It was strange to be returning to the city at last. Things felt alien after so long separated, and though she had spent a few months with the Birdflight pavilion, being back in the city itself was...very unusual. Separated for over a year, all the faces felt just as foreign.
Delani kept her head down and eyes half closed, as if listening to the heartbeat hum of Endrykas as she walked Coram towards where last she knew The Guided Horse was, avoiding gazes as she clucked the stallion forward. It was the last day of spring and she'd ridden with a few from Birdflight 'home', the other members of that seperated pavilion fading into the throng as the lightly tanned matron wove the crowds.
The smell was strongly of horse, a fragrant reminder of days long passed. Like the colorful clothes, patterened skins, and even intricately woven hair, it was almost overwhelming to Delani. She found herself clenching her scarred hand in the colorsplashes mane to prevent herself from rubbing at her nose and eyes. She did notice the prevalent absence of children, which ones there were either extremely young or on the cusp of adulthood; had this pox which had struck Birdflight so hard hit the mobile city thus, too?
She paused to let a shepherd pass, three herd dogs at his heel yipping and barking happily. The sight of the slight figure made her smile, knowing that that one was likely headed for the rim to resume duty in the herds of zibri.
"Hey!" Someone calling, but she did not know to whom and clucked her tongue to urge the horse on once more. But the voice, young she gauged, interrupted her overwhelmed thoughts again.
"Hey, miss!"
Dela' brought Coram to a halt and turned on his back to look towards the source. A teen, she guessed. Fourteen, fifteen? He had a tattoo around his neck, one which she had seen before, though some years ago.
"Miss, you dropped this!" Something must have slipped from the yvas. He was holding up a bundle of nails. He stopped at the horses side and offered it up, staring up at the thin woman. "Here you go." Dela reached for it with her right hand, bending from the stallions back carefully. Her fingers closed around the bundle and she was straightening when the youth let out a whistle and touched the back of the maimed hand. "Wow, wicked scar. How'd you get it?" His eyes raised to hers and he paused, caught for a moment in the thoughtfully deep and intelligent jades.
"...You look familiar."
"Do I?" She asked, securing the bundle back to the scorched yvas again and rubbing palm of left hand over the back of her right where the teen had touched her.
"Yea..." He tilted his head curiously. "Do you have some windmarks on your shoulders? The tips kinda peeking over?" Delani was genuinely surprised by his brief description of the silver-black tattoo adorning her back.
"Yes..Why do you ask?"
"Are you Delani? Delani Denusk?"
The woman raised a brow. "Perhaps. Is it of immediate importance? I've been riding long and would like to rub Coram down." Hoping to discourage further dialogue on the wary stallion.
"Not really, I just heard that some webbers found a Denusk while out on a repair mission some weeks ago." That didn't answer how the kid knew who she was.
"They found two. My brother, as well. Why?"
"Oh, er...well, I just wanted to say sorry for your loss. There were a lot that died in that storm; a few pavilions too." This clearly struck a cord in the weathered woman for she did not bother responding further. She turned from the young man and clucked Coram onwards, clenching her teeth to keep her lips from trembling. It had been an emotional reunion with Vanator, and now, she just wanted things to return to normal. She would need to speak further with Van to determine where best she might fit now. Things were surely different from Eachann's leadership.
With these thoughts in mind, the woman headed to the central stabling tents of The Guided Horse.
xDelani kept her head down and eyes half closed, as if listening to the heartbeat hum of Endrykas as she walked Coram towards where last she knew The Guided Horse was, avoiding gazes as she clucked the stallion forward. It was the last day of spring and she'd ridden with a few from Birdflight 'home', the other members of that seperated pavilion fading into the throng as the lightly tanned matron wove the crowds.
The smell was strongly of horse, a fragrant reminder of days long passed. Like the colorful clothes, patterened skins, and even intricately woven hair, it was almost overwhelming to Delani. She found herself clenching her scarred hand in the colorsplashes mane to prevent herself from rubbing at her nose and eyes. She did notice the prevalent absence of children, which ones there were either extremely young or on the cusp of adulthood; had this pox which had struck Birdflight so hard hit the mobile city thus, too?
She paused to let a shepherd pass, three herd dogs at his heel yipping and barking happily. The sight of the slight figure made her smile, knowing that that one was likely headed for the rim to resume duty in the herds of zibri.
"Hey!" Someone calling, but she did not know to whom and clucked her tongue to urge the horse on once more. But the voice, young she gauged, interrupted her overwhelmed thoughts again.
"Hey, miss!"
Dela' brought Coram to a halt and turned on his back to look towards the source. A teen, she guessed. Fourteen, fifteen? He had a tattoo around his neck, one which she had seen before, though some years ago.
"Miss, you dropped this!" Something must have slipped from the yvas. He was holding up a bundle of nails. He stopped at the horses side and offered it up, staring up at the thin woman. "Here you go." Dela reached for it with her right hand, bending from the stallions back carefully. Her fingers closed around the bundle and she was straightening when the youth let out a whistle and touched the back of the maimed hand. "Wow, wicked scar. How'd you get it?" His eyes raised to hers and he paused, caught for a moment in the thoughtfully deep and intelligent jades.
"...You look familiar."
"Do I?" She asked, securing the bundle back to the scorched yvas again and rubbing palm of left hand over the back of her right where the teen had touched her.
"Yea..." He tilted his head curiously. "Do you have some windmarks on your shoulders? The tips kinda peeking over?" Delani was genuinely surprised by his brief description of the silver-black tattoo adorning her back.
"Yes..Why do you ask?"
"Are you Delani? Delani Denusk?"
The woman raised a brow. "Perhaps. Is it of immediate importance? I've been riding long and would like to rub Coram down." Hoping to discourage further dialogue on the wary stallion.
"Not really, I just heard that some webbers found a Denusk while out on a repair mission some weeks ago." That didn't answer how the kid knew who she was.
"They found two. My brother, as well. Why?"
"Oh, er...well, I just wanted to say sorry for your loss. There were a lot that died in that storm; a few pavilions too." This clearly struck a cord in the weathered woman for she did not bother responding further. She turned from the young man and clucked Coram onwards, clenching her teeth to keep her lips from trembling. It had been an emotional reunion with Vanator, and now, she just wanted things to return to normal. She would need to speak further with Van to determine where best she might fit now. Things were surely different from Eachann's leadership.
With these thoughts in mind, the woman headed to the central stabling tents of The Guided Horse.
