Completed A Fragile Existence

[Krysanthe]

First impressions rarely give an accurate representation of a person’s whole personality. Krys never liked to judge someone based upon an initial conversation because often with the pressures of spontaneity and varying scenarios, someone might act entirely out of character upon meeting someone new. Sure, you might get a glimpse of an essence of who the person is, but when it comes down to it, if you judge someone based on your first conversation with them, your judgment will probably be wrong. Krys eyed the book in her arms, thinking of Vaas and his adoration for music. That blind boy had quite an impact on the woman. She was well aware of an artist’s passion. This is why when Saphtir was being all sentimental, she couldn’t help but scoff. “Just a song?” She mused, her eyebrows gathering at the center of her forehead. She was silent for a moment, repeating herself. “Really, just a song? Come on. Calling an effort to help people survive and learn from a tragedy ‘just a song’ isn’t fair to you and it isn’t fair to the people you’re trying to help.” She offered the woman a smile that was rather uncharacteristic of her. In times like this, when people were sad, when they had tears in their eyes, when they sagged like a wilting flower, Krysanthe left behind a small portion of her shyness and became more confident on her two feet in order to be the support that others needed. She understood the gravity of that kind of support, and believed it to be unfair that anyone should be robbed of the comfort of kind words. Of course once everyone was back to their normal day to day happy little lives, she’d crawl back in her shell. For now, a combination of anger, grief and empathy would make it possible to be social for at least the time being.

[Kanri]

Kanri sadly did not notice anything particularly unusual about the room, besides the shattered glass on the floor. It annoyed her. She sometimes prided her keen observation skills. Yet other times, she entirely missed the point. Was there something so obvious in this room that she was missing? Perhaps her eyes and mind were too clouded by grief. She tried to contain any emotions she had surrounding the room. It was tough, stories and pride and sorrow all welling in her as she looked at different potentially key features.

The glass. First, Kanri studied the glass. Sadly, all of it was now scattered about in piles to allow people to walk through relatively safely. There were no specific details surrounding the shattered glass that seemed too suspicious... except, it seemed surprisingly evenly layered. But then again, perhaps someone had just swept it into an evenly layered mess. Someone had come through with a broom and swept up the paths.

Maybe that same someone knew something about what had happened!

[Saphtir]

Saphtir lowered her head when the woman sought to praise her. She didn't think her purpose so bold or meaningful as the woman claimed. She merely wished to capture this sad moment, and ensure it wouldn't be forgotten. She had no delusions that her simple words would make any lasting impact. But holding on to the moment would be enough. "You are too kind," she whispered, her face hidden behind golden falls of hair. "Though perhaps the praise should be saved for one who might discover the cause of this..." She glanced to the other girl, Kanri, watching as she studied the scene. Saphtir had no idea what the young girl was searching for, what she might be able to find among the wreckage. All Saphtir could see was tragedy far and wide. Shimmering shards of tragic loss, threatening foot and flipper with further hardship for any who did not watch their step. She moved forward a bit, leaning on her hands to pull her body forward in a lurch. She couldn't go far, of course, for the paths had been swept for those who could carefully choose their steps and lay their feet in cleared places, not one who had to slide her body across the ground. Looking around once more, she began making notes in her book once more, searching out words and rhymes for the next verse of her song. For the moment nothing flowed clear, and she sighed in distress at the difficulty in finding how to complete it. She searched the area, though unlike Kanri, she was searching for inspiration, not clues. Still, she asked the young girl, "What do you see?" Perhaps the clues about the cause of the tragedy would also be the clues to how to finish her song.

[Krysanthe]

Humility.That was a trait that Krys had been missing among her people. So what if this woman had to drag her body around? The Inartans had their own odd physiology. Their bodies must have seemed so small to the visiting eye compared to their giant heads. She didn't comment any further on the subject, returning her attention to Kanri. The child clearly seemed intent on figuring out who had done this. Krys didn't think it was going to happen, but she'd play along. She waited for the girl to answer Saphtir's question. Meanwhile, her mind drifted. Just yesterday, she had been selling her wares, speaking with one of those strange visiting women who told fortunes. According to the odd old woman who reeked of sea water and had a gap in her teeth, Krys was going to uncover a fortune. What was that supposed to mean? Clearly she wasn't going to be selling any of her work to big spenders, since it was all destroyed now. Unless the destruction had something to do with the whole 'if you are unwise with your dealings, it shall turn to dust' thing. But Krys didn't feel as though she had been unwise, and this was hardly just dust. It was just another hitch. Yeah, sure, it was a tragedy, but give it a few days and everyone would be back to normal. At this point, Krys's belief in that fortune was being stretched thinner and thinner. Marriage, many children, and fame. All things promised to her by a robust Svefra. Still, she was glad she kept the little odd glass bird the woman gave her in her bedroom. If it had been out here, it would have been destroyed. Krys unconsciously crossed her arms over her chest, staring down Kanri with soft golden eyes, awaiting the hopeful and probably naive observations which were sure to come.

[Kanri]

"What do you see?"

What do I see? Nothing useful. They weren't going to get anywhere. This was just wasting everyone's time. Kanri realized what they really should be preparing to clean up the mess. Time was drifting away all too quickly. Time… precious time… She sighed and the reality came down on her.

Who would have done it? Who would know? And who would tell the truth? Whoever did would face the wrath of the Inartan. No one wanted that.

And then Kanri realized her time was being wasted too. Not just by standing around at this event but her life in general was being carelessly thrown away. She had been wasting days at a time wandering the city and daydreaming. She had no motivation to survive because she let others care for her. She had no motivation to create because others were better than her. She had no motivation to become anything higher than she was because she could be whatever she chose in her day dreams. Dreams alone would never help the city keep on its feet, especially after the storm. Now, the city was going to have to stand up to an inward attack because someone or something was destroying the city from the ground up. In order to combat something like that, Kanri needed to pick up the pace of her own life.

So that required her to do some work for a change.

She was furious with herself to the point of tears. She felt like she had been dead weight for too long and she was tired of that. She wanted to feel needed. She wanted to feel like she had accomplished something. Her body felt dead but she felt a fire that said she could change that.

Hot tears stinging her eyes, Kanri turned to her friends and said a hurried goodbye. “The eye of the eagle cannot see into the past, only what was left behind. My eyes do not even see that. So, I apologize, friends, for bothering you. Please, if you find out something, let me know. I have some… inward challenges I must face first. Alone.”

Kanri spun and ran off, not quite sure where. However, she knew when she recovered, she would have to get on her feet hard and do some serious work.

[Saphtir]

OOC : Since Kanri made her exit, and we said we were going to wrap this one up, this will be my last post. so I guess after Krys posts, the thread can be closed and submitted. Saphtir watched as the young girl left, clearly having lost all hope of discovering what had happened here. As she had feared, there seemed to be nothing to do. Nothing... except preserve the memory of this tragedy as best she could. She merely nodded a silent farewell to her, and gave Krys a soft smile. "We all do what we can," she whispered softly. "Even if all we can do is flee..." She pulled herself back out of the way, taking out her composition book once more. She continued working on the song, puzzling her way through a final verse, concentrating on what had been said these last few minutes, and trying to figure out how to incorporate those emotions into the song. Then she spent some more time working through a revision, humming softly to herself to get a feel for the notes that would best suit the tune. Her hands traced through the air as she imagined plucking the strings of her harp, playing out the tune that was as yet incomplete. She remained there, in the corner, for some time longer, writing, revising, and working out a first draft for the song. The sound of glass shards being swept up provided a rhythm to the music she wrote, and she tried to imagine that sound as a broken musical instrument, played by tragedy and loss. When finally, some time later, she had what she considered an adequate first draft, she sang her song to the lost souls that were finishing the cleanup: "Shattered pieces on the floor... Works of art, they are no more... Shattered fragments of what was... Now all is lost, now all is lost... Now lost to us forever more... Shattered glass upon the floor... Once great works that were adored... Shattered memories of the past... What is the cost, what is the cost...? The price we pay, we can't ignore... Shattered hopes upon the floor... To be reforged nevermore... Shattered pieces of our love... Upon waves tossed, upon waves tossed... Now to leave us all heartsore... Shattered wishes to know more... A kind soul, she does implore... Shattered questions on the wind... The answers lost, the answers lost... All left to wonder, what was it for...? Shattered sight, the eagle soars... Her eyes shall see hope nevermore... Shattered hope doth lift her wings... Her lesson learned at such great cost... Her challenge reaching to her core... Shattered pieces on the floor... Once swept away they are no more... Shattered memories now shall remain... Captured that they won't be lost... Held in our hearts forevermore... Held in these words forevermore... Long since they're swept up from the floor..." When the song was done, she turned and left, slowly pulling herself across the ground and back to her rooms.

[Krysanthe]

Eye of the eagle? Inward challenges? Krys sighed as Kanri ran off. That's what she got for trying to help people. She stared off in the direction of the young girl for a long moment, wondering what it was that Kanri was struggling with it. It sounded to Krysanthe like the yong girl had some real issues she had been confronted with. A child had finally been smacked in the face by reality. She had finally felt helpless. She had finally felt clueless. Sure, such an event helped to build character, but Krys felt as though the world could do with a little less character if things like this didn't have to happen. People didn't have to hurt. It just didn't make sense. None of this made sense. She stared at nothing, trying to straighten out her thoughts, until a soft voice caught her attention. 'We all do what we can, even if all we can do is flee.' Krys's shoulders shrugged almost imperceptibly and she looked down a the floor. Saphtir was right, but that didn't make the situation any more bareable. If anything, it emphasized the sadness. Somehow, Krysanthe understood the word were not really intended to be a comfort. Somehow, it felt as though the musician wasn't even talking to her so much as she was thinking out loud. The red headed woman turned on her heel to face Saphtir, but she was already buried in her composition once again. Without a goodbye, Krysanthe simply turned and walked away, stepping silently down a path free of glass, having been swept away by deks who seemed as though they couldn't care less. Her eyes remained downcast, reflecting the images of shattered glass: broken and worthless. She once again searched for some remnant of something that was hers. This time, however, she'd be satisfied with even a shard. Something to remind her of what once was. After a long few moments of simply walking, she knelt down next to a pile of glass, squinting, tilting her head slightly to the left. Her golden eyes penetrated the pile, locked onto a piece of yellow among the blue. Carefully, her thin, nimble fingers carefully moved a few pieces aside, removing a shard. It was a wing from the glass mold she had made for Wind Dancer. It was all that was left. She tenderly caressed the wing with the pad of her thumb, and for reasons she could not explain, the smallest of smiles tugged at the corner of her lips. She held the wing in a fist against her chest, and bowed her head, as if giving her respect. She then stood, and was about to leave to go about her business when another gentle sound stopped her. It was singing. Shattered pieces on the floor... Once swept away they are no more... Shattered memories now shall remain... Captured that they won't be lost... Held in our hearts forevermore... Held in these words forevermore... Long since they're swept up from the floor... Krys paused, considering saying something to Saphtir, but nothing came to mind. The song stayed with her, lingering in her mind long after she went about her day. Later in the evening, when she was just resting in her room, fighting her busy mind as she tried to fall asleep, the song lingered on the last few lines. Held in these words forever more Long since they're swept up from the floor. Words really could hold memories. As she thought of the song, she could vividly paint a picture in her mind of all the glass, of all the downcast faces, of all the sadness, all the anger. She thought of how she felt. How she was still feeling. She walked through an empty door. Her heart wanted something more. Answers hide, she wonders why. A heart's exhaust, for all she lost... Will fate settle the score? With venomous thoughts of vengeance once again settling into her mind, Krys rolled onto her side, forcing her eyes to a close. Somehow, deep down, she just knew that this wasn't over. It would never be over until that criminal got what he deserved.

[Phoenix]

Kanri

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	4
Investigation	2
Leadership	2
Rhetoric	4

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Witness to hard work destroyed
•	Wanting to help, but unsure how
•	Searching for the Culprit
•	Leading the Search
•	Failing to find Clues

Krysanthe

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	4
Investigation	2
Rhetoric	4

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Work or Play? Same thing!
•	Passion for Glassworking
•	When loss turns passion to anger
•	Helping Kanri investigate
•	Akvatari: What the Petch is that?
•	First Impressions are rarely Accurate
•	Learning Humility

The Order of the Phoenix

Great thread, though I wish one of you would have stepped forward and noticed a clue or something to move the thread along. The person who starts the thread doesn't always have to be the leader! Don't be afraid to take chances

Again, I will award Saphtir XP if she returns to Miz.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.