A Sky Full Of A Thousand Stars (Open)

[Vendaril]

Vendaril released an angry hiss at Tao’s outburst. How dare he? Pretending that their kind were alike, as if he knew anything about it! The cobbles underfoot started to blur, Haeli and Brig growing distant. The red mist descended, obscuring all but Tao’s worried, but determined face. Drawing himself to his full height, Vendaril raised one hand, ready to rake his talons across the fools face. His fangs leapt to attention, jutting from his lips like ivory spears in the moonlight. He saw the petty man glancing about for a means of escape, and slowly he lowered his hand. He couldn’t cause any trouble, not here. If he needed to he’d get him another time. Shooting the boy a withering look, he lifted a singled hooked black nail and waved it under his nose. “Now you listen to me azo, and you listen well. Don’t you dare to pretend that me and you are the same. Symenestra have always had to fight and run, always under watchful eyes. You humans treat us like Dhani, like scum! A human warrior can walk through the streets with his naked blade and he would be praised as a gallant hero, having defeated evil foes. However, when a Symenestra on the harvest arrives, you jeer and spit and scare your children with his face. He is no different to your conquering knights; he is simply aiding our races’ recovery after the great tragedy.” The fangs slowly began to withdraw again, but he was not finished. He could tell he had broken the dam, and a flood of fear and hatred was pouring out of his mouth. He no longer felt the cold wind or the hard street. All he saw was another human, prepared to live a life of prejudice. “It’s always the same, everywhere!” He could feel tears coming to his eyes now, but they seemed arbitrary. This hypocritical slime dared to lecture him on what was right and wrong, fair or not. “Humans everywhere, backstabbing, traitorous!” He could hardly voice his opinion, his rage was so great. He switched to Symenos, mixed with a good deal of hissing and spitting. Eventually the fire left him, and he stood panting in the eerie glow of the architecture. A drip of sweat ran down his jaw as he glared at the trio, waiting for a reaction.

[Haeli]

Haeli stayed quiet. Once, a long time ago, her dhani mother had told her a very wise piece of advice. Force the silence. If you have no other weapons, use that one, for it makes others grow uncomfortable and they will always attempt to fill it. Once they begin to fill it, they won't be able to stop. Their words will reveal far more than your words could, because you already know whats in your head. You don't know whats in theirs. So find out with silence. She forced the silence. Haeli shifted her stance so she was crouched down on top of the stone wall which was nearly six feet tall and thick. She could flee to the other side if she liked, but she was still relatively safe with the higher vantage, specially from the men on the ground. She listened, but didn't add anything more to the conversation. Her face was a mass of concentration and attention. Her citrine eyes looked more yellow than amber in the dim starlight. Ozantha, her mother, would have known it meant she was frightened. Nothing else really gave her fear away otherwise. Her countenance was calm. Her breathing steady and unhurried. Her gaze was watchful. All she could do at the moment was watch and learn. In that instant, Haeli was fitfully aware she had nothing to defend herself with. Shifting took to long and she had no access to weapons nor training for them. She could flee and climb and survive in the swamps. But here, the rules were completely different. The Swamp Witch wasn't so sure she could survive the city and its people. Brig made things easier, especially when he stepped between the other two men and the wall. His move was causal, unhurried, almost unconscious. Haeli decided then and there she'd find a way to make things a little safer in Lhavit, and not just for herself but for Brig too. It wasn't as if Tao was a threat. He wasn't. He seemed as disturbed by the undercurrent of stress and threatened violence as she herself was feeling. And as stupid as she might have seemed to the city dwellers, she had been around long enough to understand the Symenestra was a threat. But still she remained quiet. If need be, she'd reach a hand down and invite Brig upon the wall with her and out of the way, giving him a short boost. But that as only as if there was violence. She wasn't sure there would be. In the wilds, males postured all the time to each other. Perhaps this was that. Time would tell.. and in the mean time Haeli planned their escape - Brigs and hers - over the wall and into her lush garden. She needed to show him the workshop anyhow, the one she'd promised him, and the rest of the place, even a room where he could sleep. But before that could happen, these males needed to settled. She waited, silent, to see if it would happen on its own. More accusations would help. Nor would suspicions. The only thing that would work is everyone gave everyone else the benefit of the doubt and moved on. That was hard to do. Haeli suspected the Symenestra had been up to nefarious means, though she would not accuse him of it without proof. Haeli glanced at Tao as if too sooth his nerves, giving him a calm 'It will be okay' look. Then she glanced at Brig, a question in her eyes, one that looked a whole lot like... "What's will it take to settle these men down?"

[Tao]

Tao stepped back, and continued to edge away as Vendaril, for all intents and purposes, exploded in rage and came at him with fangs and claws extended. Something stopped him from making an attack then and there, but that didn't stop a terrible tirade of insults and threats, coupled with a good amount of spittle. He scrambled back a few steps more as a blackened claw clicked under his chin, much too close to his throat for his liking. It was almost as though everything before had been an act, and now he was seeing the real man behind the charming, polite facade. The viciousness with which he snarled out his words was something he had not seen so much as a hint of before. Was he just a good actor? He knew there were always that kind of person no matter where one went, but he hadn't pinned Vendaril as one of them. Perhaps the situation was more black and white than he had originally thought. This is what happens when you speak up. He scolded himself silently, clutching his hands together tightly to try and ease the shaking. Things that he would have said in anger were still popping into his head (If you hate humans so much, then why do you even come here? I judge you by your actions, not by your race. Though you're certainly fulfilling the stereotype.), but he wasn't sure that his lips could form words anymore. Like he had forgotten everyone else that was still there, the Symenestra continued to glare at him, spitting words in what sounded like Symenos. He was a goodly way away from the other two by now. Chancing a glance, he saw that Haeli was still safely up her wall, watching them all without a hint of fear, and Brig was standing in front of her, watching Vendaril carefully. Haeli turned her head and looked at him, her eyes a darkish amber. They were, gentle, pitying. At that point, he realised that he really had no choice but to make his excuses and get out while he still had a chance. If Vendaril was going to attack, he could not ask or rely on them for protection. He was but a stranger to them, after all. Just a frightened, stupid stranger. Tao opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He swallowed nervously and licked his dry lips in an effort to get his voice back. "... I'm sorry." He croaked. It was a lie, but he would say anything just to make this end. It was becoming increasingly clear that Vendaril was a psychopath of some kind, and from what he understood, such a person rarely listened to reason. He couldn't help but step sideways a little so that Brig was inbetween him and the Symenestra's line of vision. If he remembered that they were not alone, maybe that would make him see reason, at least for now.

[Brig]

So long as he could sense that Haeli was safe either up on the wall or retreating behind it, Brig was content to spend his focus on the two men. The Symenestra in particular, he’d already decided that Tao was more interested in avoiding a conflict than starting one. It didn’t mean he was choosing a weaker stance necessarily. In the wilds, it wasn’t always the lesser creature that chose to avoid or even retreat from a conflict. Sometimes it was the smarter choice. Sometimes it was just the one that intuitively balanced the importance of short term gains against the probability of longer term costs. Brig could hold his own and had many a time. This time, avoiding was better than provoking. But it was the long limbed one that the Kelvic watched most closely with his fangs and threats and shouting. He was feeling cornered and not acting in a sensible way. It was enough that if there were any guards within blocks around or even others worried enough to call them, they wouldn’t be long in coming. Striking out at feeling threatened if showing didn’t work, wasn’t so unpredictable Brig thought, only dangerous. He didn’t care much for his new position as a shield when he ended up between the two men. But Haeli’s calm in spite of her fear fed his own and kept him from baring his teeth or snarling much as the Symenestra was. He glanced briefly up at her and sensed a question of sorts through their connection. How to calm them down when they’d gotten their natural instincts crossed. This one didn’t want to fight either, Brig thought. At least not now. ”He said he was sorry,” the Kelvic finally said. ”He doesn’t want to fight. I don’t want to, you don’t either. But if there's fighting the guards will come. It’s better that they don’t,” he offered up to the Symenestra in particular. There was no reason in trying to convince him he was wrong right now, Brig didn't think he would listen. It was better to appeal to his survival instincts. If the creature believed, right or no, that all humans were the same and thought the worst of him, then logic could only follow that the guards would do the same and identify him as the guilty one.

[Vendaril]

Vendaril could feel the situation spiraling out of his control, his tirade had obviously further alienated him from the rest of the group. Haeli appeared oddly calm upon her lofty perch, and seemed to be attempting to soothe Tao’s nerves too with consoling glances. Tao himself, on the other hand, appeared just about ready to bolt. Brig seemed a blend of the two, cautiously trying to reach an understanding as the atmosphere thickened into a stifling tangle of tension. It was only natural though, since Tao had backed off, he was caught in the middle of the conflict. Brig proposed that he dropped the matter, before the guards discovered the disturbance and got themselves involved. Vendaril instantly scorned the idea with a scathing sneer, but deep inside him a little voice urged him to follow the Kelvic’s advice. He didn’t want to be labeled as a trouble-starter this early in his tenancy; he needed a bit of time to meet the right people. Grease some palms, gain influential friends, learn the names of the local guardsmen. He wanted to set them at ease around him – a difficult task for a Symenestra – before he started to stir anything up. Still, vestiges of anger still coursed through his veins, striking up violent urges with his pulses. His muscles lusted for blood, but his mind doused him with the icy water of reality. He had to remain unsuspicious in the eyes of the law. Deep breaths now Ven, he thought to himself, rubbing the salty sweat from his brow, adjusting his damp fringe. Just calm down. He’s right. Breathe… The air was cold, biting his throat as he gulped it down, shoulders heaving. What’s happening? He began panicking, his windpipe was closing up and each breath drawn was shorter and less satisfying than the last. He had never experienced this before, the oxygen didn’t comfort his lungs, it stung as if he were inhaling wasps. This wasn’t good, a bad ending to a worse night, It seemed his body was fighting against his thoughts of peace. I was right about the flood Ven thought. It’s too late to stop now Battling to retain a cool façade, inside his chest he felt his lungs locking up, and he knew he had to get to his room and lie down before he passed out. He glanced worriedly at the faces before him, and replied in a hoarse gasp to Brig, “Yes. Of course. I think – I think I will be going. It seems I have imposed myself on your company for too long.” He turned from the group again, and began to stagger down the street towards the SWA. He just hoped he could make it before he blacked out.

[Haeli]

The night seemed to grow quiet as Haeli's golden eyes shifted from Brig, to Vendaril and then back to Tao. It seemed as if it too were listening to the event unfolding at the wall and waiting for something to happen that perhaps should not. Haeli sensed the momentary stillness but said nothing until Tao broke it. She frowned when he apologized. It was the first emotion she'd really openly showed since the three had gathered below her. Tao shouldn't have been apologizing, and she wasn't certain why he was. Had she missed something? To her, it seemed Tao was only trying to help. Maybe his apology was a further advancement of that assistance. The night didn't seem to think so. Run. This will get ugly. The world seemed to whisper around her. But she wouldn't leave Brig, and she didn't want them men parting ways remembering hostility. It would complicate their lives and the way they walked through the world later. Brig spoke then, his voice attempting to soothe the others. Haeli knew he was in an awkward position, one he wasn't comfortable being in, though she wasn't certain how she exactly knew that. They hadn't seen each other for a few days but she was oddly acutely aware of where he was and even stranger what he was feeling. It didn't make any sense to her since she hadn't tapped her gnosis mark to make herself aware of him so they could speak. The girl shifted her weight and moved her stance, rising from the crouch to gently sit on the edge of the wall. Her bare feet and legs dangled downward as her hair spilled forward. The bottom of her feet were black from walking in the dirty streets. She leaned outward studying Vendaril closely. She was watching them all closely - their movements, the way they interacted with each other, the way they glanced about. Humans fascinated her. She'd never really seen many nor had a chance to watch them together. When she had settled in her new seat, Haeli was close enough now to reach out and touch Brig. Without thinking about it, she did so, touching the back of his shoulder lightly where he was closet to her. It was a 'hello' and a 'glad to see you' all rolled into one. And this indeed was an interesting situation. Dangerous, sure, but it seemed to have diffused itself enough that violence wasn't going to interrupt immediately. Haeli didn't want them all leaving so soon, though she knew Brig would stay and he'd definitely be company enough for her. But they were just too interesting to watch interact. And besides, if she let the Symenestra leave, she'd never have an answer to the question she'd had in her mind since the very beginning. So she lifted her chin and called softly to the retreating man's back. "Wait. Vendaril. If you were indeed practicing your acrobatics, could you at least show us a little of them before you leave?" She said softly, raising her voice enough to be heard, but not exactly shouting down the deserted street.

[Tao]

OOCMy apologies for this late reply! Real life caught up with me briefly and stole all my time away! There were a few terse seconds of silence that dragged on for what felt like hours. Tao wasn't sure what the next move was going to be, and the sheer unpredictability of the situation was putting him even further on edge. He cringed behind Brig, so very aware that he could be dead in any moment that Vendaril decided that he didn't really care about calling down the guards on his head. A hand went to his neck, automatically seeking out a source of comfort in the tiny locket buried under his clothing. It didn't do much to help, but it was still there, warm metal against his skin, and somehow that was enough. Finally, a voice sharply cut out across the arena, making him flinch, pressing himself up against the wall. It took another forced intake of breath before he realised that it was not Vendaril, shouting and extending his claws towards him, but... Brig? The kelvic appeared to have decided to speak for him, reviving Tao's earlier point about the guards and how quickly they would approach should any blood be spilled. The defensive pose was so obviously for the girl sitting up on the wall, but if that protection extended to him just by being close, he wasn't about to turn to down. As if in response to Brig's actions, Haeli was moving closer, sitting closer than before, reaching down to touch Brig on the shoulder. Were they taking their cues from each other? Vendaril seemed to be contemplating Brig's words. He was angry still; his entire body was tense with fury, a sneer on his lips, a coldness in the eyes that were fixated on the three in front of him. But, slowly, bit by bit, that horrifying, unpredictable rage was being pushed down and away. Tao did not relax; just because he was not visably angry did not mean that it was safe. His breathing was still sharp and irregular (and never before had he found himself so fixated on the very breath of a person. He supposed everything changed when someone was threatening to kill you), his face damp with sweat, and there was something in his eyes. He couldn't be sure if he was imagining it or not, but there was something in those eyes that looked so... inhuman. The next thing he knew, Vendaril was rasping excuses and turning away. Leaving. Shaking like a leaf and feeling lightheaded, Tao exhaled until his lungs were empty, putting a hand on the wall at his back to keep his legs from giving way beneath him. It was over. At least for now. He was alive, somehow. Before he could even contemplate the sheer relief that had hit him like a ton of stones, Haeli called after Vendaril, asking him to return. He wanted to ask her why she would do such a thing, but the words were stuck in his throut at the mere thought that it was going to escalate again. He settled for making a terrified squeaking sound, looking up at the girl like she had just grown horns.

[Brig]

This could go two ways, Brig thought. Heightened tensions would either boil over and the fur would fly, figuratively speaking. Or sense would take hold and the prospective combatants would stand down and go their separate ways, hackles lowered if not necessarily soothed. It was the way of the wilds, and with too little exposure to humans and their funny ways, it was all he had to judge the situation by. He’d rather it didn’t boil over, he’d found himself in the middle where he didn’t want to be. He had no intention of budging from his position between Haeli and the angry Semenestra, which by default or by the third man’s design, also meant that if the long limbed man wanted at Tao, he’d need to fight through the Kelvic to get at him. He felt the unstable tension like static in the air, a tingling on his skin and it pushed the adrenalin though his veins even if he’d rather avoid a fight. Haeli’s touch came at the right time then, he was primed himself in spite of his efforts to talk sense to the Symenestra. She could feel it in the taut muscle of his shoulder, and it was her touch that soothed him just enough to prevent him returning snarl for snarl. He didn’t look up, he was too busy watching the enraged creature and too busy feeling territorial. But he shifted back into the press of her hand enough that she could feel his response and the gratitude there, the connection and the trust and building affection that came with it. Vendaril suddenly seemed to see sense, but Brig thought there was something else. Some new fear creeping in that made him want to retreat. Something not just of the mind but physical too, different than just the guards and the prospect of them coming. It was like a new layer of scent that left the Kelvic completely at a loss. But whichever the case the moment seemed to end, with Vendaril choosing to retreat. He could hear Tao’s breath of relief behind him, and Brig too breathed a little one himself. But then if he’d thought that one of those two ways was all there was, it was Haeli who surprised not just Tao, but him too. He didn’t squeak like Tao did, but he still looked up at her in wonder. It was a curious huff he offered, not so unlike he’d have made in his other form. But there was trust there too. If she felt it was right to ask the creature to stay, then it was. But Brig was going to keep a close eye on him all the same.

[Vendaril]

OOCSorry about the delay, I’ve been up to the neck in exams D: As he hazily swung down the road, Vendaril felt his closed windpipe begin to ease up, as suddenly as the symptoms had started. It still felt like he was breathing through a straw though. He felt an ache that covered his body as if he had been beaten, and every footstep sent a muted signal of pain to his throttled brain. Under the pounding of his pulse in his eardrums he heard Haeli call to him in a soft voice. He made it another few paces before the noises of her voice found meaning in his head. His heart sank. In this state he would be lucky to hold a handstand. Turning slowly on the spot, he attempted to pull off a grin, but it came out as a painful grimace. “Well, actually, I’m not feeling too well right now,” he began to explain, but he was terribly aware of how much it sounded like he was making excuses. Come on he hissed to himself. This is your chance to prove your innocence! Or at least, to give the semblance of innocence. All eyes were once more on him, waiting to see if he would accept the challenge, or flee without proving himself. As he straightened himself up from his hunched position his core muscles groaned a little. Behave, he thought, preparing himself for the punishing regimen that was sure to follow. “But, very well.” His voice was heavy with an air of resignation. “I shall do as you wish.” Tensing his thighs, he lowered himself an inch or two, preparing to spring. The pain in Vendaril’s chest worsened as he bent over, but he blotted it out, focusing only on what he was about to do. This would take concentration, and lots of it. In a sharp movement, he straightened his long legs, simultaneously leaning backwards and planting his hot palms on the cool stone below. Focus! As he swung his legs above his, a drip of sweat barreled into his forehead. He was still running on the last breath he took before he began the move, and his body was screaming for oxygen. His feet hit the ground sending reverberations coursing along his slender frame as he straightened up again. Unfortunately his landing had been awkward, and he stumbled a little to the left as he finished, his throat whistling as much needed air was drawn through the thin aperture. Vendaril knew he shouldn’t have done that. His burning forehead had suddenly chilled, coated with a film of icy residue. His vision wobbled slightly, and he experienced an eerie sensation, as if he were floating above his body and watching the scene play out from a ghost’s perspective. He stood there waving like a reed in the bitter wind. Whimsical thoughts played through his mind as his eyes rolled back and his sickly figure fell to the ground, thudding into the unyielding stonework of the street. The last thing he saw before his skull collided with the road was the three looks of accusation and distrust aimed at him from the group by the wall.

[Haeli]

Weakness. Haeli saw it as much as she felt it as the creature turned around and stated its illness then agreed to preform anyhow. You never let anything know you were not at full strength. You never showed pain, and especially not fear, in the light of things that might harm you. To do so meant death. Something out there was always stronger, faster, and more than willing to thin the herd of an inferior creature making the rest of them stronger. But she hid her thoughts behind her golden gaze as she watched the creature do some sort of somersault or cartwheel. His body seemed to protest every move, even trembling a little, as he forced it to conform anyhow. Haeli felt rather odd knowing he did this because she asked. The purpose of the asking was not to expose his weakness but to expose his strengths and perhaps make him feel a bit more comfortable in his leaving. Males did that. They postured and left. When they did so, everyone felt better, and no lasting harm was done. Him leaving like he was before her request meant that there would be resentment, ill feelings, and perhaps revenge. Now though, there was no need of it. As he collapsed and his skull hit the stone, she knew he'd die there. Weak. Ill. Something would find its meal and leave the darkness satiated. A normal human, perhaps any of the other men present, would be concerned and try to aid the creature. But Haeli was none of those. The ill were left least the illness spread. Death was a fact of life. She'd seen it over and over and in some cases caused it, so staring at his prone form caused her no anxiety at all. Had her own diet included Symenestra, she'd draw her own knife herself and make quick work of his weakness before something else could steal her bounty. But Ozantha had said humans did not eat other sentient creatures, so she held her ground and left his meat for others. Her only reaction was a stiff shake of the head. She caught Brig's eye and the kelvic could feel the disappointment bordering on disgust oozing from the girl. Neither of them realized a bond was forming, especially Haeli who knew nothing of kelvics and their ways, but its silent presence was already making itself known emotionally filtering information back and forth between them. "Will you come up, Brig? I'll show you the place. Leave him for someone else. I have no use for the meat though Tao might want it. Its obvious the spiderling is ill. We'd best no touch him and let whatever wants him have him." She said, holding out her hand to give him a boost up if he wanted it. To Tao, it might have been seen as incredibly callous even unfeeling. But Haeli assumed people in Lhavit died all the time. Animals did. Birds did. Surely they were left to be scavenged like she was leaving the Symenestra. If he grew so weak lurking in the shadows watching, then life wasn't something fit for him anyhow. His body would be gone by the morning regardless, she was sure of it. And as for Tao, she glanced at him as well. Her gaze was inviting, seeming to say 'You can come with us too.' She did not offer her hand to him like she had Brig, but then again Tao was skittish in Haeli's eyes and might take the gesture wrong. He might also want Vendaril's meat. Haeli wasn't sure. Ozantha's knowledge of humans was dubious and sketchy.