Bathing in the Streets [Aeli]

[Dlight]

9th of Spring, 511 AV, With luck, Dlight had found a vendor in the Bizarre that had soap and fragrance almost exactly alike the kind he'd bought in Syliras, and after last night's nerve-wracking nightmare, a nice, relaxing bath was what he needed. Unfortunately for him, the streets kept changing and shifting as he walked along them, leading him in circles, squares, and every other shape he could think of. Finally, the Zith settled on the only other option available; the loose stones that made up the streets that early morning were being caressed by a gentle but steady current of water-- where it originated from, Dlight wasn't sure, but the source was unfaltering. The cool current had been teasing his bare feet the entirety of the morning, and finally he gave up on trying to find a proper bath house. Citizens dwindled down from a constant line of people heading in different directions to the rare, confused traveler just alike himself that had become lost on the outskirts of the city. His steady steps away from what he guessed what the center of Alvadas took him far enough away from others that he was comfortable with what he was about to do. Dlight sat upon the ground with little dignity, the long hair of his loin cloth partially splaying around him, strands gently moved and carried by the current. The muscles of his wings relaxed, the leathery appendages fanning out into the water alike how his legs spread flat in an effort to ease their tense joints. He hadn't had a proper bath in a long while, always scared to take even a quick dip in the waters surrounding the ship. The image of him scrubbing away at his body, wings lightly flapping to make splashes against the surface of the small, shallow water was akin to that of a very happy, bat-like, blue-feathered duckling playing in a pond.

[Aeli]

Aeli's first few hours in Alvadas had been quite enjoyable for her. Although she could barely stand to be around large crowds, all it took was a slip down a sidestreet to lose them all and find herself in a new world entirely. Rather than resupplying and finding a place to stay as she should have been doing, she'd been indulging in the wonders of the city. Stopping to think about it, it was better than Mura. Perhaps she felt that way because she'd never been anywhere else, but being perfectly honest with herself, she decided that she rather loved the city. After staring skeptically down at the water flowing through the streets for a while and wondering what was in it, she decided that she didn't much care. Dismounting, she chose to walk, a disgruntled Oledrennis trudging behind her. She'd missed the feeling of water beneath her feet. "I am absolutely not going to let your attitude ruin my time. You will get used to being away from the White Isle eventually," Aeli told the horse, patting him good-naturedly on the nose. He snorted. She was well used to his temperament, and believed that he would mellow out with plenty of time and good energy. Being in such a good mood often produced lovely music in her experience, and it helped to soothe Ole when he was in a bad mood. She halted him momentarily, retrieving her strangely-shaped violet violin from her saddlebags, and continued on. She positioned the instrument and began playing a bright, flowing tune, twirling rhythmically every so often. As she played and walked, her attention drifted elsewhere and she no longer paid mind to where she was headed. The houses and shops began to thin out, as did the crowd, as she made her way along the charming backstreets of the city. Quite suddenly, Oledrennis whinnied and halted in confusion. Aeli stopped her song and sighed, turning to face him. "What could possibly be wrong now?" she asked calmly, taking hold of his bridle and tugging gently. He took a tentative step forward, seeming to look beyond her. Aeli turned herself to see what he was staring at, and her eyes befell a sight that seemed instantly absurd. A blue winged creature sat in the street about twenty yards away, his wings splashing water about. She realized that Oledrennis had never seen anything larger than a bird with wings and that he must be profoundly confused. The Zith appeared to be bathing, and she couldn't stifle her giggles at the view.

[Dlight]

The uplifting sound of a bow against strings halted Dlight's splashing leathery, black wings, his scrubbing with bar of soap clutched in one hand pausing in surprise. Alvadas was the city of illusion, but he hadn't thought it was that good to know exactly what caught his attention. The echo of horse's hooves splashing through shallow water became more clear when the violin stopped, bringing his dark eyes to it's source.

A shine seemed to glint within the blackness of his iris, vision taking in as much detail of the sight before him as possible. A horse, young and headstrong, stood beside it's owner, a young Konti that carried an unusual and very beautiful violin. Although her skill seemed basic and beginner, as was Dlight's, her mood and style was bright, cheerful even.

The young Konti had an amused look on her face, staring at him in surprise that matched his own. Dlight's head tipped to the side, the dark blue locks of his hair slowly beginning to drip less as Syna dried them. Her clothes draped off and around her, unusually colorful alike usual Alvadas fashion. The Zith blanked for a moment, soap slipping from his hand to splatter onto the ground before Dlight realized what he'd done.

His hands grasped for it, relief overcoming him as his claws caught hold of the soap bar only for it to slip just out of reach once again. Dlight's bent over form was soon downright immodest, him crawling on black-furred hands and knees to catch the elusive soap. A frustrated scowl marred his formerly relaxed features, intense eyes trained solely on the object traveling away from him, leaving suds in it's trail.

When it finally reached a hoof, Dlight looked up at his surroundings and realized that he'd crawled right to the outside front hoof of the Konti violinist's horse. "Mm," The Zith hesitantly let out, the noise one of contemplation and feeling unsure, "I need this back.." His hand extended out, to retrieve the slippery soap bar and resume his bath.

[Aeli]

Aeli studied the Zith's features better now that he had turned to face her, and found him to be quite handsome. She admired his gentle features and deep, inky eyes, finding herself entranced by them. There were many things in life that she adored, but very few more than colors, as was made quite plain by her attire. She watched in amusement as he dropped his soap, retrieved it, let it slip out of his hands once again, and began crawling after it. Toward her. Her giggles turned to laughter, water splaying up everywhere behind him as he clamored after his prize as though it were the very last bar of soap in the world. As he neared her, she found that it did indeed smell very nice, something flowery. She suddenly found him at her feet, reaching toward Oledrennis' hoof. Oledrennis noted this as well, whinnying temperamentally. Aeli saw his hoof rise just a split-second too late, and swiftly swept her bow down to move Dlight's hand out of the way before it was crushed. The horse gave the soap a quick kick in the opposite direction from whence it came, snorting satisfactorily. It glided easily down the wet cobblestone street and out of sight within seconds. "Oh, honestly! I should have saved an orphan dog instead and spared myself the trouble!" Aeli scolded harshly. It wasn't often she was frustrated, but she didn't want her first encounter in Alvadas to be negative. The Gilding seemed quite indifferent to her words, however, and swished his tail indifferently. Aeli sighed and turned toward the stranger, hoping that he wasn't furious. "I am terribly sorry for that," she said, offering him a hand to help him up. "Gildings, you know. It is in their nature. I will replace that for you."

[Dlight]

The Konti's laughter had made an unsure smile turn his lips just slightly, the Zith not sure if it was more out of embarrassment or acknowledgment that the situation was humorous. His outreaching hand was batted away by the bow of her violin, Dlight's eyes catching sight of the raised hoof just in time to have the horse hit the soap rather than him.

His eyes trailed after it as it whizzed away from them, a high whine almost coming from Dlight as he watched his brand new bar of soap glide away, carried by sud and current down the cobblestone street. That was his first bath in nearly forty days, and the woman's words passed by his ears nearly unheard, his attention given more to the direction that the soap had traveled.

He could go after it-- but with how often the streets changed and the trickery of Ionu, no doubt Dlight would be chasing the trail of suds until the soap itself ran out. Confused lips finally settled into a slight frown of disappointment and surprise, until he looked up at the Konti and noticed she had a hand awaiting to help him.

"Mm," He made his noise of distress again then nodded at her hand, gesturing for her to lower it, and eased the tension off of his hands and knees, raising to a stand. Dlight's height was noticeably taller than the Konti's, but his attention was brought to her horse. The Zith looked over to the Gilding, his wings stretching outwards, twitching in annoyance, and when the horse snorted at him in defiance and mockery, Dlight snorted back on instinct.

His dark eyes moved back to the Konti, expression less severe towards her, "It's fine, I have another." He didn't mention that he'd just bought the one that was now lost, hands coming to straighten out the wet hair of his loincloth, removing it from it's plastered position on his thighs. Always eager to forge connections with those that played violin, Dlight let a small smile of intrigue cross his face. "I wonder if he'll become more calm once he matures?"

[Aeli]

Aeli couldn't help but find the whole scene incredibly entertaining, a smile crossing her lips at the confrontation between the stranger and Oledrennis. She couldn't recall a time when anyone was so inclined to snort back at his antics, but supposed it was about time someone stood up to the unruly Gilding. Perhaps he would finally learn his lesson, although it was probably just wishful thinking on her part. She quickly averted her eyes when he began to fix his loincloth, her porcelin white face turning a bit red. Although her Konti instinct had been wrong in the past, it had been getting stronger since she left Mura and had to use it more frequently. She sensed that the stranger had no bad intentions toward her, at least for the moment, so she returned his smile. "That is my hope," she replied, "Although i'm not counting on it. He is a lovely, headstrong animal who has gotten me through much, especially recently. His antics are beginning to grow on me." The horse shook his head as she patted his neck fondly. "Here, at least allow me to pay you back for that," Aeli told him, reaching into her right pocket. She retrieved two gold coins, pressing them into the Zith's hand before he could protest. "I am called Aeli, by the way, and this nuisance is Oledrennis." She offered him a wider smile, the scales around her neck glistening a bright pastel violet in the morning sun.

[Dlight]

The exchange between the horse and it's Konti owner almost made Dlight wish that he had a companion to share so much time with, that perhaps he'd gotten an animal in Syliras. He missed the reddening of Aeli's cheeks, too busy focusing on the task of fixing his clothing to bother with wondering about the Konti's reaction to his semi-immodest state. When he looked back towards her, he was greeted with a smile that appeared twice as cheerful and happy as his own.

One of her hands left the body of the instrument, digging into her right pocket and placing the miza in his own, before the Zith could even tell her that he wouldn't accept her payment. With a shrug and a guilty smile, Dlight didn't say a word, not mentioning he already had plenty of miza.

"I envy your companionship with Oledrennis," Dlight admitted, gesturing then towards the purple violin still grasped in her small, pale hands. "and I envy the brightness of the song you played." The strong, wooden case of his own violin was hidden safely away at his room in the Wolf's Cave, protected from the chaotic streets of Alvadas. After all, water was just a big a threat as fire to a violin; one could call Dlight overprotective, perhaps even paranoid, but the Ethaefel just liked to describe himself as caring, loving.

"I arrived at Alvadas just a few days ago from Syliras." He'd been to many places besides Syliras, but that was the latest he'd been to and actually, one of the settlements he'd stayed at longest. "Dlight," he introduced himself, fingers curling around the gold coin in his left hand, playing with it idly, "a violinist in training. My songs tend to be much less carefree, unfortunately." Dlight spoke the words in yearning rather than bitterness, wishing he could capture the happiness that seemed to glow even from her very skin, her violet scales shining from Syna.
OOCBy the way, I love your post scheme. The picture and colors go together really nice and fit Aeli.

[Aeli]

Aeli giggled at the comment about his envy of their companionship. Many people whom Oledrennis chose to play tricks on were quite glad to be rid of their presence. Few had taken it lightly in humor; after all, she was always prepared to pay for various damages and costs of the Gilding's 'mishaps'. However, not once before now had anyone envied the bond she had with her steed. More often than not, they pitied her for having to accomodate for his tomfoolery. She figured it just took a special type to handle a Gilding, and she found the adventure to be quite wonderful, indeed. "Envy burdens the spirit, you know. It is far more useful if you turn it into motivation," she said, twirling her long, ivory hair between the fingers in her free hand. She was always one to give unsolicited advice, and often worried that it bothered people. She continued, "It is helpful to have a friend along with you if you are a traveler, even if they cannot speak back. I haven't been out of Mura long, but if I were alone I would have gone insane by now." She cringed inwardly at the word 'insane'; it was unintentional that she'd used it, but given her childhood it had become a sort of slight against her. She took a second to recollect herself and push the bad memories away, her eyes clouding for so short a time it was nearly imperceptible. "My songs are so because they reflect my soul and my feelings. I do not try to play well, and I rarely remember a tune unless I find it particularly captivating. I am not very experienced, but the instrument conveys my heart better than I." She shrugged modestly. Her eyes brightened significantly when he told her that he was also a violinist, and her grin widened considerably. "Perhaps you are too serious for your songs to be carefree, although I am sure that they are beautiful anyway. Beauty can be found in every note and rythm; happy songs to smile, sad songs to weep. Both are equally as moving." The breeze picked up slightly, and she paused to enjoy it, inhaling the scent of the city deeply and spreading her arms as she did so. Her colorful attire billowed happily. "Although," she said smoothly, "If you want your songs to be brighter, perhaps you should smile more. It is a lovely smile, if I may say so, and your soul will thank you for the positive energy." OOCAww, why thank you! It took me a while to get the coding right. Your background image was actually my inspiration, it's gorgeous. I like the changes made to Dlight's profile as well, it flows better this way. ^_^

[Dlight]

Turning envy into motivation, as well as desperation, was what drove Dlight to become better at violin. His God stared down at him every night, tempting him to try and reach him once again, and the Ethaefel envied those that hadn't fallen... but he would do his best to join Leth once again.

"I don't have much company, usually only the rare musician I meet now and then." His smile widened when Aeli spoke of her songs, happy to have met someone that also played with their heart rather than their mind. "It's even rarer to find one that understands their soul is the key to composing. Even an unpracticed tune can be the most beautiful."

There had been many nights, too many to count now, that Dlight had spent hunched over a desk, eyes roaming over pages, memorizing word for word the technicalities of music and violin. As much as it helped with beginning and giving him confidence, the Ethaefel found that having knowledge was nothing compared to having the freedom to express emotion. Aeli seemed to understand that much more than he, perhaps it was because of where she grew up...

"You're a lovely woman." Dlight's words were neither perverse nor flattery, merely an honest observation after seeing her so openly enjoy the breeze that had passed through the street. "I..." He itched to say envy, but resisted, "...admire your optimism." And following that was a slightly brighter smile that felt awkward on the Zith's lightly furred face, his dark eyes easily portraying his discomfort with trying something new. But he tried, and he meant the simple expression that may lighten the burden on his soul just a bit.

"Where are you heading?" His bath had been interrupted, but bitterness was all but forgotten and Dlight was curious as to whether Aeli would be staying in Alvadas for a while also. "Are you visiting or just passing through?" He sent an amused glance at Oledrennis, an impish snicker coming from him, "There's a stable, I don't think your Gilding here will be very comfortable in the heavier populated areas of Alvadas."

[Aeli]

A slightly confused look crossed Aeli's face at Dlight's comment about her understanding of music to be rare. "Why, isn't the soul the key to everything?" she asked cryptically, tilting her head a few degrees to the side. "And anyway, music without feeling would be strange and hollow. On the White Isle, we are encouraged to express ourselves in whichever way brings us happiness." Thinking of Mura and all that was left behind her, she decided that she rather preferred experiencing this new world of culture to being isolated on that island. Although the Konti were a race of free thinking and open-mindedness, being away had widened her perspective already, and perhaps it would help her outgrow her aversion to crowds. Dlight's compliments drew her out of her thoughts of home, his admiration meaning more to her than the aesthetic observation. Although she knew that he didn't mean them as more than a simple comment in passing, her cheeks reddened ever so slightly; social graces were not her strong point, and she did tend to be a bit awkward around people much of the time, especially men. There weren't very many where she was from. Aeli found the malaise in the Zith's eyes as he brightened his smile to be a bit humorous, but the genuine effort caused her own smile to show itself, which broke her of her momentary gracelessness. She decided that it was a good start, and was glad to have someone other than Oledrennis to talk with. Horses weren't exactly great conversationalists, in her opinion. "No, and nor would I. Perhaps this is why the city guided me away from it," Aeli said thoughtfully at his suggestion that the horse wouldn't to be stabled around many people. "Well, I was just heading this way," she replied to his first question, gesturing vaguely with her bow to the street ahead. "I hadn't really planned it out much from there." She took a moment to think, her light violet-blue eyes dancing about the scene before her. "Although... I've decided that I quite like it in Alvadas. The mystery and randomness of it is quite marvelous. I would like to stay for a while at least, and learn more." She nodded as if to finalize the thought to herself. Oledrennis was obviously becoming irritated at the traveling situation anyhow, which caused him to be even more unruly, and it would be good for them to relax and get their bearings.