Solo Dusty Feet Walking New Paths

[Asha]

Summer 1, 514 Asha padded wearily through the Amaranthine Gate and into the city proper. Her journey from the Spires had been long and arduous. Her black, furred body was still healthy but she was thinner than before her journey had begun and her fur dull with dust from the long climb up to the peaks of Lhavit. The aches in her muscles were soon forgotten as her eyes feasted on the beautiful city vista before her. Her gaze was drawn along huge, arched buildings with magnificent, glittering domes that blinded her when they caught the sunlight. A kaleidoscope of beings bustled along the pathways that she could see. Humans dressed in layers of eye-catching red, purple, and gold and Asha spotted the glitter of jewelry on the arms and necks of women all around her. Plenty of the humans that Asha gazed at were looking right back at her. Small children gaped their mouths and pointed at the jamoura woman as they tugged on their parents’ clothing. Asha began to feel a bit of discomfort as she drew more odd looks and decided it was best not to linger any longer. Asha’s feet padded slowly away from the Amaranthine Gates and further into the city. Her steps were hesitant and worry pulled down the corners of her mouth. She had just begun to realize that she had no idea where to go or what to do with herself now that she had finally reached her destination. She wanted to learn about the city but that seemed easier said then done. “Excuse me?” Asha felt a small tap on her elbow. She turned to find a young human boy edging on puberty staring up at her. “Yes?” Asha forced a small smile onto her lips. Though she was still nervous she was new and knew it was better to show the utmost friendliness to this city’s inhabitants. “You seem lost. Try the Cosmos Center. It was built especially for newcomers.” The boy pointed towards a beautifully carved behemoth of a building and smiled proudly at his knowledge. The smiled faded for a moment as he tilted his head up towards Asha again. “Say…… what are you anyways?” “I’m a Jamoura, from the Spires.” Asha answered and her smiled widened in appreciation of the young boy. The boy nodded a few times before saying goodbye and dashing away. Asha sighed gratefully; hopefully the rest of the citizens here would be as helpful and polite as the young boy was. With newfound determination Asha turned her feet towards the Cosmos Center. Purpose again, even a small purpose, was a relief.

[Asha]

Asha stepped through the elegant doors and into the interior of the Center. She took in the sparse furnishings and felt a bit let down. After the grandeur of her initial view and the glamour of the building’s carvings she had half expected plush rugs and golden furniture to be inside each architectural delight. Well, there were plenty more buildings to be explored. Asha spied several white desks to her right with a helpful looking employee stationed behind each. Most of the employees were busy assisting others and Asha quickly walked to one of the few available secretaries. “Hi, um, my name’s Asha, um, and I’m new.” Asha smiled at the woman behind the desk and she could feel heat enter her cheeks in embarrassment of her nervousness. “I don’t really know what to do here, I’m sorry.” “Don’t be sorry! Everyone is a little confused when they first arrive. Lhavit is a big city but you’ll find a place here soon enough! Now, what can I help you with?” The woman’s smiled warmed Asha and her thick, red hair shook with emphasis of each word. “Well, I suppose I should figure out my money situation first. What kind of currency do you use here?” Asha asked and her chest fluttered hopefully. “We use the kina in Lhavit. We can exchange any coins you have here in the Cosmos Center.” The woman pulled out parchment to track the potential exchange. “Excellent, in that case I need some mizas exchanged.” Asha dug out a pouch from her backpack that clinked as she moved it and set it down on the desk before her. It took only a quarter of a bell for the fiery-haired woman to count out the coins, hand Asha an equivalent number of kinas, and obtain the jamoura’s signature on the transaction. “Have you thought of were you will be staying here in Lhavit?” the woman asked and Asha felt surprised and a little sheepish that she had not thought of that issue before. “Um… no. I hadn’t really thought of it yet. I don’t really know what the arrangements are like here. What are my options?” “I would recommend the Solar Wind Apartments. The rates are good, the rooms are clean, and its popular with visitors. I can draw up a monthly contract and provide you with a key and directions.” The woman pulled out yet another piece of parchment. “That sounds excellent, thank you.”

[Asha]

“A simple room is 3 kina a month. The rooms are furnished but since you are getting a simple room don’t expect luxury. Here, let me draw you a little map.” The woman carefully wrote up the contract. At the bottom of the contract she quickly scratched out an outline of Lhavit’s peaks with X’s to mark the Cosmos Center and Asha’s new destination of the Solar Wind Apartments. Asha scrawled her name where the woman pointed and with satisfaction rolled up the contract and carefully tucked it into her backpack. “Why don’t you get settled in for a while and come back when you are ready to find some employment?” the woman smiled widely as both she and Asha stood. They made their goodbyes and in a few moments Asha found herself standing outside the Cosmos Center and facing the city landscape once more. Her feet led her to the edge of the path where she could stop a moment without being in the way of other passersby. Asha pulled the contract out of her backpack and looked over the crude map the friendly secretary had drawn her. The trip to the Solar Wind Apartments did not look terribly far and, though she was nervous at the prospect of diving into the heart of the city, she knew exploration was the only way she would become familiar with the layout of Lhavit. Asha’s eyes were glued to the beautiful architecture that soared around her and the glittering and colorful people that moved around her and stared back with as much interest. She could not begin to guess what marvelous happenings occurred inside each glittering-topped structure or to what profession each colorful citizen claimed. The city was a mystery that delighted her and each step brought a new and dazzling sight to behold. According to the drawing Asha was walking around the central peak of Lhavit. As she progressed through the area she noticed that it had been shaped into terraces with beautifully decorated steps leading up and down between the levels. She traveled up and down the terraces as she tried to find the Solar Wind Apartments and while she seemed unable to find her destination she did see many sights that excited her. Each sighting brought the promise of new and wonderful knowledge and though her feet hesitated on the path she forced herself to continue on, inwardly promising that she would come back. The list of places she wished to return to grew longer and longer and she doubtless she forgot some as newer and even more tantalizing activities tempted her attention. At long last she chanced upon a building with a sign denoting it was the Solar Wind Apartment. Asha longed to explore the city longer but the ache of her feet and the soreness of her over-stimulated eyes and mind made her grateful to have reached a place where she could rest. Drawing forth the key to her new room she proceeded into the building to begin settling into her new life in Lhavit. She did not know how long she would stay or what she would get out of her time here, but that hardly mattered now. She had finally made it.

[Asha]

Closing the door behind her, Asha surveyed her new home. The furniture was simple but elegant and a breeze from the open window kept her cool in the summer warmth. The bed appeared quite solid and sturdy but Asha was still slow in sitting down to be sure it would accept her bulk. Her eyes traveled around the room without focusing on anything in particular and the corners of her mouth began to sink. Now that she was sitting here in what was to be her new home she felt the first sharp tendrils of doubt and homesickness claw at her. Now that she was here, what was she going to do? Would she meet anyone that would show her around the city or be kind to her? When would she see her beloved Spires again? Did her family miss her yet? Asha’s throat tightened and her heart began to beat faster as the questions in her head clamored for answers. With a sigh, she mumbled ”Caiyha give me guidance in this confusing hour.” Asha stood and shuffled a few steps towards an open space along the wall. With a turn of her heel she lowered herself down to sit against the wall. She crossed her legs and shifted from side to side as her tight hips warmed and opened until her position felt more comfortable. Asha inhaled as much as she could and exhaled slowly to calm her rapidly beating heart. She placed her palms on her knees, shifted her back to find a comfortable alignment of her spine, and lowered her eyes to gently focus on the floor in front of her. Asha turned her internal attention onto her breath. She followed its path through her body as she inhaled deeply and exhaled fully. Inhale, exhale, inhale, and exhale. Her breath moved slowly and gently as she waited for her mind to quiet and the thoughts of doubt to slowly slip away. Occasionally a sound from outside her window or a particularly nagging thought won her attention away from her breath but each time she gently pushed them away and surrounded her breath with her awareness. Inhale, exhale, inhale, and exhale. She loved the consistency and strength of her breath, she loved the feeling each time she inhaled and her chest filled with air just as she loved how small and empty it felt to fully exhale. She kept her gaze on the floor in front of and her breath continued, in and out. Her day had been full of new things and her mind was swarming with thoughts that cried for attention. Each thought that begged for her awareness was ignored and each breath pushed it further away. Achingly slowly her mind began to empty, each thought slipping away to the dark depths of her consciousness waiting to burst forth at the first slip of her concentration. Her mind finally felt peaceful and calm but Asha continued to focus on her breath and solidified her internal hold. Asha briefly noted that the light illuminating the floor in front of her had begun to change and darken before she closed her eyes and turned completely inward. Her consciousness floated silently with no anchor or roots to hold it in place. Her niggling doubts tried to clamor for attention but again she ignored them and focused on her breath until the doubtful thoughts slipped away. She finally felt comfortable with bringing something into her mind to focus her meditation on. She decided the only appropriate subject for her meditation was the focus of all the doubts, thoughts, and memories that had been causing her anxiety and that was her self. Asha rarely truly reflected and meditated upon herself. In her youthful foolishness she thought she knew everything she could know about herself and who she was.

[Asha]

An image of her physical self bloomed before her mind’s eye. She pictured herself as she was sitting now, her black furred body leaning against the wall with legs crossed and palms flat on her knees. Immediately the background shifted from her new room in Lhavit to her family home in the Spires, surrounded by family members during their group meditation time. Asha forced the backdrop of the Spires to recede and focus solely on herself. She found the task difficult, she pushed away the images but they kept coming. Faster and faster the images came, Asha meditating in a tree alongside her mother, Asha meditating beside her siblings on one of her father’s lengthy philosophical speeches, Asha sitting in group meditation in one of the Spires many quiet gardens, Asha sitting in group meditation at yet another garden…. Asha opened her eyes for a moment to clear the images to remember where she was. After a moment her eyes fluttered closed once more and she chose to keep her focus on her breath. Inhale, exhale, inhale, and exhale. She had to regain control of her mind before she could focus it. Feeling more prepared, she called the image of her body in meditation back to her focus and felt calmer as the background images rushed forward as well. She let them play in a kaleidoscope of images shifting in her awareness. Her body seated in meditation was the one constant. Attending to the images flowing through her mind she realized that every time she thought of her self she thought of the Spires and her family. Her concept of self was deeply entwined with memories of her family and the community she had been a part of. She carried it with her everywhere she went, she held her place in that community like a badge of honor upon her chest and used it to explain herself and who she was. She was a Jamoura from the Spires. Dread and excitement rose up hotly in her chest as she realized what she must do. She quieted her mind and focused on her breath until her emotions were under her control once more and she felt prepared to continue. It was always easier for her to work through internal struggles by imaging physical actions to represent her internal ones. She imagined each of those images of her beloved family and home being connected to the central image of her meditating body by a long black thread. Slowly she considered each image and treasured memory, than imagined the connecting thread breaking and the memory sliding away from her awareness. Each memory was approached with detachment; she refused to allow her emotions and fears to interfere with her internal process. She examined the memory then allowed the thread to snap and the memory to sink into the blackness of her unconsciousness. Each one eventually slid away from her though some were quite persistent and she fought her emotional attachment to each memory. Eventually, she was left with the image of a female jamoura with black fur seated in meditation. She was left with Asha. Who was this person sitting by herself with no family or community to anchor her to the ground? Would she simply float away or cease to exist? It saddened Asha to accept the idea that she did not know who she was outside of her family and home. She wasn’t sure if she could be the same person away from them. Perhaps she was an entirely new being that had just arisen from the ether. Perhaps she only truly lived and existed within the confines of the Spires. That was perhaps the saddest and hardest thought her meditation had forced her confront: that outside of the small dot on the map that she called home, she might not be anybody. Asha opened her eyes from her meditation and was surprised to find the fur on her face damp with tears. Letting go of home was harder than she thought it was going to be. The light in the room was dim. Night had fallen while she had been turned inward. She groaned as her cramped legs protested to being stretched out and asked to her hold her weight as she stood. She approached the window and gazed out on the street near the Solar Wind Apartments. Passers by laughed and called out to one another loudly. Asha smiled as she noticed that the street was even busier then it had been earlier in the day when the sun was bright in the sky. This was a new and strange place indeed, but before where she had felt doubt and apprehension she now felt excitement and motivation. She was beginning to develop a new understanding of herself and how she fit into this vast, vast world. Her memories of the past would always be deeply cherished but it was time for new memories to be made and loved. It was time for something new. It was time.

[Brandon Blackwing]

XP Award! Name: Asha XP Award: Meditation +2 Lore: Cosmos Center: a welcome help facility for newcomers Solar Wind Apartments: simple though comfortable new home Lhavit: glittering city of colorful people Meditation: Confronting oneself Meditation: Letting go of home Meditation: destroying homesickness by breaking connections to memories Notes: A very nice thread, enjoyable to read. You have a nice flow when writing, it made reading really fluent. When I reached the end of the last post I was like “what? This is the end already?” You made me want more, great job! Like you said yourself, this wasn’t so eventful and I couldn’t really figure out what else then the meditation could earn you xp. However, enough stuff to award a bunch of lores. Enjoy. Please edit or delete your message in the request forum, thank you. Questions, concerns or comments about your grade? Feel free to pm me and we will work things out.