[Flashback: Issima] A Meeting of the First Kind

[Caoin]

Stardowns Crater: The Great Race Season of Winter, Day 15, 506 AV Excitement ran through Endrykas like a wild fire. The Great Race had begun and the riders were making their way around the crater. Everyone was celebrating the event and enthralled by the festivities. Everyone except one certain young Drykas. Caoin sat quietly next to her family's pavilion as she listened to her father give her a running commentary on the race. She was stuck at their pavilion helping him watch their herd and hounds, when she would have preferred to be competing alongside her older brother, Ruith. It wasn't happening though, her family had a strict rule of their own in regards to the race. You only competed if you had your own Strider, because borrowing one of the family's valuable stock in order to compete was out of the question. So, with nothing better and more exciting to do, and being the only one without her Windmark or Strider, Caoin had been delegated the task of helping her father. Thus, the young Drykas was sitting outside of their pavilion with a most discontented look clouding her face. But sour moods aren't meant to last amongst such festive people as the Drykas, there's always something to cheer up the mood, and Caoin's father offered her just such a thing as his voice called to her from somewhere in the depths of their tent. "Daughter, I need you to go and retrieve a new dog for me." Score. A chance for Caoin to actually get away and look around for a bit. His head poked out of the tent entrance and he gave her the location, a group of tents closer to the Stalk Meet, and the coin with which to purchase the animal. Without hiding her excitement in the least bit, she gave an enthusiastic, "Yes, sir," and was off before he could say anything further. Caoin made her way through the throngs of Endrykas residents and outside traders at a leisurely pace as she made her way towards the center of the moving city. She could feel the heat of the sun on the skin of her bare arms and it cheered up, the sour disposition she'd previously had slowly dissipating like rain after a shower. Yes, the day was certainly beginning to look better, and as she walked, she listened to talk of the race, listening to see who was in the lead.

[Issima]

With six brothers, all but one participating in the Great Race, Issima found it impossible to avoid the contagious spirit of festival and celebration. She loved this time of year, though. The weather was positively beautiful, the heat edging towards the uncomfortable point, but not quite there yet. Everything was so vibrant and alive, and there was the feeling of Summer in the moving city of Endrykas. "Absolutely not!" "Just one, Issi. C'mon." Issima shook her head, squaring her arms across her chest as the boy across from her, only a few years older than her, attempted to make a bet. "Jerez, there is absolutely no way I'm kissing you, no matter who wins!" "Oh," the youth, handsome for his age, taunted with a smile that he knew would provoke Issima. "I get it. You're afraid my brothers will beat yours." If there was anything Issima could be prideful about, it was her brood of older brothers. They were sometimes unruly, often annoying, but always her favorite. She loved her family fiercely and, as the spoiled youngest child and only daughter, she received ample doses of that love in return. "Hah! If you were any sort of man you'd be riding in the race yourself," she chided. He opened his mouth to contest, to point out for the hundredth time in this conversation that his Windrunner had been injured and he had no choice in the matter. Issima cut him off. "I'll accept your bet, Jerez. And when my brothers place better than your own, you'll do my chores for a week!" Jerez didn't think it'd be too bad, because that meant he'd get to be close to Issima for so much of that time, and so he just smiled a foolish smile that made her huff and shove past him. He caught her arm and she swirled around to give him a shove. He was laughing when she whirled away. Issima was half off-balance from her escape, and so when she took her next step she apparently intersected the path of another pedestrian. It was hardly a terrible collision, but it was a rude enough bump to warrant a quick apology. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Issima said, though she quickly shot a scowl behind her, where Jerez was laughing. "I know where you sleep, Jerez Silverwater!" The handsome young Drykas slinked off with that smile still on his face, and Issima blew as she turned back to assess her victim. "I swear, I'll never get married," she commented, apropos of nothing. "I didn't mean to bump you. Are you alright?"

[Caoin]

The sun. The warm air. The scent of horse and sweat. The excited chatter of the Drykas people all rooting for their own preferred rider. All of it came together in the girl, raising her heart and soul with each step. Caoin could no longer understand why she had been so sour when there were plenty of other exciting things to do beyond the race. She would love to compete, but even more than that, she loved the animals and it had suddenly come to her that even if she wasn't racing, she was working with the animals. Caoin was a little lost in her thoughts and her sudden uplifting of spirit and so she never noticed the slightly smaller female figure that twisted into her. This jarring bump was enough to bring her out of her own world and back into reality just in time to catch a reactive apology and the tail end of some sort of conversation that involved the girl in front of her not wanting to get married and some young man who seemed to be teasing the girl. Caoin never got a good look at the young man since her attention was one the female, a girl that Caoin noted looked a few years younger than herself. With a light chuckle and a small nod of her head, Caoin offered a response to the girl's apology, "No harm done," she started. As she was eying the girl and responding, she realized that the reason the girl may have bumped into her was because the young man might have pushed her or tried to grab her. This prompted her to continue further, "I hope whoever that boy was, he didn't harm you?" She was normally quiet (for a Drykas), but if that boy had harmed a fellow lady, well, she'd have to make things right.

[Issima]

"Oh, him?" Issi asked, a bit flushed from her interaction with the too cute, too arrogant Drykas. She shot a scowl over her shoulder that wasn't entirely convincing. "He's all talk. I'm fine." Issima huffed once more, and then realized she was in new company, and so she straightened. Her pretty face brightened with a smile. She was younger than Caoin, that much was clear. Barely in the grips of puberty, she still retained some of the childlike innocence of her age, and yet her slender frame had begun to curve, to flesh out into the more womanly limbs that would one day bear children, carry on the spirit of the Drykas people in offspring. "I'm Issima. Have I seen you before?" She was almost certain she had. After all, with a lifetime of congregations like this, it was rather inevitable. She was young still yet, though, and so she had hardly had the opportunity to actually speak with everyone in Endrykas.

[Caoin]

Caoin watched the retreating figure of the young man in question as Issima assured her that he had not done any harm. She knew that the eagerness of youth could sometimes lead the boys to be a little too rough or forward, but the girl who introduced herself as Issima seemed to be capable of handling herself. She certainly was spirited and looked like she would grow into a fine woman. Yes, Caoin already felt like she was the kind of person that would make a good friend. Caoin was a bit further along than the younger Drykas, having gone through much of the growing process that the girl was just beginning to experience, though her body wasn't quite as feminine looking as most men might desire. "It's possible that we've seen eachother around, but I don't think we've properly met, no," she was fairly positive that it was the truth. The girl didn't look familiar, but one could never be sure. The Drykas were a tightly knit group of people, but it was still possible for one to find residents of Endrykas that they hadn't yet met. It was, after all, still a city with a large population. "I'm Caoin. It's good to meet you," her introduction came with a jovial smile of greeting as she offered up a hand for shaking. How very tomboyish of her. Of course, it's not like she looked like the girly type to begin with. The most feminine aspect of her clothing was the blouse that she wore, everything else being gender neutral. No skirts or dresses for her, not that they were practical in her line of work anyway.

[Issima]

Issima was all sorts of feminine, though it probably seemed more stark when compared with a girl who wore her gender in a more subdued manner, such as Caoin. "Oh, what a pretty name," Issima said with a smile. She had yet to learn to reign in her tongue. What she thought was almost always spoken aloud. Mercifully, her gentle spirit and kind nature made it so that she very seldom said something to regret. "What is your clan?" By now Issima had turned away from her encounter with the young man altogether and was slowly walking in the direction Caoin had apparently been traveling. Idleness was not a common Drykas trait, and even in conversation it felt better to be moving, to be doing something. "I'm of the Ruby clan. The only girl, with six brothers," she said with an exaggerated eye roll and a laugh. "Can you imagine?" Issima apparently wore her life on her sleeve, too.

[Caoin]

Idleness was indeed not a Drykas trait, and so Caoin continued on in the direction that her errand was taking her with the younger girl tagging alongside her. This didn't seem to bother or phase Caoin in any negative manner, as the company was actually appreciated. "Thank you," she replied to the complimenting of her name, before offering up her own, "yours is quite nice as well. It rolls off the tongue." It was likely the S's that made the name sound so pleasant. "Ruby Clan, eh," she followed up with a tone that implied she was confirming, "and the only girl out of seven? My, you do know how to handle yourself around the boys, don't you," she finished up with a lighthearted note. Caoin couldn't imagine being in that situation, considering her own family situation, which she voiced at that moment as the conversation continued, "the women in my family are prone to having lots of daughters and not very many sons." Not exactly the best situation for producing heirs, but great for second or third sons who wanted to marry into a family for a chance to own something for themselves. "I'm from the Amethyst clan, by the way," Caoin explained before going on to further explain the errand she was on, "My family breeds horses and dogs. I'm actually on the way to pick up a new pup for my father." A new pup meant work for Caoin, which excited her greatly, excitement that was evident by the sudden light in her eyes as she spoke of it. Then again, who didn't love puppies? The older Drykas, as she walked and listened to Issima, continued to keep one ear to the ground (so to speak) listening for updates on the race. Her family's Striders were fast, but there were plenty of other families that had fast mounts as well, it really could go in almost anyone's favor, considering that Striders were built to travel the Cyphrus grasslands. "Any of those brothers of yours participating in the race today?"

[Issima]

"Half of them," Issima said with a little bob of her head and the grin that an easy childhood could make come so easily. However difficult life could be on the grasslands, Issima had grown up rather sheltered. There was an overabundance of testosterone in her pavilion, all of which revolved around protecting her and generally seeing to her happiness. She got along remarkably well with all of her brothers, which seemed like some sort of feat in itself. "The only ones who aren't are away or, you know, busy. Sons to be born, or trade to be carried out, or whatever keeps them away. They hate it, though. Not being here. They all live for this time of year." Issima realized she was babbling a bit, and so she bit at her lower lip and silenced herself. Her father often said that her words flowed quicker than any stream he had ever come across. Latching onto something her newfound friend had said, Issi turned the conversation back on Caoin. "Puppies? Oh, I'd love to see! Is it far? May I walk with you? I love puppies. I have Aponi, of course, my strider..." she said, as if she fully expected that Caoin had a strider of her own too. "But no other pets. Not really."

[Caoin]

“Ah, then my brother is competing against some of yours. Well, I wish your brothers luck in the event. Hopefully they have some good horses.” While the skill of a rider played a good part in the race, a lot of it depended on the animal that the rider was riding. Anyone not riding a strider was usually at a disadvantage in Cyphrus. For some of the racers who hadn’t yet bonded with their own strider, they were relying on an animal they hadn’t bonded with or a horse who wasn’t capable of drawing speed from the web. Of course, there was always the occasion when skill or luck beat out even a well-bred horse or a web-tied strider. Even the greatest rider and mount could run into misfortune that would throw them to the back of the pack, or out of the race completely.

As Issima spoke, Caoin glanced over at the other girl, noticing the grin that spread its way across her face. Issima’s expression gave away the type of life she had lived. She had the face of the baby of a family, one who was well looked after by those around her. It was clear that her brothers took good care of her, even if they did tease her as brothers were wont to do. It reminded Caoin of her relationship with Ruith and her cousin, Skram. They were both protective of her, and she loved them fiercely. Yes, she knew that relationship well. But she also knew what it was like to be just another woman in a pavilion full of estrogen. Her family was not as blessed with males as Issima’s was, and the women had no choice but to pick up the slack. Caoin was no delicate flower, she worked hard to earn her own things and to make her own place in her family. Part of her envied the younger girl, and the easy life that she led.

As Issima turned the conversation back to Caoin and her current errand, Caoin couldn’t help but chuckle and shrug her shoulders, as if to say that she didn’t mind listening to the girl ramble. Conversation was conversation. “Aye, my brother enjoys the race too. He views it as a chance to test his skill as a rider,” Caoin remarked of her brother in response to Issima’s statement about her own brothers in the race.

“As for coming along with me, I don’t mind at all. Who knows, maybe you’ll find something along the way that interests you?” As Caoin responded to Issima’s request to join her and the further tidbits of conversation she’d included, the young Drykas woman worked to hold back a pained cringe at the mention of the girl’s strider. Caoin had yet to bond with her own strider and it was a painful subject for her. The young woman could only grin and bear it though as she pushed forward with the conversation, “Ah, Aponi, that’s a lovely name. Is Aponi a male or a female? How long have the two of you been together?”

MizNo Word Count514

[Issima]

Issima was so thrilled at the prospect of running off on this new adventure that she didn't even consider letting anyone know her plans. She'd be back soon enough, and no one would ever miss her. Besides, this Caoin made for a good conversation partner. Chatting with brothers all the time got.. well, old. "Oh, forever," she replied flippantly about Aponi. "He's a male. It's like having another brother. He's as stubborn and moody as they are," she grinned. Despite her words, the tone itself held a deep affection that was as true and important as the one she felt for those brothers, for her mother and father. Aponi was a part of her now. "It must be quiet, without so many loud boys at your pavilion. Is it nice? Do you get to keep any of the dogs? What are they like?" Issima had a way of speaking without thinking, as her mind could hardly keep up with her mouth sometimes. She was very sincere and open in all that she said though, bobbing along beside the older girl with a pleasant smile.