Completed Crossing Paths (Ceira)

[Tsaba]

Tsaba hadn't actually expected her question to be answered, and certainly not in quite so dramatic a fashion. As the beast began to glow, she wished she was still using her Auristic sight... but it was too late to worry about such things now. It was working some sort of magic, and Tsaba knew that she should run. She should definitely run. Magical animals that attacked in the middle of the night could not possibly be good news. But it would catch her. And even if it didn't... did she want to spend the rest of her life trying to figure out what the petch she'd just witnessed? So Tsaba waited. Only when the beast's form resolved itself into a more human shape did she understand. "Ah," she said. "You are Kelvic." She hadn't had that much to do with Kelvics on the whole; there'd been Arvan, of course, but her hadn't been easy to communicate with, being somewhat goal-oriented and... well, lacking in traditional communication and logic skills. He had told her enough to identify the Kelvic and understand what that fluctuation was in her aura, but that was about it. Kelvic psychology, or physiology, or culture -- if they had a culture -- were outside the realm of her knowledge. "I'm a Nuit," she explained, in response to the Kelvic's question. "A dead person. The rot is a result of a... climate problem I've not managed to resolve yet." She frowned. "Interestingly, you are the first person to be able to smell it. Most complain of the preservatives holding it at bay. Is your sense of smell particularly keen, perhaps? I am called Tsaba, by the way," she added, realising that she was getting a little off-topic. "Why did you attack me?" Only after she'd finished speaking did it occur to her that the Kelvic might have been trying to insult her.

[Ceira Everwood]

38th Day of Summer, 513 AV "Ah, you are Kelvic." Aha! And we have a winner...! Ceira had to suppress a mocking grin at this statement, she had hoped the lady would have guessed, it was quite obvious after all. Did any other race have an animal form she didn't know about perhaps? Her tail shook slightly as she now felt this lady wasn't as much of a threat as once thought, but then again, she still didn't even know much about her at all. Her curiosity was still around, but she held herself at bay - she wouldn't pry as much since Ceira knew that she wouldn't be as open to anyone who tried to stick their nose into her own life. "I'm a Nuit. A dead person. The rot is a result of a... climate problem I've not managed to resolve yet. Interestingly, you are the first person to be able to smell it. Most complain of the preservatives holding it at bay. Is your sense of smell particularly keen, perhaps?" Ah, well, that explains quite a lot. Ceira tried not to smell in her general direction, she'd already had a shock once today and didn't want to experience that stench again. And whats this about a climate problem? The air around here is fine, sure, its a little chilly, but other than that its great. A frown creased her forehead as she mulled this over, it was a lot of information to take in at once, Preservatives? Why would a Nuit need that? Ceira decided she would ask later if the chance arose, but let it go for now. "Yeah, I guess you could say I smell better than most, comes with part of the deal with being a canine." Allowing a crooked smile to grace her face, she was about to introduce herself to the Nuit, but it seemed as if she beat her to it. "I am called Tsaba by the way. Why did you attack me?" Ceira stopped her musings immediately, "Well, I guess now that I have a name I can stop calling you lady now!" Letting out a chuckle, she considered how to exactly tell Tsaba what started the chase. She hit me a damn pellet - thats what! And she made me lose my dinner! Well... Thats my fault too, I should've just held onto it tighter... But still! She kinda did help me lose it. In a roundabout way. And then I decided to scare her for the fun of it. No that won't go down well. I could always lie... Nope. The truth. Ceira always tried to be honest, unless it was absolutely necessary or she had to hide about something important, that is. She decided that she will try to soften the truth a degree though, she hated when people felt bad about themselves, as it often caused her to feel regret or pity - even when it wasn't her fault. "Attack? I wouldn't say that... More like a mild terrorisation? Anyway, lets just say that your shot, as beautiful as it was, didn't quite hit the mark you were looking for." Ceira shifted her hair slightly to show a light red mark on her hip, ignoring the now-faded marks on her back. The area where the shot had hit didn't hurt anymore, leaving only a small faint circle behind. "But, when you disturbed me, you made me lose... actually, nevermind that bit. It doesn't matter - long story short, I decided to scare you off. Deal with it." She ended abruptly, deciding last minute not to say anything about her lost meal, it was her own silly mistake anyway. Glancing back at Tsaba, she added her own introduction to the mix. "Well, enough about that - It's in the past, right? Either way, i'm Ceira. Pleased to meet you, but I'm not so sure if that would've been true 20 chimes ago." Ceira's crooked smile only grew larger at this. "And I probably should add that I'm sorry, for the misunderstanding of course. Though I thougroughly enjoyed the chase. I haven't had to run after something in a long while, thankyou for giving me the opportunity to practice." "So what are you doing out here at this bell? I saw the slingshot - heck, the darn thing hit me - but it's night, not quite the best time to be practicing without much light. You got something to hide?" Ceira didn't mean to sound so accusing, but rather it was her inquisitive nature taking a hold of her once more.

[Tsaba]

"I'm sorry," Tsaba said as the woman indicated what could only be a pellet injury given the context, although Tsaba couldn't actually see it in the half-light. It couldn't be that bad, as the woman seemed mostly offended that she'd been hit rather than upset by the injury. That was good. Tsaba might not be able to reliably hit a target, but anybody who got in the way of an extremely fast lead bullet was probably going to have a bad day. The bush must have taken the brunt of the attack before the bullet bounced back onto her. "I'm a little new at the sling," Tsaba added, unnecessarily. At least her attacker seemed to be in a much better mood, now that she'd had a chance to scare her. Her focus sharpened when the woman suddenly changed topic in the middle of a sentence. "What did you lose?" she asked. "I should help you find it, if I am the cause." But the woman did seem dismissive of the whole thing. And she'd definitely managed to scare her. Both of the Kelvics that Tsaba had been acquainted with were... odd. She was pretty sure that a human's response to getting accidentally hit with a pellet would not be to suddenly attack, break off, and then make friendly conversation as if nothing had happened. Well, a child's might. And Arvan had basically been a child, despite looking like an adult. Perhaps this woman was too? Ceira. The woman's name was Ceira; Tsaba committed it to memory as she bowed her head politely. "Also pleased to meet you, Ceira. Well, now. The meeting was terrifying." There was absolutely no point in pretending that she hadn't been scared. "I doubt I made very good sport for you though; being light on my feet is definitely not one of my skills. As for being out so late... there's no mystery beyond my dislike of the heat. It is cooler at night, so that's when I decided to come out and practice. I did not expect to run into anybody else out here." She briefly considered asking Ceira what she'd been doing, but that could be a little invasive. "I am not yet at the point where high visibility is a factor in my sling practice," she admitted ruefully. "Anything I have any chance of hitting is big enough to be easily seen in the moonlight. You wouldn't secretly be a master of the sling, I suppose?"

[Ceira Everwood]

38th Day of Summer, 513 AV "I'm sorry." Ceira heard Tsaba mutter an apology, though she only acknowledged it with a tilt of her head. What could she say in return? She definitely wasn't going to say 'thankyou' or 'anytime,' because that wouldn't be the case. Tsaba continued though, asking about what she lost and if she could find it. Ceira ignored this statement, what was done is done and she honestly wanted to forget her failed kill - that vole was probably long gone by now, living it up in its underground hole. And even if I did tell her, what would she do about it? I doubt she could fit through that tiny hole, though that would be a funny sight to see... She sniggered quietly to herself, Hell, maybe I should tell her just to see what she would actually do. But her pride rose to the surface once more and she kept quiet, not wanting anyone to know how she lost her snack. "As for being out so late... there's no mystery beyond my dislike of the heat. It is cooler at night, so that's when I decided to come out and practice. I did not expect to run into anybody else out here." Well that makes two of us, I definitely didn't expect to get hit by a damn pellet, nor did I expect to meet some Nuit with hygiene issues. Ceira was once more tight-lipped, she sensed that Tsaba hadn't finished yet, though she couldn't help but think that her explanation made sense. She had no ulterior motive, well, not as far as Ceira could tell - and she seemed genuine enough. Then again, looks can be deceiving. "I am not yet at the point where high visibility is a factor in my sling practice. Anything I have any chance of hitting is big enough to be easily seen in the moonlight. You wouldn't secretly be a master of the sling, I suppose?" Ceira nodded along, Well, that explains why she's... um, inadequate, with the sling. Though, a small part of her admired the girl for her practice, Tsaba seemed like she wanted to better herself somewhat and Ceira could see that in a respectful light. Though, she couldn't keep quiet much longer and let out a round of guffaws, Me? Master of the Sling? This girl must've knocked her head a little too hard when she fell! She tried to get herself under control and, after a few moments, she managed to look at Tsaba with a straight face, albeit, she wavered slightly. "Well, having never used a sling before, I guess you can say I'm quite the master." Ceira let sarcasm once more seem into her tone as she rolled her eyes, "Then again..." She inspected her nails, cleaning a little bit of grime that managed to slip underneath, "I've never had the need for a sling, not when you could always use your claws... or teeth." And my dagger, though I can barely use it. Heck, I would cut myself if I ever tried to wield it - not that she needs to know that. Grinning, Ceira exposed her slightly elongated canines. "Though to each their own I guess, a weapon is a weapon, be it the claws you were born with or the sword you forged. As long as you can use it to get the job done, who am I to judge how you go about it?" Ceira went back to examining her nails, "Everyone has their own tool, even if you don't know it yet. Some take time to find a particular weapon that suits their needs, or take to one like a fish to water - others can also be their own weapon. You'll get there eventually." She blinked hard then, not realising that her little speech had turned into somewhat of a pep talk. She didn't think that she needed to give the girl some encouragement, heck, if anything she needed to get the girl a teacher so she doesn't walk out in the night and hit other animals - ones that may not be as friendly. "Either way, I'm not what you're looking for. I cannot teach you how to use a sling. You're going to have to find someone else. I'm sorry, but all I'm good for is target practice." At this, Ceira tried to lighten up the mood, not wanting to continue her thoughtless ramblings. "So, want brings you to Zeltiva? I hope its not to find more people for your sling practice, I doubt many would be welcome to actually getting hit. Are you passing through or do you live here?"

[Tsaba]

Tsaba laughed. "My own teeth would not make incredibly useful weapons," she admitted, baring them. She knew that at least to were missing, torn from her mouth when she used them to rip a bandage off her arm while trying to prevent blood... ichor... poisoning. That whole scenario had been extremely stupid, and entirely her own fault. The other teeth should still be in place, but she knew that it would not take much force to remove them. Biting people probably would pose more risk to her than anybody else, given that she did not heal. "I admit, I am not really much of a weapon person. I chose the sling because I needed some sort of skill to defend myself, should the need arise." In Tsaba's experience, every need arose eventually, especially if you had unlimited time to experience things in. "I intend to travel eventually, and thus I must learn how to survive. The sling is cheap, relatively simple, and does not involve getting close enough to an enemy to be stabbed. But I prefer not to fight, on the whole." Tsaba had been raised in a healer's hut. She'd seen enough injury and death. There was no need to create more of it. "As for Zeltiva, well, I live here. I study at the university." Suddenly, she frowned, fixing Ceira with a sharp look. "How about you? What are you doing out here alone at night? You're not trying to get away from somebody, are you? Are you in danger?"

[Ceira Everwood]

38th Day of Summer, 513 AV Ceira nodded along with Tsaba's explanation of her choice of 'weapon,' she agreed with her, it was cheap, simple and you didn't have to be up close to use it. "But I prefer not to fight, on the whole." At this statement from Tsaba, Ceira had to disagree somewhat, she understood that violence was not the answer, well, it wasn't one of the answers. She didn't go looking for trouble, but if it came knocking on her door, then she wouldn't waste precious time trying to talk them out of it - she doubted she could in the first place. Then there was also the issue of the other party, who's to say they would take any note of what she said? It seems that sometimes, violence, or 'taking action' as Ceira liked to call it, was the better path to take. Or at least the most practical thing to do in some situations. I mean, there's what Tsaba said, self-defense and all. If someone takes a hand against me, I am not going to stay still and try to talk them out of it or tell them to stop. I'd much rather kick them where it hurts... or even run if I have to. Ceira frowned at this, she hated running, she believed it to be cowardice and often beat herself up if she did. Though, running had saved Ceira's life before. At this thought, the scar on her shoulder, hidden by her hair, throbbed in remembrance. Yes, at the end of the day, survival is important. Be it flight or fight, you cannot always trust people to have your back. Even so, she believed that she would one day she would find someone to have her back, she saw it almost everyday in her travels - whether it was from people helping others with small, unselfish deeds or large an unanimous acts of camaraderie. "How about you? What are you doing out here alone at night? You're not trying to get away from somebody, are you? Are you in danger?" Ceira stopped for a moment, thinking this over. Tsaba had come close to the truth, but no way was she going to pour her life story out a random stranger that she just met. Even if she seemed like a good sort of character. And, even with the horrible stench that surrounded her. Ceira was indeed trying to get away from somebody, well, not 'somebody', but a couple of people in general. Ceira was at first running away, but that had changed. She now didn't see it as escaping anymore, but rather, using every bit of distance she put between herself and Ravok as an excuse to explore. She loved travel, the way she could be nomadic in the way she wandered the land. It almost didn't seem like Ceira was running away from home... But she wasn't going to tell Tsaba that. "Well, I love to travel, experiencing the culture of a new town or place is exciting... Exploring, investigating and uncovering small nooks and crannies of a different life..." Ceira stopped, realising she was babbling on and starting to get off topic. She had basically given out her generic and cover-up answer that she always used whenever someone asked her about her past life, although it was a modified sort of truth. She left out any parts of the story that may suggest that her being in danger was the reason she left her home in the first place. I doubt danger is following me anyway, its been nearly two years. I'm not worth that much effort. "Besides, change can be good every once and a while." At this, Ceira stood up, brushing some dust off her skin. She was stark naked, not that she had a problem with that, though she hoped Tsaba didn't mind her lack of clothes either. That would be a very awkward conversation, even if her hair was long enough to hide behind. "Now, I must go continue what I was doing before I was... disturbed." Ceira started to walk off in the direction of the tree and the shrubs, but as an afterthought she called back to Tsaba. "If you really wanted to know what I was doing out here, you're more than welcome to take a look with me."

[Tsaba]

Tsaba's own eyes lit up (well, as much as Nuit eyes can) when Ceira started talking about a life of exploration. That was, after all, why she had left home... left Sahova; it was what had energised her, what had driven her to the mainland, the university, her friends. And on those days when she realised that she could simply sit motionless until her body decayed to nothing and there would be nothing to stop her from doing that, it was the desire for knowledge that she latched to to pick her up and send her to the library, or the proximity of another, or out of the city to practice her sling. It was a fire that could light any soul; living, dead, and apparently including Kelvic. It was purpose. The act of life was the act of learning from and interacting with one's environment. So long as she had that... And seeing whatever the Kelvic was up to counted as knowledge. So she rolled to her feet and followed Ceira back towards the tree, almost tripping on her own lead bullet as she did so. "You're a traveller," she murmured. "You must have seen a lot of things, a lot of places. I don't suppose you would like to tell me about them?"

[Ceira Everwood]

38th Day of Summer, 513 AV Ceira had arrived at the tree once more, finding it easier to see where she had originally hidden the trap from the broken sections of bush she had broken through in her pursuit of Tsaba. Ducking under a low-hanging branch, she crouched at the messed up and loosened snare. She eyed the hole that the vole had escaped to with a dark glare. I dare you to creep out of that hole you petching rodent. See if you get hit by a lead pellet. Hmph. Reaching over, she grabbed the wires that was her disassembled snare trap, she was about to re-connect the trap and 'load' it up again before she was interrupted by Tsaba. "You're a traveller. You must have seen a lot of things, a lot of places. I don't suppose you would like to tell me about them?" Pausing for a moment, Ceira mulled this over. She wants me to tell her about my travels? It wouldn't hurt I guess... As long as I keep it brief. She grew up in Ravok, though she didn't know she really wanted to remember the experiences and her old life there. Though when she... left, she managed to make her way to Nyka, only through luck and the few lessons her mother had taught her about the Wilds. Nyka was an experience in its own right, having a completely different system to anything she had seen before. "Well... I grew up in Ravok, that place up north with the rivers and canals, that city they established in the middle of a god-forsaken lake. Confusing as anything I tell you, you could get lost in minutes." I know I did and that turned out horrible. "I guess the best way to describe that place would be... Erm... Lively, but at the same time isolated. It didn't help that my parents were the distant sort of folk, I didn't make friend's often, even then it was hard to maintain any sort of a friendship." At this Ceira frowned, thinking of another aspect she could talk about. Should I mention the slave markets? That an important part of their culture... But would it be too revealing? She suppressed any thoughts of her twin, re-focusing on what Tsaba asked about. Ceira decided to approach the subject lightly and with caution, in an attempt not to give too much away. "There were alot of slaves in Ravok, there was some that trailed their masters as guard, others did the odd job here and there." She didn't mention how some had scars, downcast faces and signs of mistreatment, not all of them did though. You could always tell the difference between what 'type' of slave a person was. The ones who were used for more... personal reasons, they were treated with a higher degree than the labourers or the household slaves. "I didn't like slavery, to be quite honest with you. Neither did my family..." She stopped, thinking that she went too far and how she'd rather not talk about it at all. "I've been to Nyka, petch - that place gave me the creeps. Its a nice place though, but it seems like all the creepy-crawlies come out at night." A round of shivers rolled up Ceira's spine in memory, Nyka was a very strange place. "One guy in a bar told be about this story of how he had lost control of his body...I forgot what he called it... The Fog? The Haze? No... Um, the Mist - I think. I'm not too sure, it was a while ago when I heard this story. Apparently he lost control of his body, ran straight into a wall. Woke up with a lump and a half on his head!" She frowned at this, she didn't believe him until he showed her the large bruise on his head. He had definitely ran into something. "I can't say that it was a horrible place though, It had a unique culture, each district specialised in a specific area or lifestyle. Interesting, to say the least." Ceira smirked at this, fiddling with a couple of sticks next to her snare, before continuing on. "I'll have to admit though, I felt a weight drop off my shoulders when I left, I'd like to go back one day, but that won't be happening soon! And now, I'm here in Zeltiva. I'm sure you know what its like anyway, you've experienced it yourself!" Her grin widened as she remembered what a punch this port-side city packed, a frown overcame her though when she thought about why Tsaba wanted to know this. So she asked just that. "Why did you ask me about all of this anyway? Are you going to tell people this or something?" Ceira's eyes narrowed, she didn't want many people to know much about her, she thought she had done a pretty good job of leaving out anything concerning her bad past in Ravok. She was no storyteller, but even she knew that her story had huge and noticeable gaps in it. She fiddled with another piece of wire as she thought, once more wondering why Tsaba inquired about her travels.

[Tsaba]

Tsaba couldn't focus completely on both Ceira's activities and her words, but it quickly became clear that she was just fiddling with wire, so she prioritised words. Which was a good thing; her fanciful story of a city within a lake was definitely worth listening to. She didn't have paper on her to take notes, so she carefully committed to memory anything she found interesting enough to explore further later. City in a lake. Kelvics live in family units. Do they tend to be 'distant' of is that a peronal trait? A lot of slaves in Ravok... "You don't like slavery?" Tsaba frowned as if Ceira had just declared that she disliked the colour of the sky. It wasn't that she had any particular attachment to slavery; she did not like or dislike it. It just hadn't occurred to her that it was something that people could have an opinion on. She'd noticed the lack of slaves in Zeltiva, of course. She'd chalked it up to some sort of economic quirk, like on Sahova, where the role of 'slave' could be filled by golems or lab technicians or test subjects. She'd have to ask around. Maybe this not-liking-slavery was a common thing. Maybe people didn't have slaves in Zeltiva because they'd arbitrarily decided that they didn't want to. "It this a common opinion?" she asked Ceira. That would be weird. A bit like walking into a city where everybody sang all the time because they'd just decided that they didn't like talking any more. Tsaba knew nothing about Nyka, and wanted to know more, but she knew that if she interrupted Ceira at every sentence she'd simply come out with less information overall. She made a mental note to look it up later. "Oh, I couldn't really tell people, I didn't properly record the story," Tsaba said in answer to Ceira's vaguely accusatory question. "I would like to interview you, though. Properly. I'm planning on learning as much about the world as possible and your experiences could be helpful." She raised her hands to forestall any objection. "I can avoid recording your name anywhere if you like, and leave out anything you want me to. But it is good fortune indeed to encounter somebody so well travelled." She eyed the wire that, even to her untrained eye, could only be some sort of trap. "Besides, if my suspicions are correct, I believe I owe you dinner."

[Ceira Everwood]

38th Day of Summer, 513 AV "You don't like slavery? Is this a common opinion?" Well, that is an easy question. Ceira thought, making up her mind instantly. Did she hate slavery? Absolutely, with every fibre of her being - she loathed it, detested it even. Her mind flicked back to an image she had shoved deep into the recesses of her mind; bars that were dark, thick and black. Placed in front of her, blocking her off in a small and narrow space. The weight of a collar circled around her neck, it wasn't choking her, not physically, but rather burned at her pride. Shaking her head, Ceira broke the image and thrust it far into the hollows of her mind, locking it in the deepest niche possible. Don't think about it... Don't think about it... Taking in deep breaths to calm herself, Ceira answered Tsaba, though she skirted around anything that could trigger more memories. "Do I hate slavery? Simply, yes. I do. It's wrong on so many levels, its degrading the way some people can treat others like dirt and then turn around to somebody else in an instant and show respect. Just because one is deemed a slave and the other a free man." Ceira gritted her teeth, before continuing. She tried to keep any form of anger out of her voice, even so a little bit of a temper could be heard. "To answer your second question... Well, I don't know. You already know my opinion, but for other's you would have to ask them. I know some people are for and against it, heck, some are indifferent and ignore the whole issue altogether. But, you'd have to get into their minds to actually get a 'common' opinion." Ceira shrugged, dismissing anything else to do with the subject, tonight had brought along some memories that were better left alone, she wanted to move on and at least forget them for a little while. "Oh, I couldn't really tell people, I didn't properly record the story. I would like to interview you, though. Properly. I'm planning on learning as much about the world as possible and your experiences could be helpful." At this stage Ceira was indeed going to refuse, she didn't want to risk any other bad thoughts surfacing - especially whilst in the presence of a stranger - and she didn't like the idea of anyone knowing much about her. She liked being a mystery, since the less people knew about her, the less they could use against her. Although it seemed like Tsaba was already aware of this, as she instantly squashed any chance of Ceira refusing to partake in the interview. "I can avoid recording your name anywhere if you like, and leave out anything you want me to. But it is good fortune indeed to encounter somebody so well travelled. Besides, if my suspicions are correct, I believe I owe you dinner." Ceira considered the proposition, Tsaba seemed to be really interested in her experiences and where she had been - the anonymous identity she could place on anything she said or recorded would be most welcome as well. I doubt anyone is even looking for me anymore, even if they somehow came upon her writing, who's to know it was me? Besides, if she could help the woman beside her, she would try to as it was a part of her nature. Once more, she pondered the decision, weighing up in her mind. Finally, she came to an answer. "Alright. On the condition that it is to be kept anonymous." Giving a nod of her head, Ceira shifted her attention back to her failed snare, finally focusing on reloading it once more. "Dinner, you say? Well, that is tempting..." She twisted around, giving a sidelong glance towards Tsaba. Is she trying to sweeten the deal? Hm... I guess its settled. "Dinner it is then." Turning her back away from the Nuit, she finally managed to hook the snare up suitably, though she explained it to Tsaba, who seemed interested in the trap also. "So, pretty much this wire is meant to catch the animal." And thats about all she knew about the various parts. Heck, she didn't know how to set the traps up right - there were alot of things that she stuffed up and tonight was an example of this. She finished tying off the snare, carefully backing away so as to not set it off again. She would come back to check on it tomorrow and, hopefully, it would have something in it. Maybe a nice Vole would do the trick. As long as it stays still this time and lets me kill it quickly. "So, when did you want to do this interview thing anyway?"