Red Meets Black

[Lani Stranger]

50th of Winter, 518AV

For the first time in nearly the whole season, Syna was gracing the Inarta with her presence, and not one red haired soul wanted to stay in doors that day. Even Lani found herself outside in the market place with the rest of the city. Many an Inarta had come to purchase shiny new trinkets for their personal dwellings, and so the crowd of the market place moved with constant charisma, swishing and swaying this way and that as the city seemed to settle in a lazy dance with itself. There was a mounting excitement for a strange relief in weather waiting just under the volcano’s surface. Lani moved with the crowd, watching the things that she wanted but did not need tempt her, but really trying to listen to the Nari conversations to see if she understood them better and to feel Syna’s grace kiss her cheeks and forearms in a welcoming climate that they had been deprived of all winter.

The relative chill of the season was nothing compared to what it should have been and so she had a scarf wrapped around her neck and chest to keep her torso warm but otherwise had no sleeves, wearing the typical Vinati and Bryda of the Inarta. Her black beaded Bryda brushed her legs as she walked and the mixed blood found she had a bit of a swing to her step. Although her black hair and eyes, and her cringe-worthy grasp on the language would never allow it, she felt as if she was one of the Inarta in these clothes, talon sword attached to her hip. The sun felt good on her Eypharian gilded skin, and like the rest of the city population, Lani had come to market day to enjoy the weather more so than to actually buy anything. No matter how much she felt as if she belonged, she was still a dark figure among the lighter Inartan crowd.

The foreigner’s illusion of belonging was shattered when she passed a metal smith that had placed polished mirrors out to entice his customers into purchasing one. The smooth metal reflected the crowd back to themselves, and Lani saw how very drastically her dark figure stood out among the brighter Inarta. She wore their clothes and weapons, but her colors were all wrong, and she could not hide that. Perhaps it would have been smart to wear a brighter colored Vinati, but she could do nothing about her hair. Or could she?

The mixed blood’s senses tickled in her stomach where she imagined her pool of djed lay. Only it had been a long time since she bothered to access it, and the soft liquid magic had hardened into a thick pliable clay. She felt as though it was still within her grasp to work with it, but it would be much more difficult. Lani realized she had frozen in the crowd, and was staring at herself fin the mirror, and so she stepped out of the main path and closer to the mirrors, watching her glossy hair flow with the movement. It was her immediate give-away, would she have the power to change it? Lani focused on her reflection and on her djed, poking and prodding the magic with her senses until she felt it give in some sort of way.

Like a lumbering beast, her djed grumbled and woke, making her feel slightly ill as she realized she was not used to utilizing her magic anymore, the paths that she had taught the djed to go for different magics were still clear to her, but it was waking the beast that was difficult. Lani steadied herself on the counter of the vendor and fought with the djed, forcing it to give to her will and not return to its dormant state. She willed the fluency of the magic up through her abdomen and into her esophagus. She felt the djed want towards her fingers and eyes, the pathways to personal magics that she knew better, but she blocked those entrances. Hair. Go to my roots. She thought towards the magic within her, scrunching her brows with the effort.

[Lani Stranger]

Within a few ticks the world became easier. Once the djed was aligned into the magic path it needed to be it, it did not resist her, and trickled through the back of her neck, and she could feel it spreading over her scalp. It did not feel overwhelming or like much at all. In fact Lani worried she had called forth too little of the djed to properly transform what she wanted. A prickling sensation started dancing across her scalp, and Lani ran her long gilded fingers through her hair, scratching at the surface to relieve the uncomfortable itch. It was then that she realized her hair was giving to her finger tips. Wide eyes broke from her reflection as she brought her hands down, long black strands clung to her fingers, and Lani struggled to not scream at the sight of it. Had she lost all her hair? Had she done the magic of morphing so wrong?

Ebony eyes darted back towards her reflection, and she saw her hair was strangely intact, retaining its regular fullness, although it was no longer the glossy black she was used to seeing crown her head. Streaks of a slightly red brown were seeping into her hair, and as she reached up to plait the hair down more, the color spread. As it spread she felt the tickling sensation disappear, and realized that it had worked. The small victory pleased the mixed blood and she flashed her white teeth in her reflection, forgetting about the terrifying shedding that had just happened. It was not her intended color, she would have preferred a redder color or even strawberry blonde, but she had struggled enough to force this color on her hair, that any real change seemed like an accomplishment.

”Little concerned with your looks there aren’t ya?” The vendor had finally wandered over to her while Lani was trying to gather the hair she had shed from his table. Quietly she scooped the hair off the surface, looking up at him, trying to keep the guilty expression off of her face. As far as she could tell magic was not particularly uncommon or looked down upon, but she saw more shielders and reimancers, than morphers and hypnotists like herself.

”Ha, yeah.” She agreed breathlessly with a cheeky smile, not entirely sure what he had said.

”Hmm, well if you want it, buy it. Or move along.” He wasn’t satisfied with her answer, and she ducked away from the stall, not wanting to bother the man further or invoke the privileged wrath of the Avora. Her hair was still dark and not anywhere near the red that surrounded her, but it had changed, and she was happy about that.

It didn’t take long for the mixed blood to forget again that she didn’t belong and was searching for a perch to sit in the sun and watch the market day below when she neared a near wall in the crowd. There was a racket of string and wind instruments firing up quickly and the mixed blood found the noise to be a bit irritating, especially since it seemed to demand room in the market place, which made the other spaces more crowded. The whole mountain was already outside, did they have to make a fuss? As Lani got closer she realized not too many people were watching, merely moving around the musicians who had set up in the grass on the edge of the market place. There was room for people to lounge… and to dance. Except the music had only been going for two chimes thus far and so none of the fearless redhead had breached the clearing in front of the musicians, that seemed to be set aside for that purpose.

The fearless Inarta had not yet begun dancing, but Lani found herself lingering, because she had no doubt there would soon be spirited figures skipped across the grass to entertain her. Anyway, it was a nice day and she had little better to do. Lani let her weight shift to spread evenly across both of her feet and stood with her arms crossed over her chest, watching the musicians create their ruckus and waiting for the prancing Inarta to emerge from the market day crowd.

[Red Daghul]

The screech of the Daghul echoed in the depths of the Reach as he swooped and dived through the rocky terrain with the hoops and hollers of Red as the two shot through the sky with almost reckless speed. The weather had given them the chance of some fun, and both knew that they wouldn't given up the chance for some fun in the air. Winter always brought a different sky which at it's worst would ground them except for a dire need. Today though was perfect for a little bit of adventurous flying.

Red grip Daghul as the Eagle sent a signal that he was about to make a daring dive, and the Endel gave him the go as he moved his feet into a supporting position on the bird. Daghul opened his wings letting air grab hold and lifted the two into the air before the Eagle twisted his body and bent his wings spinning as he pointed down. Air rushed through the Inarta man's hair as the pair shot down through the air at alarming speed as the two let out a cry of excitement as they hurtled towards the lower part of the city.

Red could imagine the spectical it would be to see this from the ground, and to be honest he knew that Daghul enjoyed that way more then he should... honestly it did spark some joy in Red as well. Both knew though that the excitement of flying was always worth it. Daghul and him had been working on this one trick for a couple of months, and they had gotten pretty good at it as far as Red was concerned. Daghul started to slowly open his wings to level off and capture the speed that they had desired, and then as they started leveling off Daghul extended his wings and the soared over the market place.

Red had expected that there would be people busy in the streets, and he knew that Daghul would want to show off a little, so as they shot pass they started to circle. Red laid back laughing in joy as Daghul sent his amused feeling of joy.

"You know they will be a few down there that won't really be happy with us" Red sent to his brother who sent back a feeling of not caring "you will be the death of me brother".

As the two of them kinda gently glided about the market the sound of music filled the air as joy seemed to be exploding in the market today. It would seem that they weren't the only ones taking their chance with the weather today. The inarta people were a passionate one, and they never missed a chance for a good party when the day called for one. Even for a wind rider it did hold a bit of temptation to join them.

"Daghul... Mind if we take a break" the Eagle screeched with slight annoyance at the distraction from their current flight time. "Brother, we have been flying for hours surely we can take a break for a little bit of fun" the Eagle sent his last objection and made his way down from the air a little less graceful then Red knew he could be and soon the two touched ground.

Red was wearing his normal black leather breeches and red vest, his hair wild with a few braids which he quickly slicked back trying to look some what better though he wasn't to worried. Grabbing his Talon sword he through the strap over his back, more as a sign of who he was then anything. Looking to Daghul he opened his mouth "how do I look?" the Eagle made a sound that was meant to be more of a friendly insult "good" he smiled and turned to make his way into the crowd as he heard Daghul take to the skies to have his own fun and keep a eye on what was going on.

The streets were full of people as he was sure would happen on such a nice day, and though Red felt pretty good and hidden in a crowd he tended to avoid the market on most days. Every now and then he felt the need to walk about, but rarely did he ever just go shopping. Though a dance party always spoke of adventure, and he moved through the crowd using what skill he had to meld into not wanting to many people to see him more out of habit then need. With all these people it wouldn't be a problem.

Finding a place to lean against a wall and watch Red took his time watching the people start to move to the music, and a grin appeared on the Endel's face as he saw the joy fill the area. It was good to see his people enjoying a much needed day of fun. Scanning over the crowd his eye caught more then just the Inarta people and he chuckled because he was sure that some of them most likely had not seen anything like this before. That is when he spotted something, or more someone different. She had darker hair, but it had a certain red color to it as well.

The Endel's eyes kinda locked on to her for a bit his mind wondering to observations. She clearly was wearing the clothes of his people, though she was clearly not one of them... not with that hair color and her build was different giving her more of a exotic look. She was beautiful. Daghul clearly had caught on to his thoughts and gave his own observations mainly about her eyes being black. Red had never seen anyone like her, and he felt himself lingering way more then what would be considered appropriate, so he found himself scanning through the rest of the crowd even though his gaze would still fall on her every now and then.

[Lani Stranger]

It hadn’t taken the Inarta long to begin showing off. Lani was watching the crowd that surrounded her, and so she noticed the two hacking their plot before they got a chance to. A short redhaired woman and a slightly taller ginger man were whispering Nari tunes to one another seemingly trying to decide something. Within a few ticks, their hidden conversation seemed to come to a decision, and she watched as they curved away from one another. Each wove through the crowd in opposite directions until they each reached each side of the loose circling of room given to the musician. From her vantage she could not see the woman’s face but she watched the man give a wink and then they both burst from the crowd.

At first Lani thought she was going to witness a fight, which confused her because they often did not begin in such manners, but as the couple converged the woman leaped into the air and the man caught her with uncanny grace that spoke of experience, and that they had done this before. Without missing a beat, the woman curved around the man’s body and landed back on her feet. As soon as both of her leather strapped heels hit the ground, they were off, dancing and twirling to the music. Those who watched like her gave a short cheer of excitement at the flashy move, and it did not take much longer for other Inarta to join in the dancing. Lani couldn’t help the smile that cracked her cheeks as she watched the physical expression of joy. The dancing emanated a release from the hardships of winter for the city, and Lani found herself longing to join in.

She knew what the swinging dances of the Sylir cities looked like, and the fast-paced jig of Alvadas, as well as the slow rhythmic ball dances of Lhavit, but she did not know how these Inarta danced. She didn’t understand the rhythm and the thought of attempting to join them turned out to be quite intimidating to the foreigners, so she had to content herself with watching the graceful figures. It was then that she felt two hands on her hips, poking the pressure points under her ribs that send a thrill of ticklish delight up her. Except she was not expecting the touch, and so she jumped in momentary fear, turning to the offender with one hand raised as if she had any sort of skill to fight him with. Lani’s ebony gaze landed on Narth, and she grinned.

”You fool, you shouldn’t do that in public.” She chattered at the man in common, knowing he wouldn’t understand and then lightly slapped the man on the chest and dropped her hand, crossing her arms once more and turning away from him. Self consciously, as she always did when Narth was near her in public, she glanced at the people around her, to see if anyone noticed. She thought she saw a man’s eyes on herself, but they moved too quickly for her to be sure. He was leaned against a wall, but not looking at, as far as she could confirm.

”Hello to you too, Black Eyes.” He chuckled in Nari, the lighthearted Endal was one of the only few Inarta who would put up with the Chiet’s behavior, knowing there was no weight behind her words. She didn’t have to shield herself around Narth, even though he was two castes above her, she did not fear his entitlement.

”Hello, Narth.” She grinned, not looking at him and bumping her hip to his in a familiar greeting.

”What did you do with your hair? It looks ugly.” She shot a look at him, recognizing the insulting Nari word but did not answer him. She was still struggling with the concept of nonmonogamy that all Inarta seemed used to and had no qualms with. She logically assumed she did not meant much to Narth, but it hadn’t occurred to her that she was not the only one sharing his bed, not until she witnessed it. He was still kind and friendly, and the foreigner would not voice her displeasure to him. No matter how comfortable with him that Lani felt, he was still Endal and thus still had power over her, she had to tread carefully.

”I try for red.” She shrugged, finally answering him. The bearded man harrumphed at her answer, clearly seeing she was not going to be truthful with him, and she felt him lapse into silence beside her. Her thoughts wandered to what he wanted with her. She had been purposefully spending less time with him, but when he requested her or showed up at her door, she still gave into him. Would he drag her away from the market place on a day like today? Surely his want for the feminine form did not overwhelm his want for the warmth of the sun.

”Narth!” Lani glanced over at the person who called him, and felt the Endal stiffen beside her, stepping slightly away. This didn’t offend Lani, it wasn’t as if an Endal using a Chiet as a bedwarmer was unusual, but usually they did not get along so well, and so Narth harbored a bit of discomfort with their arrangement being recognized in public. She didn’t care for the man enough to mind, so she watched the Inartan woman’s approach, realizing that she was an Avora. Clearly better dressed and fed with soft calloused hands that spoke of an easier craft. Lani turned away from the woman approaching, letting the two higher caste members ignore her, but listening to their conversation as best she could understand it.

”Was expecting you to be flying today, since it is so nice?” The woman approached with casual conversation and quick seductive Nari tones. Lani was shocked to see the woman immediately invaded Narth’s space, smoothing one hand up over his chest and wrapping the other arm around his neck. Even if she didn’t care for the man, the sudden and intense intimacy made her visibly uncomfortable. No longer interested in whatever conversation they could share, Lani turned on her heels without a word, walking away from Narth with purpose.

You don’t care, you don’t care. She reminded herself. It was once she turned away from Narth that her eyes caught another pair, dark brown and watching her. The same pair she had thought were watching her before. They seemed to flit away quickly, and she wondered if the man could tell she was looking at him, people often couldn’t place exactly where her black eyes focused, but she was facing him now. Not quite sure what she intended to do, she curved her path slightly to head towards the Inarta that leaned against the wall. He also had nicer clothes, and was definitely not Chiet. His scraggly red hair was braided in places, and Syna had clearly put work into tanning his skin. She had approximately three ticks to make up her mind on what she intended to say to this stranger, but she wasn’t slowing her pace or avoiding his gaze.

When she was close enough that she could speak to him, and that he would definitely notice her approach if he had not already, she smoothed her face over whatever emotion it had been, raising a single brow and tilting her head slightly. Wanna get out of here? A self-destructive thought suggested the words that she would not dare say, even if she knew how. It would be quite amusing to see if Narth had an opinion on her finding a dark corner with a stranger, and see who the hypocrite would be then. But Lani was not nearly as reckless as these Inarta, and so her words curved her impulsive inclination, returning to her earlier longing. ”Do you dance?”

[Red Daghul]

The rhythm of the music was like fire in the souls of the Inarta people. It was one of the many ways they expressed their feelings one might say, and of course with that same notion of music came the same with dance. As a few Inarta couples entered into the clearing in the middle their bodies entwined bending and spinning around, even lifting one another in the air. It was a true sight to see. Red had always kept more to the edge of this particular part of his peoples culture. Dance had never come easy.

The Endal's eyes kept falling back on the strange woman his mind kept asking for answers. It wasn't odd for other races to be seen in the city per say, but this woman didn't seem to fit into any of the races that he could identify. Still it was rude to stare and with all the people around his gaze swept over him as was his way. People watching did fit into his job to some degree, and of course was a great pass time anyways. There were a few younger dancers that you could tell were just getting their feel for what it meant to move around, and it was always amusing to watch them try and reflect the older experienced ones movements.

Red found himself watching one such couple to occupy his time. They spun around not daring to try any sort of lifts, but their bodies moved in time. It was clear they had less skill, but they weren't bad at all. The young boy was clearly nervous around his lady partner, his hands seemed to fit awkwardly in her hands or on her body. The Endal had to smile as he spun the young girl with glee on his face. It was quite the sight of young love.

Once again Red found himself scanning back to the exotic looking woman only to find another Endal moving about her. Red thought he might have seen him about, but then again their were plenty of people who looked like him. The Endal did have a sort of... "look" about them, not entirely bad, but different. Red even looked the part to a degree. The Woman seemed nervous or out of place around the man one might guess they had deeper connections. Of course, Red made the leap to guess that there may be some drama when a Avora woman come around clearly claiming her place in the man's arms.

Red gave a painful look as he sent a emotion to Daghul of discomfort for the woman. What ever just happened was clearly not a pleasant moment. Sighing Red went back to his people watching, and listening to the music enjoying the moment for what it was. It was about that time that he noticed that the target of his gaze was starting to move toward his direction. Odd, its like she is headed towards me. Not giving it to much more thought he went back to watching the dancers as a couple of the dues started to launch their partners into the air a beautiful display of flight that reminded Red so much of how a Eagle soared through the air.

It was clear at this point that the woman must have seen his gaze and was heading towards him. She didn't seemed to be dressed like that of the Avora, besides from the way that she was treated moments before it was all to clear that she didn't feel she had the status of that caste. It was still bold though to walk up to a Endal not that Red minded, but it was still odd for it to happen on the market streets.

”Do you dance?” the voice said clear as day to him, and the Endal had to fight off a bit of surprise. Not just because it was a odd thing to be so forward to a Endal, but also to ask a question such as that. Then of course the hidden truth that Red really had no idea how to dance.

A small friendly grin came to his face "well I would be lying if I said I was all that good" he paused watching her feeling that he should say more than that "but I couldn't say no to a friendly offer such as yours" his playful side getting the best of him. Who knew what kind of drama he was getting himself into, but then again where was the excitement of just staying on the side lines. Plus he could feel Daghul's approval. Red offered his hand to her.

[Lani Stranger]

A grin split her face at the man’s answer. She was not as used to the culture of Wind Reach as she sometimes liked to believe she was. Two seasons among the Inarta was not nearly enough to understand the social dos and don’ts of the city, but Lani always learned when a harsh word or hand was sent her way as a result of one of her actions. She hadn’t quite understood his Nari, but when he offered his hand, Lani took it as assurance that her stupid rash move would not interrupt whatever the difference in their caste would be. Lani folded her gilded russet fingers around his pale calloused ones with a firm grip, and spinning back towards the dancing that proceeded on the edge of the market place. She would be lying to herself if she denied that some of her motivation for such a brash move was to make Narth jealous, and so she could not help her gaze slip towards the Endal who was caught up with his petite Avora entertainment. He wasn’t looking at her. You don’t care. She reminded herself and then flipped her glossy locks back over her shoulder to focus her midnight gaze on the man whose hand she held.

”My name is Lani,” She said simply, the practiced Nari coming easy to her, although her accent made it clear this language was new to her. He had just enough time to chirp out his own name before they broke the line of the watching crowd into the roomier space left for dancing. The mixed blood had forgotten to be nervous that she herself did not know how to dance, and her black gaze fell on the dancing partners that surrounded her. A few Inarta flitted through the couples, dancing on their own, but they were far more confident in their skills than she. Lani tried not to shrug and throw an explicative call to the wind as she wrapped her arm around the strange man’s shoulder and levelled her gaze with his, an amused grin giving no warning for the sudden contact as she stepped into him, trying to guide the man into the swinging step that the other couples seemed to do.

”I do not know how.” She finally admitted with a simple Nari sentence, now that she was too close to the man. Her heart was racing with too much stupid excitement to properly be ashamed, so the words ended up coming out more like an amused observation than a last-chime admittance. They were not bumbling teenagers, but if he did not know how to dance either, they were in for an interesting few chimes. The string instruments seemed to pick up in speed then, as if challenging the two strangers to find rhythm with one another. For a few ticks Lani found she was forgetting about the frustrated event with Narth, while she focused on trying to match her uncoordinated steps with his, finding the strange dance to be enjoyable, regardless of how terrible it would turn out to be.

[Red Daghul]

Her hands were soft and he could feel the heat in them, she seemed a tad bit out of place with her mannerisms as they were clearly not Inarta. It was fascinating to the Endal he hadn't really ever had the chance to really get to know someone so different. Even on the few trips he had made out of the city he hadn't found a overwhelming amount of time to study other cultures, so the chance now caught his fancy. Besides it was kinda cute how she aimed to act like one of them. In a lot of ways he found it refreshing to see a bit of courage in a person outside of his own caste.

They moved into the dance Red chose to take the daring step with courage as was his training to always seem like he knew what he planned to do. His eyes watched her with a curious gaze as she kept looking over to the other Endal. Red would be lying if he didn't find it fun to mess with the other man in someway it was kinda a way to get back at him for treating someone so... rudely might be a word he would use. Before he knew it she offered her name, her accent striking out it was so strange to here Nari with a twist. "You can call me Red" he said with a smile.

The beat and sound of music started to pick up again as more and more Inarta joined the ranks of dancers which Red hoped would help cover his lack of dancing experience. Daghul sent his encouragement which Red took as more of a jab then real building up of his confidence. There wasn't much else to it he had to try so as she wrapped her arms around him her face seeming to show that her thoughts were a bit separated between dancing and who ever her friend was. Red went ahead and placed his own arms around her trying to mimic what he had seen earlier, and he added a smile.

That is when she dropped the knowledge that she didn't know what she was doing, and Red felt his heart beat just a bit faster as his grin got wide and he let out a small laugh. "well... that makes two of us" the look in his eye full of energy and a wild joy. Moments like this were full of adventure, and hey maybe no one would notice. How different could this be from a good sword fight they had a rhythm about them as well, and of course foot work. Why not give it a go.

Quickly moving one foot back he drew her with him as he then moved the other foot to follow trying to reflect the foot steps of the dancers he had watched. It was nothing to fancy as his upper body didn't move as much as his feet trying to match the beat. There was no doubt that it would have been a truly frightening thing to watch rather then the fluid dancing happening around them, but Red let out a joyful chuckle as he looked at Lani with eye alight with enjoyment as he led the way in their awkward exchange of dancing.

[Lani Stranger]

It was a brazen and awkward fun to dance with this carefree stranger who called himself Red. The music was too fast, and apart from the steady grip they held each other with, their upper bodies did not move. Lani found herself looking at her feet too much, and more than once her bare toes bumped into his leathered boots, or the other way around, but she didn’t mind. Lani was an active person, she was working on her sword skill and quite dexterous, but her passion for climbing to unsafe heights was nothing like the fast paced fluidity of dance. With climbing, every move was calculated and prepared, because missing something could mean serious injury or death. With dance, everything seemed… wild, unanticipated. Perhaps it was the simple joy of touching a stranger with familiarity or the uplifting beat of the music, but Lani was forgetting about the original goal of dancing with Red and enjoying the bumbles and missteps they shared in dance. The wind instruments drowned out the constant chatter of birds that always seemed to be present in the caverns of the city, but every once and a while the wild shriek of the Inarta’s beloved monsters would echo through the courtyard overpowering the rhythmic beat, reminding Lani that this was no normal city.

Red was leading, but Lani was impatient, so she let her arm swing loose from his shoulder and took a step back from him while still gripping his hand, extending her arm out in a poor attempt at a twirl. Her mind was not focused on how silly she looked and she was having fun. Thinking herself clever, she shimmied back towards the stranger putting her back to his, and twisting around him. In theory she would have twisted around him easily enough and then rejoined him in their original position, except Lani was not nearly as graceful as she thought herself to be in the moment, and her legs got tangled on the heels of Red, and she tripped, sprawling out on her back just next to Red. The morphing that gave her hair a brighter color had been slowly fading, but the shock of the fall seemed to interrupt her djed, and it zapped back into her, surrendering her hair to its natural pitch black color.

”I will not again do that.” Lani shook her head and laughed as she found her feet beneath her again. Her hip thudded with a dull pain but she opted to ignore it, reaching for Red’s hand to return to their earlier -safer- shuffling. Only the pair hardly had time to start laughing at themselves and dancing again when the music slowed, preparing for a change in song

”It is not bad.” Lani spoke the Nari with a breathy grin, trying to make it clear that she was trying to goad out conversation from the stranger even though her Nari was bad. She wanted to say, We haven’t killed anyone yet. But she doubted she could form the complex sentence quick enough, or that the joke would translate through the language barrier. Her hands were a little sweaty with the exercise, and she unstuck her fingers to wipe them on her Bryda, loosening the scarf around her neck so it hung loose by her shoulders.

[Red Daghul]

The simple dance was enjoyable enough, but safe in its nature if he was being honest. Lani was able to keep up with him for the most part if keeping up was the correct term. As far as adventures go Red was kinda starting to think it a little dull though fun, but of course life had always graced him with something unexpected. In a smooth motion she shifted as she released her grip on his shoulder attempting something "new". Watching her twirl out he let his hand as a guide as she rotated behind him, and with all truth it would have been something lovely had they not got a little off balance.

Red felt himself pushed forward, and for a moment he thought he was going to fall flat on his face, but he had some training behind him and he was able to turn it into a some what graceful fall... well maybe if one could call it that. Falling and rolling a bit to soften the blow he found himself with some company on the ground as Lani sat next to him. A large smile broke on his face and he laughed for a moment before the sudden shock that she had fallen.

Jumping to his feet he offered her a hand helping her to her feet, the friendly chuckle slipping from his lips as she exclaimed that she would not be trying her feat again. Looking at her softly "ah you did fine, I'm sure I am the one who messed it up" he was finding this a pleasant time and he didn't want it to end because he offended the woman.

She seemed a little hurt as they returned to their dance though a slower song seemed to replace the faster paced one, which was okay with Red for the moment. Drawing her closer so she could lean on him a bit he gave her a look to check and see if she was okay.

"it is not bad" she seemed to answer his questioning look.

"well I can't claim that I am any kind of dancer" he let her move her hand and wipe it as they kinda swayed back in forth in a much simpler dance "and hey I didn't see anyone else using the floor in their dance" he teased a little with a smile and a wink. It was then that he noticed that her hair had become darker a lot darker "now maybe I am seeing things, but didn't you just have a more red color of hair?"

[Lani Stranger]

The music slowed enough for conversation, and the half-Chaktawe took it as a chance to catch her breath. At his question of her hair, she gave a cheeky grin, but simply shook her head. ”Always black.” She answered, figuring he would tell she was lying. Again her recognition of caste and the respect due to those higher than her was starkly lacking, but Lani wasn’t thinking of it. Lani felt someone brush behind her, and absently turned her head to see Narth and his Avora girl swirling to the music with much more grace than herself and Red. She forgot that she minded, and turned back to the man whose company she was enjoying, when she heard her familiar nickname.

”Hey Black Eyes,” Narth’s gruff Nari called out, and Lani focused her gaze on Red, trying to ignore him. ”Looks like you have a thing for Endal.” The teasing tone usually would not have bothered her. Lani was a short tempered fool who spoke too callously and didn’t take too much seriously, and under normal circumstances she would have simply teased the man back. She looked at Red closer for a mere tick, she had already guessed he was of a higher class, with nicer clothes than herself and brighter eyes and softer cheeks that spoke of being well fed despite the winter hardships, but she was not as attuned to the difference between Avora and Endal as she was between Avora and Chiet. Her only way of telling was whether they rode eagles or not, and since his beast was nowhere to be found, she had stupidly been unaware. Embarrassment flooded her cheeks as Narth’s remark revealed where Red stood on the caste system, at the top. However her earlier irritation with Narth’s callous indifference to her feelings reared their head as well, pride would not allow Lani to be embarrassed without being angry as well. Her hands slid from Red’s as she turned to Narth, Black eyes narrowed on her target.

”Hey Narth, shut the petch up!” Without thinking too hard about it, djed flew from her stomach, a quick snap away from the metaphorical clay block she usually had to coax it out of. Lani turned completely away from Red, fists clenched as hypnotism laced her words. She was not a powerful mage by any means, but to her shock Narth’s mouth, which had been open for a snarky response, slammed shut. Lani faltered, watching the obvious effect of her surge of magic use, but the djed had slipped from her grasp, pooling together in her stomach once again. Not that she wanted to use it anyway, she was already digging herself by yelling at one Endal and not paying the proper respects to the other. The Avora girl who clung to Narth dropped her own jaw, seemingly shocked that Narth had actually shut up.

”Watch yourself, Stranger.” Narth uttered, low now. He was one of the more open-minded and kinder Endal she had met. He put up with a lot of her adjustments to Wind Reach culture over the seasons she had been there, and was one of the few who actually spoke to her, despite her obvious foreignness. Perhaps he had put up with her so long because of the secret they shared, of the key strapped soundly to her neck, but anything like this would not go unnoticed. Luckily for her, she had only known Narth to grow violent as a last resort. Still her nervous eyes flitted to his hands, expecting to see the back of one coming for her face.