Nya walked uncomfortably close to him and her eyes surveyed his body from his toes to face. The woman's mossy green eyes locked with his blue eyes. She seemed unconcerned about the intense light coming from Syna because she was standing in the shade of tall palm. She was more concerned about the hot sand on her bare feet. Luckily for the Isur, he brought his sandals, but he wasn't wearing them, so the morning light was only starting to heat up the sand. Aladon decided to take Nya's lead and join her under the palm tree to protect his pale skin from the sun and said with a nod, “I think you are much more aware of your environment than I am. I think I am going to join you under the palm.”
When the Aladon joined her in the shade, Nya started to explain her scars, and Isur listened and watched her trace the blemishes on her skin in not a lustful way. This was the first time, the woman started to open up to him, and she seemed to want him to understand her story. The woman immediately started to apologize to him if her scars made him uncomfortable this gesture was unnecessary because he always thought scars built character in a person, and she had enough scars on her body that it actually changed the symmetry of her body. Aladon just shook his head and said quietly, “No, they don't bother me, Nya. Please continue...”
Nya started to explain that she often switched from fur to skin and didn't have clothes to change into, so she again apologized again if it made him uncomfortable. She didn't understand the culture where he came from romantic relationships took time to build a strong enough bond between to people to become physically intimate, so seeing her nude was like jumping to the end of courting ritual in Isur culture. He didn't have any romantic feelings for Nya; even though, he was physically attracted to her. However, even if he wasn't in Sultros, he still had a hard time adjusting to other cultures on the continent. He had this same issue in Riverfall and Wind Reach, and it probably wouldn't be different in Syka. The blacksmith looked at her in the eyes, and he was pretty sure that humans couldn't shape shift. The brown haired women must not be human, and he was just looking at the other side of coin. He was curious what she shape shifted into it. First, she explained the puncture mark above her right breast that it was caused by a someone that she cared for stabbed her in the heart. She explained that she died and was brought back to life. Aladon tilted his head in confusion when she said that she was brought back from the dead. Who had the power to bring someone back from death, and he doubted the goddess of death would let her leave without a cost. However, when she said that she was killed by someone that she cared about. A look of sympathy washed over his face, and he said, “I am sorry.”
The biggest scar on her body was caused by youthful stupidity. He wasn't quite sure what a Talderian Elk was, but by the size of the scar, it must have been a huge animal. By the look of the scar, she must have been mangled by the encounter. He doubted that she tried to hunt it in her human form because it probably would have killed her. However, she called it prey, so her other form must be a predator. She finished her tour of her naked human body by giving him the invitation to look at her at his leisure because she didn't care much about the appearance of her body. She told him that she had no interest in a bond mate or a mate in general because she already had them. Bond mate? It was a term that he was unfamiliar with too. He would have to inquiry about it too. He did understand the term mate, and he wondered if her mate was the person who killed her. He would have to ask when he got to know her better. When she took a step back, she seemed more relaxed that she told him about herself, so Aladon said with a sigh, “You seemed to experience more in your life than I experienced in all my sixty years.” The Isur said with a smile, “Sorry if I seemed like a horny teenager when I first saw you nude. I am still not used to the culture and the environment in Syka Give me a few season here, and I will think nothing of it, Nya.” Running a hand through his sweaty hair, the Isur continued, “I should explain that Isur take a long time to build a romantic relationships with a potential mates. It part of the reason that it difficult for me to get romantically involved with humans because they tend to not have the patients to allow the bond to grow stronger. It difficult to explain to a non Isur, but we value strength and patience in all aspects of our lives that includes romance, so seeing someone naked is skipping steps in the process of courtship.”
Aladon stuck up his hands in defense and added quickly, “I don't see you as a potential romantic partner. I just met you a few weeks ago... I am just explaining my cultural norms towards courtship and my behaviors towards nudity.” Aladon laughed to himself, “Blessed Izurdin, I sound like a text book...”
Aladon was happy when the woman changed the subject away from courtship and stances on public nudity. The blacksmith knew that he would just have to get over himself if he wanted to live in Syka. He kind of smirked to himself when Nya completely missed his joke comparison. He didn't point it out, but the woman was so literal when it came to sarcasm. However, she did make a point that he was to much in his head when it came to combat. She seemed to be tracing the steps and circling him as he talked without even thinking out it. She explained in a round about way that she had to train her body to move without thinking about it. Combat became natural to her like breathing. Nya explained that the brain was a sharper weapon than the steel sword in his head if trained and used correctly. She explained what she observed while watching him practice that he was two much in his head and his thoughts got in the way of his actions. She explained when she was a kitten. Aladon thought to himself, 'Wait kitten? Is her other form a cat! She said that she hunted elk, so she must be a large cat.'
Aladon blue eyes looked into her green eyes and started to realized the subtle clues the woman dropped indicated that her other form was some sort of large feline. When she told him that her mother was a power mage, and she taught her the skill of meditation. For a moment, he felt small because he was just a blacksmith from a poor family in Sultros, and she was the daughter of a powerful mage. He still felt inferior to her, but he wasn't going to tell her. He listened as she explained how meditation helped her quiet her mind. She explained to him when she was younger. She was constantly allowing things in her life to distract her, so her mother taught her meditation to clear her mind. He will have to try it, and Syka was the perfect place to just your mind drift. As she talked about combat and meditation, it came, so natural to her because of her training, She offered to help him with unarmed or armed combat. He honestly didn't feel comfortable swinging a combat ready sword at her with his swordsmanship skills. However, learning unarmed combat would definitely help his armed combat skills. Also, it gave him a outlet to workout physically.
Aladon said with a smile, “Well lets work on unarmed combat than we can learn how to train together before we start using weapons.” The Isur continued, “Unfortunately, I am blacksmith, so I am constantly thinking when I am shaping metal, but it doesn't work very well for combat. Meditation is definitely a skill that I would like bring into my life. It will help me in all aspects of my life.” The Isur continued, “I going to make a guess at what your trying to teach me. Combat should come naturally to me like breathing. You don't think about breathing. You just breath. If I can train my mind to allow combat to just flow like breathing, combat for me will just come naturally and be more effective.”
Aladon watched as she turned her attention to the sea, and she seemed to be looking for or out for something. The Isur's hand clenched when he saw the whip scars all over her body. He finally understood why she didn't trust humans and preferred to keep her distance from them. She was abused, mutilated, and emotional and physically abandoned by the people cared about. She was literally a wounded animal in a sense. He did not blame her that she was hesitant to befriend him. She didn't want to be hurt again. However, the spiral tattoo on her shoulder blade caught his eye. Looking at it closer, it wasn't a tattoo. It was the lone beautiful mark on her back. When she asked him what he thought. He wasn't sure what she met by it. However, he decided to answer her question, “After hearing your story, I think Izurdin would be proud of you. You have a inner strength in you that I have to admire. You were broken physically and emotionally by the world, and I understand now. Why you are hesitant to become friends with me. Honestly, I don't blame you. If I suffered what you suffered. I would have a hard time calling anyone friend.” The Isur looked out over the sea and saw clouds moving in their direction and continue, “I wanted to apologize for a week ago. I was having, so much fun with you and Juli that I should have gotten to know you better before asking you to be my friend. I think that I was just lonely, and being in a new place, I just wanted a connection to anyone. It wasn't fair to you."
When Nya took his lucky hat, he had to admit for a moment. He might of saw the glimmer of the girl before the world consumed her. She seemed innocent in away as she laughed when she put the hat on her head. It looked good on her, and he was happy that it made her smile. The Isur turned to her and said with a laugh, “Well you look much better wearing it than I do...” The Isur looking at the darker clouds on the horizon asked rather bluntly, “Tell me Nya. Since I met you, you have been dropping hints about who and what you are. Are you a shape shifter? Is the other shape you turn into a large cat? I am asking cause you said that you were a kitten and hunted elk when you were younger, so I have been putting two and two together.”