To Help Another

[Ixzo]

22nd of Winter, 518AV

The soft winter morning reminded Ixzo of Spring. She found she couldn’t sleep, and since she had spent the last few days to herself, so she was not surprised when she found no sleep tossing and turning on her mat among her blankets that she began trekking towards the city. Her thought brazed over the interesting people she had found there, although none of them were close enough for the Kelvic to consider them friends. Still, as addicted to society as she was, the wild woman found herself smelling the slag heap and passing into the city. There were a few kind souls she had met, and a few curious ones. Her mind kept flitting back to the soft haired sea-woman who had sat with her to feed the children. The strange human had not stolen or laughed at her attempt at compassion among the wretched Sunberthians, and so Kailani had earned a good reputation in Ixzo’s mind.

Only the Kelvic did not know where to find any of the interesting people in Sunberth. She did not live in the city, and so had a weak grasp on the neighborhoods, even if any of the people had directed her to their dwelling place. She could deduce that the sea woman would be living on a boat, and the Kelvic found herself wandering towards the banks of the rivers and estuaries that wove through the city, ringed by the defeated bridges that once reigned over the waterways. Now they were patrolled by the boats of the seamen who offered passage, for a coin. Would Kailani and her growling beast be one of them? Ixzo was not terribly fond of meeting the dog again, but she was willing to put up with it for the company of the woman.

”Hey!” The bustle and rumble of the crowds in Sunberth could largely be ignored by the Kelvic, her word red dressed and unfastened leather boots did not make her stand out and so people rarely focused on her. Her dark skin and scars sometimes brought wonder, but Sunberthians were well known to keep to themselves, the foreignness of the tall woman that walked through them was recognizably different, but not enough for them to break from their usual schemes. So although the call was clearly meant to garner attention, the Kelvic simply ignored it, not caring enough to answer. She was becoming like the Sunberthians who lived in the city, she didn’t really have a choice.

”Hey! Who do you think you are?” Now it was clear to the Kelvic that she was not the one whose attention was being called, which only made the lioness more curious. Inconspicuously she turned her head towards the caller, seeing an elderly man hobbled with age yelling at a child who had likely just stolen from him. The Juvenile was quick to make his getaway, whatever he had taken was quickly out of sight, and so was he. The Kelvic turned her head back straight ahead of her, browsing along the shoreline looking for a mess or blonde hair that she recognized. So was the way of Sunberth.

The hunter found a wall that seemed to be standing, and set her shoulder into it, relieving the weight of her body from her feet and leaning against it. She did not know what Kailani’s ship looked like, but with how fondly she talked of the ocean, the Kelvic had no doubt she lived on one of the small living ships that those sea people seemed to call home. She was patient and tired from her night of staying up, and so she simply watched and waited, taking the chimes and bells as they came. She knew she would stand out, one of the few Myrians who inhabited the city, and one of the wilder looking people. Even though she wore the strange city clothes of these humans, they didn’t fit her as well as they should, not that anything hung off it odd ways, but they didn’t fit her in the sense that it was clear she did not belong in this city or with this fashion, and since she rarely came into town, she stood out when she was there, regardless of whether she wanted to or not. So Ixzo found herself waiting and watching the bustle of the street and the drivers of the boats, seeing if she could spot Kailani before Kailani spotted her.

[Kailani]

Syna was just starting to dip above the horizon as Kailani pulled up to her normal docking place on the Cherry Bay pier in Sunberth, shielding her eyes against the glare on the water. She threw out a line over the closest piling and hauled herself in, while Kona watched indifferently at her side. He’d seen this process a thousand times over now, and it no longer held the fascination for him that it once did. The dog was becoming as much of a sailor as the Svefra herself, and she couldn’t help but smile as she looked down at her furry companion. “My salty old sea dog, eh?” she crooned affectionately, the Deerstalker wagging his tail in return.

Kailani threw out another line over the piling on the opposite side, making sure each rope was tied securely to keep her ship in place. The sails were lowered next, Kona nonchalantly following close behind as she tugged at the lines holding the fabric aloft. Within a chime or so, the sails came down, the golden-haired seafarer carefully tying them in place before taking down the mast. Satisfied it wasn’t going anywhere, she then moved over to drop the anchor over the side, slowly releasing the chain until she felt the weight catch. The sailor re-checked all her lines before she nodded. It would have to do.

A short whistle summoned her dog to follow as Kai hopped up on the dock, her four-legged friend close behind. Scratching his ears, she set off down the plankway, raising her hand in greeting to a few familiar faces that often shared the pier. The longer she spent in Sunberth, the more she was coming to realize the tough veneer of so many of the citizens was just that—a front. They were people, just like she was, trying to live their lives in the best way they knew how. That wasn’t to say that there weren’t an excessive amount of mother petchers in the city (hence the need for such touch veneers), but as time went on, her distaste for the city was lessening.

Her new living arrangement played a lot into that, she knew. Living so close to her new pod had helped her spirits rise significantly, but even after joining, she’d still spent most of her nights alone on her casinor. No longer was that the case, however, Kynier having moved onto the ship with her at the beginning of Winter. It was an adjustment, living in such close quarters with another she’d only known for the span of a season, and tempers often ran short at sharing the rather cramped cabin between two grown humans and a large dog. However, even if she wouldn’t admit it to her somewhat difficult companion, it eased her heart to have another so close at hand. Having grown up among the Svefra, solitude was as an alien of a concept to her as magic had been. Even if they were constantly bumping into each other, the blue-eyed sailor was the calmest and most relaxed she had been since arriving in Sunberth.

Kailani and Kona continued their slow meandering down the pier and off toward the shore where the waves gently lapped at the sand. The dirty beaches of Sunberth were nothing compared to the glistening waters around a place like Mura, but the ocean was her home, regardless of where the waves broke. Removing her boots and socks and setting them to the side, she rolled up the cuffs of her pants and waded up to her knees, smiling as Kona hastened to join her. He’d been wary of the water at first, but the more time he spent in Kailani’s company, the more he came to enjoy it as much as she did. He frolicked like a pup up and down the shore, splashing and barking without a care in the world. It gladdened her heart to see, especially remembering that distrustful face she’d found in the kennel. It would seem they were both flourishing, at last.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and began releasing her thoughts one by one. She’d found meditation to be much easier when surrounded by the water, just as she thought she might that first day back at The Song’s Rest. Remembering Kynier’s lessons, she slowly relaxed, quieting her mind as she tapped into the power of her gnosis. Not only had meditation helped her with learning how to access her Djed, it made the use of her Oceanus mark that much easier, as well. Reaching out with her borrowed power, she summoned a nearby ray over to her, giggling as its undulating fins caressed her bared ankles. “Greetings, fin brother,” she whispered as she leaned down to run her hand over the smooth cartilage that made up its body.

The moment didn’t last long, however, Kona running over to her and scaring the animal off. Sighing heavily, she offered her dog a half-hearted glare. “Jealous vagik,” she muttered, scratching the scruff of his neck. “Don’t really know what I expected though, eh?”

With a laugh and another sigh, she waded back out and dropped down into the sand, just close enough that the water could still caress her toes, but far enough away that it wouldn’t engulf her. The dog seated himself next to her, lowering down to his haunches and laying his head in her lap. “You sure do know how to schmooze it up, don’t you?” she said, even as her heart melted. Dropping a kiss on the top of his head, she settled back to enjoy a few moments of peace surrounded by sea and sand.

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[Ixzo]

Ixzo had been watching the strange passing boats so carefully that she had nearly missed the woman. The Kelvic thought she remembered the sharp angles of the tanned woman’s face from the one time they had met, but she supposed her memory needed to be refreshed. What she did notice, however, was the dog. When Kailani whistled to the creature, it bounded after her in delight, and Ixzo knew she had found the right Svefra. Carefully, Ixzo straightened from where she had been leaning against the wall, people watching for the better part of a bell. She had half the mind to call out to the woman just then, however she thought better of it, as it seemed Kailani was leisurely walking. She seemed headed in a particular direction, but not rushed. The lioness found this curious, and thought it would be a chance to leanrn something about the kind human that she would not be able to experience had she gotten the woman’s attention. Ixzo was an excellent tracker, although she had scarcely put her skills to the test in a big stone forest like Sunberth, and thought to make a game of it.

It was far easier to track something that one already had their eyes on, so the Kelvic found no problem slipping into the throng of people, staying back a respectful distance so that she did not alert the dog, but not falling too far behind that she would lose sight of Kailani. The Svefra seemed to be walking at a meandering pace now, heading down the pier, which made Ixzo slightly impatient. She had a longer stride and could have caught up with the woman in less than a chime, but in order not to be noticed by the dog, she had to hold herself far back, staying with the crowd and near buildings so that her clearly foreign figure did not stand out in Kailani’s peripherals too much. She found her leather clad feet shuffling beneath her green swishing skirt. The simple white scarf that she had wrapped around her breasts was dirtied slightly with time and washing along the clay banks of the river by her home. But as Ixzo thought over how to shield herself, she realized that stealth in this environment did not require being quiet, but rather to blend in. Stealth in the city was far different from stealth in the forest, but the hunter was able to adapt easy enough. There were twenty people walking between her and Kailani, the Svefra would not be detect one footstep from another, however had she looked back, Ixzo’s towering dark form may gather those blue eyes from the surrounding crowd, and so that was what the hunter had to pay attention to when following one in a city such as this.

It was when Kailani came to an end of her stroll, distinct footprints marking the sand where she had walked, that Ixzo opted to hang back even further and watch what the Svefra intended to do. She decided that if the woman was busy than Ixzo would simply hike back to her den and sleep the day away, returning again for the socialization that she craved with a kind spirit such as Kailani’s. But as far as the cat could observe, Kailani seemed not busy. To Ixzo’s surprise the dog seemed to take to playing in the breaking waves happily. The large cat liked water herself, although not salt water, it messed with her coat. It hadn’t occurred to the Kelvic that dogs may find the fur-ruining water of the ocean enjoyable… or playful. Kailani seemed content to ignore the pup, interacting with something in the water before retiring to the shoreline to soak up the sun. The lazy action seemed enticing to the cat who wouldn’t mind a nap in the sun herself, even though the intention of today was to speak with the woman she had been following. No longer caring if she was detected, Ixzo slipped her feet from her low leather boots and then stepped off the planks of the pier into the sand herself. She followed Kailani’s footsteps nearly exactly, widening and deepening the steps of the woman. When she neared the Svefra, she dropped her boots, which made a mere muted thunk in the ground beside Kailani, and then laid down herself, letting her own bare feet face the land, and her head rest beside the woman’s. Ixzo stretched out, her shoulders and hips carving out spots in the soft sand, and hearing the vertebrae in her back pop with the action.

”Hello,” She said simply, turning her head towards the blonde woman to watch her reaction to Ixzo’s sudden intrusion on her personal time. The morning sun settled kindly on her exposed skin, gently caressing her scars and tattoos and threatening to lure her into sleep, deviating her from her original intentions. Before she could fall too far into the pit of laziness, a thought occurred to her. If she wanted to create a friend out of this strange sea-woman, then she knew she should attempt to gain familiarity in some way. It didn’t begin to occur to the Kelvic that her presence may have been a surprise. ”How you say… in Svefra? How you say ‘Hello’?”