A New City (Open)

[Aidemma Kim]

12th Summer 510 AV

Aidemma looked over the stern of the ship across Matthews Bay. Through the great natural gate of rock and sea cliff she could see the ocean, shimmering in the red and pink of the sunrise. After weeks on board the ship she had yet to grow tired of watching the sun burst into view, dashing vibrant colors all over the rolling silver of the sea. Rolling her shoulders about in a slow stretch Aidemma yawned, the disadvantage to sunrises was that they were all so early. With a sigh she scooped up her pack and slung it over her shoulders, walking toward the prow of the ship. Ahead Zeltiva rose up, its long arms sprawling into the ocean, catching up ships and swarming with people rushing about their business. The ship eased into port, and the ramp crashed down onto the dock with a deafening thud. Aidemma was one of the last passengers off.

Should I head to the Registrar's office first, or see if I can find my cottage? she wondered, knowing her mother had sent a letter ahead to a friend, asking if she could find a place for her daughter to live. Aidemma had the letter tucked away in the leather journal she always carried, but the street names meant nothing to her. "Of course, I don't know where the Registrar's office is either..." She mumbled as a pair of burly men carrying a crate swooped past her. The young woman lost her balance and stumbled into a cluster of rather loud people.

"WATCH IT!" someone cried out, pushing her back from the press of bodies. Aidemma landed in a tangle of ropes. Mumbling an apology audible only to herself, she stood slowly.

"Well, either way I'm getting out of here..." she thought out loud, and straightening her pack hurried up the nearest road that lead into the city.

(Not exactly interesting, but it should be pretty easy for anyone to jump in whenever if they'd like...)

[Kale Renoff]

It was a beautiful day at the docks, cool and clear. The sun glimmered on the edge of the horizon, sparkling off the water and warming the cold depths of the sea.
Kale watched as a ship sailed into the harbor, the morning light casting sharp shadows on its white sails. He stretched, relaxing. It was a beautiful morning, cool and comfortable, without all of the uncomfortable rush that would fill the city come noon. Only the earliest sailors and workers were awake, quick about their business as they hurried to ready themselves for the coming day. Sitting on the roof of his new house, Kale felt gloriously alone; as if he was on top of the world, watching the world go by.

I wish that every day was like this, he thought contentedly. Nothing to worry about, not a cloud in the sky. It's perfect. Leaning back slightly, he closed his eyes, drowning himself in the moment. It wasn't long, however, before he felt himself slipping down the side of the roof, the slightly damp stone shingles providing no real purchase for him to grab onto. Flailing hopelessly, Kale soon found himself sliding rapidly towards an uncomfortable meeting with the ground.

The ground struck rather forcefully, knocking the breath out of his lungs and leaving him with an uncomfortably aching tailbone. Groaning, he stumbled to his feet, looking ruefully at the slick tiles that had so roughly deposited him down here. Well, maybe not such a perfect day after all... Aware that he was attracting strange looks, Kale edged away, feeling heat rush to his face. "Sorry..." he managed to stutter, aware that he had just narrowly avoided landing on a redheaded girl who had been walking up the street just moments earlier. "Just... um... dropping in?" He smiled nervously, hoping that she wouldn't take offense.

[Azilis Theroulde]

The bustle of a city that was just beginning to wake from sleep filled Zeltiva's streets with the noises of early-morning vendors hawking food, feet slapping the stony pavement, and the sounds of the water with which Zeltiva was so closely tied: gulls trilling as they dove and snatched at passersby and ships creaking in the breeze off Mathews Bay. Azilis simply watched it all, taking it all in. It was one of the things she loved about the port city: the spark of life that infused every person, every stone, every current running through the bay. She had awoken early that morning (she had never been a late sleeper like many people her age; she slept lightly, and the sunlight that filtered in through the glass of her bedroom window woke her before long) and, after she had dressed and brushed her hair, had tiptoed from the house so as not to wake her brother and father. Originally she had had the intention of going to the market and buying breakfast food and perhaps a scroll or two to occupy her interest as she ate, but she had gotten caught up in watching the city rouse itself after a long night's slumber. Instead, she had only bought a red-dappled summer apple from the fruit stall and munched on it with content as her eyes followed the people around her. The air was scented with the musky salt smell of the sea, and a sunrise gilded with gold and crimson, painted perfect as though by a god's hand, rose slowly over the ships docked in the bay. Her eyes caught sight of one girl that looked roughly her age hurrying up the street into the heart of the city. She seemed harried and confused, and the wind whipped her auburn hair into her face. After eight years in Zeltiva, Azilis had gotten fairly good at telling which students were those whose destinations were the University but had made a wrong turn at some alley or another and had found themselves hopelessly lost. Perhaps that was the story with this girl? She was beginning to stand when a boy that she had noticed earlier, perched on one of the low tiled roofs overhanging the street, lost his balance and slid, flailing his arms comically, to the ground, nearly flattening the girl. Azilis giggled under her breath and wiped her hands on her hips, darkening the sides of her dress with faint trails of apple juice, as she got fully to her feet and approached the pair. The boy was blushing and apologizing to the girl, who just looked flustered. “D'you think you're alright?” she said to the boy. “My name's Azilis Theroulde. I saw you fall off the roof. Didn't look like very far, but-” she shrugged - “you never know. Just wanted to see if you were okay.” She then turned to the girl. “And I hope you're not offended, but you look lost. Are you looking for the University, maybe? Or something else?”

[Aidemma Kim]

As she hurried through the busy streets Aidemma glanced up, hearing a strange scrabbling sound. She hopped back just in time to make way for a blur speeding toward the ground. With a thud the blur morphed into a boy, grimacing at the tiles he had slid from. He quickly began apologizing. "Please don't worry about it. No harm done," she said softly, her eyes crinkling with a smile at his second comment. As she opened her mouth to ask if he was all right another voice spoke up. A young woman, about her age was already asking him.

Shaking her head she replied, "No, not at all, you're exactly right in fact. I'm utterly lost. Though, how did you know I was looking for the University?"

The wind was picking up slightly, washing the trio in a gust of salt laden air. Aidemma twisted her long hair about her hand in an effort to keep it from flying in her face. A few wisps of red escaped to dance distractingly in front of her face.

[Sllarai]

The salt air pulled at Sllarai’s short black hair, tugging it into her line of sight. She was crouched atop a rooftop across the way of where she had seen the whole incident take place. With her left hand she tucked her hair back behind her ears. The trio was interesting, the boy had almost landed on the one with the auburn hair; yet the auburn haired girl didn’t seem to be angry. The girl with the fire red hair seemed to just want to help.

If it was one thing that Sllarai had learned quickly on her travel from her remote home was that; humans had as many different personalities just like the hunters and prey of the world. It’s no longer a two sided life, no longer hunter and the hunted. Sllarai thought to herself. For some unexplainable reason, these three humans had opened a whole new window on life to Sllarai.

“Unknowing teachers are the best teachers.” Sllarai murmured to herself. Just like you said father.

With a smile touching her lips, Sllarai leaped off the roof; her fear of heights echoing in her mind. She landed in a crouch to soften her landing, she fluidly rose from her pose and headed out into the blossoming morning light, and over towards the trio.

[Chiriart Falatiri]

Chiriart breathed in the sea air rising with the sun as he did every morning, watching dawn break was one of the most brethtaking sights Chiriart knew - not that he had seen anything outside of Zeltivia - and his day started like any other wake up, watch the sun rise and then go for a walk on the outskirts of the city.

Today though he had decided to visit the docks and see if any fishing ships had come in and needed a hand in unloading the're catch but a commotion had stopped him half way there, it seemed someone had fallen off a building and nearly squashed some poor woman.
"What happend here, who's the inexperianced climber?" He asked a Red haired youth.

[Azilis Theroulde]

Azilis grinned at the girl. "Oh, it's pretty easy to tell sometimes. I've been living in Zeltiva awhile now, near the University. You wouldn't believe how many out-of-towners get totally turned around their first time in the city. No insult meant, of course, my own internal compass has the navigational capabilities of a drunk Zith in the daytime, but I do know where I'm going around Zeltiva. Anyway, you just looked like you needed a little help getting to where you need to go, so I thought I'd ask - see, I just enrolled in the University myself. We must be the same year." Her smile widened at the prospect of a new school friend. "Where are you coming from?" As she finished her sentence, two other people seemed to be approaching them: one a quiet, black-haired woman who looked like she knew what she was doing in a fight, and the other was a hawk-faced but handsome boy who looked several years older than her. "This one is," she said as she pointed to the boy who had fallen off the roof, answering the new arrival's question. She giggled. "Bet he's sorry now, though, there seems to be a regular little party gathering around the scene he caused."

[Sllarai]

Sllarai gave a light laugh at the red haired girl’s remark. Sllarai glanced around at the gathering group of people.

“A party indeed it would seem.” Sllarai said some amusement on her words. A smile crept onto her lips revealing her slightly elongated canine teeth. “Although I can’t blame him for the fall.” She continued tilting her head towards the boy. “Those roof tiles are a bit slippery.”

Sllarai turned to the green eyed man who had approached the little band at around the same time as her. “I find that roofs are a bit different than cliff faces.” She shrugged and crossed her arms.” I haven’t been here that long so I can’t give much more of an opinion, but I love climbing.”

“I believe in these kinds of situations one normally exchanges their birth names?” Sllarai said with a slight frown on her face. She once again cursed herself for being isolated from the outside world with no experience in these matters. I never like not knowing where I stand. Sllarai turned to the group and with a feral grin she held out her hand. “My name is Sllarai.”

[Aidemma Kim]

Aidemma smiled back at Azilis. "Makes enough sense. I'm from Syliras, and I do believe Sllarai's right. It's a pleasure to meet you all, my name is Aidemma." Gently gripping her skirt the young woman gave a quick bob to the cluster of people. A bit overwhelmed Aidemma was begining to feel shy. Not knowing quite what to say she turned back to the red head, "If we're in the same year do you think it's possible we might have a class or two together. It'd be marvelous to know someone at the University." Her green eyes glanced around at their little group and she smiled, "Though it seems I might already have a line up of potential friends."

In the brief pause before another spoke up Aidemma looked down, and fidgeted, running her fingers along the strap to her bag. Meeting new people all at once always made her a bit uncomfortable. She had never had a problem dealing with customers at the shop back home, but for some reason the real world felt so different.

[Kale Renoff]

Kale looked down, not saying a word. He couldnt help but blush redder and redder as a regular gathering began to form- with him at its center. He hated being the center o9f attention. Shuffliong his feet, Kale wished fervently that he could sink into the ground and disappear.

"I- I really am quite sorry," he mumbled to no one in particular. "I didn't mean to... well, I don't think anywone would mean to fall off a roof, but I really must apologize... this happens all the time, really, I'm so very sorry... it's the tiles, you see.. they were slippery... from the rain..." suddenly realizing he was babbling, Kale snapped his mouth close and clenched his jaw. It would do no good to embarass himself even further!

As Aidemma introduced herself, he looked up and managed a weak smile. "M-my names Kale. Kale Renoff. I live here in Zeltiva." He paused. "Actually... I was, um, hoping to get into the academy as well..." Kale began to nervously wring the hem of his shirt in his hands. This would be a fine time to freeze up, with everybody watching!

[OOC: Sorry I haven't posted earlier, the place where I'm staying doesn't have wireless internet... >.<]