[The Strangers Welcome] Creatures of the Night (Veldrys)

[Veldrys]

„It is lonely sometimes if there is no other members of your race that you can talk to, isn’t it?“ the Symenestra asked. He had come to Denval willingly. He had not simply fallen here, but made the decision to leave Kalinor and his race and spend at least part of his life among humans. But sometimes he was a little melancholic nevertheless. The Denvali had accepted him, more than he had hoped, but there were some things that only another Symenestra could understand, some things that could only be shared with somebody that had seen the underground city with their own eyes. Sometimes he missed them, despite all the things that were wrong with Kalinor. „You don’t have to face your fears right now“, he agreed. He was unaware of the extent of Sitkanis‘ fears, otherwise he might have said something, even if criticizing a stranger might be considered rude. But as it was, he simply watched the Ethaefal. He was still curious about him, even if it seemed that his questions would never be answered now. „A magic that connects all Drykas?“ he repeated. It seemed as if Sitkanis‘ memories were not completely lost after all. The thought brought a smile to the Symenestra’s face, and then he wondered if the situation in Kalinor would be any different if they were all connected. „Do Drykas feel what the others feel? Are they always aware of where the others are?“ He paused as something occured to him. „Are you still connected to the Web? You were a Drykas before ...“ „There is nothing that keeps you from visiting Kalinor“, he remarked. He liked that the Ethaefal was so interested in his home. He had never met somebody that wanted to meet the city of the Symenestra before! „You would be safe there. Most of my people would treat an Ethaefal with respect.“ He nodded as Sitkanis mentioned that Denval was becoming home to him. It was slowly becoming his home as well, even though Kalinor would always have a special place in his heart. „The Ukalas?“ The Symenestra’s eyes widened as he heard this world. „I doubt words can describe it. It was probably wonderful, wasn’t it?“ He wondered if he would ever see the realm of the gods, if he would ever meet a god. Despite the fact that Sitkanis‘ memory seemed to be damaged, he envied the Ethaefal in a way. „A son ...“ he murmurred. Until know he had not really thought about the fact that Ethaefal left a family behind when they joined the gods in the sky, that they might have families in this world still. For a moment he felt sorry for Sitkanis. „I hope you’ll see him again. What was his name?“ „My family?“ Sitkanis interest in his own family surprised him, and he hesitated before he answered. „I have a mother, a father and two younger sisters. They live in Kalinor. They are a very typical Symenestra family. They are all very close ...“ He didn’t mention his first mother, his real mother that had given birth to him or how he had slowly grown apart from them all. That was a topic that he didn’t really want to think about.

[Sitkanis]

Sitkanis nodded silently. It was difficult to be the only Ethaefal in the city. He had to learn everything about who he was from humans, not that he had anything against them. He did not want to think back to the one Ethaefal that he had known. It was just too painful. "It is hard. Maybe Leth is testing me." A strange smile found it's way to Sitkanis' lips as he uttered the words. One that made it nearly impossible to tell if he was serious or trying to make a joke. With a shrug Sitkanis looked at Veldrys. "The Denvali are welcoming enough though. They have helped me as much as they can and I am thankful for that." He liked the people of Denval a lot more than he would let on. He craved their acceptance but even if he had earned it he would not have noticed. He judged himself too much to see the people around him trying to make him feel welcome. "Have you felt the same way with them?" The Ethaefal thought hard on Veldrys' next question. The details of webbing were still foggy to him. "I think that through the web we can tell where others are. I don't know about emotions though." He was sure that he would not want people looking into his emotions through magic. He did it all the time though. He was doing it as he spoke with Veldrys. He watched the Symesetra with auristic eyes. Veldrys' aura seemed to be alight with a sense of interest and curiosity. He would have kept digging deeper into Veldrys' but something the Symenestra said made him stop in is tracks. "I don't know if I am." The thought haunted Sitkanis a bit. Could his family feel him in the web again now that he was walking around in Denval? "I'm… not sure." Sitkanis' lips tightened a bit as Veldrys said that there was no reason why he could not visit Kalinor. He could not admit to the man that he was scared to leave the city and even worse, that he could not defend himself. "Maybe I will visit someday then. Do you have plans to return?" He smiled slightly at the mention of people accepting Ethaefal. "They would? Sounds good already." He was not sure why the Symenestra would respect him more than anyone else but he felt happy about it. At least there was one place other than Denval that he knew he would be respected. A small smile itched at Sitkanis' lips. "It really was." There was nothing else he could say. There were no words so explain the glory of the Ukalas and no language that he could speak to express the sight. "Very wonderful." "Yes. I don't know his name. I don't know anything about him really." This fact made Sitkanis uncomfortable. He wished that he knew more about his son. He felt like a terrible father. In the same sense, he didn't actually feel like a father. He did not know the boy but he felt a connection to him. "I hope I can meet him too. Gods, he could be older than me." The thought had never come to his mind before. "That would be a bit odd wouldn't it? A son that was older than his father. Was that really what his reunion with his son could be like? "Special? How are they special?" Sitkanis did not know much about social structures. He couldn't even remember what the Drykas social structure was like. "Are they important to the city?" Meeting an important Symenestra. That had to count toward a successful night.

[Veldrys]

„Maybe the gods are testing both of us“, the Symenestra replied. He certainly felt as if Viratas had set a challenge for him sometimes, as if he needed to prove himself. There had to be a point to all of this, the surrogates, the venom, the desperate situation of his people, his arrival in this city. There had to be more to his existence than just coincidence, although he hadn’t found out what it was yet. „Maybe we will be rewarded if they are pleased with what we do. There has to be a point to this, doesn’t it?“ „The Denvali are some of the most accepting people I have ever met. They welcomed me with open arms when I came here in winter. They didn’t judge me once. They never mistrusted me, although they had more than enough reason to do so.“ It almost seemed to him as if they had never heard of the Harvest and the surrogates – or as if they didn’t care. They treated all the strangers that ended up in their city they same and were curious about the world they had come from. Like Sitkanis, he liked the people of Denval more than he would ever let on. As Sitkanis admitted that he wasn’t sure if he was still connected to the Web, Veldrys nodded. He didn’t say anything for a few moments, aware that the thought troubled the Ethaefal greatly. But finally he murmurred, „If you met another Drykas – or if you went back - would you be able to find out if you are still connected? If I were you, I would like to know ...“ „I don’t know if I’ll ever return“, he admitted and sighed. He was afraid that his sisters would demand surrogates from him. He was worried that he’d be confronted with dying women every day again. He couldn’t imagine ever being comfortable in Kalinor again after seeing the world. „Maybe I will return once I have learned everything I wanted to learn. I’m not sure if I’ll fit in anymore after living among humans for so long.“ „It would probably be odd, yes“, he agreed as Sitkanis mentioned that his son could be older than him now. „But it would still be worth it, seeing what kind of man he has become. He would probably like to see his father again and hear your amazing story. I would like to know if I were in his place at least. You should think about going there sometimes.“ „You must have misunderstood me“, he said as Sitkanis asked him about his family. „I never called them special. They are merchants. My father regularly meets with traders from the surface. But we are in no way as important as the Aconite Web. They control most of the trade within the city. I wasn’t a merchant though, even when I still lived in Kalinor. I was a healer.“ He didn’t remember if he had already told Sitkanis that.

[Sitkanis]

OOCI totally read Veldrys saying that his family was typical. I read it as special XD Still, we can chalk it up to Sitka being an ass and not listening as well as he should have been. Sitkanis smirked. "Wouldn't that be something." Leth was always there, floating over the water. The Ethaefal liked to think his lunar father was keeping an eye on him. That was what fathers did. They kept an eye on their children, all of their children. Even those who had strayed or in Sitkanis' case, fallen away. "I hope. In truth, I just want to know that Leth is pleased with me. It is very hard not being with him." This was the first time Sitkanis had actually said this aloud. He wanted to think he was distancing himself from his divine father but in truth, he was like a scared child hoping that he had not disobeyed one too many times. "I know the divine don't talk to mortals often but… I just want to know he is not disappointed in me." The Ethaefal looked over his new acquaintance as he spoke. "I don't see why they wouldn't accept you. You seem perfectly civil to me." Veldrys did not look too imposing. Yes, he had fangs and claws but so did kelvics and he was sure there had to be some in the city. In the same sense, if they were going to judge Veldrys because of his fangs and claws then why wouldn't they dislike him for his horns? Sitkanis thought on Veldrys' question. "Maybe. I guess I'll never know unless I go back to Endrykas or meet a fellow Drykas." Sitkanis really did want to know. Maybe his son knew he was alive, or any of his other children for that matter. "I can understand that. I don't know if I will ever return to Endrykas either." His brow furrowed at the words. He knew he should return, he just was not sure if he wanted to. He was just starting to get used to this world again and he liked it in Denval. There was no proof that his son would be in Endrykas or if he was even alive. What if he traveled all the way back home and there was no one there he knew? "Maybe someday but I just don't feel ready yet." Sitkanis shot Veldrys a worried look. "You know, sometimes I worry that I am just imagining him. I can see him in my mind and I can hear his voice but I cannot even remember his name." He shook his head as if he was trying to get the thoughts to leave his head. "I should stay positive though. If I am remembering him he had to exist… right?" A small chuckle echoed from Sitkanis' throat. "Sorry, I must have misheard you. Merchants are important though. Without them people could not buy things I guess." He shrugged lightly. "A healer. That must have been interesting. We had healers in Endrykas… at least I think we did. I started to remember them after meeting a few healers in the city. I bet it was an interesting trade. I was a hunter. Not anymore though. I have forgotten how to hunt."

[Veldrys]

„If you pray to him frequently, if you dedicate enough of your time to him, he might yet give you a sign“, Veldrys said as Sitkanis admitted that he wanted to know that Leth was not disappointed in him. It was what he did. He prayed to Viratas frequently and did his best to lead a life that pleased his god. „As for why some people wouldn’t accept me ...“ He paused for a moment. „Some of my kind do things that are not right.“ That was all he said. He didn’t want Sitkanis to start hating him and blame him for the Harvest, like so many other people. „Go to Endrykas when you are ready then“, he then remarked. „I doubt that you are imagining your son. I’ve seen people that have lost their mind and pretended that they had family members and friends that didn’t really exist, and you are nothing like them. You seem to be comparatively sane, considering that you have fallen from the sky and suffer from some kind of memory loss.“ He sounded very serious now, like a doctor, one of those that dedicated most of their time to ailments of the mind rather than a random acquaintance in a tavern. „Maybe merchants are important“, he conceded and shrugged his shoulders. He had never been particularly interested in his father’s occupation. „Were the healers in Endrykas different?“ he asked. He was always interested in how healers from other races and other cultures treated their patients. He was convinced that there was a lot he could learn from them. „As for the fact that you seem to have forgotten how to hunt, maybe all you need to do is hold a weapon and participate in a hunt, and you’ll remember. The memories still have to be somewhere inside your head. They can’t be gone forever.“