Starting Anew (Open)

[Gromhir]

64th Day of Fall, 511 AV Gromhir stepped across in to the City of Alvadas and instantly felt out of place. He had expected something similar to Syliras but he was wrong. The street was running with water constantly, up to his ankles. He had no idea where it was coming from or where it was going. Other than that, on first inspection, the streets seemed normal. His instinct were screaming at him, telling him to run and not look back. But he knew if he did that now then this trip would be wasted. He looked behind him expecting to see the face again but instead he just saw a horseless cart heading straight for him. He didn't hesitate, leaping to the side of the street with the agility that only a Kelvic possessed. He pressed himself against the wall to have a feeling of something solid. Something just to anchor him in this world until he got his bearings. His eyes widened as he turned to look at his rock in the storm. It was made of fur and scales. It was breathing as well. But it was a building. It had a door and windows. It also had a pair of eyes. Jesting, judging eyes that stared at him with malevolence and laughter. Gromhir looked round, every building was staring at him, laughing at him as the Kelvic tried to come to terms with what his senses were telling him. There was so much in his path, so many strange things challenging his perceptions he could not focus on his empathy or find any calm. Even the faces of people that walked by were strange. Some had no faces, some wore animal masks that snarled and glared like the real thing. He saw a tree merrily stroll past him on massive root like legs. Yet nobody seemed to fear the creatures that lined the streets. Gromhir felt lost without his bondmate.

[Ifran]

The very next person that the Kelvic saw was a man with an aristocratic bearing and six arms. Perhaps he had seen an Eypharian before, or perhaps not. In any case, this man didn't shimmer and change before him as some places and things in Alvadas were like to do, tricking the mind and all the senses, confusing and gamboling and often erring toward the chaos that was more truly the domain of Rhysol than the many-faced patron deity of this place. Ifran paused when he saw the whites of the man's eyes, half expecting them to roll in abject terror. Perhaps he was reading too much into the man's body language, but then, Ifran was a performer, an artist, and such language was part of his vocabulary. Were they in Ahnatep, he would have walked by, never seeming to take notice of another below his station. Or, rather, he might never see the man at all, traveling in a palanquin with hangings light enough to allow for cooling sea breezes, but obscuring much of the outside world. But here in Alvadas he was far from the intrigues of home, even if Hasre had brought him news, even if Aru sent regular word to him of the dealings of the Eypharian nobility back home. Here in Alvadas he could wear a different mask, be a different person. Often he found himself being more kind, more generous. He didn't know this man, but he stopped for him. He was a prince among men, but he asked, "Do you require assistance?"

[Laute]

Mornings were not Laute's thing. The sun was out, bright and glaring, and despite his misgivings, he walked the streets. This altered lifestyle, of living under the sun instead of the stars, was a nuisance brought on by man. His fur was not meant to hide him under this light, the dark blues and reds standing out as his tall figure parted the crowds.

Behind him Aditi, well-rested and curious, followed, neck turning slightly as she looked at the shops that lined the streets. Her head bobbed a little as she took in the sights, their long stay in this city making her bolder and less reticent. With her hair growing longer as the months went by, tips brushing her collarbone, and a healthier, leaner look about her, his slave was almost a different person. As amusing as it was, to watch her change and adapt, he wasn't in the mood this early to even think of her.

The cobbled steps changed every now and then, sometimes into ankle-deep icy water, sometimes into soft, sinking mud. Ignoring it all, he walked, no aim in mind, just a need to walk.

A scent drifted by, carried by the cool morning breeze. A little warm, a little sandy, he knew the scent. This person, he had met before, and he sniffed once. Yes, it was that man he had seen before. The nameless one with six arms. There was a different scent near him, more earthy than his. Curious, for monsters can only find other monsters, he followed it, honing in on the pair.

Silently he appeared behind the man and his companion. A little cranky still, he didn't speak at first.

[Gromhir]

The Kelvic whirled round at the sound of the Eypharian's voice. Gromhir's feral aspect was blatantly obvious as his mouth twisted in a snarl. It was almost like Nature's Guide had given him something solid to focus his anger on. Within mere moments he had taken stock of the noble before him and decided he was not threat at this point in time. His eyes travelling across the lean build, it was similar to the Konti Suvai Fighters but to examine such grace in non-kelvic males was uncommon. He was not holding any weapons currently and Gromhir let his feral instincts fall back behind the human ones Kamalia and Lyeia had instilled in him. He examined the Eypharian closely for a few moments. Kamalia had spoken about them when she had introduced him to the world when he first arrived on the white isle, Mura. They possessed several more limbs then humans, in a similar way to arachnids. They were not built for brute force like the Akalaks, they were more akin to Konti in that regard, delicate but still deadly with weapons. He looked up to the blue eyes with his own wolf eyes and drew out a small blue crystal with a rune etched upon its surface from his pack. He took a deep breath for a few moments and the rune shimmered and flashed as he did. Gromhir let the calmness he was used to begin to wash over him again, drawing on the Eypharian's own emotions to soothe the storm in his mind. Satisfied, he returned the stone to his pack. "I would appreciate it," Gromhir replied finally. "Apologies for my reaction at first. It is my nature to be wary. Is there a place you can take me to where I may rest? I have been travelling for many days and this place is very unfamiliar."

[Ifran]

The Eypharian might have drawn his khopeshes, but that hardly seemed polite. A cornered newcomer might feel so overwhelmed by the shifting face of the city as to snarl at a well-meaning hand. Six hands were shown to be empty, and he watched patiently as the man fingered his little charm, which seemed to calm him down whether it was magical or not. Everything seemed magical in Alvadas, so Ifran never knew what truly was and was not. Ifran was not the bulkiest of his race, but he was certainly not the slenderest either. His body was sculpted by his sword-dancing, his physique ornamental first, but certainly strong, with stamina, and he knew how to use those curved blades effectively. But not today. He smiled, having to play a part that was not his here: that of the commoner. It was no injury to his pride, but it was an adjustment. "I can do that," he said agreeably, half-turning and indicating with one of his many hands that they should walk in that direction. "What sort of lodgings do you seek?" he asked, because it was more polite than asking him if he was as human as he seemed. There were lodgings based on income as well as race, even for monsters like... He caught sight of the Zith and his slave, remembering them from a previous meeting in the Wolf's Den. Saluting them -- after all, the Zith had proved his equal in strength -- he began to walk with the newcomer. "My name is Ifran," he said quietly so the Zith would not yet hear them, "and I was new here not that long ago. Before you is an actual Zith and his slave, but while he might wish to test his strength against you, he seems civilized enough for a city."

[Laute]

Loud in the early morning, the snarl lingered in the air even after the man calmed. Unfazed, the threat was for the Eypharian, Laute took the time to shake off his stupor. His mind was tired, the sun bright in his eyes. Though it had been many moons since the first time he spent awake in the day, each time felt as horrible as the first.

Aditi flinched beside him, the feral growl and bared teeth reminding her of the caverns she once lived in. Such sounds could mean death and though she knew her current master and his promise, old habits were hard to forget. She shivered, drawing her dark woolen cloak around her tighter.

Lazily observing her, he yawned, his long canines exposed. Shifting his wings slightly, he considered the two men in front of him. The newcomer stood tall, almost as tall as Laute, with ice-white hair. In his palms was a blue gem, light from the rock spilling over his hands. Mesmerized, he stared at it, at the strange kaleidoscope that escaped onto the buildings, painting them in shades of blue. It was the city playing tricks, he knew, but each trick was more interesting than the last.

Curiously, his scent shifted after that, more composed. Recognizing the subtle mix of human and something else in the stranger's scent, Laute raised an eyebrow. There were a lot of Kelvics in this city. A lot of Kelvics that happened to cross paths with Laute and it was getting easier with each one to recognize which were predators and which were prey. It would be a matter of time before he started to figure out how to separate the 'animal' from their scent and recognize them solely on that.

The salute amused him more than he cared to admit, the man's attempt at guide even more so. Nodding in return, he mused how this would pan out. A man as proud and sly as the Eypharian probably had something up his sleeve.

Roused now, the sun didn't bother him as they moved through the sunlit streets. Walking after them, he waited until he had caught up to ask his question. "What beast are you?"

[Gromhir]

"Thank you," Gromhir inclined his head politely. It had been a long time since he had been required to use his social skills and everything he said seemed very scripted and unlike his true nature. He was a guardian after all, he was meant to watch and observe, serve and protect his charge. That was the nature of the Ivaski. But his charge had left him and all he could do was obey and wait for her. "I don't have a particular preference. Somewhere I can store my possessions safely and rest where it is warm," he said after a few moments thought. Then, after another few moments, "Somewhere that does not cost too much of this currency you all seem so fond of." That one sentence probably told Ifran more about Gromhir than anything else. The Kelvic's eyes never seemed to stay in one place either, constantly moving, watching everything that was occurring around him. The shifting illusions serving to make he jump slightly each moment. "You may call me, Gromhir," he replied moments after looking at the Zith. "Does everyone here have control over the illusion or is it specific to people?" He took in the Zith, recalling his memories of the teachings Kamalia had given him. Zith were hunters that could fly like birds but walk like humans. He seemed quite tall but Gromhir could tell very little from the strange cloak he had wrapped around him. Gromhir looked back to the Zith as he spoke, his gaze turning to the slave before Laute. "I am sorry for you, miss. I do not believe there is anything I can do in this land to free you from your captor," Gromhir spoke softly. Finally, he spoke to the Zith. There was a measured fury in his voice as he did. "I am no beast. I am a Kelvic." Gromhir turned away and continued to follow the Eypharian.

[Ifran]

Ifran remained the polite, aloof observer as the Zith and the -- ah! -- Kelvic bared their proverbial teeth at each other. Knowing that certainly made his short-term goal easier. He would take this Gromhir to a place run by his kind, though he would probably meet more like the Zith there. Then again, such violent posturing was part of the animal world, and while Gromhir claimed he was no beast, it was illogical to claim that Kelvics did not have a bestial nature. They were, it was said, animals given human form, and not the other way around. But this meant little to Ifran. "I shall take you to the Wolf's Cave. A pack of wolf Kelvics runs the place, and most people with your needs and mindset seem to be comfortable there." He smiled. That was where he had met Laute, after all. The fact he had a slave did not bother the Eypharian, who came from a culture that included slavery, but he was not the sort of man who was unkind to slaves. The fact that a person could possess another did not negate the fact of their being a person, though Eypharians, Ifran not excluded, considered themselves a premium sort of person. He did not move to intervene, not wanting to get in the way of the natural order of things. But he did slow and stop so they could have their confrontation. Ifran was not the problem or the solution, but merely an observer.

[Laute]

Fortunately, the Kelvic had spoken loud enough for Laute to hear. Gromhir. The name told him nothing important, not like the wary way the Kelvic moved did. Tense, almost jumpy, his head shifted slightly from side to side. He almost seemed like prey, the way he took in the city, but his bared teeth earlier told Laute otherwise.

Canines as sharp as those had to belong to a hunter. Just what kind, he wanted to know.

"Laute," he responded, turning his head to stare at the silent Eypharian. He had yet to learn this man's name and before the day was out, he would. It would be better to know it before he permanently became the man in Laute's head.

Gromhir's next words struck a chord and he took a tense step to the side, keeping his slave well away from the animal's view. Hands curled slightly, claws ready to strike, and he bent his knees lightly, ready to attack. A deep growl rumbled in his chest at those words, at the threat that lay in them.

He didn't bother to turn around, to see if his slave was tempted by the words. It didn't matter either way.

His brother's words have haunted his steps since he left home and though he may ignore them, though he may ignore her sometimes, he had not forgotten. The promise would be kept, the debt repaid, and until one of them died, she may not leave.

Rage ruled his voice when he spoke. "No?" A Kelvic was a beast, a beast with human form, perhaps, but a beast nonetheless. "You smell like one."

[Gromhir]

Gromhir smiled at the thought of being back with a pack again. It had been so long since he'd been with his Ivaski Brothers and Sisters back on Mura. His missed the play and the hunts. Despite being a Kelvic, he knew he fit in there and it was possibly the only place on this world that he actually did feel where he belonged. He missed the white shores of Mura despite the sadness they held. "Sounds like a place I could find a small piece of home," He said in response to the Eypharian. As Laute spoke again, Gromhir stopped and turned to him. Despite the posture that the Zith showed, claws spread and ready, Gromhir did not even flinch at the growl. There was a deep fire in his ice blue eyes as he regarded the Zith. There were few things in this world that gave Gromhir pause but a fight was not one of them. Gromhir had endured the ignorance of humans, it seemed that the Zith was no different. "I have such a scent because I can take the form of a beast. That does not mean that I am one." "It is not worth my time to help you understand because it is clear you will never understand," he gave a sigh. "If you are looking for a fight, Zith, you will not find it here." He turned his back on the Zith. "Lead the way, I will follow," the Eypharian seemed to be expecting a fight to break out. He was not sure what the Eypharian was expecting and it just cause more questions to be raised in the Ivaski's weary mind. For now, he wanted to rest away from the fluid reality of Alvadas so that he could truly fathom the place.