Open Wondering What's Wandering

[Karin]

46th Spring, 516 AV

The girl truly didn't know where to start. Indeed, she was spoilt for choice. She had no idea where she was, but all she knew was that it was beautiful. Elaborate compared to Alvadas, and startling next to Kenash, her eyes leapt from building, to view, to people, all so very impressive.

So faintly, she could hear the crashing of the giant river falling into the sea below. Near her feet, a fast running stream tinkled in a culvert and perhaps it were these reminder of water and of ocean that truly captured the girl's spirit, but there were so many other factors that she couldn't limit it to this one thing.

Where she stood, the street was steeply inclined but bustling, with shops lining the walls, selling their wares to the world. Karin wasn't interested in those though- she wanted, oddly, to climb. Her fear of high places had been temporarily cured at sea, where she'd had to climb the rigging. The exercise had completely terrified her, but after she'd completed her task, she'd felt strangely at peace with it.

Now, every available surface looked climbable, although perhaps not where she was right now. Plus, there were too many people about. Abruptly, she started jogging leisurely down the closest path that she could find, not really caring where it took her, but wanting to find out all the same.

Her jog soon ended when she realised how steep her path was, and especially when the path turned into steps upwards, pressed between the walls of two buildings that ran side by side. When she emerged, she was greeted with the sight of a small patch of land, planted with some plain-looking plant, that soon revealed itself to her nose as being particularly beautifully scented.

Karin breathed deep through her nose, and looked around. Although she'd only been here less than a bell, she was already discovering that Riverfall was a place she could get used to.

OOC :

Hi Riverfall! If anyone wants to join in, you just go ahead and post below. I'm thinking I might have a stab at meeting 'Freedom', albeit briefly. A warning: Karin is not very good at making friends, so if you randomly approach her and talk to her, she will probably retreat a little. xD (But don't let that stop you!)

[Kaie]

The woman was on edge. Bladed boots tapped an impatient rhythm upon the simple floor. Back and forth, back and forth she explored one end of the room to the other only to begin again. Amber eyes were wide with dilated black pits, whose depths sung only of agitation and anxiousness. Her tongue lashed out to lick her bottom lip. Had gooseflesh covered her skin this whole time? The extraordinary building of energy was like a ferocious animal and her own body was its cruel cage. At least once a day the Myrian would find herself in such a state. One moment she'd been calm and cool, considering what she could do with her day that might be productive. The next she'd disintegrate into the shameful state she was in at the present. Half the season had gone by and she was no closer to taming the insanity than when it first emerged.

The jungle-born ripped the lounging spear where it leaned against the wall. Like a servant desperate to do anything to appease an insatiable master, she began practicing simple maneuvers against the air itself. Occupied hands would simply not be enough. The remedies for her condition, she found, were almost always reckless and unarguably idiotic. A persistently dull day would trigger her and she would suffer until the strange addiction was satisfied with her efforts. The energy just had to go somewhere. Kaie, despite all her vigor and resilience, no longer had the strength to fend it off.

Without warning the spear flew from her grasp. She didn't even flinch when the object's shaft banged against the wall and collapsed upon the floor of her living space. The Myrian only had eyes for the door, which was promptly thrown from her way after a firm yank on the handle. Freedom should've been the warmth of the sun on her bronze skin. It should've been welcome of fresh air and optimism that came with a new day. Instead it felt like the walls of the world were closing in on her. Like a started Tskanna, she took off like mad. She was in an all-out sprint. Her arms pumped in time with her legs, and her swinging hands were like blades carving through the wind. The gladius hanging from her weapon's belt thumped along her hip. Akalaks of all colors and sizes observed her approach with wide eyes before swaying out of her way. At one point Kaie had turned a corner so sharply and with such frenzy, that an oblivious woman shrieked and fell backward on her rear. Her beautiful spring dress was splattered with mud. A pair of green Akalak's raced to her side to scoop up the damsel in distress. Kaie left them long behind in a matter of ticks. She was a woman on a mission with no where to go.

Another corner was turned with a sharp pivot, and the next thing she knew, her hands were instinctively shooting forth to shove the big blue body before her moments before she came crashing into it. The hulking Akalak hollered out something in Tukant on his way to the ground. Kaie recovered after a few ticks of stumbling, and a quick glance she made in the direction of the downed man was all she managed before she was off again. The sound of another sprinter rung in her ears soon after. The blue behemoth was giving chase. Hadn't he seen the apologetic look in her brief gaze? The pent up energy that had been building finally relented, giving the Myrian something to tap into. Adrenaline flooded her veins and fed her hungry muscles. A broad grin of relief spread across her face. Finally! Gods, she swore she could've kissed him right then...well, had he not been dedicated to giving her a savage beating. Kaie veered a hard left turn off the street, hoping to lose her follower at the cost of some foliage casualties. At least the flowers she inadvertently trampled smelled incredible.

The chase sent her desperately leaping over a decorate bush, and her shoddy landing sent her careening into some poor blonde jogger trying to enjoy the day. This time the Falyndar savage did lose her footing. Sent sprawling from the brutal collide. A quick glance over her shoulder yielded the sight of the very angry Akalak crashing through the garden in their direction. Though Kaie knew not a lick of Tukant, whatever he was shouting sure as the void sounded furious. "I'd apologize if I had the time," the Myrian tried sympathetically as she scrambled to her feet. "If I were you I'd start hauling ass to get out of his way though." Sure enough the blue man, huffing and puffing with either tire or fury, circumnavigated the same brush Kaie traversed in an attempt to corral his target through the steep path between two nearby buildings. The Myrian offered a shrug toward the woman she accidentally ran into before taking the bait, racing down the steps. Would she likewise make haste to get out of the Akalak's way?

[Karin]

Karin had little enough time to do anything but let out a startled, "Hunh?" before the blur of a woman crashed into the scene she stood in, the scene that had been tranquil. Now that tranquility was smashed open. it seemed that whatever the woman had done (and it must have been something terrible indeed) was bringing the ire of a blue man... one who was fast approaching their way. The other woman quickly informed her in what to Karin was a thickly accented voice, to move or otherwise be in the way. She gulped, feeling suddenly like prey. All shed been doing was admiring the view! Was that such a punishable crime here? Following instinct rather than anything else, the girl quickly launched into a run after the woman, feet pounding after the criminal who had caught her up in her scheme.

This wasn't what she wanted at all! Karin's pulse grew faster at the sound of feet pounding behind them, and she sped up, running alongside the other woman in the now wider street, meaning to ask her what in all of Hai shed done, when... there! In a flash, Karin grabbed the woman's wrist, and pulled her down a small alley. Without an introduction, and assuming they were both in serious trouble, the girl gestured at the trellis that had spotted her eye, and exclaimed, "Climb!"

Whether or not the other woman decided to join her, Karin started to haul herself up, anxiety giving her speed, alongside a curious, nagging urge to know what was on top of the roof. Due to her Alvad upbringing, she didn't consider it odd to suddenly start climbing up the side of someone's house, and indeed if she were in Alvadas, the girl would receive nothing but a few curious stares. As it was, she realised too late that perhaps this wasn't a usual thing to do, and waited with her heart beating sickeningly in her chest for the people below to move on and get bored, lest they drew the attention of their pursuer.

She lay flat on the roof, disheveled and scared, her blonde hair fanning out on the dirt of the tiles. Blend in, blend in, I'm not here, no one can see me... She repeated the mantra over and over, her estimations of Riverfall slowly plummeting much like the waterfall that it was surely named for. It was only as her beating heart subsided and her original, burning curiosity kicked in, that she realised they weren't alone on the roof.

Crouched in the center, with hair like rivulets of water, was a girl- a woman. Her expression was one of a startled deer, her eyes wide and her pale face inclined towards the intruders on the roof. The day grew stranger and stranger! If she didn't know better, Karin would say that she'd fallen asleep and somehow been transported back to her home city.

With the threat of discovery presumed gone, she turned on the woman who'd issued this chain of events, her eyebrows drawn down and her mouth frowning, her voice low as she asked,"What was that all about?"

[Narcissiahndra]

“Oi, you two,” she called out, her tone slightly annoyed as she regained her composure. The crouching woman crossed her legs and took a seat on the tiled floor of the roof, her green eyes surveying them coolly. She glared for a tick, then inhaled deeply as she closed her eyes, her back straight and her hands resting in her lap.

“Restricting, isn’t it? That recent impulse of yours,” she addressed the Myrian, tilting her head with a slight smirk. “And you, blondie,” a tick passes in silence as the woman stared. “Hm. You’re new here,” she smiled, her voice now softer, silvery.

“Welcome to Riverfall. Feel free to stay, both of you. I doubt your pursuer is as clever as mine, so you’ll be safe up here,” the woman gestured outwards to her surroundings. Where they stood was no ordinary roof: true to Riverian design, the open space was covered in greenery. Pipes drained out as small waterfalls over long planters filled with various, colourful spring foliage. It seemed to be a well-maintained garden of sorts.

“I was just about to meditate,” she shook her head with a breathy chuckle, “before you ladies showed up.” The woman brought her hands up to cover her face, muffling a drawn out groan. She lifted her arms and stretched, looking up to the sky—her smile now replaced with a look of frustrated amusement.
“Ugh, WHY does he have to make things so complicated?!” With a deep sigh, she uncrossed her legs, bringing the the soles of her feet together with both hands.
“Don’t mind me,” she said, smiling apologetically as her green eyes glittered with mystery.
“Things have been tough, and I have to go take care of some trouble later, so I needed some time to ground myself,” It wasn’t hard to tell that there was a lot on this woman’s mind. She held no weapons, yet there was an exuding confidence that spoke loud enough about whatever capabilities lie within.

A few chimes pass as the three strangers begin to acquaint themselves with one another, when suddenly, the blue-haired woman paused mid-sentence.

“There’s a presence. No harm. Hold on, shh,” she looks around and spots a raven perched on the stone wall, silently watching them.

Oh petch, she sees me. Ok, oh gods, um, how do I act natural? Anima panicked, her soulmist starting to diffuse through the feathers. Shyte, wait, how about if I— She quickly pulled in, coalescing within and hiding in its stomach, her reins of control now absent. The raven then squawked and shook its head vigorously.

Anima listened closely, hoping to hear any signs of threat. Green eyes cast a knowing glance at the bird before turning their attention back to the conversation. “Never mind. Now where were we?”

[Kaie]

Indeed it seemed the blonde did have a likewise impulse for self-preservation, for she too began to flee shortly after the Myrian resumed her escape. She couldn't restrain the smirk that appeared on her lips as she turned the sharp corner that led the pair into a wider street. The huffing and puffing of the muscled giant, who obviously worked more on his physique than he did his fitness, was a bit more behind than when the chase had first began. He's tiring the Myrian thought with slight relief. She exhaled sharped right before her lungs sucked for more air. But so am I... The blonde caught up with the fatiguing savage, and the next thing Kaie knew, she was being tugged into a small alley faster than she could protest. Now it was her turn to choose to follow a stranger's bidding. Bronze hands made no hesitation in grabbing at the lower rungs and climbing right behind the blonde. Kaie hoisted herself over the edge and found herself on her back beside the other woman to both hide and catch her breath. The grin spread wider upon her face while she breathed a tired, mirthful laugh.

"Apparently some people are sensitive about being bumped into," Kaie assured the woman at a lower volume with a shrug. Her eyes wandered down toward her hands where they rested upon her torso. Much to her satisfaction, their shaking had seemed to cease along with the desire to leap from her own skin. This relief was enough but it won't last long. A third voice sent the Myrian shooting up into a sitting position. How could she have been so oblivious to a third party? Her jaw tightened and eyes narrowed at mention of the discovery of her "impulse". Her fingers curled into fists. Wary of potentially being spotted by their blue pursuer, the Myrian rose into a feral crouch rather than a defiant stand. Whoever the blue-haired woman was, she certainly cared little able sparing strangers vague details about her life. Nonetheless, Kaie couldn't help but be both intrigued and vigilant. How the petch would she know about my...thing, or whatever this stupid affliction? And how does she know the blonde's new to the city? Before the Myrian had the chance to begin her interrogation, the odd blue-haired woman seemed rattled by something beyond their roof top meeting. The Falyndar native's brow knitted when she found the woman's unusual green eyes focused on a bird.

"I don't know about you..." The Myrian turned and nodded toward the blonde woman before turning back to face the enigma she addressed. "But I was about to ask who the petch you are, and how you knew a thing about us before we climbed up that ladder." Pleasantries and introductions were the last on the jungle-born's mind. Kaie had just escaped one threat. For all she knew, the roof's first occupant could be shaping up to emerge as another.

[Karin]

Upon being questioned, and so suspiciously at that, the blue-haired woman seemed to retreat, as if afraid of the questions, like they might bite her. She spoke, her soft voice suddenly low and quiet, "I don't think it matters who I am, just a woman, on a roof." It was indeed an odd day, filled with people avoiding questions. She rounded on the wild woman, her question once again on her lips and this time, an eyebrow raised. "She's probably just a good guesser. What I want to know is, what was that about?"

Karin was little interested in the crazy, ocean-haired woman, too used to these sort of things from a life of illusions and trickery. Instead, as she calmed her beating heart, she secretly revelled in the climb to the roof, and the curious position they'd found themselves in, whilst maintaining a slight frown and a hunched position. She checked over the edge of the roof, in case the follower was still following, although perhaps she was over-reacting. She was intrigued, too, by what the woman had said of the stranger's 'affliction', but didn't want to ask straight out. At least, not until she...

"What's this affliction that she mentioned? You obviously acknowledge what she says is true, so what is it?" She bit her lip suddenly, stopping herself from asking once more. It was out of character for her to be so brazenly curious, but for some reason it had felt good to ask. Like an itch being scratched.

The young woman looked around the rooftop, at the blue-haired woman who was silent for now, the two doves perched on the chimney, the wild looking woman and the crow. The day was magnificent, and the view was interesting, but the girl wanted to explore more. This meeting on the rooftop was all well and good, but she wanted to walk across the roofs, run through the streets, see what was around and explore some more of the place. Being stuck in one place made her feel strange.