[Flashback]The Snake and the Spider(Iskessah)

[Volinir Orchid]

1st of Summer, 507AV Today was a good day. The sun was nestled behind a thin layer of feathery grey clouds, allowing Volinir some reprieve from Syna's harsh light. His straw sandals clacked lightly against the ground as he strolled among market stalls, the people immediately around him falling silent and casting curious glances in his direction, a few of them even going so far as to back away from him. The Symenestra tossed his head back and laughed, a tarnished silver mane fanning out around him for a moment. Was he really that strange to look at? Apparently so, as a few of the jumpier shoppers backed away at the sudden noise. Others, however, looked at Volinir like a wild cat looks at deer, and that made him a little uneasy. He traced a slender white finger along a swollen pink peach, smiling to himself. It had been a while since he'd had fresh produce that he didn't need to liquify. "I think I can afford a half dozen of these." He dropped a couple gold mizas into an elderly merchant woman's gnarled hands, and squeezed out of the marketplace with a small bag of fruit, silently thanking Viratas for the light, shell like armor decorating his body. Crowded, pushy places like a market tended to be somewhat harrowing for Volinir, on account of his fragile frame. Fortunately, today was less busy than normal. After a couple chimes navigating his way back to a canal, the Symenestra lowered himself into a waiting ravosala and pushed off. "Tarsin's boarding house, please." he told the boatman before pulling a peach out of the bag between his feet and digging in. So far, his first day in Ravok had been pleasant, if a little unsettling, and he was looking forward to a relaxing season on the lake. He hadn't forgotten his mission, of course: to find a suitable woman to bring back to Kalinor. He'd not had much luck so far, having had to come all the way to the far end of Mizahar in his quest, but he was still confident he could find someone interesting in this floating utopia. Little did he know, someone interesting had found him.

[Iskessah]

Today was a miserable day. Most days were for Iskessah; Rhysol never turned up the temperature enough to satisfy the Dhani. But this time, the jerk had deliberately obscured the sun, her only source of warmth on the streets of this city. (If anyone asked, she would claim he did it to spite her specifically, but no one ever did.) As much as she would love to be at home basking in front of her cozy fireplace, doing that every moment of every day would become tedious, not to mention a waste of her glorious life. She had settled in quite nicely to life in Ravok, earning enough coin to survive by running messages and occasionally goods back and forth among the citizens, but she was beginning to wonder if that would be all there was to her life. She had given this matter some thought, and concluded that her best choice was to take up the type of work Mattieu had been teaching Angela, when Iskessah was... less free to walk about. And so she had set out with not much more of a plan than 'find somebody and stalk them'. Ideally, she could find out enough information about them that she could, if nothing else, imagine how she might put such information to good use. But she was still stuck on the "find somebody" part. It was too cold to fully concentrate, and though there was something of a crowd in the marketplace, no one seemed different enough from any other for her to decide they were worth attention. That is, no one until she stumbled into a strange gap in the crowd. It took a moment for her muddled mind to wake up, but soon she noticed that people were deliberately avoiding a certain pale-skinned fellow. Not wanting to stand out, she quickly stumbled back as well, doing her best to blend into the crowd. She looked around quickly; fortunately, it seemed no one had noticed anything unusual from her. They were all too busy looking at the foreigner. For he was quite obviously a foreigner. When her tongue instinctively flicked the air, she found tastes unfamiliar to her, like nothing she'd ever sensed before. If nothing else, the reaction of the crowd proved he didn't belong. Trust Ravokians to know a non-Ravokian on sight. In the past couple years, Iskessah herself had experienced similar distrustful looks, but she had her citizenship papers if anyone tried to start anything, and gradually she had become a recognized part of the city. She turned her attention back to the foreigner. Here, at least, was someone she could practice her skills on. Nobody would mind if she snuck around after a foreigner, whereas certain Ravokians might take offense. Besides, there was something...off about him, and it left her curious to know more. She tried to immerse herself in the loose crowd and watch him covertly (which was not as easy as it would have been were she a few inches shorter). She pretended to peruse some wares at a stall down the street, watching the stranger out of the corner of her eye. She had almost dozed off when he moved, having made his purchase. Iskessah awoke with a visible start, not wanting to lose her quarry. Silently cursing how obvious she must look, she struggled to appear nonchalant as she followed him, staying among the crowd, behind and off to the side of his path. She somehow managed to stay undetected until he got to the canal. She silently cursed when he got into the ravosala. Those moved to quickly for her to follow on foot, and hiring another ravosala to follow him would be so obvious she might just die of embarrassment. She was almost too busy panicking to hear his destination, but fortunately, her ears held onto the words until her mind had stopped beating itself up. "Tarsin's Boarding House." She knew where that was! In the past two years she had explored every major building in the Docks, and most major locations in the rest of the city, and she had taken messages to the boarding house several times. What luck that he was going to a place she knew! She was starting to feel excited when she realized, it wasn't luck at all. Tarsin's was the place for foreigners. Where else would a foreigner go? She almost kicked herself. Even if he hadn't stated his destination plain as day, she should have been able to deduce that much! She rubbed her forehead vigorously, trying to get her brain working. It was so hard to think when she was cold, but there was no excuse for being this stupid! Abot a chime after the ravosala had gone out of sight, Iskessah remembered that she should stop berating herself if she wanted anything useful to come out of this day. Her next destination was Tarsin's Boarding House, and if she remembered right, she knew a short-cut. With her excitement fueling a burst of speed, she sprinted over bridges, down an alleys, across canals. Half a chime later she was out of breath and had to slow down, but at least the exercise had warmed her up enough that she actually felt alert. She eventually emerged onto a street where she could see the boarding house across from her. A quick look around revealed that the stranger and is ravosala were no where in sight, though whether he had long-since arrived or was still coming, Iskessah didn't know. There was one problem: a canal separated her from the boarding house. She had apparently found the back way here, because there was no bridge leading to this little-used bit of the city, at least not for a good hundred yards, and she was hardly in the mood to walk that far out of her way when her destination was right in front of her. She eyed the canal, trying to judge the distance. Then she backed up several steps. She had never done anything like this before, but she was in a good mood and not about to let a little thing like impossible get in her way. With a deep breath, she ran full-tilt toward the edge of the canal, intending to push off the edge at the last possible moment. Unfortunately, she waited a moment too long, or perhaps misjudged the length of her legs. In any case, she found herself pushing hard off of thin air. She tumbled into the canal with a loud splash, swallowing a great deal of the (thankfully clean) lake-water before some mad flailing brought her head above the surface. She went under a few more time, but finally managed to grab hold of the edge of the canal, and steady herself long enough to hack some water out of her poor, burning lungs. She took a few moments to breath (still no sign of the ravosala), and when she felt like she was no longer in immediate danger of drowning, she heaved herself back onto the street. With a resigned sigh, she walked down the street until she reached a bridge, no longer ready to risk herself on quite such a mad venture. By the time she came back around to the boarding house (which she'd lost sight of for a couple chimes at least), she had almost decided to give up. This plan had backfired badly, in so many ways. Still, she might as well rest before going home. Maybe if she were lucky, she'd spot him again before she got bored.

[Volinir Orchid]

Volinir was blissfully unaware of Iskessah spying on him in the market. When he was walking towards the ravosala, he noticed someone eerily familiar as he was boarding. When he went to get the peach, he also took the time to sneak a glance at the woman by the canal. Looking her over now, she did look familiar... He vaguely recalled someone who looked like her dozing off at a stall nearby, but he couldn't nail it down exactly. By the time she went dashing down the first bridge, Volinir had his amethyst eyes locked on the sprinting figure. "On second thought, stop here..." he muttered when she vanished behind a building. The boat docked with a rough bump, and the scout hopped out, deciding to give her a taste of her own medicine. He slipped between a pair of slightly rickety buildings, catching a short glance of her dashing through an adjacent alleyway. Volinir smirked, kicked his sandals off and tucked them into his bag, then adjusted it over his shoulder and latched onto the wall, crawling up the vertical surface and onto the roof in a short chime. He took a few steps forward before rising to his full height, the cityscape spread out before him. And sprinting down a bridge, his quarry. There was an empty clothesline between the building he was standing on, and the one nearest the street. With a nostalgic smile, he got down on all fours and crept along it like he would have on the "streets" of Kalinor, eliciting a startled exclamation from a large Vantha woman hanging a skirt out to dry. He raced after Iskessah, losing sight of her a few times when she turned a corner or squeezed into a particularly thin alley, until she finally crossed a canal. Volinir's upper lip twisted into a snarl. He could see her destination from his vantage point now. She was trying to follow him home. Volinir saw her pause, and he impulsively decided to show her what he thought of sneaks, whether she saw him or not. He walked to the edge of the twenty foot apartment bloc he had been dashing across, hooked his elbow under his extended forearm, and made a very rude gesture at her for a good third of the city to see. Suddenly the mystery woman took a flying leap... And fell head first into the canal. Volinir's already pale face turned bone white, and he started forward, almost falling off the building he was on. She might be stalking him, but she was still a person, and he wasn't about to watch her die. He sprinted towards the edge of the side of the building making up half of an alleyway, but by the time he had started to climb down, Iskessah had already pulled herself out. He frowned, and instead retracted the hooks in his hands and pushed off the side of the building with his feet, propelling himself a yard or so before slamming into the other building with a sharp grunt, the palms of his hands and the sides of his feet burning. The Symenestra pulled himself up and made his way towards Tarsin's, his altitude giving him a decent lead over her. Of course, the fact that she had stopped running didn't hurt matters. Volinir took a different bridge to cross the canal, skittering back up onto the rooftops as soon as he got another chance. After a chime or so of searching, he finally found her again; idly waiting in front of the house, hoping he'd just stroll in like a blind idiot. The corners of his mouth curled upward as he quietly began to descend. He'd show her stalking. It was sluggish work, but he eventually crept down onto the street she was in, her back facing him. Slow, silent strides brought him within a yard of her, and a long, spindly finger tapped gently on her right shoulder. "Looking for someone?" a playful, if slightly cautious voice asked.

[Iskessah]

Iskessah whipped around as a hiss of surprise escaped her throat. She generally tried to avoid cursing her human for for its inferior senses, reminding herself that Siku gave her three forms for a reason, but at times like these she just didn't see why legs were worth giving up everything else! Her mind was racing with alarm. How had someone gotten behind her without her noticing?! Then she recognized the face. She just barely stopped herself from giving out an exclamation of recognition, though her face still might have given her away. She stared at him with her mouth gaping open as she wracked her brains for a way to salvage the situation. When in doubt, be contrary? She wasn't sure if that was a viable bluffing strategy or just a quirk of her personality. "Jusssst out for a sssswim," she hissed before good sense caught up with her. She winced; it had sounded good in her head, considering she was already wet which should corroborate her story. But the words themselves were poorly chosen. She couldn't risk even one person recognizing her for what she truly was! She HAD to try harder to disguise her speech. She used the few seconds her words bought her to tally her situation. She had obviously failed miserably at stalking her target if he had noticed her. But maybe there was still a way to get information on him. It was trickier, a much more advanced technique than she was probably ready for, but unless she wanted to abandon this target entirely, she did not have much choice! She would have to get close to him, interact with him without letting on what her ulterior motives were (not too hard since she didn't HAVE ulterior motives yet). And if she was lucky or clever, she might be able to convince him that she hadn't been following him at all. Of course she couldn't think of anything clever to say to sell such a story, at least not until he revealed more about how much he knew. A drop of water from the canal rolled into her eyes, and she looked down to blink it away. Her hair was still sopping wet, and in the sunless air of the day, it was making her head feel cold again. She rung it out as best as she could, trying her best to stay as alert as possible, at least until this encounter was over.

[Volinir Orchid]

Volinir's hand jerked back, fingers curling, ebony claws glistening, ready to rend and tear at a sign of aggression. When he saw the look on her face though, he simply couldn't contain his mirth. His hand dropped to his side, then gripped lightly at his stomach. "I'm sorry," he sputtered, quickly controlling himself again. A tinge of color rushed to his face. "I shouldn't laugh. You're a very good swimmer; nearly gave me a heart attack when you fell in." He still didn't know what she had intended, but now that he had a good look at her... The way she flustered and shifted and tried to play innocent... Was actually kind of cute. He had been wondering when he would have a chance to do what he came abroad for. Perhaps this was a somewhat unorthodox, if effective way of Lhex throwing him a bone. His features softened into what he hoped was a charming smile. He'd spent a month before leaving practicing with his siblings; hopefully that was time enough. "Perhaps it might have been best to buy some swim trunks when you were at the market?" he chuckled amicably, "Since it's a bit late for that, and we're just outside where I'm staying, allow me the pleasure of helping you get dry, Miss..?" he trailed off, grinning sheepishly and scratching the back of his head, unwittingly exposing his elongated fangs as well. "I'm afraid I don't know what to call you."

[Iskessah]

Iskessah didn't know whether to be relived or annoyed when he started laughing. As he explained, it seemed that he laughed out of relief for her safety. But that also meant he had seem her fall into the canal, and the further embarrassment put her in an even fouler mood. Unbeknown to her, a scowl was forming on her face, a scowl which only deepened when he suggested swim trunks. Was he mocking her? Or, and she paled a little at the thought, was he calling her bluff? After all, if she has intended to go swimming, as she'd said, would she not have first removed her clothes? Shyke, why was lying so HARD? She should have stuck closer to the truth, that she'd fallen in by accident, that she was expecting to meet someone here, but no, she hadn't had time to THINK... His sudden smile cut into her self-abusing thoughts, clearing them away like the sun melting clouds. (Almost symbolically, a ray of sunshine poled through the cloud-cover overhead, warming her shoulder as well as her mood.) When he invited her in, she decided to stop worrying. She obviously had him right where she wanted him, and he obviously hadn't noticed any unusual behavior from her. When he asked her name, she hesitated. Should she make something up? Giving out her real name seemed risky, but... well, remembering aliases would be next to impossible, especially in her current state, and after today, she did not at ALL trust her ability to make up convincing stories on the spot. "I am called... Iskessah." She had successfully navigate the conversation; now it was time to work her wiles. She had been practicing such things for a while, learning from the best at the House of immortal Pleasures, but it still did not come naturally to her. Her movements were abrupt and jerky as she only thought of one technique at a time, and could not remember to do them all at once. Eye contact: she raised her eyes to his face. She couldn't remember what expression she should have so she did her best to keep it neutral (which unfortunately looked anything but natural). Her lips parted in surprise when she noticed his fangs, but she could not muster an emotion stronger than mild curiosity, so she decided to wait until later to understand the cause of the strange feature. She followed him inside, wondering if she should try to touch him, but suspecting he might not find soggy clinging attractive. Instead she just walked near him, rubbing her arms to try to stay warm and awake. She hoped his room would be warmer than the atmosphere outside, but in her experience, she was possibly the only one in Ravok who thought a fire-place had a purpose.

[Volinir Orchid]

He raised an intrigued eyebrow, smiling, but no longer baring his teeth. "Iskessah... Now there's a beautiful name." Assuming they weren't occupied, he would try to raise her hand to his lips with a slender finger, bowing his head to kiss it lightly. "I am Volinir," he said, looking up at her with violet eyes that seemed to shimmer. When Syna's rays burst through the clouds, he shrank his pupils to pinpricks, and beckoned her to follow him. "I'd say it's wonderful to meet you, but I think you'd rather get somewhere warm soon, eh? A pity I've no coat to offer." he said almost apologetically. Volinir closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he strode towards the boarding house, quickening his pace for her sake. Today was a very good day. A shame the girl next to him seemed so sullen. He nudged her gently with his elbow as they walked into Tarsin's, a warm gust of air rushing through the open door to greet them. "Why so serious? It can't be good for your hair, frowning all the time." he said, wagging a finger playfully at her. A quick ascend up some stairs, and a small stroll down a hallway, and they were in front of his door. "Here we are!" All the curtains were drawn in Volinir's room; he preferred the dark and cool. Fortunately for Iskessah, he'd been planning on stewing some vegetables, and there was a small pile of logs by the cooking range. Four of them went into the fireplace, and a quick spark of flint later they had a modestly sized fire in front of them. Volinir stripped his armor off and set it down next to a small sofa before dropping his bag at its feet. Underneath the shell like clothing were long reams of cloth in varying shades of purple and indigo, wrapped snugly around his body in an almost bandage like fashion. "Well, make yourself at home. I'll see if I can get you something to wear... I promise I won't peek." he chirped with a suggestive wink before opening an oak wardrobe and rummaging through it for something that would pass as human clothing.

[Iskessah]

Stepping into his room, Iskessah instantly felt better. Like she was able to think, at a decent pace and not so slowly that she barely had time to chastise herself for a mistake before she made another one. She finally felt like herself. She relaxed into the warmth, and let herself act naturally. At his suggestion that he wouldn't peek, she smirked slyly, and said, "Why wouldn't you?" She rapidly unbuttoned her vest, slipping it off with a feeling as cathartic as shedding skin. The fire's warmth on her bare skin felt so nice, she just couldn't remove her wet clothes fast enough. Ignoring the man in favor of the fire's heat, she sat down on his bed so she could remove her boots. She did not hesitate or ask permission, merely behaved as if she owned the place. A few ticks later, her toes were free, and she leaped up to peel off her leg coverings, and finally her wet undergarments. She managed to resist the urge to curl up in from of the fire...barely. But despite her usual disinterest in the lesser races, she found it hard to ignore the man in the room with her. There was something about him, something strange that she couldn't identify. And she'd never seen eyes that color before... She came up behind him as he fiddled with the wardrobe, seemingly unaware of any reason why her nakedness should cause any reaction. She put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in, trying to get a look at what sort of clothes the stranger wished to dress her in. His own clothes felt soft, and light, and certainly looked different from anything she had seen in Ravok. "Your foreign clothing, I find it...sstrange. Why make it ssso ssoft? Won't it tear?" Iskessah generally preferred durable clothing (or at least cheap clothing that could be easily replaced) over the more allegedly comfortable garments she'd seen on the nobles of the city. She had no patience for delicate cloth that would rip the first time she carelessly stumbled into a wall, or got into a scuffle. Still, in this moment she found herself curious.

[Volinir Orchid]

Apparently Symenestra could be colorful. Volinir turned a bright pink at Iskessah's display, quickly turning his head to focus on finding something that wasn't Sym clothing, with little luck. He preferred to keep as many amenities from Kalinor as he could; it made him feel a little closer to home. At the moment though, he couldn't find a blasted thing she might elect to wear. As if on time, he felt a soft hand on his shoulder, followed by the rest of Iskessah's weight as she peered into the wardrobe. Volinir rose up a little. Something else also rose. He smiled faintly at her, tilting his head back slightly and stroking her hand with his fingers. "It would, if you wore it like a shirt. We wrap it around our bodies, and usually wear the armor you saw me with before, unless we're at home like we are now. It's quite hardy then." With his free hand, he plucked a few long reams of forest green from the wardrobe, turned at a right angle and locked eyes with her, his smile taking on a more seductive tone. "If you'd like, I'll show you how to wear it."

[Iskessah]

Iskessah was fascinated by the material. The color evoked memories long forgotten, of towering trees and freedom. She took the material from him, feeling its cozy texture in her hands, imagining how nice it would be to curl up with it next to the fire. So warm, so wonderful... She hardly even noticed when their eyes met, her glance moving on a moment later. In fact, she hardly even saw him. When she had been stalking him, he had been the object of her attention, and so was worth noticing if only for the sake of a game. But now, she had given up that game, and somehow found herself in this room full of things that were so much more relevant to her than some scrawny foreigner who was not a Dhani and therefore had no value. Still he had introduced her to this strange and wonderful gossamer fabric, and naturally he would oblige her further. "Yessss, I think I would like to try thisss. Ssshow me." Little did she know what a golden opportunity for seduction she was missing. A little posturing, some eye contact, and she could probably have the man eating out of her hand within chimes. But her attention was almost entirely on the fabric. Giving his lack of blatant antagonism, it simply did not occur to her that he, an inferior race, could fail to bow to her whims.