Closed Touching the Clouds (Iosha)

[Red Daghul]

Iosha's reaction to Daghul and his offer was everything he hoped it would be. The look in her Violet eyes seemed to light up, and the smile on her face could melt a man's heart. Not to mention the sun that was staring into the room seem to reflect a blueish tint from where Red stood. It was true she was beautiful.

“So what are the basics of flying on a Wind Eagle, and please don't say not falling off if you do I will smack you Red.”

Her commit snapped Red back to reality and he laughed at her threat and the way she crossed her arms. She reminded him of the stubbornness of the Inarta, and though there are a lot of things different about this whited hair maiden it was clear in some ways she was Inarta.

"Flying, well, I guess a lot of it comes with practice, and knowing you flying partner" he said walking over to where Daghul was "I'm not the best at explaining it, but shifting your weight in reaction to Daghul's turns is important" Red holds out one hand flat to represent Daghul then set his fingers of his other hand on top of that to be him. "When Daghul makes a turn say to the left" he then moved his bottom hand that was the Wind Eagle was tilted to the left "then the rider needs to lean to the right to balance out" he then leaned his other hand to show the movement he want to show her.

"Other then that... well I guess I will have to show you up in the air" he gave her a playful wink and then nodded towards the Eagle.

“If you need help with the saddle, I'll definitely assist you in putting it on Daghul.” she offered to the Endal as he was almost to the bird.

Stopping in his trail he turned around a confused look on his face, which he used as a joke as he step towards her now. Then when he got close he said "Saddle? what is that?" he then took both of her hands in his and started to pull her over to the bird "I don't think I have ever heard of a... what did you call it?" then he gave her a smile as he came close to the bird and Daghul bowed low to help her get on. Red slipped up onto the bird's back and offered his hand down to his friend.

"Just sit behind me and hold tight, Daghul will take it easy while you get the feel of how it works" excitement pounded in the Endal's chest he loved flying, and to get the chance to share this with someone else was... well a adventure all it's own.

[Iosha]

Iosha watched Red explained how the rider adjusted to the movement of the eagle. It was simple enough, but Iosha learned better by visualizing the moments herself. Iosha nodded to him, and she demonstrated what he just showed her. Iosha's movements were clumsy and awkward, but it was hard to fully understand the lesson when she wasn't on the eagle, but she did her best intensely determined to learn the lesson correctly. Iosha was a slave to her upbringing, and she remembered the words of her Grandmother when the lesson was over, “Iosha, you come from a long line of wizards, and you being a Moonchaser carries a certain amount of respect and responsibility in our community. Now Little One. Magic is as the ability to make anything possible, or it has the ability to destroy you or everything you love. Remember what I said just now, Iosha. It is important, and with magic you will not have a opportunity for second chances. One more thing, I need to tell you. Before we start process of awakening your Rei, Iosha. I need to tell you one more thing. Whenever you start something if you must see through to the very end. This applies to everything in life if it is magic or gardening, you must complete the task to the best of your ability. I know you have the ability to do anything you put your mind too, Iosha. You have the dedication of a artist and musician and the spirit of a hunter, so I think you will be a great Wizard when I am done with you Iosha Moonchaser.” Iosha never forgot her grandmother words and she applied it to everything she wanted to learn. Iosha looked at Red and said with grin, “I think your saving the best lesson for last aren't you Red...OK, I am ready.” Iosha laughed out loud at his joke about the saddle and when he brought Daghul into it. She gave the Wind Eagle a eye roll and said with a laugh to the great bird, “You must have the patience of a gods to put up with him, Daghul. I commend you for your efforts in this losing battle..” To add to effect to what she said, she gave the Wind Eagle a elaborate bow that she learned in the ballrooms of Ravok. When she stood up, Red was already on the Wind Eagle extending a hand to her. She looked at him a moment to take in the memory of the moment. She tilted her head and grinned to herself as she noticed how gallant Red looked upon Daghul. She pulled out a piece of twine from her pocket, and she tied back her hair into a pony tail. She looked at him, smirked admiring the handsome man on the Wind Eagle, and she said softly to him, “Red, I am starting to think my punishment isn't much of punishment anymore...” Iosha took his hand and lifted herself onto the back of Daghul. She straddled the eagle neck, wrapped her around Red's stomach, and lean closed to him. She said softly from behind, “I am not sure how many girls you take with you flying, but I have to say that you look handsome on top of Daghul.”

[Red Daghul]

Iosha's laugh echoed through the room like a glorious chorus as she added her jest about Daghul putting up with Red, and it was his turn to give her a little laugh as she took her bow to the Wind Eagle. Soon she tied her silvery hair back with some twine and said “Red, I am starting to think my punishment isn't much of punishment anymore...”

The Endal had to be truthful with himself he felt a bit cheesy using that line to ask her to come have fun with him, but at the same time it had worked so where he had to laugh at himself there at the same time he was happy to be where he was. In response to her he only gave her a grin to say he was happy she came.

Lifting her up as she climbed up on the eagle Red felt her arms wrap around his waist as she ready herself and in a small voice she said “I am not sure how many girls you take with you flying, but I have to say that you look handsome on top of Daghul.” he was happy she was behind him as his face broke into a huge smile.

"To tell the truth, only a few have rode with me and Daghul, but none as a gift..." and then he added "and none as beautiful as you" he was starting to feel cheesy again, and before she could respond he gave the go ahead to Daghul who hopped over to the edge "hold on tight" and with that the Eagle dropped into the air wings folded back as the wind shot pass the two riders.

The drop was short as Daghul didn't want the two to get whiplash or anything, so he extended his wings to catch air and he leveled out. Flapping his wings once to gain some air he catch hold of some wind, and they rose into the sky as the Wind Eagle aimed to take them towards a cloud.

This is where planning had been put into place for the sky to day had a few clouds as the sun was starting to go down which if all went as planned they would shoot out of the cloud just as the sky was in full color. Daghul pushed his wings down again to give them speed as then entered into the could, and for a second the three were blinded by white.

Then just as they had planned the three exited the cloud to the sight of a beautiful red and pink sky with touches of orange that painted the world around them centered around the glowing sun that lit the world and bathed it in golden rays which danced through the clouds. Red turned towards Iosha "not many see the world as a Endal does, so sometime we forget how awesome it can be..." he paused for a moment 'that is till you get to see someone enjoy it for their first time".

There was a true peace here, and Red couldn't be more happy having someone to share this with was more then he had dreamed. Though Red had little doubt that the sight was breath taking he hoped that Iosha was enjoying the sight as much as he had thought it would. Daghul had also hoped she would he was becoming fond of her which meant he was pushing Red to get to know her more, and the next part of his plan was going to be a epic ride through the air. Red hoped she was ready for it.

[Iosha]

When Red told Iosha she was beautifully, Iosha was glad she was riding behind him because her pale cheeked blushed a deep shade of pink as she looked to ground unable to speak. She knew she was beautiful because many people told her throughout the seven years. She had been away from her beloved island of Mura. Iosha was about to whisper thank you, but Iosha missed her chance because Daghul decided at that moment to leap out of the aerie. Iosha was expecting the sudden sensation of falling, so she involuntary tightened her legs around Daghul and held onto Red for dear life. During their decent to the ground, Iosha found herself screaming out in sheer terror and laughing out of excitement all at the same time, but as soon as Daghul leveled out his flight, Iosha decided to stop screaming and just started to laugh at herself that she was still alive. Iosha took her forehead off of Red's back to look at the homeland of her father from the air. Iosha was amazed at how high they were flying because she could see for miles in all directions. Iosha looked to her left side, and she could see the sparkling ocean outside the frozen Thunder Bay. What made this view speculator was the way the reflection of sunset sky looked in the calm waters of the bay. Iosha smiled and thought to herself that the bay sort of looked like it was on fire. She looked below them at the lush forest surroundings the bay, and she was amazed at the vast untouched wilderness of Inarta actually was. She thought to herself in the spring. She will have to explore it's beauty for herself with her sword and bow at her hip. Deciding to look at the summit of Mount Skyinarta, Iosha looked down into the city, and she started to see the lights of city being lite one by one in the dimming light of the setting sun. Iosha looked closer into the city and saw specks of ginger weaving their way through the busy streets. Iosha decided to wave at them in childish glee since the people below couldn't see her anyways. Suddenly with a mighty downward flap of Daghul's huge wings, Daghul and his riders went much faster than Iosha was ready for, so once again, she clutched tightly to Red as they flew straight into a cloud. Iosha could only compare the experience of flying through cloud with walking to school on a foggy morning on her beloved island. She remembered she could barely see anything except the faint silhouettes of shapes off in the distance. In the cloud, Iosha was basically blinded by the wet white pillow except for the faint silvers of light peeking through the edge of the cloud. Suddenly, the three of them reemerged from the cloud, and all she could see was the vast painted sky of the setting sun. She said in Kontinese a silent prayer to Syna for the breathtaking beauty of the evening sky. Iosha couldn't help herself from being memorized by the beauty of the evening. She was jealous she couldn't see this everyday like Red, but even if she could only experience the moment for one night this experience today will stay with her until she dies. Iosha found herself resting her head on Red's back as she watched the scenery of her father's homeland. When Red started to talk about how it was a unique experience to see the world from the eyes of Endal that sometimes Endals took for granted the whole experience of flying for the first time. Iosha pulled her head from his back and said loudly enough to hear over the wind, “Red, you should never take life for granted because you don't ever know how easily it can shift from good to bad. Also I know if I was a Endal, I would always take a moment to enjoy the splendors the gods of Mizahar give us...” She rested her head back on back and watched the setting sun start to set behind the enormous volcano.

[Red Daghul]

“Red, you should never take life for granted because you don't ever know how easily it can shift from good to bad. Also I know if I was a Endal, I would always take a moment to enjoy the splendors the gods of Mizahar give us...” She was right, but it wasn't that he had tried to take it for granted... I guess on forgets how it feels to not be in the air, but it didn't mater Iosha was right.

The feeling of her body holding on to his, and the way she rested her head on his back made him feel... well he couldn't quiet place his finger of the feeling, but it was nice. The three just floated above the clouds watching the sun set, just letting the peace of the moment linger in the air. Words that red wanted to say got stuck in his mouth, and he finally gave up and decided to let the moment speak for itself.

Red final found the courage to speak and asked "what do you think?" he felt a little off asking as he might have needed to start with this... Red was finding he wasn't much of a ladies man. Daghul seemed to send encouragement trying to get him to talk to Iosha more.

[Iosha]

Iosha watched a flock of geese fly south. She frowned to herself when she realized winter was coming to the volcano and the Inarta. She heard from her mother that winter was tough time of year for her father's people, and she could only imagine with the devastation from the Djed Storm was leaving the Inarta less prepared for a normal winter season. She sighed to herself when she realized, she was laying her head on Red's back. This wasn't a behavior a “friend” would do, so she took her head from his back and watched the geese fly past the bright setting sun. Iosha sighed to herself again wishing she could understand her growing attachment for the grizzled hunter. She thought to herself while staring at the geese fly south, “Maybe I am just caught in the moment...?” Iosha was attracted to the handsome Endal, but she knew physical attractiveness only perked her interest at first, but if either a man or woman had no personality she grew bored quickly them. On the other hand, Iosha was surprised when she met Red at the party because he was nothing like the other Endals in Wind Reach. Iosha personally only knew a handful of Endals, Sira and Aidara, and they were nothing like the Endal's from her mother's stories. However, Iosha encountered and saw incidents where her mother's stories were true, and the Endal abused their power to make life miserable for the lower castes. Iosha wasn't immune from the Endals harassment either. She remembered countless times in hydroponic gardens where a Endal would walk by her basket of produce and take it without saying a word. It irritated her to no end because the food was supposed to go to kitchen, but the Endal named Sorel Vorshal had the brilliant idea of luring wild boars into a trap with her turnips. At the time, Iosha was furious he was going to use her turnips as boar fodder. Luckily, the Dek helping her stopped her from making a perilous mistake because Iosha was in half a mind to yell at the bastard to leave her turnips alone. Red was nothing like Sorel. Unlike Sorel, Red wasn't the kind of man to abuse his power given to him. Iosha thought he was a quiet and honorable man. Who treated the lower caste with respect and fairness. He wasn't quick to temper like other Endals and most Inartans. Maybe it was Daghul's influence over him that made him so even tempered, but she could see that he will be a great respected leader among his people someday. Iosha looked up from the painted sky when she heard Red awkwardly ask his question. Iosha knew he was feeling awkward talking to her all of sudden, but she wanted to make him feel comfortable around her. She smiled to herself and said playfully to him, "You might have to be careful if you take me on enough of these flights, Red. One night, I will have to convince Daghul to take me out flying alone...” Iosha moved a stray piece of white hair from her eyes and she said quietly, “Red I don't think I can ever repay both you and Daghul for a gift as beautiful as this one. Honestly, I think you just fulfilled my childhood wish tonight.” She looked again at the setting sun and said with a smile, “We will never again get such a perfect night as this one.” Iosha wanted to get to know him better, so she started mull over questions to ask him. She looked at him with a smirk and asked softly, “What made you decide to be come a Endal, Red?”

[Red Daghul]

Red felt Io remove her head from resting on his back, and it didn't surprise him when he almost sighed that she moved he was finding that he enjoyed spending time with her more and more. Never the less, it had to happen he guessed. The moment would have to come to a end as they all did, but maybe it wasn't so bad as a moment had to end for the next one to start.

"You might have to be careful if you take me on enough of these flights, Red. One night, I will have to convince Daghul to take me out flying alone...” the Endal had never really given it much thought, but he guessed Daghul might do that, though he could tell she was mainly playing around and he laughed at the thought of her riding. The image in his mind was amusing.

“Red I don't think I can ever repay both you and Daghul for a gift as beautiful as this one. Honestly, I think you just fulfilled my childhood wish tonight. We will never again get such a perfect night as this one.” In that moment Red felt a warm feeling fill his chest as he could tell that she really meant what she said.

"I'm glad we were able to give you the chance" there was a softness in his voice that he hoped she would take as him being completely honest "I hope that we do" he held a warm smile he knew she couldn't see. The question about being a Endal came as a surprise, and at first he was going to answer that he was chosen to be Endal, and he had little choice in the mater, but on second thought in a way it was his choice.

"Most will tell you that they had nothing to do with the choice to be a endal, and that it was the Wind Eagle who chose them" he paused for a second as Daghul pulled through a cloud chasing the sun as it slowly sank deeper down into the horizon. Daghul was planning something Red was sure as he could feel it in his bones as some would say "I would say it was partly a desire to see change, and good win instead of the darkness of mans heart". Images of his father flooded his mind as he remembered the cruel training, and the harsh words he shared with those who mothered his sisters. Worse of all was the thought of his brother who had taken more towards the thinking of his Father.

"Daghul found me, just as I found him stuck in a word we felt was full of foul darkness" conviction set in as Red remembered the day Daghul and he chose to be different "In a way we saved each other, and wanted to see that life was better for those around us" he fell silent as the last bit of the sun dropped out of sight leaving only the pink color in the sky and clouds.

Red sent a question to Daghul about what he was planning, and Daghul sent him a picture of the moon rising behind him. Then the Eagle started to bring them around in a half circle that took a few minutes and Red knew he was placing them in a location to watch the lunar rise.

"Iosha, I hope that you don't think of me like many of the Endal in the Reach" he knew that the Endal had a rep of being cold, and of looking down on those in lower state then themselves.

[Iosha]

Iosha listened to Red tell her about his thoughts on becoming a Endal as she watched the setting sun. She listened to him tell her the his reason. He wanted to become a Endal, but Daghul and him seemed to find each other for their own reasons. Red wanted to escape a darkness in his personal life. She listened to his tale, and it seemed like he rejected everything the Endal were just because of the cruel nature of his caste. The wind eagle Daghul was the young man's savior, and it seemed they had a bond that nobody could break. Iosha wrapped her arms around his waist and she gave him a hug from behind and answered his question, “No Red. I don't think you are like the other Endal of Wind Reach, but sometimes you have to face the darkness to find the light in your life.” She knew herself had a dark past, and she had many stories of the dark days in Ravok. She started to worry if the Endal would reject her for the things. She had to do to please her cruel lustful master. She would tell him in time, but she didn't want to mar this perfect night. Iosha laid her head on his back once again and said softly, “When I look at you Red, I see a fair and kindhearted man with a dark past. I can relate to that because I also have a questionable past of my own. However, you seemed to take your past experiences and turned it into something positive. When I look at you Red, you are a honorable and fair man. You seemed not to abuse your power over the lower caste, and you seemed to treat us lower class like people. You will be a great leader one day in Wind Reach; however, you are still a Endal, Red, and you have a duty to your people to a lead them, and as a leader, you might need do things that go against your individual principle. You can be a fair leader and not abuse your power, but you can't be afraid to show your power either. Because you still have to save face in front of the other Endal and the lower caste, so they respect you. There is a difference between abusing your power and fairly flexing your authority.” As a child, Iosha read a lot of literature from Sylira, and she especially enjoyed the stories about the Konti and Syliran Knights. Regardless of the cheesy adventures and romances all the books seemed to have a moral code attached to the story. She dreamed her Endal father was like the Syliran Knights, but Kursha Aferan was more of a roguish hero in the tales, but he still was fair and knew when the right time to use his authority. On the other hand, Iosha knew something in Red's past made him shy away from using his power. Iosha smiled to herself and closed her eyes, “Red, you saved my life in the Dek cave, and I will find a way to repay you for your bravery in time. I think you handled the Dek situation in the cave honorably and fairly, Red. You reminded me about how my father used his authority when he was alive.” Iosha used her legs to brace herself when Daghul started to turn. She turned her body towards the turn and her grip on Red's stomach tighten, so the momentum didn't throw her off the giant eagle. Iosha smiled to herself as the sun dipped under the horizon, and the sky started to turn a reddish bright orange. Iosha would never forget this night, and she started to wonder if she could get used to more nights like this one.

[Stardust]

Red Daghul

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	2
Socialization	4
Rhetoric	2
Teaching	2
Seduction	1
Riding (Wind Eagle)	2
Storytelling	3

•	Lores Earned
•	Joking With Iosha
•	Being Healed By Iosha
•	Showing Iosha the Aeries
•	Riding With Iosha
•	Not Like Any Ordinary Endal
•	Sharing One's Wind Eagle

Iosha

Skill	XP Earned
Medicine	2
Rhetoric	2
Seduction	2
Riding (Wind Eagle)	3
Socialization	4
Interogation	2
Reimancy (Water)	1

•	Lores Earned
•	Flirting with Red Daghul
•	Formally Meeting a Wind Eagle
•	Watching the Sun Set From the Sky
•	Riding With Red Daghul
•	Preparing For Winter
•	The Happiness in Flying

Dream On

Wow, there was a lot in this thread. Iosha and Red are sooooo cute! This made me all giddy! Nice thread! Great Interactions!

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