Visitation [Aidara]

[Jameson Kindle]

Timestamp: 30th of Fall, 511 AV Purpose: Working in the stables; Meeting with Aidara. The sixth bell came early that fall morning, but nonetheless, Jameson was up early and left his room in the warrens in enough time to make it to his first meal of the day. His walk was a pleasant one. We weaved in and out of passersby, thanking Aidara in the back of his mind for having shown him around Wind Reach. The lovely young woman had shown him every place that would be of importance in his everyday life in the city. He had followed her, and felt his way around the city walls to make his way around. He had memorized his footsteps with great tenacity. Jameson made his way to the Communal Kitchens, entering though the great common room. The room was filled with the red-headed people of the city, the Inartan, as Aidara had called them. They were an interesting race, unlike anything he had ever seen. There was an occasional smattering of humans that wandered into the Kitchens, but no one that he recognized. With his palms, he flattened his shirt against his chest and stepped into the line for the soup. Breathing in the scents of roasting meat and bread, he smiled. He hoped that with Aidara’s guidance that he would be able to move up in his rank to enjoy some of the luxuries that the Avora and Endal did. Chef Davoid was overlooking the grilling as he stepped up to take his bowl and have it filled, and he felt the warmth of the kitchen wash over his face. Though it was a comforting feeling, he stepped out of the line with his bowl and headed out into the common room. He took a seat on a cold stone bench and lifted the bowl to his lips. He sipped the savory broth, the heat sinking down his throat and into his stomach. It wasn’t bad at all, compared to what he had heard in the streets. Though he knew the Avora and Endal ate better, he was pleased. Food was food, not a triviality, and these people embraced it. Upon leaving the Kitchens, stomach borderline full, he made his way to the base of the Sanikas Gates, to the Skyhigh Stables. It was a work day, and a good one at that. His own Gildling mare, Espin, was in the stables. It made his work that much more pleasant. Inside, Hansi Nadar, the stablemaster, was making rounds through the stone stables. Jameson approached Hansi, greeted him and was given his day’s orders. He made his way down along the row of stables, grabbing the shovel along the way. First things first – Get shoveling. He placed the shovel’s tip on the ground at the first stall, and scraped it along the stone floor. Trampled hay and horse droppings found their way into the shovel’s hand, and he chunked it into the waste barrel. His arms worked in an endless circular motion, forward, backward, forward, backward. With one stall mucked out, he moved on to the next one. Forward, backward, dump. Forward, backward, dump. The tension began to build in his arms as he worked, the shovel growing heavier in his hands. The rough wood of the handle ground into his skin, already beginning to rub blisters by his fifth stall. Upon moving to his sixth stall within the bell, he felt a prick deep in the tender skin that covers the meat connecting the thumb to the forefinger of his left hand. ”Petch…” He wasn’t much for swearing, but he dropped the shovel. The steel end clanked loudly against the stone floor, followed by the smacking of the wood handle. He lifted his hand, arching it to the light to get a better look. Embedded deep in the flesh was a splinter from the ragged wooden shovel handle. He drew the skin into his mouth, and tried to suck the splinter from its place.

[Aidara]

Addy had never been to the stables before; she had no reason to with Catabasis always just a mental yell away. Now with Sira, Addy never lacked for transportation. The thought just had never occurred to the little woman to go to the stables before this; It was actually years before she even knew what horses were. As a tiny child, seeing one of those monsters from a distance had terrified her. But now, for the sake of friendship, she was going to go to this unexplored place and.... and....Well, she didn't know what she was going to do. Stand as far away from the beasts as she could, she expected.

Twirling a an auburn lock around one little finger, Addy kept her pace to a meander. Her stomach was swollen with breakfast, her Endal rations portioned for someone much bigger than she; that didn't stop her from tucking away every last scrap. Winter was coming and from experience, most of Wind Reach started wrapping themselves in layers of fat much like a mother bear denning down for hibernation. Endal seemed to hardly ever notice the season changes. Their rations never went anywhere near 'meager', the only stipulation of the colder weather being that they had to hunt more frequently and were consistently coming back with less and less meat. As a former Avora, Addy knew how hard winter was on the majority of her people; it was hard for her to simply watch most of the Dek's practically starve to death.

The path towards the gate was a familiar one after all the time spent with Val and the birds. Her feet carried her there unaided as her mind wandered, the sound of leaves crunching beneath her feet the only sound in this lesser populated side of the city; the work areas were semi-deserted this time of day. Like Addy, most of the city was still stuffing their faces. Unlike Addy, they ate slowly enough to actually taste their food.

"Whoa!" Stumbling, the little woman caught herself at the last second on a hunk of stone that protruded conveniently from the wall past which she fell. The wind had been persistant that day, constantly blowing as if determined to push the fallen leaves and twigs into as many inconvenient places as possible. This sudden gust was so strong it almost picked Addy right up off her feet.

Righting herself and straightening her clothes with as much dignity as she could, the healer traced her path back to where she had stumbled. The offending object wasn't just going to get away with trying to face plant her. Dropping to her knees Addy parted the leaves in attempt to search the ground for the object in question; the brittle yellow, orange, red, and brown leaves practically crumbled under her touch, the dried remnants of the summer months past. That they gave way so easily to her hands made it so that Addy only spent a few chimes on her knees pushing through the leaves.

"Ah-ha!" A victorious smile blossomed across her face, bringing to life the dimples in either cheek. It was the simple things, for sure, that brought joy into the healers world. Raised in a triumphant fashion over her head, clutched tightly in a tiny fist was a large stone. After the celebration of her victory was over, Addy brought her prize down for a better look. A little bigger than a man's fist, it was egg-shaped and extremely smooth, almost as if it was made out of glass and colored to match the autumn leaves. It was beautiful... for a rock. Unable to simply throw the thing away now that she had sought and found it, Addy tucked the rock into the crook of her arm as she continued her leasurely stroll towards the stables.

At her slow pace, it was probably half a bell before the stables came into view. The massive stone structure was impressive, there was no doubt about that. Having passed it by for years, Addy was struck anew by it's awesomeness; Carved out of the side of the mountain, the stables looked like they simply grew out of the stone. Always impressed by the workmanship that her ancestors put into her beloved city, the healer felt the need to stop and pay the structure the proper amount of appreciation.

"Jameson?" Lifting her voice above the winds that blew harder now that she was outside the gates, Addy had stepped up to the threshold of the stables and stopped. Not even her toes crossed the line of the doorway that would technically put her inside the stables. As she had approached, the snorts and nickers of the unseen horses sent a chill down her spine; the unknown was not Addy's favorite thing in the world. Amplified by the shape of the place, the sounds of the horses moving around, eating, breathing all suddenly and inexplicably terrified the woman.

"Jameson?" She called again, hoping that he would hear her and come rescue her from where she stood rooted in the doorway.

[Jameson Kindle]

”Jameson?” The man bit down on his hand accidentally and spun around. Holding said hand to his chest, he listened. Wind whistled through the stalls. Horses nickered and stomped their hooves eagerly awaiting breakfast. Turning back to the shovel he sighed. The little sound escaped his lips as he furrowed his brow. On the other end of the row of stalls, Espin was grumbling in her own equestrian way. She stomped hard against the ground. Hey, down here! My turn! she seemed to say. He shook his head at his beloved companion. But it came again: ”Jameson?” Turning on the spot, he faced the direction of her voice as it echoed. He knew he couldn’t have mistaken his own name being called for the second time. He left the shovel where it lay and jogged back to the entrance of the stable. Standing awkwardly in the doorway, with less than a smile on her face, was the blurred figure of a red headed Endal woman that he couldn’t mistake to be anyone except Aidara. He smiled and approached her, stepping slowly and deliberately. ”Aidara.” He smiled. It had been a couple of days. A couple of days too long, he might add. ”You can come inside, you know. I was just around the corner, mucking out stalls.” With his free hand, he pointed to the object nestled in the crook of her arm. ”What’ve you got there?” As he squinted to get a better look, he noticed the look on her face. It was slightly contorted, but with what emotion, he couldn’t decipher. Her dark red hair whipped around her face and shoulders as another gust of wind shoved its way past her and into the stall. She was something to behold, in his opinion. A kind spirited woman always was. ”What brings you out to the stables today?”

[Aidara]

He seemed amused, though that could have simply been the combination of his smile and that squint. Why do they always find her random bouts of shyness funny?

"I uh... didn't know if they would like me being there." A nervous glance flickered to the stall nearest to where they stood, the dark brown rump rising above the stall door seemed to just ripple with muscle. The thought of those big, long legs kicking out at her made the woman close her eyes and shiver. Odd, for one who flew miles above the earth without a second thought, mere wings and a leather saddle between staying aloft and turning into a pancake on the ground below.

Then again, the woman wasn't quite herself. A sweat had broken out upon her brow and she seemed to have developed a twitch in her left eye. Her complexion was pallid, all color gone except for a rather sickly flush to her cheeks. The most noticeable change would be the nervous twisting of her hands as she shifted from foot to foot.

"How.. uh... how's your job going? Liking it? Liking Wind Reach? Made any friends? Found anything interesting?" The questions were fired off at an increasingly rapid pace; it wouldn't be surprising at all of Jameson only caught bits and pieces of what she was saying.

"When are your hours up? I'd like you to join me." Yes, there was definitely something... off. Green eyes flickered quickly back and forth as if Addy was uncomfortable being out in the open as she spoke; the beautiful, effervescent and usually poised woman seemed completely undone and barely a shell of herself.

[Jameson Kindle]

Jameson followed Aidara’s gaze to the steed in the stall beside them. When he looked back at her, he could make out the expression of discomfort on her face and in her stance. He chuckled, his face flushing with peachy hues as he ran out of breath. He shook his head and drew in a deep breath. ”Aidara, horses are quite friendly, as long as you treat them as such. You can’t run around slapping them, or screaming at them, of course.” He reached out and took her hand, and as he turned to walk, he stuffed it in the crook of his elbow. ”Let me show you.” As he led her deeper into the stables, she rattled of a seemingly endless prattle of questions. He stopped and raised an eyebrow at her. He held his laughter back before trying to pick out what she was asking. He held her against his side, a gesture of assurance that she would be safe with him. ”I rather like Wind Reach, Aidara. And the job, yes. I’m enjoying it. It’s been a pleasure. I get to see my own mare often, which is a plus, for sure. Uhmm… Everything here is interesting in my opinion. But I don’t know about anything specifically, if that’s what you mean. I like the stained glass. And the weather.” He continued walking, drawing towards the end of the lane. He clicked the tip of his tongue against the roof of his mouth. A milk chocolate head found its way up and over the barrier of the stall, ears pricked straight into the air. The swishing of a tail against the stone wall accompanied by the beating of hooves against the floor ensued. ”This is Espinosa, my mare.” He reached out with his free hand to pat her velvety muzzle, and she whinnied softly. ”She’s a gildling. Spunky little brat.” Ushering her around softly, Jameson winked at his companion. Espin’s large head bobbed up and down excitedly before lowering. A dark brown eye gazed into Aidara’s green ones. ”Give her a soft pat-pat.” If Aidara would pat Espin on her soft nose, he was sure it would ease her nerves a bit. And if she wouldn’t he would not pressure her further. Either way, he would pick up his splintery shovel and continue to muck out the nearby stalls. How many bells had he been working? It seemed like a couple now. Aidara’s question came back to him, and he replied, ”Oh, and to answer your question. I think I’m just about finished here. I have a couple more stalls, and then I’ve got to feed the horses. Tomorrow they’ll get a good brush down.” He paused. ”What have you got planned?”

[Aidara]

"Call me Addy, Jameson. Aidara makes me feel like I'm in trouble or... working... or in trouble." Snapping a bit in her nervousness, the little woman clung tightly to the arm that lead her into the dark, smelly depths of the stables.

"Bears are friendly too, as long as you don't go anywhere near them nor scream at them either... I kinda like the philosophy of live and let live. We really don't have to do this." The closer the pair got to the back of the stables, the more Addy seemed to dig in her heels.

"You know, it's not that I'm afraid. I just prefer not to touch anything that could eat me alive." But still they went forward, stopping in front of the last stall as Jameson introduced his mare. Dark, intelligent eyes peered down at her over the stall door, her ears alert and nostrils wide as Espi attempted to catch this new comers scent.

"She's very pretty." Taking a step back from where Jameson released her hand, Addy clasped both behind her back and resolutely held her ground. The suggestion to pet the beast was met with a barely stifled scoff. "I... Yeah, I don't think so."

But the man had already returned to his job, leaving Addy and the horse alone. Espi was still staring the healer down, her head turned so that one of those large black eyes were focused directly upon her, as if silently asking why Addy wasn't already over there petting her nose.

"Because you're big and scary, that's why."

Snorting and tossing her head, Espi curled her upper lip at the little woman.

"I don't care. I'm not going over there."

Bobbing her head vigorously as if to say "Yes you will."

Still pale and glistening with sweat, Addy backed up as she continued to eye the horse that seemed to be having a complete conversation with her. Or she with it. Either way, once the realization of what she was doing slowly dawned upon the woman, she was totally done with the animal, quickly joining Jameson outside the stall on which he worked.

"Lets go now. If anyone says anything about you leaving early, I'll step in." Normally, Addy didn't like to throw he weight around... but then again, normally Addy didn't look and act the way she did now.

Refusing to step inside the stall to retrieve him, Addy instead beckoned Jameson to her, holding out her hand to grasp his own when he did step forward. Insistant tugs lead him from the stable and back through the gates into the city it's self. The tugs didn't stop as she dragged them down the corridors and into the one that lead to the eagle aeries. One would assume she was taking him back to her home, but that was wrong. The familiar door was passed buy in favor of a dark, abandoned looking one a couple hallways down.

As they stepped inside, Addy quickly shut the door as best she could; it was hanging from one hinge and had to be propped against the stone jamb in order to stay closed. It was quite a process, one that left the healer huffing and puffing by the time she turned back to her companion.

Now that they were completely encased in the darkness, Addy seemed to relax a bit. The nervous fidgiting and the constant glancing over her shoulders disappeared and were replaced by an almost unseemly haste. Darting here and there, she lit various candles that she had placed along the walls on her last visit. Once the room was aglow with a warm flickering light, Addy pulled Jameson to the middle and sank to the floor, motioning him to do the same.

Between them was a flat stone, feathers and a small closed pouch. With a lopsided grin, Addy reached for the pouch and offered it to the man.

"Wanna do a Winger?"

[Jameson Kindle]

OOCSorry this is so short…. D:

Aidara’s beckoning drew Jameson to take one last look around the stables before propping the shovel up against the wall. He took her little hand in his, allowing himself to be tugged along aside her. ”You know Aida – Addy, I mean – horses don’t eat people alive. As long as you’re kind to them, they return the favor. One day you’re going to pet a horse. For me, if nothing else.”

The abandoned-looking room was dark, and smelled almost musty and smoky. As Aidara lit the candles, he groped into the dim lighting for her shoulder. Using it as a guide, he sat across from her. He leaned in, squinting at the flat stone before him. The feathers and pouch did not register to him as anything significant, so he looked to her for guidance.

Wanna do a Winger?

His brow furrowed, and he blinked. ”What’s that? A Winger?” He looked back up to Aidara before examining the foreign materials before him.

[Aidara]

"I don't... really know. I've never asked exactly what it is. It's amazing, that's all I know."

Shifting nervously from foot to foot, Addy gave Jameson a sideways glance. The words left her lips in a tumble, her tongue barely being able to keep up with the pace at which she was trying to speak as those green eyes tried to covertly ascertain the man's reaction.

Of course, she could have stared openly at him and not really worried about being rude. In the dim lighting, it was probably hard for Jameson to see at all; the man's disabalities were the last thing on the woman's mind right now. And that was saying something.

As a healer, and furthermore one marked by Rek'keli, Addy was immediately drawn to medical anomalies. As it were, she didn't encounter that many in her secluded city, so Jameson had been intriguing from their first meeting. The young woman had had to restrain herself from immediately pulling him into the infirmary so she could work in her excitement. It never even crossed Addy's mind that her city was full of people she could help, anomalies she could fix or solve. The Dek were nothing more than scuttling slaves beneath their feet. Though she had more compassion than most, Addy was nonetheless raised to ignore the pitiful creatures. The sheer amount of disabilities and things she could (attempt) to fix right in her very city completely alluded her. And perhaps this was a good thing, for if Addy realized how her gifts could be used on this lowest of Castes, she would probably never see the light of day again, submerging herself in trying to fix all those poor, helpless creatures.

But Jameson's condition was no concern to her now. Instead, everything rested on his reaction. Nervous as a rabbit and as ready to run as a cornered deer, she didn't even notice as she started to wring her hands together.

"I can show you how. Will you do it? With me? A Winger?" The desperation was clear in her tone now, the strain of trying to keep her voice low making her words high pitched and cracking on the last syllables.

[Jameson Kindle]

Jameson remained entirely oblivious to the nervous shifting and wringing of hands that was conspiring before him. The lighting was dim, and his poor eyesight made it nearly impossible to see. Everything was blurry, smudged, and vague. Even the beautiful Inartan woman before him was a streak of dull color amidst the black. He bit the inside of his cheek, brow furrowed. ”You don’t know what it is?” It went against his better judgment to partake in something that wasn’t clear. But if Aidara was doing it, it had to be okay. The healer had never misled him or passed any sort of negative judgment on him. He felt safe with her, even here in the pitch black darkness.

The odd tone in her voice struck him though. If it was something she wanted to do this bad, why did she sound so nervous? Without perfect vision, Jameson had had to learn how to read people based on their voices. She sounded desperate, nervous, anxious, strained… As much as he felt like there was something deeper to the situation, he dismissed the thought; Aidara wouldn’t hurt him.

”Sure, Addy.” He replied, offering her a smile he hoped she could see. ”But you’ve got to calm down.” He chuckled. ”I can hear that you’re stressed or anxious or something of that nature. You’re not afraid of the dark, are you?”

[Aidara]

The complete trust that, even in the dark, visibly relaxed the anxious lines of his face was enough to make Addy's heart melt. Almost.

At any other time, the complete and precious honesty of this outsider would have the little woman feeling all tingly and weak at the knees. However, strung out and jonesing for another hit, compassion and the delicacies of friendship were the last things on her mind. The Beauty at the Weather had left Addy high and dry, giving her the first hit and leaving her stranded and wanting more. More. MORE.

Sexually deviant but nonetheless known for keeping her nose clean, Addy had never encountered drugs in all of her time spent in the underbelly of Wind Reach. The temptation had never been there. Alcohol was a social lubricant that she hardly needed, but used frequently to loosen up those shyer types that resisted her forward and fast moving approach. Get in, get on, get out. The type that the little woman usually aimed for consisted of the Avora and Endal Caste; higher class ladies and gentlemen that frequented the revelry in hopes of a good time, much like herself. Addy didn't chase the "bad boys" (and girls) that could have introduced her to drugs much sooner.

Then there was the fact that drug trafficking had been pretty much non-existant up until a few seasons ago. Those looking to lose themselves in the psychedelic world had already found the plants that gave them their high and kept it a closely guarded secret. Mostly consisting of Dek, these people used the drugs as a way to escape the horrors of their own lives. And then they found their own secret hiding spot, the Bronaugh Den. And thus, the drug culture of Wind Reach exploded.

"Of couse I'm not afraid of the dark." Waving this concern away with little care for the condacention that laced her voice, Addy stood and lit a few of the dusty sconces that peppered the walls. "But if light helps..."

In the flickering light, even Jameson's bad eyes would be able to pick out the drug paraphernalia that littered the little table Addy had set up. However, being new to the culture and the strange red-headed peoples, it was no surprise he wouldn't recognize any of it.

Oblivious to all of this, Addy waved the tall man down to her level. She sat cross legged on the floor and was carefully pressing the flat side of a feather into a neat pile of white powder. "Wingers are easy," she explained in that same, hushed and anxious voice. "Come, sit and I will show you."

Pointedly waiting until he complied with her request, Addy gently patted both sides of the feather in the powder once more for good measure. Then, showing Jameson how the sticky white substance clung to the individual fibers of the feather she began to explain.

"Something about the powder is attracted to the feather. I don't really get it, but it works." Turning it over, she held the edge of the feather underneath her nose. "All you have to do is take a deep breath." And she did, exhaling completely first before she sucked in as much air through her nose as her lungs could hold, draggined the feather under her nose as she did so as if she were playing a harmonica. With her nostrils and upper lip now lightly coated with the white-stuff, Addy smiled and held the feather out to Jameson.

"That other half is still good. You try." Her hand had already begun to stop shaking, an easy smile curling the corners of her lips as the drugs quickly worked their way into her system. "Tell me what you feel." Beauty had taken enough of whatever she had procured from the shadow man to make her pass out on the stone floor. Addy hadn't gotten a chance to talk to anyone about or share the experience with, and she quickly discovered it wasn't much fun sitting in the dimly lit room, snorting white powder alone.