Closed Eye Of The Beholder [Riyk]

[Gilva Snowsong]

23, Summer, 514

Today, was a new day. A day to be spent away from the strange occurrences and chance meetings that Gilva had been experiencing. A day where he could get away from his few successes and numerous failures. Today, he just wanted to celebrate the fact that he was still alive. Although he tried not to think about it much, he still very much felt bad about the atrocities that befell his family at the price of a new life. They died, so that he could live. For once, he wanted to escape that burden and just be a normal guy.

Being a person well-versed in the arts, he had been exposed to a variety of locations. But now, he wanted to go somewhere new, where he could be someone else. He heard rumors of the Zatoska bath house being a place of relaxation for visitors. Perhaps a nice bath would be the refresher he needed. It would certainly give him some peace of mind, and he would truly be free from everything that has constricted him, whether it be his clothes, the law, or simple cultural beliefs.

Getting there from his cottage was a relatively short walk. Though it was a bit confusing for him to find out which building it was specifically. If he hasn't asked for help, then he never would realized that the bath house was in such an old looking building. There was nothing about it that made it distinct. But once he stepped inside, a warm breeze suddenly wrapped around his body. Once he inhaled the air, he knew that he had found the place that he was looking for. It had a welcoming vibe to it, which was greatly complimented by the soft music that was being played by the man on the flute. When he reached the assistant in the main lobby, he wasn't particularly sure what he wanted.

"Hello sir, can I interest you in the classic bath perhaps accompanied with a cup of tea and a towel? Or for the more modest taste, we also offer private rooms for bathing for a higher rate."

The idea of being alone appealed to the boy, but when he looked around he noticed the lack of patrons in the general bath. Not to mention, he was beginning to fall short on mizas. In an effort to conserve mizas, as well as the current atmosphere, he talked himself into surrendering his gold mizas and to enter the public bath. Because of his status as a foreigner, he wasn't particularly sure of the rules of the bath house. He would have asked, if not for his pride. But he thought it would have been silly if he had entered the bath with pants on, so he simply dressed down into his undergarments and entered the water between two pillars. It was only a bit warm, but due to his acclimation of Avanthal temperatures, the water seemed to be scorching hot. Strangely enough, he liked it.

"I guess Zeltiva isn't so bad after all." he mused.

[Riyk]

Her muscles literally ached, throughout this whole day all Riyk has been able to go hunting. Either it was from walking all day or sitting in the same tree. Eventually she made her way down to the Bath House. When she was offered a private a private bath she ran the price through her head. Sure she had the money but was she going to use it on a bath? Sighing, she was to tired to beg the assistant for a better price. “I'll just take the public bath.” After she got to the woman's changing room she stripped down to her white undergarments and made her way out to the steaming pool. The white looked rather good on her body and gave her more curves.

There was another boy in the bath house. A smirk was lightly on her face as she found he was attractive as well. Hesitating at first she stepped into the water, although in Talboa their water was warm and even sometimes hot this was steaming hot. Giving into the heat of the water it felt better than she really expected. It soothed her muscles almost instantly. Since she was across from the man she had the vibe that she got his attention.

Slowly she looked at him, her crystal eyes could intrigue a lot of people that were interested in beauty. Her brown hair turned to a dark black as she went under water. Riyk finally felt all of the warmth consume her body and when she came up it was rather refreshing. Leaning on the smooth stones she took in the air and let it out in a sigh. Honestly she was tired of the same routine everyday.

Go out and hunt, take care of Ntoto, finish what you had left of your breakfast, and repeat everyday. Thats where Riyk's seductive personality came in. If she didn't have at least one good night with a man or get the complements and whatever she desired within reason she was satisfied. Especially if after awhile she could leave that city and she what others had to hold. The bath house was filled with a silence. Opening her eyes she spoke softly but with intent, “Are you going to stare or are you going to say something?”

[Gilva Snowsong]

His grey eyes were immediately drawn to the figure as it entered the bath. It was unexpected, though he didn't have a right to complain; after all it was a public bath. It was too bad, perhaps a private bath would have been worth the extra mizas. The person that had entered the bath, was very daring. He had been staring at her because he had felt that she was invading his territory. But for what reason did she have, to peer back at him? Then, her action was completely unanticipated. Her body became submerged in the water. It wasn't long before it came back up.

The steam radiated from her body, a clear indicator that the water wasn't hot because he was used to cooler temperatures, but because it was just that hot. This drew more comfort to the boy, knowing that the feeling of the temperature was possibly mutual. When she opened her mouth, her voice immediately entered through both his ears. The sound was retained and seemed to echo even though she only spoke once. The longer it took for him to respond, the longer it meant that he was still staring at her. A few ticks passed before he finally had the courage to say something.

"Hi."

It was all that he could muster at the time. The entire time, his eyes had been focused on her body. It didn't fully occur to him, that she was watching him, as he watched her. But when the realization finally kicked in, his eyes raised to meet her own. And they were...odd. Never in all of his seasons in Avanthal, had he seen eyes that looked even remotely similar to hers. They looked very artistic, almost as if they were crafted and inserted into her skull. It made him question what emotion she was feeling, for her eyes to look like that.

He waded away from his place between the two pillars, moving ever closer to the woman until they were face to face. He had moved perhaps a bit too close. Gilva had only intended to examine her eyes, but in doing so he had created such little distance that were able to feel one's breath upon the other. Such was the influence of curiosity on the boy. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak again. This time was only slightly better than the first.

"Your eyes. Why do they look as such? What is it that you are feeling right now, at this very moment if I should so boldly ask?"

[Riyk]

Although the water was hot, surrounding her body there could have been worse. The steam reminded her of the mornings when the jungle had a misty tint covering the earth. Not to long ago she had no idea what Zeltiva even was. Not to mention she wouldn't be staying there for to long. Taloba was where she hailed and there would always be a piece of her still in the deep jungle.

Riyk found it funny that all the man could muster was a simple 'Hi.' With her eyes closed she laughed softly. Before she knew it he was a in front of her. When she opened her eyes the pupil was small and then grew, blending the iris with several colors. A effervescent blue mixed with a ocean blue tint around the iris.

Riyk's eyes were very different from the usual Myrian's which they did have hazel eyes but not this bright. Now she was sitting up, waiting for the boy to pose his question. For a moment she glanced at his lips but then kept focused on his. Riyk was purely no good, there was always something brewing in her head. "My eyes?" Suprised slightly she was wondering why that would be someone's first question but she went along with it. "Call it DNA."

Her voice this time was slightly above a whisper. Slowly she serached though the color of his grey eyes, looking for something to read. Thats when she got it. "You must be one of those Vanthas I hear about." Backing up from his face Riyk leaned back on the smooth stone. "Well aren't you far from home."

There was a thin smirk on her face, it was good to know she wasn't alone in this. Well maybe he had actually known what he was traveling to. Unlike Riyk who came here blinded.

[Gilva Snowsong]

DNA. It was such a logical answer. In a way, it was a form of isolation from the self. Gilva's eyes were grey because that was the manifestation of his emotions. That too, was the product of DNA though he would never have claimed it as such. Interestingly enough, the girl had waived away the boy's inquiry about her current mood, which emphasized her preference of logic.

The way that she pointed out that he was a Vantha, was taken as a clear indicator that she was not. But rather than asking about the who, she moved straight to the why. Gilva's purpose in Zeltiva had recently became obscure. Originally, it was to attend school at the recommendation of his parents. But since he couldn't afford it that plan was quickly put on hiatus. If that wasn't enough, the boy was suckered into the temptation of glory. However, he was unable to harness it and ended up coming out for worse. That was one of the reasons he was in the bath house. He still hadn't gotten over his defeat at the hands of the Tuvalik.

"I guess you could say that I left Avanthal to find my purpose. I was led to believe that it was here in Zeltiva. For all I know, it could be here in this very room." He quipped.

Though it wouldn't have been the life he expected. Who would have thought, that his entire family would be sacrificed only for him to not reach his full potential. Instead of becoming more in touch with his natural affinity for the arts, the world was shaping him to turn against his cultural upbringing. Everyone has their own trials and tribulations that they need to overcome in order to grow, but in his case it seemed as if they were too much for him.

Not wanting to think about his predicament any longer, he decided to turn the tables on her. "If it is of interest to you that I am a Vantha...what are you? A Kelvic? And what is your purpose in Zeltiva? Perhaps our paths were fated by the gods to be crossed."

[Riyk]

Riyk would try and get every little detail she could get from the boy's face. Even though she was rather close to this stranger she got closer, examining his eyes as he did hers. It was rather interesting that he opened up to Riyk so quickly. Not many people she knew in Mizahar would actually speak the truth, or at least the half truth. The steam around them could have been considered a jungle worthy thick fog, the heat was slowly becoming bearable on her skin.

Riyk was rather surprised that no one had entered the bath house yet, it was a good time, it would slow down to night before long. As he posed his question there was now a light smirk on her face. She could play this game. "Vantha you say. Well that would explain your interest with eyes." Only to emphasise hers she batted her thick black lashes and then returned to the back and forth conversation.

When she was questioned on her race this was another question she would try to dodge. Of course not many people still thought of Riyk fondly when they found out she was a flesh eating being. Taking in a deep breath Riyk sighed and looked around the bath house, as though to act distracted. “What am, what am I.” Her hand came up from under the water and tapped her chin.

She could have answered this question easily but she was still trying to work her way out of it. Avoiding the question as though it was never answered she laughed softly, “I'm just another traveller.. like the many who wander about Zeltiva.” It was obvious now that this man was very keen with religion. Turning her head back to the boy she asked yet another question. “What Gods do you worship that would lead you to a fate such as this?”

[Gilva Snowsong]

First the girl had established the distance between them for a bit during the conversation. Then she had seemingly changed her mind and closed it again. The boy wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but all of a sudden he found himself noticing things that he didn't before. Before when he was staring at her, he had done so with a lack of intention. It was just the fact that someone knew had appeared. But this time, his eyes fully traced the outline of her body, and he noted the difference between their forms. Her figure was appealing to the eye, but it didn't fully register to the boy that it was because she was a woman. This was all still very new to him.

His eyes trailed back up along her body, settling along her lips just as they curled up into a smile. If they had been further apart, it would have been hidden by the steam. But their close proximity to one another had enabled them to see each other with relative ease. Gilva's head turned to the side as she spoke and to his surprise, he wasn't able to see the desk from earlier. The steam was so powerful that he couldn't fully see the rest of the bathing pool! The only reason he knew that they were alone was because he hadn't heard the sound of the water being invaded by another presence. He faced the woman once more, where his eyes met with hers. They were fluttering at that precise tick, which only drew more attention to them. There was still something about them that he couldn't quite place. Smiles were indicators of happiness, but Gilva was used to eyes being the gateway to one's emotions. The look in her eyes did not fully reflect her smile. What was this unrecognizable feeling emanating from her eyes?

Rather than answering his question directly, the woman had found a way to wiggle out of it. The way she had tapped her chin and looked around at everything except him, it just had to be related to whatever it was that her eyes were trying to tell him. But for some reason or another, the message just wasn't being received. Her soft laugh followed. The body was appealing to the eye, and her laughter and voice were pleasing to the ear. Such things hadn't had an impact on the boy before, but here they were; stealing his attention.

The woman's answer about being a traveler was not the one he had desired to hear. In fact, it was akin to her answer from before. She was isolating herself from simple details that perhaps she deemed too personal. But she was the one who had originally initiated the conversation. Sure, he had done the same in flipping it on her, but she had flipped it back on the boy once more. It was clear that they were interested in learning more about each other, but neither seemed willing to give out too much information about their self.

"That's a good question. I suppose Lhex would have had to have his hand in this, after all fate is his domain. But who would you say? Apart from Lhex, that is."

Hook, line, and sinker. Gilva had cheated and taken the easy way out. By removing Lhex from the possibility of one of her responses, he hoped that perhaps her answer would give him some insight to her race. Maybe her god of choice would be highly regarded in one culture over another. His eyes focused on her facial features, finally observing more than just her eyes. There was a word to describe it, though he had never used it before. Or rather, he never had been in a situation where he had fully understood the word. Whether it was the thought of the word, or just the heat finally overcoming him was unclear. Beads of sweat were forming on his body. To cleanse himself of them, he slowly sank into the water and rose back up allowing them to drip off his body and into the water. All the while, he kept his eyes fixed on her.