Flashback Into Our City (Ceira)

[Ireth Telemnar]

Winter 3, 510 A.V.

Light peeked in through the window shutters. The cries of gulls and pigeons mingled with the sounds of the city awakening. Ireth awoke on the lumpy pallet of blankets that she shared with two of her brothers, Pernn and Ghahindar, the two that hadn't left their parents' house yet. Pernn's breath reeked slightly of alcohol, while Ghahindar muttered incomprehensibly in his sleep. In the corner of their medium-sized NHC room, she could see her mother slumbering soundly. Birine always looked at peace when she slept. Maeraya, the baker, had fallen asleep in the rocking chair again.

Today is the day! Ireth crawled out from between her brothers with extra care so as to not wake them. She grabbed her boots and her cloth pouch from where she'd laid them the night before, cupping the purse so the coin inside didn't jingle. Making her way through the room on her bare feet, she avoided all the loose and squeaky boards of the floor with ease. A single misstep, and her mother rolled over on the mattress. Ireth paused, her blood roaring in her ears. But Birine didn't awaken.

Just before she came to the thick wooden door that lead from her room and into the hall, Ireth paused by her family's table. Small loaves of her mother's rosemary and thyme bread sat on a towel where her mother had left them to cool. To take one or not to take one... A threatening growl from her stomach answered and Ireth scooped one up, making for the door. She turned the knob gingerly and stepped out into the hallway.

Leaning back against the door, the youngest Telemnar let out a deep sigh of relief. She hadn't been caught. Ireth turned to walk down the hall and felt a chilling breeze, there, in the hallway. She shivered nervously and looked around, seeing nothing.

"Thank you Rhysol," she whispered. Maeraya always told her that a chill was the Gracious Lord telling her that her father was better off.

Shaking her head slowly to clear it of the sorrowful thoughts of her father, Ireth pressed on down the hall lit by a couple of candles. One, two, three... She rapped faintly on the fourth door.

[Ceira Everwood]

3rd Day of Winter, 510 AV Tap. Ceira was dreaming, she imagined she was chasing a rabbit on some grassy plains and, unfortunately, the rabbit was winning. No matter how close she managed to get to it, the small animal always escaped. She was just about to catch it when she twisted in her sleep at the light sound on the door. The dream broke, leaving Ceira mumbling incoherent words and phrases as she flipped around restlessly. Hmph? Someone else will get it... Letting out a sleepy yawn, she stilled, in an attempt to continue her dream-filled slumber. Tap. Tap. Tap. Turning over and flicking one eye open, Ceira glared at the door, almost as if she was willing it to quiet down so as to let her sleep. Fine... Doesn’t anyone know the meaning of sleep? Its early morning... Grumbling, she freed herself from the folds of her blanket, rolling off her makeshift bed with a soft thud, being careful not to wake anyone else up. Padding somewhat silently to the door in nothing but a slip, she gripped the cold handle, opening it with a faint creak. “Ireth...? Oh!” Ceira, in her rude surprise, shut the door quickly, before scurrying off to find some better suited clothes. She had completely forgotten about her morning meeting with Ireth today and she felt like an utter fool. Quickly donning a simple shirt, she turned, trying to find her other pieces of clothing.Where are my pants? Ceira dropped to the floor and spotted them under a small cabinet, crawling over, she grabbed them and dragged the material towards her. Trying to hurry back to the door and put her legs through the pants at the same time, she tripped over something, landing on the floor with a loud thump. Ouch... What did I hit? Ceira took a glimpse under her and saw a pair of brown boots, she hated them, as they covered and restricted her feet. yet her mother always said she had to wear them whenever she went outside. Today was not the exception, so she slipped them on - however uncomfortable they were. I swear... One of these days I will just tear them up and be done with it! Glancing about to make sure no one was awake, Ceira rose to her feet carefullu in an attempt to not fall again. Jeez, I guess i’m lucky everyone is a heavy sleeper... Ceira finished doing up her pants before checking her pockets for some loose change and, upon finding some, she once more unlocking the door. “Sorry!” She whispered to Ireth across the hall from her and let out a sigh of relief as she shut the door gently behind her. Phew... Safe. Ceira grinned at Ireth and had to stifle her voice, trying not to laugh in the hushed hallway. “So, are you ready?” Ceira asked Ireth, trying - but failing - to hide her excitment for today.

[Ireth Telemnar]

While she waited for the younger girl to get ready, Ireth leaned against the wall next to Ceira's door and thought. This was hardly her first trip into the city alone, far far from it. Ireth had grown up in this beautiful floating world, and she liked to think that she knew the streets almost as well as the Ebonstryfe did. Perhaps the reason that she was a little nervous was that she'd told neither her mother nor Maeraya nor her brothers where she was going.

When at last Ceira came out, Ireth pushed off of the wall. Ceira asked if she was ready, and Ireth nodded. "Yes, lets go before one of my brothers comes looking for me" She gave a wary glance down the hallway at the door to her family's room, but it didn't stir.

Leading the way, she tried to step lightly down the wooden hall in her brother's old hand-me-down boots. Ireth walked down the hall and down two flights of stairs to the ground floor, then out a door and onto the Nitrozian Plaza. At last she began to settle down, trusting that Maeraya was not about to stick her head out of the window and yell across the Plaza at the girl.

The gulls and the pigeons cooed and called and cried over one another. The air was just warm, and the sun was still working at making it over the horizon of the Lake. Ireth resisted the urge to dance in a circle.

"Ceira, we couldn't have chosen a better day for this! I'm so happy to be out of that room, its incredible to feel the wind again. I swear, if Maeraya keeps me locked up in that little room for too much longer, I'm gonna run away to somewhere awful! Like Syliras!" At this last statement, she stuck her tongue out and made a rude gesture, knowing it was all in good fun. Maeraya had been god-sent to the Telemnars.

[Ceira Everwood]

3rd Day of Winter, 510 AV "Yes, lets go before one of my brothers comes looking for me." Ceira just nodded, trying to be silent as she tiptoed after Ireth, though the boots she wore made it hard. She, unlike Ireth, wasn't as worried about anyone coming after her, as her parents were already used to her wandering ways. Ever since she had started to crave exploring, her parents had given up on trying to restrain her. She had already strayed from her place next to her parents as soon as she was old enough to know where she was going and many a time they had stressed out trying to find her again. Though when they realised this was futile, they just set some basic ground rules and left her to her own devices. Continuing to follow Ireth, Ceira kept close to both the older girl in front of her and the wall beside her, in an attempt to hide as they walked through the corridor. The gentle thud of their footfalls was one of the only noises that could be heard, though this started to change when they left the building entirely. The sounds of early morning Ravok were heard, with other early risers starting to drift out of their homes to get a start on whatever errands or work they had for the day. "Ceira, we couldn't have chosen a better day for this! I'm so happy to be out of that room, its incredible to feel the wind again. I swear, if Maeraya keeps me locked up in that little room for too much longer, I'm gonna run away to somewhere awful! Like Syliras!" Lettin out a yawn, stretching as she did so, Ceira had to agree with Ireth. "Uh-huh!" The weather was pleasant today, being just right for a day out in the city. She thought about the last bit of Ireth's rant and had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the imaginings of the other girls mind. "Sure Ire - Go ahead and run all the way to Syliras. Oh! Just watch out for all the dangerous beasts and monsters that live out in the Wildlands! Wouldn't want to be eaten now, would you?" Ceira had already learnt the ways of sarcasm from an early age and she paired it with the light banter she exchanged with Ireth. Yet, when Ireth spoke of Maeraya, the eldery baker that ruled Ireth's household with an firm grip, Ceira couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy and sorrow for Ireth. The older girl had been her friend ever since she had moved into the NHC room down the hall and she knew of the stressful situation that went on in Ireth's room. "Hey... Ireth? How's your mother doing? Is she getting any better?" Ceira instantly felt the mood shift in the air, but she couldn't do anything to fix that. Instead, she decided to just stare at the grey cobblestones underneath her feet, the colour matching the now somber atmosphere. Ceira had regretted asking instantly, thinking that even though Ireth was her friend, she shouldn't have poked into her personal life, but she hoped that Ireth knew that she was only trying to be nice.

[Ireth Telemnar]

Ireth's pace slowed a bit as they rounded a corner off of the Plaza and headed down the street toward the middle of the city.

"My mother... She's fine. Ya know, same old stuff. She was calling my father's name again last night though... Kept me up for three bells." She shook herself and threw her shoulders back, standing straighter. "And today is for him. Thank you for coming with me. That means a lot. We'll have fun, I promise. We, my father and I, do this... well, we used to do this all the time." Ireth led her friend along the wall of another NHC building, dodging the people as they went on their ways. A street dancer in a skimpy red dress made fluid movements representing a story about Rhysol's love. Ireth could tell the slaves apart from the citizens by the chunky bejeweled collars around their necks. And there were others: dockworkers and fishers and sailors on their way to the Shipyard, Ebonstryfe on the lookout for thieves and trouble, women venturing down to the canals with vases and bowls for water for their families.

Ireth struggled to get her mind off of her mother, the strong and beautiful woman that had raised her being turned into a suffering child. It hurt Ireth more than she'd ever let on.

She took a deep breath, and continued to lead Ceira through the winding streets of Ravok. Where the canals offered a straight shot to anywhere, it sometimes took a while to get between the districts on foot. Still, Ireth knew these ways well, having gone into the Merchant's District plenty of times with her mother and her brothers.

A gloomy cloud still hung over the girls. Ireth knew it wasn't Ceira's fault, the girl was genuinely worried about the Telemnars. Ireth was happy that her friend cared, but it still stung a little.

[Ceira Everwood]

3rd Day of Winter, 513 AV "My mother... She's fine. Ya know, same old stuff. She was calling my father's name again last night though... Kept me up for three bells." A worrying look overcame Ceira's face, her own feelings twisting with sadness, sympathy and the faint vestiges of guilt. She didn't really mean to dredge up these dark emotions, but she honestly was just looking out for the wellbeing of her friend, making sure that she was ok and that she wasn't going to crumble anytime soon. She felt guilty that she couldn't do anything to help her Ireth either, she could only comfort the poor girl - something that she wasn't very good at. Never had she been able to share or express delicate feelings, much to her disappointment. "And today is for him. Thank you for coming with me. That means a lot. We'll have fun, I promise. We, my father and I, do this... well, we used to do this all the time." "Anything, anytime. No matter what, Ire. You know that!" Reassuring the older girl once more, Ceira kept her eyes on the cobbled stones that paved the streets of Ravok, ignoring the hustle and bustle of the early morning rush. Her head was bowed as she thought about the somewhat painful reason the pair were out in the city today. They were on a mission of sorts, feeding the pigeons was something close to Ireth's heart and ever since her dad... Well, she planned to make it up to her. The small sum of money in her pocket was a great deal more than just a bit of currency, it was a way to make Ireth happy. And if Ire is happy, i'm happy. Ceira glanced sideways at Ireth, noting the tension that still lingered between them. And its all my fault... Stupid! Stupid! Her frown deepened as she mentally berated herself for her careless words once more, You just had to go and blurt it out, didn't you? After a couple of seconds, the heavy silence that weighed upon them was getting to Ceira, she felt obliged to say something to break it, but didn't want to risk the chance of making it worse - something that she always seemed to do. Spying a bridge that crossed a wide expanse of canal, a thought quickly came to Ceira's mind. The bridge itself was made of light grey stone, with a few iron-wrought lampposts that were interspersed across the sidelong railing, the flames that lit it had long ago been extinguished. The water that swept underneath the structure was a deep and murky green, a few bubbles could be seen floating along the surface, similar to the boats that also travelled on the waters of the canal. "Hey, Ire! Watch this!" In an attempt to cheer up her friend, Ceira ran towards the nearest lamppost, using it to support her as she hoisted herself up onto the stone railing. Grinning widely at Ireth, she kicked her feet up in a small jig, before deciding to climb to the top of the lamppost. Looking back now, it was a silly and dangerous idea. Whilst her feet scrabbled for purchase on the bottom of the pole, her hands gripped the top in an attempt to pull herself up, although, just when she thought she had found some support on the lamppost, she slipped and lost her footing. "Ah!" This caused her to swing out, the violent force of this making a scream issue from her mouth and for her to lose her grip on the top of the pole. Suddenly, Ceira felt the brush of the air on her back as she fell away from the bridge.

[Ireth Telemnar]

Ceira called out to her, and Ireth shook herself from her depressed state. Jerking her head quickly, her face lit up brilliantly at Ceira's antics. She watched the girl dance like a fool atop the wall.

"Oh Lord, Cei. Be careful!"

Her cheer quickly soured though, as she watched her friend being to climb the lamppost. Ceira didn't do too poorly, and got a few feet up from the wall before she began slipping. It took a couple of ticks before Ireth got over the shock and began sprinting across the bridge.

But before she could reach the post, Ceira lost her grip on the pole and fell back, into the canal.

Or so Ireth thought. When Ceira disappeared from her view, Ireth paused in shock. But then, in her subconscious, she registered that she hadn't heard a splash. No splash? How did that work?

Pushing herself forward again, Ireth jumped up and leaned over the wall, her stomach on its top and her feet not reaching the bridge. What she saw made laughter bubble up from her belly and her eyes crinkled with the smile.

"Oh brother. Way to go Cei!"