"We do have something of spiders," the Symenestra murmured distracted, trailing along behind the young woman. His attention was on the ground between them, on the few patches of soil he deemed save enough to thread on. Sure footed he followed in Haeli's footsteps, taking advantage of her knowledge to navigate the tangled green and still failing frequently. His shoes skid over moist grass or sank into the soft soil, water licked hungrily against his heels when he time and again almost stepped into a brown tinted puddle hidden among the tall grass. When he talked, his gaze was fixed on Haeli's lower legs, rather than her face. "We are good climbing, have quick reflexes. You could say we have knack for working the loom and we have patience hunting. Like spider in web."
He shook his head and a smile crept on his face, a strange cross of amusement and sobriety. "I would not advise calling people spider though. Most do not appreciate it. It might get them angry and you do not want to see when in rage. It is a no good thing." Pushing a dry branch to the side, he watched her, secretly begrudging the girl for the ease she moved with, her flowing movements. He had never felt clumsy, but she gave him the idea of what it would be like. With the lightest of smirks he nodded upon the young woman's announcement that she would try find a ruby snake.
"Red eyes is common to have among my people, like most color you find in the fire's dance. Red. Gold. The shades between. Also the tint of the gem you call... ametise? Armthyste. Amethyst?" A moment only he hesitated at the word, but then he nodded as if the assure himself it was indeed the word he was looking to use. His lips moved in silence, repeating the word to himself, maybe in the hope to memorize it. "I had not thought to look for snake in the trees. They have no legs to climb," he tried to explain, but broke of a second later. Haeli smiled at him in a way he was used to from family and friends, casual, without a second though. It was an expression rarely ever came to see on the face of a stranger. Velarian couldn't deny he liked the smile which seemed to come so easy to the young woman, almost as if she was not even aware of it.
"Do not worry about the clothing. I will make new when I get home," he assured her with a shrug. The soiled robe did not bother him. Or, in a way it did, as the idea of being dirty made his skin crawl with discomfort, but he was not troubled by the loss of a robe which had neither been expensive nor of personal value.
Stopping at the cypress tree, Velarian looked up the enormous tree, to the branches touching the clear summer sky above. It was the sort of tree which made you halt in awe seeing its size, sensing its age. Too late he noticed what Haeli was about to do and looking in her direction he observed her for for a too long moment before he finally turned away. Clearly he had behold the symbol gracing her lower belly, the soft skin under her navel and while he had tried to figure out what it was, the mark had not been the only reason he watched.
"You not meet people a lot, do you?" With careful steps the symenestra walked over to the tree, resting one hand on the smooth bark. "You should not do that. Put away clothing. People would not appreciate nor understand,"he warned her. Hearing the rustling of leaves and branches the man dared looking up again to where Haeli was moving among thick and not so thick boughs, sunlight and shadow playing over her bare skin and turning it into a leopard's fur. More reluctant than he usually would have been, Velarian started his ascent into the green height of the tree top. He was a good climber, sure of hand and foot and with the balance of a cat scaling the sharp gable of a house. "I not usually go on trees. I like climbing however. You have to climb to enter Kalinor, climb well too. Humans do not manage the way up usually." Reaching up the man pulled himself on a branch half way up the tree.
"Kalinor is... hanging from the ceiling of cave. You enter buildings through a hole on top most point and everything is connected with long ropes, threads forming bridges and avenues. It is not like cities you might come to see when traveling." Pride was swinging in his voice, yet he was not boasting when he started to talk about his home city, the architects which had designed it. "It is not easy finding food in the cave, but hunters bring game from the world above. There are not... many of us. So we tend to help each other. Do what we can for the... web? Hm, family. That is the word."
Briefly only he tried to describe the light falling through layers of fabric, the soft glow filling the rare lit buildings, but he failed lacking words. Falling silent, his eyes once more searched for the young woman's figure.
"So, how would you go, hunting snake?" Curious the slender man looked around, adjusting his weight on the branch without thinking. Softly the dry wood was swinging under his weight and it might have broken had he been human and not one of the symenestra. He barely seemed to notice as he searched the tree top for something red, something moving.
He shook his head and a smile crept on his face, a strange cross of amusement and sobriety. "I would not advise calling people spider though. Most do not appreciate it. It might get them angry and you do not want to see when in rage. It is a no good thing." Pushing a dry branch to the side, he watched her, secretly begrudging the girl for the ease she moved with, her flowing movements. He had never felt clumsy, but she gave him the idea of what it would be like. With the lightest of smirks he nodded upon the young woman's announcement that she would try find a ruby snake.
"Red eyes is common to have among my people, like most color you find in the fire's dance. Red. Gold. The shades between. Also the tint of the gem you call... ametise? Armthyste. Amethyst?" A moment only he hesitated at the word, but then he nodded as if the assure himself it was indeed the word he was looking to use. His lips moved in silence, repeating the word to himself, maybe in the hope to memorize it. "I had not thought to look for snake in the trees. They have no legs to climb," he tried to explain, but broke of a second later. Haeli smiled at him in a way he was used to from family and friends, casual, without a second though. It was an expression rarely ever came to see on the face of a stranger. Velarian couldn't deny he liked the smile which seemed to come so easy to the young woman, almost as if she was not even aware of it.
"Do not worry about the clothing. I will make new when I get home," he assured her with a shrug. The soiled robe did not bother him. Or, in a way it did, as the idea of being dirty made his skin crawl with discomfort, but he was not troubled by the loss of a robe which had neither been expensive nor of personal value.
Stopping at the cypress tree, Velarian looked up the enormous tree, to the branches touching the clear summer sky above. It was the sort of tree which made you halt in awe seeing its size, sensing its age. Too late he noticed what Haeli was about to do and looking in her direction he observed her for for a too long moment before he finally turned away. Clearly he had behold the symbol gracing her lower belly, the soft skin under her navel and while he had tried to figure out what it was, the mark had not been the only reason he watched.
"You not meet people a lot, do you?" With careful steps the symenestra walked over to the tree, resting one hand on the smooth bark. "You should not do that. Put away clothing. People would not appreciate nor understand,"he warned her. Hearing the rustling of leaves and branches the man dared looking up again to where Haeli was moving among thick and not so thick boughs, sunlight and shadow playing over her bare skin and turning it into a leopard's fur. More reluctant than he usually would have been, Velarian started his ascent into the green height of the tree top. He was a good climber, sure of hand and foot and with the balance of a cat scaling the sharp gable of a house. "I not usually go on trees. I like climbing however. You have to climb to enter Kalinor, climb well too. Humans do not manage the way up usually." Reaching up the man pulled himself on a branch half way up the tree.
"Kalinor is... hanging from the ceiling of cave. You enter buildings through a hole on top most point and everything is connected with long ropes, threads forming bridges and avenues. It is not like cities you might come to see when traveling." Pride was swinging in his voice, yet he was not boasting when he started to talk about his home city, the architects which had designed it. "It is not easy finding food in the cave, but hunters bring game from the world above. There are not... many of us. So we tend to help each other. Do what we can for the... web? Hm, family. That is the word."
Briefly only he tried to describe the light falling through layers of fabric, the soft glow filling the rare lit buildings, but he failed lacking words. Falling silent, his eyes once more searched for the young woman's figure.
"So, how would you go, hunting snake?" Curious the slender man looked around, adjusting his weight on the branch without thinking. Softly the dry wood was swinging under his weight and it might have broken had he been human and not one of the symenestra. He barely seemed to notice as he searched the tree top for something red, something moving.