Flashback Lady of the Dance (Alyra)

[Caela Dorin]

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30th Summer 508AV

It was one of those hot summer days that had the sensible residents of Sunberth retreating indoors. Caela had found that her place of residence was probably hotter than outside so she'd ventured outside despite the heat.

The atmosphere was far from pleasant. The air was oppressive and thick with the stench of the city, magnified to an almost unbearable level. The air was choking as she made her way towards the brothel where her mother worked. There was little fear of being seen by anyone entering the place as there were few of the city's residents on the street who could be interested in anything. The heat was deadening and yet it was more than likely that there would still be patrons in the Scarlet Sanctum. Sure enough, there were a number of shadowy occupants in the perfumed house of pleasure when she entered. She didn't look at the waiting patrons, knowing that curiosity was not a good trait to show in this place. Instead she went straight up to the girl who was speaking on the madam's behalf today and enquired about her mother.

She stood by as the girl went to check with her employer, staring fixedly at the floor and hoping for all the world that she could become one with the furnishings so that some customer wouldn't think that she was for sale. The wait was unbearable, the heat in here just as intense as elsewhere, except that outside there was at least a breeze. Beads of sweat blossomed at the nape of her neck and ran beneath the material of her light blouse. The material was already damp but she was more aware of it in this place, more aware of every aspect of her body while she was in here. It made her nervous.

The girl returned with the news that her mother was working and would be engaged for the rest of the day, along with a polite but forceful order to go away. Not needing to be told twice, the teen exited back into the hot streets and blazing sunlight.

There was nothing for her to do now. There was no prospect of shopping to occupy her as she didn't have any money that she could spare. There were any number of places of ill repute that she could go to pass the time if she had the funds or was filling to use her looks to her advantage. Charming men wasn't something that she was very good at however so that left her with little choice. The docks would be the place to go for a bit more of a breeze and maybe even a dip if she was feeling brave. She'd have to work out something to do once she got there but that could be worked out on the way.

There wouldn't be too many people about so she would have relative privacy in public for the first time that she could remember. It was a good time to practise her dancing outside the confines of her room without risking being ogled as had happened before. If she could find a good breezy spot by the edge then there was a chance of doing what she wanted in bearable temperatures. Afterwards, she could even take a dip in the water to cool down and wash off at the same time. There wouldn't even be anyone to stare, or so she hoped.

Coming to the dockside, she found that a number of residents had come to brave the waters, naked women and men splashing about in the sea. Not all could swim though and so those individuals could only splash water on themselves from a position on dry land or try to find a spot where the water was shallow enough to stand up in. Caela steered clear of them, heading to a deader area of the docks. She would still be visible from some vantage points but she wouldn't feel quite as self-conscious with some distance between herself and others while she was dancing.

The girl knew a little about dancing, having been shown the odd move as she was growing up but she'd also watched others dance, picking up new moves from them. Some of them she had worked out from sight and practised them until she could repeat the movements that she thought that she had seen. There was a dance that she had been practising in the confines of her quarters, a difficult endeavour because the dance she'd seen had required more space than her little room could provide. It had been difficult but she had managed. Today would be a good chance for her to try it out though in a more spacious area without risking hitting her legs off anything.

Her backpack was placed on the dockside out of the way, the slipper shoes that she had been dancing in before removed from amongst its contents. She placed the shoes on her feet, lacing them in place and then proceeded to stretch. It wasn't something that could be rushed. Rushing stretches could lead to pulled muscles, something that she'd learned the hard way. The girl sat on the ground, stretching one leg in front of her and bending the other inwards. She stretched to touch her toes, holding the position a few chimes before doing it again. Repeating the same stretching exercise with the other leg, she moved onto others, stretching out each part of her legs and her feet.

When she felt limber, the girl positioned herself carefully. It was something that she'd eventually had to ask the dancer that she'd watched how it had been done, the posture and basic steps too difficult for her to discern herself. Once she'd known what she was doing it had been easy. Well, easier. Pulling her shoulders back and down, she stretched her neck upwards, looking straight ahead of herself and clenching her hands into fists at her side. Her left foot was placed in front of her and her right foot was placed directly behind it. Taking a deep breath, she ran through the steps in her head, moving through them slowly in reality until she was more familiar with them. There were a few mistakes and false starts but she began to get into the swing of it.

Her weight shifted from her left foot to her right before she hopped on her right leg and brought her left foot up to knee level. Keeping her balance had been the difficulty with that one. Holding her left knee out in front of her with her toes level with her right knee, she hopped again, this time swinging her left leg as she did so. Her foot returned to the ground and she took three steps back, beginning with her right foot so that she ended up with her left foot in front again and her right one behind. The teen repeated the steps, trying to alternate and changing the movements as she did so, instead succeeding in falling over her own feet and falling backwards on her arse. Picking herself up again, then teen could only hope that no one had seen that.

Word Count1201 words, not counting the timestamp

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[Alyra]

It had been ages since she walked on two solid legs. When she first fell, Alyra found herself stumbling all over the place. Of course, it didn't help matters that her first attempts at walking again were on a boat. It had been difficult, but she had the hang of it by the time they docked. She was fortunate enough to have met a decent sailor when she fell, Kevers. Yes, he was a tough man with rugged edges, but he was also kind. He was letting Alyra live on his ship until she found her way in the world. Thankfully, there was no deadline.

The group had docked once again this morning, and Alyra jumped on the opportunity to explore. It was hot out, but Alyra took solace in the heat. As she walked down the strange streets of Sunberth, she would look up to the sun and smile as Syna looked back down to her. She took it as a sign that her goddess still cared, and that she would be guided through her entrance into this world.

Unfortunately, Syna's guidance wasn't as...forward as Alyra was looking for. The Eth had hoped for big shiny signs pointing to her destination. At the very least, she had hoped for someone who was also sent back. Sadly, she got neither. All she got was a sunny day in a paranoia-filled city. Yay.

Alyra walked through the streets of Sunberth with ease. People cleared a path for her, avoiding the "horned creature" at all costs. Any conversations she had with the residents was brief, and to the point. Kev had told Alyra to be wary of the denizens of Sunberth. He had said they were lawless, and overly cautious. Alyra thought that this would come in the form of crime. All she saw, though, was a bunch of scared people.

It was easy to handle at first. Just avoid eye contact and conversations. Now, as Alyra wandered around the city, she found it harder to cope with. No one would talk to her. No one would help her. She was alone. What's worse, she was alone in a crowded city. Feeling that it was better to be alone than to simply feel alone, Alyra began to look for an empty place to think.

A park would've been ideal, but Alyra couldn't find one of those. Instead, all she found was the shore. The first time she arrived at the coast, the Eth did an about-face, and marched back into the city. She was determined to find a place that didn't present the chance of drowning. However, she only found herself looping back to the docks. After a bell of searching, Alyra gave in.

She meandered down the docks, watching as residents played. Some swam happily, others just dangled their feet in the water. No matter how happy or peaceful they looked, though, Alyra still wasn't persuaded to go near the water. Instead, she kept walking until she came by a more open part of the shore. With a flat plain of rock between the dock and the water, this area seemed like it was the best Alyra could get. Glancing around her, Alyra quickly found a place to perch: a large stack of crates sitting on the docks. Scaling the three crates was a bit of a chore, though the Eth found that it was worth it when she reached the top. She let her feet dangle, kicking them around like a little child as she laid on her back.

What am I doing here? Alyra sighed. She had no idea why she emerged back into this world. And as every day passed, it seemed that Syna had no idea either. If she didn't get a clear sign soon, then she would have to make her own decisions. She would have to delve back into the world that she hadn't seen in nearly forever, and she would have to deal with it. How is this going to work? I have no skills, no money, no home, no friends except for a group of creepy, paranoid sailors...

A small thud from below pulled Alyra out of her thoughts. Sitting up, Alyra was met with exactly what she had been avoiding: people. Well, person. A tiny one, at that. Maybe she isn't too bad. Alyra shrugged, watching as the young lady stood up.

"Are you okay?"

Words: 734

[Caela Dorin]

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The teen was sure to bruise after that whack. She massaged the ache caused by the impact, a useless action really as it wouldn't make any real difference. The only thing that mattered was that there hadn't been any witnesses. Her gaze flicked from side to side just to make sure that her assumption was correct and that there was indeed no one nearby. There didn't seem to be anyone nearby and nobody on the further docks seemed to be looking in her direction.

Relaxing, she repositioned her feet in the same way as before, left foot in front of the right, to start again. It was mid hop that the voice sounded from somewhere nearby. It was so unexpected that she yelped in surprise, wobbling dangerously. She very nearly fell over again in her confusion and shock but recovered after taking a step or two back.

Her eyes searched where they had checked before, turning up nothing. It had been close though. Her eyes fell upon the crates and climbed up them, coming to rest on the woman at the top. It was not a welcome sight at all. There was nothing worse than doing something embarrassing while a witness was around and-

The girl's eyes widened as she saw something that shouldn't be. The woman had horns. They were curved like a ram's but she wasn't a ram. She was a person, or rather she looked like a person. Except for the horns. Caela tried not to gawk too openly at the... thing or whatever it was but she knew that she was failing in that respect. Instead, she tried to focus on answering her question.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't think that anyone was watching me though," the teen replied, watching the female warily but also with some curiosity. She was frightening, whoever or whatever she was, but Caela also wanted to know more about her.

"What are you?" The words were out before she could really consider the offence that they might cause. Her curiosity had gotten the better of it but she wasn't ashamed of that fact. If this thing was dangerous (what in Sunberth wasn't) then she might have annoyed it but she could only hope that she would be all right. In hindsight, it might have been a stupid thing to do but thinking of things in hindsight didn't help anyone.

The teen began to step away slowly and carefully just in case, not wanting to draw attention to herself in case the creature pounced. Could she pounce? Caela didn't even know what the thing was and she couldn't match her description to any stories that she'd heard about strange races from far lands. She was in unknown territory and she didn't like it.

Why did it come to my city? Why didn't it just go somewhere else that isn't here? she wondered, continuing her slow retreat. The nearest escape was the water because she doubted that she could outrun it. Could she outswim it?

Hopefully it won't come to that.

Word Count508 words

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[Alyra]

A smile spread across Alyra's face as shock spread across the youth's. Though she had been in the same place only a few days ago, Alyra still found the girl's confusion amusing.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." Alyra said. She sat closer to the edge of the crate, preparing to hop down to talk to the girl. She had been gone from this realm for a long time, but that didn't mean she forgot how to be polite. As she braced herself for the climb, however, she noticed something bizarre in the young woman's eyes: fear. When the youth saw Alyra, her stance didn't come off of the defensive. That made some sense; she was supposed to be "overly careful", was she not? But she even went as far to begin backing away. "What are you?" What kind of question is that? What do I look like?

The girl wasn't just startled of Alyra, she was genuinely afraid. Scared? Of me? Alyra looked down at her own body. She was still getting used to it, but she didn't remember there being anything intimidating about it. There were plenty others with more muscular frames, meaner glares, uglier faces...what was did she have that was so frightening?

"A...woman? Why, what do I look like?" There was no sign of offense in her tone, only confusion. She was genuinely interested in this girl's fear, and, considering the possibility of frightening other Sunberth residents, thought she had a right to know. Alyra sat back on the box, crossing her legs beneath her. Her arms fell into her lap loosely, and the woman patiently waited for the girl's response.

Words: 277

[Caela Dorin]

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The thing's demeanour confused her. She went to hop down from the crates, which suggested that the creature might be dangerous but her words didn't fit. She seemed to be sorry for catching her by surprise. Perhaps her initial interpretation of it might have been wrong, maybe it wasn't dangerous and wouldn't cause her any harm. Her expression wasn't one of hostility but one of curiosity. What was she curious about? Caela? Had she not seen a human before? There were certainly plenty of them nearby but maybe she hadn't seen any up close. That didn't make sense to the teen but she didn't have a better explanation.

Her confusion made her stop her retreat and watch the horned woman to see what else she would do. Taking a swim was still an option if it came to that but it might not be the best plan to take a dip in her clothes for no reason.

The woman's response to her question made her blush, feeling incredibly stupid. Of course she was a woman. She just had horns. Maybe it was just some sort of abnormality and that otherwise she was just an ordinary woman. And how many people do you know who have horns? she thought wryly. No, it wasn't something normal and she didn't know how to answer the... woman's question. She didn't know what to tell her. She knew what she looked like but that still didn't explain what she actually was. There was no human that she knew with horns so she definitely couldn't be one. She decided to go with honesty.

"Oh well, I mean, you look like a human woman except that you have um..." The teen made a circular movement at the side of her head to try to indicate the horns. The girl fidgeted uncomfortably for a chime and then hissed the word as if saying it more quietly would make it less likely to offend her. "You look normal aside from those... things but I've never seen a human like you so I didn't think that you were human. Sorry if I was wrong to ask but I just didn't know what to make of you."

The youth took a few hesitant steps closer to the woman, reassessing her. Disregarding the horns, she didn't look intimidating or threatening. She was pretty, long limbed and... Whether it was the girl's perspective or whether what she was seeing was real, the woman seemed very tall. If she came down from that height and stood beside her then she'd know for sure. She didn't look like she was coming down anytime soon. The female was sitting back again, relaxed and regarding her with interest. Had she been so eager to hear Caela's explanation? Was she not aware of her strange appearance, or did she think that it was normal?

"Maybe I'm wrong to ask you but are you human or are you something else? I can't explain the horns so maybe you can?" she asked cautiously.

Word Count503 words

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[Alyra]

Alyra traced little figure eights on her legs as she waited. She wondered what the girl would say. Perhaps this girl could sense tragedy: "It's just," She imagined the young girl saying nervously "You look like you've recently fallen from the Ukalas into the ocean and nearly drowned. It's a bit...off-putting, is all." It was unlikely, though Alyra would appreciate that. It would save her a lengthy explanation.

As the girl below began to explain herself, Alyra realized that she would have to get used to it. People wouldn't understand who she was, or why she was here. Anytime someone would ask why she had no birthdate, or why she looked different during Leth's rule. Whenever someone asked about her family or childhood . . . it would all elicit the same explanation. There was no escaping it, so she might as well get a good explanation down now, while she still had no responsibilities or expectations.

"It's okay." Alyra shrugged as the girl apologized. "I can see how these things--" Alyra smiled, gesturing towards her horns.
"--can confuse people."

In all honesty, Alyra had forgotten about the horns. There was so much that she had to get used to since she had fallen. The day before, she had walked by a bakery, smelt the wonderful goods inside, and realized that she hadn't been hungry at all during the past couple days. The first full day she was walking around, Alyra found that her memories were narrated by different people and that everything important that has happened to her in the past had happened to different beings. There were little things, like noticing she didn't need to eat, and there were large things, like realizing you were different people inside your own mind. At this point, the horns were on the bottom of her list of notable differences.

"They're just . . . there. It's like they're like hair for me." The woman twirled a small bit of hair in between her fingers, shrugging as she asked a rhetorical question.
"Why's your hair there? Just because."

"I'm not human. Not now, at least." Alyra looked up at the sky. The sun sat high above them, causing Alyra to smile. She wouldn't be "human" for at least five more bells. "At night, I am. Right now, during the day, I'm one of Syna's fallen. I used to live in the Ukalas with her, in the Goldenlands. Until a few days ago, when I fell into the ocean." Alyra nodded towards the water, attempting to call attention away from her sadness. "The horns are part of the package, I guess."

Alyra let the girl chew on all the information for a moment. Surely she would have more questions. In the meantime, Alyra tried to earn the girl's trust.

"So I'm Alyra, the 'human plus something else.' Who're you?"

[Caela Dorin]

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The horned woman hadn't taken offence at Caela's ignorance. She was becoming a less and less frightening creature with each tick that went past. She could take what the girl had said in a good-natured way so she seemed to be all right. Not exactly trustworthy but not some sort of boogey monster either. The teen managed to smile in response, glad that the other seemed to be so understanding. The horns were certainly confusing although she'd seemed to be unaware that they were on her head. Surely you'd feel something like those coming out of your head and if you reached your hand up you'd come into contact with them as well. Strange thing to forget about or not notice, Caela thought.

Her explanation showed that she was aware of them all right but she didn't enlighten her concerning their reason for being there. They were there because they were there apparently. Maybe she didn't know why they were there. Maybe they'd just always been there with no explanation. It was a strange thing to have but... Her next words explained the strangeness, or at least accounted for it. She wasn't human. If she wasn't human then she couldn't be expected to have fully human features. She did look fairly human though except for the horns so she was humanoid really. What was she then though if she wasn't human?

Her explanation continued but only drew the young dancer into greater and greater confusion. Human at night? One of Syna's fallen? The Ukalas? The Goldenlands? None of it made sense and there was far too many words that were unfamiliar to her. The woman might as well have been talking nonsense for all the sense it made to Caela. And fell into the ocean? What on Mizahar did that mean? The teen regarded her uncertainly, unsure where to begin her line of questioning. Alyra obviously thought that the girl should know all about these things but she didn't.

"So you aren't exactly human but you are at night? If you aren't human now then what are you?" the teen asked. She glanced up at the glowing orb in the sky as she continued. "I don't know what you mean when you say that you're one of Syna's fallen. I don't know what the Ukalas is, or the Goldenlands or anything like that. I don't know what half of what you just said actually means. I understood your name, that's about it." She gave a little nervous laugh as she came to the end of her explanation of what confused her. She'd need to have everything explained to her and even then there was no guarantee that that would clarify things.

"My name is Caela by the way. Would you mind explaining all of those words that you just used? I'd like to be a little less confused and have a better idea of what you actually are. But what do you mean about falling into the ocean a few days ago?" Caela asked. She was asking far too many questions but she had to know.

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[Alyra]

Alyra nodded knowingly. It seemed that many people hadn't heard of the Goldenlands, which Alyra found more saddening than offensive. "Picture a giant, invisible ball of energy surrounding all of Mizahar. This energy connects everything, alive and not, and forms...well, I guess you could call it another world. Only the divine can see this world, though. In fact, they live there. That's the Ukalas." Alyra paused for a chime before continuing. She wasn't sure how receptive this girl was to new information. She could completely reject Alyra's words, especially considering the sense of magic about her words. "One of these divine beings is Syna, Goddess of the Sun, Joy and Sight. When it is nighttime, she retreats to the Goldenlands. The Goldenlands is her domain in the Ukalas, and where I used to live." The woman paused once more, unfolding her legs over the edge of the crate. She leaned back, then began swinging her feet back and forth. "Sadly, I slipped through some sort of crack in the Ukalas. I fell back into this world, and I happened to fall into the ocean. During the day, while Syna, my goddess, is ruling the sky, I look like this. I suppose this is the closest to what I looked like in the Ukalas." Alyra shrugged nonchalantly. She knew that she didn't really look like much in the Ukalas; she was just a floating spirit there. She didn't want to throw off the girl again, though. If they spoke again after today, maybe she would amend the mistake. "But when she isn't ruling the sky anymore and the sun sets, I return my last mortal form. Before my spirit went into the Ukalas, I was a human. So, at night, I turn back into a human." "Does that all make sense?" She squinted her eyes a bit. "It's a lot to explain, so if anything is still confusing...ask more questions, please." Alyra smiled, then nodded encouragingly. "I love answering questions. Really."

[Caela Dorin]

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The teen hoped that the explanation would be a good one, easy to understand. The horns explanation that Alyra had given already hadn't been the clearest. Hopefully these new ones would be better. Her brow creased as the Eth began her explanation concerning the nature of the Ukalas. A giant ball of energy? That no one could see? The girl couldn't wrap her head around that one fully. It sounded like magic. Caela was't sure that she understood magic. As far as she knew it was dangerous and bad and something to be feared. The gods had magic and that's why it wasn't a good idea to piss them off. She assumed the divine were the gods and goddesses though so the fact that they lived somewhere that sounded magical made sense to her.

The girl tried to think of the Ukalas as another place in Mizahar, rather than around it. It made it a little easier to understand. So the Goldenlands was like a city that was part of the Ukalas, the same way that Sunberth was a city that was part of Sylira. That was fine and she knew who Syna was but how had Alyra lived there? She'd just said that the divine lived there and they were gods and goddesses so what did that make Alyra?

"If the divine live in the Ukalas and you lived there then are you a divine?" the Sunberthian asked uncertainly. Maybe the question would sound stupid to the other woman but it had to be asked. If it was stupid then at least she'd know. The mention of her fall made the concept of the Ukalas briefly clearer in her mind. "Oh! So the Ukalas is kind of like a bubble! You can't really see them but they're there and they go around things and it was like it burst when you- Oh! No, that wouldn't work. You don't get a crack in a bubble. The whole thing would just burst." The girl's face fell in disappointment as she found the flaw in her theory. The girl lapsed into silence as she let the Eth continue to speak, not yet ready to ask about things like mortal seeming.

The encouragement to ask more questions helped her risk showing a curious streak again. She wanted to comment on how strange a place the Ukalas must be if there were people there who looked like Alyra did but she held her tongue rather than voice that opinion. "It was a lucky landing really, ending up in the ocean. Could have been worse. Was it a long fall? I mean how far away is this place?" Her eyes rose skywards as she asked as if expecting the Ukalas to be visible above her. "Do all the gods and goddesses live there? They're divine, aren't they? And the mortal seeming thing? What's that all about? What do you mean by last? Were you something else before you were a human?"

It was a good thing that Alyra said she liked questions because the teen was certainly firing enough of them her way.

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[Alyra]

Alyra nodded in excitement as the girl began to form her own theory. It was ingenius, in Alyra's opinion. Yes, the bubble would burst, but that didn't mean there weren't multiple bubbles. The Goldenlands could be one bubble, which burst and let out Syna's children. The Ukalas, however, could have remained untouched. Alyra took note of the theory, storing it for use another time. "I don't think so, no." This girl sure is good at questions. Alyra's brow furrowed as she thought. She didn't remember actually physically falling. That, and if the Ukalas is the energy that surrounds everything, it would be just like stepping from that energy into the world it was connecting; there'd be no falling. Why do we call it falling, then? "I think it's more of a...of an over dramatization. I didn't really fall from very far, but..." Alyra paused again, trying to think of the right words to use. "Okay. Pretend you live in a really expensive hotel. It's perfect there, right? Then, all of a sudden, without warning, you wake up and you're in a far away, strange dump. Your circumstances have fallen in quality, ya'know? You fell from being somewhere perfect and high up to a lower level of life. That's what I guess we mean when we say we "fell" from the Ukalas." "If this helps, think of the Ukalas as a second floor." Alyra lifted her hands, putting one a couple inches above the other. She shook the bottom one. "The first level of Mizahar is all this--" Alyra looked around her grandly, signaling that she meant everything around them. "--everything you see. Sunberth, the cities around Sunberth, everywhere. It's all on the first floor." Alyra shook her second hand, the one above the other. "The second level is the Ukalas. That is just like the first level, except it's where the gods, goddesses, and their closest followers live." Alyra looked around, looking for a way to make her explanation clearer. She smiled happily as she spotted a nearby building. Pointing, she began again. "See that building? Pretend it's an inn. It's an inn called 'Mizahar.' You live on the first floor; that's where we are. I used to live on the second floor. However, the idiots who built the building forgot a staircase. No way to get to the second floor." Alyra looked at Caela, then smiled gently. "Ya follow?" "Well, if the gods and goddesses--the divines-- really like you, then, after you die, throw down a rope and let you climb up and live on their floor. When they bring you up, they make you into what they think looks pretty. It's like a secret club: can't get in unless you let them add horns, right?" "Then this big disaster happened, and broke the floorboards of the second level. So, those who weren't careful--" Alyra gestured to herself before leaning back once again. "--fell back down to the first floor. I'm still a part of this club, though. Only problem is that, since I can't be with the leader--Syna--all the time, then I have to go back to looking like I did when I lived on the first floor. That's what is called a 'mortal seeming.' It's what we looked like before we relocated to the second floor." Alyra took in a deep breath. She hadn't realized it, but she had begun to talk progressively faster as she explained. She found it therapeutic, though, explaining to someone her circumstance. That, and, besides the smelly fishermen back on Kevers's boat, Caela was the first person who had allowed her to explain. It was nice talking to someone who wasn't a cat."Is that better?"