Completed [The Great Harbor] White Waters

[Eluri]

3rd of Spring, 515 A.V.

The pale woman couldn't place a finger on the feelings she felt at that single moment. That moment she had fallen from what probably felt like grace, peace, serenity. That one blurred moment that spoke so little, yet so many words all at once. It was as if the gods had taken her from a peacefully quiet room only to plunge her into a sea of noises, sensations, emotions, flavours and responsibilities. And she did, in fact, plunge into a sea.

Bombarded with more senses than she could name, the new ethaefal attempted to swim to the surface, to rise from the waters, and out into air. Her heart was in turmoil, pulsating like it hadn't for Tanroa knows how long, and her chest felt like it was melting. The burning sensation in her lungs was punishing as the water around her pressed inwards in a cold, biting embrace, its chill relieving none of the searing burn. It was forcing her heart to work even harder as her now mortal flesh needed air, needed oxygen, to live. Even though her mind was bombarded with the salty taste of the sea, the rumbling water and her heart, the cold in her limbs and the moon in her eyes, it remained calm. She was never one to panic, even though, and when, her body was. Even as the lack of air began to cloud her vision, to paint it with black streaks, she kept swimming up.

It felt like an eternity, those few seconds of paddling and kicking, but it was enough for what felt like years of memories to come back. Memories of children playing under the sun, of standing sentinel under the moon, of a man unmistakably Leth. Memories of clashing swords, of righteousness and valor, of motherhood and animals so white that they were like the moon. It was a sure sign that she was about to pass out from that piercing pain in her lungs, the ache in her muscles becoming prominent, but she kept pushing. The ethaefal pushed past the clutter of jagged memories that raided her mind, the pain of tired muscles and the pull of water. She didn't stop, it wasn't in her nature, not now nor in those memories like broken glass, until she finally broke through the surface and into air, gasping in the sweet oxygen her body craved for.

Now that her body had begun to take in what it could to sustain itself for a while, staying afloat was no problem. Especially with what seemed to be land right in front of her.

She reached out to the wooden platform and held on, her white hair pooling around her like puddle of milk in dark oil, waiting for her strength to gather for one last heave up and out of water. She wasn't strong enough right then, not with her body still aching and burning from the struggle to the surface, and her mind was still absorbing what those memories from what felt like another lifetime told her.

She was defenseless and naked, she knew that for one, but her brain couldn't take in her surroundings besides the wooden...thing. She wasn't prepared for anything at all. Especially the monstrous memory that she could feel at the back of her eyes, a gnawing memory that held something important and that she needed to remember, but she just couldn't place a hand on. It was almost like a warning, the kind she had felt in her memory of standing watch in the night, of something to come. Of something that she needed to remember but couldn't. The daughter of Leth, for that was what she was, didn't dwell on it though, no matter how much it disturbed her. It was well outside of her reach and control, and when it comes, it will come, but it wasn't then. It wasn't now.

So, without much more focus on her inner thoughts, she floated there, on the quay, waiting.

[Orin Fenix]

Orin Fenix Food Equals Love As happened more often than not, Orin was restless. Without a window, his room was stifling. In the winter that hadn’t mattered as much but now that it was heating up, the thought of being inside when he could be enjoying the warmer spring nights was practically intolerable. Orin glanced at Ginger. In the darkness, he couldn’t tell whether she was asleep or awake. She had followed him home from work and followed him back in the morning. At first Orin had been alarmed at her interest in him, but he had quickly grown used to her presence. Truth to tell, he liked having her around. She made his life feel less lonely. Simply having her around made his rooms feel less empty. So he’d allowed her to stay. Also, the thought of trying to chase out a cat from his rooms struck Orin as a terrible idea. Throwing his covers off carefully, Orin sat up slowly and swung his legs over the side of his bed. His head was aching and sudden movements still sent him into dizzy spells. So every step had to be taken carefully. Orin dressed, his clothes having been folded neatly by his bed. Slipping his boots on Orin stood up. Tiptoeing, he made his way to the door. Nabbing his cloak on the way out, Orin eased the door open and shut, trying to make as little noise as possible. He didn’t want Ginger to wake if she was asleep. He’d made sure she had done her necessaries before they’d gotten into his room for the night. Orin didn’t know much about taking care of cats. Perhaps looking into a pet shop or something similar would be in order. Orin really had no good idea how to take care of cats. Orin wrapped his cloak around himself. The air still had the memory of winter. The chill wasn’t bad but it was lingering especially this late at night. The corridors were almost empty at this time of night. It felt eerie, as if the entire fortress was holding its breath waiting for something to happen. Orin shivered, but it had nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with the charged feeling in the air. Shaking his head over his foolish notions, Orin began walking. It was probably simply the fact that the background noises were hushed and he wasn’t used to the silence. Shuffling his feet, his boots made the faintest of echo with each step. Orin normally wandered without direction on his nighttime strolls but almost inevitably he ended up in open air. This was later than he was used to, and Orin wasn’t sure the knights would let him outside the walls. However there was another option. Shifting his direction, Orin took the winding corridors towards the docks. While there would probably be at least a knight or two watching the entrances to the castle from the docks, the docks themselves would simply have irregular patrols. Orin figured if he let the knight get a good look at him, he’d be able to get in and out without issue. He had deliberately left one of his daggers at home and slipped the other into his boot. While he would have trouble grabbing it quickly it was better than going completely defenseless. The knight on duty noted his passage but let him go without incident when Orin lifted his cloak to show he was unarmed. Smiling gratefully, Orin let his cloak fall before proceeding. The seawater gave the air a salty tang. Orin didn’t get out here often and he breathed deep savoring the clean bite of the scent. He’d never been close to the sea before he’d come to Syliras and it thrilled him every time. Making his way out to the docks proper, Orin stood for a chime simply savoring the wavering beauty of the moon reflected off the water. The sky was clear and the stars shimmered with a quiet beauty. Suddenly, there was a flash of light. Orin shielded his eyes but the light got brighter and not dimmer as time passed. Suddenly, there was a splash from the water and the light vanished. Orin peered out from between his fingers. There was a struggling figure out there. Shouting, Orin broke into a run, all worries about dizziness forgotten. Orin skidded to a halt almost slipping on the slick water stained wood of the docks. Catching himself just in time Orin stood helpless at the edge of the docks. The water stretched between and the struggling person out there. Unfortunately for them both, Orin didn’t know how to swim, having never learned when he was a child. So, he was reduced to yelling ”Over here! Over here! Swim for it, come to my voice.” Orin waved his arms over his head as well, hoping the combination of the movement and sound would be enough to spur whoever it was into motion. Orin got down on his hands and knees and stretched his hand out across the water as far as he could reach. It was all he could do to help.

[Eluri]

The ethaefal wasn't quite sure when the cold started to settle in, when the heat of exertion and burning lungs passed, but it hit her like a casinoor when she noticed it. It was still early spring, not enough time had passed for the land and seas to warm up and thaw, so it was no surprise that the saline air, the dark water around her, and the wood that she was touching was bitter with frost.

Her body felt it surround her like a vice. A cold, iron gripped vice that wouldn't let go of her lungs quite as easily as the fires that preceded it. It was something more deathly, and it formed into lumps inside her chest, weighing her down and choking up her quickly tiring, spent limbs. It pulled the warmth of life, however unwanted, away from her and sent its frozen fingers into her skin, chilling flesh, bone, and thoughts all at once. It probably was not even all that cold, and her senses were playing games with her, but the horned woman didn't care either way. She was cold, water was clinging to places that she would rather not have it cling to, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen, something big that she was about to remember. Even though she had taken to not reflecting upon her inner thoughts, she was apprehensive and wary of the queer sensation.

Given her current situation, clinging onto some wooden thing, naked in very cold water, and slowly recovering her senses and awareness of her surroundings, losing consciousness did not seem very appropriate. It was, possibly, the most unwanted thing to happen at that very moment. Remembering meant fainting, fainting meant letting go, and letting go meant sinking into the waters again. One swim was more than she needed.

She didn't have a choice. Her fingers weren't exempt from winter's lingering touch. With the amount of pressure she had to use just to keep herself attached to what she believed to be a dock of some kind, the blood in her fingers drained back. It was swiftly growing ghostly pale, more than she was already in the light of the moon, and it was only a matter of time until she had to let go. Tingling, numbness, loss of touch and control was a sure sign of that.

But before her fingers became useless from the cold, the ethaefal heard what seemed to be a voice. It wasn't particularly clear, not with her heart thumping in her water logged ears, but it was enough to make her start. She couldn't tell where it was coming from, nor whether to trust her memories, but it was all she could do among the docked ships that she had only now happened to notice. It was only with that piece of knowledge that what she had been holding onto was, in fact, what appeared to be a net of some kind. Any good that was at being wood.

She couldn't climb the accursed thing, not with her lack of strength. She knew that it wouldn't amount to anything and so didn't attempt it. She never did care much about her own situation when it wasn't outright life threatening, especially when it had many alternatives, and so always went with what was most convenient. Getting help from another person was quite appealingly convenient.

"Swim for it, come to my voice."

There it was again, that same male voice that had called out just before, now much clearer. Salt water does wanders to your hearing, especially after it finally drains from your ears in a nasty rush of trickling warmth.

She swung her head around, plunging into the biting water again, and finally noticed what seemed to be some odd shape flopping around. She couldn't tell, though, with her eyes full of stinging water. It hurt to even open her eyes when out of water, let alone when struggling to swim with leaden feet. But she swam as best as she could towards the figure. She swam with absolutely zero art towards the being, her hair fanning about her like a great roiling mist underwater, and didn't care for it. She was sinking, in all honestly, but the motion was enough to propel her forward enough to reach the figure, now leaning over with an outstretched arm.

With one last kick, one last struggle of breath and leg strength, the woman pushed past the surface of the water, shattered the mirror surface, and reached out for the hand proffered to her. It was almost as if it was lasting for an eternity, stretching on as her adrenaline made the world seem slower than it truly was, but snapped back into one short burst of what felt like desperation, calm, acceptance, and yet blazing determination for some long lost memory as her wet hands slapped into the unknown man's hands.

It was the longest moment in her short life, her heart pounding as she didn't know whether or not he would grab hold to her hand fast enough, and she didn't seem to have the heart to care. She didn't care that she could have died, although her body very much did so, nor did she care that she had the niggling feeling that she should have known how to swim. She wanted to be out of the uncaring waters, that was for sure, but she didn't care how or when, just as soon as she could. It was something that simply felt ingrained in her mind, in her newly acquired memories. Her lack of care for herself.

Her nudity also went without saying. Maybe her hair would cover her up.

[Orin Fenix]

Orin Fenix Food Equals Love Orin watched with his heart in his mouth as the struggling figure inched closer. And he cursed his inability to swim once again. Whoever it was that out apparently wasn’t any more proficient than Orin himself was. Orin wished he could slip into the water and go help them, but that would likely just result in both of them drowning. He was debating it even so, and he vowed that if they ever slipped fully under the surface he would dive after them, lack of skill notwithstanding. His breath tightened as they drew near and Orin saw that it was a woman with blue hair and what looked like horns. But Orin didn’t have time to process what, exactly, she was. The faintest of pressures touched his fingertips and he tightened his grip before her hand could slip out of his. He heaved and she came partway out of the water, but the weight grew too much for him and he had to sink back down. Orin realized that getting to the dock appeared to have sapped what little strength she had. She was semi-conscious and unresisting in the water. The only part of her that seemed aware was his fingers, clamped tightly around his wrist. ”Hold on! I will get you out I promise just please, stay with me, don’t pass out, it’ll all be alright, just hand on,” Orin pleaded not even caring that his words carried little sense. It was the tone that mattered more. Orin sank down to his stomach, hating the thought of immersing her more, but having little choice. Before she could slip too far, he placed his free hand under her armpits and around her back. Then, he pulled with all of his might. She sprang up and out and Orin grunted at the sudden weight on his body. He had no choice but to drop her, although, knowing it was coming, he tried to make it as calm and controlled as he could. Instead of letting her sprawl, he guide her to the ground as gently as he could manage. She was shivering from the freezing waters. And, as Orin only just now saw, she was completely and totally naked. Orin felt a creeping blush start up. Even in this most dangerous of situations his sensibilities and awkwardness were interfering. He throttled down his embarrassment. Her health and safety were much more important than whether or not Orin was comfortable around naked women. Quickly, Orin untied his cloak and draped it over her. It was important to get her warm and dry as quickly as possible. That much Orin knew from having rescued animals from the snow before. He imagined it was much the same with people from freezing waters. Orin hesitated for just the barest moment before scooting over to her and putting his arms around. His body heat would do wonders for her situation. And, now that there was a layer of cloth between them, Orin felt comfortable enough holding her, especially if it was for a good cause. He just hoped she didn’t mind. ”We’ll get you warmed up and settled in just, please, don’t panic. I’m trying to help I promise. What were you doing out there anyway! And what was that flash of light?” Orin quickly remembered that, as was his habit, he had left out the most important part. ”Ah, I’m Orin, Orin Fenix. Wish we were meeting under more favorable circumstances miss.” Orin could see that this woman did have a pair of white swirling horns that had a pattern that seemed follow a highly intricate pattern of some kind. He’d never seen anything quite like it in before. They were beautiful in an exotic way. The same could be said of the woman herself. She was slender and long limbed with elegant and dainty hands. Her silvery-blue hair was long. It was damp from her plunge and was plastered around her body. Though Orin couldn’t tell her height, she looked tall. Her face was serene and beautiful, with long eyelashes and perfectly shaped eyebrows. All in all, she made a striking figure. None of which Orin appreciated since he was filled with concern for her. ”Come on, warm up! We’ll get you through this I promise.” Orin could hear shouts in the distance. While they might not have seen the woman in the water, they definitely would’ve caught the falling star or whatever that had been. Not wanting to be the center of an investigation, Orin urged her to her feet. ”If you don’t want to explain anything to the Syliran Order, the knights I mean, the people who keep the peace, then we should probably move.” The sound of an approaching crowd was getting closer and Orin felt worry pinch his brow. They were up and moving, in the opposite direction of the approaching people. Orin led them a circuitous route back to the entrance he’d came in through. His cloak threatened to slip open, but every time he tugged it snugly shut. He wished he were strong enough to say that it was to prevent heat from escaping but the truth was he didn’t want to see her naked again. And if people spotted a nude woman by the docks, especially with the uproar being raised, they might put two and two together. If she didn’t want to tell her story, then Orin wanted her privacy to be protected. It wasn’t like she couldn’t come forward later if she wished. As they passed the knight he gave the two a knowing grin. ”I see you found a friend. That ruckus down there interrupt you?” Orin nodded cautiously and the knight chuckled and waved them in, his attention fixed on the docks and not the two of them, for which Orin was grateful. It was only after they’d gone some distance and turned a corner that Orin realized what the knight had been implying. He felt his cheeks flame, and hoped that it had gone over the woman’s head. Stopping, Orin suddenly remembered that he had no idea what he was doing with this woman. Or even who she was. Or what she was. He had only known that he felt the need to protect her. But now that she was out of the immediate danger he was at a complete loss. Taking her back to his apartment was an option but Orin couldn’t imagine either of them would be comfortable with that. Taking her to a healer or a doctor would probably be best but Orin didn’t have any money on him and she certainly didn’t have any possessions at all. At a loss, Orin stood there until he figured out that there was another option. Tugging her forward, Orin turned his head over his shoulder to speak to her. ”I’m going to take you to The Rearing Stallion, it’s where I work as a cook. We’ve got some spare sets of clothing, they’re for the barmaids and the cooks in case there’s an accident of some kind and some food for you if you’re hungry, and plenty of fires to get you warm. Oh! I should probably tell you it’s a tavern.”

[Sylvette Sciath]

Sylvette had woken with her master, Master, when had she started calling him that? following. He had seemed rather perturbed that night, she felt that it was unnaturally so she had not left his side for more than an hour or so since she had met him three days ago, following him to work and to his home were he had taken to allowing her to live as was her will. So when her master had left she waited a moment before deciding it was likely in her best interest to follow after him. though her waiting to decide had left her with an obstacle she had never had to face on her own before, a door. Well, she knew how it worked, the question was, could he turn the handle down the way her master always did without even thinking about it? well the mechanic was simple, but the method was nonexistent. Well, no time to learn like the present, Hopping up on her hind legs Sylvette jumped at the door but upon reaching it, failed to get the door handle to shift and ended up back on the ground, well attempt to putting her hind legs on the floor Sylvette slowly inched her forelegs up the door until her left paw barely touched the handle, then using what little leverage she could muster she pulled the handle down and with a push got the door to wing outward. With a slight elated mewl Sylvette left the room to realize her master was already out of sight. Luckily for her, his career had left him with a rather distinctive scent that made him all to easy to follow, so following the scent of food and sweat Sylvette made her way after her master. after a few moment of following him though in the general direction of the docks she heard him begin to shout, something about swimming and with that Sylvette took off in the direction of his voice hoping that no harm had befallen him in her absence, Orin had such a tendency to get into trouble of some sort whether he knew it or not. By the time Sylvette had reached him she saw him wrapping the nude figure of a woman in his cloak, it seemed he had just fished her out of the bay, Just what were you up to master? Orin quickly took off at a rather slow pace with the woman, until he was met by a guard who seemed rather preoccupied with something else in the water and quickly let her master and the water woman through. following after the two via shadows Sylvette finally caught up with her master, just in time to here him inform her that he would be taking her to the stallion t get her warm and dry, Sylvette could indeed empathize with that though Sylvette hated being wet as well. Though now hat Sylvette was thinking about it, wasn't her master holding that woman a little too close? Well, maybe he had a reason? either way he had left her in the room and hadn't even mentioned his leaving to her, which was not at all nice, and now he hadn't even noticed her following right behind him, well, that was simply too much. So without much ado Sylvette let out a short Mewl showing that she did in fact exist and that she was indeed still following her master.

[Eluri]

She wasn't quite sure what happened after she had placed her hand, and trust, into the hands of the man who had called out to her. There was a tug, a pulling of her arm that she knew to be the weight of being stolen from the inky waters, but there was a brief interlude where the water surged back to reclaim her. It was like she was being drawn from it, only to be plunged in again, however small the movement. It was all too muddled up in her head. A tug, a drop, and then the sudden feeling of falling through air. It was all she could make out with all that cold eating away at her consciousness.

The ethaefal was still conscious, half conscious in any case, and she couldn't quite make out the face of the person who saved her. They were sharp, his facial features, and quite pink even through her burning eyes. But that was it. That was all she could distinguish from him through vision. Through touch, she could feel that his muscles were well developed, their power and heat seeping into her frozen body as skin touched skin. Through smell...well, she couldn't smell anything besides the salt that clung to her body. Taste was no different. But her ears told her everything she needed to know.

His hold on her was gentle and comforting, like a warm blanket, as he placed what seemed to be one around her soaked body. It helped, whatever the man had placed around her, but the woman's hair was completely saturated and clung to her body like a stubborn lover, pulling the regaining warmth from her as rivulets ran down her body and onto the stone floor. It was a slow process, the transferal of heat from that mystery strangers body, but it was enough to battle against her shivering and sodden hair. However, it was not enough to drag her away from the encroaching hypothermia.

In a sudden flare of heat and cold, dancing on her skin like a sonata of flame and ice, her shudders returned in strength. Her senses were suddenly shattered into a thousand fragments of consciousness as she lapsed further into what felt like sleep, and the only thing that seemed to kept her mired there was the sounds around her. His voice was her anchor point, its concern bringing back warm memories that she had only stowed away just before, and she remembered it, She clung to it as she knew that this man, this child, needed her to stay alive.

"Hold on! I will get you out I promise just please, stay with me, don’t pass out, it’ll all be alright, just hand on," was what he told her before, when she placed her trust in him. It reminded her of another boy, another child, who she had met so long ago. She couldn't remember him, though: the fragmenting was too strong and the cracks only left the words, a promise she had made to him, intact. It reminded her of her own promise and so she held him to it. He had better honor that promise, something her heart told her she had failed to do.

But that was back when she was first drawn from the sea. Now, after he had wrapped whatever it was around her, his voice coursed through the air again, the vibrations of his words running across her skin with the fire and ice as she was held against him.

"We’ll get you warmed up and settled in just, please, don’t panic. I’m trying to help I promise. What were you doing out there anyway?! And what was that flash of light?"

She didn't quite understand why he was so...anxious. What was there to panic about? And his questions were hard to answer as she realised that her mouth just wouldn't open, let alone form the right sounds. She knew what she wanted to say, but she wasn't used to this flesh form yet, especially that finicky part called the mouth. Maybe it was her consciousness, its slipping and the threat of falling asleep, that made the words all muddled up in her mind when she tried to reply, but it wasn't really anything she could control. So she accepted it. The next part was a bit harder to reply to.

”Ah, I’m Orin," the man said, his voice oddly enough lapsing into a abashed tone as it ran through her darkened world, "Orin Fenix. Wish we were meeting under more favorable circumstances miss.”

Whatever those favourable circumstances were, the ethaefal didn't know. Her head was spiking with pain from time to time, but his voice was holding her there. It was weird, that urge to slip into unconsciousness but unable to do so, but it was good at the same time. Something bad was bound to happen if she did. And, anyway, she needed to tell him her name. It was hard to describe it, like a butchered song in her head, but she couldn't make a noise, anyway. There was much she needed to do, many a favour to repay, but maybe later. All she could do was endure.

"Come on, warm up! We’ll get you through this I promise."

She couldn't control her body as a fever threatened to come over her, but the sound of panic in his voice made her want to do something to help him. He was like a boy at that moment, throwing promises left and right and panicking with concern, and she couldn't help but form a motherly attachment to him. He was like a son...A son who's grown up all strong and warm. Where was that boy she had made a promise to now?

"If you don’t want to explain anything to the Syliran Order, the knights I mean, the people who keep the peace, then we should probably move."


That name, the Syliran Order, somehow rang a bell in her memories. At its mention, the pain spiked again, this time sending her reeling. She felt like crumpling over, the pain was unbearable, but it yielded no results. The pain, the keeling over, and yet no broken recalls. It felt worse now, that queer feeling at the back of her mind, the one with a heavy premonition, but it didn't move. It didn't...anything.

She didn't know what was happening anymore, not after that splitting spike, but it did sound like they were on the move. He did say something about moving, but she didn't know. Her body was either being dragged along, carried, or automatically moving, but she just didn't know.

For some time, the world lapsed into silence without his voice. It felt like forever, the silence and pain chasing one another in her head, preventing any clear thoughts from forming without sending spikes up her hear, but she waited for his voice to crop up again. Everything he promised, she was holding to.

When he finally spoke again, it was to deliver weird news. "I’m going to take you to The Rearing Stallion," was what he first said. She didn't quite know why he was taking her to a horse, but...it was his choice. She didn't mind. "It’s where I work as a cook." That made much more sense. Who in the Ukalas brings someone to a horse that's ready to stomp something or someone?

"We’ve got some spare sets of clothing, they’re for the barmaids and the cooks in case there’s an accident of some kind and some food for you if you’re hungry, and plenty of fires to get you warm. Oh! I should probably tell you it’s a tavern.”

She was fine with that. She couldn't quite remember what a tavern was, and she was pretty sure she didn't need food, but the prospect of clothing and warmth was quite inviting. She was grateful to this stranger, but something had suddenly stopped her in her tracks. Some overcoming urge to respond, something that she had noticed despite all of the mushy pain she was feeling.

One single mewl. That was all it was, but she could suddenly feel her lips form the word, despite their reluctance and complete and utter refusal to make a sound before.

"Kitty."

Go figure that she'd call out for a cat. She loved animals and kids, for Leth's sake, and her voice, as airy and piercingly clear as it was, told everything.

[Claudia Blackwood]

It was getting late. The luminescent moon had long risen to his peak at the top of the sky, partly covered with some clouds, acting like a blanket covering oneself. Claudia was out on an errand for her mentor, Ser Sebastian.

He had tasked her to deliver a package who he wanted delivered personally to a friend he had in an inn. She had already handed off the medium-sized package of to the friend who appeared to be another knight, who seemed skeptical at first, but had a change of heart once he found out who it was from. Then, he accepted it happily, his eyes glittering brightly with delight. She had no idea what was in the package, but she trusted her patron implicitly, and she was always happy to people with emotions of joy.

She was on her way back to the dormitories when she saw a bright flash of light, followed by some faint shouts. That piqued her interest. Claudia started running towards where she saw the flash. The sound she heard also seemed to coming from that direction. As she got neared to the source, she discovered that going any further would lead her towards the road heading to the docks. She quickened her steps, increasing her pace.

Taking several steps forward, she started into a jog, turning her head to look back if there was anyone else who saw or had heard the same thing she had, but the streets were empty and quiet tonight. As she turned her head back, she almost collided with a man and his companion standing beside him. Stopping herself, she hastily apologised, flustering before glancing at the pair. Looking up at the young man, she recognised the figure to be Orin Fenix. She had met the cook at the New Year's party at Sayana's place.

She broke into a bright smile "Oh..It's you! Hello Orin! It's so nice to see you again! Did you see the bright flash and heard the shouts by the docks? I am pretty sure I heard them." Narrowing her eyes as she scrutinised his companion, before she noticed that his hands were clasped tightly at the cloak's edges clamping it tightly together.

She then questioned him with an eyebrow cocked. "Who's this suspicious looking person? A friend of yours? And what are you doing?" Her fingers gesturing, indicating towards his hands.

[Orin Fenix]

Orin Fenix Food Equals Love Orin watched with growing concern as the otherworldly woman succumbed to a bout of shivering. Despite Orin’s best efforts, she seemed to be feeling the effects of the water and the cold. She seemed only semi-conscious; reacting to what Orin was saying to her but not necessarily responding. Especially when she didn’t reply to his question about whether she would like to go to The Rearing Stallion, Orin felt a spike of worry grow deeper and deeper. If she needed more than medical attention then simply warming up in front of a fire, Orin couldn’t provide it to her. He’d have to take her to Soothing Water, and let them deal with it. But neither Orin nor the lady had any mizas on them and Orin was terribly afraid that the time spent going back to Orin’s apartment and then heading over to the baths and healer could cause much more permanent damage. Orin was debating with himself so fiercely as to what the best course of action was that he completely failed to notice Ginger’s approach and her subsequent mewl. However he did hear the woman’s nearly awestruck exclamation. Whirling, Orin finally saw Ginger at her favorite place, slightly behind him on his right. ”Wha-Bu-How-What are you doing here Ginger?! And how did you get out of my room? I could’ve sworn that I closed the door.” Obviously Orin must have left it slightly ajar, seeing as there was no way a tiny cat could’ve reached and pulled down the heavy handle, let alone pushed the door open. But there was something decidedly odd about Ginger, not that Orin minded in the slightest. He loved having her following him around. Having to take care of another living creature was somehow doing wonders for Orin’s self-esteem. However, Orin had more important problems than how exactly Ginger had escaped the apartment. Spinning to the woman, Orin blurted out, ”So you can talk! Please, do you know how long you were in the water? I can’t help you unless you talk to me so please, please talk. I don’t care about what you were doing in there I just want you to talk.” Orin was extremely glad that the woman, although obviously in a state of shock about whatever had befallen her, was still coherent enough to speak, even if it was a single word. Although Orin wasn’t a doctor, he felt it boded well for her eventual recovery. A voice in the hallway startled Orin. I have got to start paying closer attention to my surroundings! he admonished himself sternly. Orin turned for the third time in rapid succession. Unfortunately, all the quick whirling about caused all the blood to rush to Orin’s head. As he grew dizzy and light sparkled in front of his eyes, Orin put out a hand on the nearest wall to steady himself. When his vision finally cleared, Orin blanched at who was in front of them. Claudia might be a nice person, but as far as Orin could recall, she was a squire, although since so many of the people at Sayana’s party had been squires, Orin had a hard time keeping track of them all. ”Claudia! It-it’s good to see you as well. How’s Holland, have you seen him lately.” Orin’s pathetic attempt to deflect attention away from himself failed as Claudia began questioning him about the lights and the commotion down at the harbor, before moving to Orin’s companion with more than a hint of distrust. ”Yes! Yes yes, she’s definitely, a, a, a, friend, that’s right, this is my friend. We ah, well we saw the lights because we were both uh, out for a little evening stroll, you know, as friends do, and we saw the bright light, because well our stroll took us down to the docks because ah the sea air is good for you.” Continuing wildly, Orin tried to figure out a way to explain the woman’s state. ”And the light got so bright that we were blinded and my friend slipped into the water and I fished her out and that’s why she’s wet. And naked. Since I didn’t want her in her wet clothes you see since that’s…bad” Orin’s voice trailed off. He didn’t know why he had even tried subterfuge in the first place. It was far from his strongest suit. Sincerity worked much better for him. ”Look, Claudia I’m sorry, I made most of that up. I mean, actually a lot of it is true, but that’s beside the point. I was walking about since I can’t sleep in my tiny and stuffy apartment and I was down by the docks. I saw a bright light falling from the sky and the next thing I knew she was in the water. I rescued her but she either needs a warm fire or immediate medical attention. Please please don’t arrest us, neither of us did anything wrong. Well, except lie to you just now but it was more shading the truth and honestly this situation is so crazy that I don’t know how to react.” Taking a deep breath, Orin exhaled slowly, counting to ten in his mind. The Order was supposed to help people right? Maybe Claudia knew of a place they could take this woman. ”Actually Claudia, even if you have to take me in for whatever, could you help her? She is freezing and I’m afraid…” Orin’s voice cracked in his fear, ”I’m afraid that I can’t help her and we might lose her.” Orin flashed back to that fateful day when he’d been standing helplessly outside his house as his father burned inside. Never again, he’d vowed that day as he firmly choked back a sob.

[Sylvette Sciath]

After catching up with her master things began developing at a rather fast pace, though the first thing that happened was the person Orin was fretting over took notice of Sylvette before anyone else did replying to her Meow with "Kitty". However this seemed to only cause Orin who was about to question how Sylvette had caught up with him into an even steeper grade Of panic. of course things only began to snowball when a new voice joined the fray. From ahead of Orin and the woman came a third voice, apparently it was someone who knew Orin and had just happened upon him, which led her to further question what it was Orin was doing when she noticed the person he was supporting. This of course sent Orin into an even longer series of stutters and babbling that managed to confuse even Sylvette who considered herself rather attuned to her master. Cosidering the situation Sylvette was not quite sure how in the world she could assist her master, she knew very little about healing people and even less about how to explain the situation they were in. So SYlvette did the first thing that came to her mind, She would comfort her master by being near him, after all, she had enough confidence in her master for the both of them. SO walking up to her master Sylvette rubbed herself against her masters legs letting out another "meow" and then rubbed against the legs of the woman he was holding, who had a not quite human scent about her, though Sylvette could not place what that smell was or what it meant. Sylvette then stayed there with her master and the woman eyeing the newcomer, She wouldn't let anyone cause trouble for her master, even if they knew him.

[Eluri]

OOCWell, Eluri's out of this thread until she's warmed up enough or until she wakes up. Just tell me if you want a second part to the thread.

As the words left her lips, what little energy she had had was completely drained. The feverish burning, the swamping waves of unconsciousness, swept her further away with every passing moment. The ethaefal had survived the waters and its grip, the salty waves no longer a problem for her, but what it left in its wake was far more deadly. The warmth from her body was completely stripped, despite Orin's attempt to bring it back and supplement hers with his own, too much of it had already been stolen by the sea. Although his warmth did not cure her outright of her predicament, it had bought her, them, time. And with every second, every minute, that her benefactor stalled, that she stayed wet and unaware, she came closer to Dira's domain.

She couldn't help but find the situation rather funny. She had fallen from Leth's realm and into the sea, and for what? The memories she had carried with her were garbled, and she somehow knew that it was all so futile. She couldn't do anything, anyway. The end was only a new beginning, but it felt like everything she had done was a waste.

Slamming for the last time against her non-existent mental fortitude, the tendrils of burning numbness that had already swamped her mind completely shattered her mental barriers. The darkness that followed was swift, and it threw her into oblivion. Her body, which had been automatically supporting itself as best as it could during her state of teetering consciousness, finally gave way in the arms of the young man. Her knees buckled as soon as she was snatched away by the blessed sleep, and then she fell.

Maybe it was for a second, maybe for an hour, she didn't know. She wasn't awake to remember it, anyway, but it was a sight to behold. The cloak that had been wrapped around her fanned out as its hood fell back, revealing her translucent horns to the world. It was a dead giveaway that she wasn't human, and it was bound to bring trouble, but it wasn't an issue that was all that important at that moment. And yet, it felt almost as if that moment lasted for an eternity.