Time to move forward (Nydryn)

[Rysen Londell]

Rysen was caught off guard as he watched her gulp down the beer, honestly he was impressed a woman could handle herself in that way. There was something almost dignified about it. As she spoke her voice became more hardened which again took him off guard. She was certainly full of surprises. He drank from his new mug just a small sip this time and shook his head. "Not long at all. I had just gotten off the ferry and was trying to decide where I should go when we ran into each other". Once again he brought the beer to his mouth and took a rather large sip from it. So far the day had been good, he was enjoying a drink with a charming girl in a new city. Perhaps things weren't going to be so bad after all.

Then it came, the question he had so dreadfully hoped to avoid. He felt like he was sinking, nothing could have crushed his spirit more than this. He stayed strong though, Play it off. Play it off, he told himself over and over again in an attempt to calm his nerves. He drew in a deep breath and took another large gulp from the mug. For Rysen his past was not his problem, he had made peace with that and was ready to move on. But move on to what was the question for him. he had no idea where he should go or what he should do when he got there. Suddenly he burst out laughing and scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, I really don't know..." He stopped laughing and turned and looked into her blue eyes. "I had been with a group of merchants for awhile and they were passing by Ravok, so I thought that it might be a nice place to visit. I guess you could say I'm looking for something...But I'm not really sure what that is yet." There he had said it, all of it was true, not a single lie. He looked away from her and his face started to burn. Of all things this embarrassed him the most, for such an educated man he could not decide what he was supposed to do. He gazed down into his mug for what seemed like hours to him. He raised it up and downed what was left, again he slammed it back upside down on the bar. "So that's it really...How dumb is that?"

[Nydryn]

So he hadn’t been in the city for that long… should she ask if he wanted a tour? Would that be strange? The unasked question left her mind when he continued talking. She vaguely heard him say that he had been traveling with some merchants, but she didn’t pay full attention to him until he mentioned that he had been looking for something. Searching for something… just like her. Nydryn was unsure of whether she should mention that she felt the exact same way. If she did, then it was possible that he would ask her more and more about her past. She was already beginning to trust this man too much. Maybe she should nod politely and walk away. But they had a lot in common, and it would be rude. “That’s not dumb at all” the words came out softly… so soft that Rysen could barely hear them. Ny had made up her mind to say that, but what came out next made her wish that she had walked away, “In fact, I feel the same way” She wanted to slam her head against the bar for being so stupid. Now he knows even more about her. Feeling self conscious, Nydryn made sure that her sleeve was pulled down over the tattoo she had gotten in remembrance of her mother. The mark was too personal, and meant too much to her to show it off to every stranger that crossed her path. Suddenly feeling cramped, she panicked. The man could be setting up a trap for her, trying to lure her into telling more about her past. Her eyes became wary, and glanced around the tavern taking in the location of the others in the building. She also located her quickest escape route in case the situation became something that she should run from. The closed in walls made her feel suffocated, and confined. She needed some air. “Uh, excuse me…” she spoke quickly to Rysen before grabbing her bag and heading straight for the door. The door swung shut behind her, and Nydryn began to run. She didn’t go far, only around a corner and into an alley before she collapsed on the ground. Knees drawn up to her chest, she took deep breaths to calm herself. The man probably thought she was strange and would never want to talk to her again. She cursed loudly. Her first real friend in Ravok, and she had just made him dislike her for abandoning him. He probably didn’t care enough to come and look for her. All the other people she had crossed seemed to let her run, and not care enough to chase after her.

[Rysen Londell]

As she spoke to him he was strangely comforted by her words. He was not usually one to be so easily comforted or take advice from others. He was stubborn in that regard because secretly he felt that he alone knew what was best for him. Instead of reaching out to others for support he preferred to solve the problem himself. That way no one else would have to bear unnecessary burdens and they wouldn't have to be bothered. Bringing others trouble was something he never wanted to do so in his mind keeping others at bay saved them from sharing in his struggles. But the real truth was that he hated having to rely on other people, he was smart enough to take care of himself. He knew he was strong enough and accepting help from others might make him seem weak so he often avoided it, so he never let himself be swayed by others, he made a point to make up his own mind. But this was one of those rare occasions where he felt genuine comfort from the words of another. It wasn't what she had said but how she had said it, the way she spoke. Her voice was barely above a whisper and he had barely even heard her but she sounded so pure.

He smiled but his head was down so she probably wouldn't have noticed. He was at a loss for words now. This was unfamiliar to him he wasn't usually one to let himself be like this. So many emotions were going through him right now; he was happy, sad, angry at himself, he felt as helpless as ever. So there he was sitting in a bar feeling like a scared little boy, normally he carried himself with such confidence but today was different. She spoke again saying that she felt similar to him. Did that mean she was looking for something as well? It must mean that he thought to himself. They had something in common there. Should he tell her more? Should he ask her about what she was after? Or maybe that was too personal. Her mood had switched and she seemed uneasy now. He wanted to say something but he couldn't seem to find the words.

Suddenly she excused herself and bolted for the door. He didn't turn to watch her leave, instead he looked straight ahead at the wall. He sat for awhile staring intently at nothing. He must have hit a little too close to home for her comfort. He hoped that he had not offended her in some way but figured that this girl obviously had been through a lot. She had a defense up now and he thought that she must not want him to chase after her. He did debate whether he should or not but decided against it but for some reason he really felt that he should. He gathered his things and walked outside, he squinted as his eyes adjusted to the change in light from outside. His steps seemed to echo as he walked through the crowd, normally his mind would be full of thoughts and ideas but not now, his mind was almost completely blank. When he first walked in he knew it would be difficult for him but he was ready for whatever came his way. Now though, he questioned whether or not he was ready for this, the wind had be taken out of his sails. He felt more and more lost with each step.

Ahead of him he ducked into an ally way to get away from all the noise. He leaned against the wall with his eyes closed and rubbed his head. He opened his eyes only to see Nydryn sitting there just ahead of him on the ground. Maybe she hadn't seen him yet, he could turn and walk away; maybe he should turn and walk away. but for some reason and without even really being aware of what he was doing he made his way to where she was sitting. What he planed on saying or accomplishing he did not know but he kept on going. He looked down at her and took a seat on the ground next to her.What the hell are you doing? He asked himself that and he didn't have an answer.

He probably should have just left her alone, after all she ran away from him. And another thing, this girl was still a stranger to him, he knew her name and that was it. Why did he care so much? He didn't know right now. The man with all the answers found himself again today speechless. No matter how badly he wanted to speak he could think of nothing to say. He even opened his mouth at one point but was forced to close it again. Instead he sighed and looked at the ground in front of him. If she ran again he wouldn't follow her again and if she asked him to leave he would have but he just had a strange feeling about it all. So for the moment he sat next to her in silence waiting to see what would happen.

[Nydryn]

Nydryn’s head had been down, generally not a good idea for a street rat, but she hadn’t cared. He had come. She had not noticed him when he first approached, but he had sat beside her and she became aware of him next to her. Her first feeling was surprise which turned to joy because he had come. Of course, there still was a possibility that he was luring her into a trap, but her mind had slowly forced the suspicion aside and allowed Rysen into her mind. If he asked now, she would share quite a bit more than she would have in the tavern. “You came…” her voice was soft again, barely audible by Rysen. At first he couldn’t tell whether she was pleased or annoyed that he had followed her, but after she looked up, her mouth had formed a small smile. Her body had relaxed, and unlike a few minutes before, she had put her wariness aside. Her eyes met his, and he could see an unspoken apology in their blue depths. “My mother,” she was now choosing to trust him more than almost everyone else she had come across. Her eyes had moved away from his and were now staring at the ground. “She was the one I was searching for,” Her mother. She had actually said that aloud. What was she thinking? That it would be good to share her story with someone who understood? Maybe… Her mother had left her when Nydryn was only eleven years old. It was devastating to her and her siblings, but for the first few years, Ny had dealt with her sorrow pretty well for a child. It was only a couple of years ago that she had decided to search for her mother… to have some closure with the one person she had loved above everyone else for ten years. A few weeks ago, Nydryn had abandoned her search. Simply given up. She had traveled to many cities, for many days and was tired of constantly traveling. She was willing to share some of this information with the man beside her, if he asked. It was possible that he didn’t want to know anything else about Nydryn’s past, and that she was boring him with her life story. Her head returned to its place in between her hands, her elbows resting on her knees which were drawn to her chest. A small ache had appeared in her head, the pounding slowly becoming harsher. Ny’s eyes closed as she tried to block out the throbbing pain. She used to get many headaches, but that was when she had been traveling for many days without sleep. The circumstances were not similar to those of the road, but Ny must have been too stressed, leading her head to produce a pounding pain. She tried to keep the pain from her eyes as she glanced up at Rysen again.

[Rysen Londell]

Rysen continued staring at the ground of him as she spoke. She sounded surprised that he had showed up and honestly so was he but today he hadn't been much like his usual self anyway. But here was was and she hadn't protested to him showing up so why not stay and see what she might say. She went to tell him that she was looking for her mother, she was opening up to him. What should he say back to her? He found himself again at a loss for words, something that she seemed to bring out in him. He tried to think back about his mother but he could not remember anything about her. She had died when he was very young so his father tried his best to raise him but he was often away at sea.

He thought that maybe if he shared something about him that she would be more comfortable. After all she had opened up to him so he should do the same. He laughed a bit before he spoke. "You know all my life i wanted to make things better for people.So after I graduated from the University in Zeltiva I wanted to go into politics and become a leader that people could look up to. But I never thought that politics would be so bloody, people in power fighting others for more power. I guess I should have seen it but I was naive. Anyway after that I didn't know what to do, I had worked for so long and then when I got it I hated everything it stood for. So eventually I left, trying to find something worth doing...That's what I'm looking for, a chance to make a difference."

He hadn't ever told that to anyone and he hadn't ever wanted to save for maybe his late father. It felt good to get it off his chest. He had never felt stressed about it but it just felt good. Should he ask more about her or would that be to much for her to cope with. He would never know if he didn't at least try. "So if you don't me asking, what happened to your mother. Y-you don't have to answer if you don't wan to. Maybe I shouldn't...I'm sorry I brought it up." He felt bad now and hoped that he hadn't upset her further. He was actually bonding with someone on a deep level for the first time in a long while and he didn't want to ruin it.

[Nydryn]

The silence had almost become unbearable when Rysen had spoken up. He told of his story, and many deep, personal things that generally would be left unsaid. Nydryn was glad that the man trusted her, just as she had begun to trust him. She had smiled slightly, and paid attention to what he was saying, enjoying the new found trust that she was experiencing. University of Zeltiva… and he was looking to make a difference. His story sounded so noble, compared to hers. Ny had little to no education, and instead of trying to make the world better, she was making it worse by stealing from other, and even using violence when necessary. Of course she didn’t choose that life, but it was true that her existence was not making Ravok any better of a city. Then came the question, the one she had been dreading, but also preparing to answer in case it came up. Her mother. “Well when I was younger, my father left,” she spoke softly, a remorseful tone in her voice, “The rest of my family didn’t mind all that much, but when money began to run low, my mother panicked… or at least that’s what it seems as though she did,” She blinked, her large bright blue eyes trying to keep out a wave of tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. She would seem weak if she cried, and that was one thing that she was not willing to be in front of this man. She continued, her voice a bit shaky, “She sold herself into slavery. She said that she did it for me and my siblings, but I don’t think so. She distributed the money she got from doing that, and sent us on our way,” Her back pressed against the dirty wall behind her sitting form as deep breaths were taken, her eyes avoiding Rysen’s. Surely he thought she was a child for being consumed with searching for her mother. She desperately hoped he wasn’t though. “I wanted some… closure,” she whispered, eyes closing for a mere second. “But I abandoned the search,” her voice had grown harder… stronger, as her eyes quickly opened, glancing at Rysen to see his reaction.

[Rysen Londell]

Rysen didn't turn his gaze from the ground but he listened carefully to every word that she said. Both of his parents were dead, or at least he assumed his father was dead, he had closure with that. But he could imagine how he would feel not having that closure. He started to understand why she seemed to have so many trust issues. To him it sounded like her mother had just run away from her problems. That must have been hard for Nydryn and her personality made more sense to him now, he was getting a grasp on her. He wasn't sure what to say to her, he wanted to say he was sorry, but for what? "That...must have been awful. I can't even imagine..." He shook his head, he was amazed that a mother would abandon her children like that. He thought about his mother and how illness had taken her before she even had a chance to watch him grow up; surely she would have never done something like that.

He turned his head to look at her. His gaze was very intense and he didn't say anything right away, he just looked at her as if he were gathering exactly the right words. "You are an incredibly strong person to have made it through all of that...I don't think I could have gone through all of that and come out okay like you." He turned from her and took a deep breath and then he was quiet again for a time. Suddenly he slapped his hands on his knees and jumped up to his feet. He stretched his arms back behind his head as he arched his back. Leaning against that wall had started to bother him and his muscles were tight. He stood over Nydryn with a big smile on his face, he extended a hand in a effort to help her up. "What do you say we get out of here, I think we could both use some fun. You can show what the people of Ravok do for entertainment around here. What do ya say?"

[Nydryn]

Her? Strong? She was ready to be ridiculed for behaving like a child, and instead Rysen had complimented her on her strength. Nydryn smiled gratefully at him, letting him know she was grateful for his support, but she was still surprised. After a long stretch of silence, the man had jumped to his feet and held out a hand to her. Of course, generally she would never take assistance from a stranger, but it seemed as though Rysen could not be considered a stranger anymore. She did want to show the nice man around, so Nydryn took his hand and he helped her up off the ground. As soon as she could stand without assistance, her hand left his, and she brushed some dirt off of her dress. “Some fun…” her smile widened just as his had, “Follow me…” Nydryn’s voice trailed after her as she made her way out of the alley. Where to? What was interesting in Ravok? Ny snorted aloud as she thought this for there were many interesting places in her beloved city. She remembered one of her favorite places… not to be inside but to just look at—the Temple of the Black Sun. When she was younger, Nydryn did not know if the temple’s purpose, but she had been attracted by the beautiful outer appearance of the building. Its entrance was only accessible by transportation across the canal. Nydryn had spent many days as a child gazing at it across the water. Now she had an idea of what went on inside the beautiful structure… and the events inside did not do the building justice. Rhysol was worshipped inside. Nydryn did not know much of the gods, but she did know that Rhysol was the god of evil. Her soft footsteps took her through crowds of people, and she hoped that Rysen was keeping up for her wariness was only large enough to protect herself. They finally approached a street and on the left stood the Temple of the Black Sun. Oh how she had missed seeing the familiar building every day. Her feet had stopped moving, and she now stood on the side of one of the many roads of Ravok, waiting for Rysen.

[Rysen Londell]

Rysen was glad that she had accepted his offer to show him around a bit. He had planned on walking the city today anyway to learn a bit about it but it would be much more enjoyable with some company. She seemed to have a good idea of where she was going and she walked off quite quickly on her way to get there. More quickly than Rysen would have liked in fact, he enjoyed walking slow and taking the things in that were around him. Nonetheless he followed her as she had instructed.

He walked with his hands in his pockets and with a grin on his face. Even with the quick pace he managed to enjoy the surroundings. Often he would stop to look at something only to notice that he was losing track of his guide for the day. He would hastily catch up to her, maneuvering through the crowds of people carelessly that were also out and about on this day. His demeanor was certainly different from hers, she seemed like she was on a mission moving swiftly through the streets while he casually followed smiling all the way. Most people surely thought that he looked very much out of place but this not not bother him in the slightest. He really enjoyed the architecture of the city and especially the canals and bridges. Books he had read had described the city but they didn't do it any justice, it certainly was a very beautiful place.

He noticed the she had stopped a little ways ahead of him and was gazing across a canal at a very large structure. As he made his way next to her, he too studied the massive structure before them. It didn't take him long before he discovered exactly what he was looking at. "The Temple of the Black Sun." He spoke very matter of factly and if she had looked she would notice he was no longer smiling. This is her idea of fun?, he thought to himself. Having read a bit about the city he knew what this temple was and what sort of things went on here. Rhysol the god of Evil's worshipers did their rituals and prayers here. He had known that Ravok was home to many of these people but he had thought that he would be able to tell who they were. Was Nydryn a worshiper? Why of all places did she bring him here? Did she expect him to go inside with her? He would not step foot in such a place ever, the very idea appalled him. The architecture was truly amazing but he detested everything it stood for. "So why here?" He asked his voice was different now, there was an air of curiosity and disgust in it.

Perhaps this girl was not at all what she had seemed like so far today. He was beginning to understand what a dangerous place this city might be. If everyone worships Rhysol here then maybe he should even consider leaving. he would not support any follower of such a deity which he understood might cause trouble with the Ebonstryfe. He didn't know much about them but he knew enough to know they were not to be taken likely. he began to question this had been the best place for him to stop during his travels.

[Nydryn]

Rysen had followed her at a bit slower pace, but never less keeping up with Nydryn. When he had come to stand beside her, she noticed the factual tone of his voice when he said the temple’s name, maybe even a bit of disgust. Of course, Nydryn could understand this, but she was at the temple for a different reason. By no means did she worship the evil god. You wouldn’t find her saying that in front of an Ebonstryfe though. Even though it was obvious that she did not have many morals, she did not serve the evil god. Her travels had made her seem evil to many for when she did not have enough money, her natural drives foced her to steal. Some wealthier individuals did not understand the feeling of being truly hungry, and though that dirty street rats such as herself stole because they wanted to. While this was the case with some street rats, it was not the case with Nydryn. Certain circumstances in her travels had made her consider serving the evil god, but she had never gone through with it. Whenever she looked into serving Rhysol, she became appalled with some of the things his followers did. Certain people had also made her consider devoting time to worship the evil god, it certainly would make her feel dangerous and powerful... but she abandoned that reason as well, at least for now. But she wasnt about to tell this to Rysen. She heard the tone in his voice and she didnt want to risk the friendship by sharing a piece of information about her deeply personal self. She turned to face Rysen, his face displaying the disgust she had heard in his voice. “I don’t worship Rhysol,” her voice was low, and her bright blue eyes glanced around as if she thought that an Ebonstryfe was going to appear out of nowhere. “I used to come here to see the beautiful building... before I knew what went on inside of it.” Her voice had grown louder, but not too loud as to avoid drawing attention to herself. “I just wanted to see it again. I’m sorry if it disturbed you... We can go,” she looked up at him, “If you still want to that is,”