Closed Settling in: Part II

[Ife]

19th Fall

continued from here

"Skill is important here." Ife said quietly, a little overwhelmed by the vastness of the information her Inartan companion had just shared with her. Though his explanation was probably nowhere near as complicated as she considered it, the idea of a caste system was so foreign to Ife that she struggled to comprehend even the notion of it. One aspect in particular had disturbed more than the apparent strict rules when it came to marriage or love: "But family? Here... Family is world. Love is world."

Her gaze slid down to the rest of the meat she had picked to one side. Suddenly the prospect the feeding seemed even more unpleasant than before. This stranger, though she had firmly decided he was safe, was utterly unlike her. Once upon a time, Ife's life had depended on the very existence of the Windstride family. Without them, she simple would have died. And as such, she proudly dedicated herself to her pavilion, and took great pride in doing all she could for them. But the male sitting opposite her was almost... dismissive of family.

"But..." Ife licked her lips. She wanted to explain why she could not understand how a person could drift through life without family, or without even needing or missing one. "What if... we loved each other, me and you--" A slight pause. The ridiculousness of this hypothetical life made Ife cringe, but she continued on tentatively, "would you not want family? Could you not have? Because of caste? Or... because you want to explore?"

Again she fell silent. After a brief tick, she waved a dismissive hand towards the male and threw him a guilty smile. "Different people... Different groups... Different ways." She concluded with a slight shrug. Perhaps debate was not the way to reach out to her biological brethren. Instead she gestured once again to the magnificent eagle. "So... my family may have had one? Can I... go to him?"

[Shadyn]

.
.

Shadyn was definitely startled by Ife’s theoretical situation of them being married. Now, that was not to say he was drastically opposed to it…but it was rather fast.

“Ah. I see you have misunderstood me. I said that families are not highly valued in Wind Reach, and that is true. I, however, have chosen to not be like my brethren. If I were to marry you – and from what I have seen so far, that is not an entirely unpleasant thought – I would certainly want a family. You are…different. You have not been born and raised in a caste system. If you were to marry be, you would be considered part of my household, and as such have most of my Endal authority. The caste system, quite simply, would not apply to you because you have been raised outside of Wind Reach. As for my travels…I must return to Wind Reach regularly for Xarrt’s sake, and in time business might keep me more confined to Wind Reach than I am right now…so that would certainly not keep me from marrying the woman I feel is right for me.”

As she continued to speak about herself, he began to realize that they were quite different…yet in so many ways, they were the same. In the end, she was an Inarta…one of his own kind, and thus in the end the same by blood.

“Well…it is a long trip back to Wind Reach, but I could certainly take you. As for having a Wind Eagle…Wind Eagles choose their riders. They aren’t inherited or anything…you have to prove yourself to a Wind Eagle. Some Wind Eagles have their eye on people from a young age – like mine did me – but since your parents..." Shadyn searched for a good term, then decided to remain blunt "...died, and the two Wind Eagles never returned, that means that their Wind Eagles died as well. Now... I mean…if you came back with me, and genuinely tried to blend into the culture, a Wind Eagle may very well choose you. From what I understand of you Drykas, Striders are for Drykas what Wind Eagles are for Inarta. But I still could take you there to see it, though I wouldn’t be back to Endrykas before the end of Winter.”



.
.
.

[Ife]

The prospect of visiting Wind Reach probably should have excited Ife. It was the home of her biological family, her bloodline. But instead it terrified her. She smiled awkwardly, not wanting to out rightly refuse the idea, but also not wanting to give this Endal the wrong impression. No, she would be tentatively honest in her reply. "I have not thought about seeing Wind Reach. Is far away, dangerous and..." She drifited off, signing the words no family there.

She failed to mention that the sound of the caste system was repugnant to her. People who had proved themselves were highly respected in Endrykas, of course. But that was not to say that those who were less skilful were immediately regarded as lower class citizens. And yes, arranged marriages were commonplace, but only because times were so hard. Ife squirmed. She was finding it increasingly difficult to compare the Drykas and Inarta couples. As he had earlier said, both bonded with an animal, both were hunters. Any differences were not as grand as she had first presumed.

"Maybe one day." She concluded finally, a slight dip of her head nodding to acknowledge the possibility. "I think I need... more time."

Keen to move their conversation on to a topic that was easier for her to swallow, Ife said, "I'm glad you are different. Different is good. We both different." With that she grinned, raising her last slice of rabbit in a silent toast to their respective oddities.

He had taught her more about the Inarta than any other visitor before him. Ife suspected that this was because of the nature of their meeting: in the dark, in secret. For this reason, Ife held a deep respect and appreciation for his generosity. And, in turn, she proffered her services to him: "What you want to learn about Drykas, or Endrykas? Pavi? Anything?"

[Shadyn]

.
.


“Indeed. Differences are good. They make us who we are. And I entirely understand why you don’t want to go to Wind Reach…if I had a family, I think I would feel much the same as you do. Anyhow…as for what you can impart to me…well…I want to learn everything, really. As much as is humanly possible. Speaking more practically, however…I would like to learn Pavi…and then understand Endrykas more.” Switching over to Pavi, he said, “I was taught some by a Drykas trader…”then signed Only known little.

Shifting back over into common, he laughed at himself. “I can teach you more common, while we’re at it…and maybe even some Nari, too. Nari is the language of the Inarta.”

The lunatite had grown brighter, now, from exposure to light. He stood stiffly and gathered up a handful of the stones, returning them to their bag. He sat back down slowly, then began rubbing his shoulder, and grimaced slightly. “I’ll tell you one thing…if you know anything about medicine, I could stand to know a bit more about that.”



.
.
.

[Ife]

With no experience in the art of healing, Ife was perhaps the least helpful Drykas he could have found. She wondered whether her mother, who dealt with all the pavilion's health concerns, would be willing to help a stranger? Probably so: Mea Windstride was more than happy to share her knowledge with those who were willing to learn. From his pained expression, she presumed he had somehow injured his shoulder -- though beyond suggesting a good night's sleep, she had no clue as to what could help.

"I know nothing on medicine." She admitted, grimacing that she was of no more use, "But I can teach a bit Pavi." But where would she begin? With the very basics, Ife guessed. Clearing her throat, she sliced her freckled hands through the air in a slow, exaggerated gesture. "This means 'hello'." She said carefully, licking her lips and then translating the greeting into verbalised Pavi. Then she moved on to the next most helpful thing she could think of: "when you buy something, you say--" Her words were in Pavi: "'I want to purchase...'" She trailed off, shaping various words now: meat, leather, weapons. For each instance she repeated the Grassland sign and also accompanied the gesture with the Pavi word.

"Is difficult to learn." She concluded quietly, echoing what other outsiders had said about her mother tongue. Apparently other languages did not include sign language, though for Ife this seemed ludicrous. How could someone fully express himself or herself with only one dimension of communication? She knew that even when speaking Common her hands signed away, subconscious and unnoticed by the speaker.

[Shadyn]

.
.

Shadyn did his best to mimic not only the words -- which came relatively easily since he did already know the very basics -- and the hand signs. These were more difficult to mimic accurately, but he put in added effort and concentration since he had come to realize that Pavi was more dependent upon these signs than it was actual speech. She was judicious in what words she was teaching him...a good thing, in his mind. When it seemed that she was finished for tonight, he spoke in common.

"Thank you...you are a good teacher. This will be very helpful for my time here. As to the medicine...it is nothing too pressing, so don't worry about that."

He stood and stretched slowly. He was not used to sleeping at night now due to his travel schedule, and thus his body was not being particularly compliant with letting him rest at this point. He would talk with her more...ask her about things, teach her things. That was presuming, of course, that she was willing...he had to remind himself that just because he cared little about normal schedules did not mean that she wouldn't. Already it was quite late, she could easily be sleepy herself. But, if not...it didn't hurt to ask. "Beautiful night...care to take a stroll? We can talk more while we walk. I can teach you a few things that you want to know, if you like..."


.
.
.

[Ife]

Ife smiled to the Inarta and shaped the words you and welcome with her hands. Anything that made his time in Endrykas easier was something she was happy to do. Though she couldn't remember it, Ife knew that her own first few seasons in the city had been far from stress-free.

"A walk is good." She said quietly, standing up and brushing off any crumbs or flecks of meat from their earlier meal. Cautiously she glanced back towards Endrykas. The city seemed so peaceful that it took Ife by surprise. Who would have thought that the squat little structures housed entire family, entire pavilions, with them. If Endrykas was behind them, they must be heading West, though in the darkness Ife doubted her own logic.

His offer of teaching her caused Ife some confusion. She had understood the sentiment behind the words, she had no clue what to ask of him. Already he had told her more about the Inartan people than anyone else. And for that she was dutifully grateful. What else did she want to know?

For several chimes she remained silent, walking quietly beside him and every so often tugging at a blade of grass before tearing it to pieces. What did her mother used to tell her? Idle hands speak for busy minds. If that was true, Ife's mind must be in high demand. She found it nearly impossible to do anything without becoming restless. "Where you been? What's like?" She asked eventually, glancing to her companion. In case her question as unclear, she threw her hands outwards, gesturing to the dark endless sea of green before them. "Riverfall?" She offered hesitantly. "You went? To Riverfall? Or somewhere else? Syliras?" Ife had been to neither, though she had heard stories that Riverfall housed blue men called Akalaks and that Syliras was an entire city confined behind castle walls.

[Shadyn]

.
.

At first, the only sounds were the sounds of the Autumn night, and their own footsteps moving through the grasses. It was a peaceful moment...something he had not had much of during his trip. He had always enjoyed these, and loved being able to get back to his usually reveries. Eventually, Ife asked a question.

Shadyn shook his head. "No...I have not been to Riverfall or Syrilias To be quite honest, this is my first journey...but I will visit Alvadas on my way back to Wind Reach, and in the Winter I plan to make a trip back to Alvadas then on to Syliras. I plan on visiting Lhavit and Riverfall in the Spring. In time, I hope to see all of the major cities of Mizahar...quite a challenge, but if anyone can do that, it will be an Endal like me."

They continued walking, quiet for moment. He noticed that the night sky was exceptionally birght. He pondered this for a moment, then decided that the dry plains and dropping temperatures combined here to keep the air more clear than it was in many places.

He gestured up to the skies. "You know...if you are ever lost...look to the heavens. They are a guide, sure, true, unchanging. Over there" he pointed to a moderately bright star "is what is called the Guide Star. It is always due north...all directions can be determined off of that in a pinch. Many people know that...but what many don't know is that you can determine your location North, South, East, and West and even the time just by looking at the sky. There are about ten key star patterns -- called constellations -- that the sky holds..."

Stopping, he stood beside her and pointed them out to her one by one, naming them. After he was done describing them and how to find them, he stepped back.

"Those patterns right there are your friend. No matter where you are, you will be able to see at least one of those. As you can see, the Guide Star is in the center of these. Midnight has the Bear above the Guide Star and the Ox below. The earlier before midnight it is, the further to the left the Bear will be and the further to the right the Ox will be. If it is past midnight, the Bear will be on the right and the Ox on the left...that tells you time. I don't know if you have ever seen a sundial, but if you picture that in your head when you look at this, with Midnight in place of noon, it makes telling the time easy.

"If you know the time, then, all you have to do is pay attention to how long you are travelling, how far you went, and how far the stars move. From there you will be able to tell not only how far north and south, but then by default how far you have moved east and west."

He gave a rueful smile and shrugged. "It's a bit more complicated than I made it sound...I could probably teach it better in Nari. Still...I hope you understand the basics of what I said, at least."


.
.
.