So You Think You Can Guard (Job)

by **Sliver** on September 9th, 2012, 2:11 am

So You Think You Can Guard

1st of Fall 512 A.V.

Cast:

Also appearing: Steffan Coolwater, Warren Iceglaze, Varys Iceglaze, Keltis Winterflame

A thin layer of fog skirted across the Everwinter City like a traveler passing though a familiar land. It dulled the senses and clouded the sky, confusing the time of day. Tendrils of the smokey haze had already begun to fade as sunlight broke through her cloudy bed sheets to welcome the day, but for some morning came too fast.

Thunk

The lumpy pillow formed itself to Sliver's face as she was awoken all too rapidly to face the approaching day.

"******* ****!" The Kelvic sat up in a bolt of movement and grabbed her reeling head. The injuries she had amassed from her travels were minor compared to what they could of been, but she still wasn't in pique condition and her head throbbed at the sudden movement.

"Late night last night, sweetheart?"

Instantly the wolverine was jealous of the lively and clearly awakened state of whichever twin hung in the doorway. Her vision focused and she caught a glimpse of Yilarra...or Shylir: just calling her The Twin would be easier for now. She languished at a casual angle on the door frame, a buttered roll in one hand, flaming orange eyes sizing up her charge. Since Sliver had returned from Denval, the twins had switched off (at least she imagined they had swapped) on showing her the ropes of the Icewatch as it were. They familiarized her with The Tundra where activities and scheduled training took place, the mess hall, and had taken her on various guard routes around the city either in the company of Kennen or Simon, their mounts. Since she had begun accompanying them on their duties the Kelvic had all together stopped trying to tell them apart.

There were certain things that differentiated the twins as far as she could tell: Two obvious things were that one specialized in spear the other in the longbow, yet both carried around both weapons wherever they went, and usually practiced on their own when the Training Stadium was abandoned so that any chance to catch sight of which one was which was pointless. Another thing they did was made their differences obvious and then suddenly swap on you. For instance they rarely ever dressed the same but you'd be talking to Yilarra about one of her romps into the wilds of Taldera and she would excuse herself for whatever reason. When she returned every detail of her would be just as you remembered, but when you'd bring up the story she would act as if she didn't know what you were talking about or take just long enough to catch up to know the two swapped. They did things like this with their hair, make-up and every other detail imaginable, even their sleeping quarters despite the fact they were directly across the hall. In the end it just gave you a headache figuring them out, so Sliver has stopped all together. Now she met the amused glance of which ever twin had the task of taking care of her today and slipped out of the bed in the nude and began to slip on clothes for the day, refusing to give any credit to the twin's jab at her.

"Do we go to the Stadium today?"

The twin shook her head. "Nope, no training today."

"Guard route, then?"

The twin smiled, her teeth glistening like ivory, but her head just shook again "Wrong again."

Sliver just eyed the Vantha quizzically as she rubbed her bare feet on the cold stone. The one thing she disliked about winter returning was that her normal habit of going everywhere barefoot could no longer fly. She may be resistant to the cold, her northern wolverine blood coursing hot in her veins, but it didn't make her immune to frostbite. She refused to wear any kind of boots, but instead had been issued a pair of skins in the basic shape of shoes in which to shield her feet from the worst of the cold, and she liked keeping them off as long as possible. She followed Shylir's gaze (She would just assume the twin was Shylir unless proven otherwise) past where her own could see, and suddenly the massive hulk of the bear Kennen absorbed the doorway.

"Would you like to tell our friend what we'll be up to today, dear?"

The bear's expression turned from the apathetic almost bored look that he normally wore, to a more sly expression. Regardless of Kennen's stoicism, the twins had quite the effect on his attitude.

"Today we are teaching you of the City."

Sliver was unsure if that was supposed to help her understand what they were doing, but Shylir was clearly impatient to get going, and had already started walking down the hall, Kennen falling in a half step behind her. Disgruntled at not training, and a bit upset at being kept partially in the dark, Sliver growled discontentedly and jogged after them to catch up.

The air outside was crisp and biting and the wolverine enjoyed gulping it in like ice water to blow it out in a cloud in front of her face. The world held the idea of being frozen in place as the fog obscured sound and vision, and for a moment Sliver lost her two guides in the weather pattern. She blinked a couple times, then lunged to the side just in time to catch the buttered roll that had been thrown at her.

"Good Catch."

She located the direction from whence the voice had come and raced after it. She could hear the muffled footsteps of both Icewatch members that signaled to her they were both running, and quickened her pace in pursuit. She downed the roll in a couple vicious bites and a gulp, the lump slowly working its way into her gullet as she came to a screeching halt inches away from the stone pillar bordering a shopfront. Pretending as if she hadn't almost broadsided a building, the wolverine proceeded at a slower pace down the street, catching rapidly up with her companions.

She didn't want to appear ignorant of their plans, so instead of asking them to illuminate the day's course, she decided to remain silent and bide her time, eventually they would reveal what she was doing here. Almost on queue Kennen veered a bit to the side to let Sliver in between him and Shylir, and the Vantha looked down at the stout Kelvic, making sure she had her attention.

"Do you know what I used to be called?"

Is this a trick question? Sliver's brow furrowed, she asked her question in the past tense, but she meant for her to identify her true name did she not? After a long pause the Kelvic decided an honest approach was the best policy.

"No."

Shylir nodded, then smiled kindly at the Kelvic's anxious expression.

"Don't look so worried, you weren't supposed to know the answer. Before my sister and I were in the Icewatch, we were Yilarra and Shylir Skyglow, but we forsook our name, for in the Icewatch your loyalty is not to your hold, but to Morwen and the city in its entirety, does that make sense?"

Sliver nodded, of course that made sense, you could not have a servant of your city be questioning whose side they were on in dire circumstances, and she couldn't imagine that that hadn't happened more than once in the past. Shylir looked convinced of her understanding and continued.

"We are a proud people, Sliver. We are proud of our city, of our Goddess and Queen, of our heritage, but sometimes we forget that we are all from the same space even though the evidence is before our eyes, and we are prouder of our own Holds than of our race. Today you will learn about the source of this pride, and where it comes from."

The Kelvic turned her head to address a question to Shylir, but she was gone: Another trait the twins possessed was the ability to reappear and disappear without so much as a warning notice. They were not masters of this technique, but Sliver could only catch them when her focus was bent on the task, and it had certainly not been in that instant. Her dark gaze shifted to Kennen, who just smiled and and shrugged, turning off around the corner and continuing on his normal guard route for that day.

This left Sliver in the middle of the street. Damn the Vantha and their flair for the dramatic. It seemed silly to the wolverine to be studying the social structure of the Vantha in the city, but they say jump and I say how high... If this was what she had been tasked to do, so be it. She ran her hand anxiously through her mohawk, thrust her free hand into the pocket of her trousers then proceeded down the docks, first stop: Coolwater

by **Sliver** on September 12th, 2012, 11:34 pm

Coolwater Runs Deep

The Kelvic paced up and down the port of Avanthal for a time, taking in the sights and smells as well as doing a spot of patrolling. She had still not been given any official routes or duties as a guard yet, and she was unsure if this was how it happened with all Icewatch members, or it was because she was so green to the city. Regardless, a few people called out her name or acknowledged her position as she passed, and the wolverine took solace in the fact that the people of Avanthal were just as proud to have an outsider join their prestigious ranks as one of their own.

Finally she spotted a scene to which her interest was piqued enough to garner investigation. A woman was scolding a drowsy looking man who was half lying down in the rigging of an unfinished skiff.

"No good lazy LAYABOUT! If you weren't so good at your job I'd throw you to Laviku meself!"

The man sat up a bit further, rubbing his eyes and glancing about to see the small crowd that had amassed to watch the scene. Nearly cognizant the man pointed a finger at the woman and gave back just as good as he got.

"But I am good at my job Harri, and you'd do well to remember you are not my boss, your father is. I get my work done and he doesn't give one icicle how I do it, so you can take your head and stick in an snow bank to cool off for a while, cause I ain't done with my snooze, got me?

The woman seethed and fumed, her eyes radiating a murky sea foam green of wrath. The man's satisfied smirk caused his eyes to change a deep violet color, and Harri just spun around and stormed off, bumping Sliver on her way by. As the assembled mass of people realized the show was over, the Kelvic wove in between them and laid a hand on the man's shoulder as his eyes began to close. He shot up and the deep violet turned into a stormy grey of uncertainty and annoyance.

"Can't you see the shows over with?"

Their insults had been a mix of common and Vani, now he addressed her completely in Vani and Sliver was suddenly unimpressed with this individual. It was clear she was no Vantha and the tactic was to put her off. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Are you a Coolwater, by chance?"

He looked her up and down, as if assessing his chances of escaping this and returning to his doze. After a long moment staring at the tattoos that ran up and down her arms, he grumbled something in Vani and sat up again, swinging his legs over the railing and eying her.

"Mayhaps I am, what does it matter to you?"

This is where Sliver got a little foggy. She had to learn, but she couldn't very well just ask this man which hold he thought was the best or something as inane as that...could she? Again she decided to just go the honest route, that way she couldn't get caught up in anything she didn't mean.

"I am a green recruit to the Icewatch, and not of the City..."

So far he didn't look very cooperative, shifting in a bored manner upon the half polished wood lining the in progress ship. Sliver pressed on.

"...It seems I will be unable to really begin my duties until I have learned more about the city itself...and...what better way to learn then with its people..?"

She ended the strange and uncomfortable sentence with a question that seemed to make her into a fool, and surely the curious green that had taken over the man's gaze was directly in relation to how such an imbecile could have gotten into the Icewatch into the first place.

To Sliver's great surprise, he offered her his hand. She shook it, a rather bewildered expression crossing her face, and he just smiled, his eyes turning a lighter shade of violet.

"Well, since I'm not getting my nap, might as well show you around. Name's Steffan, by the way."

He led her down the docks, waving and hooting to people as he passed by, until they came to a small sailboat, something easily controlled by just one person, and big enough to house a maximum of four occupants. Sliver was a bit leery about boats and the water after her latest adventures, but Steffan assured her their jaunt would only be around the bay and back again. She helped him untie the ship from the dock and raise the sails a cool breeze ushering them from the docks in a timely manner. Once they were out a ways from the port, Steffan beckoned Sliver to join him by the wheel. She obliged, and he gave her another once over, this one a little more friendly.

"Shoulda realized when I first laid eyes on you, they say you're inked from top to bottom."

Sliver raised an eyebrow. "They Say?"

Steffan laughed, a pleasant bark that got whipped up and away by the breeze.

"You'll learn soon enough, us Vantha will tell stories about anything. We can turn a rotting fish on the pier into a ballad sung all the way in Mura, and you my lass, are a bit more interesting than a dead fish. Anything new and it passes through the city faster than a priestess can melt an ice cube. So what could a little old wood worker like me do to help you out?"

Sliver considered where to start. There were a lot of question she could ask that would get a Vantha going, not the least of which was questioning the usefulness of his hold. He seemed to be a pleasant sort after his crankiness wore off, though and she didn't want to provoke any unnecessary anger.

"How about you tell me exactly what your hold does?"

Sliver almost toppled over herself as Steffan pulled hard to port and grinned at her.

"How about I show you?"

by **Sliver** on September 14th, 2012, 11:35 pm

And so it was that the Kelvic was ushered around the bay, and farther out into the open sea then she would have liked as Steffan showed her a typical day in the life of a Coolwater.

Sliver had not realized before that 100 percent of the boat making, sailing as well as all travel and fishing enterprises was completed by the Hold, she had figured some overlaps occurred, but this only seemed to be in the purchasing of the fish and traded goods. Coolwater did it all, and the port was a busy place. Herring, pickeral, bass, and tuna seemed to be the main fish of the north, but Orca meat as well as swordfish and other huge creatures did not seem uncommon, some sailors even specialized in the deep sea fishing, with a focus on whaling. This in itself, the Kelvic learned was an art. The balance of the sea was one that Coolwater took very seriously and whales were precious, and valuable, but never over hunted lest the perpetrator incur Laviku's wrath. No one seemed uncomfortable with this relationship however, Morwen was their queen, and Laviku's influence seemed to range on a scale of fearful respect to a father figure. She gained no more respect from the Sea God from Steffan's tales, but his power did ring somewhere deep within as she learned of his effect upon the ocean. She seemed to be learning so much of Gods and Goddesses as of late, and stowed him away among the growing list.

They stopped astride a few fishing vessels towing their nets to talk about the weather, a constant source of intrigue and predicting among the people from whom the sea gave them their livelihoods. Despite his lax nature, the Kelvic observed that Steffan was well loved among his Hold, and everyone save that woman from before seemed to take his nature in stride. As she rode with him the wolverine couldn't help but feel the sense of community among these people just as she felt when she had finally started to get to know her fellow Icewatch members. They were jovial and friendly, many of them offering to swap tales with her of her land adventures compared to their sea born ones. Sliver shouted that she had a few to tell from the seas as well and even raised the curiosity of a few. It seemed the more time she spent with the Vantha, the more she learned how to draw them in with the taste of a story, something they loved.

Finally Steffan docked them again, helping Sliver off the boat and bowing jovially to her, hitching his arm with hers without permission as they walked back down the docks. The Kelvic allowed it if for no other reason then she owed the man for taking time out of his day.

"So, whaddya think? Think you have an eye for Coolwater now?"

Sliver shrugged and pondered for a moment before testing her reply.

"I have found Vantha to be a proud stubborn people, and Coolwater to be no different."

She paused to let Steffan's amused snort utter a stream of steam into the chill air before continuing.

"And you bind yourselves together using the sea. I am no water walker like you, I would be content never lifting a foot from the land for the rest of my short life, but you are born of it, what did the captain say, salt waters in yer blood?"

She shook her head smiling.

"Seems right to me. You control trade, a giant source of the cities food, and one of the main routes for Avanthal to communicate with the outside world. Its danger might not appeal to a Whitevine or Iceglaze, but its what you know and its danger is what makes you strong, your faith in not just Morwen, but Laviku too..."

She trailed off, unsure of herself and how much of a fool she appeared, but when her dark eyes met Steffan's he just smiled, that comfortable light violet hanging in front of her.

"Ya know, for a beastie you aren't half bad with words, maybe Snowsong will snap you up to become or minstrel or some nonsense."

He clapped her on the back and loosed his arm from hers, giving her a gentle shove once they reached the edge of the quay.

"Now get on with you, you got a lot more places to see and learn about weasel."

Sliver winced a bit at the term, but smirked as she walked on, not bothering to grace Steffan with a reply. It was true, she had a lot of work to do and already felt tired from the long ride. She stopped to watch a boatbuilder that didn't take many naps work on his craft, slicing wood, leveling it upon his frame, tools and supplies gathered around him. It seemed that no matter what Hold she found they had a level of craftsmanship that was unparalleled, and Sliver wondered why they couldn't focus more on the similarities between themselves instead of the differences. She looked up into they grey sky and began to walk on. Where to next?

by **Sliver** on September 17th, 2012, 10:24 pm

Hard as Stone, Beautiful as Diamond: Iceglaze

Sliver took her time walking towards the Hold, knowing its location in relation to the mine. Light flakes tickled her bare skin, and Sliver peered into the sky, trying to determine the weather without much success, a snowflake pricking her eye for her trouble. She rubbed her face and leveled her gaze, wondering if she was in the right place.

By now the Kelvic had seen some of the greatest architectural wonders of Mizahar contained within the city, and their construction was due almost entirely to Iceglaze. The building she saw before here, however, was one of the most plain she had ever seen. It was sturdy and solid to be sure, and Sliver was no architectural critique, but it baffled her beyond comprehension. She was about to turn around and go back, figuring she had lost her way somewhere along the path, when a voice called out over the snow.

"Oy, Whose there?!"

The wolverine turned and lifted a hand in greeting.

"Sliver of the Icewatch."

There was a long moment of silence, then some kind of negative sounding grumble. Sliver proceeded forward.

"Is this Iceglaze Hold?"

"What kind of summer-be-damned question is that? ...Oh, it's you."

As she drew closer she came to face to face with a dusty looking man, parts of him shining with what smelled like whale blubber or some equivalent. His deep blue eyes, the color of a stormy sea, sized her up, arms folded across his chest. Sliver was used to scrutiny, but something about his nearly hostile gaze unnerved her. It took her more than a moment to realize that it was because nearly every Vantha she had met had welcomed her with open arms and kind words, she had almost forgotten what suspicious scrutiny looked like. His eye color shifted a couple times in their long and silent exchange, but Sliver already knew the kind of man she was dealing with when he began to speak again.

"An what are you doing down here?"

His gaze seemed a bit tired, the weariness creeping into his voice. Sliver straightened herself a bit before replying.

"I have been..."

She trailed off. What had worked with Steffan probably wasn't going to work on whoever this was. While he looked at her as if she had asked who was Queen of the city, Sliver tried to gather her thoughts. She was no good at lying. The action just didn't suit her, and left a bit of a strange sensation crawling in her stomach, but it seemed her only way out. She took a deep breath, meeting the man's gaze straight on and tried to imagine him as a threat (it wasn't much of a stretch with the glare he was drilling into her.).

"I have been sent by one of my superiors to investigate a robbery in town."

His look went from anger to a barely concealed look of disgust, as if she was insulting his intelligence. Sliver already had an idea in her head, however, and just swept on, trying to recall just how Shylir and Yilarra dealt with unhappy citizens on patrols.

"The perpetrator used one of the modified picks used to mine Icestone to break the lock of a shop and made away with quite a decent amount of mizas and supplies."

This was where a Vantha would do something to engage the viewer in their story. Sliver shook her head in a disappointed fashion.

"It was sloppy work, we're bound to catch them sooner or later, but regardless we're checking every Hold, starting with Iceglaze for obvious reasons."

Now she leaned in conspiratorially.

"If you ask me whoever robbed the store clearly wanted Iceglaze to be blamed, I told my officer that no Vantha would rob a shop in broad daylight then leave the method of entry lying about, specially not an Iceglaze, but orders are orders."

She ended the tale with a shrug of, what are you going to do? She could just imagine Shylir or Yilarra doubling over laughing at her attempt of a tall tale, but she had included a bit of truth, an element of drama, and the apologetic necessity of her position. The man still seemed a bit dubious, but he shook his head with her, muttering about kids these days, then beckoned her in.

"Name's Warren."

Sliver took this as a good sign and followed him inside.

by **Sliver** on September 19th, 2012, 10:21 pm

The outside of Iceglaze Hold might not be much to look at, but the inside was a different story. It was a simplistic elegance to be sure, but beautiful icy motifs lined the walls, carvings and paintings that looked ancient in scope hung reverently upon the walls, and Sliver almost felt as if she had entered some ancient fortress. Warren stopped when they were midway down a long hallway and leveled his gaze with hers.

“Most everyone is out either in the Mine or projects in the city. Search to yer hearts content.”

He started walking away and Sliver rotated slowly, a bit dumbfounded at being left alone in this great space. Her head snapped back when he called rather reluctantly from the end of the hall.

“I’ll be out back working if you need me.”

There was the deep slam of a heavy door and suddenly Sliver felt very alone. Of course a Hold was never truly empty, no matter what day it was, and suddenly Sliver jumped as she heard an earsplitting shriek echoing again and again off the walls like a symphony played by instruments all out of tune. Four small beings raced down the long hall followed a bit more slowly by a taller figure calling hopelessly after them.

They stopped short as they reached the Kelvic, large and multi-hued eyes bulging at the newcomer. Suddenly a complete barrage of attention was rained down upon the wolverine, an event from which she was just simply unable to process all of the language thrown at her, most of it in Vani.

“Who are you? Why is your hair funny? Your shoes are strange.Did you paint yourself? Why didn’t you paint better pictures on yourself? Your eyes are scary! Were you born scary looking? Why are you here? What are you doing? What do they call you? You’re not a Vantha? Can you understand what I’m saying? Can you understand what IM saying? Now? Now? Are you dumb? Are you mute? Deaf? Can you-“ “CHILDREN!”

Sliver reeled from the physical onslaught of words as their caretaker caught up. He was a very trim and neat Vantha, with one icy streak in his hair that tucked behind his ear and glassy green eyes that stared sternly at the youths. They all straightened simultaneously, putting on appropriate admonished looks and muttering quiet apologies. The young man extended a hand to Sliver.

“I do apologize for their manners, we have been working quite hard on them, or so I thought.”

A few embarrassed titters echoed from the mass before he continued.

“Anyway, I fear I am being rude, my name is Varys Iceglaze, and your name?”

Sliver shook his hand firmly, surprised because his skin was smooth and warm, not how she imagined a builder’s to be.

“Sliver, my name is Sliver, and I am of the Icewatch.”

The children tittered again, but it was silenced from an icy stare from Varys, who nodded and smiled warmly

“An interesting name, and of the Icewatch? You are a bear I take it, I fear I am not very familiar with everyone in their ranks.”

Sliver shuffled a bit. “Ah, no actually, I am Kelvic, but not a bear…I am a newcomer to the city.”

One of the girls bounced up and down excitedly. “OOOOH Show us the animal show us the animal.”

Another boy leaned in towards her, one hand cupped over his mouth. “If you ask me, giant bears are boring.”

All the children’s gazes bored into her expectantly even Varys’s. Sliver realized it was another typical Vantha trait to learn and see new things in order to recite them again and again. Sliver chuckled a bit nervously, and then realized the weight that always steadily increased upon her when she paraded herself around in human form.

“Alright, I’ll do it.” Just as the children began bouncing Sliver held up a finger to quiet them, “On one condition.” Everyone looked hooked, and the wolverine gave a sly toothy smile. “You have to show me around the Hold.” She met Varys’s confused glance and shrugged. “It was my assignment for today.”

All the children agreed simultaneously, their new purpose focusing their energies. Varys nodded his acquiescence and Sliver stripped down, taking the time to fold her clothes into a neat pile. The children did not titter at this, more in awe of the amount of paintings on her flesh. Somewhere in the back of her mind Sliver realized that living in Holds must be akin to growing up as an animal, no one was really ashamed or alarmed by naked bodies. She placed her clothes to the side of the hall out of the way, then opened her arms and let the smoky haze envelope her. It felt like melting, reforming into her true shape, like her body was being folded up and compressed as to fit her other one. It wasn’t uncomfortable or painful, almost warm and definitely tingly. She sometimes wondered why it didn’t hurt the transformation, but she supposed that was one thing she could thank her creator for, he hadn’t wanted his servants to dread turning from one form to the other. Pinpoints of prickly lights filled her being and she blinked a couple times, gaze significantly closer to the smooth stone floor.

Cries of delight issued from small throats, and for the next several minutes she was fondled, petted, stroked, massaged, and awed at. She savored the moment, playfully nipping and pawing at the children in kind until Varys finally called them all to order.

“If you remember, we agreed to show our new friend around.”

The children nodded solemnly, then ran off down the halls. Before Varys turned to follow he leaned down and stroked Sliver’s head, scratching between ears. The wolverine gave a happy yawn, and then he straightened back to his very pristine and upright position and led her down the hall, pointing out several sights as they went.

by **Sliver** on September 25th, 2012, 2:22 pm

It was clear from her tour how important Iceglaze thought it was, and Sliver was loathe to deny the fact. It was the Hold of foundations. Skyglow might create brilliant artists, but Iceglaze was the backbone of every building and structural marvel Avanthal boasted. As she walked she learned that Varys didn’t do much first hand building, but his architectural drawings were astounding, and he generally stayed in the Hold planning new feats for the Hold to accomplish and looking after youngsters in the meantime. He wasn’t excused from hard labor certainly, Iceglaze seemed to think the Mine work and heavy lifting were just the right kind of character building a young Vantha needed to get started in the world. However, it was clear where Varys’s talents lay, and this could not be ignored either.

He was also quite the teacher, and though Sliver couldn’t imagine that the children were much older than 24-28 seasons, their Holds roots were clearly imbedded somewhere in their blood. They showed off their drawings and play igloos and ice forts, and though the wolverine couldn’t show it, she was duly impressed.

Most people seemed to take her for a dog as she walked along with the group of Iceglaze children and their mentor, and that was fine with her, she lumbered along, attempting to keep up with the fast paced children, Varys repeating their knowledgeable advice in common for her and at slower tempos.

Eventually the children started to become worn out. Arguments began breaking out, and though the wolverine could soothe them with a gentle nudge of her head, it was clear their energy for tours and history lessons was waning. Varys explained that it was well past lunch time. He invited her inside, but she just shook her shaggy head and said her farewells to the children. They made her promise to return as soon as possible. Sliver attempted to shrug a response, but all she got was confused looks, so she just let out a half bark/half growl and bowed her head in thanks before leaving. Varys gave her a last pat farewell and the wolverine set off to her next destination.

Not too cold, though certainly not warm, a cozy watered down sun hung up in the sky like a well cleaned lantern. Sliver let the warmth sink into her dark fur and rambled happily back towards the city. Her own stomach gave a telltale rumble, and the Kelvic decided to heed its advice: there was an easy solution to her problem, after all.

by **Sliver** on October 1st, 2012, 4:55 am

Winterflame: The Fire Under Your Cooking Pots

From here on in the wolverine followed her nose. She was rather worn out from the boat ride and the children, and the walking. Her pace was slow, but steady as she went back into the heart of the city. Usually the fresh fish was the first thing to slide into her nostrils, for the smell wafted far past the docks, but this time she was focused on other smells. The malt of beers, the smell of charcoal in cooking fires, meat and sautéed vegetables, spices, oils, fresh breads, scents to water the tongue and empty the wallet.

While her investigation may have been more effective in human form, the wolverine did have the distinct advantage of being a fuzzy, dog cat thing: Something that works wonders on individuals. While she got a few odd looks every now and then, everyone assumed she was a shaggy domesticated….thing, and her friendly, docile manner encouraged pleasant interactions between her and Avanthal’s occupants.

And so she began the rounds. She stopped off on the back steps of taverns and restaurants, head cocked to the side, her actions reminding her of times long ago when she had barely a copper to her name. This tactic was not always an effective one, but Vantha were a friendly bunch, and this didn’t stop at strangers to the city. She got scraps here and there, along with friendly pats and bits of conversation, even sat with a lamenting bar maid whose fiancée had called it off. She liked this better, she thought, these times where it did not matter whose Hold one belonged to, where Vantha was Vantha, and that was all.

She had happened across the back area of one pub when the door was thrown open, smacking her cleanly in the snout before she could react as someone stumbled out.

“-Ha ha, you know I didn’t mean that about your sister, right?”

Just then he turned at the sound of the pained yelp the wolverine had issued. Her paw rubbed the ginger area, ears folded.

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry little fella, you okay?”

He crouched down on the ground as the second individual emerged.

“Nah it’s fine Keltis, and I was just joking about you- What’s this then?”

Sliver played up the part of the injured fuzzy thing, whimpering slightly, an action that came almost naturally as she smelled meat and mulled cider wafting outward from the kitchens. There was much crooning and cajoling between the two, and the one that hadn’t been called Keltis went inside and brought out some lamb and a bowl filled with cranberry juice for the poor wolverine. She scarfed up the meal swiftly, ears perking, tail waving slowly across the ground like a broken broom. The second one waved a farewell to Keltis, and the Vantha smiled down at her.

“Liked that, huh? Well come on then, I feel like I owe you something for smacking you with the door.”

Sliver was surely helpless to protest, so she lumbered after Keltis through the city following him until they reached a small building on the outskirts. He gestured for her to stay outside, and returned several moments later with quite a few small bowls of varying shades of liquid. He stood observing the wolverine’s reaction to each one.

When she was finished she let out a belch to his amusement.

“Well glad you enjoyed it.”

Sliver took that opportunity to transform, positioning herself so that she was in a cross legged position by the time she had made the full transition to human form. Keltis smiled, a hint of surprise coming off from his dark eyes, which had lit up to a pleasant viridian.

“Didn’t quite expect that one, to be honest.”

The Kelvic shrugged, and got up, collecting the bowls in one another, about to head inside to clean them up, but Keltis clucked his tongue.

“I wouldn’t do that, my colleague thinks I drink too much of the product as is, which is admittedly true, but she’ll dislike giving out handouts, even if I thought I was serving an injured dog and not a Kelvic.”

Sliver nodded, and Keltis took the dishes from her, traveling back inside and emerging with a long jacket and boots. He offered them to her a bit shyly.

“I imagine it’s pretty chilly, since I didn’t notice a snowflake on ya, and believe me, I checked.”

Sliver chuckled at his attempt at flirting, but gratefully accepted the jacket and boots, sliding them on and covering most of her frame from the chill winds that swept across the open areas on the edge of the city. She rubbed her hands together, already regretting the loss of fur.

“So, do you work here?”

Keltis nodded proudly.

“Indeed I do, the best brewery in the City if you don’t mind my shamefulness in saying so.”

Sliver cocked her head to the side and pointed a finger.

“So…Winterflame?”

Keltis nodded.

“I have met a lot of Winterflame’s today, but they don’t seem as…” She trailed off, seeking the words that she couldn’t always grasp. Thankfully Keltis found them for her.

“Uptight? Toting their own Hold around like a badge? I assure you we’re just the same, but generally the one’s you see around the City were born into lives that deal with customers, a majority of which are not going to be Winterflames, so you keep your opinions to yourself most of the time, no matter what you think.”

He shrugged. “Coolwater brings in the Seafood, but Winterflame grows all of the crops, and if you haven’t noticed, we live in the tundra, it’s a pretty big task, and we do it with nary a word of complaint…” He smirked at that.

“We make artists of the culinary sort, so what if our dishes don’t last as long as an Iceglaze building, a house is an empty shell without well fed people within it.”

Sliver scrutinized the man for a moment. “That sounded like you practice it every day.”

Keltis barked out a laugh. “I’m sure every Hold has some kind of line like it, in the end we all work together, but it’s like the wolf in his hunting grounds, the tundra just over the hill always seems to have more game and better shelter than the one he’s in now. Normally it’s just a friendly rivalry between us, we’re all Vantha after all, right?”

Sliver nodded, but her smile didn’t reach her dark eyes. She thanked Keltis for the drinks, promising that when she had her Mizas on her she would come and actually purchase some goods.

Her legs ached as she began the trek back to Avanthal, unsure of how to continue. Now it was getting dark and while going back to the barracks seemed the best viable option for her at this point, it seemed like it would also open the potential for getting chided in not completing her task. Hoping to find one of the twins or their bondmates wandering about, she decided to just go back into the city proper.

by **Sliver** on October 3rd, 2012, 4:45 pm

The Kelvic plopped herself down on a bench outside of a tavern and took a few deep breaths. She was unsure what caused her to be so tired, aside from the sheer distance she had walked today, she hadn’t done anything that entirely warranted this level of exhaustion. She tried to focus upon the original task that she had been given, and what she had learned.

It seemed that all of the Holds had a certain level of balance that they mostly maintained. They were of one race, but separate minds, they had their own tasks and duties that individualized them for better and for worse. She both understood these concepts, and was confused by them, but tried to consider the fact that perhaps it would be different if she had been brought up in a specific Hold.

About a bell passed in this stream of contemplation before she was aware of a presence beside her. She rotated her head and noticed Shylir…or Yilarra, sipping on a some hot cider. Orange cheerful eyes looked her up and down.

“Long Day?”

Sliver nodded.

“So, how did it go?”

The Kelvic opened her mouth a few times, trying to get a grasp on where to start. It seemed simple and complicated at once these Vantha in Avanthal, but she was unsure of the best way to lay it out for her comrade. Finally, after much thought she simply said.

“They are prideful, a right they have earned, and a right they abuse.”

The twin chortled, coughing up a few bits of cider. She clapped Sliver on the back.

“Should have known you’d give me something like that at the end. You’re like a damned palm reader, cryptic, but it sounds like just the right thing.”

She stood up.

“A lot of words could sum up Vantha for you, but I think you get the general idea. It’s hard, sympathizing with them, but knowing they’re wrong, knowing you were once like that.”

Sliver nodded again.

“It is even between all the Holds now, but it cannot always be that way, can it?”

The twin shook her head. Sliver got that feeling in her stomach, like it was turning. She hoped the balance remained, for the sake of the city, but she also knew this hope was foolish, like a small cloud covering the light of the sun. She rose as well and walked back to the barracks with which ever twin had gone to fetch her, both enjoying a companionable, yet brooding silence on their journey home.

by **Valkyrie** on October 9th, 2012, 6:00 pm

Sliver :

You Will Be Collected if Worthy

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.

Completed So You Think You Can Guard (Job)