Stargazing on a Rooftop (Closed)

[Asara Willow]

Evening, Summer 7th, AV 511

Is it necessary to do this every time you get lonely?

The cynical remark had no affect on the pale form of Asara, whose small body was flat on it's back. Her long arms were folded behind her head to form a pillow, albeit a bony one, and her black, sharp nails gripped her white-silver hair. The stars above her held her full attention, not the always present, ever cruel voice in the back of her head.

Being an inquisitive girl, Asara wish she knew how to read Common fluently so she could learn the names of the stars, instead of having to make them up. Her darker gold eyes, darker than they had been for quite a while, scanned the shapes she'd traced in the stars.

There was the Crown, which formed a halo around the full moon at around midnight every night, the Archer, who had notched an arrow in his bow and was aiming at the Dire Wolf.... And then there were the Lovers, intertwined above a red star...

Whenever Asara imagined the couple, she never imagined herself. She knew what she was, she'd come to understand herself. As a Symenestra, she was physically week, thin, with frail bones and a breakable body. The woman she imagined was always strong, with a beauty greater than her frail one. It was a woman who would safely bear children, who would never have to fear the developing child within her womb. It was a woman Asara both envied and hated. She was trapped in her small body, trapped for a life time, and while she never had desired a life mate before she arrived in Syliras, she hated herself for the fact that she would probably never have one.

Asara turned her eyes from the constellation and set her eyes on the Spider, spinning its lovely web through the sky.

You are green, Asara... A soft whisper sounded in her head.

Asara answered aloud, unaware of any person nearby.

"I envy no one..." Asara lied quietly.

[Seven Xu]

Seven found himself, as he so often did at night, among the scattering of taverns and small buildings near Traveler's Row. A cool summer breeze ran through a narrow alleyway and scattered silvery moonlit tresses across Seven's pale cheeks. It was too warm to dress the way he had when he arrived in mid-spring. A cotton shirt was left untucked and the top two buttons were left undone.

"Aiiii," He groaned, brushing limp bangs from a sweat-beaded forehead. While Syliran summers were milder than many other locations due to its proximity to the Suvan, Seven found the sea level air thick compared to that of Lhavit. To his chagrin, the hair fell back into his eyes. The hand lowered and was pocketed. Despite the uncomfortable weather - that likely would only get worse - the summer hadn't been as terrible as he had anticipated at the end of spring. In fact, it was going rather well. There was a satisfied smile that kept creeping across Seven's lips like a twitterpated child; Seven would catch it when his cheeks burned from the stupid grin and his expression would abruptly flatten. Despite this, the half-blood hadn't caught notice of the bounce in his own step.

Around one shoulder there was a canvas satchel that held a loaf of bread, cheese, and a few not-quite-ripe apples he had picked up at the Bazaar earlier in the evening. It was too much food for one person, especially one such as himself that often would go a day with only a couple of pieces of fruit. Tilting his head skywards, Seven noted that the sky had darkened. He had little sense of time, and had likely been wandering through the citadel for hours. The smile returned to his face as the thought to return to the small apartment in the belly of the citadel he called home crossed his mind.

Then he heard a whisper in a silken language he had not heard in years.

"I envy no one."

It was muffled and sounded as if it had come from above him. Stopping dead in his tracks, the smile and color drained from his face as he peered searchingly into the darkness of the alleyway and rooftops above. The voice that rose in his voice cracked with uncertainty.

"Who's there?"

[Asara Willow]

Asara went very still at the sound of the uneasy call below her, feeling as though her heart had stopped in fear. Sure, she'd heard the sounds of passing Humans below, but no one taken notice of her presence.

Slowly, moving with all the grace she possessed to remain silent, Asara moved on to her stomach and crept to the edge of the roof. She walked on all fours, and the bristles on her fingertips kept her from sliding.

She peered down over the eaves at a pale youth... Perhaps a very fair human. Her gold eyes scanned his slight form and her head tilted. She considered his appearance with a childlike curiosity. He was feminine, but not in a way to spoil his features, and his build, his eyes, even his, hair, hinted at something she was related to.

Fear was in his body language, but it wasn't so visible. It made her wonder at who was. If he was what he appeared to be, then the night should be as lovely to him as it is to her.

Of course, he could be a half blood.

Asara dismissed the thought as soon as it fluttered through her head. Next she scanned for weapons, in case he was a threat for more than just being larger than her. Finding none, her eyes flicked to the backpack slung over his thin shoulder before settling again on his face.

"Hello," she eventually said softly, her gold eyes holding his red ones. Even from this distance she could clearly see his face, and she scowled. Pretty boys everywhere, she growled to herself. She dismissed that as well before smiling at him to cover her unease. "Do you understand me?"

The softly creeping tongue of the Symenestra rolled past her lips. If he understood it would probably clear up his appearance, but present a greater curiosity.

[Seven Xu]

So it was Symenos.

Seven's pupils grew large as he stared into the darkness. Those eyes soaked up every trace of light they could to form a picture most humans would be unable to see. Then they narrowed curiously, and his head cocked sideways. A flicker of recognition lit up Seven's face and he knew the tiny figure with silvery hair and golden eyes from a brief encounter in the late spring. In fact, she had been the first Symenestra he had seen in Syliras. Unfortunately, he hadn't gotten the chance to approach her. "I know you," He replied in the Widow's tongue, his Common accent thick. The words were awkward coming from his mouth, what little he knew had come from The Viratassa and pronunciation was not his strong point. "I saw you. Watch, at a the bath room. House. Estalblr- est- place."

Seven wrinkled his nose. Impressing the Symenestra woman was not worth sounding like a half-wit. Hands snaked across his chest and his arms crossed loosely as he shifted his weight from his left to his right foot. The next words out of his mouth were spoken in a silky tone, in a language he was fluent in, rather than bits and pieces of a tongue that he rarely heard aloud. "Do you speak Common?"

Seven took a few steps forward and craned his neck as if trying to get a better look at the girl. Being the gentleman that he was, he had no intentions on staring her down in their previous encounter. Nudity bothered him. Soothing Waters was one of the few places Seven experienced culture shock in its full force. The satchel slid off of his narrow shoulder and swung around to dangle from his bent elbow. Seven's body swung with the shift in weight, teetering forward on his tiptoes. It was unlikely the white-haired teen would easily climb onto the rooftop - not that he really wanted to.

A cordial smile exposed a hint of short fang and his voice softened with another inquiry. "Why don't you come down here?"

[Asara Willow]

Asara had to stifle a giggle, pursing her lips at his clumsy speech. She tilted her head as well, her curiosity piqued as he said he knew her. Suddenly, her eyes brightened as she realized who he was. At this angle he looked rather different, but still quite similar. Also, he wasn't wet.

"Common..? Yes, I speak Common." Her answer came in the said tongue, her Symenos accent flowing in with the words, causing them to sound delicate and graceful. She was speaking the truth, although she had some difficulties matching Common words to Symenos ones, and reading Common mostly defeated her. She didn't mention that, though. It was unimportant when she could speak it just fine. "I recognize you. I missed the chance to speak with you, and I was disappointed..."

She then fell silent and watched his bag. Something about it made her constant hunger rise to the forefront of her mind. A brief stab of pain flashed through her head before fading to a dull ache, and she smiled slightly.

"You have adorable fangs." The amusement in her voice could easily be heard as she looked around for a way to get down without looking like a freakish spider. She didn't know if he was accustom to such a thing, and she didn't want to scare away such an intriguing person. "Would you be bothered too much if I climbed down?"

She wouldn't have been too bothered if he had said he was, she'd just have to climb down out of sight. After all, she had climbed up.

[Seven Xu]

Seven nearly lost his expression to a candid frown when the only indication of his diluted predatory nature were deemed "adorable". Fortunately, the disappointment never found his porcelain featured face and he gave a nervous laugh. "Bothered? No. Come down, I asked you to." Seven had met only one of her kind in the past. Three years ago, in fact. The smile grew bittersweet with fond memories of a city he would likely never see again, and the satchel was fussed with, re-closed and slung back over his shoulder beneath the collar of his shirt.

As the Symenestra girl easily scaled the side of the building in a graceful descent, Seven's eyes followed her inquisitively. Most would be unnerved by such a gravity defiant, disproportionate humanoid, but Seven's interest in the race had never faltered. In fact, he was a little jealous he did not inherit the ability to scale impossible walls so effortlessly. A downward glance judged his own arms. Thin, but proportionate to an average human. If he had a hood, something to cover his face, he would be an average human. The comment made earlier bubbled up in his mind again and brought pink to his otherwise moon-pale cheeks. You have adorable fangs. He inwardly rolled his eyes, but wouldn't deny himself the fact that if a voice belonging to another new aquaintance had mentioned them his face would blossom into an uncontrollable blush. Seven's foot scuffed the dirt and he forced his chin to raise enough to look the considerably short girl in the eyes.

"You aren't from Syliras, are you?" A bit direct in his approach, and perhaps a bit obvious though he couldn't rule anything out. The smile returned to his face and a set of mismatched nails flashed as he grasped the strap of his satchel, now secured safely with no fear of losing his food. A self-depreciating laugh rose in Seven's throat and he shook his head. The past few days had left the youth a little bubblier than usual, more apt to let down his formal mask and act like a normal member of society. "Observant of me, huh?"

[Asara Willow]

She smiled faintly at his disposition, and her head tilted at the most curious question. She had seen something in his eyes at her comment of his fangs, but couldn't identify it. She didn't know if she had insulted or flattered him, and either way she didn't know what to say. Her own fangs flashed in one of the rare smiles she'd given in her entire memory. She had to strain it a bit as she straightened out of her gravity-defying move.

Looking up at him now, she felt something of a sigh bubble up in her. The sound didn't emerge past her lips, which she was happy for, and her gaze settled on his mismatched fingernails. She gave her answer as she looked at them, the urge to take his hand and examine them rising up.

"Well... In a way, I'm from very near Syliras. From the Wilderness." She muttered her answer vaguely, her eyes dimming as she thought. To be honest, she had no knowledge of where she came from. Her house was with her horse and tent, her only friend was the rude voice in her head, and she didn't even trust anyone here well enough to give her the time of day. A cold glare was perfectly acceptable. "Are you from this fine city? And..."

Now, she paused, uncertain of how to ask the pressing question of why his nails were odd. She expected nails like hers, or even the clear nails of humans.

Asara stretched slowly as she discarded the question. She'd get to the bottom of it later, probably by meddling or something, whatever worked.

Her arms crossed over her chest, and she always felt self conscious about them. Being surrounded by well proportioned Humans all day tended to dig under her skin and get to her head. Her fingers clenched into her palms and she looked back at his face.

"So..." She felt awkward now and she gripped her palms tightly enough to draw a faint trickle of blood. She felt like her little comment had just ruined the male's mood. If she continued on this path she'd end up leaving this ridiculous city and try to find friends in one of the other cities... Still, that would require a map, something she didn't have. "What are you doing wandering at this hour..?

Walking, maybe?

[Seven Xu]

The Symenestra was tiny, barely reaching his nose in height, and just as dainty in the way she carried herself. Seven hadn't noticed any protective armor on her body, although it could just as well have been under her clothing. She looked as if someone had given life to a dis-proportioned porcelain doll and sent her on her way.

"Yes." Seven responded to her question of his residence in Syliras. It wasn't entirely truthful, but, it wasn't as if he was outright lying. He lived here now. Lately, the past had been something he was trying his best to disassociate himself with.

And...

Seven quirked a brow. Noticing her golden gaze on his hands, he quickly pocketed them in fitted black trousers. His voice wasn't much more than a mumble as he mulled over the thought of such a frail girl in the feral Syliran wildlands. "The wildlands? That's an interesting place for a Symenestra to be ... but I suppose I'm not one to talk. Oh! How rude of me." A short bow and his hands fell out of his pockets again in a sign of respect. "My name is Seven." The name came with hesitation, wondering whether or not she would add the prefix he so hated herself. Dra-Seven. Little Seven. The duality of the meaning for the small effeminate blond made him wrinkle his nose.

"I was at the Bazaar," The cordial smile returned as Seven indicated the general direction of the fourth tier bazaar in the citadel with a pointed thumb over his shoulder. Feeding two mouths rather than one had made his trips for groceries more frequent. "I met up with a friend and got a little side tracked, and now I'm on my way home.

"What about you? What were you doing up there on the roof?" A flash of fang came with a curious smile. He wasn't exactly sure what a knight would say of a Symenestra climbing around on rooftops in such a busy area of the city, but it appeared she hadn't been caught.

[Asara Willow]

She tilted her head at him curiously. He was a talkative one, this young adult. While he stood taller than her, she did not feel overly threatened. For once she slightly relaxed and watched as he pocketed his hands almost... shyly, she'd have to guess.

"It was a... difficult place to be, I suppose," Asara said almost dismissively. Her eyes had dulled at the thought of the Wildlands. She had not enjoyed her time there at all, finding it difficult to live on dried foods and disgusting small rodents. They were time consuming to hunt and then feed off of.

At the mention of his name the cold voice in Asara's had woke and she narrowed her eyes very slightly. The voice, as usual, had something snide to say about the name of the youth, Seven.

Why don't you correct him? Say Dra. It's what he is. He screams the name Dra. Dra-Seven. Asara ignored it though. The word was not a nice one to attach to a name. It would belittle him, and maybe he had left it out for that. Maybe he wanted to fit in here... And the female envied him that.

Seven was, by appearance, very human with some Symenestra traits. His fangs were somewhat more prominent, and he had scattered black nails. Sure, he was slender and short, and quite pale in comparison with most Humans, but he could attribute that to lack of sunlight. His arms weren't disproportionate to his body, just thinner than usual, and although he had a kind of... feminine fairness, no one would scowl at him for being Symenestra. He was a passable imitation of a Human. But that was enough with envy. He offered his name, she should reciprocate.

"My name is Asara." Her name rolled off her tongue. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Seven." A small smile quirked her lips, revealing the tips of extended fangs, as she did her best to imitate his bow.

"The Bazaar..?"[/i] The name was strange on her tongue. Sure, she'd heard some Humans speak about the Bazaar, but she thought they were saying 'bizarre' in strange accents. Whatever the case, she had some place new to explore. She looked at his hands while they were visible and extended her long fingered hands for his. She wanted to see what they were up close. "Let me see, Seven... I won't bite you." Her smile turned mocking. He had no reason to fear his own appearance.

"I was gazing at the stars... Such a lovely sight." Her tone was very nearly vague. She had managed to climb without being spotted by prying eyes, and had been relieved to get some quiet out of the way of Human nonsense. It was quiet at night, and no one bothered her on the rooftop.

"Have you ever watched the stars, Seven?"

[Seven Xu]

Seven hesitated as Asara's silken tone asked for his hands before her face took on a mocking smile. He expected the novelty of his unusual features to pique interest in humans, but the Symenestra girl eyed him like he was as exotic as she was to any human on the street that passed them. "That's alright," A nervous smile and a short shake of his head; pretending that he hadn't understood her intentions, his hands stayed safely within his possession. "I know you won't bite me."

At least she hadn't called him Dra.

An abrupt change in attitude washed over Seven's sharp features as Asara spoke of stargazing. The smile grew with excitement and his head titled skywards to leer at the sparkling sky, governed by Leth's bright moon hanging high and round above them. "Lhavit's are nicer," He muttered under his breath, barely audible to the Symenestra. If her ears were keen, she would have heard him speaking of Zintila's Floating City of Stars with a bittersweet tone. A city he loved, but was trying so hard to leave behind.

"I find myself staring at them a lot, actually. Not so often, recently, but I ..." he trailed off, and his attention fell back on Asara. "Do you know much about them? The stars, that is." Was she interested in the science behind them, or were they simply a romantic notion; points of light in the sky in which one would trace recognizable shapes? Seven respected the lore of constellations, he even knew a little bit about them, but his interests lied in tangible information.