Lost in the hallways? (open)

by **Ayren** on May 5th, 2011, 1:33 am

Timestamp: 14th Day of Spring, 511 AV

It had seemed to be a good idea at the time. In his advanced survival class they had been working outside of the city on recognizing good places to set camp. For once, the class had actually payed attention. Maybe it was because it was the first day of class they had spent outside since the coming of the first snows at the end of Fall, but that was probably just an excuse. The Yasi were never calm, and it was only by the grace of the Gods and Goddesses that today hadn't been a complete disaster. He had expected them to be more riled up than normal.

At the end of the lesson, Ayren lead the class back to the classroom, and dismissed them. With luck, he hoped that they would behave that well in later classes. If your class got out of control, it was easier to deal with in a classroom than in the wilderness, but there wasn't any real way to get around going outside in a wilderness class. Besides, class was more fun when held outside. Who wanted to spend their time cramped in a classroom?

Then, knowing he was done for the day, he grabbed his backpack and headed out towards his camp. Due to the closeness to Winter, he was camped fairly near to the city trying to hide from the worst of Winter's chill. Then just as he was about to exit the city and disappear into the trees, he remembered that he had left a book in his classroom that he had meant to read. Sighing and looking skyward to note the time, about early evening, he headed back into the network of caverns.

That was when the brilliant idea came into play. He didn't want to have to walk in complete darkness back to his camp, so he had decided to take a shortcut to his classroom. The path he normally took to his classroom was the scenic route, as Ayren liked to walk around in the morning before he had to brave his first class. There were several smaller paths that branched off the main one he typically took, and he was sure that if he took one that headed in the right general direction he would get to the classroom area soon enough and would be able to find his classroom. When the first path had ended in a fork, he just followed the one that curved in the direction he wanted to go. Then that one curved, and forked off again. And then next one as well...

So that is how Ayren ended up lost in some random hallway in the back of the city. He hadn't seen anyone since he had decided to take this path, obviously showing that this path probably lead to no where or he would have met someone who could have told him where he was. His plan to take a 'shortcut' had completely backfired, and he knew there was no way he was going to figure out where he was before dark fell. The irony that he always knew where he was when he was in the wilderness, and yet got lost the instant he wavered from known paths in the city was not lost on him.

With a frustrated sign, Ayren continued on and hoped that eventually he would find his way to somewhere he knew, hopefully before dawn came again.

by **Sira** on May 5th, 2011, 2:56 pm

Wandering the halls of Wind Reach had always been a favorite pastime for Sira, though it was usually reserved for times when she was unable to fly. The winter season often left her grounded and so Sira was usually somewhere in the walls looking for something to do. Recent injuries had left Sira with an uncomfortable sorenessall over and caused her to not want to fly. Usually she would spend such times with Addy, but she was busy with healer type duties which meant Sira was left to her own devices. Usually when such a thing occurred that meant Sira found the first man or woman of lower caste she saw who didn't look busy and brought them back home for some entertainment. But considering her sore rib Sira wasn't sure if she was up to such strenuous activity.

But, perhaps fun could be found elsewhere. One never knew who they would encounter in the back halls of the mountain city, and if she was lucky she might just make a new friend. Or at the very least find someone to share an interesting conversation with. As she wandered through the halls she began to find less and less people. Sira was entering unfamiliar territory, but that was alright with her, finding new places was always an exciting experience even if the place itself ended up being a let down. There was something about being lost that was just thrilling, and it usually wasn't painful, so it was win win for Sira. Needless to say, Sira was a bit surprised when she stumbled upon a random stranger in the back halls of the city where Sira thought only she was crazy enough to wander. Perhaps he was lost, or perhaps he just had the same wanderlust Sira had. Either way it didn't really matter, he would hopefully prove to be a pleasant distraction.

The man was attractive enough. He was of average height, but his light frame made him look smaller than he was. For some reason Sira found that smallness enticing and again she had to quell her urge to seek private entertainment with the first strange she stumbled upon. He had semi short red hair, the usual color in Wind Reach, but his eyes were absolutely beautiful. Almost gray, but truly a light shade of blue which Sira found all the more irresistible. Control yourself girl.. sheeze, one day without Addy and you can barely contain it. Although.. Addy might like this one too. Sira shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and smiled in greeting. She didn't need to get all excited in her current state.. although, she could just have Addy heal her pain. No! Shut up brain! Sira shook her head again. Okay, now introduce yourself. Sira approached the stranger, keeping the friendly smile on her face, and hoped he would be the friendly type and not put off by running into a random armed stranger in the tunnels.

"Hello," Sira greeted warmly, "I wasn't expecting to find somebody this deep. My name's Sira. What brings you to this random tunnel in the mountain?"

by **Ayren** on May 6th, 2011, 2:16 am

Ayren was mentally torturing the people who had built these caves. And the people who decided that they didn't need to make a map, or a sign that said, "Hey, you idiot, these tunnels don't go anywhere." There was no way that, when they had carved these tunnels, that they had needed to make so many. Really, there was plenty of space in the rest of the caverns, the ones with people who knew where they were, for the entire Inarta civilization. Did they really need all of these useless ones?

He had just rounded another bend, when to his astonishment, he ran into someone. After quick examination, he decided that she was really quite pretty. She was slightly shorter than he was, but had all the muscles of a fighter, which he had to admit was pretty impressive. Her hair, red of course, was curly and bounced as she walked, and her eyes were a striking deep gold. Her features were sharp, yet she wore a friendly smile, and he knew from the lines on her face that it was a smile placed there often.

Yet, he didn't know what was more surprising, that he actually found someone in these forsaken caves or that she seemed completely happy to be there. In his mind, when in doubt you spent time outside, in the sunshine with fresh air around you, not in tunnels walled in and cut off from the world. Although, he supposed there may be people out there who explored caves like he explored the wilderness, but he just didn't get why anyone would do it. They all looked the same, as he could attest to after todays sad adventure.

"Hello," she said in a bright voice "I wasn't expecting to find somebody this deep." This deep? I guess that meant that he had wandered in farther than he had thought, and it didn't bode well for finding a quick way out of this. Still, it implied that she was here intentionally, and therefore hopefully knew where she was. She continued, "My name's Sira. What brings you to this random tunnel in the mountain?"

With friendly smile he hoped was as bright as hers, he replied, "This random tunnel? Well, I was taking a shortcut...which turned out not to be a shortcut." Even remembering make him shake his head in frustration. Never again was he going to try to take a shortcut. He should have known from the beginning that these tunnels were going to be more confusing than they looked, but no. He had tried anyway. Moving on from frustration, at least in part, he continued with, "After that I got lost."

Now the most important question of all, "You wouldn't happen to know the way back to anywhere, would you? I have been wandering and wandering and getting no where..." Then it occurred to him that he had been forgetting his manners, and almost as an afterthought added, "I'm Ayren by the way."

by **Sira** on May 6th, 2011, 1:53 pm

Sira was only slightly disappointed. If Ayren was taking a shortcut then it likely meant he was in a hurry and had something important to do. Why else would someone risk venturing into unknown territory, unless they were like Sira and just had nothing better to do. Sira's mind quickly backtracked, retracing her steps. She did indeed know the way back to the city, but she didn't really feel like heading back any time soon. Besides, his name didn't ring a bell which meant he probably wasn't an Endal or even an Avora, so whatever it was he was trying to do it couldn't be that important could it? Oh, Sira, stop it. You told yourself you were going to stop thinking that way. The real decision was, did Sira want to lead him back or did she want to keep him around for a while. In the end, she decided it would only be fair to give him a chance. After all, what if he actually did have something important to do?

"Pleased to meet you Ayren. Actually, I do know the way back.. although I wasn't planning on heading back so soon. Why were you in such a rush anyway that you would try to take a shortcut?"

Sira's intent was simple, if he had something important to do she would lead him back right away. If he didn't and had just taken a shortcut because he was impatient, Sira would take her time getting them back, or maybe get lost in the process. It was a bit selfish, her logic, but it was the logic of an Endal who was looking for company and was used to getting her way. Even if Sira did try to treat the other castes with respect, she was what she was and she still expected for things to happen her way. It wasn't like she was planning on hurting the guy or anything, she just wanted someone to talk to until Aidara was finished with her duties.

OOCSorry.. this is kinda a short post, but I couldn't think of anything to say really.

by **Ayren** on May 6th, 2011, 9:40 pm

Some emotion briefly shown on Sira's face, disappearing to quick for Ayren to determine what it was. Disappointment maybe? Whatever it was, it was replaced with one of thought. He sincerely hoped she was thinking about a way to get out of here, but then it could be something else entirely. Although he didn't know what else he had said that was thought provoking.

When she told him that she did indeed know the way out there was a great feeling of relief. There was a way to get out of these infernal tunnels. He knew that when he got out, he was never going to go back in them. It was assured that he was going to stick to the wilderness and main thoroughfares only. This was the last time he took a shortcut in a place where knowing which direction you wanted to go in made no difference. At least outside there were no walls to force you to go down a specific path.

Then it occurred to him that she had added that she hadn't been planning on returning soon. Did that mean that she was voluntarily back here? He wondered what she could be doing in these tunnels. There didn't seem to be anything but empty tunnels. Maybe one of these tunnels lead somewhere, but it would be a shot in the dark to find anything interesting by accident. Yet, if you wanted to have a secret meeting, Ayren supposed that this was a good place, as no one was down here and it would be nearly impossible to find a specific tunnel if you didn't know where it was. Still, when Ayren looked at her again, she didn't seem to be the secret meeting type. In fact, from her clothing, he thought she much be at least an Avora, or perhaps even an Endal.

Finished with his secondary inspection of her, he debated an answer to her question. Then answered with, "I was heading back to my classroom to something, a book. I wanted to hurry so I could get back to my camp before dark fell. It's never safe to be wandering the woods in the dark, even this close to the city. The way I usually take is pretty long, so I decided that these side caverns must lead there quicker. I was wrong." Ayren paused in his story, and sighed. Part of habit, he looked upwards, in a gesture that would have helped him to gauge the time anywhere outside. Remembering only after he did it that the sun, now probably the moon, wasn't visible from these caverns. "I guess I'm not really in a rush anymore. It's almost definitely dark by now."

by **Sira** on May 7th, 2011, 1:07 am

Sira nodded, mulling over Ayren's response. He didn't really have anything important to do, but Sira understood perfectly his concern for traversing the forest at night. A simple telepathic inquiry to the nearest Wind Eagle confirmed his fear that it was indeed dark out, bringing a slight frown to Sira's lips. She had not realized it was so late, had she really been wandering that long? Well... there was that nap she took, but she didn't realize she had been asleep for so long. She was still a bit sluggish from her injuries and the poison, despite her having been healed. Sighing, Sira figured it would be best not to delay the woodsman overlong, but maybe she could still have some fun with him.

"Okay, how about this. Since I'm going to be going out of my way to get you out of here, you have to let me escort you back to your camp. I won't bother you for long, I'm just bored out of my mind and could use somebody to talk to. Plus I guarantee your safety as long as your with me."

Whether he agreed or not Sira started walking, presumably in the right direction and not deeper into the tunnels. When she heard his footsteps behind her she slowed her pace, letting him walk next to her except when the tunnel grew too narrow. Based on the man's complexion and the fact that he was camped outside the city rather than safely inside Sira assumed he was either a hunter or trapper. At least it was something she could relate to, and not a quilt maker or something. Sira chuckled at the thought, breaking the silence, glanced over at her temporary companion. "So Ayren, why are you camping outside the city if you don't mind my asking. The forest is a dangerous place, especially in the spring." Sira herself had just recently pulled off a narrow escape from the forest, barely making it out alive though Ayren had no way of knowing that.

After he answered Sira was quiet for a bit before deciding to break the ice again. "Not much further now.. If you know where to go it really doesn't take that long to get as deep as you were. Lucky for you I took the direct path so I remember how to get back." They rounded another corner and Sira paused, coming to a fork in the road. After only a moments hesitation she chose the left path and they continued on. "Some of these tunnels are natural I think.. Lava vents and what have you, but I think a lot of them were built as a defense mechanism. If anyone ever tried to invade Wind Reach they would become lost in the tunnels and we could just pick them off slowly. Or maybe cave them in.. I don't know for sure, just my theory. Sometimes I find interesting things down here but I prefer the sky. Too wounded to fly right now though." Sira shrugged and as they rounded another bend Ayren could hear voices, the sound of civilization not far away. It seemed Sira wasn't lying when she said she knew the way back.

by **Ayren** on May 7th, 2011, 7:44 pm

Her response to his answer confused Ayren slightly. Sira spaced out for a moment, as if listening to something in the distance, then frowned. Ayren listened for a moment too, but he couldn't hear anything except their breathing. Wondering what she was thinking about, Ayren waited for her to say something, to see if it gave any clues.

Then she proposed a deal. She would lead him out of the tunnels, and he would allow her to escort him back to his camp. It seemed a little odd to him, but he knew he was in no place to refuse if he wanted to ever get out in a timely manner. Besides, it would be nice to talk with for a while. His friends had been busy for the past few days, and the only true conversations he had had were with his Yasi students. He knew that he would be glad to talk with someone who could have an intelligent conversation. Also, he knew that it would be safer if there were two people in the woods, than one. Looking at her lithe form, he knew her guarantee was backed up with skill.

"I'd be glad..." Ayren started to say, but she had already started to walk away, hopefully out of the tunnels. He started walking after her, and she slowed her steps so that he could catch up. They walked for a while in a silence, but it wasn't a bad silence, just that neither of them had much to say for a time. Then Ayren heard her start chuckling and he glanced over at her as she asked why he camped in the forest.

For a moment, he just debated, it wasn't a question easily answered in a way that would make sense to anyone. He started to explain, "I like it better out there. I lived in the city why I was young, but during my apprenticeship as a hunter, we obviously spent a lot of time out there instead of the city. Then when I gave up being a hunter, I just didn't want to move back into the city," Ayren shrugged. "I like the openness of camping out there, you aren't as penned in as you are in these tunnels. I don't know if that makes much sense to you though..." he faltered in his explanation.

They were quiet once again, and it wasn't long before she alerted him that they didn't have much farther to go. As they rounded another corner, Sira started to tell him about the tunnels, how some were built and some were natural. He did think that there was something in her theory of them being a defense mechanism. She said that they would be able to pick the invaders off in smaller numbers, but he also thought that they could just be left to die in these tunnels, and no one would ever know.

Just as she finished, they turned again, and Ayren heard voices. He wasn't sure if had ever been so glad to walk out into a crowd of people. Though it wasn't really a crowd. Because of the late hour, there weren't as many people as there were during the day, but still enough that their voices could be heard. Another bend, and they were back in one of the main thoroughfares of the city.

Absent mindedly he looked around to see where they were. He noted that if they wanted to travel back to his camp, they would have to travel through part of the city first, and then they would be able to take a small hunting path that would lead to his camp. Quickly thinking of his knowledge of the paths through the city, he plotted a route that would hopefully lead to that edge of the city the fastest.

Turning to Sira, he simply said, "We need to head in this direction," Then he headed off knowing that she would fall into step beside him. She had been leading in the tunnels, but out here, he was the one that knew where they were going.

That was when it hit him, in the caves she had said she was 'to wounded to fly'. He shot Sira a quizzical glance, before inquiring, "Wait, before did you say you could fly?"

by **Sira** on May 9th, 2011, 11:49 pm

Sira walked along next to Ayren perfectly comfortable with letting him lead the way. Normally she was expected to be the one who knew where they were going so Sira was content to follow for a change. So Ayren was not a hunter anymore.. but by his health and dress it was obvious he was not a dek. Perhaps he had found some other useful skill to keep himself elevated. Sira understood perfectly his fondness for the outdoors. On occasion she too would spend several nights in a row sleeping under the stars, most often when she was feeling depressed, but sometimes for fun as well. And of course there were the nights when she was on an extended hunt. Sira had a pretty good idea of where they were going based on the direction Ayren was leading them, but she remained at his side rather than walking out front as an Endal normally would, even under the eyes of others they passed. When he finally inquired her about her ability to fly she silently cursed. It wasn't that she wanted to keep it a secret, but people tended to treat you differently once they knew what you were. Sira wouldn't lie, though, for there was a chance she might run into the man later and wouldn't want him questioning her authority.

"Ah, well, we Endal do spend most of our time up in the sky. But it takes a strong body to fly and I'm recently injured."

Sira left out the part about her being Wind Reaches infamous Wind Eagle kelvic. If he didn't know about it simply from her name there was no need to enlighten him. Her kelvic side was often more trouble than it was worth. Either she would meet a racist, a common thing among the Inarta, who thought she shouldn't be an Endal, or a fan who wanted to assail her with question after stupid question. Sira rubbed the bite marks on her neck absentmindedly, still sore despite being healed by her love's gnosis. Ayren would be able to see them now in the full lighting of the city proper. Where once he could simply tell she had the body of a warrior, her wounds were now illuminated and he could see many scratches and cuts all over her. Her eye was slightly bruised and then there were the bite marks on her neck. All the wounds looked to be a few weeks old, mostly healed but still visible. In truth she only received them a few day's ago, but they had been healed through the gnosis of Rak'keli. All the wounds would transfer to her Wind Eagle form as well, making it very painful for Sira to fly, though it would have been completely impossible without the healing she had received. Sira was living proof of the many dangers the Unforgiving held, and below her clothes were more wounds yet visible. Despite all this Sira walked as if she were perfectly healthy, rarely showing any sign of her injuries unless one watched her closely, in which case they would see the occasional twitch or grimace when she moved wrong or accidentally bumped into something.

"So you say you gave up hunting? I can't imagine doing that, hunting is in my blood. What made you choose a different path, if I may ask?"

by **Ayren** on May 11th, 2011, 2:43 am

So she was an Endal. In a way it surprised Ayren. Most Endal you saw didn't take more than a moments notice of anyone below their station, and Ayren didn't think for a moment that he looked like anyone above his place as Chiet. Not that the Endal didn't have good reason to lord over everyone, but the ones Ayren had met didn't seem very friendly. Yet, here was Sira who had gone out of her way to help him out of the tunnels, and was nice enough to escort him back to his camp. He wondered if she had deeper motives that just a helping hand, as the Endal always seemed to have, but dismissed the idea. Sira's friendly smile simply couldn't be faked he decided. There had been a slight hesitancy before her answer, almost as if she wanted to leave it unsaid. Maybe she doesn't want to be acknowledged, although he wouldn't know why. As such, he only answered with "Ahhhh" and continued walking as if she hadn't said anything. Even so, he was Inarta and it was inbred to honor the Endal, so he bowed his head to her respectfully.

After her second comment on being wounded, Ayren took a close look to see how badly she really was hurt. In the darkness of the tunnels, he had seen more her shape and stature, instead of what was truly there. Now in the light, he looked past that and saw that she was indeed hurt in many places. A bruise ringed her eye, and scars looking like bite marks covered her neck. In addition there were other assorted cuts all over her body, and a infinitesimal wince when she stepped on a loose stone promised that there was more damage than could be seen. He wondered how she managed to walk so tall when she must be hurting. Pondering what could possibly have done such damage, Ayren realized he was staring and quickly looked away. Staring at anyone was rude, let alone an Endal.

Coming away from his thoughts, he heard Sira ask him why he had given up hunting. Her comment that hunting was in her blood made him smile, even if there was a twinge of sadness hidden in his eyes. "My father used to think the same thing about me, that hunting was in my blood. He taught me the bow, and he taught me all about the wilderness." Ayren stopped for a moment, to stop the sadness from escaping further than it already had. His father was not a subject her ever brought up, and it surprised him that he had done it now. Some wounds just didn't heal, and this was one of them. In an attempt to hide his feelings from Sira, he continued with, "I guess that's only half true. I go with I have nature in my blood. I was a perfect fit for hunting, but when I got out on the trails, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't kill the animals, even though they were just animals and that it would have been for a good reason. Death isn't ever justified..." Ayren trailed off as sadness threaded back. Locking it down tightly, he quickly finished with, "During my time as apprentice, I found that one of my favorite jobs was to teach basic things to the newest apprentices. So I gave up on hunting, and decided that my skills would be best used as a teacher, and that's that."

Finished with his story, Ayren realized he had given quite a speech. He didn't usually have so much to say, but it was nice to have someone to listen to him ramble. It helped him to get his ideas in line, in a way that reminded him that there were really reasons why he lived as he did. It was at least a little comforting to know that he did have reasons, and wasn't just doing things randomly.

by **Sira** on May 14th, 2011, 12:17 am

Sira acknowledged Ayren's show of respect with a nod, glad that he didn't make a big deal of the fact that she outranked him. She didn't mind it some of the time, but other times Sira just wanted to have a nice talk with a friendly person without having to worry about who outranked who. People who knew her status generally tended to be guarded with their words and that was something Sira hated. She would rather be honestly insulted than nicely lied to. It was yet another reason she was so happy to have found Aidara, a person who she could truly be herself with with no worries of what was proper or not.

Sira listened with interest as Ayren explained the reason why he did not hunt. He was not the first person she had met who could not take the life of an animal. Addy had trouble doing it as well. But that didn't mean Sira understood it. While Aidara's difficulty stemmed from her gnosis mark which required her to preserve life, most others did not have any reason that made sense as far as Sira was concerned. Her beliefs were further strengthened by the fact that she, herself, was technically an animal. When he was finished she gave him a look that was somewhere in between stern and pitying, responding softly, "We all die, Ayren. It is part of the cycle. Taking the life of one to feed another is justified by nature itself. We do it, our eagles who are wise beyond any of us do it, animals do it, fish do it, everything does it. Even the gods do it. The Inarta do not hunt for sport as they do in other cultures. Everything we do is for the survival of our people. It is simply the way of things."

Her little speech over, Sira decided it would be best to change the subject. He had spoken of his father, something Sira knew little about. "I never knew my father.. He left Wind Reach before I was born, and my mother had little time to raise me herself. He didn't even know my mother was pregnant. Sometime I wonder if he would have stayed had he known about me. I've thought of looking for him, but I don't even know his name. There are.." Sira paused, considering her next words before speaking them, "..questions I would ask him." In her mind Sira finished the thought. Questions about who I am. What I am. How I am even possible.. Sira shook her head, returning her mind to the present. They were almost to the exit, and after a few short moments they passed from the warm air of the volcano heated mountain into the refreshingly cool spring breeze under the open sky. The moon was full and the stars were shining bright. Even with her superior vision Sira could not make out what the stars truly were as she gazed up at them. "I wonder what they are," Sira muttered as she walked beside Ayren, presumably in the direction of his camp.