PM to join [Enclave] Dekilicious Disorder (Azira)

[Lavira]

Timestamp: Fall 53, 513

Gods what a rough season... the teenager thought as she entered the Enclave one morning. Her clothing was simple, replacement garb she'd purchased just after the incident ironically on the same date the previous season. Her hair, however, was pulled back into a tight braid at the base of her skull and a pretty lime and black scarf was wrapped around it. The plain brown and black material of her outfit, rough at the edges and patchy in places give the scar-faced and sided woman a somewhat lesser look.

However, she'd already come up here a couple times before that season to do some reading and studying, trying to learn new hunting techniques some of the older Endal were choosing not to teacher. Thus, the young Endal was not questioned when she arrived and told the attendant at the front she'd be doing some studying back in the back and that she'd like not to be disturbed for now.

Then, it was off to the shelves, her thoughts on what she'd read today. Eventually, the woman chose to pass the time in relaxation instead of study and headed for the fictional tales, eventually selecting a novel called "The Twins, the Spicecoat, and the Bear". The title alone made her think of the hunting trip earlier that season with Alori when they'd been trapped waiting for the winds to die down enough for Mohya to fly again. It had been a rather dreadful trip since neither had been prepared for the cold that had descended on the area.

Picking a table near the center of the reading area, Vira settled down with one leg tucked beneath her and the book laid open on the table, one hand holding it in place while the other supported her chin atop knuckles, simply enjoying the read and ignoring the rest of the room for the time being...

----

...Tesurk and his sister Tisura had gone into the valley to track down a pup from their families breeding kennel. The little spicecoat had escaped the previous morning and the twins had been tasked to find it before something ate it or it would be their earnings they lost. Spicecoats were very valuable in Wind Reach, often used in accompaniment of the Avora hunters, like their family were.

Tesurk had made the mistake of opening the kennel too quickly that morning and the pup had escaped, placing the blame immediately on him eventhough he'd tried to hide the fact by accusing his sister. In the end, the both of them were forced out in the Unforgiving to locate the animal. Tisura was angry with her brother and chided him the entire walk.

"You had to do that didn't you? You couldn't wait for Durval to come in first? You just had to go see if your precious pup was still there. Well, it's probably dead! And we're probably going to die too now no thanks to you, you stupid dolt."

"Shut up, Tisura; it wasn't my fault the pup got between my feet. He's always been quicker than the other handlers!"

"Yea, well you could've at least shut the kennel before you opened the cage. Geez, Tesurk, you never think." She punched him in the arm and stepped through some brush. Tendrils of steam had wrapped themselves around the twins ankles as they went on, like lovers seeking to ply them into its grasp.

[Azira]

Azira was in a foul humour when she returned from hunting. She'd spent the day trekking around in search of something to catch, anything at all but it had turned out to be totally fruitless. She felt like a failure coming back with nothing. She'd heard many hunters complaining that game was getting scarce and she had to wonder how they'd manage during the winter months. Nobody had said anything yet but it seemed likely that the stores were lower than usual. If the season didn't improve then it was unlikely that they'd be able to catch much of anything. She trudged up to her room, dumping her belongings on the bed. She fished out her water bottle and dumped the water in it into the wash basin. The water in Mt. Skyinarta had had a strange taste to it lately, one that Azira didn't like. When she realised that the taste was only getting stronger and that Inartans seemed to be becoming ill from it, she'd begun collecting water while out hunting. Recently however, clean water was getting scarcer and scarcer to find while out hunting so she'd had to begin rationing it. It was making her thirsty and also a little cranky. Rubbing her sore muscles, she debated whether to go to the baths and risk seeing people she disliked, or going to the Enclave to read. After a moment's hesitation, Azira decided on going to the Enclave. She'd be able to do some research on volcanoes and also treat herself to some fictional tales. It'd be nice to settle down for a good book for a few hours. She hurried to her destination, eager to begin her evening of relaxation. She just wished that she could read in the privacy of her rooms but she was only able to borrow one book at a time and it was just too difficult to single one particular book out. It was too difficult to get ahold of books cheaply or else the bookshelf in her room would have been full to bursting. As it was, there was just a solitary book, A History of Wind Eagles, sitting on her shelf. It was more than a little depressing. Slipping into the Enclave, she headed straight for the shelves, calling a quick greeting to the attendant as she passed. She went first to the non-fiction section and began searching for volcano books. When she did find the right section, Azira found herself struggling to decide between two books and settled on taking both of them. Placing the books under her arm, she went to the fiction section. Closing her eyes, she grabbed a book at random. Opening her eyes, she found herself looking at a foreign book written in the Common Tongue called Fire and Ice. She scrutinised it, discovering that it was a romance about an Inartan man and a Vantha woman and decided that it was worth a try. She moved to her usual table in the centre of the room and discovered a woman already sitting there. Pouting, she was about to move away when her brain registered the woman's appearance. The woman was dressed in plain clothing that was frayed and worn in places and also Azira noted, her face was disfigured on the right side. She could clearly make out scarring on her otherwise beautiful face and when the woman shifted slightly, Azira could see her right eye. She found herself shuddering at the sight of the filmed, unseeing eye. It took her a moment to realise that this woman must be a Dek, nobody with such disfigurement could settle into another caste surely. The plain clothes seemed to confirm it. Yet here she sat in plain sight at her table, reading! The Dek were only allowed into the Enclave for cleaning, they weren't allowed read the books! Azira dropped her books heavily on the table in front of the woman and narrowed her eyes at the woman's head. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, her voice low and menacing.

[Lavira]

The teen was just getting to a good part now, hunching over the book while the Enclave went about its business of passing on material to others who were interested. She'd reached the part where the bear in the story made his first appearance; however, Vira suspected it wasn't a bear at all but some kind of metaphor for the beast within each person, that monster let out only when great duress is experienced.

Someone moved behind her, going to the shelves to find their own book and Vira continued to read, her eye focused as the shadowed figure hulking near the trees lurked closer and closer to the twins arguing in the wood. It reminded her a bit of her hunting trip earlier in the season with Alori when the first big storm of the season had struck. They'd fled from a bear then, too, a right monster of one! She was turning the page when a voice, low and threatening spoke to her.

The Endal genuinely jumped, so entranced by her novel she hadn't expected someone to sneak up on her like that! Twisting on the bench, she looked back at the one who'd spoken to her. Her posture suggested someone of relevant status. Chiet maybe? No, not with that attitude. Donning a smile to dissuade any tension, the young woman motioned with her hand across from her. "Er, I'm reading; did you want to use the table as well? There's plenty of room." And there was, Vira kept her space to herself, the book neatly settled before her and currently marked with her index finger as she turned away from the ruddy haired dame.

Scanning the page carefully for her place, she 'ah'd and then continued reading, sliding her leg out from under her to sit more straight after the page was turned. The cloaked figure in the book was so close, surely the twins sensed him! Oh no, lookout! The teen gasped, quite captivated by the tale and fully ensconced once again.

[Azira]

The Avora was completely gobsmacked when the Dek woman turned around and acted as if it was perfectly acceptable for her to be sitting there. And she was treating Azira like they were equals! The audacity of the teen was unbelievable. That's what she was, a teen. She'd thought of her as older until she'd turned around but she seemed to be around her own age. Perhaps she was new to the Dek class, her disfigurement recent and thus wasn't yet used to her new status but the huntress would set her straight. As she went to speak, the girl turned away from her and buried her nose in the book once more, becoming totally immersed once more. Enraged by this Dek's cheek, she placed a hand firmly on the girl's shoulder and removed the book from her grasp, holding it above her head. If the teen stood up then she'd probably be taller than Azira, seeing as everyone seemed taller than 4'8", and would easily be able to take it back. However, she was making a clear point that she wasn't to be ignored. "Who do you think you are? Sitting there as if you belong and ignoring me when I'm trying to speak to you. What makes you think that you have the right to sit there? What do you contribute?" she snarled, certain that she'd have the Dek's full attention now. "What can you contribute with that blind eye of yours? About all you can serve as is as an Endal's bed warmer and the chance of that is slim with those scars."  She wasn't good at speaking to her fellow Inartans at the best of times but she never reined in her tongue when she spoke to Dek. She spoke the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Perhaps now the teen would remember her place and scuttle off before Azira had to remove her.

[Lavira]

"Hey, whet the petch?!"

Vira rounded on the offending party the moment her book was taken from her, staring incredulously at the young woman who now held her novel overhead as if this was some kind of cruel game. Except, the demeaning words coming from her lips certainly weren't a game. Who did this shyke think she was?!

Getting stiffly to her feet from the bench, Vira made a grab for the book, but she was equal height to the other young woman and Azira had the vantage of slightly longer arms to keep it still out of reach. Perturbed slightly by the derision, Vira started from the top of the cold stream of questions and remarks she was given.

"Uh, one, my name is Lavira and I'm pretty sure I earned my right to be here, last I checked. I've never been denied before." She grabbed for the book again and missed, now planting her fists on her hips and pursing her lips before continuing. "Two, I probably contribute more than you considering your negligent attitude. You know, courtesy goes a long way." She was about to continue when Azira intoned about being some Endal's bed warmer, but likely wouldn't fit the bill, given her disfigurements.

Vira's jaw dropped at that point and reacted purely out of reflex. It was the first time such an accusation had been made and all the recovery she'd done since the previous seasons events, oddly enough on the same day, made the insult even worse. The muscles in her jaw tightened and her left hand raised in a fist that was thrust forwards an instant later, aimed straight for the offenders nose. It might break it, it might not, if it hit at all. But for Vira, the emotional young woman who'd already fought through so much to get where she was, was pissed.

"How dare you. How petching DARE you! I wouldn't let myself be humiliated in such a way, Yasi, Chiet, Dek, or Endal! And I pity the poor sods who must endure such harassment! What the hell did I do to you in the first place? There's a whole room to relax and read where you want and you go and interrupt my free time? Petching hell, it's bad enough game's low now I need to be harassed by some shyke who thinks it's okay to taunt me? Give me back my book now, dek-licker, or so help me, I'll have have you tossed into the Crack, you disrespectful wench."

[Azira]

Azira had been right, she had the teen's full attention now that the book was out of her reach.The girl rose to her feet and to her surprise they were of a similar height, though her own arm span was greater giving her the advantage. The Dek made a grab at the book but her attempt was futile and she seemed to know it, placing her fists on her hips. Her posture and her tone of voice suggested that she was used to be listened to but that couldn't be right; a Dek didn't have authority. Azira assumed that she'd imagined it. However, her comment about being an Endal's bed warmer caused such a reaction that Azira feared she'd been mistaken in her judgement. The teen's fist came flying out of nowhere causing her to pull backwards though the girl's knuckles struck a glancing blow to her nose. Her nose immediately began to throb as she cupped her hand around it. Before she could protest at such treatment, the girl began to rant at her. Her words chilled her to the core and made the blood drain from her cheeks. I pity the poor sods who must endure such harassment! The only people who had to endure such harassment were Dek and if this woman, Lavira, pitied them...then she couldn't be a Dek. Her bearing confirmed that she was of a higher caste and she wondered how she hadn't seen it before. The mention of game being low seemed to make matters worse for her. This teen was a hunter, either Avora or Endal and seeing as she knew most, if not all Avora hunters by sight...she had to be Endal! "Gods!" she gasped, staring in horror at the woman she'd insulted. "Are you an Endal?" If she was then Azira was dead, or as good as. She'd treated her like a lower caste and she'd basically called her ugly. No Endal would endure such insult. They were going to have to pick up her body parts from all over the Enclave by the time this one was finished. She glanced wildly around her, seeing the curious stares of the other occupants of the Enclave. She was going to have to abase herself to this girl in front of all these other Inarta. Her sense of self-preservation won out over her pride and she dropped to her knees before Lavira, her cheeks now burning with humiliation and shame. "Please, I have caused you a grave insult. I thought you were a Dek and I was angry that one would so blatantly flaunt the rules of the Enclave. It was a mistake. Please forgive my indiscretion," she blurted out, staring at the girl's feet. "I meant nothing by my comments on your appearance. I judged that it would cause the greatest hurt but I did not mean it," she added, wringing her hands before her.

[Lavira]

Flexing and rubbing the back of her hand, the young woman spared a glance at her already bruising knuckles, hissing a little in disapproval of the welt before her angry gaze turned on the other woman standing before her, now looking very much quieted by the strike and Vira's words.

"Uhm, yea? What idiot would try to get away with being an Endal? That's just begging for a lashing." She grumbled, arching her digits some and finally just crossing her arms over her chest in an imposing stance. Then, Azira had bowed the knee and began spouting an apology and trying to confuse what had been said by the offending partisan as something that could simply be shrugged off. The problem was, the words had already been said and the intent already sounded. Azira HAD intended to hurt, and hurt she had.

Normally, Vira would have tried to discourage any sort of grovelling and pleading, she hated seeing it come from others of lower rank in the presence of Endal, finding the attitudes of the higher insulting and unjustified and the responses of the lower demoralizing and heartbreaking. So often, the Riders forgot that once, they had been close to such positions. Not all riders were chosen as Yasi, afterall...

But this time, the woman let it go on, her lips tightening into a single white line as she tried to contain her anger. Then, slowly, the Endal bent down to be eye level with the other. Her lips relaxed though the muscles in her jaw remained tight and twitching as she reached a hand to take the others chin with a finger and thumb. "But you did mean it. You can't lie your way out of that, miss." Vira tilted her head so that the scarred side was out of sight for a moment. "You and those like you? They always mean it. They always have and they always will. You see the deformity and think I'm just some idiot, that there is no mind, no feeling, no heart beneath the ruined exterior. Have you thought for just one minute, just one that there is, actually? Of course not."

The young woman turned her head, shifting on her feet further to expose the brutal rip of flesh that run from vinati to bryda. "You see weakness and lost opportunity. I should have you flogged, miss." Her face turned back to the seeing side again, glaring at the other woman, her brow furrowed in anger. "I should have you flogged so all can see what such cruelty gets you. But how does that create change in a society who knows full well the cruelty of the world, that world which sees fit to destroy the strong as much as the weak..."

With a sigh, she straightened, recrossing her arms afterwards and frowning down at the woman as if trying to decide what to do with a particularly annoying bug. "I think you should come work with me some time, miss. Maybe then you will learn not to judge another so...harshly...their appearance. What is your name?"

[Azira]

Azira couldn't believe how badly this day was going. First, there'd be no game, now she was being humiliated by an Endal. It was her own fault, her and her big mouth had gotten her into trouble once again. It wasn't the first time that season either. There'd been that incident where she'd bragged about her archery and ended up competing with a Yasi and lost and she'd also upset a number of people. She was going to be lucky if she survived to the winter with the way her luck was going.  However, the Endal surprised her by lowering herself to her eye level. That wasn't usual behaviour from the upper caste, they were exceptionally haughty, like her, extremely uptight, like her, and very rude, again like her. She frowned as she realised that she'd basically called herself an Endal in her head. That was the only way that she'd ever be an Endal, in her imagination. The woman's touch startled her out of her thoughts as she fought hard not to shudder. She couldn't let on just how much the touch of another repulsed her but she wasn't sure if she managed to keep the revulsion and horror from her eyes. The last thing Azira wanted was to offend Lavira any further by making her think it was her that caused such a reaction. She didn't want her getting the idea in her head that Azira didn't want to be touched by her because she was damaged. She wouldn't put anything passed this insecure, young Endal. And that was surely what she was, insecure, judging by her reaction. She began to rant. It sounded as if all her pent up rage and hurt at how people treated her was now coming out of her mouth, directed at Azira. She lifted her chin and forced her to look at the scars on her side. She had no idea what had happened to the Endal teen but it had clearly been horrific to leave such scarring. She felt genuinely ashamed for picking on the girl purely because she'd been in a foul mood and the Endal had seemed an easy target. I should have you flogged. the words made her wince. She didn't want to endure anymore humiliation than she already had. She breathed a sigh of relief when the woman decided against it. When she straightened, Azira hoped that she'd finally be allowed to rise to her feet but Lavira's stance suggested that she should stay where she was. She watched her apprehensively but she was amazed when the girl suggested that Azira work with her. Her mind into overdrive. Work with an Endal! It was all she'd ever dreamed of. If she worked with the Endals then maybe an eagle would choose her! Her gaze was longing but it quickly changed to pain. She knew from experience that things were not that simple. When she'd approached the Aeries the summer before last in the hopes of acquiring a Wind Eagle, the Endals, all men, had been very cruel. One had suggested that she might find an Eagle if she could be pleasant to him and his friends. There idea of pleasant was not hers as she didn't want to be an Endal's bed warmer. She'd avoided the Aeries since. She didn't think that this woman meant anything like that but she couldn't be certain. "I'm Azira but you can call me Az if you like. My mother used to call me Az but...no one I've been friendly with ever has," she told her timidly. No one's called you that because you don't have any friends, she thought to herself but she wasn't going to voice it. Instead she brought up a more pressing matter. "Would you mind if I stood up please, mistress?"

[Lavira]

Insecure? Maybe that was true; the inner conflicts of her position coupled by her appearance often made wondering if her eagle had chosen her out of pity. But that would have been ridiculous. The birds did not bond because they pitied humans and their weaknesses; they bonded because they needed them as much as the Inarta needed the bird. They bonded the strong, but strength was more than just strength of body.

As Vira gazed at the other, she could almost hear the protestations and arguing, the assumptions and even the hopes all for what the young woman had replied to. The arrogancy of Avora and Endal knew no bounds. The teen closed her eyes.

~Everything alright, Lavira?~

An essence of strength and stability washed through her mind as Mohya stirred. She had been resting in their shared home when she sensed the riders irritation.

Yes, just some girl in the Enclave mistook me for something I'm not. I want to teach her a lesson, but I'm not sure how to go about it.

~Well, what did she do?~

Thought I was a Dek and took the book I was reading. Started yelling how I didn't belong, didn't contribute. She saw my face and just assumed; I saw the disdain in her eyes, Mohya, the judging; the presumption of weakness and stupidity all because I am not some flawless perfection.

~Are you?~

The counter-question made her open her eyes and look again at Azira, now asking if she could rise. Her lips tightened again and a finger began to tap at one elbow as she continued with the mental dialogue.

No...

~Exactly, so why let it bother you, lass?~

Because it does. It always has. I don't like it when people stare. I don't like them judging me like that.

~Okay?~

Mohya, they laugh at you and me. They think you've gone insane for letting the likes of a skill-less chick fly with you and they think I tricked you into doing it.

~What does that matter?

...

~Exactly. If you want this girl to work with you, show her why I chose you. It isn't for your aching heart, child, nor your broken body. It's your spirit, remember? Your courage that even as the world stood upon your shoulders and broke your back beneath it, you stood tall and took it on the chin. It's your kindness and sincerity and honesty. You are not driven by the desires of others like you, looking up because of the honor and command of presence. You're driven by your love of the sky and devotion you put in all that you love.~



The tension left her at last as the teen stared long at Azira still waiting for an answer. Finally, she spoke.

"Don't call me mistress, Azira. Of all things, I am most definitely not that. You're going to come work with me in the aeries. Just a day or two. I volunteer at the nesting aeries a few times a season and tomorrow is one of the days I work down there. Dress for work, miss. It's hard and long work and you will get dirty."

[Azira]

The Avora had to wait what seemed like an eternity on her knees. The woman before her seemed to be having some kind of internal debate. Her face shifted and changed expression the way that it would if she was talking to someone. Yeah, talking to someone in her head like a nutter, she thought, amused. Yeah? Look who's talking, she shot back at herself. She clearly couldn't judge this girl without in some way judging herself it seemed. But she realised that Lavira must be talking to her Eagle. She knew that it was possible because she'd read about it. The idea awed her. When the teen did reply to her, she never mentioned anything about getting up so she got to her feet of her own accord. She wasn't staying on her knees any longer. Excitement filled her at the idea of working in the nesting aeries. If she was with Lavira then the other Endals, particularly the men, wouldn't bother her. "I'm grateful for your offer...Lavira. I suppose I can take the day off from hunting tomorrow seeing as I probably won't catch anything," she replied hesitantly. "I don't mind hard work. I trek all over the mountain on a regular basis. I'm used to messy work too. I skin my own animals and I've fallen in mud and shyke before just so you know," she said, her tone blunt as her confidence returned. "And I won't call you mistress, if you don't call me miss."