Closed Whitesong Snowvine (Etori)

[Meville Brightshade]

The thirty-first day of Fall, 513 A.V.

"Revenant, with gentle green of curl,
Avoid her gaze and presence lest she smite you with her ailment.
What sickness, between her dexterous fingers does she twirl?
Like a thief and his knife, lying in wait for one of poor judgement.
Upon that man she'll swoop, delivering her terrible curse:
A mark of death turning all that is bad to worse."

The little poem had been one he'd heard recently from a young Snowsong the other day. It had struck him as odd to hear something so very dark from one so young, though he'd certainly had plenty a brooding thought during that age. Curiosity had led him to ask from where the child drew her inspiration and was very factually told "Etori Whitevine". The name was followed by a fascinating tale of a young Snowsong who abandoned her Hold in favor of the wilderness, only to return to study among the healers of the Whitevine hold. What really sparked his interests however, was the misfortune that surrounded her to the extent that the child would think to name her cursed. From what his little informant had relayed, the woman called "Etori" had certainly had it rough.

Meville was not the most religious fellow. He prayed when it suited him, but his allegiance was to no god, save, perhaps, Dira and Lhex. Thus, he found himself drawn to that which could only be explained by divine power or magical interference. It wasn't so much he didn't believe such things as curses to be true. If anything, he believed in them all to much, seeing as he himself was cursed to bear the "gifts" his father had sought to impart to him. "Etori", however, was a different story. Her misfortune seemed external as opposed to Meville's internal strife. He had made up his mind shortly after giving the child a tip of several copper Mizas that he would seek out the cursed woman of the Whitevine hold.

She wasn't very difficult to gather information about. Most of the Snowsongs were more than happy to share whatever gossip they'd heard about the young woman (as Meville soon discovered her to be from a particularly acidic gossip). It seemed the main cause of her retreat into the wilds was due to the death of her brother. Everyone agreed it had been a tragedy, but none seemed to think the path Etori (though most of them referred to her as Avori) had chosen was the correct one. Everyone had a theory or postulation as to why she acted as she did. The majority had decided she was just plain strange. A few were happy she was gone, though more for their own benefit than for her own happiness. Overall, it certainly did seem the young woman had a knack for wrapping herself in pain, solitude, and misfortune.

With that in mind, Meville had decided today was the day to meet the once Snowsong, Etori. From what he'd gathered, no one was really certain where she ran off to when she wasn't in the Whitevine hold. Seeing as it was much easier to get to meet her in her place of residence and vocation, Meville had made his way over to the healing center in hopes of being able to meet her. Upon his arrival, he'd inquired whether or not "Etori Whitevine" was available. The look upon the nurse's face was almost worth the entire trek over from the Warrens, but when the woman had finally gathered enough of her wits to respond with a terse, "Yes, I believe so." Meville happily informed her he'd wait.

With the unexpected request to meet with one of the least desirable Vantha in the Whitevine hold, the nurse hadn't even bothered to ask for what reason Meville had come to the healing center. Usually, when it wasn't an obvious, bone-jutting injury, the attendants would inquire as to what ailed those who came in, that they might better assess who to fetch to help them. In this case, Meville supposed the nurse figured there was something wrong with his head, or at least that was the feeling he got from her concerned looks and fervent whispers to her comrades. It had certainly caused quite a stir.

After a short while, the nurse returned to inform him she was currently with a patient and would be out as soon as she was finished. Unperturbed, Meville thanked the nurse, pulling out a book he'd borrowed from the library: Vantha for the Common Fool. It wasn't the most friendly sort of title, but the practical application of the lessons made it one of the more desirable texts for a Common speaking individual to gain a better grasp of the Vantha's language. It was, surprisingly, the most difficult language book he'd found so far. His Vani, while passable in conversation, severely struggled in the department of rhythmic flow. His vocabulary as well was a bit more shallow than it should have been. Lately, he'd been lugging it around with him to peruse the pages when it suited him, which was a sporadic constant.

Settling down into a chapter discussing the different sort of inflections and tones used to emphasize non-verbal cues, Meville made himself comfortable in one of the many chairs meant for those waiting to be treated. He had the entire to day to wait for the young, green hued woman and was in no hurry to move things along out of natural sequence.

Note: :

I didn't put a time stamp because I wasn't sure when you wanted it to be! Just PM me the dates you're ok with, and I'll slap one on. :)

Common | Vani

[Etori Whitevine]

Etori had just about finished treating her current patient when one of the Whitevine nurses came into the room and asked if she could come down to the front desk as soon as possible as there was a young man whom wanted to speak with her. Etori just stared at the women with a look of confusion on her face that slowly turned into a perplexed glare. The Whitevine nurse quickly sank away from the vantha’s glare and disappeared from sight. Etori pushed the sudden disturbance aside for the moment and kindly dismissed her patient. Once the patient was out the door and she was left alone, her thoughts began to wonder. “How odd.” She thought to herself. Was this some kind of joke? No one ever asked to see her… the patients she was assigned only came to her because they had no other option. Either the other medics were too busy with other patients and duties to attend or they gave her the patients (The trouble makers) they least wanted to deal with. Had she miss heard the nurse? Had she imagined the whole scenario that just took place? Etori took a moment to gather her scattered thoughts. No, she defiantly didn’t imagine it. The nurse indeed said someone was waiting for her at the front desk. Feeling a bit struck Etori began to fiddle with all the medical supplies that were spread across her desk. She thought and thought until her head felt it would explode. But no matter how hard she thought she couldn’t think of a reason why anyone could specifically request to see her. She liked to think maybe she was improving upon her ability’s. But she knew she hadn’t done enough to impress the likes of anyone just yet… There was nothing special about her, people tended to avoid her for god knows why. And in return she would avoid them. Hearing their hushed snickers as she tried to block them out. It was just the way things were, the way things had always been. Until now. Apparently… Unconsciously Etori glided her right hand over a scalpel that rested on the desk and attempted to pick it up by the blade only to drop it immediately as she felt a surge of sudden pain. Her attention was drawn to her hand and for a moment she just stared and watched the blood flow from the large gash that had appeared. Suddenly she let out a small gasp. It reminded her of something, a moment she shared with her deceased brother. The images began to play in her mind as she recalled the memory. * The sun shined brightly that day, which was an unusual sight in the snowy city of Avanthal. Just behind the Snowsong hold stood two vantha siblings. A younger Etori stood a few meters from her older brother Saon. Both held a sword in their hands. The sun shined down on them and began to slowly melt the snow beneath their feet. Today was the day Saon wanted to see what Etori was really made of. He wanted to see if she had made any progress since they began their secret little swordplay lesions. Etori felt nervous, all this time she had thought of their swordplay as a kind of game. But now, he wanted her to try and hurt him…she didn’t know if she could bring herself to do it. “Come at me, with all you got.” Smiled Saon as he stood in his stance with his short sword in his hand and waited patiently for Etori to make her move. Etori took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the sword she held. It was only a game wasn’t it, and no one got hurt in games, right? Still, the thought that she might hurt him scared her. But she had to give it a shot, he was counting on her. The last thing she wanted to do was let him down. With a sudden confidence Etori dashed at her brother with her blade, he stood perfectly still as she inched closer and closer to him with every second that passed. She was only about a meter away when she lost her balance and tripped on her own two feet. A burst of laughter could be hear from the older boy’s lips. “Etori, Etori, Etori. How cursed with clumsiness you are.” He teased as she lay face first in the snow before him. That word. He used the word the others used. Cursed…she hated it...Was he trying to make her mad on purpose? A strong willingness to prove him wrong took over her body. She stood back on her feet and gripped her sword tightly before she swung it at him in a threating manner. “Take it back!” she yelled. Her sudden movement caught him by surprise. He dropped his own sword and put his hands up in surrender. “Whoa there. Take it easy, Avori.” He only ever used her real name when he was trying to stir her up. He indeed succeeded as Etori swang her blade at him again. This time, the tip of the blade made contact with the palm of his hand leaving a gash in its path. Saon let out a surprised moan as the pain of the cut struck him, he held it up to his face and gazed at it. Etori gasped and let her sword fall to the ground before she ran to his side. “Let me see it!” she gently took his hand into her own examining it with her concerned eyes. She watch as the blood flowed from the wound and dripped from his fingertips. Her eyes began to water at the sight. She had caused this, she had caused him pain. “It’s okay.” He said calmly, seeing the deep concern in her eyes. Etori pressed his injured hand against her right cheek and let the warm red liquid trickle down her face. “No, it’s not…” she said, her voice shaken with guilt. Saon unsure of how to react to her extreme concern let his humour get the better of him. An erupt fit of laughter escaped his lips. Etori wanted to become mad with him in that moment. How could he laugh like that at a time like this? But in the end all she could bring herself to do was smile at his light hearted aura. She watched as the sun beams danced upon his lighted up face. How could she be mad at him when he looked this happy? It was the only way she ever wanted to see him. She wished she could have paused time in that moment and stared at the happiness in his face for the rest of her life. * Tears began to swell in her eyes at the memory. Ignoring them Etori snatched a bandage from the draw beside her before she quickly wrapped it around her hand to cover the cut, not bothering to clean or dress the wound properly. She tied a sloppy knot in the bandage to keep it in place. Lastly she stared at her work, blood that was beginning to dry trickled down her wrist and slowly down her forearm, the bandage looked a mess, exactly the way she felt at this moment. Feeling that the tears in her eyes were about to spill over she shook her head and in haste brushed her right forearm against her eyes in an attempt to wipe away her tears. When in fact she had only smeared some of the blood from her wound across her eyes. Not taking any notice the vantha stood up and let out a deep sigh. There was nothing she could do, nowhere she could hide. She had to face this person. She had to found out what they wanted. It made her feel curious, annoyed and nauseous all at the same time. Etori walked down the hall in a daze to the main entrance of the healing centre. She looked over at the front desk first. Expecting someone to be standing there waiting for her. All she found were the Whitevine nurses behind it giving her the oddest look. As one began to snicker to the other she turned away from them and directed her attention towards the waiting area where many chairs sat in an empty state, all except one. Etori’s green eyes fell upon an odd looking figure with his nose in a book. He defiantly was not a Vantha. Not with the striking blonde hair that sat atop his head and the shade of blue that bored from his eyes. He would have stuck out like a sore thumb in a room of vantha. This had to be the young man the nurse had mentioned. A sudden urge filled her being. She wanted to march right up to him and demand what he wanted from her. She couldn’t stand all this nervous tension he was causing her to feel. Sometimes it was just easier to be avoided…to stay hidden in the shadows. But Etori had to admit, she liked the occasional attention once in a while. Despite her want to confront the man. She found herself unable to move. All she could do was stand and stare at him in the most anti-social way possible. A breeze entered the room and blew her long dark hair into her face. Etori drew her cloak closer to her being. She thought maybe she could confront him from here…he was meters away but hopefully he had super hearing. “You wanted to speak with me?” she mumbled quietly.

[Meville Brightshade]

"The snow is falling heavily. The snow is falling heavily. The snow is falling heavily? The snow is falling heavily." His words were muttered under his breath, barely moving his lips as his brain translated his visionary learning into verbal accompaniment in an attempt to better understand what the book was trying to explain to him. Apparently, Vani shared Common's basic idea of tone being able to change the overall impact of a sentence. Unfortunately, in Common, one emphasized a specific word. In Vani, however, the emphasis wasn't placed upon the syllables, but rather the melodic pace paired with the pitch. Something higher and faster was more excited (occasionally anger or frustration), while something higher and slower was more languid (boredom or frustration out of boredom). The main problem arose with knowing which where connected with what and when to use them. It was giving him a bit of a headache, thus he'd started saying it out loud hoping to make a bit more sense out of it.

Thoroughly frustrated, Meville had stared muttering curses at the book using different sets of pitch and tempo rather than the example sentences. A few nurses who passed gave him concerned looks, but Meville was too absorbed in trying to synthesize the knowledge in a practical way that he might remember what was what to notice. Even had he noticed, it wouldn't have bothered him. He was completely alone in the center, making him the only real sort of interest at the moment. The other nurses who weren't busy chatted among themselves, occasionally shooting concerned and curious glances his way. Their furtiveness was completely unnecessary though, as Meville had little to no interest in them aside from the few, more attractive members of the staff.

"Have you seen my dog? Have you seen my petching dog? Have you seen my dog, you little shyke? His grin bounced around his now more definitively moving lips. How very odd it would be if everyone spoke as he was doing now. The very idea was enough to make the lesson that much more enjoyable, though it was still a bit of a rough climb to reach enlightenment. Happily immersed in his own world, Meville was completely unaware of the newcomer to the waiting area when she arrived. Though he heard the snickers of the nurses, Meville assumed they were just laughing along with him, or that he was hearing voices again, which wasn't much of a concerning sort of the phenomenon at that point in his life.

What broke him out of his focus was the sound of the door opening and several people entering, all chattering away in frantic Vani about what had happened. The bustle drew his eyes from the pages to see a sickly pale young man being dragged by his shoulders by a wide-eyed, panicked older woman. Several younger Vantha followed behind in a morbid parade of various scrapes and bruises, but they seemed well enough to giddily whisper about what had happened. At that point in time, Meville's eyes bounced around the room, checking the reactions of the nurses to land upon one he hadn't seen before.

The very first word that came to mind when he saw he was "unfortunate". She had a smear of blood across her forehead and eyes, a loose bandage that seemed to reduce the flow of blood from a cut on her hand just enough that it wasn't quite dripping from her fingertips, and the gaunt, tired features of her face made her the whole package of the adjective. It looked as though she had just spoken to him, though what she said, Meville had had no idea. Figuring she was the one he'd come to meet, the "cursed" woman, Meville rose with a friendly smile as he tucked the book back into his bag. Around the time he rose, the other nurses had congregated around the increasingly boisterous group (family, he assumed), giving him a clear shot to the young woman who's hair had fallen over her face.

"Hello!" He called out, in cheery Vani, "Might you being the young Vantha woman with the cures? Or... The curse?" He wasn't sure if he had the last bit right. Curse was a difficult word to pronounce in Vani, much like "naive" in Common. In the amount of time it took to ask his questions, Meville soon stood within a comfortable distance for conversation between the two of them, somewhat removed from the commotion that had just begun. "I am hoping you are not so busy. Maybe we can chat?" The other nurses didn't seem to requite the possible Etori's help, giving him the impression the Whitevines approved of her presence about as much as the Snowsongs. "Maybe a stop to the Tasty Flakes? I am hearing they have new flavor. Shallow with hint of ditzy." The last bit, he made an asinine gesture towards the nurses cooing and fawning over the younger children. Apparently, they seemed to think their breasts were medicine enough for their various wounds.

Common | Vani

[Etori Whitevine]

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t noticed the group of panicked vantha who rushed into the centre. It was just that her ultimate focus in that moment was on the man who had request her presence. Her focus was broken when the nurses hurried passed her to attend to the group. That was when she finally turned her attention towards them. The sight of the sick child caused sympathy to weigh in her chest as the old woman bared its weight. The other children who were elated and wore their scrapes and bruises like a badge of pride reminded her of what it was like to be child. So careless and free. Her natural urge to help those who needed it made her want to run over to the injured children and offer them her services. But she knew if the other nurses wanted her help, they would ask for it. Which according to them wasn’t much help… It was none of her business. She just had to stand her ground. Her gaze eyed them with precaution as she watched the Whitevine nurses try to soothe them with their affections. A cheery greeting broke her gaze followed by the mention of a curse. Etori turned to see the curious young man she had addressed moments ago standing in her field of vision. He now stood in front of her and she was taken back as she had forgotten his presence for a moment. She blinked up at him, his voice had a strange accent to it that made his words sound broken. Curse? He had heard of the rumours about her? Is that why he wanted to speak with her? To waste her time about some stupid suppositious rumour that made her look like a ghoul of sorts. She should have known…it was just a joke. As if someone genuinely wanted to be in her company unless it was to ridicule her. Annoyance ignited in her and she just wanted him out of sight. She was about to open her mouth and express her outrage when his next sentence took her off guard. Etori had to stifle a snort. She couldn’t really tell if it was the way he spoke or what he said that made her want to laugh. The snide remark he made about the nurses changed her mind about him. But it wasn’t just that. He wanted to chat? He wanted to take her on an outing? It seemed so absurd. Never had anyone asked her such questions. She didn’t know what to make of it. She looked into his eyes and could see he meant well by his offer. Or did he? Again the thought of this being some kind of joke to the young man poisoned her mind. She didn’t trust easily. Though maybe he was just curious. She couldn’t blame him really, with most vantha avoiding her like the plague and such… But then Etori wasn’t the type to leave her duties, but she wasn’t exactly needed at the moment either. If he hadn’t showed up she would have just read a medical book in solitude until she was needed again. It was a chance for a new experience she assumed, why not go along with it? Without saying a word. Etori step aside from the man and began to make her way through the waiting room towards the exit. The nurses and current patients were still causing a ruckus in the centre of the waiting room. As she passed them she managed to stumbled on her own feet which caused her to fall ungracefully into the waiting chairs that sat against the wall. A fit of laughter erupted from the children. “What a weirdo.” One of them said without trying to be discreet. The older woman put a finger to her own lips, gesturing for them to keep their voices down. “Don’t look into her eyes children. That one is cursed.” The nurses gave Etori a warning look before they finally got their act together and lead the small group of ill vantha into one of the treatment rooms. The chairs screeched against the floor as Etori lifted herself from them. She sighed while she rubbed her right shoulder that had collided with one of the arms of a chair. It seemed today she was more misfortunate for some reason. She had to try and keep odd miss happenings to a minimum. Especially with that blonde around. To him she would just be putting on a show, she would be giving him what he wanted. He had asked her if she was the cursed one. Meaning, that is why he had sought after her. She was just a freak show to him. She swore to Morwen she could feel him staring into her with the same look the nurses gave her but she was too afraid to turn around and find out. Instead she continued her way to the exit, walking out the large wooden doors without so much as a glance behind her. She stepped out into the cold. It was so warm within the centre she often forgot the chilly temperatures outside. The icy wind pressed against her being and reminded her she was alive as it sent a chill down her spine. She fiddled with the slightly bloodied bandage she had tied around her right hand earlier as she waited to see what his next move would be. If he followed her, she would play along. If he did not, then… It wouldn’t matter. She thought for a moment. It would matter. It would mean going back to the norm. She didn’t know if she wanted to do that just yet. After all, a little change never hurt anyone.

[Meville Brightshade]

Though his initial remarks and questions seemed to be well enough received, Meville found himself a bit perplexed at how Etori handled the situation. He was relatively certain she possessed the ability to speak, yet upon his invitation and impromptu jest, he received only a snort of laughter followed by a discerning, almost unnerving gaze. She wasn't nearly as dreary as he'd imagined her to be. Instead of appearing much like a wet dog or beaten up old pair of boots, her eyes were very much alive. No, not alive, but certainly not deadened. He could see a fire burning somewhere behind the placid windows that gazed into his own. What thoughts fueled her mind's eye, only she knew.

Half expecting her to turn around and leave, the young woman instead trudged onward, moving past him as if he were nothing more than a once interesting piece of furniture. Her steps were uneven and wobbly, causing her to tumble down into a row of chairs that sat along the wall of the healing center. The fall was met with the harsh, chiding laughter of the children as some whispered among themselves while others were much more verbal. Even the supposed mother or grandmother chipped in her own precaution to avoid eye contact. Meville raised a brow, his mouth turned down into a slight, thoughtful frown. She truly did have the terrible reputation he'd heard about.

His gaze flicked back to focus upon Etori as one of the chair scraped against the floor with a startling sound. It was enough to get the youngest child crying once more. This exasperated the nurses to the point where they hustled out of the room, muttering about how much of a nuisance "that Etori" was. His blue eyes pierced the back of the young woman who finally made it to her feet, hesitating slightly. From behind, she appeared every bit the poor, unlucky sap he'd thought she might be. Her hunched shoulders, rolled up against the onslaught of a hostile world, seemed to tighten ever so slightly more, as if by relaxing she might be blown away. As she pushed open the heavy doors and trudged out into the snow, Meville let out a soft little sigh. There was a burning, fiery sort of creature buried beneath the shell she'd had to creature. What sort of passion lay behind her multiple facades... Meville wasn't certain. Either way, she was going to be a project, if she would have him, that had the potential for rivaling even Lorelle - though he seriously doubted his history with Etori would ever get so muddled. Turning to give the few nurses who remained a large grin, Meville gave them a slight bow. "I am borrowing Etori for now. We will be back soon."

With a satisfied nod, Meville headed out the door after his would be companion. As always, the chilly air met his bundled frame with it familiar icy bite, nipping his ears and nose. Wiggling the aforementioned extremities, Meville stopped alongside the stationary Etori. "Should we going back in to have hand looked at?" It was more of a politeness than anything else. He was fairly certain Etori had no intention of going back into the center, at least, not as long as he was willing to take her away from it for a short respite. "Or maybe you prefer coming with me for a brake?" A pleasant smile and curious glint played in his face and eyes. His very first cursed acquaintance. How exciting!

Common | Vani

[Etori Whitevine]

When Etori heard the soft footsteps crunch beneath the snow behind her, her heart had skipped a beat. She wasn’t sure if this is what she had wanted anymore. To talk to a stranger? To let them in? She wasn’t even sure if she was capable of that. He was beside her now, she wouldn’t dare turn his way, wouldn’t face him. Panic filled her when the sound of the young man’s voice filled her ears once more. She hadn’t even paid attention to what he had said. All she could think was that she wanted to get away from him, away from everyone. She wanted to be alone. He was trying to exploit her. This she knew, from the first minute he opened his mouth. “The curse”? Was there really a curse? Or was she just beginning to believe it herself because everyone around her told her so. Sometimes she believe…or maybe she was just terribly uncoordinated on her own two feet. So many times people had told her that she was cursed. But they didn’t know her. They never cared to know. How could they know what she was? It took Etori a few minutes or so to realise her eyes were beginning to tear up. She wasn’t sad, that she knew. She felt angry. Angry that these people had decided and told her what she was. A cursed outcast, a nobody… How dare they! “They don’t know the first thing about me!” She heard herself yell aloud, though she wasn’t completely aware. She now stared intensely at the snow, and let her tears flow with her fists balled up tight. So tight that blood began to flow from her wound once again. She watched the blood drip from her wound and stain the white snow before her. “I have to get out of her.” She thought. The presence of the young man beside her continued to fill her with fear. She knew she had to get away from him. “I can’t…” was all she managed to say without giving him a single glance before she started to run off into the snow. Her eyes blurred by her tears of furry. She had hadn’t gotten far at all when she ran straight into a passing man. The man stumbled back as she bumped into him. “Hey! Watch where your go-“he started then stopped once he saw who had bumped into him. Etori pulled herself away from him and tried to regain her balance when the man shoved her suddenly. Etori fell to the snow covered ground and looked up at the man with a perplexed expression. “I’m…I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…” she began to say. “Stay away! You cursed woman!” He bellowed with wide eyes. He then turn away from her and made his way down the road at a fast pace. Etori watched him walk away, till he was out of sight. Once he was gone she threw herself back into the snow. A chuckled escaped from her lips. She found herself laughing aloud as she stared up at the snowy sky. But for the life of her she couldn’t work out what had been so funny. It felt good to laugh, to let go…and that was all that mattered. The gentle snow fall began to land softly on her face. And she started to feel as if she could lay there forever, or until the snow buried her alive. In that moment she recalled the blonde haired man who had followed her out of the centre. She felt foolish. Being scared of someone who just wanted to chat with her. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as she imagined. Maybe it would be…pleasant in a sense. To talk to a stranger…to let go the way she was right now. She didn’t want to hide herself, her true self, not anymore. A sudden courage filled her being. Etori arose from the snow, she turned into the direction of the young man and gave a friendly gesture for him to follow her. “Come on then, let’s get out of here!” She called over to him. With a slight smirk on her lips she turned away from him and began to walk down the snowy road.

[Meville Brightshade]

Etori's response garnered some worried looks from the few people who happened to be within earshot at the time of her outburst, Meville included. His immediate thought was she suffered not only from the dark magics of some prankster force but also the weakened mind of madness. He did nothing to stop her as she darted off into the snow, his blue eyes watching sagaciously as she retreated. The inevitable collision occurred, forcing the young woman back as she realized something blocked her path. The man's reaction was a perfect recreation of how Meville imagined a cursed one's life to be: tragic, loathed, and shoved brusquely into snow drifts. A hint of smile twitched at the corner of his lips as he heard the desperate apology slightly choked with the hint of tears sputter from the young woman's lips. Glorious.

As the man scurried off on his way, darting furtive glances back at Etori as if she were some dangerous beast of a creature, Meville slowly ambled his way over, taking his time to stand beside the young woman who lay face up towards the gently drifting snow that fell from the grey blanket above them. Peering down at his would-be companion, Meville was surprised to see a grin upon her tear streaked face. It was a genuine sort of smile, one that wasn't worn to hide or defend, which only further emphasized the young woman's mental instability. She seemed to think something of the like, a slight hesitation in her gaze before fading to the laughter.

Which a quick motion, Etori was back on her feet calling over her shoulder to follow. Meville obliged with a happy nod, trotting off after her until falling into step behind. He let some time pass, comfortable in the silence that was broken by the passersby and the steady crunching of the snow beneath their boots. After a few chimes had passed, Meville gave Etori a quizzical look, "What changed your mind?"

Common | Vani

[Etori Whitevine]

Etori was so uplifted by her sudden change in mood that she hadn't fully noticed the young man was now walking beside her. After a while she felt his presence but it didn't alarm her. There was a strange serenity about the motion of them walking in silence. She found it quite comforting. The sound of snow crunching under their feet was the only sound she cared to hear. She wasn't sure how long they had been walking for, or where they were even walking to. All she knew in that moment was that she was beginning to enjoy herself.She found herslef hoping it stay this way, just the two of them simply walking side by side in unison. But she knew for certain it wouldn't last, sooner or later he was going to say something, ask her questions, and try to pry into her mind. That was when he decided to open his mouth and ruin the peace Etori had claimed within herself. Etori mentally cringed at the question and a sigh escaped her lips but it was to be expected. His question buzzed in her mind and she tried with all her might to ignore the irritating feeling of wanting to flee all over again. Without noticing she picked up pace and avoided his gaze. She contemplated his question. Her sudden change in mind had surprised her too. When asked directly, she wasn't sure she knew the answer herself. But if there was one thing she knew, it was to give people a chance. A chance to prove themselves, a chance to speak without judgement. Her father had taught her this when she was young and though she tried to keep it in mind it often got lost in the deep pool of her conscious. And sometimes, she just plain didn't care because she felt people didn't exactly give her this chance... "...I suppose, something told me to give it a chance..." She said, unsure of her own words. As soon as they left her mouth she wanted to shove them back in...she sounded so stupid, to her own ear anyway. Etori tilted her head back then and looked up into the sky as she continued to walk. It helped her to do so when she was outdoors, it helped to calm her when she felt she was losing grip. A habit she had formed as a child. The grey sky looked down on her as it cried a snowy sorrow. As she stared into it she felt her curiosity for the stranger beside her spark and not for the first time. "What made you follow?" She asked with a monotone voice to hide her curiosity. Sudden realisation washed over her as she heard the words leave her lips. She already knew the answer. To him, she was a freakshow just waiting to reveal itself.

[Meville Brightshade]

The moment the question left his lips, Etori seemed to tense up as if she'd been struck by some sharp, unseen blade. Her following sigh solidified Meville's burgeoning sense that she wasn't much for conversation regarding herself. Another subject, maybe, but Meville wasn't willing to retreat quite that far to get her to talk a little bit. He was much more interested in her than anything else, which seemed to call for patience and a little dash of caution. Letting the question sit and Etori ponder it to whatever extent she required, Meville once more allowed the silence to continue, though this time he imagined it was much less comfortable for her than before.

As her mind churned so too did her feet. Her pace quickened to a brisk advance, forcing Meville to make a greater use of his long stride. It was a bit of a bother having to physically exert more effort than he was used to, but Meville wasn't about to let her just run away. From the looks of things, it was entirely possible she intended just that. When she did speak, Meville found himself preparing to dash off after her. What she said was unexpected enough he stopped for a beat before skipping back into place slightly behind her.

It wasn't an expected sort of answer, but it wasn't entirely off the wall either. As it was in Vani, Meville wasn't quite sure if he was supposed to take it literally or if it was a colloquialism. Either there was something that had literally told her to give him a chance, or it was a belief system that had been fostered in her at some point in time. Deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt and accept the latter, Meville simply grinned at the back of her head, the impish lights dancing in his sky blue eyes.

They walked on, the pace slowing somewhat as she leaned back to stare up at the sky. Her posture had relaxed some, as did her inhibitions. She asked him a question in turn, which Meville nodded to acknowledge he'd heard. As she finished the question, her shoulders hunched once more in a slight wince. It seemed whatever answer he gave, she was preparing for the worst.

Taking his time, Meville let out a happy hmm as he chewed on his lower lip. "What did make me following?" A little laugh was followed by more of an answer. "People say you have curse." He shrugged, apparent in his shaky belief on the subject. "I am not knowing about curses or people with curses." He could tell the answer was along the lines of what she'd been expecting. "And it would be shame if you die from blood, so I follow to make sure you don't." A slight frown as Meville quickly tried to recount what exactly he'd just said. "Don't die, that is."

Common | Vani