[Flashback] The Only Way Up (Velarian)

[Iredeth]

Location: The Woven Gates
Timestamp: 40th day, Spring of 508 A.V.

Iredeth watched the Symenestra guard descend the long rope, her arms crossed over her chest and her foot tapping impatiently on the stone floor. Thick, black hair spilled out from the haphazard bun sitting atop her head and fell across the pasty white skin of her forehead. Every few seconds, she would brush it away irritably. The guard finally got down to within a few feet of the cavern floor and looked Iredeth up and down with a profound look of distaste on his face.

“No way am I letting a half-breed into the city. I’m not about to let you dirty our streets with your tainted blood,” the Symenestra drawled, hanging from the rope with effortless grace. Iredeth would have envied that grace if she weren’t so busy trying to restrain herself from slapping the man across the face.

This wasn’t her first time going to the city, but Iredeth was on the verge of deciding that it would be her last. Every time she had entered Kalinor in the past few years, she had been greeted by the same guard. The man had come to know her well enough not to ask questions and he had been polite and reserved enough not to openly mock her. They had an established relationship of sorts – she would get into the dangling basket, he would pull her up, and both of them would try to forget that she was a half-breed. But this time, there was a new guard on duty. He was young, arrogant, and had a perfuse dislike of half-bloods.

“It’s your job to let me in. I am not armed. I present no threat,” she said through clenched teeth, her black fingernails digging into the palms of her hands.

“You present a threat to the purity of Kalinor,” the Symenestra spat, meeting Iredeth's eyes with his a superior glare and quickly looking away. Nobody wanted to look straight into those eyes.

Iredeth bared her teeth, showing off fangs that were not quite as along as a Symenestra’s, but still imposing enough. “Let me in, you pathetic excuse for a living being,” she hissed, taking a few steps toward the end of the dangling rope.

The guard tilted his head upward and called out, “Pull me up. This one’s not going in.” Immediately, the rope was yanked upward, taking the leering Symenestra with it. Iredeth stomped her foot angrily and cursed under her breath. She needed to get into the city to buy sewing supplies, or she would have to wait for Sirella to come home and ask the woman to go instead. She hated asking the Symenestra woman for anything. She had already done so much for Iredeth.

Iredeth pivoted on her heel and began to pace, her long skirt swishing around her legs. She walked a few steps away from the gate, knowing full-well that there were other means of getting up into Kalinor. There was a vertical wall and a jumble of cords and webs she could have climbed. Could have… If I were a Symenestra. She threw her head back, trying to judge the height at which the city floated above. Perhaps, she could climb the cords after all… I can’t. I can’t and I know it.

[Velarian Zantedeschia]

"I wouldn't advise doing that."

The man stepping from the shadows behind Iredeth was older than the young woman, but not old. Twenty five, twenty six summers maybe, slender as a willow switch, with the pallid ashen skin typical for the underground breed dwelling in Kalinor. Silver hair was falling past his shoulders and when he stepped forward he carried with him the faint scent of the wild, the odor of spring trees and blooming grass. He wore the black shell like armor so many Symenestra did and his feet were bare, sullied with fertile forest soil and the dirt of the path leading towards the cave.

Eyes in the color of dark rubies studied her for a long moment. "I don't believe I have seen you in the city before." He knew many if not most residents of the cave, the way everyone knew at least half the city in passing. The girl's face was unfamiliar to him and although he could see she wasn't full blooded and wasn't able to navigate the city the way he could, he was certain he would have heard of her, had she been living in the city. While some webs chose to keep quiet about the half breed offspring their women birthed, other families would gossiping about them just more viciously. It made keeping such missteps a secret quite hard.

Closing the distance between them, Velarian looked up the woven gates. The basket had almost vanished from sight, becoming nothing more than a vague shade in the distance. Turning the man nodded towards the wall the girl was staying before. "It gets harder than that, half way up. If I was you I wouldn't try without proper equipment and even then it is highly doubtful you make it."

There was no malice in his voice when he spoke and it was missing the obviously dislike the guardian had met her with. It was however not hinting much compassion for her situation either, only his eyes showing a trace of sympathy. His own mother had birthed two children of human men before she had returned to the fold of the family, marrying Velarian's father. One of the two was dead now and the other one he only saw rarely these days, but he remembered how it was growing up around them. The scorn and dislike they had to deal with on a regular basis.

"What's your business in the city?" He hoped she had not come to Kalinor seeking for acceptance. While many humans loathed their kind, many symenestra had little more love for the half breeds foreigners sired with their women. Still, somehow the girl didn't strike him a first time visitor or an outcast of another city. She had not brought the equipment necessary for long travel and if she had not hidden it away close by she probably had not come from far away. If he had left the city more often he might have been able to tell, but as it was he only left when he traveled or during the rare occasions he talked with hunters roaming the wild around the city like today.

Velarian continued towards the wall, watching her. "My name is Velarian. I could need help with carrying." He rose a small box with holes in it. The silent scratching of claws against wood could be heard from inside, and it was not hard to guess it contained some sort of animal. "You carry the box, I carry you, everyone gains. What do you say?"

[Iredeth]

Iredeth whipped around, a strand of hair flying free from the bun atop her head and slapping against her face. She swiped at it impatiently, assessing the newcomer with narrowed eyes. He was taller than her and looked to be older as well. The way he carried himself was typical of a Symenestra, but there was something else about him that stopped Iredeth from lumping him in with the rest of his race. He had an easiness about him, and he walked with none of the put-on airs that so many Symenestra males possessed.

“I live on the outskirts and I don’t often venture into the city,” she said carefully in reply to his unspoken question. He wasn’t the first to raise a figurative eyebrow at her presence, to wonder, and to ask questions… At least he was being more polite about it than other people Iredeth had had the displeasure of meeting.

“Yes, I know,” Iredeth responded a little ruefully, following the man’s gaze upward. Sriella had told her many times to never even attempt climbing the walls leading to Kalinor on her own. And really, Iredeth should have known better than to even think of it. Especially after her childhood accident with a wall…“Sewing supplies,” she said, her eyes still trained on a point high up in the air. “My business in the city, that is. I need to buy sewing supplies – thread, cloth… I have a project I’m working on and I can’t afford to wait, or the inspiration will pass.” She spoke almost dreamily, as if her attention was focused on the vision of this project of hers, rather than on the immediate situation before her.

Her eyes snapped back to Velarian at his offer, wearily scrutinizing him and the box he was holding. Something like pride pricked at Iredeth, encouraging her to turn down the offer, to prove that she could do it all on her own… But it was a foolish suggestion and she knew it. What the man was offering seemed reasonable, and besides, she would be helping him out as well…

“I’m Iredeth,” she said after a beat, carefully watching his reaction to her name. Many Symenestra balked at the name she had chosen for herself and insisted that she give them her given name. But she refused to speak the name which contained the hateful Dra- prefix – the stigma she had earned by being born. “Yes, I – I could help you with the box. I suppose and we’d both get what we want.” She stretched a tentative hand toward the box, leaning in slightly at the sound of the scratching that was coming from within. “Is there something alive in there?” she asked, curiosity ringing in her voice

[Velarian Zantedeschia]

"An artist, hmm?" A smirk crossed the man's pale features, dark eyes lighting up with quiet interest. He could heard the zeal in the woman's voice when she spoke about her project. Dedication to one's work was something he could understand and appreciate. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Velarian valued artists. They were an aspect of the symenestra life few outsiders came to know. What they saw were the harvesters, the warriors hunting their wives and daughters, not a race which also bred artisans and craftsmen and scholars. They knew little of Kalinor, a city defying gravity like no other he had ever heard of, knew even less of the delicate bridges and threads spanning from one building to the next, a form of art onto their own. Few were aware of the goods produced beside fabric and clothing and worshipers of Viratas were a minority. Whenever he doubt his people's means of survival, looking at the city and its artists eased his qualms. There were things worth preserving, even when the price was bitter to pay at times.

His eyes came to rest on the young woman at his side. Iredeth. An uncommon name for a half-breed like her and not a typical name for woman of their ilk either. Her father could have named her he realized, but he also wondered why her mother had not insisted on giving her a name in line with the traditions. Most did, although it meant admitting to their mistake. Their children still shared the blood of the symenestra albeit it was weak, watered down. And like his aunt liked to point out, the female ones were as suited to bear children as any woman they could harvest. Secretly Velarian had always found that to be the reason why children like Iredeth were allowed to stick around although they were hardly accepted by anyone. In the end she at least understood the way they lived, whatever it was worth.

Once more he looked up to the city looming in the dark above them, gray shades on black. The hint of a smile curled her lips. "Your name has an interesting ring to it," he offered politely, not looking in her direction. Instead of inquiring on her name the man merely inclined his head in a half nod. Her name did not trouble him. Her web had interested him more, but Velarian didn't ask about that one either. He had no problem with the half-breeds although he pitied their lack of ability which made it hard for them to walk the underground city. It should have been their home, yet wasn't. Still, they were not the ones to blame in his eyes. Offsping like her should not have been sired to start with.

On her question he turned around, opening the box just far enough for her to see the shaggy brown mammal within. "A wild rabbit." An old, unimpressive one at that. It pressed into a corner of the wooden crate, eyes rolling and shivering. The animal reminded him of the meager hare he had possessed as a child. "I need it for my work," he explained, closing the box. With one hand he held it out for the young woman to take, watching her in the process.

"It might be best you climb on my back," he suggested, looking at her slender frame. In one flowing movement he bend down, enough for her to climb on his back if she so chose.

[Iredeth]

Iredeth shot the man an odd look – not quite mistrusting, but not very reassuring either. “Thank you,” she said curtly. “I chose it myself.” He seemed to accept her name with no questions, and his comment did not denote hostility. Still, the young woman preferred to keep a skeptical attitude when dealing with anybody’s apparent acceptance. There had been those who did not care about her name one way or the other, but they had usually begun to tense up when they learned more about her. Her knowledge of the Viratessa, for one, had always been a sore point with many Symenestra.

“Oh,” Iredeth expelled a breath of air, peering at the huddled animal form inside the box. She had little knowledge of animals, beyond the fact that many were used as sacrifices to Viratas. She remembered feeling shocked as a child when Sirella told to her that she was going to kill a furry, little rat to please a God. But when the significance of the sacrifice had been explained to her, Iredeth had slowly accepted it.

The old rabbit reminded her of one fo the dolls she had made. It had the same shabby quality to it, as if it had been made of patchwork fabric. The eyes could have been buttons, and Iredeth had the urge to hold it close to her as she would hold a doll. “What kind of work do you do?” she asked as she took the box from Velarian, inspecting it as if its outward appearance could provide her with a clue to the nature of the man’s work.

Wrapping one arm protectively around the box, Iredeth climbed onto Velarian’s back, feeling more than a little awkward. She wasn’t used to accepting help from anyone. Come to think of it, she wasn’t used to being offered help in the first place. Holding onto the box with her left hand, she rested her right one on Velarian’s shoulder. She wasn’t sure how tightly she’d have to hold on when the man started climbing, but she kept her grip slack for the moment, black nails blending almost seamlessly with Velarian’s armor.

[Velarian Zantedeschia]

There was the slightest of twitches on the man's face when Iredeth announced she had picked her name herself, but it was hard to tell if it was an amused smirk or a frown, indulgent or disapproving. Too quick the expression faded, leaving little but a polite smile on the man's features.

"My family runs a weaving mill and we do some tailoring too. I tend to help them out when I can. The hare though I need for Animation." He waited for the young woman to climb on his back before he stood up, carefully balancing out the weight. "I am not sure if you are familiar with an Animator's work, but to bestow life on an inanimate object you always need some source to copy from, especially when you want to pass on certain traits of the original. In the case of my next work this will be our frightful little friend here."

Falling silent the man made a few careful steps forward, glad Iredeth was not as heavy as she could have been. Built not as fragile as most symenestra woman she was still young and slender, light enough to not cause the tall man too much trouble. Moving over to the woven gates, he rested a hand on the wall. "Try to hold on, I will need both hands for climbing."

For a moment Velarian just felt the stone under his bare fingers, looking up the ropes forming the streets and avenues of the city looming above their heads. It was not his first time to carry someone, yet the weight pressing against his back still felt unfamiliar and he knew from experience he would be tired once he made his way up to the main street. He also knew they would make it, as long as the girl held on. Breathing out the man started to pull himself up the wall, fingers searching for spots here he could get a good hold, relying on his claws and his race's ability to scale almost smooth surfaces when he didn't. His fingers almost seemed to stick to the walls as he pulled himself up, first a foot then two, three, five, before halting.

"Got a good hold?" He turned his head, but not far enough to actually be able to look into her face. "There wont be many spots we can stop at once we started climbing, so it would be good to find a comfortable position you can hold for a while. Should you ever feel like loosing grip, tell me in time so I can help you."

Velarian wasn't too worried she would loose get tired half way up, but he knew some people tend to panic once the ground was out of sight and such a situation could have been dangerous for both of them. "Also, while I need the rabbit, I would rather see the crate vanish into the darkness than you, so if you ever need a second hand – let go of it." Again he reached up, climbing another foot, to get a feeling for her weight and to plan the route he would take up.

"Ready?"

[Iredeth]

Iredeth’s eyes lit up at the mention of Animation. It was rare a rare occurrence for the amethyst pools to light up with genuine pleasure, and Iredeth felt mildly surprised, herself. She had not met any Animators besides Sirella, and she had never known that there were others residing in Kalinor. With her limited experience with the general Symenestra population, she had always pictured the majority of them as hunters, and perhaps weavers. But fellow Animators had never crossed her mind.

She nodded her head eagerly to Velarian’s explanation. “I know of Animation. I practice it myself, though I am not anywhere near to being any good at it. I hadn’t realized that there were any Animators within the city. What are you planning to animate?” she inquired, readjusting the box under her arm to keep a better grip on it.

As Velarian began climbing, Iredeth felt anxiety mixed with excitement coil in her stomach. She relished heights, even though she did not get the chance to experience them very often. However, she was acutely aware of her precarious position on Velarian’s back. If the man were to slip, or momentarily lose his hold on the wall, she would be the first to plummet downward. She was surprised to see Velarian stop and ask about her grip. It hadn’t occurred to her that he would actually care were she to fall off.

“Yes, I think so,” she said. Though, we can’t really be sure until I fall. The corners of her lips turned up at the unspoken thought. This was just the kind of morbid humor that Sirella would appreciate.

Iredeth was further surprised to hear the man say that he valued her safety over the rabbit’s. She had met many a Symenestra who would place the life of a rabbit high above hers. She tightened her grip on the box, making up her mind not let it go of it. “Right. Yes,” she affirmed, curving her fingers a little more tightly around Velarain’s shoulder. She took a deep breath, willing her muscles to relax. It would certainly be terrible terinble timing to have her love of heights turn into a fear.

[Velarian Zantedeschia]

"I couldn't tell how many Animators there are in the city," Velarian admitted as he started to scale the wall again, slow first but growing more confident with every obstacle crossed. "We had a rare few in my family, but for now I am the only one actively pursuing the profession." The man laughed, a brief, subdued sound. He broke off almost abruptly to clear his throat, the echoes dying in the far dark of the cave. More quiet he continued. "In a city so small people don't call on Animators often, frequently my work is theory and study rather than commissioned pieces."

In a way he liked that. The opportunity to experiment without pressure, without someone waiting eagerly for him to finish on whatever toy or tool ordered. It allowed creativity to flow freely at its own speed in its own time. What he missed was another practitioner in the art to exchange thoughts with, but eventually he had found one for the time being. He was tempted to look over his shoulder, yet with the unfamiliar weight, the ground so far below them he did not dare.

"With the hare I want to put some of my ideas to the test." Sure handed the symenestra's fingers found a ledge, his eyes already searching for the next. Bones showed white through the skin of his slender hands and when one watched closely it was easy to see it was not mere strength keeping the man close to the wall. Where his palms connected to the wall they seemed to stick to it and he only had to pull himself along the stone to make headway. Still he was glad to not be wearing shoes. Albeit his nails were kept short, they still helped with climbing.

"My aim is to mimic the flight reflex of the rabbit, teaching it to a door or curtain. So when you approach, it will open before you reach it," he continued to explain between breaths. Above them, the shapes of bridges and buildings grew more concrete, only movement he could not make out yet, neither guards nor other citizens. The city however was large and empty for its size, so the lack of life did not came as a surprise. "It should be easy with the curtain. Like an animal scared down a tunnel it has only one way to go and needs no mechanics. What one needs is a way to make the object perceive its surrounding and there should be ways and means enough for that."

Suddenly pushing away from the wall, Velarian reached for a rope dangling from the city over their heads. Long seconds they swung back and forth before the motion stopped. "Everything alright? We are almost there."

It was the last and the hardest part of the climb, the few yards of rope which separated them from the city. He was glad when his fingers finally touched stone again and they reached Kalinor. Two guards watched them and Velarian offered them a polite nod. He knew both of them, although not very well and he never had a problem with either of them. Now they watched him with an expression of curiosity and disdain the man knew was not aimed at his person. Quickly he turned, stepping on the red silk of the main street he bend down to allow Iredeth to slip from his back.

"How about you? What are your plans with thread and cloth?"

[Iredeth]

OOC:Sorry for taking so long to reply. Exams have been eating up entirely too much of my time. I should be back to a more regular posting rate now.

Iredeth listened intently to Velarian’s words, soaking in everything he said in regarding Animation. His usage of the magical art seemed to be very different from hers. His curtain idea was practical – something that could be both useful and pleasant. Iredeth had never contemplated using Animation in that way. For her, it has always been about instilling life into her dolls. She had used small rodents before, though never rabbits, and on one occasion, she had managed to trap a bird long enough for the process to take place. However, more often than not, she had used herself as a source.

She nodded at Velarian question, and then, realizing that he could not see her gesture, spoke an affirmative, “Yes.” Her stomach knotted uncomfortably as they neared the city. As much as she wanted to be up in Kalinor as soon as possible, she dreaded having to walk through the streets and feeling collective disdain floating around her. It was as if she gave off a foul stench that turned everyone’s heads toward her, marking her as an outsider. Even travelers who belonged to a non-Symenestra race entirely were provided with more respect in the city than she.

Iredeth released her tight grip on the man’s shoulder, slipping down from his back in the process. She could feel the stares of the guards on her, but refused to acknowledge them in any way. It would do her no good to challenge their authority now.

“I plan to sew dolls with the cloth and thread. It’s what I usually use for Animation purposes, and I have recently run out of the material,” she said, holding out the box to Velarian. “So far, my experiments with teaching the dolls to walk had been a failure. But this time, I plan to sew joints of sorts into the limbs of the dolls to better equip them for the endeavor.”

“Thank you for carrying me up,” Iredeth said rather awkwardly, her eyes darting up and down the street. “Have you any idea where I can purchase what I need? Naturally, I’ve bought sewing supplies in Kalinor before, but last time I was here, I learned that the woman who regularly sold me fabric had closed down her shop.”

[Velarian Zantedeschia]

"Walking is not easy to bring about when it comes to golems," Velarian admitted as he took the box. "I am partial to working with fabric. It saves me from worrying about joints, but the material certainly has its disadvantages." Eying the guards over Iredeth' shoulder for a moment, he focused on the young woman again, eyes thoughtful.

"Without knowing what you plan on doing exactly... have you thought about using copper wire instead of joints? It is unsuited for heavier constructs made of wood or stone, but it is easy to bend its shape and it should be strong enough to form the inner skeleton for a doll." Casually the man opened the wooden box a bit to check on the rabbit, nodding more to himself. "It would not withstand much weight or force, but then toys are usually not overly resistant in that regard. Maybe some weights around the feet would not hurt either - for some stability." Lowing the boy he shook his head. "But you might not be able to make them very large that way."

The older Symenestra frowned, not yet happy with his own suggestion. Then he recalled the girl's question. He nodded along the red thread of the main street spanning into dark. "There is a market ahead. They should have everything you will need, fabric, needles and thread. Some buttons and other things." He tilt his head to the side. "Only wire I am not sure they have, father used to buy it from traveling merchants in the past. I have have to admit I have not looked for it in a while." Since his father's death he rarely worked with metal anymore and he doubt he would start with it again anytime soon. His breed was not known for excellent metalwork, not even for just average one. Finding the more traditional raw materials could be hard within Kalinor and Velarian saw no need to worry about missing screws and springs when he had other things suiting his needs.

"We could visit my family's place too, but I would doubt they will make you a better price than on the market." Despite the two half-breeds his mother had brought into the web, the majority of his family had little love for what they deemed less than worthy to be called Symenestra. "We should have a lot of fabric for sale, as well as thread. For the other things the market would be the better place to go. Your decision. The last part to my web's domicile I would have to carry you again," he added after a moment of consideration. "To the market we can walk." Which made it the better way to go in his eyes. While he did not mind the weight, he was sure the young woman would rather walk on her own now she could.

Looking around, Velarian followed the main street for a few steps before turning around, to see if Iredeth was following along.