Quest Hold Tight (Johanne)

[Phoenix]

Timestamp: 60th of Spring, 513 AV.
Who: Johanne, Closed.
Where: The Unforgiving, Kalea.
When: Late Evening

“I saw it!” The staged whisper carried throughout the Tea House, painfully shredding the companionable silence that the patrons has been sharing, content to spend the dying lights of the evening nursing a warm cup of their favorite brew. “It was weird!”

Unconcerned with the disturbance he was causing, the young man continued to lean over towards his companion, a young woman who was more than a little embarrassed by the whole ordeal if the rosy color flooding her cheeks was any indication. “Hush, Jod. You can tell me later. Just go get a cup and…”

“No Mel! I’m serious! This is the second night in a row!” Riled rather than pacified by the young woman’s attempts to get him to quiet down, Jod leapt to his feet and sent his chair skittering loudly backwards; it was really quite unnecessary and earned numerous exasperated glances as, no longer able to politely ignore the whole ordeal, patrons turned to stare. “You said if I saw it again you’d come see-“

Setting her cup down onto the table with an authoritative clink of china on wood, Mel rose to meet her friend’s indignant glare, seeming to loom over him as she pointed an imperious finger towards the door, even though the top of her head barely brushed his sternum. “Get out. You’re embarrassing me.”

The finger stayed pointed unerringly at the door, the whole of Mhakula’s seeming to hold its collective breath as they waited for Jod to abandon his pride and vacate the tea shop. Three whole chimes of the stand-off rolled by before the young mans shoulders slumped, defeated. When he turned to march from the shop, Mel wasn’t far behind, casting an anxious glance over her shoulder as she darted around the doorframe after him.

“Are you going to listen to me now” The silence had stretched between them until they reached the edge of the plaza that was settled into the center of Zintia peak, where Jod pulled Mel up short with a firm hand on her wrist.

“No, not really. If anyone hears us talking about this nonsense…” Another nervous glance from Mel to assure that they hadn’t been followed, and the young woman pulled her companion further into the shadows of the nearest building. “First of all, if there are Wind Eagles in the Misty Peaks…”

“Not the Misty Peaks. The Unforgiving!”

“Whatever. It’s not that big of a deal. They’re here all the time for trade and-“

“No, Mel. Listen to me! These weren’t normal.” Only then realizing how loud his voice had gotten, Jod lowered it to a growling whisper. “You’re the one in the academy. You’re the one who should come down and see them.”

“But, Jod, I don’t think-“

“Right, don’t think. Just follow me, I’ll show you…” Shushing any further complaints from the woman, Jod took her hand and began to pull her towards the windy trail that lead down to the Port and the Misty Peaks.

x

[Johanne]

The dying embers of the Spring day filtered in over the Mhakula Teahouse, touching china and alabaster skin with gentle, reaching fingers. Johanne stroked her long nimble digits along the mouth of her steaming cup of tea, one of Lhavit's main attractions. Looking down at the parchment before her, purchased from the Good Book at a time that Johanne knew Dariel wouldn't be there, she sighed. The black lines of ink seemed shaky to her, uneven, the image she had drawn of the view out the windows by she which she was sitting not enough. Outside, there were beautiful shrubs bearing the bright blue flowers of the jasao weed, unloved, despised, and yet stunning despite all that. She had sketched the sun setting over the mountaintops, sunrays illuminating the petals that lay at the forefront of her drawing. Looking down at the image, she shook her head, taking it and scrunching it up. Not good enough. Not yet. Try again. She picked up her ink stick and began again.

Her ink stick clasped between her trembling fingers, her forefinger carved with swirls and circles, she began to sketch again, jagged, sweeping lines to make up the mountains at the background. Her tongue poking out slightly between her teeth, her entire concentration focused on the yellowed page and the black ink staining it, Johanne was not prepared for the argument between the two Lhavitians that rocked the teahouse. When the man stood up and yelled, his chair skittering across the house, not a few metres from where she sat quietly, she jumped, gasping slightly, the ink staining across the page, ruining the parchment. Dropping her pen in frustration, she turned to glare at the young man like everyone else. They left quietly a few minutes later, and the atmosphere returned to the peace and tranquility she had come here to find, but for Johanne, the place was tainted. Throwing a kina on the table, she gathered up her scrunched parchment and her pens, and left.

It just so happened that the walk back to her home in the Solar Winds Apartment was the same route that the two who had ruined her drawing had taken. Their eyes stayed downcast as they walked, and Johanne could not help but observe them (a writer's problem) as they stayed silent, their height disparity a sort of cosmic irony. She wondered if they were lovers, how they knew each other. If they had fallen into bed as easily as breathing, or if they had never known each other's touch, content to stay friends. Their voices hushed, Johanne did not hear their conversation, and they veered off to the side. She kept walking, content to let the story go for now.

Until she heard.

Wind Eagles.

All of a sudden images began to flood her mind, images she had grown up hearing about, of the fiery-headed people to the north who rode atop giant eagles, bigger than a house, nearly as large as Mt. Skyinarta itself, the Eagles who soared on the wind and could see a rabbit's movement even from the height of the gods. Fraint had come here on an Eagle, and she had been insanely jealous when she had heard - and Wind Eagles, here! Not far, in the Unforgiving, so much closer than Wind Reach itself. She saw the two walk off, his hand clasped around her wrist, and without even a thought for discretion or stealth, without thinking where she was going or what she was doing, she steered around and began to follow them, walking down the trail, her hands still full of scrunched paper and stained with ink.

x

[Phoenix]

The pair hardly noticed the woman that shadowed them, too preoccupied with where they were going to watch where they came from. Johanne stayed back far enough that she could no longer hear what the pair was saying, but their trail was easy to follow even if she managed to lose them around a twist or a turn.

At such a peculiar time, The Misty Peaks were all but deserted; a couple of art students sat off to the side of the path that lead down to the Port, but they were of no consequence; one of the many rare flowers that bloomed all over the Peaks had sprung up in the most gorgeous of places and was perfectly framed by the sky and tree line below. They wouldn’t have noticed if an Okomo unless it kicked them in the head.

With each tier that they descended, the couple that Johanne stalked got more and more stressed; the companionable ease that had existed between them tensed to the point of snapping, the casual arm that was slung around Mel’s waist was shook off and replaced with a very tight handhold. This continued until the pair reached the Port, took a left and stalked cautiously towards the Wilderness beyond.

“This is where I saw them last, just above the treetops. I didn’t get very close but they were impossible to miss.” Jod was apparently just really bad at whispering, for a repeat of the stage whisper he used in the coffee shop made it all the way back to where Jo lurked. “They kind of just floated there…” But the rest of the sentence was masked by Mels less than discrete gasp.

“Is that it!” A shaking finger pointed to the sky where a splotch had risen over the tops of the trees, just like Jod had described.

“Yes!” In his excitement, the young man dropped Mel’s hand and dashed forward a few paces. “Yes! That’s it!”

Sure enough, a few ticks after it appeared, the spot in the sky began to grow and grow; the Wind Eagle seemed to be flying in the direction of the port, though something just wasn’t right; Jod loudly pointed this out, too, obviously much to eager to impress his companion. “See? It keeps kinda weaving back and forth like it’s drunk.”

“No, I don’t think it’s drunk. Wind Eagles don’t drink.” Mel scoffed but her tone was thoughtful. “It almost looks like it’s searching for something, don’t you think?” Indicating the sweeping motions that the Eagle was doing with her hand, Mel mimed the predator diving suddenly and capturing something with her fist. “Maybe it’s just hunting.”

Falling silent, the pair continued to stare, enraptured by this massive, beautiful, deadly, thing that continued to fly towards them. The closer it got, however, the more obvious it was that something just…. really wasn’t right. While the Wind Eagle did glide back and forth as if searching, it also dipped and swerved every time the wind blew, as if the gusts caught it and partially succeeded in blowing it away before it regained control of its wings. Once or twice, it even tumbled end over end, dropping quickly from the sky and only barely managing to catch itself and climb back into the sky.

“Jod… I don’t want to be here anymore.” The Eagle had gotten really close, taking up a large portion of the sky. “Please, can we go. It’s making me feel uncomfortable.” And she wasn’t wrong. A strong feeling of unease seemed to settle so thickly around them that even the plants shied away from the direction of the bird.

“Yeah… I think we should.” No argument made, the pair clasped at each other again, turned, and quickly scurried back the way they came, throwing nervous glances over their shoulders all the while.

As close as the Eagle had gotten, observers should have been able to make out some sort of detail; the species of Eagle, its coloring, perhaps even a glint of light off its wickedly curved beak or intelligent eyes. But instead, the Wind Eagle remained a dark, inky blob of indistinction.

Then, without warning, just as the Eagle was about to fly past where Johanne crouched and over the shining city of Lhavit, it turned it’s massive head and focused on the little woman. Despite the lack of eyes, the book-worm would be able to feel its gaze upon her.

The urge to run was overwhelming as her fight or flight instinct took over, the only real protection nearby came in the form of the line of trees, dozens of yards away.

x

[Johanne]

Johanne followed the two down through the paths, cursing herself the whole way. How rude of her to stalk, to interrupt private business, and yet once her feet began following them, she could not stop. She had come to Lhavit for the stories, had she not? And thus far she had not found them. Sure, there were beautiful sights, awe-inspiring libraries, and gentle melancholy people, but there hadn't been something for her to follow. Not yet. Oh, but Wind Eagles. Even if they found nothing at the end of the path they were taking, mysterious though it was to her, at least she was doing what she had left Denval to do. At least she was looking for stories.

But the trail seemed to go on forever, and she still held paper in her hand and ink sticks. She had not brought anything against the slight breeze of the mountains, still a little cold in the high alpine areas of Kalea. As she wound down through the Misty Peaks, the two completely oblivious the entire way of her presence, she wondered if the story was worth the effort. But she had to believe that it was. Passing through the Tranquil Port, looking with a pure sort of melancholy over the lapping waves and the colours of sunset reflected, she smiled sadly and turned into the wilderness.

It was here that the couple became quieter. Johanne had never been out of the Misty Peaks, not ever. She stumbled over roots, she walked into branches. The wilderness was not a place she was accustomed to, and even so close to the civilisation she knew, she found it difficult. Johanne was almost more focused on where she was stepping than where they were going. Her eyes were downcast the entire way.

Until the man began to speak. She could hear every word, and hear the gasp of the woman. Her heart beating, she raised her eyes to the sky, and there it was: a giant black speck against the sky, weaving and bobbing on the wind. A Wind Eagle. She'd read about them, Fraint had spoken about them, and here there was one, just in front of her eyes! A real Wind Eagle! She watched in silence, too transfixed on the spot to look away, the dying rays of the sun spilling out upon her skin. Closer and closer it came, but more and more tense the situation seemed to become. She couldn't make out the beaks, the eyes, and from how close it was, she should have been able to. Still, though, she stayed and watched, too awed about seeing a Wind Eagle in person.

She was so transfixed that she didn't notice the two scurry away until after everything had fallen silent. Looking around her, she noticed she was alone. Cursing, she wondered how it was that she would get home. The spell was broken. The Wind Eagle swooped above her. Looking up at the eagle, her blood ran cold. It was looking right at her: no yellow eyes focused and narrowed, but she knew it. It was so big. So huge. And she was but a speck.

She broke out into a clumsy run for the safety of the trees: not thinking, nothing but scared. Jod and Mel were right. There was something wrong with this Wind Eagle.

x

[Phoenix]

The cry from above was as brittle as the leaves the stirred beneath Johannes feet, the crisped and dried leftovers of last Fall disturbed from where they lay blanketing the ground as the young woman scurried for shelter. Above her, the Wind Eagle turned it’s head to watch her progress as it continued it’s unsteady glide past her, making no attempt to follow as the winds carried it away.

Strange, the way it stayed afloat without much beating of it’s wings. There should have been some mark of it’s passing as each stroke of those powerful wings displaced the air and send it twisting down at the ground; but the branches stayed relatively still, the scampering young woman the only thing making any sort of disturbance.

A closer look, should it be managed through the panic, would detail the tail end of the Wind Eagle as it disappeared over the trees. What looked like drunken weaving at a distance looked far different up close. As large and powerful as it should have been, the Wind Eagle looked as if it was being tossed around by every gust and breeze. Like a piece of paper caught in the wind.

Johanne would loose sight of the Wind Eagle as soon as she made it to the tree line, the bird flying- floating? –off into the distance just as she reached the safety she sought. However, the feeling of utter dread when a predator locks its sight on its prey did not leave the young woman. Somehow, she knew it would be back. That it would find her. It was only a matter of when, where, and how.

Two options were open to her. One was the forest surrounding the Misty Peaks, and by extension The Unforgiving. With hardly any clothes, supplies, or the knowhow to survive, the dangerous wilds of Kalea were intimidating to say the least. However, the second option wasn’t much better, as it entailed a wild dash back up through the peaks before this strange Wind Eagle could find its way back to her; Johanne would realize by the way it stared as it flew over- angry, hateful, longing and yet unable to stop and attack- that it was not quite in control of its own flight path.

Or perhaps a combination of the two? The Tranquil port wasn’t too far away from her hiding place, and she, Jod, and Mel had breezed right past the docks on their initial search; gear could be found there, and perhaps food. Had they not also passed a couple of students as well? Hopefully for Johanne, stealing would not prove to be an ethical dilemma.

OOCI made it clear what option I think you should take, but that doesn’t mean you have to do so. You can choose any of the three, but should you choose the last it is up to you what you steal and from where. I won’t be providing you with any other gear via magical mod powers, so include as much detail as you deem necessary for any of the options. Play to your skill and if you happen to get caught, feel free to stop the post and I will moderate the reactions!

x

[Johanne]

Dead leaves and sticks crunching beneath her hurried footfall, Johanne cringed and ducked when she heard the bone-chilling cry of the strange Wind Eagle above her, as it swooped and turned through the wind. But as Johanne managed to take shelter beneath the line of fadeong trees that she was running for, the bird kept flying, though his beady eyes remained fixed on the woman: his stare a chilling promise.

Hiding beneath the boughs, Johanne looked up through the gaps in the colourful leaves of the Misty Peaks at the strange threat, this legend awakened, that swooped and turned above her. From here, she could make out its powerful feathers, its giant wings barely moving against the wind currents of late Spring. She waited, tense, like a hunted hare, but the eagle made no move for her: he simply remained, battling the winds above her. Slowly, the image of the Wind Eagle disappeared as she remained hidden: but she knew - this was no ordinary Eagle. This one would be back. She was not safe here, out in the open. She had to leave.

But where to go? Johanne hardly ever travelled this far out into the green; preferring to stick to the crystal and the cobblestone streets she knew so well. She knew nothing of the wilds, of how to survive beyond the night where creatures stalked and strange magic ran rampant past the Djed Storm of the year past. No, the Unforgiving and the wild would offer no shelter to her. She had one option left, that she could see, Johanne never able to steal or lie to anyone (the option of the Tranquil Port thus unacceptable) - she would have to run and hope that the crystal city of Lhavit, and her home in the Solar Winds, could offer her some safety.

Johanne waited a few chimes more, and crept slowly to the edge of the trees. Looking up beyond the canopy, she could not see the Wind Eagle anywhere, and so like a mouse scurrying for cover from a cat, she began to hurry across the open plains. If she could make it safely all the way, she would move through the Tranquil Port, up through the Amaranthine Road, and moving quickly as she could back to Lhavit, not stopping until she reached home.

OOCI tried to do as much as I could, but I assumed the Wind Eagle would make a return before she got home. All Jo has with her is ink sticks and parchment: Jo wouldn't reasonably forsee that she would not be returning home any time soon, so I guess she'll be losing all her stuff!

x

[Phoenix]

As the unnatural breeze that carried the Wind Eagle from depths of The Unforgiving collided with the winds that whipped around the Port, the giant, majestic bird was sent spinning like a top, a children’s toy that wobbled and flailed wildly from side to side. All over Lhavit, from the towers to the docks, people stopped to look and point, the city coming to a standstill as the giant, dark shadow of a bird rotated above the waters of the bay.

Johanne would have barely made it to the Port as this event unfolded, closer to the Wind Eagle than she had been before. Again, the glare of those indistinguishable eyes would fall like lead onto her shoulders, dragging her down and turning her around until she, too, could not help but stare. It floated, being tugged this way and that by the vicious sea-bound winds, its wings stationary as it made no attempt to gain any control over it’s body.

Like a piece of paper caught in the wind.

It was sudden, what happened next. The unnatural winds that had borne the Wind Eagle towards Lhavit in the first place abruptly died. The Wind Eagle lurched, now completely in the control of the sea breeze, and cried out as the no-so-gentle winds thrashed and tore at it’s body; the sound reverberated around all of Lhavit, filled with the same anger as before but now… now it was tinged with fear.

“It’s getting torn apart!”
“Somebody help it!”
“That’s not natural!”

Shouts began to rise from all sides as those who had once stood mesmerized all surged towards the Tranquil Port, skidding to a halt on the docks as they found their way barred by the large expanse of water and air that separated them from the Eagle. As if panicked by those who surged towards it, the Wind Eagle let out another shriek and- for the first time- flapped its wings; One, solid, strong beat that propelled it forward and towards the ground.

Directly towards where Johanne stood.

Whatever it was like for the young woman, the remainder of the port watched the Wind Eagle as it dove, its wings tearing away one by one as its speed increased, shattering into innumerable bits that floated down into the water, staining it inky black in the creatures wake.

Headed straight for Johanne, the Eagles trajectory was a bit off, slamming into the ground before it reached the woman. The impact was met with a squishy sort of thump, the same black residue that had been borne from the remnants of its wings leaving a thick trail as the great creatures body slid across the ground, enough force remaining to it that when it collided with Johanne, both creature and woman disappeared beneath a darkly opaque cloud.
Hidden from the eyes of Lhavit, Johanne would find herself within the cloud, alive and well. Shaken, but alive. No evidence of the Wind Eagle remained to her except for the dark, thick, pungent black substance that covered her from head to toe. It smeared and stained anything it touched and the young woman knew that it would be hell to remove. She had seen it before, even if she preferred charcoal sticks, staining the fingers of many a scribe.

Left with little time to contemplate what happened, Johanne would feel a hand on her shoulder only moments before another covered her mouth. “Come with me,” a disembodied voice said through the fine inky mist, “if you wish to live.” As melodramatic as it might sound, the stranger had the right of it all. From without the strange cloud of ink, Johanne would be able to hear the rising concern of the city; Something strange had just happened and no one had any explanation as to what or why.

All they had was the woman towards whom the attack seemed to be targeted.

Dragging more than anything, the stranger pulled Johanne along through the crowd, ignoring the cries and calls of protest as the shocked individuals realized their only answer was about to get away. Unable to both carry the woman and fend off the now angry mob, Johanne’s savoir gave her a shove and shouted, “Go! Run! I’ll find you!” Before turning back towards the docks and rushing headlong into the protests.

On her own and once again faced with The Unforgiving, Johanne would be forced to return to it’s looming trunks and grasping branches for shelter once more.

OOCYou can go as far as finding her some kind of shelter with as much detail as you want. The stranger wont return until past nightfall.

x