PM to join Going out [Talya]

[Bartholomew]

8th day of Spring, 515 A.V.

Light, I need you to do me a favor. I was sent a message from my caravan that I sent to Nyka saying that their cargo was stolen by three bandits. They have little protection or means to retrieve the cargo from the bandits. I want you to go and kill the bandits and retrieve the cargo. You will find the ones who messaged me near the road to Nyka. They will guide you to the bandits from there. It will take you two days to get there, so be sure you pack enough rations for that time. I have made plans for someone to bring you half way. Return safely.

~Love, Mother

Light gently placed the letter on his desk. He stood up from his table and pulled on his newly made blue coat. His sword and dagger rested on a wall by three nails he had punctured into his home. He first took the scabbard of his dagger and connected it to his belt, then he slid his head and shoulder through the strap of his scabbard.

Light hurried out of his home at the next chance he got, after packing three days rations into his backpack; he didn't want the chance of starving for one day while on this small trip. He moved to the store to buy a 1 person tent, which costed 2gm, then he paid for a ride to the outpost.

It took a full day to reach the Lakeshore. The sun had already reached the period of dusk and the clouds were beginning to turn dark. Light hoisted his bag onto his back and stepped out the boat. The first trip he made was to the staples to meet the man that would bring him into the wildlands. Together they rode until they reached the boundaries of Ravok and the wild world. That was as far as the man was willing to bring Light, the rest of the way he would need to walk.

It was night time and the full moon was out by the time he was left alone. He would need to pick a place to rest, somewhere close enough to the road but far away so that thieves or bandits would not capture him. He looked at one general direction and began trekking. Where he was heading was into the forest.

[Talya]

It wasn't often Talya left the city. It wasn't because she felt as though she couldn't keep herself safe, there simply wasn't any need. At least, not until that night, as she felt as though she needed to be alone. Needed some space, and fresh air. A place where she could finally breath and not deal with the constant racism she faced over her appearance in the human-centric city of Ravok. A place where she knew she could relax- and that place was out in the forest, outside of the city, not so far a walk from the lake. A stretch of the land where she could peer up through the trees and look at the darkening sky; take note of the sunset before the world descended into darkness. When the sky was black, the moon full, and the stars a bright sparkling silver. Unmarred by the light cast by the apartments; those who felt it best to stave off sleep into the late hours of the evening, or perhaps, even early morning. So, Talya brought a pack filled with some of her things, and set up a camp in a small clearing ringed by trees. On the hard packed soil, she set her blanket, and lay down to look up at the stars now that darkness had fallen. She tucked her arms under her head for support, and lay her body out, her long hair splayed against the fabric, and spilling out over the sides as she studied Leth's face. It seemed far more craterous than the night before. The light grey splotches marring his otherwise unblemished skin. He seemed darker and more shadowed too, and the Ethaefal silently wondered if this had anything to do with the way the star's light played off of his surface. The thought proved fleeting however, as her eyes wandered over the clear night sky, taking an initial, cursory glance of the celestial bodies that rested there. And then another, her gaze naturally settling on the brightest amongst the stars- namely the nord star, (most commonly referred to the north star by seafarers), and what she thought might have been its southern counterpart, or at least one of the many. For as far as she knew, there was no star known as the "souther star." She had always wondered why this was, if the north got a star after all, why not the south? Or even the east or the west? What made the north so darned special anyway? The Ethaefal sighed to herself as she began to move clockwise away from the north star, taking the sky slowly in stride, as she was trying to discern just how many constellations she could pick up on before she gave up, and began to connect the dots, coming up with some of her own, (and sometimes, elaborate and ludicrous stories to go along with them. As every star deserved its own story, at least, in her mind). The first constellation she noticed was that of Antliae, and then she noticed Apus, which translated roughly to "no feet," she knew, as it was a bird of paradise. Or it was supposed to be, Talya had never really seen it, no matter how often it was explained to her. Disatisfaction ran through her as she had noticed it next as opposed to something else, as it was in the southern portion of the sky. But no matter, she would just work her way back around. This time, counting the stars in camelopardalis.

[Bartholomew]

The night breeze coolly tingled Light's skin as he made way through the forest. He could see, through the trees above his head, a strong amount of stars letting its presence be known by their light. Beauty could be its only description.

However, there was something even more beautiful that Light laid his eyes on that day- someone who was clearly beyond the bodily perfection of a human being. It was a female with a mixture of silver and blue color sprayed gorgeously all over her locks. She had horns which sprouted from her temples and shifted upwards to represent those of the ram. Although it was the horn that called to Light, the type of facial allure that she contained made him want to bow to her- for he bowed to anything that resembled that of a Goddess.

Light had come across her as he walked, searching for a place to rest. As he had moved deeper into the forest- as soundless as he could possibly be for fear of disturbing a dangerous predator- his eyes had settled on this beauteous woman laying on a blanket, counting the stars with her fingers and eyes.

What should Light do? To disturb such a fascinating scene such as this would be known as a sin, and Rhysol would do right to strike him down- and any other fool that would- if he did. However, Light couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to know this woman, of hearing her voice, and of knowing the gentleness of her touch. He cursed under his breath, then he made a step that shook the grass and would awake her to his presence if she wasn't already aware.

"An Ethaefal far away from the city, enjoying the moon to which they're God owns? That sounds about right."

Light didn't know much about the race with horns on their heads, except for the fact that they were born of the moon and are closely made of a Gods touch. He knew the rarity of these species and knew that many people sought them mostly for their beauty. It was sad to believe that such a creature as these were controlled.

[Talya]

One star. Two star. Three star, four star. They sparkled against the dark backdrop, as though they had not a care in the world. And this, was something Talya found that she marveled at even more than their beauty, for she knew not how something could be care free, although, she supposed that they had far less to deal with than the likes of she. No ridicule, although they had not the ears to hear even if they were. No financial worries, no need to worry about food, as their own fire fueled them. No need to worry about water, as they had no need to drink. No need to worry about shelter, or slumber, as the sky was their home, and although they dimmed during the day, or simply, became invisible to the naked eye, they had no true need to sleep. They didn't grow tired; they simply disappeared when they were done. Burst into millions of little pieces in one great expulsion of energy, and were no more. Although, perhaps, for a time, those pieces would be visible, before either they faded away, swept up in the tides of the sky, or over hundreds and thousands of years, they grew to form a new star. Perhaps brighter, perhaps less so, it didn't really matter. It would still be beautiful, Talya knew, even though she may not be alive to see it. This amazed her, almost as much as how she gasped, and jumped up in her seat as the voice of a male reached her ears. Although it held a tender quality to it, it was completely unexpected, and had drawn her out of her reverie, catching her entirely unawares. Tal caught herself; forced her heart to calm. To return to a normal state as her eyes settled upon the stranger. A young man, by the look of things. "Leth has his own city?" she questioned. Although it may not have seemed to be a question, and she was left to wonder why the man had said anything at all, and why he had intruded upon her peace.

[Bartholomew]

Light had startled her when he spoke. She quickly jumped from his words as though he was about to assault her. When he noticed those gorgeous eyes of hers look upon him confessedly, he cursed himself for saying anything. What excuse could ever pardon disturbing nature at its finest?

"Leth has his own city?" The divinity responded to him, and Light sighed heavily.

"Wonderful. She mistook my sentence also." Light spoke these words in Tawna, hoping that he would be able to speak his mind without the woman's knowledge. It is what he would do sometimes when he wanted to say things he couldn't say in front of people.

"I'm sorry, but I did not mean that." Light hurriedly corrected himself with the common language, hoping that the strange being would not appear so confused as she seemed anymore. "I was only poking fun at how you were alone and in the forest, counting the stars I believe Leth granted us..."

Light pointed up at the vast stars that hovered over both he and the Ethaefal. There were many above, some that shined bright and some that barely lit. Light could tell from the sight of the many stars that there were more, some that probably could not be seen from far away. He liked to think that there was another world out there, one similar to the land of Mizahar. However, he was too far away to see them, and he was too early in time to reach them.

He looked back at the girl and the beauty of her that had managed to captivate him. It was not everyday that Light saw an Ethaefal, so when he did he could not help but be enraptured by them.

"I don't know much about Leth, sadly... But I could always learn a little about him, and the alignment of the stars, someday."

He smiled at her. "Also, if there is a city devoted to Rhysol then there should be a city devoted to Leth. You just have to do some searching."

[Talya]

Talya's brow furrowed. "Strange," she said, her tone blank, "I always believed that Zintila had given us the stars, and Leth only the moon," she continued, as Light continued to study her. Making her feel as though she were an ant beneath a child's magnifying glass, in some ways. With the nature of his eyes- strangely piercing, scrutinizing her so heavily that she felt she were standing naked before him, (although she was only sitting). She thought she saw his eyes trace her horns, and then settle on her own. It was like he had never seen one of her kind before. Which she supposed, made some sense, as there weren't many of her people falling onto either category- being those of Leth or Syna, or even the darkened fallen. Or forsaken, whatever those who forgot called themselves. Man being far more prevalent, likely the most prevalent race on all of Mizahar, although she wasn't entirely sure. In any case, she found herself feeling slightly uncomfortable around Light, and found that her hand naturally settled upon the hilt of her dagger; still hidden on her thigh, by the cotton folds of her dress. Fabric, which rippled down the side of her leg, and cascaded onto the forest floor, before pooling around her. Tal found herself nodding in response to his words all the same. "There is time for everything, if we wish there to be," she said. "And it doesn't sound as though you truly wish there to be- your tone is to despondent." At least it was, to her ears. Talya fell silent for a few moments. "Perhaps," was all she managed, before her eyes veered off to the stars, and she noticed the constellation Callas, which depicted a man with a crow's head, and his own body. Today, the stars of his horse could not be seen, as it was said that after he was cursed, even his once trusty steed abandoned him. Leaving him to fly alone across the sky in search of the god that had changed him. Eywaat, she had believed it was, as punishment for hunting down crows, destroying them for their raucous song. Other stories still, said simply, that it was a witch that had cursed him for calling her ugly. Either way, he was left with a body of neither words. A voice of neither man nor bird, so that he could communicate with none on his endless quest to find his enemy, and kill them, so ending the curse and regaining his former life, and his peace. Talya sighed. Even the stars seemed to have complex lives. And that was when she remembered him. Talya turned, and found Light still looking. Maybe she hadn't spend that long looking at Callas. She wasn't sure, and asked, "did you want to come and sit with me? Or simply stand and stare?"

[Bartholomew]

Light was beginning to make her uncomfortable. He could tell by the arrangement of her face now that she thought of him a possible trouble, which he wouldn't blame her for thinking. She was even cautionary about some of the words she spoke, or maybe the way she was speaking was a regular way for her species? Light did not know, it seems he didn't know a lot of things now a days, did he?

After a while of dealing with Light's strange stare, the girl finally asked him to join or gawk at her for the remainder of the night. Even though both choices would give him much entertainment, he knew that choosing to fawn over her would cause her wondrous beauty to leave his sight. Light did not want this, he wanted to stare at her under the moonlight for eternity if possible, enjoying a single moment before it withered away, so he decided to join her in viewing the stars. But first, an elephant in the area needed to be addressed.

"I'll sit with you... And in return I would like for you to tell me all about Leth and Zintila, upon your wish. However, I'll do this only if we both stand on even grounds."

Light moved both of his fingers to the buckle on his chest. He tampered with it for only a tick, then rolled his back in relief as the scabbard which held his bastard sword fell to the ground.

"I know you have a weapon," he continued as one hand was placed firmly on his dagger, a weapon that was clearly in view on his waist and in its very own scabbard. "No one will come into the wildlands without one. Well... Not unless they wanted to die."

He took out his dagger and placed it where his sword lied. Both of his hands went up as though he was surrendering to her while he kept talking, "I don't want any bad blood between us. So why don't we enjoy the night sky together, with no ill intentions?

"These are all my weapons," Light pointed to the items on the ground. "You can come and check the rest of me if you want... Of course, that means that I am going to have to do the same to you."

[Talya]

Talya frowned. "I know little of Leth, and even less of Zintila," she confessed, as her ears prickled against the sound of the man's voice. His odd manner of speech, the admittance of his knowledge, and his hopes. She watched silently, idly as he undid the loops that formed the knots that bound his weapons in place. She listened as they thud softly upon the ground, one after the other, before the night was allowed to return to its uncanny stillness. The Ethaefal mused over all he had said a moment. Nibbled on her lower lip before shrugging, and saying, "very well." She took a moment to slip her fingers past the folds, the slit in her dress. She felt the cotton crawl over the back of her hand; the familiar weight of the material as it covered her, the intimate way it tickled as her nails clicked delicately against the wire hilt of her blade. Edging it farther into her sheath as her palm continued to dance across the surface of her glowing skin, until there was nothing more than the cool grit of wire beneath her; the hilt. She allowed her fingers to slide over this, her palm to press against its body, before she tightened her grip against it, and finally, extracted the blade, pulling it slowly into the open. The metal glinted softly in the moonlight, glowing a pale white tone as she turned the blade over in her hand; left, then right. "Here," Talya called, as she set the weapon beside her, and then pushed it farther out to her right. It slid across the forest floor before coming ultimately, to a standstill, so that it was a few feet out of her reach. "I don't suppose this is what you had been hoping for," she commented, with a glint in her eyes, "but it doesn't seem as though we are drunk enough yet to fall into what you had in mind." She smirked. "I hope you aren't too disappointed," she teased, as she pat the ground beside her. "Come," she insisted as she weaved her hypnotic djed into her words, and her eyes began to dilate further, her pupil extending outward until her irises were nothing more than a thin, circular frame. "Come," she whispered, before lending her voice strength, "let us draw close. Enough, where we can share each other's warmth," she continued, although she could hardly feel the night, "and we can share the darkness together. Enjoy the moon and its stars, before they fade into the light of day." Come closer, Talya continued to insist, as her eyes trailed over him, although it was silent now. For she felt the need to keep pushing, as there had always been a part of her she had never outgrown, a part of her that hated to wait.

[Bartholomew]

Light did not know what came over him. In the time of this woman beckoning to him, he felt a strange attraction to her which he could not fight, or he did not want to fight.

Although, he had to fight. Every time she used the word come, Light would have an urge to draw close to her, run his fingers among her delicate lips, then draw her in for a glorious lip to lip interaction. The want to do so tickled his mind where his pleasure senses were and beckoned him just as sweetly as she did when she offered Light to sit next to her.

What harm would this do? Light questioned as he walked over to her and sat as close to her as he could without overstepping any of her boundaries. Although, if she wanted him to draw closer, he would not mind giving her his warmth.

"Trust me, my lady," Light went on to say as he made himself comfortable. "I do not need to get you drunk." A coy smile that matched hers went over his lips, and he admired even himself for saying something very flirtatious.

Light was normally not the man to flirt. His moments with women were mostly him staring at them, and they feeling very uncomfortable. Some smiled at his awkwardness, enjoying the fact that their beauty had such a power over him. He did not lay with any of them. In fact, he did not lay with anyone, living his life up to now as a virgin. At most days Light would desperately wish that a moment would come where he would spend a wonderful night with a woman he deeply loved. That moment had not come, and he did not know if it ever will.

He looked deeply into this woman he was with now. Her purple eyes reflected the moon and its smaller illuminating stars; her lightly blue hair hung near her shoulders; and her pink, perfect lips called out for Light to caress them. But he did not touch her, he would not until he earned that right.

In the instant he looked at her, he made a plan. He would never know the time when he would share an even beautiful moment like this with another woman. In his line of profession, a life like his could go as quickly as a ferocious wind blowing out a tiny candle. Light decided that he would not let his chance to experience the passion of loving go to waste. So, in the instant he looked at her, he made a plan to seduce her into having her as his first.

Light leaned down on the grass, his upper body passing the boundaries which he had made. He would be close enough to her now to enjoy her fragrance and what little warmth she had. When he spoke, he made every word clear, and gave tiny hints within about his interest in her beauty.

"So tell me, my lady, what may I call you? My full first name is Bartholomew, but I allow my most closest of companions to call me Light." He eyed her frame, giving her face and her body a compliment with each of his stares. "I hope we can be close enough for you to call me Light, oh, glorious beautiful one."

[Talya]

Talya chuckled at the mixture of the man's awkwardness coupling with his forward nature. Her eyes sparkled as though they had borrowed the night's stars. "Talya," she replied simply, "pleased to meet you Light," she added, as she mused idly over how he might have come to acquire such a name, and extended her right hand toward him. All fingers save for the pointer curled into her palm, so that she could reach out and poke his nose lightly, almost lovingly. She chuckled again, before retracting her finger just a little. She imagined his nose would be cold, and even though it might not have been, or he might have pulled away, she found the notion that it may be chilled, for whatever reason, to be amusing. As her finger was drawing back, she reconsidered, and moved it forward again, until it pressed lightly against his lips, or came pretty darn close. "Shhhhhh," she insisted, until her breath seemed to blend in with the slight wind. Talya pushed her finger inward and upward, so that it slid forward, hopefully against the skin. She always marveled at how soft a man's lips were; especially when that seemed to be the only part of them. Given that they often worked harder, laboring jobs, which callused and scarred their hands. Jobs, which left them out in the sun all day, making their skin cracked and dry. Their lack of interest in their appearances, and keeping themselves up, (in most cases from what the Ethaefal had seen), certainly didn't help, as they weren't likely to lather themselves in any hydrating oils or balms, or whatever the herbalists gave them to aid with that mess. In any case, she wanted to touch his lips, if only to sate her own curiosity, just for a little, and would do her best to rock her finger gently against the surface of her lips, before unraveling her fingers, and setting her palm against his mouth. Cupping it lightly, so that he would keep it shut as she guided her palm over to his left cheek, and held it there. Her thumb idly grazing over his skin, back and forth between the inlet of her hand's natural webbing, and the protrusion of his nose. Talya's eyes glimmered as she allowed them to settle on Light's. Perhaps, he would think that she was returning his forwardness, or at the very least, his apparent interest in her. In reality, Talya did feel as though she were moving a bit to fast; not maintaining the ladylike decorum, which seemed to be expected of most women in Mizahar, unless of course, they were whores or something. But it wasn't because she necessarily wanted to move at this pace, as much as strengthen her control over Bartholomew, with the aid of her magic. For she had not forgotten what she had learned back in Ravok- eye contact accompanied by physical contact, strengthened the hold a hypnotist had over their victim. This, she planned to use to her advantage, as she narrowed her eyes, but only slightly, so as not to seem angry, or evil, or deranged. "Perhaps, you should try speaking a little less," she paused, "let your actions speak for you." It wasn't until after she had woven her hypnotic djed into her words, and uttered them freely, in a voice firm, yet scarcely above a whisper, that Talya realized how easily her final command could have been misinterpreted by the overeager male mind. Or any mind, for that matter.