Location [City Entrance] Southern Trading Post & Lakeshore Linkmap

[Asterope]

5th/Summer/518 AV

Asterope stood, legs still trembling faintly; from Alvadas, she had somehow managed to catch a ride with a Wind Eagle, traveling for trading purposes. To say it had brought back memories was...an understatement. The feel of feathers beneath her fingertips and wind whipping through her hair while she soared above land had left her dizzy yet elated.

It was late; the moon shone down on Aster, lighting up the red of her hair and illuminating her pale skin. Exhaustion was settled heavy on her, and with both her feet on solid ground once again, the fine-tuned mix of apathy and despair that had inhabited her chest since Navi's death returned.

Hiking her backpack up over her shoulder, she inhaled deeply, trudging forward through the small grouping of buildings, and following the stone path up the hill towards the tower. Truthfully, she had no idea why she had come to Ravok.

All she knew was that she could no longer stomach to stay in Alvadas. The thought of travelling to Lhavit and seeing more of her kind made her sick, and the thought of returning to Endrykas to search out her...no, the pavilion that had housed her, filled her with a deep sort of shame. So she had simply ran, settling on the first city that was new to her.

Caught up in her thoughts as she was, Aster's eyes were unfocused, and she forced herself to pay attention as she pushed her way into the tower; but as she was, she missed the piece of parchment pinned to the door of the tower. The heavy door slamming shut behind her made her jump slightly, her eyes flickering around nervously; unbeknownst to Aster, it was the sound of her fate being sealed.

A guard approached her, and Aster swallowed, forcing her nervousness down. While she was still incredibly on-edge, Navi's death had left something of a hole in her; the apathy slowly filling and consuming her made it much easier to ignore the constant nerves and anxiety.

The questions seemed routine. "Name and purpose of visiting?" The guard grunted, eyeing her.

"Aster, and just...visiting," She spoke, hesitating for a brief moment. The guard seemed unconvinced. "Looking for work," Aster added, for she would need work while she stayed in the city.

"Any weapons?" He asked, having finished writing down Aster's name. She handed over her dagger, watched him examine it before noting it down and handing it back with another grunt. "Enjoy your 'visit' to the grand city of Rhysol," He spoke, the mocking in his voice blatant. "And don't cause any trouble."

Aster pressed her mouth into a thin line, but nodded jerkily at the guard, ducking her head and slipping through the doors at the opposite end of the tower. At the docks sat a ferry that Aster assumed would take her into the city proper. Swallowing hard, she squared her shoulders, and set off down the hill towards the ferry to enter Ravok, having no idea what truly awaited her within the city of Rhysol.

[Hauk Tarn]

8th day of fall, 518

It must have been late morning, but filtered through the branches of the forest the light deceived, making it seem earlier. Brego’s hooves padded softly as the horse made its way forward; his rider, a tall, lean man gently directing the mount more with his knees than with the reins. A dog trotted next to the horse and the rider, its tongue lazily hanging from the side of its mouth. The trio followed a road that was little more than dirt trail through the woods, having been traveling northward for some time now. Before long, the woods began to thin out, the sparkling of water could be seen through the tree’s and just the slightest hint of humidity lay in the air. They were approaching the lake. Hauk slowed his mount to a fall stop once they reached the lakeshore. Fen, his loyal companion and best friend looked up at him expectantly, as if asking if they had arrived to their destination. Emerald eyes sparkled as he surveyed his surroundings; not more than 20 chimes from where they currently stood was the southern outpost of Ravok, main trading station and point of entry for the floating city. The small village of wood buildings and semi permanent tents certainly contrasted against the cool waters of the lake and forest around it, but the single most defining feature, the one that dominated the gaze of any traveler was the tower.

With a click of his tongue and slight urging from his knees, Hauk willed Brego forward, continuing on the path they had been following for days now which now hugged the lake shore towards the outpost, Fen, the large deerstalker following close behind. It was not long before they reached the small settlement, and almost immediately he was approached by three guards who eyed him wearily; sword sheathed on the side of his saddle, bow and quiver strapped to his back, and leather armour strapped to his forearms and legs, it was only natural for guards to be suspicious. Hauk payed their caution no mind, while Fen, ever the curious canine, sneaked forward, sniffing the three infront of them

“Halt!” the lead guard ordered, his eyes sizing up Hauk. “Have you business in Ravok?” the other two guards took positions to the left and right of the rider, flanking him should there be any trouble. They knew what they were about. The one who spoke continued, a mixture of routine boredom and professional appraisal adorning his face “You’ll have to pass through the tower and store your weapons. As for the dog…”

“Fen here will be no trouble...” Hauk interrupted him, leaning forward in the saddle. For his part, he eyed the three guards in return. “..’n neither will I. I’m not lookin’ to go to the city proper, but a place to pitch for the night. I aim to go the Nothern outpost. Maybe get some supplies while I am here.” Hauks tone was straight forward, of not totally friendly. He did make sure to sit casually, so as to not alarm the guards who were just doing their duty. His response however did seem to surprise them, if their raised eyebrows were any indication. Most travelers must choose to follow on through to the city, not elect to stay near the wilderness. Foolishness . Never a city man, Hauk often shook his head at those who preferred confines of ‘civilized’ life.

“Well…” the guard who challenged him started, “... If that be the case, you can pitch your tent at the edge of town.” As he said this his eyes narrowed and he leaned forward a bit. “But no funny business, ye hear?” The tone was clear, Hauk had no illusions that they guards would not think twice of detaining him, or worse. As if to underscore the point, the flanking guardsmen lowered their hands to their sword hilts. No, the message was clear. Hauk nodded to the man infont of him, which apparently was enough to convey his acceptance as the lead guardsman stepped out of his way, and allowed the three into the settlement.

[Zuhre]

While the sun had not yet reached a point of set, the sky was lugubrious, shrouding the sun in its wake. Rain was still coming down upon anyone who was unfortunate enough to be outside, soaking them within moments. It was funny, Zuhre thought while still in her fugue state, that not that long ago she too had been falling from the clouds.

“It’s going to be okay,” mumbled a gruff voice from beside her.

Zuhre’s eyes fluttered upwards, dodging the pellets of rain via blinks as fast as could be manageable. The gruff voice belonged to a man who was taller than her, but not by much. His sandy brown hair was wet and stringy, sticking to the sides of his unshaven face and getting into his eyes as he walked beside her. His eyes were a perfect reflection of the sky above them: grey, dreary, but so full of emotion Zuhre couldn’t pinpoint.

Where had this man come from? And why was his arm wrapped around her body? Then she remembered. Like flashes of lightning (unless perhaps it was actually lightning), the images flooded her head. She was completely nude, washed up on the shore of an expansive lake, cold and shivering and barely conscious. May it be fate or luck, a stranger had crouched down beside her and offered his hand. Had he not touched her, her blurry vision might have mistook him for a mirage or some sort of wild animal.

Zuhre looked down at her body, wondering why it was she no longer felt as cold as she had when she had first come across this stranger, or rather him coming across her. She wore a long coat with small, chipped buttons, many of which were barely hanging on by the thread that kept them attached to the coat. Under that coat was a dirty shirt and a pair of pants, both of which were far too large to be her own. Her feet were even being kept worn by shoes that did not belong to her. Where, then, had she acquired this attire?

She looked back towards the man, noticing that he bore no clothes aside from the hose that covered the lower half of his body. That, and the backpack that was resting on his shoulder by its strap.

“You’re not wearing anything,” Zuhre stated rather than said.

The man chuckled, but she wasn’t sure if the laugh reached his eyes. “That’s because you’re wearing it all.”

Oh.

“Now, I need you to not say anything,” the man continued. Confused, Zuhre looked away from him and towards the direction they were heading. “Let me do the talking.”

A large stony tower pierced the sky ahead of them. Maybe that’s what’s making the sky so angry, Zuhre thought as the two of them continued closer.
Nestled between two sides of the tower were two wooden doors that had probably seen better day. They looked thick and dense; heavy, like whatever was inside wanted to keep what was outside, outside. That, or the other way around. It wasn’t until moments after examining the door that Zuhre saw the numerous guards surrounding the gates. One of them even approached her and her chauffeur.

“I request your names and intentions,” stated the guard. His eyes were cold, like frost had blanketed them throughout the night, and his expression was stern.
“Tallon Erving,” the man said from beside her, releasing his arm from around her body. “I am a current resident of Ravok. And this is-”

“Zuhre.” It was so blunt, so informal, and by the expression the guard gave her after the words had left her mouth made Zuhre want to claw at them and force them back down her throat. “I’m requesting citizenship here- looking for work! What’s your name?”

Tallon threw his hand up and took his palm to his face. The guard turned to look at him- to really look at him- and noticed then that he was not wearing anything other than his undergarments.

Anxiety soon racked the poor girl as she realised how strange the situation appeared, especially once several guards started coming towards them with equally as stern expressions as the guard they were currently conversing with. Zuhre closed her eyes, bracing for what they were about to do, but all they did was touch certain parts of her body, and investigate the contents of the backpack that was slung across Tallon’s shoulder.

The guards retreated to their stations almost as soon as they had advanced. The first guard was still looking the both of them up and down as if trying to unearth a secret he thought they were hiding. Zuhre smiled in an attempt to right any wrongs she might have accidentally caused. Tallon was still seemingly hiding behind his hand.

The guard’s gaze dropped to a book he was holding in his hands. Zuhre saw her and Tallon’s name being scribbled across the previously blank paper. “Go on through,” he muttered under his breath.

Once they were on the other side of the tower, Tallon took Zuhre by the arm. “What did I say about letting me do the talking?”

Zuhre shrugged her shoulders but lacked remorse at what she had done. They had made it through the thick of it, had they not?

“Let’s just hope that whatever you do, you don’t piss off more than just the guard that grants you access into a whole bloody city.”