvic was consumed with his infinitely weak mind and how he dared not trust his knowledge and experience to raise that baby into anything of consequence. He sighed. Thank the gods for Madeira. She was the one who would bear the burden and he would simply help her as he always had. Still- the tattoo on his belly taunted him as it reflected in the rippling waters before him; Useless.

Then it came again- that scent. He twisted around without moving his feet and stared back to the bench where his clothes had been sleeping. Black eyes took in the curly hair, dark eyes and young skin. Immediately, the man smiled his broad slash of a grin. Allister couldn’t swim but he dipped lower into the water and rotated his body so that he was now facing the shore but it looked more like a dance move than any kind of prowess associated with water. Water created resistance but also added buoyancy so the entertainer began to put on a show. He flirted with her gaze by quickly disengaging in dramatic tosses of his head along the surface of the water or by completely disappearing beneath the surface. Each time, he would reappear slowly so as not to splash but to create a million tiny waterfalls from his figure.

Arms swept from side to side and vanished then arched above him as he drew ever and ever closer to shore. Allister was no stranger to his shocking and somewhat frightening appearance so he made up for it by flourishing his movements in such a way that it gave the performance an air of immaturity or childishness. This non threatening tone was offset by his very adult figure which was fully nude as well as the almost lustful stare that he used to continually permeate the space between actor and audience. The kelvic was ever aware of the water level and though his movements drew him closer to shore, he never revealed more than the chiseled lines of his angled pelvic bones and tight abdominal muscles.

While the shallows became his stage, the hyena crawled forth now so that he rested upon his hands in a position much like a pushup. His body hovered just beneath the surface of the water with his back and bottom facing skyward but he always kept his head pointed in the gawker’s general direction. Allister smiled up at her and ran his tongue against the slightly pointed canines while he smiled wildly. “Those shoes look well loved, my dear.” He took the closer proximity to mine her appearance and found he was rather fond of the down hairstyle with its highlighted curls which now seemed to trap bits of the sun’s light as it sank down in a sea of reds, violets and lavenders. “Can you tell me their names?” The man’s expression suddenly shifted to something purely playful. “Or better still- you could set them next to my things and join me in this amazing water.”

wc582

[Martini Elwood]

Martini seemed entranced by his odd performance. He seemed to edge ever closer, eyes unabashedly locked with hers as she felt her cheeks heat up. The water ever shallowed, exposing more of inked skin to her eyes as she tried to look away. When he lowered himself to the sand, she had an inkling this seductive chapter was reaching it's climax, but she was fumbling for words. Open, shut, open. Her mouth made no sound other than unintelligible stutters. She looked anywhere but at him, embarrassed to have been caught and to have not realized she had just openly stared at his bare chest - at least, not until his words had left his lips.

"Ah- you can't possibly expect me to, to swim! With you..!" She managed to out the words, but her shoes had fallen to her lap with a soft thump and she was frantically waving her arms. This man, no, stranger had invited her to swim with him! She knew she had been openly watching but - but she hadn't meant to stare! "Forgive me for staring, I just heard the song and - oh gods, I'm sorry! It wasn't my intention to-"

To what? To stare, entranced by the song and the fluidity and ease of movement through the water? She combed a hand through her hair as she avoided his gaze. She was curious about his tattoos - hell, even his voice and his movements... But that didn't give her the right to gawk at him like some piece of meat. His voice had been powerful and strong, intense in it's use. And now it had a playful undertone that she couldn't make heads or tails of. She took a large breath in before releasing it through her nose.

"I didn't m-mean t interrupt you." Her voice was sincere as their meaning, but couldn't shake that flushed undertone that seemed obvious on her face. For a third time she let her gaze stray to him, his face as he planked his body upward so that his lower half was obscured. Thank the gods, the only though on her mind. She allowed herself to face him, the reddish tint of her face viewable as she smiled awkwardly. Now that he was closer, and she felt more (or less) comfortable glancing at him she looked him over quickly.

The first thing she zeroed in on was the print on his forehead that read ‘damaged’. She’d never known someone to have such a thing, but she didn’t keep her gaze their long even though she was questioning it. There was a plethora of other tattoos littering his body. She recognized skulls and laughing mouths, as well as a few printed ha’s. She avoided looking further, her eyes held the questions she didn’t dare ask aloud. Why would someone tattoo such depictions on their body? She supposed speaking would be better than silence, so she spoke up a few ticks after.

“Do you.. Um, Like tattoos?” Her voice was quiet, almost hesitant and afraid of the words that left her lips. She thought to strike conversation, anything that might avert the tension she felt from being seated before a naked man. Her eyes were hopeful though, she prayed to every god she knew that it wasn’t a bad topic, she’d seen tattoo’s a few times. Though, honestly none of them had been this… depreciating. It was slightly unnerving that his smile seemed so bright and playful as his body was littered with such things.

[Allister]

Allister maintained his ridiculously wide smile while the woman fumbled over her words. He felt sheepish in her presence. Such beauty and to have it resting upon a perch so close for him to admire was just a blessing. This young woman was not Madeira. She had deeper tones in her skin and hair, less elegant lines but the round of her cheeks and nose were not unpleasant. In fact, the impish appearance of the kelvic’s audience of one was almost playful as her blushing hues awakened a desire to interact with the flustered being. In his mind, Allister pictured himself a broken hovel of a man. He couldn’t resist the urge to color his life with a grey bit of ash and dust then smear it with the greenish-black ink of tattoos. His goddess was the color of gold and light which held two icy sapphires in her center.

This visitor to his little aquatic escapade was the color of earth and life. The woman triggered flashes of wildflowers, berries wet with a morning’s dew and the twinkling of raindrops caught in a spider’s web. It stirred his core which caused him to shift just slightly upon his base. The girl apologized for intruding -a notion at which the kelvic scoffed. “Tis not my lake, young miss.” The hyena remarked plainly. “You’ve nothing to be sorry for.” The black wells of his eyes watched her closely. He could not wrap his mind around her state of nervousness other than to attribute it to her personality. Maybe people make her nervous. Maybe men make her nervous. He thought. Then the twitch of his smile broke as he considered that he frightened her with his act. Fool! He chastised himself. Allister should know better by now that he is unsettling to behold. Madeira always warned him of his brash behavior.

Suddenly feeling very awkward, the smile shrank into a guilty expression with eyes cast down to his own ashen reflection upon the water. The former slave drew his knees into the sandy soil and rocked back until he was sitting up on his haunches with his hands placed very carefully upon his knees. The water line played at the skin just below his angled pelvic bone. It was not his intention nor even something that he’d been aware but the position where he sat was just deep enough to cover his privates from her direct line of sight. The girl would get to see the torso and chest in a shadow as he partially obscured the dying light of the setting sun. Angled from the water out to his broad shoulders, muscled flesh was marred by tattoo and scar alike in a silhouette that was both powerful and lean. A scavenger to his soul, the hyena was now well-kept but one would infer no excess existed in his life.

He drew himself with hunched shoulders at the comment of tattoos, his chin slipped down to his chest and Allister giggled several times in bubbling runs while he scratched at the deepest and darkest of the inked laughter. He had not made eye contact with her since he had fallen into his own sullenness. “No, not really.” He uttered. The sharp tone of his voice was there but the volume was not and neither was his annunciations which often swung from crisp to mumbled depending upon his mood. “I think I would like tattoos if I got to choose the pictures.” He remembered some of the times he’d been held down and other instances when he simply woke up with a new head wound and some kind of awful scribble. He shivered in the water as if it was cold but that was not the case. Allister suddenly felt warm, however, as he remembered watching Madeira have that lovely woman who smelled like earth and sadness make a beautiful hyena on his lady’s back. The feelings that flooded into his with that association boiled his blood in the best of ways but it also triggered other things and the man inched himself back enough so that he’d remain covered by the water. Shame filled him and he twisted away from the bench a little bit.

With a sidelong glance, Allister looked one last time to the woman. He’d decided to wander away down the shore and leave in her in peace but the look in her eyes stopped him. She seemed to want to talk with him. This made his heart flutter behind his ribcage and a slow curl formed in the corners of his pale lips. With a look that was indirect and playful like a child trying not to look in one direction by inclining his head in the opposite way, the former slave spoke more clearly this time. “The water really is quite nice.” He said asa hand danced across the slightly rippled surface. His arm was nearly straight and pushed away then back in towards his body. “Would you like to hear a story?” He patted the water next to him. “If you join me, I’ll tell you about the game I used to play with a Svefra on the ship we took to Riverfall.” He had a few words and each one emboldened him. The hyena smiled a bit wider with each syllable and even turned back to face the woman on the shore ever so slightly. The sudden desire to share his tale had lifted his spirits once again. With wide eyes and a face void of malice, deception or cunning, the kelvic peered through black marbles with only the childhood expression of expectation to his new friend.

[Martini Elwood]

Martini smiled just a bit. Yes, it wasn't his lake - it was a bit silly she supposed. Though the mannered side of her mind told her a little apology wasn't completely wrong. She seemed to deflate a bit when he moved away. Had she offended him? She hoped not - he quite interesting when she got over his lack of clothing. Even more when he spoke again, something akin to... fear? dread, was it? Well it wasn't pleasant as it crossed his features and faded into neutrality just as quickly as it had come. She mentally scolded herself - the tattoo's had been a sore subject after all. For once his smile was gone and she had to admit he was more striking with it - if he didn't choose his tattoo's she then who did?

She didn't dare ask, especially with the hint of childlike hope returning to him. She couldn't really get into the water, could she? He seemed gleeful though and his invitation wasn't forceful... He was simply adding incentive. She'd never heard of the Svefra and she was dying to know what he knew of Riverfall. It was completely possible they'd missed each other. Know her mind was alight with wonder and questions that just begged to be answered. Martini was a sucker for foreign stories since they often gave her more inspiration, but she couldn't really see herself in the water with a stranger...

But she was so curious and it eventually won out her other thoughts. He was looking at her with such hope, almost as a child would and she couldn't find it in herself to say no. She reasoned that she was simply paying him back for gawking at him and then making him feel bad about his tattoo's. In the end she got inspiration out of it and the man wasn't here by himself. She inhaled to steel her nerves and nodded her excitement.

"Alright, but it better be a good story." She mused playfully. Before she got up, she added to her words shyly. She didn't think he was expecting her to just strip in front of him, she wasn't that confident or brave. She'd have him turn away if she could. "If you could, uhm, close your eyes until I'm in the water I'd appreciate it."

She moved toward the bench before checking that he wasn't looking and stripping bare - albeit slowly. She wasn't even sure if this man was safe - but she didn't lie to assume the worst in others so she pushed through her thoughts and ended up in the water ahead of him. The water was warmer than she expected and just as clear. She could see her wavering reflection in it. She didn't dare go farther than to cover her chest - she'd never learned to swim. She bit the inside of her cheek nervously before calling out to the man. She crossed an arm over her chest just as she finished. "I-I'm done, uhm… what's your name? I'm Martini."

An odd way to become acquainted it was, in water naked as the day she was born with a complete stranger. It would give me more security knowing his name, she reasoned. After all, just calling him 'you' didn't seem any more appropriate than being in the water with him. She almost laughed - the situation was so strange. One simply couldn't make up these things but it was far form the oddest she'd seen or heard.

[Allister]

Allister was teetering on a cliff’s edge when it came to expectations and just as he was feeling the wind push him towards a long and dangerous fall into loneliness the levy of her will broke and she surrendered to his request. Like a fire consuming dry pages, the afternoon sky’s glow consumed his smile and delight then cast it like a beacon towards the young woman. Her curls and growing acceptance of the notion for a swim shook the kelvic from his frozen position. He rocked forward then launched in a backwards arch which briefly exposed his lower body before he was fully submerged in a splash. The abrupt explosion of movement was coupled with a cheerful roar of elation.

The black eyes peered from the water while the rest of him remained underneath. Certainly, he would give her what she asked for in the realm of privacy. He spun around and played beneath the water -dancing hands, curled toes into the sand and also experimented with ways to remain unseen. This led the pale man towards deeper waters. Truth be told, the entire thing was an act to appear distracted as he worked further down the shore in slow back and forth jaunts. At random intervals, the sun would hit him squarely in the face with her light and he would twist his neck to look back and steal glances from an ever-growing portrait of tanned skin.

The shape of this young woman was far different from Madeira. The gentleness of her curves and the way her skin glowed in the waning light rippled through the kelvic like his own body as it sent tiny waves along the lake’s surface. It didn’t matter that he saw almost nothing of significance. Allister had enough exposure to the fatale of the sacred feminine that his imagination easily filled in the blanks. Switches connected and behind the bottomless wells of ink that the hyena used to perceive the world rested the naked form of the young woman. The soft ripples of splashes as water was pushed and flicked away from the sinking form of tender flesh, lightly muscled thighs, inviting hips and certainly the world’s second most alluring tummy all cascaded imperceptible tsunamis in front of her. It was when she spoke again that Allister had turned around just as the majority of her breasts disappeared beneath the surface. Martini. What a lovely name! The hyena remarked to himself.

Fully facing one another now and with several body lengths between them, the former slave slicked his hands back along his scalp which tamed the random and somewhat wild appearace of his brindled locks. The glassy expression was curious on the surface but hungry as he absorbed the innocence of her stance. For a moment, a predatory urge bubbled and rumbled deep in his belly but Allister felt a horrid wave of guilt crash into his spine and it caused his body to sink lower into the tideless waves.

“My name…” He began, rasp in his voice and a smile on his lips. “Is Allister.” He bowed his head slightly. “It is not such a splendid name as yours, my lovely little lake guest, but it is the one I carry.” The kelvic had a story to tell but he was not about to pass up an opportunity to engage in a bit of fun, either. He stood and moved about in the lake’s shallows, figure glistening with his ashen skin doused in water. After having seen her blush and hide from his male physique in the first part of their encounter, Allister decided it best to remain where his lower half would always just be a few inches away from relishing in the sun’s slowly fading warmth. “But a promise is a promise, sweet Martini and I owe you a story.”

Allister stood up on one foot and twirled about while the feeling of the water’s density carried him a graceful maneuver. The performer loved the grace that flooded from such an assistant as the lake. He temporarily lost his train of thought and danced about with a few flourishes that he imaged would mimic the splayed wings of a swan as it settled upon the glassy surface for a night’s rest. When he turned about and found Martini still there, he remembered his task- and his ruse.

The story began as did the game. “To catch you up, I was born a slave in Kenash and then sold. My ship was bound for a place I did not know but never made it to its destination.” Allister’s voice dripped with a sadness that he molded after the water which ran from his posed left hand- all the while his right hand hung loosely at his side beneath the shadowy waves. His mind was already going through the process of detaching his hand at the wrist while the tale wound up through the provided backstory. “I woke up amidst dead bodies and found my way -with some help- to Alvadas. It was in that weird place that I was saved by the most magnificent woman the world has ever known.”

Allister’s face bloomed as he talked about Madeira. “She’s powerful and patient, beautiful and kind and far better than a mutt like me deserves but she loves me and cares for me anyway.” The kelvic continued t idly dance about in his place. He did not want to give his new audience any reason to fear him. “The way she conducts herself and handles her affairs draws all people she meets into a circle which is either out of awe or resentment. She is…” He smiled and raised his left hand up in a soft arc to the sun as if he were caressing its scorching surface. “Impossible to ignore.” Frozen for a moment, he felt the astral image of his hand slide along beneath the waves and the resistance tired him quickly so he brought it up to the surface and felt the drag dissipate.

With an intentional whirl of his arms, the right hand hung limp but the inertia was enough to hide this fact, Allister brought his gaze back to the brown saucers which pulled him in like the skin of a deer. The hyena ached to be warm in their grasp and he allowed the folly to spread over his expression with a childlike grin of imperceptible messages. “After a time within her good graces, the lady took myself and her other charges and moved us to Riverfall. It was on that journey when I met a Svefra named Mota.” The hand drifted along until it was within a few inches of the arm which transversed the bosoms of the wide-eyed lass. “He was a sailor raised on the sea!” Allister’s voice rose with excitement and daring as he approached the subject of his old acquaintance and friend. “He taught me how to climb and run along the masts and rigging and gave me the knowledge to build the body I have now.”

Allister rose up to reveal his somewhat swollen chest and carved abdomen. His arms were still sinewy but there was a healthy strength to him -a far cry from the once half-starved pup that he once was. It was during this expose -this exhibition- that he laid his phantom hand along the girl’s lateral forearm. He made it smooth and brief, the contact, and drug three fingertips from her elbow to her wrist then pulled his projected appendage away while he watched her reaction.

[Martini Elwood]

This man, no, Allister as he’d introduced himself… She flushed a light pink. He had an.. Honest way of flirting that seemed to tease her just so. Martini inclined her head slowly, shyly, but no less eagerly than before. Almost immediately her warm smile was replaced by a frown. She had never been fully aligned with the idea of slaves… She could see others getting them and keeping them, but she could never be a persons dependent - even if she wanted to. She let out a subtle gasp - awakening to dead bodies? She searched his eyes but found no hint of deceit. How horrifying it must have been, she thought sadly.

She donned a look of slight mortification as he spoke of his woman. She was swimming. Naked. With a taken man. She exhaled through her nose for just a moment, but found no reason to be angry. He’d made no advances on her, no. He may have said some flirtatious things but she was sure he meant nothing by them… she hoped, at least. She was a bit jealous though, the way the man described this woman… he truly was in love with her. She might have wanted something like that for herself - she’d never thought about it.

She was unconsciously smiling as he detailed the strengths and greatness of his lover. Such a woman was lucky to have such a good man for herself. To say Martini was shocked about Riverfall was not unfounded. Her eyes widened and her smile turned joyous as she chuckled softly. So his lady took him to Riverfall? How odd that they’d never met. Or maybe they had? Surely she would remember such a face. She smiled and began to speak.

“A body fit for your goddess I’m su-” She gasped, throwing her other hand to her arm. What was- She looked around apprehensively. Had she imagined that? But it felt like fingers on her- She turned back to Allister with confusion. He seemed to be watching her closely - perhaps she’d startled him with the display. She took a step back and glanced around mumbling ‘odd’ before directing her gaze back to Allister with a confused chuckle. “I seem to be imagining things. You said Morta was a Svefra, I’m not quite sure what that is?”

Her question as soft and curious. He’d enthralled her so easily, she wondered if there was something else at play. He knew how to invoke the curiosity in her - her lust for imagery and story seemed easy prey for him. She couldn’t help it, really. Her creative spikes usually happened after hearing great tales, sometimes even life stories or different places got her going. “Riverfall surely was a big place… If I’d gone out more perhaps this wouldn’t have been our first meeting.”

Admittedly she’d spent most of her time in Riverfall in her apartment. She’d rarely gone out - and she’d barely made ends meet. Her client list was so small then… She smiled warmly as she reminisced the past. She had left things behind sure, and she could’ve done more, but her time in Riverfall had been worth while. She played with the water in her free hand, watching the droplets cascade between her fingers. It was so beautiful here, so much to see.