(The Twin Lakes) New Meetings (finished)

[Miana]

It was almost laughable, the way they went on about the caste system. Ridiculous. No matter how much they opposed to it, no matter how much they didn't like it, it didn't change the fact that they were part of it. It didn't change the fact that they were Avora's and she was a Dek. Hearing the Symestra's pleading speech, Miana at once understood what she was trying to tell her. Embarrassment burned on her cheeks, they knew she was there! Why couldn't they just point her out and order her to bow before them or something? Why bother taunting her about her own illiteracy and her own status? Miana sniffed and wiped back a frustrated tear or two. Yes, she thought, surely they were just making fun of me..

And yet, as the Inarta woman spoke some of her history, something within her stirred and pulled. The more she looked at the pair, the more she wanted to reveal herself from her hiding place, just to see if their claims were true. Just to see if they didn't hide behind those pretty words. But reason and logic pulled back and made her stay still, for she knew people- Inarta's- were still the same. Ultimately, they still hold on to their caste with superior glee. This talk is just another way to tease me, she told herself sternly, plant your feet where it is. Maybe they'll go and lose interest of you soon.

The pair chatted for a while, sometimes about harmless topics, sometimes things she'd rather not hear. At those times, their talk terrified her. It almost always made her believe what there were something for her to do other than serve. But like always, she pushed away those thoughts as vehemently as she could. Despite what they thought, even Dek had some ambitions. And they didn't necessarily include upgrading their caste. Misery began eating her away once again, and she slumped back into a small ball on the ground, wallowing in self pity. Unbeknownst to her, a large fat caterpillar wiggled under her feet, trying to get to it's home leaf on the grassy easter shore knoll. If Miana paid a fragment of her attention, she would've felt the tiny thorn-like hair that brushed her leg as it crawled upwards to her lap. Yes, she would've felt it's small body squirming under her flesh. And yet, it wasn't until the shriek of a passing eagle that alerted her of the alien touch of skin. Miana shuddered as she watched the caterpillar stretch it's body as it moved from her arm; her eyes wide enough to resemble the small stones that laid on her feet. Less than a chime later, a bloodcurdling scream filled the amiable silence of the eastern shore of Shivias and a dark haired hysterical Dek stumbled away from a cliff like wall, waving her arms around as she tried to fling away a small caterpillar that stayed stubbornly on her skin.

[Drusilla]

Drusilla sighed with a smile, "He wants to learn Symenos. He picks it up so easily! He astounds me time and time again. Do you know him? his name is Taln." Drusilla smiled to herself, he was such a handsome man. Had his vision been undamaged...he would of been an Avora, working glass and such. If that had been the outcome he wouldn't pay her the time of day. No, not with that woman around. Darn her and her beauty. If only- Her thoughts were interupted by a blood curdling scream. Who?...Ah! The young dek! She looked back to see the girl flailing about. Pulling herself to her feet she headed over to the frenzied dek, not even bothering to dust off her dress Drusilla aproched the girl, no blood. That was a good thing. "Now, now. What has you screaming?" Drusilla asked in a very motherly way, noticing the furry stow away on the girls arm. "This little guy? He's more afraid of you then you are of him." Drusilla giggled coaxing the wriggling nightmare from the girl's arm. She looked at the fuzzy bug, "You have alot of work to do, lots of eating. That is if you want to be a beautiful butterfly. Drusilla watched the bug for a little bit before placing him near his home. Turning back to the dek she smiled, "My name is Drusilla, I'm the resident Symenestra of Wind Reach. I'm glad you're not hurt, neither of us are medics so we wouldn't be much help. Now may I ask you two questions? Your name? and would you like to sit with us? Not as Avora, Cheit,and Dek... But as three girls, just chatting and doing nothing."

[Krysanthe]

Krys sighed casually, responding simply, “No, I don’t know him.” As Drusilla’s mind clearly went elsewhere, Krys found herself sinking through the ground, seeping through the dirt and stone into another age, another life it seemed. Suddenly, they were in front of her, right as they always were. Two perfect vermillion orbs keeping their vigil over the fragile beauty. But she wasn’t so fragile anymore. That did not stop her from daydreaming. Taln picks up Symenos easily. What sort of genius could possibly do that? It took Krys years to learn even the basic phrases of Symenos. It was one of the hardest languages to learn in all of Mizahar! It was so fluid and clear, that it haunted and enchanted Krysanthe with every gently woven sentence. All she could do was chirp and caw like a deranged bird. At least the Symenstra maintained an element of elegance. There was a shriek. Krys jumped to her feet as quickly as gravity would allow, but by some twist of fate, Drusilla managed to get to her feet faster. She watched, eyes of sunset brimming with an odd combination of wariness and concern. That must be the Dek that Drusilla talked about. No, not Taln, he was someone who trusted her. That must be the one that caused her sudden odd side comment about them earlier. When the culprit was discovered as being a little caterpillar, Krysanthe almost laughed, but there was a certain amount of understanding behind her chuckle. She recalled the first time she saw a leech from the Underground Forest. That just about scared her to death. Feeling somewhat awkward just standing, staring at them like a fool, Krys made up her mind to head over there. She stepped up just behind Drusilla, speaking directly after the pale woman finished speaking. “Yeah! I am quite proficient in doing nothing.” She chuckled, in spite of herself, adding “Oh, and I’m Krysanthe. But most people just call me Krys.” Phew, this was quite the day. She was actually talking, actually encouraging an invite to ‘chat’. Normally, this was the point that she walked away, coming up with an imaginary excuse to sit in her bedroom and read through an old book of hers that she had read a thousand times. Today was different. Today the sky was clear and she had made a deal and she had relaxed and laid back and day dreamed, she had been talking to a woman with skin literally as white as snow and eyes of amethyst, and now she got to speak to a woman with dark brown hair. Call it an interest, call it an obsession, call it whatever you want, but Krys loved spending time with those who were different. Those who didn’t look the same. Those who were so obviously out of the norm. The Inarta often shunned the unique, and this bothered Krysanthe to no end. In her desire to be different, Krys finds herself increasingly saddened every time she sees her own reflection. She was so bland. So… normal. But this girl, she had brown hair. You rarely see brown hair in Wind Reach. What a day Krysanthe was having. What a strange, magnificent day.

[Miana]

Her head was spinning, running in the same god awful track with no end. Dizzy from the abrupt cut of oxygen from her shouting, it only fuelled her arm to move quicker, in the hopes it would vapourise the small animal on her arm. Her mind blank, she didn't notice the presence of the two women, not even when the Symenestra woman bolted to her, in such speed that seemed impossible for anyone to catch up, and held her still enough to take the wiggling devil from arm and release it. Miana couldn't hear anything but the sound of her own frantic heartbeat that threatened to shoot from her chest. She didn't even notice she wasn't breathing until her body instinctively took over, inhaling as deep as her exhaling. The force of the oxygen seemed to knock her back, and she could only slump into the grassy floor, holding on to the Symenestra in an ironclad grip.

This time, through blurred vision, she was vaguely aware of the outlines of their body. Confused, she tried to focus on these strange figures. With her eyes wide and staring, the strangeness of her eyes seemed to amplify tenfold; normally a shade of dull grey, they were now darker, the color of a haunted sky. Where normal eyes were glassy and clear, her's seemed to be completely made of liquid, moving in a way that it seemed to capture the thunderous waves of the sea that rolled endlessly in the small orbs of her eyes. As they slowly focused, the abnormal effect on her eyes seemed to lessen and lessen, leaving it's onlookers wondering if it was even real. Distracted, the Symenestra didn't notice that Miana's fingernails dug too deeply, cutting across her skin.

"Ah," Miana fumbled, finally realising their zealous stares. Feeling the strange movement that slipped past her hands, she quickly looked it over, fearing another attack from the furry creature.It wasn't. For a moment, the color of the blood seemed to push her back in the same daze she was in moments ago, until that is, she jumped unto her feet and once again flailed her arms hysterically. "Ah! Ah!" Oh gods, she thought in her flurry of panic, what do I do now? What do I peching do?

For a brief moment, she met eyes with the Avora who stood a smart distance between the Dek and immediately, Miana's panic turned to despair. She wasn't gonna get a beating no, that's for sure. Instead, she brooded, I'm gonna get killed. For sure.

Stopping her poor imitation of a chicken, she backed away, and broke into a run, fleeing back to the mouth of the small caves that led down the inner warrens, ignoring the pair. She was almost there, only a couple of meters really. But as the distance begun to recede, so did the function of her legs and feet. The moment she had stopped was the moment she let her conscience's voice wash over her.

What the hell are you doing?!, it screeched from the depths of her mind, go back and help that girl out! You're the reason why she's bleeding! Go back!Go back!!

Swearing at herself, Miana turned around and headed back, tearing off two strips of cloth on the edges of her lontev. Taking a small detour on her right, towards the lake, she dipped one of the strips into the water. Although Miana had known the cloth from her lontev was clean, for she tried to keep herself presentable enough, she scrubbed the cloth anyway. Standing up, she twisted it around her hand, expelling the excessive water. After the routine was finished, Miana worked her way back to the pair and stood guiltily before them.

Quietly, she knelt down opposite of the wounded Symenestra, looking at her apologetically. Without missing a beat, she took the woman's arm gingerly and ran the damp cloth across the wound as gently as she could- not wanting to hurt the woman further. Before the blood could start to run, Miana coiled the other cloth around her pale arms, in imitation of a bandage.

Finishing her task, she hung her head low in shame. Not only did she wound someone from the upper caste- she had tried to run away from it as well. Disappointment filled her and she bowed deeply to both women. Not wanting to be in their presence any longer, she started to flee once again... and was held back by the tug of her arm.
OOC NOTESorry if my post didn't have much details on it... and had a lot of choppy sentences. I wasn't really sure how to go around it. Either of you can stop Miana from escaping btw!

[Krysanthe]

OOCDIBS! Sorry Drusilla dear, but I beat ya to it. *maniacal laugh* Okay I just wanted to say that. And don't apologize, seriously. I love your word choice. It is so magnificently vivid! Anyways, I shall go type up a response now. :3 Krysanthe felt terribly imprudent for ever having opened her mouth. The woman was not in a state of mind to listen. Krys couldn’t help but gape as a pair of deceptively delicate hands, which upon second glance, she noticed were shrouded with barely perceptible scars, dug their unthinking fingers into the Symenstra woman’s arm. Krys’s eyes strayed from the small streams of blood that had begun to trickle down the pallid skin, with such a great contrast between the red and white that she found it difficult to keep her breakfast down. It was then that something struck her as odd. Off, frustrating, beautiful and terrifying. Miana’s eyes. Her face was different than those of the Inartans. It was so soft. It lacked the sharp angles that most of her people defined as ‘beautiful’. She seemed so much more gentle, so much more innocent. Her eyes were large pools of grey deep enough to dive into, yet the turbulent waters that they so clearly displayed warned the impending swimmer that such a thing was not a wise venture. Two golden orbs were locked upon the dark and uncertain, as Krys’s consciousness stubbornly locked herself in the moment. Her mind was almost as silent as she had hoped the Twin Lakes would be when she had first sat down at the border of the crystalline waters. Everything happened so slowly, yet she couldn’t move, encased in this suffocating stillness. Miana stood. She didn’t seem able to find any words. Krys could understand that feeling, although it was probably because of entirely different reasons, and this woman who entirely embodied smoldering embers was not surprised when the dek ran off. She was probably terrified out of her mind. Drudges were often frightened for their lives, having to constantly look over their shoulder, and rightfully so. Not everyone was friendly to those of poor status. Reality hit Krys like a hammer to the stomach, and she turned to look at Drusilla. Almost immediately, she began to panic. She didn’t know how to stop anything from bleeding! She was entirely inadequate at anything that had to do with medicine. She could treat a burn, but only because of all the burns she had received while working with glass! Nothing like this. This was blood. Blood! Dear gods, there certainly was a lot of it, wasn’t there. It just kept oozing from those little holes in Drusilla’s arm. It reminded her of the water that sometimes seeped from the walls of the caves and caverns in some of the eternally damp locations of Wind Reach. It never stopped. How much blood could possibly be flowing through a Symenstra body? Was there as much blood in one of them as one of the Inarta? Did that have anything to do with the color? Should they go to a healer? Would they make it? Oh gods… How could she do this? Krysanthe could not recall the last time she felt so helpless. And then her savior came. Or wait, no, Drusilla’s savior. Or was it attacker? Krysanthe found it difficult to keep up. She felt nauseous. Her head spun. Krys carefully eyed Miana as she tended to the wound, transfixed on the simplistic methods, trying to lock them away in her mind if ever came the time that she needed to stop someone from bleeding. Was it really that simple? Just a little bit of cloth? Krysanthe released a breath she only now realized she had been holding, turning away from the bandage on Drusilla’s arm, intending to offer some sort of gratitude, only to see Miana’s back. Well that would simply be unacceptable. Krys reached out and grabbed her by the arm, ungracefully turning the drudge back around to face her. The Inarta woman was rather caught off guard, for the words that escaped her lips were certainly not the words she had intended to say. “Why, you nasty little cretin! How dare you!” Where the hell did that come from? Krys was grateful Why on earth did she just say that? She never talked like that. Why here? Why now? But she couldn’t stop herself. Call it instinct. Speaking without thinking must be in her blood. Despite the fact that she desperately wanted to stop talking, she kept going anyways, not releasing her grip on the dark-haired woman’s arm. (Luckily her grip was not so vicious to do any sort of physical damage. If Miana wanted to twist herself away, it wouldn’t be too terribly difficult.) “What a surprise, another dek makes a scene and then tries to run away. You know, there’s a reason why you are where you are. But you know what’s worse? You separate yourself from the other deks, and that is different. You stopped. You thought, and you came back. But then you thought that the only thing you would find here is a beating, or worse.” Krys released Miana’s arm, although her eyes, which somehow managed to be both genuine and accusing. “Well, surprise surprise, you were wrong again. The only thing waiting for you here is an apology, a small story, a thank you, and an offer. I’m sorry for talking down to you. Genuinely. Call it instinct, call it flat out being rude, call it whatever you like, but believe me that will haunt me for a while. As far as stories go, I thought I’d mention that I fainted the first time I saw a leech in the underground forest. Thank you for helping Drusilla, because if you didn’t, well believe me, I’d have been of absolutely no help. And my offer is as follows: Drusilla didn’t give me much guidance as to what she wants me to make for her, so maybe you could help me out, look at her designs with me, and bounce around some ideas for color. At the very least, I need someone to shake their head at me when I make a mistake. I get lazy when I don’t have someone pointing out what I’m doing wrong.” Krysanthe released Miana from her gaze, glancing at Drusilla. So ended her rant, but her mind was still racing. What had gotten into her? Miana would probably never trust her again. Krys was only a chiet after all, just barely above the deks. Her position was teetering as it were; she did not want to get on an Avora’s bad side, and she definitely did not want to get on a dek’s bad side. She could only imagine what kind of turmoil she would endure if she down-ranked. Beyond that, it was outright rude. Krys was well aware that she wasn’t the kindest of creatures, but honestly, some of the things that ran out of her mouth only left her in the dust in the end. OOC (again)Sorry that took so long. I have been ridiculously overwhelmed with life lately, and I wanted to post something actually worth reading on here, instead of one of my 'I-have-five-minutes-so-I-might-as-well-post things. So... there ya go. Sorry for the wait.

[Drusilla]

Drusilla watched her arm, her eyes fixed on the trickling blood. Pain. She flexed her arm. Pain. It was an odd feeling she hadn't felt sense childhood, her stepmother. Pain. Those two words were the same, mother and pain. They felt the same. Drusilla began to shake, Kalinor flooded her mind. He pupils grew to cover the purple of her eyes. Pain. Her tremors were increasingly worse. Mother. She began to incoherintly mumble in Symenos. Lost in memories and feelings of the past, as Krys approched, Drusilla turned only to ask, "Avalon?" A panic attack was comming on, until the dek placed the wet cloth on her arm. Like smelling salts it slowly brought Drusilla back to the current time. She collapsed to the ground.Feeling regained in her body. She would have some explaining to do. At Krys' anger all Drusilla could do was mutter. "Hush, she didn't mean to do this. She was frightened." Drusilla wiped the sweat off her forehead. She felt sleepy, hungry, and urrrgg.

[Miana]

Fire. Pure untamed fire. Fire that threatened to consume, smolder, ignite. Beauty and danger incarnate.

The fear and self imposed disappointment paled in comparison to Miana's fascination as she recived the scorching tongue lashing from the redhead. The strength of her words, the decisiveness and conviction in her speech and movements. The ferocity in her features. This was what the Inarta truly are, she thought utterly bewitched. This is what I am not.

In the back of her mind, she knew she should be running, running to whatever shelter that was readily available, for an Inartan's rage was not something to be taken lightly. They were essentially walking volcanoes, unable to fully rein in their explosive outbursts. Yes, she should be hiding somewhere else. But it was like watching a wildfire in the forest, unpredictable and beguiling. Miana sucked in her breath, forcing her amazement to ebb.

She held on to her arms, lacking the desperate strength of Miana's, but enough to force her to stay. "What a surprise, another dek makes a scene and then tries to run away," the Chiet bit out sarcastically, "You know, there's a reason why you are where you are." Indignation bubbled at the pit of Miana's stomach and quickly worked it's way out as an unbelieving scoff. What had happened to pretty little speeches? Of feigned sympathy? Miana, now thoroughly disgusted, began to break away from the girl's grasp and was stopped at mid act by the continuation of her statement. "But you know what’s worse? You separate yourself from the other deks, and that is different. You stopped. You thought, and you came back. But then you thought that the only thing you would find here is a beating, or worse. Well, surprise surprise, you were wrong again. The only thing waiting for you here is an apology, a small story, a thank you, and an offer. I’m sorry for talking down to you. Genuinely. Call it instinct, call it flat out being rude, call it whatever you like, but believe me that will haunt me for a while.” As if reading her mind, she had released her arm. Immediately, Miana sought for an explanation. Despite the sharpness of her tone, there was underlying sincerity in it that Miana couldn't help but be intrigued. Miana listened intently as she wove her tale, keeping on her vague expression. Wether she was waiting for the young woman to falter, or waiting for her to understand the expression, Miana didn't know anymore. Faintly, she heard the soft murmurs of the Symenestra's comforts, a sharp contrast against the Inartan's passionate bellows. She didn't dare to look at her further, instead letting her eyes stay on the girl's golden eyes until she broke away. Discomfort and insecurity marring her pretty features.

Miana didn't know what to think. Never in her life was she given an offer to stay. Never in her life has she even asked about her opinion, either. Especially about clothes. Silence graced the three, each different from the other. She had stuffed up, badly. Did she even had the right to sit beside such merciful creatures? Miana blushed, a faint pinkish color spraying on her cheeks as she pushed away thoughts of running away. What should she do? What could she do? Miana swallowed the lump in her throat as an idea formed in her mind. Yes, that seems right.

Hesitantly, almost timidly, she took both hands of the redhead, squeezing them as delicately as she could and pulled her down with her as she knelt beside the Symenestra. Releasing her hands, she awkwardly fidgeted with the scraggly fringes of her lontev, carefully avoiding eye contact.

[Drusilla]

Drusilla took notice of the dek's clothes, "Would you let me make you a new garment? I can make you something pretty." Drusilla stopped. She had an idea, "Would you like a dress too? You can choose everything about it, and believe me I'll make SURE no one will take it from you. I never did get your name." Absent-mindedly Drusilla looked over Miana's hair, it was beautiful and full of tangles and knots. Without even thinking Drusilla pulled out her hair comb, and began carefully detangling the dek's hair. From caring for her own long hair Drusilla was good with hair. Drusilla began to hum.

[Krysanthe]

OOCWow, ten days later and I finally post. Sorry about that. xD The main reason was my 16th b-day party and such. It took a considerable amount of planning. Still, I’m sorry. I will try to respond in a timelier manner; I hate to keep you guys waiting. February is just a crazy month for me. Sorry for all the excuses. I'm so lame. xP The whisper of a spider tickled Krysanthe’s ears as if a feather was being brushed against it. Somehow, she could simply never get used to such a calm, reassuring tone, however subtle the mutterings. Her eyes strayed from the ashen skinned creature, returning to the girl whose soul glass was cracked, yet still somehow holding together at the corners. She felt her hands being cradled more delicately than a child, and she lowered to her knees in silence. She didn’t dare utter a word, for she felt that there was nothing that needed to be said. Miana had accepted the offer, and as far as Krysanthe was concerned, that was all that they needed. The seed had been planted. With some water and TLC, it might grow into something beautiful. Hopefully some kind of friendship would bloom from this beginning, and maybe, one smile at a time, they could spark a change in this incredibly judgmental society. But that was ridiculous, and even if it was possible (which it clearly was not) such change would be set far too distant in the future for the redhead to even begin worrying about. For now, they could be girls, and worry about issues more pressing to the current time. Like clothes, of course! The smooth tones of a gentle woman emanated from the void to Krysanthe’s side, and she couldn’t help but offer a subtle grin. The Twin Lakes were always a place of pleasant memories for Krysanthe, but it was about time she got some new ones, ones that did not make her upset when she thought about them. A dress? Perhaps that would be fun. The anonymous winter masquerade held at Inclement Weather might be a rather entertaining event for the trio to attend. Three oddballs and outcasts of different casts off to have some fun with complete strangers in a setting that they would all probably be incredibly uncomfortable in. To Krys, it sounded like a plan worth making. She was thinking about making this suggestion when Drusilla began combing Miana’s hair. Part of her was intrigued to how the dek would react. The other part of her was a little weirded out that anyone just carried around a comb. Unconsciously, she played with a strand of her hair, a little ashamed that she did not take as good care of it as Drusilla must have.

[Miana]

She was not unfamiliar to silence. In fact, she welcomed it with open arms and groomed it almost lovingly to stun, to confuse and to block whoever spoke to her. She was not unfamiliar with the suffocation and the discomfort that it brought along.

But between the three women, it was a different sort of silence- one that thoroughly confused Miana. Sitting beside them like this, with utter disregard of their castes, their race and all of those contradictions, it was something completely different. With the sun's reflection swaying gently over the surface of the lake, a slight steam mingling around the humid sun and the soft whispers of the animals blending in, it almost made her forget everything that stood between them. It almost fooled her that it was utterly redundant.

Looking at the two women beside her, Miana gave a small smile, thinking, "Yes, for now, everything can be put a side."

"Would you let me make you a new garment? I can make you something pretty."

The question stopped her little daydream. Quickly turning her head aside to hide her surprise, Miana cupped her face, letting the inner battle of her mind play out. Without a doubt, she certainly didn't hate the two. Miana was sure, with a little bit more time and probably luck, which was impossible, it would be possible for her to be fond of them. Not impossible at all.

As if to challenge her even more, the spider-woman continued, "Would you like a dress too? You can choose everything about it, and believe me I'll make sure no one will take it from you. I never did get your name." It was enough to whip her head towards the woman, fully presenting them her utter shock. Yes, she certainly didn't hate them, but this was certainly inapproriate. "I knew this girl was clueless about us," her mind raced, "but this is too much! This is-"

She stopped herself. Didn't she just told herself to forget all of that? Hesitatingly, she returned the Symenestra's smile. Looking at her, it was obvious that she lived in a world completely different from Miana's. The sweet girlishness that was almost childish and niave was balanced out by the gentle maturity and grace that she held herself made her want to seek comfort from her. Even more so when the woman began brushing her hair.

"It's an odd feeling, being groomed like this," Miana thought wistfully, a rueful smile on her lips. When she was young, she remembered her mother brushing her hair. And like then, it was a wonderful feeling. It was nice- knowing someone liked her hair enough to touch when even she hated it. Closing her eyes she let the comfort her the Symenestra's hands wash over her, still keeping her smile.

Without opening her eyes, not turning to look at the two, Miana began her answers. "Miana. My name is Miana."

Miana's little pride of talking was quickly squashed by the wind- for it suddenly blew their way and snatched her feebly voice away from their ears, and whisked away with it, leaving a faint reminiscence of the event. After the wind subsided, Miana broke out into a hysterical laughter.