Closed A Meeting By The Falls (Celie)

[Zeran]

29th Day of Summer, 513 AV The Misty Peaks had many wonders about it. Some mysterious where others were apparent, some dangerous and some harmless, boring and beautiful. Even with the dangers, there was a need to find ways through the Misty Peaks to get from one place to the other. But the need wasn't solely travel. There was desire to experience what was possible from the Peaks. To see some of those wonders that it held close. That was the Trail of Waterfalls. The sounds of cascading water merged with the running streams that flowed underneath the wooden walkway Zeran stood on. He threw the stick he picked up earlier on to the top of the falls. It went under, then resurfaced and drifted slowly towards the edge before the currents took hold and threw it over. The weight of the falling water drove the stick under, only for it to jump up as if gasping for air. The push of the waterfall now nudged it to follow the rest of the stream, turning with the different speeds and bumping into obstacles. Zeran watched and laughed as the stick disappeared further down the stream. Eyes now focused on a ray of light, Zeran followed it to where it pierced the canopy above, counting the number of others that did the same. The trees ran in a corridor, along the side of the river, leaving a strip of sky above visible to be reflected in the water. They were not clustered enough to block light completely from the sides, but not sparse enough to let any rays to wide through either. The leaves grabbed hold of any light that managed to push through, directing it where it wanted Syna's light to shine, aiming a reasonable amount at the waters. Zeran took a few more steps along the walkway, listening the the water rushing, the trees rustling and his footsteps tapping on the wooden path that he followed around Lhavit. It didn't creak or groan as he placed his full weight on it from step to step, neither did it sink or rattle. The path was well taken care of and looked to be impervious to the water that occasionally leapt on to it. He stopped, looking down into the water. The shades of greens, browns, and greys of the forest blended well with the blues, yellows and whites from the sky, making the water glisten and shine with intensities and colours that matched skyglass. It was rare to find such sights copied perfectly in the cities, but that was why Lhavit's reach didn't stretch everywhere. It was devoted to protect the beauty that Zintila fell to Mizahar for. Zeran sat on the edge of the path, letting the waters lap at his feet. "When was the last time me and you managed to talk in such a setting?" He looked over the edge and into the water. The man in the water was there as he had always been. "Too long ago." He replied, smiling as widely as Zeran did.

[Celie]

Clothed in a long silk skirt, a linen blouse, and her hair tucked into a bun for the walk, Celie was enjoying herself. It was lovely and calm - even the crashing of waterfalls added to the dreamy allure. She had seen relatively few people on her stroll, and those she knew had walked past her with a greeting and small talk - something Celie, no matter how much she tried, could never get the hang of. Many people thought of her as a simple girl, unable to read or write past a young child's level, though not many knew that she simply didn't feel like learning. She wanted to play, and her parents had finally given up and let her play.

She was mindlessly nibbling on a bunch of jasao flowers she had picked when she spotted another bunch - these ones actually bigger than the ones she had in her hand. The only problem? An unknown man was standing right in front of them. Celie finished off the flowers in her hand and practically tip-toed to the man, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me..."

[Zeran]

"You're looking like you're having a bit of fun." the man in the water raised an eyebrow. "Anything in particular?" It wasn't usual for Zeran to be quiet, even when there was nobody around to hear him. When he was thinking about something, he usually did so out loud, listening to himself as he spoke. He called it double-processing. You think the idea and mull it over in your head. You then say it aloud and listen to yourself as you talk. It was then possible to hear what you said and think over it again. It worked, as anything that didn't sound right when spoken was noticed and instantly revised before the cycle continued. If Zeran was being quiet when no one was about, he was having fun on his own, and didn't want to distract himself from it. "Just felt like enjoying myself." he replied. "I found a stick, so no other real reason." Zeran listened to the sounds around him. It brought back the times of when he had no cares. He could enjoy the world around him. No responsibilities. No need to get better. No reasons to return to a home you haven't been to for eight years. Zeran sighed and stood up. There had been so much wasted time in his life. He hadn't had a chance to do much since Ravok. He'd needed to learn, to train, if he was going to return. The Ebonstryfe were not your common house cats. They were actually capable of causing a bit of damage. Direct and indirect. Zeran looked down at the brand on his left hand. They had probably done more than they had intended, but he was still alive. He was going to return one day and he wasn't going to waste anymore of the time Tanroa gave him. Neither was he going to rush it either. He would return when the time came and he was ready. At the tap of his shoulder, Zeran turned to find himself looking down on a very elegantly dressed woman. "Hello there little one." If he had ever lost it, his smile returned to him very quickly.

[Celie]

"Hello." Celie smiled before leaning down and picking the bunch of jasao, then proceeding to bite the entire flower off of one of the stems. She chewed the flower for a few moments and swallowed before speaking, etiquette lessons running through her head.

"Would you like one?" It was one of the first lessons she learned as a kid: share. There was also 'don't wander down the street by yourself' and 'don't shift into an okomo when you're wearing clothes because the clothes will rip', but they didn't apply to the current situation, anyways. She held out the bunch of flowers to him. She wasn't stupid, but she often mixed up human and Okomo food, simply because she ate both. And this wasn't a common mistake she made; her mother would worry when she ate picked and ate wildflowers along this very path or nibble on plants in the garden.

[Zeran]

OOCSorry for the delay on this.

A gentle voice delivered her reply, accompanied by a smile of an equal degree. He watched her as she leaned down, taking the time to evaluate her as she picked up a bunch of flowers. Zeran wasn't sure what they were, they were just flowers to him. She didn't look to be too strong, but there was an air of grace about her. One that steered him away from the thought she was just a fragile, little girl. How did people do that? Then she bit off the head of the flowers and Zeran didn't know what to think anymore. "Huh?" he voiced his confusion. It was unusual to say the least. Even he hadn't eaten a flower before, out of curiosity or otherwise, but now he found the need to know growing. Did that flower really taste that good? How did she know it wasn't poison? Should he learn about poisons to know could kill him if he ate it? He effective were poisons in a fight? What was I doing again? His vision focused back on the girl and then moved to the flowers she held out in front of her. Zeran looked back at her. She didn't seem to be suffering from any consequences, so maybe they weren't poisonous. It was kind of her to offer and if they tasted that good then it was worth a try. Taking one of the flower heads, he thanked her, threw it in his mouth and chewed. Then instantly spat it out again into the river flowing underneath the bridge, scraping his tongue against his top row of teeth to get the flavour that had stained it out. The more you know, and Zeran had found out two things. The flowers were not poisonous, and they should've been with that taste. Hoping the breeze would blow whatever flavour was left on his tongue away, Zeran turned back to her with it dangling out of his mouth. "Not for my taste. Feel free to continue eating it yourself." There was just one more question he needed to ask. "Are you a nutter, or a kelvic?"

[Celie]

Laughter almost left her lips, but she kept it locked in for the sake of not insulting the man. Celie found the taste of the flowers to be lovely, but it was obvious that he felt the opposite. She bit off another of the flower heads in her hand. There were a lot of blooming flowers in this corner of the trail, and it was obvious by the pleasant sent that followed the tail of every breeze.

"Sometimes that line's a bit blurry. I could ask the same for you, though. I don't usually see people speaking to their reflection." She dropped the remaining of her flowers into the water. Their reflections rippled and the flowers were carried off by the water. The man was odd, but Celie couldn't put her finger on how odd. She was usually good at reading people, but he was like the rippling reflection in the water. Unclear.

[Zeran]

"It's common courtesy to talk back to someone who talks to you, isn't it?" Zeran watched as she dropped the flowers into the water. They glided through the air, coming to rest the on the surface, making gentle ripples spread through the water. The man also watched them as they had their effect on him, disturbing him slightly. "Or are people under the assumption that there is nothing to say to someone who knows you as well as you know yourself? Rather inconsiderate to ignore someone who tries to start a conversation with no reason." The ripples came to a gradual end, and the man was smiling up at him again from the water. Sure, he wan't the best company to have around, but he was always there for Zeran when he needed him and was always in the place you expected him to be. Despite the arguments they occasionally got in to, if that wasn't a true friend then Zeran didn't know what was. He turned back to the young woman. "Where are my manners, Lady Nutvic? All this talk of my beliefs and I have yet to ask you for your name." Zeran stepped backwards, only slightly, allowing himself enough room to bow before the woman. Going as low as her head to be level with his, he held for a moment, speaking as he began to rise. "My name is Zeran, my lady. And after such a waste of beautiful, yet foul-tasting, flowers, as well as complete disregard for my friend's feelings," he gestured towards the man in the water, "I believe that a name would be a fair trade. Wouldn't you agree, my lady?" She had done well to completely brush off his earlier question of being Kelvic, but now Zeran intended to see how she would react to such accusations. In truth, he did not care for her reasons, as many had similar views as her own. He was the exception, but that didn't mean he was going to accept that his views were wrong. He had just had different experiences than most and had found different ways to get through. No, what Zeran was looking for was how she would react to the bluntness of his words.

[Celie]

Celie did more of a half bow, half curtsey, trying to ignore the fact that this man spoke to his reflection. She didn't think that reflections could speak, let alone hold a conversation or even have separate personalities, but there were so many things in the world that she didn't know - it wouldn't be too surprising if they did.

"I go by Celie. Nice to meet you, Zeran." As for his earlier accusations - she wasn't crazy. She didn't think she was crazy. It was entirely possible for someone to be crazy and think it was normal, but she was pretty certain that she wasn't one of them. And this man didn't seem crazy, to her, either. He had manners, for one, and he was incredibly polite, something Celie didn't consider going hand in hand with 'crazy'. And even if he was, she should still try and be nice. People liked nice.

[Zeran]

Nothing then? Apparently not. If anything Zeran had said previously was getting to her, she was doing very well to ignore it or cover it. A trait that Zeran respected. Celie was focused on not letting his words bother her, or they truly didn't. "Well met then, Lady Celie," he replied, turning to the man in the water. He rocked back and forth in the crests, only showing any interest when Zeran turned to him, mirroring his action. "She's not that bad," he said, pointing at Celie as he spoke, "is she?" The man agreed with a shake of his head. How nice it was that he very rarely disagreed. Without another word, Zeran jumped into the river, kicking up as much water as he could. The surface rose, curling its edges once it believed it was high enough, grabbing the air before it closed and brought down its catch with a crash further down from where Zeran stood. The water's danced from side to side, with complete disregard, colliding with itself and the banks. It celebrated its catch. Zeran watched, laughing at the actions of the water as his actions had given the river freedom to take what it wanted. The stones beneath his feet protested, throwing up clouds of dirt at his intrusion. His presence disturbed their rest at the river's bed, throwing them about as his feet settled. Their cloud was a smokescreen, blocking light and view from above. The river was on Zeran's side. It would soon carry the disturbed further down and away from Zeran where it would settle, happy to be rid of its intruder, and the rocks where he stood would be clear once again. Peace was in the flow of a river's nature, and that is exactly what it kept between those that lived submerge within it, and those that admired from without. "I came out to enjoy myself, Lady Celie." Zeran turned back to the elegantly-dressed woman that remained on the bridge. "What brings you out today, please tell me." The suggestion was a simple one, and probably wasn't needed, but insurance never hurt when you were curious, as curiosity apparently didn't like people's feline companions very much. Domestic, wild or otherwise, if there was anything else besides the two.

[Celie]

Celie was startled when he jumped into the river, backing up as he danced and laughed like a madman. He was mad. Not a word left her lips, and she might have even joined in the fun of playing in the river if the element of surprise hadn't been involved.

The hypnotism in his question went completely unnoticed - he was merely telling her to do something that she would have done regardless. Celie smiled.

"I've gone for a walk. It's lovely out today." As if on queue, a breeze whistled through, chattering to the trees and dancing with her skirt and the hair not held down by tiny pins.