[Knirin Gardens]The wind whispers in the trees[Naeya]

[Rykanis Dakshata]

11 Summer 508 : Sunrise Rykanis loved sunrises, and sunsets. Especially in Riverfall, they were beautiful, as the lights danced amongst the spray of the waterfall, or off of the bodies of water that settled on shelves. Such as the small lake nearby to were he was relaxing, which he knew better than to swim in. It was oddly pleasant and relaxing to him, the colors, the sounds, and the odd expressions at this time he could hear the shadows making... He often said, that they were the most awake and active at sunrise and sunset... Perhaps that also factored into why he loved watching them. Today he lay under a tree, completely lying in its shadow, focusing on the words it said, and trying to ignore the other shadows swirling torrent of sounds around him... He smiled and nodded, and told the shadow of the tree to go on, as he told him a tale of a great storm, in which had knocked off several branches of the tree... It was not really helpful information, but sometimes the shadows just liked someone to listen to them... And if it helped him get on this shadows good side, then he did not mind listening to what it said. If someone were to come by right then, they might think he was a bit deranged. If they had especially good hearing. Otherwise they likely would not hear his quiet whispers to the shadows. Besides, knowing Rykanis, he would simply play it off, and give a good plausible explanation for what he was doing.

[Naeya]

The beauty of a sunrise over Riverfall never failed to amaze Naeya. The smooth, slow ascension of the sun as it took over the night sky… The oranges and reds and pinks and yellows… A sunrise was the perfect muse for an artist – full of possibility and opportunity and allure. Naeya loved it for all these reasons, but also for its dependability. No matter how awful or wonderful the night was and no matter who joined the world and who passed out of it, the sun would always rise. It was inevitable. It was steady. It was honest. At the moment, the small Konti woman was walking slowly alongside Lake Knirin. She was lost in thought, and let her feet control where she was led. Not many Rivarians were in the gardens at this hour, so she felt no worry about stumbling into a stranger. Naeya loved this time of morning. It gave her peace, quiet, and the chance to experience Riverfall in a new light. Despite having lived in the city for thirty years, she rarely got tired of the sights, sounds, and smells that blessed the Rivarian landscape. It happened again. A somewhat troubled expression flashed across Naeya’s face, and she fingered her jade pendant nervously. She knew, of course, that her Divination gnosis allowed her to peer into other people’s pasts. What she didn’t know was how to control it and stop it from happening at such inopportune times. Sometimes it gave her information that satisfied her curiousity, but most of the time it provided troublesome knowledge that she didn’t know how to use. It also had the distinct chance of getting her into trouble with the person whose past she had seen. This was knowledge that she’d had for a while, and she had been putting off doing anything about it. Problematically, these visions had been happening more and more frequently. There’s got to be a way to control it… Oh, I wish Mother could help me. Her strapless white cotton dress fluttered around her ankles, and the invisible hairs on her bare arms raised as the warm morning wind blew around her body. Light blonde hair, worn loose with several small braids throughout, swirled around her shoulders. The wind took Naeya from her thoughts and she looked up, surprised to find herself veering off of the path towards a nearby tree. Before she was able to fully register the direction she was going, however, a glint from the water caught her eye and she turned her head while still walking forward. “Oh!” A surprised cry left her lips as the distracted Konti found herself tripping over a still form under the tree. The ground rushed towards her, and she threw out her hands to stop herself from landing on her face. As she fell, she thought she heard the faint sound of a man's whispers. “Oof!” Silver bracelets jangled as she landed firmly on the soft grass next to the figure she’d fallen over.

[Rykanis Dakshata]

Rykanis had simply been relaxing, listening to a story, told by the shadow of a tree. On occasion, he had to respond, give a small question, or a sign that he was listening, muttering whispers to it... But it seemed a bit of time alone, was not to be. He had been laying there, when suddenly he had felt feet hitting his side. Really, he should have been paying better attention, and noticed her far before she made it to him. As it was, his eyes darted open when the feet struck, and he saw the form falling and tripping on him. He did the best he could to help her, and threw out an arm to catch her around the stomach, to try and stop her before she hit the ground. It was more instinct really, to dart out his arm like that. Though it was not completely successful, at least his attempt at help had slowed her down a bit, before his arm was of no more use. Luckily for him, she was rather small and light, so it was not to difficult. But if she did hit, it would be going a bit slower. It was just then, that he finally took her in... Noticed she was a woman, a small, pale, blonde woman. And as the light hit her, he noticed the flash of her scales... She was a konti... "Are you all right? You should really watch a bit better were you are going. There wont always be a nice strong Akalak to soften the landing." Still though, he could not help a small grin coming over his face, as he looked at her... Really, why did such things happen every-time he tried to be alone?

[Naeya]

In the brief second before she once again became aware of her surroundings, Naeya remembered feeling the strong grasp of an arm around her stomach. It had caught her mid-stumble, and she was thankful that it had softened her fall (although it didn’t prevent her from the embarrassment or grass stains that followed). Petch. The Konti had landed on her side. Her left arm was bent out for support, her fingers were splayed across the dewy grass, and the hem of her formerly clean white dress was riding up to her knees, exposing the pastel blue and green scales on her lower legs. She rubbed her forehead in confusion, trying to determine how she’d gone from being upright and stable to… this. She wasn’t normally this clumsy. In fact, normally she prided herself on her grace – particularly on her ability to walk without tripping over the fabric of her long dresses. As she pushed herself up and into a seated position, Naeya found herself staring into a striking pair of light blue eyes. An immediate blush appeared as she looked over the man to whom the blue eyes belonged, its pinkish hue brightening her normally pale cheeks. He was an Akalak – large, muscular, and likely twice as tall as the Konti from the looks of it. He seemed older than her, although it was often be hard to tell with Akalaks, and his black hair was plaited on his head. Under the tree’s shadows, his skin seemed black as night and in direct contrast with Naeya’s own skin. She would have liked to have blamed her stumble on the Akalak’s ability to seemingly blend right into the shadows, but common sense told her that he almost definitely had had nothing to do with it. The Akalak gave her a small grin. "Are you all right? You should really watch a bit better where you are going. There won’t always be a nice strong Akalak to soften the landing." The blush on Naeya’s cheeks deepened, and she returned his grin with a wry, apologetic smile of her own. “I’m so sorry. Thank you,” she murmured in Tukant, hoping that an apology in his race’s language would help to ease her unexpected invasion of his privacy. “I really don’t know what came over me,” she continued, going back to her fluent tongue. “I must have been distracted. The water, you know…” Naeya trailed off, thinking she was rambling at this poor stranger. She rubbed the bottom of her left elbow, which was grass-stained from the fall, and absent-mindedly bit her lower lip. What am I still doing here?

[Rykanis Dakshata]

Rykanis simply smiled, as the woman popped up, looking him in the eyes. The konti woman, he reminded himself, seeing again the scales on her face. It was always a bit odd seeing a konti, reminding that many did come here, some to hopefully mate with Akalaks, others, for other reasons. Regardless, as a woman, he was expected to give deference to woman, and be kind to them, help them out, as a good Akalak would. After all, it was the honorable thing to do, to watch out for them. They were not as strong and capable as a akalak, and needed there help. Rykanis simply smiled at her, as she blushed in embarrassment, so easily set off... Just by being close to him? She certainly was a fragile one... As he made his comment, her blush only grew deeper, all the more apparent for the paleness of her skin. He grinned a bit wider, as she apologized in Tukant. It did seem like a lot of konti took the time to learn there language. But she soon slipped back into common, a language he knew to a point, but not as well as his native tongue. "That's alright, it happens. Just be more careful next time. I wouldn't want you getting hurt. And yes, the water is beautiful. I often come out to this park, to enjoy what it offers." Of course, though his words made it seem like he came here to see the views and water, really, he came more often to see the shadows and talk to the shadows. Not a lie, but also not completely open and the complete truth.

[Naeya]

Naeya reached down to the hem of her dress and brushed a piece of grass off the white cotton as the Akalak grinned at her use of Tukant. A half smile played on her lips in return. Akalak were always so predictably satisfied when women spoke in their native tongue. She’d learned that trick long ago as a way to solve conflict with Akalak friends, family, and strangers alike. The men were often too happy to forgive if she put in that little bit of extra effort. The effect was two-fold: they always thought they were being kind and gentlemanly if they let the conflict go, and she didn’t have to get into an argument with someone she potentially cared about. It didn’t always work, but she definitely had a solid track record.   "That's alright, it happens. Just be more careful next time. I wouldn't want you getting hurt."' Typical Akalak, flavouring admonishments with honour. Honour and over-protectiveness, thanks to Naeya's gender. Not that she was even remotely complaining. The relative safety of Riverfall had allowed her many freedoms that a number of other Mizaharan cities never experienced (or so she'd been told), including the freedom to spend the majority of her time as an apprentice for a skilled jewelcrafter rather than learning how to use a weapon. As the man spoke, Naeya began to gather her resolve to leave him alone and continue her walk along the lake. The blush had faded from her cheeks, and she was slowly getting past the embarrassment she'd caused. The Konti had almost pushed herself off the grass when the Akalak finished his sentence.    "...the water is beautiful. I often come out to this park, to enjoy what it offers." His words made the hair on her body stand up on an end, and a familiar jolt ran down her spine. Why was the man really here? Maybe to enjoy the water, but maybe for something else as well. Many people came to the Knirin Gardens to seek out its beauty, however, and she had no real reason to doubt him. Her Konti gift, however, said otherwise. He wasn't telling her everything. He didn't seem like he had much to hide. What isn't he telling me? Of course, the dark-skinned man didn't have to reveal anything to her. They didn't even know each other. But it was so early in the morning and she had nowhere to be for the next few hours... and besides, she was curious. What possible reason for sitting under a tree could he have besides enjoying the garden's beauty? Settling back onto the ground, her resolve to leave turned into a resolve to stay as her characteristic nosiness got the better of her. She spread her legs out on the grass in front of her with her toes facing the same direction as the Akalak's, and leaned back on her hands. "Yes, the water is beautiful... What did you say your name was?" Naeya casually extended her hand in the man's direction, and as a gesture of good faith she gave him her own name first. "I'm Naeya." The Konti paused thoughtfully, and looked out over the sun-tinged waters. She could hear the sound of the rushing waterfall in the distance. "You know, I find that many people think that those who stay out later into the night tend to be the most 'mysterious,' but I'm inclined to disagree," Naeya remarked, thinking back to a conversation she'd had a few weeks earlier with one of her brothers. "It's just too ordinary." At this point, she broke off and repeated the word "ordinary" in Tukant before continuing in Common. "And ordinary isn't mysterious. Early mornings... now that's a time for mystery. Everything's still so new and unknown - the sun, the shadows, the future. Wouldn't you agree?"

[Rykanis Dakshata]

Already, she was trying to tease information out of him... He recalled that he had not mentioned his name, but by saying her own, and making it seem like she was asking for something she had forgotten, he was sort of cornered into offering his own... Or else it would seem rude... "Naeya, nice to meet you. I am Rykanis." Rykanis took the offered hand, and squeezed it a bit playfully, as he smiled at her, and perhaps held it for a few more moments than would necessarily have been appropriate. He just took the time to smile at her, and to look at her eyes... Then she went off speaking for a bit, getting a bit lost in her own words. Rykanis simply let her, not interrupting, wondering if she might actually say something of interest, or relevant. But he was used to listening to a bunch of nonsense and useless info, before finally reaching the nugget of a hidden secret... "I suppose so. Often with a new sun, and a new day, brings a endless option of possibilities... By the time you have reached night, most possibilities have dwindled down to nothing... But right now, we could do anything with our day." Rykanis smiled at her once more, wondering a bit about her... He wondered what secrets she might be hiding... That he might prize out... Often that was the chief thing on his mind.... "What about you? What endless possibilities do you see for you for this day?" He asked it, playing like he was simply interested in her day, and what she was doing... While in fact he was attempting to gather intel, to understand her better. Often there was a secondary reason for what he said or did, which was not obvious.

[Naeya]

Those eyes. That stare. Naeya was slowly learning that this Akalak had the oddest ability to unnerve her. When she reached out her hand to introduce herself to him, he had given it a friendly squeeze rather than the formal handshake she had been expecting. His hand then lingered for a moment on hers, a rather bold gesture seeing as they had just met. The Konti, who typically avoided putting herself in the spotlight, had to make an active effort to keep herself from averting her eyes from his, and the blush that had left her cheeks moments earlier threatened to return at full force. When he released her hand, she let out her relief in a whisper of a sigh. Rykanis. A bold name for a bold man. The Akalak listened politely to Naeya’s wandering thoughts, which inadvertently began to make her like him all the more. She had belatedly realized that thinking about mystery had caused her to run off on a tangent. Rykanis kindly answered her question without complaint, although he did cause her to raise an eyebrow at his free use of “we” and “our.” “Is it ‘we’ now? You’ve only known me for a few minutes, sir,” she teased. Her lightheartedness was partly intended to gain his trust, and partly came naturally. He seemed open and honest enough, which was why she couldn’t understand what possible motive he had for half-truths. What could he be hiding? And why? Maybe he was being blackmailed, and she would be the only one to figure it out and help the poor man. Naeya looked at him more seriously, trying to decide if he was blackmail material. No… That couldn’t be it. Maybe he was meeting someone. A friend? An enemy? A clandestine lover, perhaps? Swoon! Focus, Naeya. She returned to the present as Rykanis asked, "What about you? What endless possibilities do you see for you for this day?" No, no this wouldn’t do. She was the one asking the questions here. “What does anyone do with endless possibilities?” Naeya replied vaguely, smiling innocently. It wasn’t as though she had anything to hide – in fact, in any other situation she likely would have completely opened up and told him all about the long swim she had planned. But she hadn’t stayed to talk about herself. She’d stayed to satisfy her curiousity. “This is a beautiful place to meet people, isn’t it? I mean people you know, not just strangers you trip over.” She gave a small laugh as she slyly attempted to change the subject, and rolled her eyes at her own clumsiness. “You said you were meeting someone here, right?” Naeya asked the question lightly and tried not to betray her intentions, while her eyes searched his face to see if there was a hint of truth in her guess.

[Rykanis Dakshata]

Rykanis simply grinned once more, at seeing the konti react to him. Really, she seemed to be egging him on, and certainly was not leaving or saying she did not like being treated such... "Well, when I said we, I meant it as you and me, separately. I am sure we each have plenty of possibilities. Though I don't know, are you wanting there to be a we?" He was feeling a bit playful, as usual, and enjoyed teasing her a bit, bringing up her own words, which she had picked out from his entire statement. "I don't know. That is the problem with endless possibilities, they have a tendency to be narrowed down... By the end of the day, what was once endless, is now gone and spent... Best to make the best use of it, before it is to late. I suppose all I can do, is try to choose a path, and see were it takes me." He smiled, playing along with her words, rebutting and going off what she had said. Se surely would have something of interest about her, and was even being a bit evasive, if not totally. And she was not to bad of company to keep. Most konti were pleasant to be around, and to look at. "Yes, I suppose this is a nice place to meet people. I don't often meet people here, at least not on purpose. Though it seems I do at times run into things to keep me busy." Of course this was true, though he left unsaid that while he did not often meet people, he did often meet and converse with the shadows, making friends. They were good for keeping him busy, when he had some extra time to spend. Though he did run into people randomly, like this konti just know. But then she was asking a leading question. He certainly had not said he was meeting anyone here, and knew enough to pick up on her technique... "No, I was not planning to meet a person here today. As I said, I so rarely do meet people here on purpose." Rykanis face would turn out a bit hard to read, as all that was easily visible on it was his big genuine smile, which he had been wearing for most of the conversation.

[Naeya]

Was he flirting with her? “Are you wanting there to be a we?” he’d asked after giving her a mischievous grin. She was sure that he was teasing her, trying to make her blush again. But flirting? Shame on him! His clandestine lover might arrive at any second! Despite her disapproval, however, and much to her dismay, she caught herself smiling coyly back at the Akalak. Wait… was she flirting with him? Well, a little flirting couldn’t hurt. Right? After all, he had been kind enough to try to save her from her own clumsiness. Besides, she told herself that in no uncertain terms would she ever become a mistress on the side of his mistress on the side. “Give me a little more time with you and I’ll let you know,” Naeya replied, lowering her eyelids ever so slightly. As Rykanis continued to speak, the feeling that she had felt earlier returned and she gave a nearly undetectable shiver. Naeya stared at him with in confusion, although his face revealed nothing but a seemingly genuine smile, and her thoughts immediately returned to the question of what he was hiding. She couldn’t understand it. Everything he was saying was so benign, so ordinary, so straight-forward… What could he possibly be holding back? Of course, she couldn’t be certain that he wasn’t lying to her, but her past experience had been such that this feeling only happened when someone was telling the truth but leaving information out. Maybe he deals in blackmarket potions and deadly magic. Did he deal with the Nuit? Was he meeting one here?! Naeya’s body stiffened, and her eyes darted from left to right. Nothing seemed to be moving on either side (although the sun had risen higher in the sky). Still… could there be a Nuit waiting to pounce from the shadows? Do Nuit pounce? Oh Avalis! Maybe he wasn’t as nice as she had originally thought. The longer she looked at him, the more his smile began to morph into one she could imagine belonging to a villain. "No, I was not planning to meet a person here today. As I said, I so rarely do meet people here on purpose." What? No Nuit? No clandestine lover? The stiffness left Naeya’s body, but her face became more guarded. If he wasn't meeting someone, then what was he hiding? This was infuriating. “You’re sure you aren’t meeting someone here?” she asked, her forehead crinkling. “Huh…” Maybe a change of scenery would inspire her sleuthing. Her dress was getting soaked from the dewy grass anyway. Naeya cleared her throat and did her best to erase the confusion from her face. “Would you like to join me for a walk through the garden? I’ll show you my favourite spot.” The Konti pushed herself up and onto her feet, and reached a slender hand down to Rykanis with the intent of assisting him up.