Flashback Constants - Complete

[Arysana]

Constants Time Stamp: Summer 30, 511 AV Sweat trickled down her forehead. It was hot; the uncommon humidity heavy on her chest, the feeling of suffocation alleviated little by the scorching breeze. "Just a little more…" she mumbled, her hand reaching in earnest for the branch some way above her. She was already as sprawled out far as she could manage, her small barely-teenage body awkwardly taking advantage of the surrounding branches. Her small right foot was placed firm on a thick bough that would have otherwise been knee high, and her other was barely steady on another to the bottom left. She hugged the tree close to her body and stole a glance downwards. I am up high. She thought to herself, waging silently as to whether or not she should continue climbing. But I'm not even halfway to the top yet. She took another once over of the surround branches, cursing under her breath at the patch's lack of hand and foot holes. There was a thick branch at her left shoulder, too low to serve any use as a handgrip and too high for a foot, but a promising place to rest a foot should she make it that high. The only branches to her immediate left were stub-like and short, and although they would do if she were in need, they were in no way her first preference. From what her olive eyes could see, the path upwards would be an easy one, something unsurprising given she had chosen the tree species in particular for its thick trunk width, height and bounty of thick, mature boughs. Her gaze was drawn skyward, the way the clear sky above had begun to tinge orange seizing her attention. "I'm going to miss it," she cursed, pushing herself to come to a decision. A gush of wind swayed the tree slightly, and Arysana found herself rigid and clinging for dear life, her previous urgency momentarily vacating her feverish mind. The wind settled for a moment, and the ice that slid through her veins thawed slightly, her sweat still cold. She let out a soft sigh, and steeled the slight tremble in her legs. It’s been too long. She bounced up and down in place, testing how sturdy the branches she stood on held. They're strong - they can hold me. I can do this. Her chubby left hand gripped a small knob-like stump to her above left an awkward manner, and she positioned her right foot to lung upwards. Maintain three points of contact. Her eyes scanned the section of trunk to the left of her targeted branch, spotting a knob that would do nicely for a temporary hold. She kept her right hand outstretched above and ready to take hold of the branch. Ok. Right hand to the branch above. Then I need to move my left hand to the stump to the left. Then I should be able to move my right foot to the branch at my shoulder. With a single heave of her right foot, she launched herself upwards, her left hand almost overshooting the branch, but she quickly compensated and grasped it tightly. She rushed her left hand to the stub she had sighted earlier and latched on. Her eyes fell downward, the sight of her right leg rigid in the air somewhat chilling the girl, causing her to jerk her body in revelation, almost losing her balance in the process. Damn. She used her own dodgy reaction to quicken her last step, shifting her weight onto her right foot even more so and slamming her left foot onto its intended bough. She rested her forehead on the tree trunk, letting a breath of relief leave her, before recalling the dimming sky. She cursed under her breath and squinted upwards. There was another half a dozen more meters of trunk and branches to climb before the giant divided into two arms. It was nowhere near the peak, nor the height she'd intended to climb until when she spied the climbable tree some weeks ago, but it would have to do. I can't help it. She changed her goal height in a short moment, warming to the idea considerably - noting that the fork in the tree would serve well as a place to lodge herself as she watched Lhavit dissolve from the gaze of Syna to the guard of Leth. With light beginning to dwindle, Arysana worked double time, picking up pace and confidence with every hurdle forward. My right hand to the knob above, then my left hand to the branch above more so, and then I have to bring up my left and right feet to follow through. She moved quickly, hugging the tree and bracing herself every few moment, the soft sway of the tree becoming stronger as her height increased. It took her another few swift moments to pull herself to the fork of the tree, her next battle being the fight against the oncoming wind for stability. The wind was somewhat of a relief. When it wasn't threatening to fall and kill her, it slightly cooled her overworked body, rush through her sweat-drenched hair and rippling through her loose clothes. She held tightly to a branch just above the beginning of the fork, and wrapped her right arm around the more slender split of the truck, before readying herself for her next move. She gave a quick glance to the world below, a shiver riveting her spine as she saw Lhavit begin to sprawl into life. If I were to fall… I wonder if it would be a scurrying scholar or a shifty shinya that I would hit? She reminded herself of her purpose and cast her gaze towards the mountains in the East, thankful that she was correct about the tree being a vantage point. Her view was nowhere near as clear as a look-bout from a mountain peak, but it gave her a look upon life below that she hadn't seen before; she was able to look on at the world from a place that had not been tailored for such an act. She saw the way the city was, not the part or angle of the city that was decidedly picturesque enough to warrant a public viewing point. What she saw was the people hurrying to meetings and work, the evening markets bringing out their kiosks, and the children run amuck. Another bout of gale rushed through, and although thick branches and leaves clouded much of her vision, the way the leaves blew in the wind, their hardiness against the gales and their rhythmic rustling gave greater life to the experience. More importantly, perhaps, was how it seemed to remind the girl some of Wind Reach. It was the daring height and the inhospitality, the way the sky, the sun, the moon, and the stars were her most cherished and lonely companions. The way the people below finally awoke and began living, and the way Lhavit was suddenly thriving and bustling with chatter and movement. She’d been away too long, even the song of her native tongue now foreign to her. Her breath left her as a gale more forceful barrelled past her, and she almost lost her holds. She gripped tensely and swung her leg over the fork, leaving her straddling the tree awkwardly. Uncomfortable, but sturdy. Her eyes shot back to the sky, and she watched as the world above lit up in oranges, pinks, and gold, the early evening stars making their presence known. She tucked in closely to the trunk, worried that she would lose her focus once more and have to face the consequences of her foolish inattentiveness. When she felt safe once more, she was quick to lose herself. She melted into the warm and swirling colours of the landscape; her eyes darting from star to star, eyes alight with recognition. A small smile touched her mouth as she pointed out to herself several constellations, as well as making up a few amuse herself. She snuggled into the true, mumbling numbly in the summer air, "They’re the same." The sky is the only place that never changes. All at once, she was at the mercy of her love for life and scenery, and was struck by adoration for the world. Her gaze dwelled on the way that the gradient and colour of the sky swirled and changed as it moved further from the sun. Her eyes ran over the subtly changes from gold, to orange, to pink, and how they colours blended and meshed as though crafted for the dawn and twilight. Her eyes then moved to the Moon, set high in the sky, and found herself slightly bewitched by its majesty and splendour - how its ghostly colour reflected the gold light of the sun in its own silver grandeur, and how it was caught between being outcast and belonging. The twinkle of evening stars next caught her attention, with the number of the shining lights increasing every minute. Soon the sky to the West looked as though it was blanket of diamonds encroaching on a sea of gold. Once again, she thought back to her early childhood, and she wondered how many times she watched the same graceful take over both in her hometown and on her journey to Lhavit. She wondered how many times she looked but never saw; how many times she failed to acknowledge the beauty of the world that would remain on of the few constants of her life. The sun finally fell out of sight, whether its light was lost beyond a tower, peak, or the mountain ranges was anyone's guess, but light was short and Arysana still needed to make the journey down. She swallowed hard, and shook away her desire to stay, before taking a quick glance down the alternate route, in hopes to see that it lacked any difficult patch. The branches were more numerous on that side, and although she would have to weave through them, doing so was safer than the clear-cut but sparse journey on the other side. She nodded slowly to herself, deciding that was the best way to go. Careful of the still strong breeze at first, she hugged the trunk of the tree and set her left foot onto a sturdy branch, before unhooking her other and setting it on to the first branch she saw. She regretted her action as her foot slipped slightly, her left foot sliding to the other side and grazing. Her right leg went rigid as she caught herself just in time, a violent shudder shooting up her body and she attempted to set her left foot back onto the branch. that was close. She let out a laboured breath, and eased herself down onto the next bough, this time steadying both feet onto the same branch. The lack of light had her squinting hard to see. A feeling urgency flooded through her body as she acknowledged the ten or so meters to the ground below, the distance dwarfing her in the leeching light. She nodded to herself as she went, self-approving of her actions. In another few moments, it was as though she was doing little more than plopping from one branch to another, chanting the 'Three points of contact' as a mantra on her way down. It was a bare beginner’s routine, but it was safe enough. She’d steady herself on a single bough, before going down into a sitting position. From there, the girl would select the next branch to use, moving over one step at a time. Then repeat. The closer to the ground she found herself, the less natural light that lit her way, and the more the shrill of voiced and glow of lamps guided her. She hit a tough point just a few meters off the ground, still too high to simply jump. She cussed to herself, by then the light of the sun had well and truly left Lhavit, the lofting light from below casting estranged shadows into the tree and branches around her. Her wonder and attention was shortly caught, her eyes following the shapes and shadows as they danced and shot around her. Her stupor broke as she almost fell once more, her damned inattentiveness inhibiting her from ensuring she maintained balance. She steeled herself and surveyed her area, before finding that there were little options to take. Shakily, she kneeled down on the bough she stood on, lowering herself close to the trunk as she did so. She looked to the ground, reassuring herself that the drop was not great enough to cause worry. She leaned along the length of the branch, barely able to fit the short length of her body along the bough, before twisting her body horizontally. She then wrapped her hands around the bough, before lowering her feet towards the ground, and sliding downwards. Once she was as far as she could go, and looked as ridiculous to passer-byes as possible, she braced herself for a fall and released. Her drop to the ground was less than graceful, the young girl overestimating and therein over compensating for the short drop. Had the ground below not had been dirt and stone, she would have escaped the sharp pain that shot up her heels and the loud 'UGH' as she made contact. She crouched and rocked on the balls of her feet, coaxing the pain away. That didn't go quite as planned.She bit her lip in annoyance, before standing and staring up the tree, barely managing to spy where she'd been sitting. She was caught for a moment, this time it was the silhouette of the tree and the shadows and shapes that were projected onto that lured her eye. She shortly caught sight of a sky bright with stars, dozens more shapes and constellations then visible, before the thought of her family struck her. I need to start actually focusing myself. She gave a quick glance to the crowd around her, struggling to find a familiar face. Good. She nodded briskly to herself and allowed her small height to be engulfed by the sea of people, curtly moving homebound. -finished-