PM to join The Bitter and the Sweet [Lacerta]

[Magpie]

The cliff goat exhibit was not a largely popular one, though it was easily one of the biggest. A metal mesh fence and stone barrier kept visitors away from the huge gulf between them and the animals. Beyond the barrier, there was a sharp twenty foot drop, with a small pond and some shrubbery at the bottom. However, fifty feet straight out from the visitors' perch, a cliff face rose with intricate ledges and crevices. Small, white goats, the size of large dogs, meandered the small edges casually, their small hooves finding purchase easily.

Atop the cliff, only visible if one stood against the barrier and looked up, two very young goats were beginning a precarious journey downwards, following what appeared to be their mother. The sign next to the exhibit proclaimed that female cliff goats had horns as well as the males, though the females' tended to be smaller.

One of the young goats appeared trapped on a ledge, perched on the very edge and bleating miserably. The mother looked back once, then looked out at the visitors' barrier, unconcerned. The other kid was in front of her, peering in an opening in the wall.

Realizing his mother wasn't going to help him, the stranded kid craned his neck out towards her ledge, bleating again. One tentative step and then a shakey leap, and he'd made it to the far ledge. The mother turned to lick his nose once then moved forward, descending to another ledge.

OOCNot really sure where to go from here... Let me know which animals you'd like to visit and we can do a tour

[Lacerta]

~|--|~ Lacerta leaned on a nearby rail as she watched the cliff goats hop around their massive abode… it was certainly the biggest she’d seen so far. There was a full scale hill in the enclosure, and it made her wonder… where in the world had it come from?! It would have taken either some serious work to create, or a very skilled earth Reimancer… though it would have been incredibly hard to make, especially so…. Detailed. Maybe someone used reimancy to create the wall, then masons had come in and carved the jagged ledges. Still, it was a complex construction for something so simple. She appreciated the hard work they’d put into making this little group of goats so happy… She spotted one group of goats on the ledge, a mother and two kids. One of the younger kids was seemingly stuck on a ledge that the Eth wouldn’t have been able to hold onto for her life… it amazed her how easily it stood on the crevice. It was bleating sadly, wanting to get the attention of its mother. The goat seemed either oblivious or uncaring to its child’s dilemma, causing the sailor to pity it. Poor thing was stuck. She almost wanted to call out, and get it’s mother to help. However, her aid wasn’t needed as the little animal took a chance and hopped forward to the next ledge, and landed neatly. Lacerta had taken a breath at the movement, almost expecting the goat to fall… but it didn’t. The trio was fully reunited and moved forward on their fake cliff, hooves walking nimbly on the rocks. They honestly reminded her of the Okomo of Lhavit, with their ways of moving. However, their coats were a plain white, rather than colorful, and their horns weren’t made of the translucent material known as Skyglass. Overall, they weren’t as beautiful or large as the Lhavitan creatures (which were rideable), but they were still amazing all the same. She was actually jealous of their climbing ability, and their full blown balance, even on near-vertical surfaces. After staring at the goats a little while longer, she continued on, wanting to see what other wonders the menagerie would hold. OOCFor animals… Maybe something water-related, if they have them? Cranes? Or those Syms that the menagerie apparently has ~|--|~

[Magpie]

The last exhibit before the corridor split was wide and flat, half taken up by flat rock and low grass, and half filled with water speckled with tall reeds and lily pads. Sunlight shone down slantingly from a large window pane above. Inside the exhibit was stillness, and the residents blended easily with their surroundings.

The sign said “Herons”, birds common to the water around Riverfall. Amongst the roods, a single white bird stood sentinel, long beak tucked back under its wing as it balance in the water on one reed-like leg. In the stillness, the bird could be faintly seen to waver back and forth with its breath.

The stillness of the water was broken from the reeds behind it, and as ripples echoed through the water, another white head lifted with a wriggling silver fish caught in its long gray beak. With a few slight tosses of the beak, the fish was angled along the length of the beak, and in another toss, it disappeared into the mouth.

The heron at the front awoke with the motion of the water, first lifting its head from under its wing, then looking back at its fellow. Finding nothing interesting about the white head lowering back behind the reeds, the heron settled its other leg down into the water. In a slow motion like an early morning stretch, its feathers slowly puffed up, and the heron gave itself a firm shake, and let the feathers fall back into place.

In a sign of complete peace, the heron lifted one leg haltingly back up to its body and tucked its head back under its wing, eyes closing as soon as it was settled.

Outside the exhibit, there were signs over each avenue the corridor continued in. To the right was a set of closed double doors, through which one could see another set a few feet in. The sign above them said “Bird Dome”. To the left was a single door leading to another corridor, with an ominous looking sign labeling the exhibits, ‘Enemies on the Grass’. The corridor was dark, and while birds and people could be heard distantly chattering in the bird dome, there didn’t appear to be anyone visiting the exhibits on the left.

[Lacerta]

~|--|~ Lacerta spotted the next exibit, and stopped before it in interest. Inside was a beautiful white bird… a heron. They were water birds, and quite common in Riverfall. Still, a lack of rarity made them no less magnificent. The first one she saw was sleeping, one leg up and head under wing. It looked quite peaceful there, and remarkably convenient, a perfect display for any passers-by to examine. While she was perfectly content to watch this one sleep the day away, a movement caught her eye, making the Eth glance up. Another bird stood there, this one very much awake. It seemed to have caught a fish, and was attempting to force said creature into its long beak. The tool actually looked quite useful for catching fish, as the heron could still observe from above the water as it grabbed for it’s chosen meal. However, it was seemingly hard to get that food into its belly, and after three or four throws the bird managed to get the fish to slide easily into its beak. The first heron awoke, drawing the sailor’s attention away from its companion. It carefully settled the other leg onto the ground, seeming much more stable than before. It had looked like it could fall over with a tiny gust of wind. It stretched, in a birdlike way, ruffling its feathers and causing them to stand on end. Its curving neck looked quite elegant, from such a close distance, though vaguely odd with the feathers all awry. These, however, settled down, returning to their normal places and leaving the bird looking smooth and clean. Quietly and calmly… the heron returned to sleep. Wondering vaguely where the fish earlier had come from, Lacerta glanced around the nearby area. There were two available corridors… with two completely different signs. One reminded her of the last exhibit, calling itself the ‘Bird Dome’. She could easily hear the calls of its obvious residents, singing and screeching to and fro. The other, however, was a little more mysterious and spooky, lacking any sound at all. ‘Enemies of the Grass’ it read, making the Eth wonder what kind of enemies were housed there. Zith? Those were certainly enemies. She was unfamiliar with the region, preferring to stay on the watery sea rather than the grassy one. She knew birds well enough, and decided to go somewhere with creatures she could barely guess. Anyways, she could always head back and visit the bird dome afterwards, as long as she retraced her steps. It wasn’t that easy to get lost in a place like this. So, mind made up, the musician turned left, down the path to the ‘Enemies of the Grass’. ~|--|~

[Magpie]

Shisha had never known much other than the Menagerie exhibit she was kept in. Narnis, the other female, used to tell her stories of the Outside, where one could look in any direction and see forever; a place where meals needed to be caught, not taken from the bowls that slid in through the side door. Shisha remembered trying to escape through the food door once, but all she could recall of the outside was a hard stone floor and a harsh beating.

Narnis was gone though, and Shisha’s last memory of her was her clutching at her belly, swollen with child, as the Keepers pulled her out of the exhibit. Now Shisha was the only female. A baby was delivered back to the nest shortly after, as though Narnis herself had taken another form. The squalling thing was with Ves now, slumbering with Ves, the male of the exhibit.

Shisha could not see the sign outside her exhibit labeling her as one of the deadly Symenestra, and that she was the first of two massive exhibits in the hallway. The dark, wide room she lived in resembled a cave hung with hammocks and walkways of spider silk. A large teardrop of silk, big enough to encase a man, hung suspended against the left wall, and glowing opalgloams dotted the ceiling. There was a small fountain to the right side, and a pair of inset caves stood open in the back of the exhibit like hollow eyes.

Shisha herself lounged in one of the silk hammocks, half facing the front window. Watching the people who moved there helped pass the time and she’d long since discovered how to manipulate the crowd in a subtle way. The more she moved around, always in the fluid grace that she’d learned from Narnis, the more the people stayed to watch. If she flashed her claws at them, argued with Ves, did anything of even remote interest, they stayed. If she lounged silently, plucking her claws along the cords of silk, they looked for a moment and then moved on. If she and Ves squeezed into the suspended silk room together, she could see through the small peephole that people did not stay longer than a moment. The silk room was barely big enough for both of them though, so these precious times when they could not be seen were few and short.

That day had been slow, with few coming to their window. Shisha willed someone to pass by, anyone to pass her time.

[Lacerta]

~|--|~ Lacerta turned around to the next exhibit, pausing before the glass wall. It took her a few moments to realize what the occupants were, even after reading the sign. Her jaw stiffened as she tried to work out her opinions on this. She didn't like Symenestra, especially after passing by their home city once on her way to Lhavit. She'd heard little, and had really, really needed supplies... she'd underestimated the distance. She'd restocked, and considered pausing for more than a night, but changed her mind. She'd developed a two-sided opinion of their 'harvests' however, after seeing both points of view... even with little on the positive side. She didn't disagree with their banning from Riverfall, it was safer for everyone. However... Menageries were for animals. Syms were not animals, however much they resembled spiders. They didn't belong here, trapped and stuck in such a small space. The Eth's hands were clutched tightly behind her back as she stared, trying to decide what to do. Should she leave and pretend it never happened? Find that Akalak again and speak her mind? No... that probably wouldn't work. Frowning for a bit, she at least tried to pay some attention to the occupant that she could see. She raised a hand and waved slightly, like she would to a human. "Hello" she muttered, really to herself, wondering if this was the best course of action. ~|--|~

[Magpie]

Shisha ran a finger up and down a length of silk that helped support the hammock she was sprawled out in, one foot hanging out of it and swinging slightly. When a visitor moved into the view of the glass, she forced herself not to sit up in attention. The newcomer was not one of the tall men, the ones like the Keepers with colorful skin that liked to taunt her and Ves from the other side of the glass. This one was just as tall, but thin like herself, and pale. Her paleness was different though, warmer somehow with her golden brown hair and delicate horns. The girl reminded her of a ram, another mythical being Narnis had spoken of from the Outside.

The two regarded each other for a moment, and Shisha was surprised to hear a muffled word. It was neither angry nor sneering, and Shisha made the quick decision to pursue this line of interest. Twisting in her hammock, she moved spider-like upwards, extending her long limbs to pull herself towards the pathway of silk that ran close to the glass. In a languid moment, she was lounging on her side in front of the glass, just a head above the visitor’s already tall gaze.

”Hallo.”

She could never perfectly imitate the visitor’s language, and was even worse at the guttural mess the Keepers talked amongst themselves with, but she knew enough to understand what was being shouted at her. Narnis had even called her clever, once.

”What are you?” Curious to find this visitor’s connection with rams, she tilted her head as she lay, looking curiously at the pair of horns so close, but forever out of reach of her touch.

[Lacerta]

Lacerta's eyebrows lifted in surprise when the Symenestra approached, and returned her greeting. She'd half assumed that the spidery woman had been raised in the Menagerie, and therefore had no knowledge of language. Would listening to conversations all day long give you the knowledge? Had the Sym learned from another, not born in Riverfall? Or was she actually from Kalinor? She mused over the questions, trying to work out the most logical answer... before remembering she could simply ask.

The Eth was brought out of her thoughts as the Symenestra posed the first question... the one she'd heard over and over again. 'What are you?' So many people were confused by her horns, her height, or - in the evening - her arms. "I am an Ethaefal," she replied simply, pausing to check the woman's face for any kind of reaction. There was a possibility the Sym knew of the race... but it was a slim one. It would have saved her the explanation, however.

"A... well... celestial race, the children of Syna and Leth. In my case, Syna in particular." She sincerely hoped the Symenestra knew who the two gods were. She wasn't going to bother explaining the shift between day and night, since the musician saw no point in that. The woman would never see her as an Eypharian, and it was even more complicated and confusing than her horns.

"Where are you from? Kalinor?" she asked, voicing her earlier question. This conversation had quite the potential to be interesting, and Lacerta wasn't about to let it go so quickly. She was still upset about the creature's imprisonment, though... however much a cruel race they were. Zith... fine. But Symenestra weren't as bestial, in her mind.

And I will answer.

[Magpie]

OOC :

Sorry for the delay, but I was working on…this! The Symenestra exhibit now has its own little writeup on the Menagerie page. More to come, but I wanted you to at least have something to look at on who you’re interacting with.

“Eth-ay-fell.” Shisha repeated slowly, tilting her head as it was propped up on a hand. It was a new word, and she logged it in her mind as a label for people with horns. “Syna and Leth… Is word… Parents?” The Keepers had an odd fascination with family and Shisha had known, well before Narnis had informed her, that they wanted to make one of her and Ves. There lay terrible danger in that though, and she had the shuddering, awful memory of Narnis’ belly, swollen and hard, before she disappeared and was replaced with the baby Golgo.

She gave a slow look over the female on the other side of the glass, trying to categorize what she could. The Ethaefel was taller than the Kontis, the kindly healers that sometimes attended to she and Ves. Shisha liked them, and hoped the Ethaefel was kindly too. Could the pale skin be linked to gentleness? Her own skin was pale as well, but she wasn’t sure if she could consider herself gentle.

The dark, colored skin of the Keepers was such a contrast that it was easy to associate with their loud, rough demeanor. Shisha wished she could see the Ethaefel’s hands. Were they the thin, webbed hands of the Konti, or the tough, hard hands of the Keepers?

The Ethaefel’s question startled her out of her observations and her eyes narrowed as she searched her memory for that word – Kalinor. It had something to do with the mythical Outside, something Narnis had seen and Ves claimed to remember. Was it simply another word for Outside? “I am from…this. Here.” Claws flashed in the dim light as she indicated the cave behind her. “You are from…Kalinor?” Experimenting, she hoped using the new word herself would generate discussion on what it actually was.

[Lacerta]

It was a little disappointing that the Sym didn’t know who Syna or Leth was, but… you couldn’t have everything. Stuck in a cage all day, how much could you learn? Random gibberish from visitors only taught so much. Still, at least the woman had the capability of speech and language. Maybe there were other Symenestra there? ”Syna and Leth are gods,” she explained in a kindly tone, hoping in the sun goddess’ name that the creature before her knew what a ‘god’ was. That would take a lot of explanation. ”The goddess of the sun, and the god of the moon,” she added.

The Sym’s lack of knowledge of Kalinor meant she was probably raised in the Menagerie. Lacerta shuddered to think what kind of life it had been, stuck in a room all your life. She’d had a particularly long life, but had always spent it travelling… except that time in Kenash. She had memories of isolation, solitude, and the dark then… it hadn’t been pleasant. The atmosphere had been much worse, though, and she was used to being alone, with days and days on the ocean with only Syna and Laviku to keep her company.

Now was another moment for teaching. ”Kalinor is the city of your kind. Of the Symenestra. It’s big, and underground, with caves and webs… it’s hard for people who can’t climb to get around.” By ‘hard’ she meant she hadn’t bothered. Namely because she hated the underground place where Syna couldn’t touch, but also because… it was kind of creepy. However, the spidery race seemed to enjoy and thrive in the set of caverns.

The Eth pursed her lips a little, moving her hands so they were clasped before her rather than behind. What wouldn’t this sheltered creature understand in the explanation? City? Even though she was in one, she’d probably never seen Riverfall around her. The other words were basic, and hopefully had been taught by others who’d come… even the possibility of other Symenestra who’d lived with her. ‘Cave’ and ‘web’, mainly. ‘Underground’ could be figured out from the combination of words.

And I will answer.