Is It Getting Crowded In Here? (Raptor)

[Sairque]

Fall 1, 511 AV Skirting around the edge of the entranceway, the furtive woman waited for a break in scrutiny and darted through the doors, quickly making for the shelter of the bookshelves. With careful steps and the utmost care to all signs of surveillance, Sairque scampered from shelf to shelf. The most dangerous part would be making the break from the main library to the classrooms where her date awaited. Nonchalantly sinking into a threadbare chair that had the bottom of it blown out, and carefully ignoring the white crusty substance on the arm rest, the obviously tense woman attempted to seem at perfect ease while sitting there with no apparent means to occupy herself. Soon enough a short librarian finished cleaning the glass entranceway to the second section of the Enclave and with a nonplussed glance at the Endal as she passed by, disappeared back to the circulation desk. Taking the chance, the flight leader leapt forth and threw the doors open, wasting not a second on her way to the appointed meeting room. Damn these walls of glass! It hadn’t occurred to her that privacy was limited here. Still, Sairque hunched over, trying to assume the crushed posture of chiet and dek, as she sank into a nice chair opposite a baffled man. The man tried to welcome her by name and with a smile, how Endal behaved was not for him to judge, but she shushed him with a quick slice of her stiff hand through the air. “No one must know I’ve been to see you, Reimancer. Not until after everything has been executed,” the woman hissed cryptically, covertly pulling up and unfolding a sheaf of parchment to flatten atop the child-abused table between them. “These are the plans to the apartment, and these are the plans to the one next door. This is what I want accomplished,” she directed, sliding another smaller paper over. “I haven’t got much time so we need to conclude this today. “I really should have my associate here today, he’s the expert in these matters.” Sai stared. “Why didn’t you bring him with, I sent a messenger down with the outline.” “Forgive me if I found your request unenlightening,” he responded dryly, tossing the message in question onto the table. It had a mere three words scribbled atop it. None of which actually pertained to the goal. Sai stared at it with pursed lips, mollified. “I see, very well. Anyway, do what you can here and try your best. You can show it to your partner later. I just need a polished idea to present in four days.” Sai directed him back to the blue prints, nerves fraying further at the impending deadline of her toils.

[Sairque]

The man, clad richly in the garb of a successful Avoran craftsman, sweated over his paper and ink, his patron’s yellow eyes digging into his head as he imagined her Eagle’s talons would. Her fingers, accented with rough-shaped fingernails and the fraying edges of hangnails, hands bearing the scars of a life of work where his were soft as a baby’s bottom, tapped out a rhythmic cadence on the edge of the table. For the third time, he dragged the quill in a misguided miscalculation, swallowing dryly, he relegated the ruined drawing to the bottom of the pile and stole a glance to see if she’d noticed his need to start all over again. She had. Sai sighed, having forgotten the need to hunch and avoid drawing attention to herself as the bells drew out, and threw her head back to stare at the ceiling. Up until Aidara had announced they were having the baby shower, Sai had almost forgotten they were expecting. Probably willfully. Bells passed as the flight leader mulled over her little family until a soft throat clearing disrupted the reverie. “Endal Sairque, here,” the reimancer directed, regaining a bit of his earlier spunk now that he’d delivered a product and saved himself her continued ire. Sai’s dirty boots dropped from the edge of the table and the two front legs of the chair slammed back to the stone floor as she surged forward to grab the drawings and examine them. “No, no, I want them to have their own ‘suite’, as it were. See here, how you have the rooms situated in the same manner as the rest of them? In the original pattern? I want their bedroom to open up on the other side to the rest of the space.” Sai grabbed the char stick and turned the parchment over, hastily sketching out the shape of their aerie and the one next door. With the tip of her pink tongue protruding from between sun-chapped lips, the scratching of pencil on paper continued for several chimes before she presented the rough and unskilled drawing to the reimancer. Half of the neighboring aerie had been annexed for addition rooms in her own. What had previously been the spare room where the twins stored their gear had been enlarged back into the neighboring aerie. At the back of it were three doors, one a large storage room, one a bathroom, and the last another bedroom. All in all, according to the plan her aerie now had eight rooms. Her reimancer looked at the thing with vastly underimpressed scorn. Their eyes met for long seconds before he dropped his gaze and sat back with a sigh. “Your plan creates a lot of useless space in the neighboring aerie. No one is going to want to live there.” Sai stared for another few seconds, waiting for him to get to the point. “I understand that you’re an Endal, but you’ll have to go to a higher power than even yourself to get permission for me to formalize your design and agree to work on it.” Stymied, the disappointed woman stared at the table in thought. Seeing that she had nothing to say, the man folded his hands atop the table and tried again. “Why don’t you just ask Mother Ilish for a Grand Aerie?” he asked, speaking of the perpetually heated and much more spacious abodes. “I appreciate your opinion, Avora. Formalize the design so I have something professional with which to approach her,” the irritated woman snapped. “I’ll be back in three bells time for the plans.”

[Sairque]

Sneaking from the Enclave with just as much effort to avoid detections, Sai stumbled over a chair and froze as a younger chiet male glanced up from the shelf he perused. Glaring at him as though it were his fault, willing him to be so afraid of those predatory eyes that he should remember nothing but the direst of repercussions had he not turned tail and fled the area, the Endal insured one less person would be informing the expecting women of their sister’s actions. Darting around the last of the shelves, Sai paused next to a tall sconce, as though using the extra like to read some impossibly faded script on the front of the parchment. Finally the cart of books with its pusher passed on and the stealthy woman could dart from the Enclave completely. Patting her plans, a course was assumed for Mother Ilish. The Avora had even been so good to get a leather binding with which to encase the sheaf of parchment so that Sai didn’t have to wad them up in order to carry them conveniently through the warrens. As it wasn’t an odd occurrence for the flight leader to seek out Mother Ilish, seeing as how she was priming to take over for the aging bureaucrat, there was no need for stealth in this meeting. Sauntering through the halls, quite enamored with herself for concocting the best gift ever, she dared the entire city to presume they knew what she was up to and alert the recipients of this gift. As always at this time of day, a bell and a half until sundown, Ilish rested her old bones in a private dining chamber. Clutching the priceless plans to her chest, the flight leader pushed through the dining crowd, glaring at any and every block head that had the misfortune of stumbling into her and so much as grazing the leather case with a hair. Much frazzled at the thought of the plans becoming smudged in their folder, her knuckles rapped with quick succession upon Ilish’s dining door.

[Indigo]

The thin hand clutched at her knife like a talon at the sudden sound. Her head whipped around sharply, reminiscent of an eagle's fierce gaze. Anger made her hands shake and she exhaled quickly to calm them. It wouldn't do to appear weak in front of them. She raised her eyebrows in a futile attempt to smooth the wrinkles from her forehead. Gravity and Time were now her worst enemy and it crept into her pinched features. "Who would dare interrupt me when I'm eating? The nerve!" Mother Ilish muttered in irritation. She waited a long drawn out chime as a petty punishment for someone's impudence and finally answered in a frosty tone that would terrify a lesser creature. "Enter." The woman commanded aloud and finished with her thoughts, 'while I am at my meal and only want peace. Someone better be dead to bother me at this time.' The proud Endal sat ramrod straight in her chair, her stiff demeanor showing in her rigid posture. Her bryda were finely made and despite her age, she remained fit and lean. Her auburn hair, now brushed with fine silver strands, was neatly contained in a severe braid. Mother Ilish purposely sat with her back to the door, tuning out the younger, more vibrant world beyond it. She cut a miniscule portion from her meal with deft precision and raised it to her mouth, chewing slowly through her many missing teeth. Her hard golden eyes gleamed with annoyance at the intrusion. Talking as if to herself, "Those children are so rude these days. So young and stupid to bother someone of my caste at meal time when they have the whole day to talk to me. They should be beaten for the insolence when I should be treated with far more reverence! This behavior is scandalous." Mother Ilish sniffed indignantly, her hard eyes glaring at the intruder.

[Sairque]

A lesser creature was not in the Mother’s presence at this time, lectures and the frosty tones that delivered them had no effect on the zeal with which Sairque attended to her mission. But this was not her first run in with the elder and no sign of her good mood cracked the polite and different expression upon those austere features. It was unfortunate that the haughty woman was in this mood, Sai would have much preferred the no-nonsense impassive demeanor she usually sported. With firm determination she banished the retort that Ilish and herself were of the same caste, and barely separated by the levels of seniority. Golden hues meeting that critical gaze unflinchingly, the intruder rounded the table to enter the elder’s line of sight but made no presumptuous moves toward a seat or to remove the case tucked under an arm. “Mother Ilish, only the young and stupid can be spared the whole day long flitting up and down the ridges in search of game. Rest assured that I got my licks this afternoon and though immeasurably regretful of the need to intrude upon you, I have come at the only time available barring rousting you from bed to attend to this business,” rejoined the careful Endal, though a spark of charming warmth flared briefly in her yellow eyes, words placed with the same meticulous attention a swordsman would his feet. She’d actually not gone hunting, but the insinuation was no less truthful than the senile mutterings Ilish spewed out of cantankerous displeasure of being startled. At the worst, the woman would sputter derisively, at the best she would laugh out loud at the woman’s calculated attempts. “I apologize for intruding,” Sairque continued in the same vein of respectful difference, calling up every eloquent bone in her body to get through the uncharacteristic display. “But I believe that our discussion can be short and nothing more than a small inconvenience if you would allow me to make my case.” She had to succeed. Well, she would no matter what, but the elder's agreement would make it significantly easier.

[Indigo]

Upon recognizing the face and voice of the young woman, Mother Ilish's face became an impassive mask with no discernible expression. Two full chimes passed as her golden eyes met like, testing her mettle and finally gestured to the seat in front of her. Her nod became brisk and businesslike, her gaze momentarily drawn to the package Sairque clutched possessively. Not one to break her routines for any young upstart, she continued to eat calmly. It was an exquisite meal and she had especially requested that the grouse she caught be cooked just so. Refusing to rush, she ate her food in a ringing silence, not allowing even this young thing to stint the enjoyment. The Endal sat in utter quiet, completing her meal a few chimes later. She gestured to a dek to remove the plate, and scrutinized the face before her. "As you well should apologize. You imply that you hunted? What did you catch?"She arched a delicate brow in question. Ilish brought the wine to her lips and drank with appreciation. The girl's answer had best be something good, with winter approaching far too rapidly for her taste. They needed to prepare and lay in far more stock for winter and the topic always caught her interest. It was her right to know what the youngster had caught and make sure it was tallied correctly. She wasn't the only young Endal in the place, though she certainly behaved like it. When the young Endal answered to her satisfaction, she moved on to the next statement. "Speak plainly and we'll see just how small and short this inconvenience truly is." The older Endal rested her slim capable hands on the table and squared her shoulders for business. Now that she'd finished the one small pleasure she'd allotted herself for the day, it was time to move on to further issues. This young upstart's issues...

[Sairque]

Though impatience and relief warred, neither overcame the strict attention to the task at hand, which required quiet sobriety. Sairque, with all the nimble grace that one young as herself enjoyed, maneuvered onto the bench opposite the cranky woman and laid the case open next to her meal. While Ilish enjoyed what she supposed to be a dominion over the flight leader, slowly masticating her meals in the tiniest bites possible, said indistractible flight leader instead saw the time as a perfect opportunity to carefully situate and glance over the parchment where the lovingly devised and meticulously crafted plans waited. “You flatter me with assumptions of success, Mother Ilish,” Ilish’s guest replied a jump of dark brows while her yellow eyes barely left her careful arrangement to deign the belabored subject any sort of importance. Thus far in the day, she’d caught nothing but a possibly useless set of plans. Why the woman would deny the request, however, she knew not. Ilish must also be going senile, to not know that Sairque never failed to promptly report new meat and often facilitated the extent of other’s kills to reach her ears. But, the young Endal’s mind had already returned to the important matter at hand having been given permission to proceed. “I’m requesting a formal permission to acquire the use of a reimancer for re-sizing my aerie to accommodate myself, Catabasis, Aidara, Sira and their new child,” Sai summarized, knowing that it was a fifty-fifty chance that Ilish would give her blessing to the endeavor and be thankful that it was such a trifling matter. “I’ve prepared sketches to show you the exact modifications if you want,” she offered while still giving the woman the opportunity to save herself the time, and when, if, Mother Ilish answered in the affirmative, she slid over the sketch of the current abode. It was the standard one that all single Endal received. On top of this she laid the new plan, with the deepening of one room and the addition of three rooms off of it. Knowing Mother Ilish required simple facts, the flight leader continued. “Due to the limitations of our empathetic bond,” namely those that simply made being apart inconveniently unbearable. With no explanation necessary, interesting news, such as the manner in which the sister’s telepathic affinities had melded in the womb, traveled fast among the small Inarta population, and Mother Ilish knew well the circumstances surrounding one of her Flight Leaders. “Residing apart isn’t an option, but not even a Grand Aerie will provide the necessary space. With the distinct possibility that the offspring will be a Wind Eagle just like its mother, I would like to get the necessary work done before given the opportunity to crowd us out. And seeing as how Aidara and I show no prospects of losing our bond, at the same time I would like to prepare the aerie to accommodate my own mate, as well as Catabasis’.” Mother Ilish could do math, Sai felt no need to belabor unnecessary points. That would be four, possibly five, humans in one house, and three, possibly four Wind Eagles. Sai made no assumptions about what her superior would deem important information, and so laid the facts before her, with a slight explanation as to the necessity for the other couple to have their own suite, and waited for questions or comments.

[Indigo]

The Endal frowned for a chime at Sairque's reply and it's dismissal. While some might find the topic mundane, it was Ilish's obsession, which was why she held the position that she did. This one was far too impatient but her business preparedness was a point in her favor. She looked over the blueprints carefully, tracing some of the lines with her finger. Her piercing gold eyes took in every detail as if it were a delicious dessert, because to her, it was in a way. Good foresight to have the plans ready and the timing was perfect though she'd never admit it aloud. "A child you say? Yes, I remember something about that." Mother Ilish said in a distracted way. The possibility of a Kelvic Wind Eagle having another such as herself?! It would be an invaluable asset to everyone in Wind Reach. "No. This won't do at all." The woman said firmly, but held up a hand to ward off any protests Sairque might make. "With a possible Kelvic Wind Eagle on the way, I insist that you move to the bigger apartment that's empty in the far east corner. There's far more space there to work with and it has a marvelous natural hot spring already in it that would be perfect for the new baby to bathe in. Now -that- is a good place to get your Reimancer to design." Mother Ilish gave a brief thought to her own first child, all grown up now and added with the barest glimmer of a smile, "And good luck with the baby."

[Sairque]

Though there was little in the way of positive emotions shining on Sairque’s face to begin with, those austere features hardened into a mask of displeasure at being told no. A counteroffer, however, even with the gesture to forestall such assumptions, had not been expected. Perhaps, at the best, the list of possible responses had included a long drawn-out explanation of the refusal and the compromise with linking two aeries together. Which she decidedly did not want, otherwise she would have brought plans for that. La! A Grand Aerie! And the permission to alter it to fit their needs! The match of wills broken, Ilish’s guest appeared to forget her stoic decorum and let the incredulity of the good luck appear on her face of its own will. Glancing down at the sheaf of parchment, bone-thin fingers absently started patting the edges together in preparation for their re-bundling in the leather case. Before it was even tied, a furrow nestled between those brows. “I don’t want to reduce the space in any of the other aeries, Mother. The one you suggest, it’s the one that Tuloth used to live in? the one with no adjoining aerie on its eastern edge?” Stealing room and making a bachelor Endal’s chambers inconveniently small had been no matter, but it was imperative that two volatile coupled Endal, and the accompanying Eagle’s, which her family would neighbor, not lose a single square foot of space. If she was indeed thinking of the correct one then it would be no problem, they could expand further into the mountain. And, as the elder woman, who appeared quite mollified by an unknown factor of their interaction, nodded, Sai dropped her thoughtful glance to the folder as though she could still see the plans through the leather. “I can’t remember the layout of this one off the top of my head, otherwise I would tell you right now what work would be done, but I can bring you the new set of plans when their finished, Mother, if you’d like,” the dutiful flight leader offered, though she knew already that there would be no objections to the extra space assimilated. It would be just enough to fill their needs with no extra liberties that could inconvenience other families or further expansion to the East. Given an answer, having secured the case and tucked it under and arm, Sai disentangled herself from the bench and table and moved to the door. As though no hostile thoughts had ever passed between them , the Endal glanced over her shoulder with a brilliant smile and thanked the older woman. She just couldn’t think of the wedding gift without grinning! It was under way! A visit to the aerie, meeting with the reimancer again, and it was ready to be presented!

[Sairque]

2 Fall, 511 AV Laying in the pitch black of the bed chamber, huddled into the warmth of the furs, Sai carefully probed the various presences in the back of her mind. Both Catabasis and Aidara slept. It was inconvenient not to also be able to size up Sira this way, but a risk could be taken. Leaping from the bed, and hopping across the unnecessarily chilly stone floor, the flight leader threw open the door to let a bit of light in. Hastening to the chest, she plucked up a set of clothing, donned them, and with furtive glances toward the common area, pulled the leather binding of the previous day from between the sheets. Shoving her feet into a pair of well worn boots, she scurried from the room and dashed toward the door to the warrens. Just as she opened it, Sira popped out of the bathroom and got one look at her wide eyed guilty face before she disappeared. Scampering down the hall just in case she decided to follow up with the bizarre meeting, Sai disappeared not toward the main city but further amongst the Endal apartments. Coming to the one in the far East corner, Sai let herself in. It was old and had the markings of many a Endal on it. Huge stone reliefs cut dizzying scenes into the walls, each one symbolic to some long perished man or woman. After a solemn sizing up of the place she set down on the floor to sketch out a rough shape of the place. It was very rough, but enough for the reimancer. The aerie itself was huge, for two mated Eagles and their offspring, but the rooms were the exact same as her old one, except for one additional chamber that was empty except for the natural hotspring and drainage system that ran beneath the aerie; it would be the babies room, of course, left empty until they knew what the child needed (practically everyone assumed that Sira's baby would be a Kelvic). It only took a moment to apply her exact same design to this one. Five original doors: aerie, master bed, bathroom, two spare rooms. One hot spring room. One of the spare rooms was lengthened to accommodate the sleeping space of two Endal, they would get a master sized bed out of this, and three additional chambers put on. The hot spring room was sealed off from the main common area and reattached through their bedroom. Their suite now had one master bed, one nursery, one bathroom, one spare room, and the hot spring which could also be used for bathing or whatever. Pleased that this would convey what she wanted to the reimancer she sealed the drawings back up and headed out. Instead of setting up a secret meeting, Sai instead just secretly snuck into their work area. Hiding behind a bend in the warren, the nonchalant woman waited for the area in front of the gallery to clear of people she knew before darting in. The two men she needed argued over some other plan they had on their table, a discussion cut short by the return of their sketch protector. “Mother Ilish gave the go ahead, except on another aerie, the one with the hot spring in the eastern corner. Go check it out, take my sketches, and have something professionally drawn up by noon.”