Timely encounter (Aquila)

[Cora Greenberg]

5th Day of Fall - Morning Streets of Zeltiva were full of people. Cora was standing in the middle of a street, resting. Two big bags were in her hands. Thankfully she turned from the crowded main street to one that was empty. Few feet away from her was small wooden bench. She slowly made her way to it and sat down with a sigh. She couldn’t stand to be at home now. Her parents were starting to be impatient about her education. They wanted her to go to the University. They were mentioning it every day now. All the asking was getting on Cora’s nerves. She didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to attend the University, but she was afraid. Very afraid. What if she fails and gets herself kicked out? She couldn’t look her parents in the eyes if that happened. There were times that Cora wanted to pack her things and run away. She knew it was childish, but there really were times like that. But on the other hand she couldn’t bring herself to leave. In the morning, when she got up, she realized that some shopping was needed. Normally she did the shopping with her mother, but she had the whole house for herself this week. Her parents decided to visit some friends on the other side of Zeltiva and stay there for some time so she was grateful for the moments alone. After a while, she decided that it was time to go, so she picked up the bags again, stood up from the bench and slowly dragged herself and the bags up the street.

[Aquila]

" MONSTER! " " DEMON! " " BITCH! " All kinds of insults were raining on Aquila once again, she had been foolish enough to feel more secure in her Myrian form and had given in to her desire to visit her birthplace. Big mistake. She had completely dismissed the knowledge of knowing that tall, beautiful darkskinned women weren't common in Zeltiva and that most people were still afraid or hateful towards her. Not to mention the fact that the rumor of a demon that could transform into a savage Myrian spread like wildfire throughout the town. She had been surrounded by a small group of women, men and children, that were harassing her without an ending in sight. They took pleasure in it and did not care about Aquila's feelings or her wellbeing in the least. All they cared about was their own sadistic pleasure in tormenting an unknown being, one that is presumed to be made of pure evil while all pointed in the contrary. Her pleadings, her pacifistic behaviour and her whimpering were all dismissed and ignored. " WHORE! " She heard, eventhough she didn't knew what it meant, she knew that it was an insult. Her patience was growing thinner and thinner by the insult or shove. She could feel her emotions flare up inside her, it was like her insides were burning, she felt herself getting angrier and warmer fast. Thanks to Guss and his teachings, knowledge and kindness she didn't burst out but she felt that she was about to snap and do something stupid. Then... A fist hit her from the back, in her sides and made her kneel on one knee as she grabbed her side and winced in pain. She was sick of this, sick of it all. Although she wasn't sure what she wanted to do with it, she felt a weird sensation as she willed a relatively small potion of Djed out from her hand that leaned on the ground and made it in a cilinderlike shape before transmuting it into a solid, the solid wasn't properly shaped and was pretty crude, many stubs and small edges were all over the short stick, making it stingy to hold. She could feel that gripping it too tight would break the stick in half even, it wouldn't cause any real damage on anyone and probably anger them even further but she was fed up with letting them get away with everything they do to her. Mistake or not, she didn't care anymore...

[Cora Greenberg]

Cora continued on and on up the street, bags dragging behind her. She felt like her hands were going to fall off. She told herself, that next time she goes shopping, she will ask a friend to help her. Or she would have to go shopping earlier before there is too much of things which are needed. Now she was stopping every five steps or so. When she got nearer to the end of the street, where she should turn to the left, she heard shouting and strange thumping sounds. She got to the corner, there a strange view greeted her. There was a group of people standing there and Cora had an impression that someone was in the middle of the circle. She frowned when she heard some very nasty swears. Is there some argument among the neighbors? Cora saw even some familiar people, who lived near her parent's house. She came closer. What she saw, made her drop the bags with food and infuriated her immensely. In the middle of the group there was a girl on the ground. She looked quite normal but then Cora saw skin. Cora stood and stared for a moment. She has never seen anybody like her in Zeltiva, but surely it wasn’t a reason for the people to shout swears at her and beat her. Typical, she thought bitterly. People fear what they don’t know. After she heard another swear and someone hit her again, she stepped forward and shouted at them. „What are you doing? What is happening here?“ A man turned to her with a sneer. „Don’t you see? She is a freak. She doesn’t belong here.“ Cora saw red and yelled at the group angrily. „You call yourselves people of Zeltiva? We are a cultural city, we have a University here! We are not barbarians! Attack her only because she is different? You should be ashamed of yourselves!“ Some of the people looked embarrassed but others still looked hostile. When Cora stepped forward, nobody tried to stop her, however. She knew that it was mainly because of her family's reputation among people. Many of the onlookers were treated by her or her father in the past. She crouched slowly in front of the girl, which was awarded by a collective gasp from the people. She ignored all of them and smiled and the being on the ground softly. She noticed that she had something in her hand, but she let it be and spoke to the the being quietly and gently. „Hello, my name is Cora. I’m sorry what they did to you. Are you injured? I can help.“ She didn’t know if the girl understands her but she tried it. She hoped that at least her expression and her tone would help the girl to understand that she didn't want to harm her, like the people around them.

[Aquila]

Aquia was about to take a swing at the next person to attack her, when suddenly a voice boomed from beyond her immediate surroundings, the angry mob. Unable to hear exactly what had been said, Aquila was still on-guard and ready to smack anyone who would try to harm her. Then she heard one of the men say: „Don’t you see? She is a freak. She doesn’t belong here.“ This time, she understood everything clearly and it angered her even further. ' A freak? Me? You humans are the freaks, attacking a being that has done nothing wrong just for your own sick, twisted pleasure. ' She thought to herself as she bit her bottomlip in frustration. But then she realized that maybe there was another kind soul present, like Guss, who is standing up for her. She immediatly felt the stressful feeling of anger fall of her shoulder and be replaced by a feeling of safety and relief. While at the same time she felt pathetic and regretful of always needing to depend on others to fight her battles. She was going to do something about that, she wasn't going to let others fight in her stead any longer. The voice then boomed even louder and angrier than before, it sounded somewhat like her own voice, although more agressive in a way. Which made Aquila come to the conclusion that the voice came from a woman. She tried to locate that woman but was unable to look through all those people to find her. Then she noticed the people dispersing and a woman that she had never seen before, brownhaired and with a friendly smile on her face crouched before her and offered her a helping hand while saying soothing and friendly words. Aquila answered with a heartfelt smile and an appreciative look in her eyes as she answered the woman's questions and slowly stood up, leaving the stick on the ground. " It's alright, Cora, I'm not that badly hurt. I really appreciate what you did for me, you seem to be just like him. " She said, meaning that the woman was as kind as Guss although she forgot to clarify that. The people around them still looked defiant even in the presence of a respected woman like Cora, although Aquila didn't know that. She thought that they were about to attack both of them now, but she wouldn't let it come that far, not anymore. She stood in the middle of the circle and spoke with a clear tone of voice that demanded to be heard but wasn't bossy or agressive, just a tone of voice that was obviously talking about something important. " I mean nobody, and I mean nobody, harm. I am merely here because I lost my own world, the world of Leth, and was sent to this world to live on. The only sin I have comitted, is that I let this behaviour go on for too long. " " Does it not strike you as odd? That if I am truly a beast or evil creature, I would let you all act like you did? I prefer peace over agression and love over hate, but every being has its limits. Even I. " " Now, let us be and lets try to live in harmony, as that is all that I wish for. Thank you. " As she spoke those words, she looked all of them in the eyes with a gaze of pity aswell as understanding. Aquila then turned to Cora with a smile, before saying: " I'm Aquila, it's a pleasure to meet you Cora. Want to go for a walk or are you busy? "

[Cora Greenberg]

Cora watched the strange woman as she stood up. She copied her movements and stood up too, but she stepped back a little. Not because of fear, but to give the woman some space. Cora was a bit cautious about her, because now, that the strange woman got up, she was higher than herself. And she looked angry. Not that it was something strange. These people attacked her for no reason, but still Cora didn't know how the woman would now react. When the woman spoke and smiled, Cora felt great relief going through her. Not only because the woman said that she was not injured, but because now it was clear that she understood everything and understood that Cora wanted to help. Understood everything.... Oh.... Cora's smile left her face at the thought. She glanced at the people who were reluctantly leaving, now that it was sure that nothing else would happen. 'Well, that's a great way to introduce yourselves, Zeltivans.' she thought sarcastically. Then the woman said something about losing her world, which was the reason why she came here. Cora understood her perfectly. It wouldn't be any wonder if she attacked them all, but she chose not to. Cora herself wouldn't be so kind to them. If this ever happened to her, she would make them pay. This being was too kind. After she said her words, the woman turned to Cora and introduced herself. Now that the situation cleared, Cora was trying hard not to stare at her appearance. She didn't want Aquila to think that she was rude. She was just amazed by her appearance. At Aquila's question, she motioned at the bags with food, still standing on the ground, few feet away from them. "I just have to bring the shopping home. I am not busy at all. I could take you home, give you something to eat and.... That is, if you want." she added. "Or if you want, we could find your friend." she said, because she remembered Aquila talking about someone before. She slowly approached her bags and picked them up again in order not to forget about them. Then she waited for Aquila to let her think about her offer. OOCHad to read your character sheet again and then Myrian Lore. I somehow overlooked Aquila's Myrian day form Then I changed all the things that were wrong. Hope there is no mistake now

[Aquila]

After having finished her little speech, which didn't seem to have done anything to help her situation of living here in a city with alot of hostility aimed against Aquila. Unless you can call sneering, scoffing and eye-rolling an appropriate response to her, self-proclaimed, important little lecture. Aquila couldn't be bothered with these people anymore, if they wanted to hate her then they could hate her all they want. But next time someone would get in her face, harass her or assault her. She wouldn't be this kind anymore. Her angry thoughts left Aquila the moment she turned away from the spiteful humans and faced Cora. the friendlyness that seemed to be so rare for humans, really made Aquila feel happy and relieved, that there was still kindness and understanding in some of them. As Cora looked back at the Ethaefal she had this odd look in her eyes which made Aquila wonder what she was thinking, at no time did Aquila think that Cora was scared or plotting something, but the look in her eyes made Aquila wonder what was going through her head nonetheless. The Ethaefal couldn't help but to put on a silly smile and tilt her head slightly sideways while trying to figure it out. She couldn't though, so she asked Cora if she wanted to go for a walk if she wasn't busy. So she could get to know this person better and have some fun instead of going back home or run into more trouble. As she thought this, she glanced back at the other people, whom most of them were still standing around. What was odd though, was that some were smiling at Aquila and Cora, and some of them seemed to be lost in thought as they tried to stare a hole in the ground. Maybe her speech did have an impact on some, which might prove to be a step in the right direction. Either way, she wanted to hang out with Cora and not those other people, so when Cora said that she did have the time and even wanted to invite Aquila to her home, she was thrilled. Cora slowly walked towards her grocerie-bags and Aquila quickly took the chance to excuse herself from the small crowd and make sure to send'm off with a huge heartfelt smile and a silly wave before walking towards Cora, leaving those people with confusion and not-so-hostile feelings towards Aquila anymore. " I'd love to accompany you Cora. " She said a fraction of a second before her stomach started growling which made Aquila put on an embarassed and silly smile. " Maybeeeee....we can cook something? Or to better put it, you could teach me how to cook something tasty but easy? I want to surprise Guss with something you see, for all his kindness and teachings, and he'll never expect a dish I made. Since he always makes fun of me for being clumsy and all. " " Although anything is definitely fine for me, this was just a rambled idea. " She said cheerfully and sincere, it didn't matter much what they were going to do, she was sure they'd have a fun time no matter what. " Oh oh, I'll help you carry those bags. " She said quickly as she just now realized the bags could be carried easier if she helped.

[Cora Greenberg]

Cora grinned, when Aquila agreed to come with her. She was a bit afraid that she might refuse and leave. This way Cora could look after the strange woman so that the people couldn't attack her again. "Well, come on, then." she said energetically and smiled at her. Cora immediately noticed the change in Aquila. Few minutes ago, she was a hostile creature, or so it seemed, and now she was happily chatting with her. It seemed that she was like a child, the enthusiasm with which she was now speaking about cooking and food. Cora herself felt her spirits rise. She no longer felt gloomy and moody. It seemed that Aquila's good mood affected her too. She nodded and smiled, when Aquila offered help with the shopping. "Thank you. Yes, we could cook something. I know only the basics, like porridge or some soup. I always help my mother to prepare the food only. When I prepare it, she always does the rest, but today perhaps we could attempt to do something on our own." She slowly continued to the direction where her house was. After a moment of silence she turned again to her new friend and asked:"If you don't mind me asking, who is this Guss? Your friend? Where is he?"

[Aquila]

" Oh! I know what soup is! ... Never heard of porridge before though. " Still Aquila seemed rather proud of herself for knowing what soup was. As they walked and talked, while being in high spirits, Aquila felt very at ease and once Cora asked who Guss was, Aquila couldn't help but to ramble once again. She kept going on and on about Guss' heroic deed that saved her from her near-fatal fate at the hands of those wretched people that saw her birth and attacked her for no real reason. She exagerated a bit and was being overly dramatic in her descriptions of what happened but she was too happy being able to talk about her first friend, her hero, that she didn't realize that. " ... And he has taught me so much! About all kinds of things! We are able to talk and talk for days on end and I still can't get enough of all the knowledge he has to offer. Although he admitted himself that his knowledge only goes as far as a region called Sylira, and that the world beyond that is still very unknown to him. " " Oh! " " Did you know? There are so many different intelligent creatures in Mizahar. Supposedly, there are creatures who are very hairy, live in nature, can fell a tree in one swipe and are also extremely intelligent! " " I want to meet such a creature someday... " She said, smiling, 'cause she realized she must sound silly.

[Cora Greenberg]

Cora listened to Aquila's story with interest. Even though it seemed that Aquila collored her story a bit, it saddened her. It seemed that she hasn't met many nice people since her coming to this world. Except for her friend Guss and Cora herself. It was a wonder that she hasn't become bad or bitter and distrustful of other people. "I don't know much about other regions too. I'm not very interested in geography." she smiled a little and she continued. "You're lucky that you have a friend like this one. I don't have many friends. Not many good friends I mean." she added. "There are some people who I can call friends, but usually I like to keep my personal life to myself. You know how girls talk about boys and things like that. I don't like to share these things. Not even with my mother." she admitted. They slowly made their way to Cora's house. She opened the door and motioned Aquila to come it, too. "Put the bag on the table here, please." she instructed Aquila and did the same thing. Then she sat down on a chair. "So, what do you want to cook? Maybe something easier, because I don't want to burn down the house if something goes wrong. My parents would kill me." When they were done with cooking and eating, Aquila decided to leave, so Cora gave her some food and said goodbye to her. THE END

[Oracle]

Name: Cora Greenberg

XP Award:

• Rhetoric +1

Lore:

• Witnessing a Fight
• Saving the Day
• Making a Friend

Notes: Sorry the thread got cut short, but good job on what you have here.


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A.S. Oracle