PM to join Welcome to the Illusions -- 52nd Fall, 515 AV

[Phobius]

Phobius was silent as Shadyn spoke, though he nearly started bouncing on his toes when the man asked about places to eat. The Rose was Alvadas' only real restaurant, but as far as the boy was concerned there were plenty of places where you could get food—good food, at that—provided that they spent long enough wandering the confusing city's streets. And it was nice that the other Inarta was inviting them to come along, as well as offering to pay.

Thinking it over for a moment, Phobius considered suggesting that they all go to the Bizarre; people from all over the world went there to sell things, and there were just as many interesting foods as there were trinkets and clothes and strange-looking instruments and handcrafted sculptures that you could put in your room. But then Karin said that they could go to the Inn, and the boy found himself wholeheartedly agreeing with her.

"If you'd like a tip for travelling through Alvadas. I find that... visualising where you want to go, and then letting Ionu guide you is, most of the time, an effective way of getting around."

"Or you could just walk until you get there," Phobius added, wanting to give some of his own advice. "Alvadas is funny like that. Sometimes you don't know where you're going, but it does, so it kinda...takes you there. It's pretty easy to get lost like that, though."

In hindsight, it didn't sound very helpful, but the boy liked to think that it was. Letting the city—and his feet—take him wherever they wanted to was how he spent most of his days.

When Karin started to walk, Phobius walked after her, only to stop when she turned back to him and asked if she had seen him somewhere, before. And for a few ticks he didn't respond, his brows furrowing as he went through his more recent memories, wondering if he had seen her, before; perhaps on one of the days he'd been out doing courier things?

Eventually something came to him, and he smiled. "Yeah! I live at the Inn, so I bet you saw me once or twice," he said. "I probably saw you, too. They have really good breakfast there."

And then he gasped.

"We could all get pancakes...!"

[Shadyn]

.
.

Shadyn could not help but chuckle at Phobius. He was definitely a child at heart...all buoyant spirit and excitability. The young woman on the other hand, seemed much more thoughtful and mature, even though she was probably even younger than Phobius himself.

They mentioned a place they called The Cubacious Inn. An odd name, but from what Phobius had said, it would serve well enough. Shadyn shook his head as he realized that what he usually called dinner would be breakfast for most people...travelling for so long during the night and sleeping through the day had messed up his schedule.

As he followed them through the winding streets, he kept an eye out behind him. Sure enough, more than once he saw where he had just been shift somehow. Sometimes it disappeared entirely, replaced by somewhere else, or sometimes there was a mind-bending change in its very composition. And then, just as often, nothing happened at all. He resolved to take Xarrt with him into the Inn, whether the proprietor liked it or not. The last thing he needed was to have the Inn up and disappear with Xarrt still outside.

He kept his pace measured. The Karin was in no hurry...but then again, he hadn't seen anyone in a hurry since he entered Alvadas. It was well enough, anyhow. Xarrt had relatively long strides, but still couldn't walk all that fast. The current pace seemed comfortable to him, though, so Shadyn contented himself with absorbing his strange surroundings.

"You know, it will be nice to have a good meal, for a change. I just came here from Endrykas -- which isn't really a city anyway --, about an eight day journey through the Sea of Grass, and I'm no wilderness chef. What's worse is that after I leave, I won't see civilization again for another twenty days. Guess I'd better live it up here while I have the chance. Pancakes do sound great, even more so because Wind Reach usually has very little flour on hand, being as isolated as we are."



.
.
.

[Karin]

The girl nodded as she heard what Phobius said, about his way to get around the city. She found that quite helpful too, and there were lots of times where she'd found where she wanted to go simply by letting her feet wander.

The lad seemed funny, in a way, and although she estimated that he was the same age as her, she just couldn't help but think of him as younger than her. Especially at his exclamation of pancakes, but then her stomach grumbled and she found herself agreeing with him.

Shadyn said something, and Karin pricked her ears up. She had been daydreaming a little as she walked, but at the mention of travel and the place, Wind Reach, her curiosity rose up again. "Wind Reach... that's your home city right? Where you're both from. And Endrykas? I don't think I've ever heard of it."

It must be nice to be able to travel like that, on the back of an eagle. She thought about asking what it was like, but she somehow got the notion that the bond between the eagle and his rider was a strange one, or perhaps a private one. She wasn't really sure, but she didn't want to pry, despite her inquisitiveness.

Another thought occurred to her in a little ping! of remembrance. "Ph-Phobius, I don't remember. Maybe I've seen you in passing on your courier rounds? But... how come you're staying at the inn? And where's your eagle?" Her voice was questioning, with an upwards lilt to it as she took in all the new information she'd been learning recently.

However, by now the angled and curiously cuboid shape of the Inn had come into view. Karin glanced up at the walls, and marvelled again at the invisible mechanisms which kept it like it was. I hope we can find something here... Despite the rocky start, and the embarrassment she'd been feeling, she really wanted to help this Shadyn.

She wanted to make friends with these two red-heads who seemed so at ease with strangers. So she stepped forwards, and pushed open the door of the inn, stepping inside so she could hold the door open for Phobius and Shadyn. Her smile was open and friendly for the two Inartas - and her eyes wide as the eagle passed through the door too.

[Phobius]

Phobius blinked at Shadyn. He had never heard of Endrykas, before—any settlements beyond Kalea's mountains and forests, save for Syliras, were mysteries to him—and what did the older Inarta mean by saying that it wasn't really a city...? Could cities ever not be cities? And was the Sea of Grass just one big, endless field? Letting his mind wander, the boy tried to envision a bunch of sailors steering a ship through grass and giggled a little to himself. It didn't seem like it would work too well.

Karin went on to say that she hadn't heard of Endrykas, either. Maybe it's so small that barely anyone knows about it, Phobius mused as he walked, staying close behind the blonde-haired woman. Maybe it's too small to be a city. Would that make sense?

And then the woman was speaking to him, her voice bringing him out of his train of thoughts in the midst of a question.

"—your courier rounds? But... how come you're staying at the inn? And where's your eagle?"

Huh. Those were weird questions. Well, not so much the first one as the second one. But Phobius didn't mind answering them, quiet for a few ticks as he came up with his responses.

"Oh, I live there. Kinda. I don't have a house, yet, so Miss Georgia lets me keep my room, and I can stay as long as I pay for it," he said. "She's a really nice lady. And I like my room."

Then he paused, as if suddenly remembering her other question, and laughed.

"And I don't have an eagle. Not everybody in Wind Reach does; only the super-special people."

Though he sounded as though he was telling her something that she already should have known, he wasn't teasing her for it; if anything, he seemed to find it funny. There were times when Phobius simply forgot how little other people knew about Wind Reach, and it always made him laugh.

Had Karin been paying close attention to the boy's face, in that moment, she might have been able to notice his smile fade, if only a little, the overall brightness of his expression dimming as something akin to wistfulness overcame it. Or perhaps she'd missed it. The change in of itself was quite subtle.

"I used to really want one, though."

And then it was gone, vanishing almost as quickly as it had appeared when Karin went to hold the door open for them. Phobius waited for Shadyn and Xarrt to go first, then followed, thanking her and wholeheartedly returning her smile as he went.

Once inside, the boy immediately made his way over to the front desk.

"Hi Miss Georgia!"

The elderly innkeeper looked up from the book that she had been reading, a warm smile on her face. "Hello, Phobius. I see you've made yourself a few new friends...?"

Her gaze then shifted over to the wind eagle that stood at Shadyn's side, eyes widening a bit in surprise.

"Three in one day. That's a new record, isn't it?"

Again, Phobius nodded, seeming almost proud of himself. "Yeah! We came for pancakes!"

"Ooooh. Breakfast does sound good, right about now. Well, you know where to go," she said, glancing back over at Xarrt before her eyes fell on Shadyn. "And, uhh...I'm sorry, young man, but would you mind leaving your feathered friend outside?"

At this, the boy couldn't help but frown a little. "Y'mean Xarrt can't come with us?"

"Unfortunately, no. But I bet that he'd be much more comfortable outside. It's a bit cramped in here."

Still frowning, Phobius looked over at Shadyn, as if quietly hoping that he would insist on his eagle being allowed to stay inside. How else were they supposed to feed him pancakes?

OOCLaptop's still out of commission, but I'm gonna have to send it in for repairs so I'll be around, leeching off of campus laptops. Lol.

[Shadyn]

.
.

Shadyn was about to respond when Xarrt fired off burst of telepathic speech powerful enough to make heads on the other side of the room turn to stare at the massive eagle, who had raised the feathers on his neck and crest imperiously. Shadyn winced, again reminded at the severe discomfort of telepathic shouting.

I am not some "feathered friend," woman! I am his mount, companion, guardian, and bondmate under an union of life and death. Though I can leave him, I do so only the discretion of Shadyn, and then only in places where I deem we shall not be parted. In this shifting city, I will not let him depart from my vision. Anyone who attempts to interfere in this bond of ours will be EATEN. Do I make myself clear?! He punctuated his question by opening his immense hooked beak, hissing, then clacking it shut. The people at the nearest table got up hastily and moved to one of the booths near a rear exit.

Shadyn grimaced. Though he did agree with Xarrt, and respected his wisdom, there was no escaping the fact that the old bird was first and foremost a bird of prey, and secondly the fact that Xarrt was endowed with a particularly warlike personality anyway. He cleared his throat, then spoke, making sure to employ ever last ounce of tact his "silver tongue" could muster. He would have to speak in Nari, and have Xarrt use his telepathy to reach the woman. Shadyn knew that telepathy was a matter of the mind and was heard in the "thought voice" and language of the hearer, not the speaker. He looked to Xarrt, and began speaking in swift Nari.

"I need you to communicate this telepathically...my common isn't good enough. DON'T MESS THIS UP!"

Xarrt nodded, so he turned to the woman behind the desk.

"Miss...Georgia...Please forgive my Wind Eagle for his exorbitantly forceful expression of his thoughts. Though I will not contradict the veracity of his declaration, I will say that my disposition tends to be far more amicable than Xarrt's often bombastic demeanor. I can assure you that, despite his macabre imprecations, no untoward or uncouth measures shall be taken. The two of us, however, will NOT be parted under the current circumstances, as I'm am sure you will gracious enough to commiserate with our bewilderment at this great city's enigma.

"To lubricate my dealings here, though, I will now turn to the more relevant consideration of a temporal domicile for Xarrt and I. It is my desire to have a luxurious location to indulge myself with pleasant repose free from the troubles characterizing more lubricious or otherwise plebian establishments. I have need of a secure location for us and our habiliments for the duration of four nights, as well as breakfast and preferably lunch for the aforementioned stay. I see on this bulletin to your right that six silver mizas is the standard rate for your best room. I shall give you four pinions, which any reputable trader will trade for four gold mizas, or even more if the glass market is doing well, for the provision of these said services. The surplus may be considered as alms of placation for the accommodation of Xarrt here. After our meal, which is to be included in this bill, I will return to this desk for conveyance to my room. Thank you."

With that, he bowed politely, prayed to any god that was listening that Xarrt had done as he requested, deposited the said four pinions on her desk, and spun on his heel, gold-decorated and Zith scratched katinu swirling majestically out behind him. He led them to a corner table close enough to an alcove where Xarrt could stand to keep him out of the way. Before he sat, he pulled out Karin's chair for her, then pushed her up to the table after she sat and seated himself across from her and beside Phobius. He waved over a nervous waiter and ordered pancakes for the three of them, plus a half dozen eggs and a large rare steak for himself, and then three pounds of raw meat for Xarrt.

"Plus any fruit you happen to have around, as well. Oh...and a large stein of your best cordial for myself. That is all." He waved them off, then turned his attention to his two friends.

"I'm sorry for all that fuss. Though Xarrt can speak, it must be remembered that he is in fact a Wind Eagle, and thinks much differently than most people. Anyhow...yes, like Phobius said just before we entered, only the highest caste of Inarta society -- the Endals -- bond with Wind Eagles. Though this is a priviliage, and we do act as a ruling class, having the best homes, the most authority, and all our provisions for free, we also have the greatest responsibilities, since nearly everything that goes on outside of the city of Wind Reach involves Endals either doing it themselves or being on hand to protect or otherwise aide others doing it. It has it's pluses and minuses like all things...except for being a Dek -- the lowest class -- which really does not have any positive aspects whatsoever."



.
.
.

[Karin]

As Phobius talked in that cheerful manner of his, she too was thinking about all the new things that she had been told. This Endrykas sounded interesting, and the girl's interest was piqued.

A city which was surrounded by grass, a sea of grass... it drew her in. Anything related to water, even if indirectly was an item of interest. So, she was finding herself enjoying, or rather, looking forward to enjoying the meal with these Inartas. Being able to discuss and question and share... But as they drew close to the inn and entered inside, Karin's jaw dropped.

It stayed dropped.

The eagle is speaking in my mind. I've heard of illusions but this thing isn't an illusion, it's actually doing that. Karin barely registered the words the creature or Shadyn said, sitting down with a shocked and wide-eyed expression as Shadyn took control of the situation.

The first thing that passed through her head as the eagle went from being a background accessory to the most dominant feature in the room was one of shock. It felt somehow private and wrong for something else to be in her mind, and in a spasm of unneeded shock the girl wondered if the eagle could read her mind.

The other thing was that she would not once have thought to be that... imperious, or commanding. She hadn't even recognised all the words Shadyn had used, his tone and manner was unlike anything she'd ever seen or heard before, and she suddenly felt rather shabby in his presence.

Taking a deep breath, and trying to think of ways to distract herself, Karin looked over at Phobius, wondering about his past, about why he didn't have an eagle, and about the caste system which seemed so totally unfair.

She hadn't caught the look that had passed over his face before, but there was something about the lad which seemed almost sad. She almost wanted to ask him a question about it but there was another question pressing against her mind which suddenly burst over.

"What did that eagle do?" She wasn't scared, not truly. But when her morning had gone from ordinary (as ordinary as Alvadas could be, at least), to extraordinary, she truly didn't know what to think.

She truly now believed she was in the presence of someone who was not only rich, but powerful too. It was hard to know what to think about that, about anything at all. The girl wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing, but it was a thing nonetheless.

"Can it read my mind?" She didn't know if she was being rude, or derogatory, but she needed to know, all of a sudden.

[Phobius]

It didn't look as though Shadyn planned on saying anything, but the Eagle at his side seemed more than a little upset with the elderly woman's words, his feathers fluffing up a bit as he stared at her, golden-brown eyes boring into her own. When he opened his beak and snapped it shut, both the woman and Phobius flinched, though the former was a great deal more shocked than the latter, who hadn't been able to help himself; loud, sudden noises tended to startle him.

And then Shadyn started to speak. The younger Inarta soon found that he couldn't understand a thing that the man was saying, save for the occasional word or two—it was almost as if he was using another type of Common—but he sounded really smart, so he listened as best as he could and watched his lips move, marvelling at how they could shape themselves to make such odd-sounding words.

When he finished, he plopped a few pinions onto Miss Georgia's desk. Phobius recognized the little glass coins right away, but the woman merely stared at them, looking for all the world as though she didn't know what she was supposed to do. And then Shadyn and Xarrt were walking away, with Karin—who looked a bit stunned—following closely behind them, leaving the boy to bring up the rear of their little group as they went over to the breakfast area. Quick to seat himself, Phobius watched as the older Inarta pulled Karin's chair out for her. It was awfully nice of him...and yet the gesture sent a sudden lance of pain through the boy's heart, draining the cheeriness from his face, his smile fading with the memories of a friend who'd done that, once.

Lost in his thoughts, now, Phobius didn't hear Shadyn order them all pancakes, though he did hear him start to talk about "Inartan society" and the "privileges" that came with each caste. At the mention of the Dek, what was left of the boy's smile seemed to vanish, completely, replaced by a frown that both suited him and didn't. A hand unconsciously drifted up to his neck, where it buried itself in his woolen scarf as his gaze fell to the table.

OOCGah, sorry this took so long, guys. DX

[Shadyn]

.
.

Shadyn had to laugh at Karin’s question. “First, let me say that Xarrt is a he, not an it. Wind Eagles were originally their own race, and were transformed into eagles by the divine power. Thus, he is a person...more or less. Anyhow...Xarrt possesses a specialized form of telepathy which only exists in Wind Eagles. As for reading your mind, that he cannot do. He does, however, have an animal’s ‘sixth sense’ about things, as well as far more than his share of wisdom…so, sometimes I almost wonder if he can read minds myself.”

He noticed how much of an impact his eloquent speech had on them. Phobius, however, seemed distracted, and not in a positive way. Whether he personally knew it or not, he was working his fingers furiously on something buried under his scarf, as well as wearing a pitiful frown and being uncharacteristically silent. Shadyn stared at him for a few minutes, letting his mind work.

Under a thorough study, to his surprise Phobius appeared to be about the same age as himself…yet behaved like he was still a child on many points. He was also, though an average height for an Inarta, not particularly well built. He had been in wonderment when Xarrt had given his display and Shadyn his oration, but now he was…melancholy. Shadyn had been talking about Inartan society…but the boy had been happy about meeting another Inarta, so it was not some antipathy towards his kind in general, but towards their society. It did not take him long to put the pieces together. He spoke gently, soothingly, as one would to a wounded child.

“You were a Dek, weren’t you, Phobius?”




.
.
.

[Karin]

Shadyn explained about this Xarrt, this eagle as Karin's eyes widened in disbelief. She didn't say anything however, and merely settled down onto the chair, giving a little nod to say, yes, I understand.

"So it-- he doesn't read minds. Good." The girl muttered under her breath, the injustice fading as she realised it didn't have a base to stand on. Lost in her own thoughts for a little while, the girl didn't notice the situation unfurling until Shadyn asked Phobius something, and she looked up to glance into Phobius' eyes.

The lad didn't seem happy. She didn't want to pry, so she tried to stay as still as possible, thinking about her own situation, as it were. It seemed there were some places which existed in the world which she didn't know about. Karin didn't know whether she was interested in them or not, but there was a sense of something, perhaps of missing out.

Surely, if she'd have stayed with the pod when she was younger-- but no. There was no point thinking about that, it wouldn't change anything for the better. When she was a captain herself, she would discover these places...

Temporarily forgetting that not everywhere is connected by the sea, the girl daydreamed, keeping one ear to the conversation, and the other turned inwardly. Selfishly, she realised that she didn't want to get involved in any drama, she didn't want other bad emotions on top of her own.

So, slowly, possibly even interrupting the flow of conversation, the girl addressed Shadyn. "Maybe he doesn't want to talk about it, to me it looks like it's something he doesn't like to think about." There. Maybe we can avoid any drama this way.

Note :

So sorry for the delay, 'tis busy with uni work!

[Phobius]

“You were a Dek, weren’t you, Phobius?”

The boy flinched, as though Shadyn had stricken him instead of spoken to him. Seeming to choose not to respond, he furled in on himself a little, his fingers digging themselves into the strip of leather beneath his scarf as he continued to stare at the table.

The older Inarta had asked a genuine question, and though Phobius felt a bit bad about not giving him an answer, he just...couldn't bring himself to. Merely hearing the word "Dek" had created a wall in his mind; a barrier, of sorts, that sought to keep all of his unpleasant memories of Wind Reach from resurfacing. And it seemed as though that same wall had built itself in his throat, keeping him from uttering so much as a single word as he shrunk into his chair and wished, sorely wished, that Shadyn would stop looking at him, because it was starting to make him uncomfortable.

Then Karin spoke up, saying that maybe he didn't want to talk about it. Phobius lifted his head a little and looked over at her, grateful that she'd decided to step in and help him. She was right, of course. He really didn't like talking about his last years in the city that he'd once loved, and enjoyed thinking about them even less, the snippets of memory that his brain allowed him to grab at always managing to make his throat itch.

Gradually, the boy's hand fell away from his scarf and went to join his other one on his lap. He then fidgeted in his seat for a moment, seeming tor struggle with finding a comfortable way to sit until he gave up and glanced at the far end of the room, where he'd seen the man who had taken their orders go. When it was clear to him that their food wasn't on its way, he returned his attention to Karin, trying his hardest to bring a smile to his face. Things were a bit awkward, now, but as long as they kept talking the feeling would go away. At least, he hoped that it would.

"So where's your home, Karin...?" Phobius asked, wanting to change the subject.

OOCYup, college work's been getting me, too. lol