A New World; A New Life (OPEN)

[Ardra Mallaidh]

Fall 54, 510 AV

Ardra felt slightly awkward as the eyes of the people of Avanthal followed her around. Having so many people watching her wasn't something she was used to. Why did they have to stare at her? Was there something wrong with her, or were these people not used to her own kind? Maybe it was her lack of clothing because she noticed that anyone she saw was layered in clothes. Was that how people dressed here? What a strange choice; aren't they uncomfortable with so many layers? Bringing her finned hands up to rub her arms, she used friction to heat her skin up to keep her skin from frosting over. It wasn't the cold that bothered her, but the fact that if her skin froze over, she wouldn't be able to breathe. Moving through the city streets, she began searching for a place in which she could warm up and possibly get a drink, not wanting to get too dehydrated.

[Cheshire]

OOCPlease put a Timestamp on your post. It looks like this:
Timestamp: Season # of day, 510 AV

Training for the younger Icewatch bears was over and Breyvin could not get out of his barracks fast enough. He loved his position in the city as part of Icewatch but he was a kid and he wanted to spend his days outside in the snow. He wanted to play and hunt. Sadly that was saved for creatures that aged slower than him. Although his animal mortality was longer than most kelvics he still needed to be trained before he got old. He needed to be battle ready whenever someone needed him. There was no child's play for the cubs of Icewatch. Breyvin practically scampered into the frozen streets of Avanthal. He wanted to head over to the Coolwater shop to buy a fish for lunch. He was very hungry from all of his training. He was currently in his human form and sniffing throughly at the air. There was a new scent in the breeze! It smelled like a fish but more… delicious! "Time to get my lunch! I'm gonna get that new fish before any of my brothers and sisters can!" Breyvin pulled his coat closer around him and run down the streets. He was in such a hurry that he slipped a few times in the snow. He had never been the most graceful polar bear. He was unwilling to be deterred from his meal by a few slips and falls. He pushed on and continued to sniff at the air. "Mmmmm, it smells so good. I wanna eat it so bad!" Soon the bear's little adventure brought him closer to the center of town where a odd looking woman was standing. She looked like a big fish. Breyvin's brown eyes grew large and his mouth watered. "That is the biggest fish I have ever seen!" He sniffed at the air and walked forward until he bumped into the woman. He sniffed at her and licked his lips. "Boy did I get lucky today. Free lunch." He smiled at the woman. He did not see her as a sentient being, he just saw her as a big walking meal and he was hungry.

[Ardra Mallaidh]

Ardra was thoroughly startled by the boy who had run up to her, staring at her with hunger in his eyes. She wasn't quite sure how to react to his words, not to mention the fact that they confused her. "Free lunch?" She asked curiously. Getting anything for free was a rare occasion, no matter where you came from, but why would this boy come running up to her saying such a thing? “I wish you good luck in your search for free food.” Subtly moving away from the strange land-dweller, she quickly sped up her pace, moving through the crowd. Were people always this strange above the water? This new world was strange to her and so were the people that lived in it. It almost made her miss Charbosi and its inhabitants. But she just couldn’t stay cooped up and not explore and learn; be ignorant of the world outside of hers.

[Viktor]

Viktor was taking the day off from training, and had decided to shadow one of the newer bears, a clumsy little cub by the name Breyvin. He had a habit of getting into trouble so he took it upon himself to keep an eye on him. He picked up a strange scent in the air, like fish, but... different. A split second later and the cub had caught it too and was off like an arrow towards the source. He had to refrain from laughing out loud at Breyvin's awkward strides and frequent fumbling. As they neared the center of town, his height revealed the source of the odd aroma before the younger bear saw it. "What in Morwen's name is that?" He muttered under his breath as he hurried after. He heard the young kelvic mentioning something about free food and he was suddenly very glad he had decided to follow him. He strode up alongside him and placed a hand on his shoulder, sizing up the Charoda. He had never seen one before, and knew nothing about them. He shook his head and laughed, before speaking in common in the hopes that the figure before them could understand him, even with the accent. "I'm sorry, I think my little friend was thinking you are food." He said with an awkward laugh, after all, that wasn't something you heard every day. He then turned to Breyvin, "She is not fish. She is a person too". Again, today was shaping up to be a unique experience. He turned back to what he thought was a woman and gave a slight bow. "I am Viktor, and this hungry little cub is Breyvin. Please, do not let his stomach ruin your first impression of our city." He said teasingly. He handed the cub a pair of silver mizas with instructions to go buy some fish that didn't look like people. Once he had run off, he returned his focus to the newcomer. "Unless your people are immune to the cold, I would recommend that we go to the local tavern, I could show you if you like." He offered, willing to put any questioning aside until later.

OOCViktor grabbed Breyvin, not you

[Cheshire]

The woman was a person? Was this possible? The woman was a fish! Breyvin's nose never let him down ever. He looked up at Viktor and then over to Ardra. "Vik, I'm confused. She looks like a fish, smells like a fish, she has to be a fish! My nose never lets me down!" Breyvin looked up to the elder bear although in truth they were only a few year apart in age. Breyvin looked at the lady and wished that he could have had at least a taste of her before Viktor came over and stopped him. Of course if Viktor had stopped him from eating her there had to be a good reason. The young bear smiled at Viktor and scampered off with the mizas. He wanted to eat the fish woman but now he had money to buy his own fish. He ran off without even thanking the bear or saying good bye to the fish woman. He was still very hungry and the hunger was only getting worse.

[Ardra Mallaidh]

The young boy's advance was quickly cut off as an older, taller male stepped forward, his large hand grasping the boy's shoulder to keep him in his place. When he appologized to her and spoke to the adolescent about how she was a person and not food, she understood what the strange, young boy's intentions were. He had wanted to eat her? How could he have mistaken her for some common fish? Wasn't it obvious that she was a Charoda? Ardra's confusion was as obvious as Breyvin's as he questioned Viktor about how she looked and smelled like a fish. "I have the characteristics of an aquatic-being. Fish look like fish because they live beneath the surface of the water. Charoda too live beneath the water, so would we not have similarities shared between us and the fish?" The answer to the boy's question came out automatically, something that wasn't an unusualy occurance. Though, while others would find her randomly spouting facts and answers strange and wierd, Ardra was proud of her intelligence. "Your city is different from what I am used to, but it holds beauty in its uniqueness. And the uniqueness of its people make it a beautiful city." Ardra spoke, her pale lips curving up into a smile as the boy scampered off for some food."I am not bothered by the cold, but I fear if I stay outside much longer, ice will begin to form over my skin. Shelter would be most wise. I would enjoy your presence and company seeing as I do not know this city." Speaking in Common Tongue was quite awkward for the Charoda. It wasn't that she didn't know the language and couldn't understand it; no, her intelligence wouldn't allow that. But she was so used to speaking Char that she really couldn't speak as if she were herself. The singing language in which she was used to had each individual's uniqueness to it; the feelings behind the singing and the words were more important than the words themselves. So how could she convey the same meaning in a completely different language? This was just one of the many things she had set out to learn. The world outside of her home was so foreign and strange, but she needed to know everything there was to possibly know and maybe this kind man could help answer some of her questions.

[Viktor]

"I am glad you like Avanthal already, Though I doubt you have seen the half of it. Still, first thing is first, let us get you warmed up." Viktor extended his hand in the direction of the tavern before beginning the trek towards it alongside the stranger. "He hasn't learned to think with his human side most of the time yet. Oh, I should explain, Breyvin and I are Kelvics, that is, we are animals that can turn into humans. While most kelvics you will find here are polar bears, I have heard it is possible for a kelvic to be any kind of animal. That is why he thought you were a fish." He explained, hoping that he have covered it well enough. "So you said you are a Charoda? I have never heard of them, or if I have, I do not remember. I never was the most apt learner." He admitted with an embarresed shrug. "Then again, as a member of the group that defends this city, all I really needed to know was how to keep tell the good people from the bad people, and how to keep those bad ones out." As they arrive at the Crystal Cavern he held the door open for the Charoda before entering as well, closing the door behind him. He broke away for a moment to get a pitcher of water and a pair of glasses from the bartender on duty, then turned to find where the newcomer had chosen to sit, or stand, or whatever people that usually lived underwater, but now were out of water did. The whole situation was confusing, but he tried his best not to act like a complete idiot. He approached, setting the glasses down to pour each of them some water. "Well, is there anything else you need? I'm not accustomed to such, unique circumstances, but I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the city and her inhabitants." He offered, along with one of the glasses.

[Ardra Mallaidh]

A Kelvic? She had heard of such creatures: animals wearing the skins of humans, but she had never met one. And now she knew WHY the boy had wanted to eat her. She was extremely lucky that Viktor had come along: Ardra preferred to negotiation for getting herself out of a situation instead of fighting. And it wasn't a surprise to hear that the Kelvic did not know of her species. There weren't many species who remembered who the Charoda were seeing as after the Valterrian, they were forced back into the sea by the Myrians. Ardra's dark lavender eyes focused on the human polar bear, examining him. It was quite obvious he was a warrior; the way his body was built and then there was the way he held himself. Her thoughts, however, were put on hold as they entered the tavern. The man left to go and get something to drink and she looked around the cozy building, trying to find a comfortable place to sit and rest. The eyes of everyone else who also sought shelter within the tavern, focused on the Charoda, much to Ardra's discomfort. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to reside within such a public place. All of the stares made Ardra's skin crawl, but thankfully she spotted an open seat in the very secluded corner and she made a bee-line for it. She herself had just taken a seat when Viktor came back and sat down, placing a large cup of water in front of her. Immediately her hand shot out and she gulped down the entire glass in only one swig. She made no sound as she gently placed the glass on the table top, her eyes refocusing on the man."Thank you for the drink. Getting dehydrated would not be beneficial at a time like this."For the first time in a while, the Charoda laughed, the sound musical and light, filling the expanse of the room."Your city is beautiful and i can't imagine others trying to conquer or destroy it. It's much more peaceful than others places I've briefly visited. I myself haven't spent much time on land. I've found that many people are not accepting of others different from them."The Charoda's face grew saddened at the thought of how she had been chased away the few times she had ventured out from the water."Why do people do that? Why can they not accept those who are different?" [/color]

[Viktor]

Viktor casually refilled the glass from the pitcher as though that was a common occurance, because if you substituted the water for a stronger drink, half of the regular faces here could easily down a glass just as fast. Her laughter had a light and spirited air to it that he found very similar to the sound of voices speaking in Vani. At the mention of people being less than hospitible he turned to scan the room, and much to his dismay he saw most of the faces hurrying to turn away. "You have not met the majority of the people here. We do not get very many visitors for the same reason that we do not get invaded, no one wants to make the trek through the harsh landscape. Most people welcome strangers with open arms, after all, if the goddess Morwen allowed them to survive long enough to reach our gates than who are we to shun them?" He said, rubbing his temples with one hand in mild annoyance towards the idiots she had encountered. "As for the stares, forgive me for being blunt, but you do stand out quite a bit. For most people you are the first Charoda they have seen, ever. Trust me, give it a little time and you will be treated like any other person here." He explained, sitting back in his chair and knocking back half of his own glass. "Besides, if anyone gives you trouble, namely anymore cubs wanting to eat you, tell them Viktor found you first and decided you didn't taste very good." He said with a mischevious grin and a hearty laugh. He finished off his glass with another swig and stretched his arms in the air with a slight grunt before settling back into his chair. "So, what brings you here to the land of frozen everything?" He joked. Even when he got down to the business of questioning newcomers he found it was alot easier when he kept the mood light.

[Ardra Mallaidh]

As Viktor explained to her of how most people here were very open and hospitable, she gave him a small smile."It seems that the harsh enviroment of the North breeds strong willed and strong hearted people. Honestly, I'm not surprised that no one has seen a Charoda. After the Valterrian, my people returned back to the water to ensure our survival. Most of us are scared to return to the surface, fearing that we'll be killed, but I guess I'm too curious for my own good." Now that she was growing more comfortable with the Kelvic, Ardra was falling back into her normal habbits; her "hair" twitching and moving behind her, her webbed fingers tracing circles on the surface of the table. Laughing lightly as he told her to tell anyone else who gave her trouble that Viktor said she didn't taste good, her smile revealed her pointed, razor sharp teeth."Thank you for your kindness. To be honest, I was just trying to find a safe place to come ashore. I've been traveling north for awhile and when I saw the boats and pier, I was surprised that people lived this far up."