Closed A Learning Experience (Penny)

An artist and an herbalist enter the Garden of No Return.

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Considered one of the most mysterious cities in Mizahar, Alvadas is called The City of Illusions. It is the home of Ionu and the notorious Inverted. This city sits on one of the main crossroads through The Region of Kalea.

A Learning Experience (Penny)

Postby Asterope on November 5th, 2017, 10:43 pm

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10th/Autumn/517


Since she was working at the Mercy and didn't have a place of her own, Aster had no real reason to have her own personal stockpile of herbs and medicines; but she always felt better having some on hand. She knew she could go buy some, and she probably would, but having lived among the Drykas, she was used to finding and harvesting her own herbs. Not to mention, she was curious about what different ones might exist in a different climate; perhaps Alvadas itself even had some unique plants that one could find only in or around the city. It would hardly surprise her.

Thus was the thought process that found Aster wandering the streets, Navi trotting alongside her, looking for the entrance to the city so that she could go out into the wilderness just beyond its walls. The city, however, was being particularly frustrating that day. Aster found herself being turned around and running into dead-ends often; clearly, it seemed that Ionu preferred it when people remained in the city.

Aster turned down a street made of glittering, iridescent scales that flashed in the midday sunlight, and promptly almost slipped onto her rear. The scales were small and closely overlapped, creating an almost friction-less surface that was hard to gain traction on, and perfect for sliding on. A few people were using it to their advantage, sliding down the street as if skating over ice. One poor man tried to go against the grain of the scales and promptly fell on his front.

Marveling at the strange beauty of it, Aster walked in tiny, careful steps, turning off onto a more normal street when she had the chance, not fancying embarrassing herself or ending up with unnecessary bruises. The cobblestones faded to a dirt road quickly, the number of people thinning out until the street was nearly abandoned. Buildings became increasingly sparse until they too, disappeared, leaving only lush grass.

Curious, Aster wandered further down the path, which had turned from dirt to gravel that crunched beneath her feet. Flowers and bushes began sprouted further down the path, which lead to what looked like a large and intricate hedge maze. It wasn't outside the city, but it had plenty of flora surrounding the area, and Asterope's curiosity had increased upon seeing the elaborate maze, so she continued down the path.

She stopped at the entrance of the maze, wondering if there were any more; the hedges that made it up seemed to stretch on forever to either side of her, so surely there must have been. She peered down the walkway that lead into the mess of leaves; mazes on their own were finicky things, but one in Alvadas? One might never find their way out.

Still, now that her curiosity had piqued, she wanted to know exactly what the maze consisted of. Not to mention she could see various flowers and plants growing along the bottom of the hedges; who knew what sort of plants existed in there.
"What do you think, Navi?" She asked, glancing down at the mutt, who gave a wag of her tail upon hearing her name.

Aster raised her gaze to look around. Perhaps there was someone around who was more native to Alvadas, who knew something of the maze. She'd at least like to know what she was getting herself into and if it was worth the trouble. Though, there hadn't been many people that she'd seen on her way in.

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck, or perhaps a gift from Ionu; whatever it was, Aster spotted a woman with short dark hair approaching the maze. Aster waited for her to get closer before waving to catch her attention, a small but genuine smile crossing her lips in greeting. Beside her, Navi's ears lowered, and she told the large dog to sit, resting a placating hand on the top of her furry head.


"Hello," Aster tipped her head once the girl had gotten within earshot, "I'm really sorry to bother you, but do you happen to know anything about this maze?" Given the context of Alvadas, the question sounded foolish once she spoke it out loud, and Aster could feel a faint blush working its way up her cheeks, barely visible beneath the rosy glow of her skin.

Word Count: 720


"Common" | "Nari" | "Pavi" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"
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A Learning Experience (Penny)

Postby Penny Noor on November 5th, 2017, 11:22 pm

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It was the second time Penny had wandered down to the Garden of no Return. Funny that. Seems the name, like much of alvadas was deceitful for she did indeed manage to return once already. This time it was so much easier to find. Unlike the last, this time she only had to take five or six right turns; granted one of those was down an alleyway so tight and thin that she had to squeeze her way though like a cat. Head first, feet following. She still had a few bits of scraped off dirt from building walls gracing her black cloak. But she didn’t mind for the garment was almost perpetually plastered with shedding cat hair that sometimes she’d give up keeping it clean all together.

Of course this time she was readier than ever to get a full long day of sketching out of herself. She had a backpack full of drawing utensils and of course her very very precious sketchbook, slung across her shoulder, bobbing along merrily as she approached the entrance.

There was a figure in the distance, what seemed like a woman waving. Penny smirked to herself, thinking it amusing that others just as crazy as herself dared to venture into the green maze.

She’s look around her for whom perhaps this woman was waving at but was surprised to find that no other soul but them was in sight. And so logically one would reach the conclusion that the stranger was waving at her. She had to look behind her once more just to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her. Satisfied alas that it was her attention that was needed, Penny wondered perhaps if she knew the woman but no matter how hard she searched her memory, the pretty face did not match up with anyone she’d ever seen before.

"I'm really sorry to bother you, but do you happen to know anything about this maze?" the stranger asked.

Penny’s feet halted in the dirt path before the girl, blinking, a stupefied expression on her face as if it was so very unheard of anyone ever asking her expertease. “I… er… me?” she murmured before shaking off the surprise and smiling so very sweetly. “I suppose. I’d say yes. Although mistake me for no expert. I’ve been here once or twice.. Well, only once but it’s not as scary the second time. Haha, just don’t go in on an empty stomach. People have been known to go missing in there and you wouldn’t wanna go missing on an empty stomach now, would you?” she giggled. Somehow getting lost in a maze and getting hungry seemed far more tragic a fate than getting lost alone. “Why do you ask?”
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A Learning Experience (Penny)

Postby Asterope on November 6th, 2017, 1:55 pm

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The girl seemed positively stunned to realize that Aster was talking to her, stammering as she glanced around for anyone else; it was sort of endearing, really. Navi stretched out her snout, nose twitching, curious but wary; Aster tapped her nose gently in silent reprimand, scratching just behind her ear to assure the mutt.

The girl rambled about the maze for a moment, seeming very concerned about the potential of getting lose on an empty stomach, and thankfully not finding her question too out of the ordinary. Aster couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her, giving a small shake of her head.
"Well, I suppose it's lucky for me that I don't really need to eat then." She spoke with an amused lilt to her voice, but was very clearly serious; on second thought, she had no idea if that notion was perhaps just slightly too strange, even for an Alvad, but she'd already said it.

It was sort of funny; she forgot sometimes just how disconnected from the world around her she really was, and how it must seem to others. It was a bittersweet thing. It gave her a brief, fluttering sense of peace and hope to know she was still so far from human, and yet it served to remind her of just how much she did not belong as well.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost missed the other woman's question.
"Hmm?" Aster shifted her eyes back to the girl, blinking as she refocused.

"Why do you ask?" Had been the question, and it reminded Asterope of why she was there in the first place.

"Oh! Of course. Well, I was curious. I want to go in but I wasn't sure how dangerous it really might be," she said, somewhat sheepishly. But if the girl before her had gone in and returned unscathed, despite what she'd said about people going missing, then surely it held no more potential for being dangerous than the other strange and wonderful locations she'd come across in the city.

"I was hoping to look at some of the plants and herbs in there," she added for clarification as an afterthought. They both carried bags, but while Aster's was almost entirely empty, the girl's seemed to be fairly weighed down; with what, though, she couldn't tell.

"What about you? What are you doing here?" The question was both polite and genuine. There were hardly any other people around, and judging by her bag, the dark-haired woman clearly had a purpose for entering the maze. Speaking of...

"Maybe we could go in together?" Aster suggested with a faint smile. Surely it wouldn't hurt to have some company, even for just a little bit. Besides, the slightly shorter woman was decidedly friendly; Aster hadn't realized quite how much she'd been craving interaction and friendship, but travelling alone for so long seemed to finally be taking its toll on her, especially after having lived with such a family-oriented people like the horse clans of Endrykas. She enjoyed her solitude, and she always had Navi, but it was just...nice to be interacting with somebody else on a personal level, and not simply because they needed medical attention.

Word Count: 532


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"Other People's Speech"
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A Learning Experience (Penny)

Postby Penny Noor on November 6th, 2017, 5:04 pm

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"Well, I suppose it's lucky for me that I don't really need to eat then." said the other girl. A statement at which Penny snorted, muffling her laughter as much as she could with little success.

“Everyone needs to eat, silly.” she smiled, all of her pearly white teeth visible from amusement. Her cheeks raised significantly when she was smiling like this. And round, as they were, made her look even more like a bemused dolly with faint freckles glimmering in the shadows beneath her long lashes.

"Maybe we could go in together?"

The offer was music to Penny’s ears. The biggest problem with her chosen ‘purpose in life’ was that drawing work was long, repetitive and very very quiet. And penny, by far, was not a quiet girl.

“Come on then” she waved both the girl and her dog, delighted with the animal’s company as well as that of a new found friend.

In many ways both girls were so very similar, perhaps more than they could ever known. Whilst the Ethaefal had her dog companion, Penny had her Lopi and for many years she thought him enough. But it wasn’t enough really. The mind managed to do strange thing when isolated. And losing one’s mind in Alvadas of all places is most certainly not a very good idea.

“So what’s your name then?.” she bantered merrily along their way as they stepped into the green maze.

Almost as soon as they did she’d walk over to the nearest clearly recognisable herb which this time was a long, tall weed with a prickly stem and a massive bulbous thing at the tip of it. It looked maybe like a fruit of some sort but eating it would likely be inadvisable. The leaves of the plant were somewhat heart shaped with thick red veins running through them. She quickly noted the appearance of this weed in her mind, ripping a leaf off the stem, minding not to prick herself and stuffing it in her pocket for future reference. They had to find their way back somehow eventually and crumb trails were not an advisable method of navigation in the city of illusions. The only way Penny knew how to navigate This place was by recognising the stationary plants.

“I’m Penelope Noor, but you can call me Penny for short. I prefer it in fact. And this is the Garden of no return. Spooky name eh?” she said returning to the girl. “It wasn’t called that originally. When I was little my Maa called it something different, but she could never pronounce it the same way twice. Nowadays everyone calls it the garden of no return… I’d assume because some people don’t return from it.”

She held her backpack in front of her, fiddling with the fastening for a moment absentmindedly, far too focused on her new acquaintance to notice the strain she was putting on the stitching, before pulling out a very small book. It was the size of perhaps 2 or 3 hands held one next to another. But it was incredibly thick. Almost as thick as it was wide and some of the pages were so scratched up and drawn on they looked black even from the side. She then pulled out a pencil, putting it in her mouth as she closed the backpack and slung it over her shoulder before then tucking the drawing implement behind her ear.

“Anyway, you can find all sorts of things here. Some say there's every single herb in the entirety of Mizahar here. I don’t know about that. There’s definitely a lot. I come here to draw vines sometimes and I’ve yet to draw the same vine twice. Do you draw too? I’ve not seen you around here before. Your dog is really cute though. Does he have a name?”
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A Learning Experience (Penny)

Postby Asterope on November 11th, 2017, 5:08 am

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The girl did a poor job of stifling her laughter, clearly thinking Aster was joking. She supposed it must be a very strange concept, so she simply smiled and tipped her head, not bothering to correct the girl. She was pleased when the giggling girl agreed to enter the maze together, and whistling for Navi, Aster followed.

The girl asked her name, bringing a faint smile to Asterope's lips.
"I'm Asterope, but you can just call me Aster." The Eth returned the formality of exchanging her full name. They stepped further into the maze, and when she glanced back over her shoulder, she noticed that the entrance had disappeared, replaced with a solid wall of leaves. Really, she should have expected it, but she still found herself slightly surprised.

She watched the dark-haired girl approach a plant she didn't recognize, the almost fruit-like head hanging heavily. It bobbed slightly as the girl plucked a leaf from the spiky stem, tucking it into a pocket.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Penny." Aster gave the girl a smile.

Penny was talkative, to say the least. The girl launched into a tirade about the maze, apparently called the Garden of No Return. Ominous, Aster thought with amusement, but probably fitting. She didn't mind listening to the girl ramble on; she tended towards being more quiet by nature, so she was content to let her do all of the talking for the moment. Penny pulled a book from her bag, thick and clearly well used. A pencil followed suit, and Aster's golden eyes lit up with curiosity.
"Are you an artist?"

Her own question was interrupted by a bombardment of Penny's own, though what had really caught Aster's attention was what she'd said about the herbs in the garden. A brief thrill of excitement sung through Aster's veins. "Oh, this is Navi." The dog gave a small huff upon hearing her name, her tail giving one slow, cautious wag.

"I don't draw, and I'm still new to the city. You say there are a lot of herbs here, though? That's perfect, I've been looking for a place to pick some for myself!" Aster clapped her hands together once in delight. The girl had volunteered plenty of information about herself, so it seemed only fair to give some in return.

"I work at Ionu's Mercy as an herbalist," Aster explained, keeping a keen eye out for any herbs or plants she recognized. There were plenty she didn't, but she was cautious about messing around with herbs she didn't know; especially in a place such as Alvadas, and in the Garden of No Return no less.

There were all sorts of brightly coloured plants that did tempt her, though, as much as she knew it was a bad idea. They even passed several plants yielding what looked like fruit, and Aster wondered if any of it was safe to eat. If she ever needed to, she would probably be best to sticking to fruits she recognized, as she didn't fancy poisoning herself on a whim, but it didn't dissuade her curiosity.

As her gaze swept around, Aster's eyes caught a familiar plant. She stopped, taking the few steps to the wall of the maze, dropping into a crouch to examine the plant more closely. Looking similar to a bunch of weeds from afar, it was the way that the fronds of the fern-like plant clustered in trios along the stalks that caught her eye. Fauxsil; she'd seen the plant most prominently in Kenash, and had used it on more than one occasion to help her sleep at night when her thoughts had kept her up.

After a pause, where she spent a brief moment considering, she decided she might as well harvest some. Her sleeping habits were, for lack of better words, atrocious. She often barely slept at all, perhaps only a few hours a night, but there were other times when her shift of form brought on such a heavy depression and self-loathing that she would burrow into her bed the second the sun slid past the horizon and stay there until it rose again. Of course, in the end it didn't matter; during the day she always found herself perfectly awake and well-rested as she took in the light of Syna. Still, it would be useful to have for nights where she wanted to sleep but couldn't.

Almost having forgotten about her companion, Aster plucked a few of the stems with careful fingers, leaving most of the plant intact. Happy that she would have at least two or so handfuls of the leaves once she plucked them from the stems, more than enough to create an infusion, she carefully stowed them in a small pocket in her pack. Her hands smelled of the thin, watery scent that lettuce carried; the smell itself was soothing, perhaps just because she knew what the herb did.

Brushing her hand over the tops of the plants, she rose from her crouch, turning to face Penny again.
"Sorry about that," she apologized, feeling rather sheepish as she realized how distracted she'd gotten, stepping away from the plants. Navi sniffed at her hands, and absently Aster pet a hand over her head. "We can keep going now." She didn't explain what she'd been doing or why, not thinking to, but if Penny asked she would more than gladly explain what she knew of the plant she'd just harvested.

Word Count: 909


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A Learning Experience (Penny)

Postby Penny Noor on November 11th, 2017, 8:42 am

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“Well it is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance Aster. It’s a beautiful name, you have. I’m jealous, indeed. I wish I had myself such a lovely sounding name.”

Penny was indeed talkative - more talkative than most were willing to stand. Perhaps it was because she never knew when to shut up and let the other speak thus turning most conversations into monologues. Or perhaps because she was just so very used to conversing with a cat who spoke no common, only cat, so she’d often have to make up the other side of the dialogue herself. Still she was thankful to have an audience for her musings. It made them feel more real. More here and tangible when someone heard them out.

As they passed threes and plants and herbs Penny would often pluck whichever one she had no need to stop to pluck and stuff just a tiny bit in her sketchbook, keeping her trail like this. She’d do so trying to attract as little of the other woman’s attention to her actions often by picking the plants when the Etheafal wasn’t looking or with such a swift slight of hand. It’s not that she didn’t want the other to see the tally she kept. It was that she had no intention of distracting from the conversation afoot.

Once they passed a tree of pink, heart shaped fruit, Penny reached her hand to pick one, the ripest one she could dpy. Standing on her tip toes, balancing on one leg like an awkward ballerina just to extend herself a little more, she grasped around the soft flesh and pulled only to pop the thing straight in her mouth. But the moment she turned back to Aster with a face full of fruit, the other was already at the other side of the clearing.

“What you doing?” asked Penny, creeping up on her quietly snigerring, taking a great pig bight out of the peach.

"Sorry about that. We can keep going now."

“No need to be sorry.” penny giggled, peach juice glistening around her chin as she went in for a second bite. And with her mouth full she spoke. “You can take your time. I’m happy to set up wherever and draw. Lets see what you found. I wonder what a herbalist such as yourself could find of value in this place…” and just as the words came out of her mouth she stopped herself, laughing loudly at her own incompetence. “Well apart from herbs obviously. Come, come. Show me!”

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A Learning Experience (Penny)

Postby Asterope on November 15th, 2017, 2:42 am

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Aster turned to Penny, somewhat surprised to see her taking a large bite out of a peach. She watched the girl with some bemusement as she snacked on the ripe fruit cheerfully, juice dripping down her chin and running down her wrist. Despite not feeling hunger or needing to eat, the smell was enticing to Aster, sweet and heavy in the air; the Eth found herself inhaling deeply. Navi slunk towards the girl, nose scenting the air as she gave a small whine and looked up at Penny with large brown eyes. Aster stifled a laugh as she watched; anyone not an immediate threat who had food automatically became a friend in the mutt's eyes.

The dark-haired girl seemed happy to set up anywhere, but Aster was hesitant; she didn't want to impede her drawings.
"Oh, well as long as you have an interesting enough subject." But Penny seemed more interested in what Aster had been doing, at least for the moment.

"I wonder what a herbalist such as yourself could find of value in this place..." Aster was saved from having to answer when the other girl laughed, realizing the obvious answer to her question, then eagerly demanded Asterope show her what she had found.

Slightly surprised, but more than happy to discuss it, Aster dug around in the pocket of her bag to pull one of the stalks of fauxsil out.
"This is fauxsil. I haven't seen any in the wild since..." she trailed off, uncertain if Penny would even know what or where Kenash was. "Well, not in awhile." She held the frond out to the girl, offering it to her if she wished to examine it more closely.

"It doesn't really do anything on its own. You can eat it, but it doesn't taste like much, either. The best way to use it is to make an infusion or tea with it, it helps you sleep." If Penny had taken the herb from her, she let her keep it to do with as she wished; otherwise, if she hadn't taken it, she tucked it back into the pocket of her rucksack.

Suddenly, Navi's head swiveled around, her ears perking up. The large dog let out a bark, and bounded forward, past Aster, and disappeared around the corner. Sudden panic seized her; it was one thing to run off in the city, but the maze was an entirely different thing, and she had no idea what lurked in its depths. She would hate to lose Navi among the hedges.
"Navi, stop! Come back," she called, sparing a glance to Penny before she took off after the dog.

A part of her hoped the other girl would follow and help hunt down the dog, but she was too focused to pay much attention. She wasn't used to sprinting, but she pushed herself as fast as she could, using her long legs to her advantage and stretching them out as much as she could to try and catch up. She skidded around the corner, her booted feet sliding on the grass and nearly toppling over; so far, it seemed there was only one way to go, and for that she was thankful.

Up ahead, not too far, she heard Navi bark again. Aster was already breathing slightly harder than usual, but she started running again, auburn hair whipping around her face and getting in her mouth. Whipping around the next corner, her feet thudding heavily on the ground, she found herself suddenly smacking into something solid from the waist down.

With a wordless cry, she tumbled to the ground, something heavy and furry going with her. She rolled once, then twice, then came to a rest on her back, and stared up at a perfectly happy and panting Navi. She could feel twigs tangled in her hair poking at her face, and she frowned hard up at the dog.
"Bad girl," she scolded, the brief spike of adrenaline finally winding down. The mutt whined, ears lowering.

Aster pushed the dog off of her, sitting up and brushing leaves and grass off of her dress. They were in a clearing; a large, intricate rock fountain sat in the center, water trickling quietly through the stones and pebbles. Flowers and plants of all sorts grew across the whole clearing, and a wisteria tree towered in one corner, streams of purple flowers trailing down onto the ground; a few butterflies drifted past in the air, which was suddenly warmer.

Aster gazed around in silence, admiring the beautiful serenity of the scene. She glanced up towards the entrance of the clearing, pleasantly surprised to find Penny had followed after all.
"What do you think about stopping here?" She asked casually, as if she hadn't just chased down her dog in an intense panic, and then let out a genuine giggle, running her hands over Navi's neck and ruffling her fur.

Word Count: 817


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A Learning Experience (Penny)

Postby Penny Noor on November 15th, 2017, 9:42 am

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As the dog came closer Penny giggled sweetly, cooing over the creature as if it was a newborn baby rather than just an animal. Her hand reached down to pet the mutt’s fluffy head, ruffle it’s ears but her own hand kept hold of the fruit. She wasn’t about to share her find! Oh no, that wouldn’t be. When it came to delicious food Penny was like a lion at it’s kill. Take a bite and feel her wrath. But what else could be expected from a girl with the cooking abilities of an elderly cockroach who lived off of a sturdy diet of gruel and potatoes?

"This is fauxsil. I haven't seen any in the wild since… Well, not in a while."

Penny so very much wanted to ask ‘since when’ but her lips left hanging ajar with no sound coming from them. She had sensed that the woman felt to need to answer that question. After all if she did then she would have done so by now. Instead Penny reached out for the herb that the woman produced from her pocket. A little steam she twirled around in her fingers, examining it from every angle.

Her fingers felt the leaves that clustered in trios, feeling their smooth texture. She looked right down the stem, seeing as it was hollow. She even bit on it slightly for a taste, not consuming, just leaving an imprint of her tooth on it. Sometimes she was like a child or an animal when faced with new things. Her curiosity always got the best of her. So this was Fauxil. Penny took all the information in, filing it away in the vast chasm of her mind. She listened how Aster spoke of it not truly tasting like anything, which she found to be very true. She listened of making the infusion and though she had never made such herself, she thought it to be well and truly useless. Often she found that they days weren’t long enough to accomplish all that she wanted to accomplish. Why would she ever want to sleep more.

She was about to ask more questions before deeming the fauxsil less interesting than a loaf of stale bread but it was not to be so, for the next thing she knew the dog had ran though a decorative ivy archway and away from their line of sight. "Navi, stop! Come back," her new found friend screamed and took off too and without giving it a second thought Penny did also. If they were going to get lost, well they’d just have to get lost together. Penny wasn't about to let a complete maze novice along in the Garden of no Return. Especially not when Penny herself was the closest they had to a map. She pocketed the herb stalk, slung her bag over both shoulders so that it wouldn't disturb her sprint and she followed foot in foot of the girl’s steps, turning every corner she turned almost immediately, doing her best not to lose her too.

Penny wasn’t a runner. Her heart was in her throat and her lungs almost immediately stung with a stitch as she bolted in pursuit but she paid them no attention. Her hands followed in the motion of her feet, backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, step in step as she bounced off the soft soil. Her shoes would be covered in mud. She’d skid around corners, once or twice even falling over only to push herself up with her hands and lunging back into a sprint, ignoring any bruises or scratched she would endure. Penny indeed wasn’t a runner. She was an empathy and her empathy pushed her to exert herself and test her own limits so that she’d not let another down. Especially not the prospect of a potential friend.

Get up, brush it off, carry on. That’s how Penny ran. That’s how Penny lived her life. And when they finally came to a halt Penny wasn’t crying in spite of a rather large gash in her forearm where she snagged it on a thorn on her way, or the mud that was plastered on both her knees and the bottom of her dress. She smiled as if she had the time of her life, running like a horse - like a lame horse.

She outstretched her hand to help Aster up, not even noticing the scenery for a brief second but once she did… well what breath was left in her body was gone. Her lips hung ajar and she… well she was stunned.

Of course she hadn’t seen everything in the maze, she wouldn't believe anyone has. But this place was something new altogether. And so Penny’s feet had a mind of their own and they carried her forth into the clearing only to spin around on her heals, outstretched her arms and fall right into the grass that lined it. Only then could she take a deep, deep breath of relief that the dog indeed was safe and the Eth wasn’t lost to the elements. Only one thing now concerned her, well, they were well and truly lost.

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A Learning Experience (Penny)

Postby Asterope on November 16th, 2017, 5:38 am

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As she got closer, Aster realized that Penny was an absolute mess; even more so than herself. Still breathing slightly hard, her heart only just beginning to slow its pounding, she was grateful for the hand the other girl held out and reached out to take it, accepting the help in moving to her feet. The girl's skin felt cool in comparison to her own, even after the impromptu running session.

She smiled as she watched Penny take in their surroundings, delighted that the other girl was just as awestruck as she felt by the beauty of it.
"It seems this city can always surprise you." She giggled when Penny spun in a circle and then fell back into the soft, billowy grass.

Navi had bounded over to the wisteria tree, tail wagging happily as the dog ran through the long strings of pale purple petals, jumping and snapping at the butterflies. Aster watched out of the corner of her eye, but content that the dog wasn't going to run off again, she took a seat beside Penny, crossing her legs beneath her.

She opened her mouth to thank the girl for following her, but cut herself off when she noticed the gash on Penny's forearm that was slowly oozing blood.
"You're hurt," Aster frowned, scooting slightly closer to the girl.

"May I?" She asked, glancing up as she reached a hand out; whether or not the girl agreed didn't really matter unless she bodily pulled away, because Aster was already carefully holding her arm to get a closer look. She hoped that Penny wouldn't protest; surely there was some degree of trust and perhaps the beginnings of friendship if she had followed Aster through the maze with such reckless abandon.

Aster clucked her tongue; the wound wasn't too deep, but it was long, and she had no medical supplies with her. Given the shallowness of the cut, it wasn't overly severe. She could probably close it with a scab if she aged it, but her primary concern was infection. Especially given the mud and dirt that had stained Penny's clothes and even skin in places. Still, the longer the wound remained open and exposed, the more prone to infection it would become.

There were times when Aster didn't bother warning her patient and would simply age the wound, but given how alert Penny was and how closely she seemed to be watching, Aster offered a brief warning so that she wouldn't shock her. At least, not too much.
"I'm going to do something to help heal it, okay? It won't hurt, I promise, though it may feel a little bit strange."

Aster pressed her palm carefully over the cut, inhaling deeply as she focused on Penny's skin under her palm and the wet feeling of blood. A tingling started in her palm, spreading through to Penny's skin. A faint golden glow flickered for the briefest of moments where their skin touched; it took a few moments longer than it might have otherwise seeing as the cut was so long, but it was still less than a full chime before Aster removed her hand.

A thin, pale scab had formed over the cut; it would take more time to thicken properly and could easily be scratched off as it was, but it was better than nothing. No more blood oozed from it either, and Aster absently wiped her palm clean on the grass beside her, looking pleased.
"There, that should be better. How does it feel?"

She looked to Penny, slight concern crossing her face; she hoped the girl hadn't found the ordeal too strange. People she had used her ability on over the years had varying reactions of different degrees; most took it in stride given her already celestial nature, but there were those that had reacted poorly. She hoped Penny wasn't one of the latter.

Word Count: 647


"Common" | "Nari" | "Pavi" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"
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The sun will rise, and we will try again
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A Learning Experience (Penny)

Postby Penny Noor on November 16th, 2017, 10:16 am

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“They don’t call it the city of illusions for nothing.” Penny giggled gleefully, like she had done so many times before when falling into thick grass as a child. “Oh it’s magnificent. YOu know I’ve lived in this city my entire life and yet have so much left I hadn’t seen. Other cities must be boring in comparison.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the air that seemed clearer in this meadow, somehow crisper. It flowed through her lungs easier than any other air she’d ever smelled.

"You're hurt,"

She heard Aaster's voice. Funny, she’d not even realised she was bleeding until it was pointed out, her mind far more preoccupied with the beauty of the place and the delight she felt at finding another kindred soul - or in this case two of them. Navi was also such a precious creature.

“What? Oh… this?” she pulled herself up to face Aster as she sat beside her. A familiar sting echoed in the flesh of her forearm. “Oh my. I suppose I just have snagged it on a thorn on our way here.”

"May I?"

“Knock yourself out” she replied seemingly in vain for the Eth was already holding her hand.

"I'm going to do something to help heal it, okay? It won't hurt, I promise, though it may feel a little bit strange."

Penny had no regard for pain, clearly as she’d not even noticed the gash was there til it was pointed out to her. Although once she realised in her absence of mind that she was indeed hurt, it did hurt. In her view, things worth doing hurt. Otherwise she’d have never picked up the sword. She’d have never learned to travel the streets of Alvadas unchaperoned, risking being lost. She’d have never even learned to draw for the many migraines caused by looking at a white page for too long and several sleepless nights in a row were all painful.

Thus she didn’t protest. She simply nodded with a smile that spoke of friendship and trust in it’s own silent way and she simply observed as Aster did her thing.

She watched as the Ethaerfal pressed her palm against the cut, wincing a little not quite from pain, although that may have been a tiny part of it, but from the sheer oddness of the feeling of another touching her wound’s. She was a little skeeved by it. Blood didn’t bother her. The mud plastered onto her cheeks and clothing did not bother her. The twigs and leaves me her hair that rendered her appearance that of a jungle woman, did not bother her. But someone else touching her split skin? Well that was a little odd of a feeling.

Perhaps living in the city of illusions should have meant that Penny wouldn't be surprised by the golden glow from beneath Aaster's hand. The golden halos she looked at, bathing her own skin in sunlight. It didn’t hurt. It didn’t sting. But surprising it was none the less to the young artist's eyes as she ghasped.

"There, that should be better. How does it feel?"

Penny looked at the girl with awe. Eyes open, lips slightly ajar, a little smile playing around their corners. “How did you do that?” she asked, poking the scab that appeared gently but not scratching. And feeling no pain she poked it a little harder until she was satisfied that she wasn’t imagining this magic. “That’s incredible. You healed my cut almost instantly. How? Oh you must tell me. Please, I’ll tell no one else.”

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