Open What a Gloomy City

[Mirza]

It was cloudy today, not that you could tell from most of the enclosed city. The just wasn't enough sky here. Of all the problems Mirza had thought of when she was to move here, she had not considered the lack of sky. It made growing her plants more than difficult. It was also colder than she'd expected. The winters were considered mild here, but compared to her desert home, this was freezing and claustrophobic. Mirza clutched her large shawl closer, as she walked slowly back toward Stormhold Castle, back to her rooms. The metal plates on her veil chilled her cheeks, but she hardly noticed. She wanted to practice her shields a little more today, then she needed to go shopping, and finally, after sunset, a trip to the temple. The Benshira was in no rush. She needed to conserve her energy, but she was determined to get as much done today as possible and it was already past noon. She would celebrate her achievements when the sun fell, until then, she had work to do. Such was the nature of a Benshira. Her hard work would eventually pay off, it had too. It just was taking longer than she had thought it would. Anyone looking at the young woman would not suspect that she was anything less then jovial. Among the stone faced people she passed, Mirza looked cheerful, and that was with her face mostly covered. The people here here seemed so sad. They just moved from one task to another like it made no difference to them, like they were cattle. It must be hard for the people here. Where would they find purpose while their god was dead? She said a brief prayer to Yahal in her native tongue as she sat down on a nearby bench outside the Stone Gardens. It was easy for someone like her. She was part of Yahal's chosen people. It would be so lonely without that kind of divine support. A song began to play, breaking her from her inner musings. Someone was playing a sweet tune on their pipes not far from her. This was a song she knew, though back home it was played faster, with more energy, but this was nice. Mirza began to hum along, getting the attention of the musician. When she and the busker locked eyes, Mirza was unable to resist singing along in Shiber. Her voice was obviously untrained, but not altogether unpleasant. She pushed the piper to play faster, stumbling over the words every now and again, laughing each time. No one would ever confuse her for a performer, that was for sure. Too soon, the song was over. Mirza walked over the the musician and tossed him a gold coin, still chuckling to herself. She should have conserved her money, but it was so refreshing to have someone remind her of home. Her eyes were a little moist, but that must have been the wind. She thanked him in her soft, slurred voice, and very nearly hugged the man, but that was not acceptable here, was it? It was hard to keep track of the stand-offish customs of this gloomy city.

[Arkale]

The young Mage Knight was stopped in his tracks by the girls song. He had never heard anything like it, and the sound of laughter made him all the more interested. Deciding to take a break from his patrol, the young Mage Knight approached the mysterious woman, just in time to see her pass a Miza to the Bard. Arkale would have done the same, but he seemed to have forgotten his coin purse back in his apartment today. With a shrug he did not dwell on the mistake, after all, what did s Syliran Knight need money for while on patrol? Admittedly it could have become more a distraction than anything else. "That was a lovely song, mi'lady, though nothing I have heard in the walls of the city before. Where is it from?" He asked, keeping a smile on his face. The last thing he wanted to do was give off a bad reputation for the Knights, and he found a friendly smile was the easiest way to do that.

[Mirza]

Mirza turned to look at the young knight. She had not realized she had any sort of audience. Sure, she had seen the some in the crowd look at her, but she had not noticed anyone stop. She returned the man's grin, though since most of her face was covered, the only evidence of it was the crinkling at the cornered of her eyes. "I was just thinking that people don't smile here very often," she said quietly, almost to herself. She looked the knight in the eyes, paying before continuing. "This city is viewed as a beacon of hope, how can everyone seem so indifferent?" She took a breathe and added in a lighter voice, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so glum, it's just so different from my people back home. I'm glad you liked my song." She remembered the last time she sang it, more than a year ago. It was in the Burning Lands, after the sun had set. They celebrated another day of hard work paying off with hours of singing and dancing. She had never been a skilled dancer. She was too easily tired, but she sang with her tent. It was an occasion just to be alive and well another day. It was more than many had to be thankful for. "I learned it in the deserts of Eyktol, but it's entirely possible it didn't start there. It isn't unheard of that a guest might trade songs for food and water." She smiled again at the memory. "The Benshira love an excuse for a song."

[Alex Cromwell]

Alex walked the cold streets, wandering, trying to find a way to begin his new life, after completing his quest for revenge. As he moved through the city streets, among the equally cold people as the weather, he heard the sound of a girl singing, and not half bad by Alex's standards, but then again, what did he know about music? Alex moved in the direction of the singing, but by the time he was close enough to hear it clearly, it was over. He kept walking in the direction of where the song came from, and he stumbled across a very pretty young woman, talking to a knight of the city. Alex hung back, staying in the shadows. He never liked dealing with law enforcement.

The girl and the knight talked about the song that the girl was singing. It was unfamiliar to him, but the only songs that Alex knew were in the language of the wolves, and all that sounded like to ears other than wolves was just rhythmic howling. Alex kept listening, intrigued by the conversation. He just hoped that they wouldn't see him.

[Arkale]

"Winter seems to affect the minds as well as the body in this place. The cold of the season seeps into the keep and affects the minds of the people." The young knight looked about and gazed into the throng of people milling about to and fro. He was no stranger to the gloom and motnotony of everyday life, but ever since he joined the Knights, it was not something he experience for himself. "You know, I've never met one of The Benshira in person. Sure I learned about them when I lived back in Zeltiva, but it is not everyday you run into one. Tell me, what is it like to live as one of the desert?" His question was purely for information. Arkale was of the curious sort, and he always embraced an opportunity to learn new things.

[Mirza]

She nodded at his answer, considering. They didn't really have winter where she was from. Maybe come the spring months, people would start to brighten up. She looked forward to those days. It made sense. People could not be this glum year round. Life would be unlivable. Not for the first time, she wondered if she ought to go home. She walked back to her bench to sit down, motioning for the knight to sit. "My name is Mirza, from the tents of Hamish, of the sons of Malech. I am of the chosen people of Yahal. We live, only because he intervened when we did not deserve it and we live each day thankful for it." Her eyes lit up as she spoke, but it was as if reciting something she had said to a good many . She began to laugh at herself, "I don't know, must of us are herders. We wander the desert looking for grass and water, generally just surviving, then at sunset, we pray and make music and dance and celebrate the achievements of the day. Well, some live in Yahebah. That is our only city, but my tent, my...family, we were of the Burning Lands." She crossed her legs at the ankle, looking down at the sandals ill suited for this weather. "I do not not know of Zeltiva. It it far away?" Truthfully, Mirza knew very little of the world outside of what she'd seen. The Benshira were very wary of places and races unfamiliar. Even now, she still felt a bit of fear around the more animalistic of people. She knew, intellectually, that it was wrong, but such was her upbringing.

[Arkale]

The young Knight thought for a minute. How far away was his childhood home? It had been so long since he had made that journey, he was not sure he remembered. He put his mind to it though, trying desperatly hard to figue out the answer. That trek had been made three times in his life. Twice with his grandfather, and then once when he gave up his life in the port city and decided to throw in his lot with the Syliran Knights. "If my mind serves me, which it usually does, a single trip from Syliras to Zeltiva takes about 30 days or so." The numbers seemed accurate, though he couldn't be positive though. Further more, he did not even care how far away the city was. It would be a while before he went back, and while there was a part of him deep down that missed his family, there was a bigger part of him that wanted to be a Knight. With a small shrug, he sat next to the woman, and bent forward, elbows on his knees. He wondered what it was like to live among the Benshira, it sounded like a joyful and fulfilling experience, though he was sure it was a hard life. It was the kind of life that teaches you the value of a hard days work and family, something Arkale never had. No, instead he had books and lectures. Always being forced to learn the world from the words on a page and never getting his feet dirty or giving his muscles a workout with yard work. Maybe he was envious... "So what brings you to Syliras?"