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[Drusilla]

31st of Fall The day's work was done and night was starting to fall, Drusilla had already made it to the Aeries and was prodding a fire in the main hall. Her eyes scanned every corner checking for cobwebs. Having people over to visit made her second guess her cleaning. She'd have to check everything even if it was just Khara. She was to come over and pick up some more fabric scraps and help Drusilla celebrate her birthday some how. She double checked everything as she was the one who handles all the menial tasks with the Aeries, from cleaning to keeping fruit stocked along with wine and soaps. Heck, she had even decorated the place leaving it with a Kalinorian feel. All wrapped in fabric. She gathered two bowls of fruit one for then center of the table which was accompanied with wines and water, the teen didn't seem like the drinking type but one never knew... Drusilla picked up the smaller bowl of fruit and headed to what in most Aeries was a second or third bedroom. She knocked on the door, "Kaya, Mother, it's Drusilla. I'm coming in." She quickly made her way into the dimly lit room. "I brought you two some fruit because it's my birthday and I know you would of celebrated it too." Drusilla placed the bowl on the alter-like table on top of which lay the charred remains of Turrin's mother and older sister. She spent some time within the dark room before leaving, "I'll leave you two be now.." Once outside the door she locked it and pushed a bookshelf in front of the door. Some Myrian traditions needed to remain untold and unseen. The Inarta wouldn't understand, she herself hadn't really. But it made some sort of sense as her people honored their dead too. With that task done and the door out of the way, she shook out her sleeves that matched her bryda and vinati and managed to occupy herself with her sewing box, unsure of what the night would bring.

[Khara]

Khara was nervous. Not that that was anything new in and of itself, but this was a different kind of nervous. There was the usual nervousness she felt, the kind that was a strange concoction made of equal parts fear, worry, and self-doubt. Today's nervous though? That was more hope and worry with a dash of excitement. All in all, Khara suspected it was the better thing to be feeling.

Ever since she had first met Drusilla and had agreed to come to the Aerie she shared with Turrin for the Symenestra's birthday, Khara had been trying her best to decide what to bring, if anything, and how best to ask the other two people that Dru had mentioned to come. Zhol had been easy, well, relatively easy. She had suspected he wouldn't exactly tell her no when the girl had brought up a small celebration for the human boy's "sister", but that didn't make asking him to go to such a small social engagement with her any easier. The fact she hadn't managed to actually see him until the evening of the 30th made things only worse. What if he couldn't go? What if he already had plans for that evening? What if it was a horrible inconvenience to ask of him?? In the end she had stammered and stuttered, barely managing to get the words out. The positive reply she had received from him had never been more of a relief.

Azira was another matter entirely. Khara wasn't quite sure what the relationship between the seamstress and the huntress was like, but if Dru had mentioned that she might come, it seemed worth a try. Finding the right opportunity hadn't been easy but eventually Khara had managed to ask, even if it had come out in a horribly timid and somewhat instantly regretted I think she would like it if you joined us, than anything else. Azira hadn't seemed exactly enthused by the idea, and Khara had been fairly certain that the huntress had a good laugh about it later on, but at least the offer had been made.

Which left only the worry over what sort of gift to get. While Khara had certainly learned a great deal about Drusilla from their meeting, it didn't help much in the way of what to buy a person for their birthday. It wasn't something she was used to but for some reason desperately felt the need to do. The girl had been lying awake at night, staring up at the dark ceiling of her room when a thought had struck her. She remembered how Dru had spoken of never having eaten cake before and the reasons behind it. The Chiet was fairly certain there was no good way to liquify cake, but something else perhaps? A passing memory of the mention of over ripe peaches and other fruit that Drusilla was able to eat was considered and by the time the Market Day had come around on the 30th, Khara had made a decision. Maybe it was a bad decision, but much like everything else, it seemed worth the attempt. Khara had begged one of her fellow game scouts who had the day off to pick her up the item from the market. The pie had cost a bit more than she had expected, but the Chiet never really had been one to buy sweets or baked goods for herself.

So it was that after work was over and she had managed to eat a small dinner and grab a quick bath that Khara made her way to the Aeries for the second time in her entire life. It felt strange heading to such a lofty place when she knew the actual owner of the room wouldn't be present, but it was where Dru had told her to meet so she went. It wasn't so bad this time around, though. Not only did she actually have some memory of where to go but the fact she wasn't alone made worlds of difference. It wasn't entirely for selfish reasons though. Khara had grown up in Wind Reach and the Eagle Aeries were still a bit of a mystery to her. She knew Zhol wasn't entirely the most comfortable navigating the warrens still so the offer to meet up with him so they could arrive together seemed to make good sense, even if it was under the guise of, It will be a nice surprise for Dru.

Note for Grader/STCouldn't find any specific prices for what a full pie would go for in WR, but Café Fleurs over in Ravok has them for 2GM. I figure an extra Miza for importing reasons is fair so I've deducted 3GM/Pinions in my ledger but feel free to let me know if it should be more!

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

[Zhol]

|.

Zhol could not have felt more guilty if he'd tried.

He had never been more aware of how empty his hands were. He tried to tell himself that it wasn't his fault: that he hadn't found out about today until it was already too late to go to the market and purchase a gift. He tried to convince himself that had Drusilla wanted him to know, she would have mentioned something yesterday, when she'd visited him at the stables; perhaps that had been part of her birthday celebrations, though he hadn't known it at the time. He tried to put himself in Drusilla's place - he supposed that she didn't know when his birthday was either; nor did Khara; nor did anyone, really. He hid the when intentionally, for a whole variety of reasons; mostly because it never felt like a day worth celebrating. But Drusilla did want to mark the day, clearly.

He'd worried that perhaps he wasn't welcome, despite what Khara had said. While it wasn't a sentiment he shared, he knew that his twin often preferred to celebrate her birthday with others as well, to spend time with her friends instead of being forced to endure the entire day with her brother. The last birthday they had spent together, he had even insisted that she do that, something he later came to regret. Perhaps that was the situation here; this was a gathering for friends - perhaps female friends, even - and because Zhol had been adopted into Drusilla's life as something else, perhaps he didn't fall within that category. He realised that, though Drusilla called him brother, he didn't completely understand what that sentiment entailed: perhaps for Drusilla, the word meant something far different from how Zhol understood it. It was foolish of him not to ask; any awkwardness he now felt was the product of his own idiocy.

He risked a glance at Khara, her assertion from earlier replaying in his mind. I am sure you just being there will be enough of a gift. It was a sweet sentiment, and he hoped and wished it was true; and yet the uncomfortable guilt persisted. It had seemed so reassuring when she had said it before, but then, every time Khara spoke to him, everything else seemed to fade into insignificance. He almost wanted to lure her into saying it again, or any kind of approximation that the misguided parts of his mind could interpret as some sign of her positive opinion of him. It had just been a platitude though, he was sure; kind hearted Khara, doing everything she could to make him feel even the slightest bit better.

With all of that surging through his mind, he barely even had time to consider the gravity of where they were going. This was a part of the city he had never been to; a part where an outsider like him had never even expected to be welcome. Despite his aversion to the Inarta's caste system in general - more for the way it negatively affected the people he cared about than anything else - he could not help but share the reverence that the Inarta felt towards the Endal. The concept of a rider being chosen, and the honour and significance that entailed was perhaps one of the most familiar things about Wind Reach. Granted, a Wind Eagle was a far more complicated and intelligent beast than a Strider, but as someone who had never been chosen by a Strider himself, he understood the significance; he understood feeling inferior to those who had been. With every step, he felt as if the walls were glaring at him, judging him, whispering about how improper it was for someone such as him to sully these exclusive tunnels.

He wondered if Khara felt the same; wondered if it was fair of him to ask if she did, and what she might think of him if she didn't. No, it was best to keep this anxiety to himself; best to seem calm and confident; best not to risk making himself seem even less like the kind of man she might want, even if the notion of him ever being good enough for her was absurd.

He trudged along in silence, trying to think of something to say to end it, and failing utterly. When he finally did manage to usher a few words from his mouth, they weren't the ones he expected at all. It wasn't some witty remark, or some charming banter; it was two short words that expressed his sense of dread as his gaze settled upon the other person he was apparently going to be spending the evening with.

"Oh no," he muttered quietly, feeling his anxiety deepen.

Azira.

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
Dad Thoughts | Dinah Thoughts | Khara Thoughts
...
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

[Azira]

She'd been contemplating going to see Drusilla on her birthday ever since Khara had invited her to take part in some sort of celebration. One chime she'd thought that the next she'd thought that it'd be a had idea. She'd been torn over what to do for days and days. Herself and Drusilla were friends or at least she thought so but then she wasn't all that sure what marked them as really being friends. She'd thought that she'd been friends with Syveris but didn't friends stay in contact? Syv had made no attempts to communicate with her and she had made no attempts either. That had certainly been a short lived relationship. They wouldn't have taken any notice of one another if Syv had punched her in the face when they were Yasi. That was a great foundation. The only friendship that she'd had prior to that one was with Phobius but they'd been children and you didn't act the same way when you grew older so she really had nothing to compare to her relationship with Drusilla. She hadn't caused any harm to the woman but the desire had been there. Were you supposed to want to hurt your friends? Azira hadn't thought so and so her final decision had been that she wouldn't go.

Until the day itself came and she had no luck with hunting. She'd come back early, she'd had the time to go if she really wanted to test the waters between them and she'd chosen to seize it. What possessed her to go all out though was something of a mystery. The huntress actually chose to risk the Tisuma Baths when the majority of the city's denizens were there. It was noisy, it was crowded, it was terrifying but she went anyway. There was a dip taken in the first few cooler pools before she escaped the stares that she was certain were upon her by choosing to boil her skin off in the hottest pool in the place. It had been hot enough to make her want to scream at first but she'd grown used to the heat and had actually been able to relax while hidden away within the steam. By the time she'd emerged from her bath, her skin was red and tingling from her scrubbing and boiling but it had died down by the time that she'd gotten back to her room.

Her hunting garb was exchanged for the simple 'party' outfit that she'd bought with Syveris. It was very plain in her eyes, nothing like the extravagant outfit that Drusilla had been assigned to make her. It looked markedly different than her ordinary clothing. Stained pale green vinati swapped for a cobalt blue one and bryda of a clean black rather than mottled with bits of the forest and blood from animals that she'd killed. The silver pendant that went with it was put on in front of the mirror and immediately made the young woman feel self-conscious. Was she getting too dressed up? Would it be obvious that she'd gone to such pains to look good for this? In all likelihood it would just be Drusilla and Khara and maybe Turrin if he was around. Not exactly the sort of occasion to go all out on.

Would dressing up for lots of people be better? What does it matter? It's not like anyone's going to look at you, she told herself although the doubts still remained as she slipped sandals onto her feet and stepped outside her door. She was back inside within a tick, searching the room for anything that might do as a present. Surely she couldn't go to a birthday party celebration thing without some sort of present. Her eyes fell on the new arrows that she'd bought, each fletched with beautiful tawny feathers. She had no shortage of arrows herself and maybe Drusilla would actually like to go shooting something for real at some stage in the future. She'd been so proud of her bow so why wouldn't she be pleased with such a pretty and functional present. Azira had really wanted those arrows for herself. With a sigh the projectiles were collected, still held together with the string that had been on them since she'd bought them the previous day, and carried under her arm out into the Warrens.

The walk up to the Aeries was spent trying to convince herself to turn around and not go. The desire to do so grew stronger and stronger as she grew closer until she changed her mind about her course of the evening and decided to give in. It had been mid turn that she'd spotted Khara. The Chiet had apparently brought someone else with her to take part in the celebrations and Azira found herself more than a little surprised that they knew each other. Zhol, the horse boy. Oh shyke.

He'd already seen her and it was clear that he was as pleased to see her as she was to see him. If only she'd changed her mind earlier when she could have done something about it. If she went now then she'd clearly be running away and she wasn't going to show just how nervous she was about going to this celebration. Herself and Khara were on reasonable terms although she'd probably be too scared want to talk to the huntress but Zhol was a different matter entirely. This evening was taking on a whole new type of awkward than what she'd been anticipating and the feeling of being overdressed was starting to come back. There was also something about her former encounters with Zhol that was niggling at her that she couldn't remember and couldn't bother her at a more inconvenient time.

Her gaze flitted from one to the other as they approached, trying to determine the right course of action given the history between them. If she ignored Zhol would be flare up or would he like it better? Khara seemed the one to deal with, especially as tonight had been her suggestion in the first place.

"Khara. So I decided to come after all," she told the girl with a slight inclination of her head. She couldn't help but state the obvious; she had no idea what else to say. Her eyes shifted to Zhol, a brief curl of her lip before her expression slipped into neutrality once more. "Zhol," she greeted softly, his name taking on some of the accent of her native tongue before her attention turned to the game scout once more. She stepped a little to the side and gestured for Khara to proceed in much the same way as if she wanted her to scout. She didn't draw the parallel although she did want someone to take the lead in this who had some idea what they were doing. The Avora assumed that Khara did.

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara

[Drusilla]

Sitting there Drusilla worked on her embroidery sewing. It calmed her nerves and took her mind off of things. She wondered where Turrin was, if he was safe or eating well or staying dry and warm... She shook her head. This was her life now, worrying about the Endal and wandering about the huge Aeries... She put down the half finished flower she had been working on. "You're so antsy, just like a child." She chided herself and sighed. Fiddling with the beads in her hair she took note of how bad her ribs stuck out. Maybe she should of worn her dress... No, she had paid good money for these clothes and if she could just gain enough weight to fill out her stomach she'd look good in them. The colors were perfect and the outfit fit her well. Yes, she would wear this, even if she felt a bit bare. She would get used to it. A thought crossed her mind, what if Khara brought company? Drusilla was up and gathering extra glasses, wines, and juices. Ample fruit was brought out and arranged. She lit every glass bauble. Hadn't she made mention of Zhol and Azira. Zhol would no doubt show up. A smile crossed her lips, why was she worrying? Her family was coming over.

[Khara]

It was Zhol's small utterance that drew her attention towards him for half a tick before she followed his gaze. Khara wasn't sure what she felt in the instant she saw Azira. Surprise, certainly, maybe a bit of a question as to why Zhol had seemed suddenly apprehensive, but mostly Khara just felt... happy. She hadn't honestly expected the huntress to come but after the suggestion had been made the Chiet secretly had wished she would anyway. Drusilla had mentioned Azira among those she had considered family, the other two being Zhol and Turrin and if the huntress had made it to that list then Khara knew she was something special to the Symenestra, even if Azira would probably never admit that to herself.

The huntress was dressed differently too, striking a far different figure than she usually did on their hunts. She looked more like an Avora in some ways, dignified in a way. she looked nice, which suddenly had Khara feeling the odd one out. Zhol wasn't wearing his work clothing, Azira was dressed up and so that left her looking every last bit like the lower caste she was in her typical attire with it's mostly faded ink stains and other stubborn marks left over from work. Maybe she should have gotten an extra set of clothing to wear along with the pie.

Her assurances to Zhol were repeated in her own head, You just being there will be enough. For a tick she almost was able to believe herself.

"I'm glad you could come!" Khara finally managed to blurt out, not holding back the sudden flood of happiness that her little plan had worked out. She turned to look at Zhol, about to make introductions when it hit her that Azira had known his name. That was... strange. She was fairly certain she had been very careful about not mentioning the horse boy to the huntress out of fear for... something. Likewise she hadn't ever heard Zhol mention he had actually ever met the huntress. Maybe he just knew of her from her descriptions when Khara had told him about their hunts together. Maybe Azira just knew about him becausethe outsider that works at the stables was bound to be a source of rumor.

Either way, there would be time for questions later if she ever got the nerve to ask them. For now though, there were more important things to tend to, like the reason they were all actually there.

"Okay then," she began, switching to Common for Zhol's benefit even if she felt a flush of embarrassment at knowing Azira had never heard her speak the language. "I didn't ask anyone else to come and she isn't expecting either of you, I think. So, this should be a good surprise. At least, I hope it's good. But let's not keep Dru waiting, yes?"

She tried to smile, to not look as nervous as she felt, to not try and think that there was anything awkward about this entire situation at all even if she very well could be blissfully ignorant of all sorts of things between Azira and Zhol.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

[Zhol]

|.

"Lead the way then, game scout!" Zhol replied, with enough of a smile to make sure that Khara knew he was only teasing. She hadn't admitted it openly, but he could tell how nervous she was about this. Part of him wanted to keep pace with her, sneak hold of her hand, offer a little of the comfort and reassurance that it felt like she needed. Maybe he'd even get away with it, too. Maybe she'd just think it was some extension of friendship, some aspect of being family, the way that she always did. Or maybe she'd realise it was something else, and be so horrified that it ruined everything for everyone.

His gut clenched into a knot. You're only friends, boy. Keep your distance.

Zhol followed along as Khara took the lead, but lagged behind as much as he could get away with. She wasn't the only way he could ruin things today. It was the worst luck, some cruel twist of Lhex: here to celebrate the birth of the Symenestra who had adopted him as her brother, and the only two other guests were the only two people in Wind Reach where, if he was honest about them, it would cause chaos. The only way this could possibly be any more of a disaster was if Turrin was there, attempting to goad him into a rematch of their duel. His shoulders sunk a little. He may not have bought or brought a gift, but at least he was bringing the likely prospect of some sort of fight breaking out.

He glanced over at Azira, and felt his insides bunch tighter. Creating disasters and destroying families was his speciality, but Drusilla deserved better; especially from him. He mustered his voice, loud enough for Azira to hear, but quiet enough to escape Khara's notice. "Drusilla is a good friend," he explained, "And if you're here, she must be fond of you. Think we can make it through the next few hours without wanting to kill each other, for her sake?"

He hesitated, a slight tug of a smile forming on his lips. "Or without trying to, at least."

"Pavi" | "Common" | "Nari" | "Symenos"
Dad Thoughts | Dinah Thoughts | Khara Thoughts
...
This template was made by Khara. She was bribed with coffee and jammy dodgers.

[Azira]

The game scout looked surprised to see her, which was completely understandable. She'd had little intention of coming here tonight and the Chiet had no doubt gotten that message loud and clear when she'd invited her. Her blurted words made her wonder if the other teen was actually glad that she could come or whether she was just being polite. She had asked her in the first place but that didn't mean that Khara actually wanted her at this celebration. Drusilla might want her here tonight but then she was strange. The huntress could never understand what made the spider tick.

The scout looked to her companion, clearly on the verge of saying something but she held her tongue. Her own attention was drawn to the outsider, wondering if any tension between the pair of them was so obvious. The tension was certainly there, especially after their last encounter when the two of them had been at each other's throats and causing havoc with each other's nerves. Khara might well have picked up on it but then with her natural nervousness it was hard to tell whether the atmosphere between Azira and Zhol was affecting her or not.

The scout began speaking in Common and her cheeks flushed as she did so. The huntress regarded her critically, even as Khara took the lead. She hadn't said anything that might be embarrassing so she didn't understand it. Her pace lagged as she stared after the other girl, puzzling over her seemingly bizarre behaviour and trying to work out how other people thought for the umpteenth time. The other teen's back was just something to focus on as she pursued her line of thought but her gaze drifted downwards and she became distracted. An appreciative glance was run up and down the other's form but she gave a guilty start when Zhol spoke to her. Her eyes flickered to him with wide eyes, his presence having been conveniently forgotten and found herself wondering if he'd noticed what she was doing.

The huntress regarded him coolly. "I didn't want to and I didn't try. I said I'd shoot you. It's not the same thing. Not really," she told him simply as they neared the entrance to Turrin's Aerie. The sight of it and the anticipation of what was going to happen made her feel queasy. A grimace appeared on her face and it was with difficulty that she managed to force her expression into some semblance of neutrality. She didn't like the idea of going in here and she didn't want horse boy bugging her about making truces. As long as he didn't irritate her there wouldn't be any trouble. His words had irked her already though so he would have been better off keeping his mouth shut. Why did he have to be so protective of the spider? What made him think that she had any desire to pick a fight with him without provocation?

"I don't plan on killing you if it makes you feel better," she responded softly before closing the gap between herself and Khara. There was no point lagging behind anymore; they were here. The scout had no doubt knocked already and so it was probably better to be in sight when the seamstress answered rather than being shut out.

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara

[Drusilla]

A knock at the Aerie door sent Drusilla into an internal emotional upheaval. She was so many feelings and some of these feelings were the opposite of one another, it made her slightly lightheaded for a few ticks. Stopping to catch her breath she calmed herself down and opened the door. Her eyes first hit Khara, who carried something in her hands. "Khara! Chickadee!" She carefully hugged the girl as to not drop what she held. Next, her eyes fell to Zhol and she gave a hand sign. "Greetings brother!" After giving him a greeting in Pavi she gave the horseman a hug as well. At last her focus turned to...Azira? Although she had mentioned Azira to Khara, Drusilla had doubted the teen would come. A dumb smile found it's way to her face, "Azira! Look at you! That outfit is so pretty!" But where as Drusilla had hugged the other two guests, she simply offered her hand for a handshake. She had learned you didn't hug Azira. Clearing her throat she prepared to see how the two women took her heavily accented Common, it was the only way Zhol would understand anything. "Come in, come in! It has to be getting chilly out." She mentally cringed at her voice as both Nari and Symenos twisted her Common. Waving a hand in the air she formally introduced where they were. "Welcome to Turrin's Aeries, I can show you guys around if you want...Or we can stay by this fireplace for awhile if you still need to warm up." She turned to one of the tapestries that hung in the hall trying to distract herself from the situation and her awful Common. Sure when she spoke either Nari or Symenos a smidgen of the other language lingered. Nari made her Symenos sound higher in pitch. While Symenos made her Nari sound low and mournful. In all truth, Drusilla enjoyed these small accents. But Common was something completely different.

[Khara]

Khara couldn't help but beam. Dru's happiness was nothing short of infectious and for one of those brief instances, Khara allowed herself a bit of pride in what she had orchestrated. The surprise at Azira being around was a particular shining point.

"Happy Birthday," Khara offered in return for the hug as she anxiously waited for the other greetings to finish. It struck her as Drusilla began speaking in Common that only two of the others would probably be able to understand the sentiment, but since it was only meant for the Symenestra, she figured it wasn't rude to have so easily spoken in Nari.

That was going to get rather odd as the night wore on. Speaking to Zhol in Common was second nature to her, but continually reminding herself to continue around the others was going to be a bit of a challenge. She liked the way that Drusilla spoke it, though. It was as if the spiderette had taken all the pretty things about Nari and woven it with something entirely new, it wasn't exactly fluid but it was far more pleasing to the ear than Khara was sure the chirped out words that she managed ever were.

She cringed internally at that thought before forcing those somewhat uncomfortable tones to leave her, nerves tripping her up a bit worse than normal. "It is not so frozen, I think. I have bring you something, though! It is not cake, I remembered what you spoke, but I think the inside of a pie is more liquid so..." Khara paused as this time the flinch became physical. A sheepish glance was given to Zhol who knew perfectly well she could speak Common quite a bit better than she was managing at the moment. One look at her typical language partner seemed to right something in her head, though and she found the rest coming far easier.

"It still is a bit sweet though, I think. But it does have peaches and I remembered you were talking about them. They're not overripe though or anything, at least I don't think so. I don't know, it may not even be any good... It can wait, though." The last phrase came out a bit quieter as Khara realized she had begun rambling and had caught a glance of Azira out of the corner of her eye. Gods, this was going to be awkward.

Khara glanced back to Zhol briefly and an idea sprung up to at least hopefully take some of the attention off her insane babbling. "I think it would be nice to see the Aerie, you said you decorated it yourself, right? I've only seen one ever before and I don't think Zhol's ever even been to the Aeries before. "

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"