[Christina's Remorse] A Long Way Down (Open)

[Lilith Krahe]

A Long Way Down 44th of Spring 512 AV The long rope suspension bridge hung gracefully over the Bluevien River and swayed back and forth softly as small groups of people crossed the ancient structure. Lilith had come here on occasion as a child, but, back then, it hadn't been more than an old bridge over a scary drop. Heights had never been Lilith's strong suit, but today she didn't fear the fall. Her mind was far away, lost in thought. Lilith leaned over the rope railing on the side and let the gentle breeze tousle her short hair slightly. She stared down at the rushing waters below and absently wondered how long it would take to hit the water if she were to go over the side. Noticing a small pebble someone had tracked out onto the bridge, she pick it up and dropped it off the side. It was foolish of her to think that she would see any change in the water below when it landed, but still she was disappointed when she lost track of the plummeting rock. She must have looked curious just standing there staring over the edge, but Lilith didn't much care. It began to occur to Lilith that she was ordinarily so afraid of this bridge that she wouldn't have even considered stopping here. In fact, she usually avoiding Christina's Remorse all together. For a short moment, she became panicked and considered running to either end just to be off the swaying bridge. However, Lilith summoned to her mind her original reason she had come here. This had been the location of the first execution of a Nakivak for the murder of an unborn Akalak. The title of Nakivak was still something Lilith needed to get used to. The thought made her fidget idly with the Silver bracelet on her arm. She had never paid much attention to the Nakivak around her growing up, but Lilith couldn't help but wonder what those passing by thought of her or if they even noticed. Lilith wasn't recovering quickly from the injuries she had sustained at the slaver camp and she still had several cuts and bruises. She had done her best to cover them up by wearing clothes that showed as little skin as possible, but there was nothing she could do to hide the ugly bruise that spanned from her cheek down her neck. Resting her elbows on the rope, Lilith stared straight into the horizon. Beyond the waterfall there was only the sea, endless and unyielding. She wondered if by some chance there was someone on the other side of that sea staring right back at her. Maybe they were wondering the same thing she was. Lilith knew this imaginary person was simply something her mind had concocted to make her feel less alone, but she didn't fight the fantasy. Her thoughts slowly faded until she wasn't even aware of what was around her. Lilith pictured every detail of that far away person in that far away land. She had heard stories of different people in far away lands, and she imagined that those lands lay just beyond the ocean before her. She had once heard a man talk about a race of fiery haired humans that lived in a volcano. At the time, she thought it was ridiculous to think anyone would willfully live inside a volcano, but today she let herself believe it. She was fully submerged in this state of childish imagination and wouldn't easily be brought out of the trance. This was the escape she had hoped for.

[Adrasto]

The air was dry, and the sky's light was not hindered by clouds. People were walking with no destination and the sea of green grass swallowed the blue people that were dazzled by the day.

Adrasto sat on the side of the Bluevien River, underneath a tree with his scabbard beside him, Adrasto ran his fingers down the blade, "When am I gonna' come up with a name for you?"

He turned his head and looked down to watch the river rush. The rocks that could be your death were swallowed by the beautiful blue, life, ever humorous made the most enchanting things the most deadly. Then the young man thought of the tree he sat under, a great and old oak, it's leaves had begun to take for spring. With little the tree could do to harm him, the contrary only enforced ideas that reality had more questions than answers. Adrasto sighed and laughed in unison, taking a breath as he looked at the tree once more, and swallowing in stupefaction as his eyes rolled to the river.

There was a girl hanging out on the bridge laid over Bluevein, the collection of planks swaying with the wind. "Crazy girl, hope she realizes death is a nudge away," Adrasto said, taking a sip from a canteen he had brought, "Or maybe she doesn't care." He didn't think much when he first saw her but seeing how long she sat without ground beneath her drew Adrasto's curiosity. Oddly, he felt he could relate to a woman sitting on a bridge alone without being in the position himself. With a short haircut and clothing in eye, Adrasto saw a story in heart.

Intrigued, Adrasto hoped to catch her eye and notion her off the old bridge, perhaps she'd even come his way.

[Lilith Krahe]

Lilith's trance slowly slipped away, replaced by a nagging feeling she couldn't quite pin down. A cold chill ran down her spine and she couldn't help but glance over her shoulder nervously. Though she didn't have anything to nervous about, it wasn't like she was running from anyone. It was just a feeling, something she couldn't shake. The fact that she was standing so far up above the water was starting to get to her again and she decided it was time to move on. As Lilith turned to walk away she caught the glance of a man standing by a tree. Perhaps it was his stare that had bothered her so, but she couldn't be certain. His eyes remained glued on her and she couldn't help but wonder what he wanted. So, reluctantly, she walked toward him. Again she became self conscious of what people would think of her wearing that obvious symbol of status or oppression, depending on how you looked at it. Despite the fact that she had entered this position to repay her debt, and not to gain status or money, it still felt dirty. Lilith felt like a whore. Approaching the man, Lilith forced a smile. Deep down, she really couldn't complain about her life. If some people choose to be in her position, why couldn't she accept that role in life? Perhaps all she needed was a more positive outlook, but that was still to be decided in her mind. Now wasn't the time for that. Now was the time to ask this strange man what his interest was with her. "I noticed you staring, can I help you with something?" Her voice came out more smug and condescending than she ever would have intended and she knew it. Lilith tried to remedy her tone by widening her smile. Her eyes did a quick once over of the man. He was human, that was good. At least he couldn't be eyeing her thinking about contracting her. Besides that, there wasn't much about him that stood out. Sure he had handsome features, but so did a lot of the men in Riverfall. This one didn't seem to be anything too special. Lilith hoped she hadn't hurt him with her impolite tone, but he had been the one who was staring. 'What could he possibly want with her?' she wondered in the few moments between her question and his response.

[Adrasto]

The woman caught Adrasto in his gaze, and without a motion over she began making her way towards him. It was an almost awkward moment if she wasn't trying to be nice about it, her false smile was comforting. Now looking between the sword he fidgeted with and the girl, Adrasto wondered what he had gotten into. What was her motivation? More importantly, how did she fit in Riverfall?

As she approached her pretty features came into focus, Adrasto was thankful the woman was so easy on the eyes. Despite the good looks, bruises and cuts marked her body and it took Adrasto back for a minute. He didn't know how to speak of it, but it drew the young mans concern. She grew close, and Adrasto cleared his mind for conversation.

"I noticed you staring, can I help you with something?"

"Hah," Adrasto snickered looked up from his seat at her, his blade, then back at the girl. "I guess I was staring, my apologies if I made you feel uncomfortable. To answer your question, I'm fine but I've been wondering what a girl like yourself is doing out on a bridge by herself. Those planks are ready to go, you could get hurt, ya know?" So let me ask you.... is there anything I can help you with?"

[Lilith Krahe]

The man seemed nice enough. At least, nice enough to dispel any notion Lilith might have had about him having ill intentions. To her dismay, however, her strange behavior had instead been the focus of his attention. If he realized what she was, it probably would have seemed strange to see her standing on a bridge named after an executed Nakivak. She subconsciously began to fidget with the silver bracelet on her arm as she search for the words to reply. "You didn't make me feel uncomfortable." Lilith started, wanting to do away with any chance he thought she was upset with him. "Just curious." She added a moment later. Lilith wasn't sure why this stranger was so concerned about her safety. After all, people crossed that bridge frequently. She must have looked more conspicuous than even she expected. The thought made her even more self conscious and brought a light shade a red to her cheeks from embarrassment. "It is safer than you'd think." Lilith made a weak attempt to defend her actions. "And a little danger makes life exciting, right?" It was a long shot, but she had noticed his sword and hoped that he was some sort of soldier or adventurer. "I hope my loitering hasn't disturbed you. I was just clearing my head." She thought that maybe if she gave him an ounce of truth now, he would accept a pound a lies later to cover the details of her life she didn't really care for anyone to pry into. Lilith was now wary of the eyes of passers by. If she had learned anything so far from this encounter, it was that she stuck out like a sore thumb with her bruised face and uncomfortable demeanor. She glance over her shoulder periodically to see if anyone else was watching her. She knew she must have looked paranoid, but that was better than looking guilty or ashamed. Thoughts stirred in the back of her head like, 'What do I have to feel guilty or ashamed of?'. Lilith knew she hadn't done anything wrong, and yet still she felt as if she had to hide. She didn't like this feeling one bit, and she now hope that maybe this conversation could take her mind off things for a bit. That is, if this strange cared to talk to her for more than a few moments.

[Adrasto]

Adrasto was impressed by how the girl looked at him in the eyes despite having flaws of punishment on her figure. It most likely wasn't helping that Adrasto's eyes wondered across the parts of her body that could be seen, she was really banged up. Although, the girl was being polite, and Adrasto saw it fit to return her the respect of eye contact as opposed to passing judgment on her marks. The lady was obviously anxious, he had to make an attempt to comfort her.

She had subtle charisma and it seemed she didn't know it, her shyness had a certain allure. When she blushed up Adrasto addressed her exigency, "Your flush blooms in the light, miss," some might consider it flirtatious, but in Adrasto's mind it was a polite attempt to get past the formality of a first meet.

"As for danger, life is full of it, you need not search for it testing mother nature at her bounds," laughed a moment at his illusive answer, all too proud, he was teasing the girl. The people around had grown curious to the two having a conversation, surprising that a society of men still had its gossips. Adrasto thought in conscience that if she took a seat, there would less warrant for the looks and the two could remain more low key in the open.

"No worries, you haven't been a bother at all," Adrasto half-smirked and paused for a second. "My names Adrasto, why don't you take a seat?" He offered his hand to the lady to guide the woman to her bottom. "What could be on your mind on such a gorgeous day?"

[Lilith Krahe]

Lilith was suspect of the man's intentions, but then again, she had already been so before he flirted with her. It wasn't that she took offence to his attention to her, it was simply she had no desire to reciprocate any such feelings toward anyone. However, she did want someone to talk to, and she had no qualms with using this man for the time being. At the same time, Lilith didn't want to lead him on. This, combined with the mild aversion to human contact she had recently developed, resulted in her decision to refuse the man's hand. Lilith tried her best not to be rude about it. She simply sat down on the ground where she had been standing so that she was still facing him directly. 'Adrasto', He had said his name was, and Lilith did her best to commit it to memory. For the sake of not seeming hostile in the conversation, she gave him her name as well. "I'm Lilith." She stated plainly, before quickly adding, "It is nice to meet you, Adrasto." The question that followed was the one she didn't want him to ask, because now she had to lie. Lying wasn't exactly Lilith's strong suit so she tried to keep it simple. "Oh, you know, same stuff as everyone probably." It had been several weeks since the Djed storm, but it was still a common topic of conversation among some people in Riverfall. "You never know when another Djed storm could come along and wipe us all out." She smirked to convey that she was joking. That's what someone would do in this situation, right? Lilith thought to herself. Her lies were thinly veiled and it was not hard to tell there was something deeper. It was her hope that he would be polite enough not to pry, but he had already been staring so manners didn't necessarily seem to be his specialty. Still, he had been kind enough to lend a listening ear, so he deserved at least a little truth. "I'm just mulling over the circumstance life has handed me. Nothing too exciting." Lilith's smile was no longer entirely fake. She enjoyed having a real conversation. "What about you? Do you sit under trees thinking of nothing, or is there something eating you as well?"

[Adrasto]

Adrasto took his hand and danced his finger tips on the edge of the blade again. He didn't take any particular offense to the woman refusing his hand, she sat down regardless and obviously wanted to be social, even if she was beating around the bush. Adrasto found it hard to have sexual intentions with a girl in such bad condition, although his niceties often blurred the line between devotion and desire. She seemed to be getting more comfortable regardless, not so worried about the people around anymore, the interaction didn't seem so trivial to Adrasto.

"I'm Lilith, it is nice to meet you, Adrasto," Lilith, nice name for a nice girl. "It's a pleasure to meet you too Lilith." Adrasto made notion of the crowd backing off, "praise the gods," word made quicker to the wrong ear in this town than justice ever could.

"Oh, you know, same stuff as everyone probably." What ever could that mean? It was indirect, unassertive, and didn't address his question at all. He smiled at the girl regardless, something seemed so off about the way she had been behaving, was she always like this? "You never know when another Djed storm could come along and wipe us all out." In Adrasto's mind the storm was already so far in the rearview mirror, people should be focusing on the rebuilding effort, and bracing for a new one. Akalak indecisiveness aside, Lilitih hadn't made any qualm of the storm, only a light joke and she didn't warrant Adrasto's passionate thoughts on the matter, so he lightly smirked at her attempt to ease the atmosphere.

"I'm just mulling over the circumstance life has handed me. Nothing too exciting." Finally she admitted that something was bothering her, but she was very hesitant still. Seemed she didn't trust Adrasto enough yet to admit all her truths, typical of women, Adrasto snickered to himself at the notion. "What about you? Do you sit under trees thinking of nothing, or is there something eating you as well?" Adrasto laughed, he pictured what the woman must of saw of him, he probably looked like an urchin hanging in the open fidgeting with a blade.

"Nah nothing eating at me, thats what the tree is for, to think of nothing." Adrasto chuckled looking at the woman, wondering what kind of answer she wanted. "I've never really thought of why I come here, maybe to escape all the hubbub in the city and the judgment that comes with being a human here. Sure the areas beautiful and all, but the caste system can't help but get under my skin, It slants all these Akalak's view into thinking they're better than us humans." Adrasto stopped, realizing the tangent, he felt the feeling in the air change and wasn't sure how the girl would react. She could go running to the Akalaks and tell them all of what he just said, the fun that could be. Adrasto wondered what Lilith thought of her alien neighbors, hoping to find companionship, "Do you ever feel lost in the sea of blue people?"

[Lilith Krahe]

Lilith was relived that, for the moment, he didn't seem to want to pry deeper into her problems. Maybe he got the hint that she didn't particularly want to talk about it, or maybe he just was interested. Either way, it was nice to think she might be able to have a simple conversation without addressing the cause of her apparent injuries. Adrasto was being so kind to her, she thought, even if she was a little concerned about ulterior motives. Lilith hadn't really considered that a conversation might lead to a friendship with a stranger, but now the thought crossed her mind. Her old life had been so tainted that she felt alone even when she was with her old friends and family. Perhaps a new friend would been different. This could be the fresh start she needed. Adrasto had said something after acknowledging her name, but Lilith didn't catch it. However, it didn't seem important enough to ask about, probably just a passing thought. Instead, she focused in on what he was saying, even if it was a bit of a tirade. Growing up in Riverfall, this system of living was all she knew, and, while realizing it had it's flaws, the caste system wasn't the law that currently bothered her. She even thought it a little silly for the man to question the very basics that had governed this city successfully for years. The irony of this thought somehow escaped her for now, but it surely wouldn't go unnoticed for long. More than anything, what Lilith realized from his little rant was that he didn't know she was a Nakivak. If he had, why would he talk to someone higher raking in the social hierarchy than he about being looked down upon. Despite being relived that he hadn't even noticed the silver shackle on her arm, Lilith was also a little concerned. Would he resent her as much as he seemed to resent the Akalaks if he found out she was a Nakivak? His last questions broke her train of thought. Did she feel lost? There was no better word to describe how she felt. In fact, despite having different motivations for feeling looked down upon, Lilith realized that they weren't all that different after all. They held animosity toward different aspects of the same thing. It was like one person saying the saying the waters of the Bluevien were too cold in the early spring for swimming and another saying they rushed too fast. Sure, they didn't agree on the reasons, but neither of them wanted to go for a swim. Lilith realized that she had probably stayed silent for a moment too long after his question while thinking of her analogy and rushed to respond. "Yes, yes I do." That was all she could get out at first while she tried to think of more to say. "It seems weird to feel lost in a city you grew up in, but I think you have found the best word for describing it." It occurred to Lilith that she didn't know if Adrasto was merely a visitor to Riverfall or if he had been a long term resident. "How long have you lived here? All your life?" She thought that maybe, if she could keep the conversation focus on him, she would be able to avoid the topic of her recent history.

[Adrasto]

Adrasto's question hit Lilith bluntly, you could visibly see she was taken back by his comments. The girl didn't seem mad or dismissive however, she was just thinking, it was clear Lilith had a lot on her mind and it occurred to Adrasto she may always be this way. What some would call an awkward silence ensued, but Adrasto knew that sometimes a woman needed her time, and when she was thinking was one of those moments.

"Yes, yes I do. It seems weird to feel lost in a city you grew up in, but I think you have found the best word for describing it." Adrasto was surprised to hear Lilith was raised in Riverfall just as himself, he had never really had a human friend his age. With no talk of home, or an apparent family she could very well be a loner just as he was. It didn't change Adrasto's view of Lilith, it was just comforting to know there could be someone else in the city like himself. "How long have you lived here? All your life?"

"As long as I've been able to remember, my mom always said I was born in some 'City of Illusion'. If you look out to the northeast of the bay on a clear summer day, you can just barely see the coast of it. I've always wanted to head there, but it felt like too long of a journey when I thought of it." Adrasto paused for a moment and looked at Lilith a bit deeper than he had at first glance. He saw a lot of things in her face, fear, disdain, loss, guilt, it was all so obvious but she tried to keep it inside. She was so very reserved and held back, maybe she needed some change; after the conversation they shared Adrasto was beginning to wonder what he could do to lighten her mood.

Let me ask you a more personal question Miss Lilith, whens the last time you got away from your thoughts? You know? Had some fun?