Closed Fall Meetings (Sira)

[Drusilla]

Drusilla paused thinking, "Around twelve years. That's how long. Desperate people can accomplish astounding things. How did I get here, I ran away from home and along the way... A few Inarta guided me here.." Should she go into the reasons she fled the cave? Why not... It felt repetitive. "You know why we take women of you have some vague idea... In truth, we are dying out. The poison that we use to liquefy our prey, also kills the woman who carries a Symenestra baby on birth. That's why we take women. Some Symenestra women decide to take the chance and carry their own baby. My mother, was one of those women and I killed her." "My father remarried so I would have a mother figure, but the women he married had never liked my mother and thus she disliked.. No hated me. She made sure I knew it too I have scars to prove it. Once my father left for work... Hell broke loose. She was a coward! She took surrogates for her children. First she took a Kelvic and I had a brother, then she took an Inarta." Drusilla smiled. "I took care of her bringing her things and I liked her. For the first time a woman treated like a child. Cared about me. She confirmed the stories of the bird people, playfully taught me the language of the bird people. She was more a mother than any other woman. She too died and I was given twin siblings. Her death bothered me but not as much as them tossing her body to the cave floor. Like she was nothing... I finally understood that I was living with monsters and I had to leave. I decided I'd go where the bird people were." "Some god must of favored me, because I found Endal camps and eventually I met a girl my age. She told me to follow the birds I was almost there. I was let in and thrown into the work force, after some begging. I never looked back. This was my new home. It took awhile, but I made friends." Drusilla smiled. "I'm glad this place has watches because any male of my kind needs to be taken out. I would not hesitate to fire on my own kind." She turned to Sira, purple eyes determined and ready. She'd kill them if they came. "The Inarta are my family now." Her face softened into a smile "Come on, let's get going." As they passed though the gate and toward the Lady.

[Sira]

Sira listened quietly as Drusilla told her the entire story, answering the questions Sira really wanted to ask without prompting. Sira could hear the sincerity in her voice, and she did not doubt a word the woman said. After a moment she responded quietly.

"Twelve years.. hmm.. I'll be twelve, some time this season. I understand a little.. I wasn't always accepted. People hated me, thought I was an abomination, or they were jealous. I had to earn my place here, but you.. I can't imagine how hard it must have been, and at least I look like I belong, but you must get bad reactions all the time. I'm sorry for that.. I shouldn't have immediately assumed you were dangerous."

As they approached the gates they swung open, Sira having called ahead to the endal on duty, and they passed through without any difficulty. The Dreaming Lady was not far off.

"I did not know that having babies killed you.. it must be terrible. Have they sought a way to neutralize the poison? An antidote. Or perhaps pray to Rak'keli for healers? I do not know what god the Symenestra worship, but I do know about Rak'keli, and she could probably help."

Sira was showing her ignorance. If she thought about it she would have concluded that the Symenestra probably had already thought of those things. They had probably thought of everything, otherwise she doubted they would resort to the measures they did. It did not make what they were doing right, but Sira understood the desire to survive.

[Drusilla]

"No, you did the right thing. Had I been raised differently I would be just like them. I don't really care about the looks now." Drusilla playfully puffed out her chest, "Besides, I'm the lover of Endal Turrin. I could never be that if I had been a 'normal' Symenestra. To the average Kalinorian Symenestra, I am an extremest. I've spoken to the priests of Viratas about begging the Goddess Rak'keli." Going through the tunnels Drusilla mused over an idea. "Sira, I'm the only Symenestra you've met, right? Ever wonder how we climb walls? Here, feel my arm." She held out her arm to the Eagle. "Feel the how we're fuzzy kinda like velvet? Tiny hairs, that's our climbing secret." Most Inarta found this bizarre but funny. "Each Symenestra's venom is unique so an antidote is nearly impossible. Addy... was a healer wasn't she? I wish I would of been brave enough to ask her for training back when we first met at your party. I don't worship the deity the Symenestra worship. The god of bloodlines and hereditary of family. He teaches to be loyal to one's family. But when one's family is abusive to you, that god means nothing to you. I worship my own list of gods, but Rak'keli is on the top of my list. There is a way to have a child and survive, a female must find a human male. The child is a half, a Dra they're called. They are frowned apon as tainting an already small blood pool. Like Endals and deks. Comming to Wind Reach was also a chance for a husband and a family." She laughed. "Yes, we marry for life. There are some cute traditions with our race." "I would like to be able to call you Pryza. Pryza is Symenos for a gift or as we use it a good friend."

[Sira]

"No.. not the first, but you are the first I've spoken to."

Sira thought back to the time when she had helped to rescue a wounded endal from a Symenestra archer. No, she certainly had not spoken with him that day, unless the strum of her bowstring could be counted as words. But she didn't need to go over the details with Dru.

Sira's keen eyes had already noted the fine hairs, though she did reach out to touch the arm when offered. It was.. different. Soft and fuzzy, yes, and warm to the touch. Sira's mind drifted, wondering what it might feel like if they..

No, don't think about that now. She's still talking, you're supposed to listen when people talk, Sira, she silently berated herself.

"In Wind Reach we do not usually marry.. though some do mate for life, but it's not really like other places. Rarely do people have one partner all the time.. so families can get hard to keep track of sometimes."

Sira chuckled. She did not know for sure, but she would not be surprised if she had a few brothers and sisters out there that she did not know about, not counting the ones that she already did know.

"Wind Eagles mate for life, usually."

Sira wasn't certain what to say about the friend thing. She liked Dru, sure, but she barely knew the woman. Could Drusilla trust that easily that she was already prepared to give Sira such a title? For Sira, it was hard to trust. On the one hand, most of her friends were gone, either departed from Wind Reach or just moved on. She desperately wanted a new social group. On the other, though, she had been wounded often enough not to trust easily.. but neither did she want to offend Drusilla and ruin the potential for becoming good friends in the future.

"You may call me that, if you think I am worthy of it," Sira responded cautiously. "..for me, it's hard to give somebody my trust. But I hope we really can become good friends."

[Drusilla]

"I see," Drusilla gave in responds to Sira's comment, "They still try and hunt this far from home. When was the last one spotted and how far from the gates? Honestly, they should of learned by now..." She grumbled the last part mainly to herself. They were tenacious, Symenestra. She'd give them that... "Yeah, I've come to see that," She grinned and Sira. "But a gal can dream, can't she? Of having a family and someone to love her." A soft smile crossed her face, Wind Eagles mated for life. She kept the 'awww'ing to herself. How sweet... She was sure Sira could relate to just wanting to settle down. "Well you didn't shoot me, and you actually took the time to speak with me. Unlike most... Yes, in my books that makes you friendworthy." Drusilla smiled at the Eagle, "You don't have to find yourself worthy of it. But I think you are. Strangely I feel we have a lot in common." A thought crossed her mind, "Hey let me know if you ever need a dress of something. I'm working on one for Azira right now and if all goes well, I might have found my thing. Having an Endal wear something I made, well." Drusilla giggled as they entered the Lady. The pleasant fumes hitting them as they walked inside. Drusilla gave a happy sigh, she always got good inspiration coming here. She doubted tonight would be any different. Beautiful designs would come to life tonight.

[Sira]

"I'm not certain how often they're seen, the ones I mentioned was a long time ago. We do see them from time to time, and usually we do kill them, but.. well.. nevermind. I've said too much."

Sira doubted she was actually prohibited from telling Drusilla, but she chose not to. The simple fact was, there had been times in the past where the Valintar had allowed the Symenestra a few dek. They were not sold, so far as she knew.. but perhaps that was worse. It was more to reduce the population than anything else. Wind Reach was all about balance, and if the population ever grew beyond what the endal could feed, the people would starve. They starved enough as it was, during the winter. Sira did not condone the tactic, but she could understand it. She herself had never actually witnessed this happening either, and while most endal probably would not care if a few dek were taken away to their deaths, Sira was not certain if she could control herself well enough not to try to stop it.

"A dress?"

Sira's face scrunched up a bit at the thought of it. She did not own very many clothes, and dresses were not among them. She usually dressed for practicality, or wore something that could be taken off easily. In her experience, dresses always had extra frilly stuff that could get caught on things when trying to take them off in a hurry.

"I.. don't really own any dresses. I prefer to wear clothes that are simple and easy to take off, or none at all. But, I guess I probably should own one. I think there were times when Addy wished I dressed prettier, like when we were on a date. It might be good to have on if I ever.. well, if I ever need one again. Maybe I will get you to make me one later."

They entered the Dreaming Lady and Sira's reaction was the exact opposite of Dru's. Dru sighed and relaxed, Sira tensed and nearly missed a step. Memories of the nightmare she'd willingly faced here flashed through her mind, and Sira had to force herself to let out the breath she had been holding and move forward. There was no reason to let the past haunt her, she would move forward, no matter what it took.

"I think.. you're going to have to show me how to enjoy this place. I don't have the faintest idea of what to do."

OOCI can't find it now, but I swear at one point in time the lore, or one of the player guides, said that the Valintar sometimes allowed dek to be harvested to cull the population. Maybe that was taken out, but it was in there once.

[Drusilla]

Drusilla paused, she thought she knew what Sira was getting at. "Up until birth... They're treated like queens... Anything and everything they want, I know that doesn't make up for what they go through... But, they are taken care of. Plenty of food..." She was trying to justify the actions in her own mind not only trying to ease Sira. "But it still isn't right." Her ears perked at Sira's interest, her solemn expression softening into a smile, "Dresses can have as little or as much fabric as you want! It doesn't have to be a five layered floor length gown. It can be shorter, flirty, anything! Azira's is knee length, with a low back and it ties behind her neck. With you, it would have to be something daring and sexy. Something no one else would dare try..." She laughed. "Maybe I'll go home tonight an draw up a killer design..." Making a dress for an Endal was the stuff of dreams for Drusilla. A tailor to the Endals.... Her father would be speechless if he knew. It was like tailoring for the ruling family in Kalinor. No, this was better as each Endal and Avora had unique likes and dislikes where as the ruling family's were all the same. Drusilla smiled, "Sure. You don't mind getting naked do you?" She joked to the Kelvic. It was common knowledge Kelvics enjoyed wandering free, and she was sure Sira was no exception. "We go in that room and get a massage, then a soak in the pools. It takes the stress right out of you." Taking charge Drusilla led Sira to a room with massage tables. "You get undressed here the screens are here if you're a little shy about that. Then wrap up in a towel, just your lower parts really and lie down and wait to be massaged. Careful if you get the one with short hair, she spooks easily or I spook her easily." With a laugh the Symenestra began to undress humming as she did.

[Sira]

Sira chuckled. She certainly did not have a problem getting naked, as she demonstrated the moment they were in the room. Sira pulled off her clothes without a second thought, always happy to be rid of the restricting garments. It was unlikely she would need to shift in the confines of Wind Reach, and in most cases she didn't have room to anyway, but she always felt more comfortable when she could. For most birds the closed spaces of the mountain would likely bother them, but Sira had grown up in Wind Reach, so she had no problems there. But clothes, well, she just couldn't shake the feeling that they were wrong. They had their uses, of course, such as when out in the cold, but Sira had never really understood what the point of wearing them in the city was. She only did it because it was "socially correct." Of course as an Endal Sira could do whatever she wanted, technically, but she still tended to follow the social order of things.

Sira watched as Dru undressed, noting that her entire body was covered in the velvety fur. Her skin was very pale, but it was somehow appealing. She was shaped different than a normal human, Sira noticed, with longer arms and legs, but only just slightly. Sira wondered why, for a moment, but decided to ignore the fact for now. She didn't bother to hide her scrutiny either, even if Drusilla looked her way, but when the Symenestra finished undressing Sira grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her waste, then went over to one of the tables.

"So.. I just lay here and somebody will come in? We don't need to call them in or pay them or anything?"

Sure enough, not long after they laid down, a young but strong looking man and a woman with short hair entered the room. Sira wasn't sure which one she wanted, but the pair seemed to know what they were doing, and the man went to Sira while the short haired woman went for Dru. Sira was a little disappointed at that, at least until the man laid his hands on her back. She had thought the softer touch of the woman would probably feel better, but the man surprised her. He was gentle at first, but Sira was a warrior, and had never been given a real massage before. She had knots in places she wouldn't have thought possible, and soon enough the pain began.. but it was a good pain, which soon gave way to bliss. It was awkward at first, but the man's hands found ever sore muscle on her body, and seemed to know exactly what to do.

"Why have I not done this before," she muttered dreamily, turning her head slightly to see how Drusilla was doing.

[Drusilla]

Drusilla climbed onto the table, "Yeah, they just come it's their jobs. I'm not sure what caste they are but they do their jobs well. Maybe Avora?" She laid down, "Just relax, being an Endal I'm sure you use muscles you don't even know you're using. They'll just work out the kinks and knots out of them. Heck, I bet your flying will even be impacted." Drusilla gave the short haired woman a small smile, "Don't worry I won't sit up suddenly today...It was a one time thing. I got a little over excited that day." The woman eyed her before moving to her table. Drusilla sighed, this woman was starting to understand Dru's strange form. Learning which muscles the Symenestra used more than others. She was getting better and better. Drusilla couldn't help but laugh at Sira's question, "Beats me! I love coming here. He's not being too rough with you is he?" She smirked at Sira and gave a wink nodding towards the man. He wasn't bad looking. "After this we take a nice soak over in the next room." She laughed. "You'll feel like dancing all night! I've always wanted to learn to dance, just never had the courage to do it. Or anybody to do it with.." Drusilla admitted.

[Sira]

The massage was painful at times, but overall it was wonderful. Whatever the man was doing to her, she liked it. His hands seemed to know exactly where and what to do, and if it weren't for the occasional discomfort when he moved to a new set of knotted muscles, Sira might have fallen asleep it was so good. She had no idea how long the massage was going to last, but she hoped it would never end.

"I don't know if you can call what I do dancing," Sira responded with a chuckle, "Most of the time it's just jumping around and flailing about. Thankfully, that's the same thing everyone else is doing. Sometimes.. it's rare, especially at the Inclement Weather, but sometimes actual dances will happen. I'm not very good at those, I don't know all the steps, but when they do happen they are beautiful. They're more for special occasions though."

Sira closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh. The man was rubbing softly now, going up and down her body. Most of the tension, tension she never knew she had, had been worked out of her, and now every touch was pure bliss. Sira briefly considered turning over and dragging the man down on top of her so she could have her way with him, but decided against it. As good as she was feeling, and as good as that sounded, it would probably be a little bit awkward for the Symenestra next to her. Unless she wanted in on the fun.. but no, no. She could always come back later, by herself.

After a while the massages were over. Dru and Sira were guided to the baths, and it was a good thing there was a guide, because Sira doubted she could find them on her own in such a dreamy state. It was amazing how many baths there were in Wind Reach. A bath did sound amazing at that moment, though she did not know if it was even possible for her to become more relaxed. The massage alone seemed to have lifted years of stress from her aching body. The moment her foot stepped into the steaming bath, however, she knew she was only being foolish. It felt amazing! The rest of her sank down beneath the water, and she dunked her head, getting her hair wet and pushing it out of her face when she came back up. The heat was wonderful, and Sira almost fell asleep right then and there, but she knew better to fall asleep in a tub of steaming water, and managed to keep herself at least somewhat conscious.

"I don't know if I will be able to walk after this. I feel like I'm melting.. I think this needs to become a regular thing. I wonder if that masseuse would make house calls?"