Flashback Love at first sight?

Karvelic has an unexpected encounter.

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role playing forums. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

Built into the cliffs overlooking the Suvan Sea, Riverfall resides on the edge of grasslands of Cyphrus where the Bluevein River plunges off the plain and cascades down to the inland sea below. Home of the Akalak, Riverfall is a self-supporting city populated by devoted warriors. [Riverfall Codex]

Love at first sight?

Postby Karvelic on October 12th, 2020, 12:55 pm


Spring 23 290 AV



A simple stroll through the Knirin Gardens and a rest at his usual spot was all Karvelic needed to clear his head. The stress of continuous training, managing a job and the pressures of finding a mate seemed too much for one man to handle. How can I be expected to find time for all of it, Karvelic thought. He shook his head and stared down as the rocks crunched under his feet as he made his way through the city. He found himself needing these breaks more often as of late, and had therefore become so accustomed to the walk that he barely needed to watch where he was going any longer.

A left out of his parent’s Suvan Suites condo. Right, away from Laviku’s Tower. A left at the Cora Apartments. Cross the bridge over the waterfall and hang a left after Zulrav’s tower between The Arma’Drex Smithy.

The waterfall always caught his eye; especially on days when tourists and lovers weren’t crowding the railing of the bridge. He would often stop to breathe in the salty air and feel the mist wet his face. The hustle and bustle down at the port was fun as he watched his Akalak brethren tie off the ships and unload their cargo.

Visitors would pour in here as well. Anyone from refugees seeking shelter to wealthy merchants and businessmen looking to trade and find treasures and antiques. He could understand the allure of the bay and the promise of a posh, comfortable life here in the city, but his life felt far from comfortable the last few years.

Per usual, the bridge was covered with bystanders today as the ships were rolling in at regular intervals and the sun was beaming on all the smiling faces. He kept his head down and made a straight course through the crowd.

A small walking path to the right of Zulrav’s Tower was his ticket to the Knirin Gardens. He snuck his way through the path and emerged on the other side, greeted by the gates to the gardens. A walking trail shaded by large trees is his usual path. Birds chirp away today, clearly undaunted by the crowds, and Karvelic looks up in admiration as they freely fly back and forth gathering food and singing to their fellow feathered friends.

Two minutes later, Karvelic finds his usual spot at the southern edge of the gardens, which has an unusually great view of the Bluevein waterfall. Only locals know of the spot as it is tucked away behind a dense grouping of trees. Once on the other side, there’s a clear view of the falls just over The Mist.

Here, Karvelic finds his usual spot in the grass and plants himself down for some much needed meditation.


Karvelic
Player
 
Posts: 18
Words: 11475
Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2012, 5:32 am
Location: Fuquay Varina, NC
Race: Akalak
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets

Love at first sight?

Postby Karvelic on October 22nd, 2020, 9:34 pm




Karvelic closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

Deep breaths in. Slow breaths out.

The sweet scent of baby cheeks filled his nostrils, reminding him of the peaceful spring days of his childhood before training. He would open his windows wide on a sunny day and peer out over the gardens of his parents home where baby cheeks flourished. To his recollection, those days seemed much simpler. No pressure to perform. No pressure to find a mate and procreate. No pressure to be anything. Only to be. These moments of meditation gave him just the break he needed to keep his sanity intact.

Deep breaths in. Slow breaths out.

The sound of the roaring waterfall filled his ears. The white noise this close could drown out all of the unwanted noise around him. No talking, clanking, yelling or anything that could break his concentration. With everything muted but the waterfall, it felt as if he was by himself, in a world where he could not be bothered or told that he needed to be better. He was who he was and it was good enough for him. The constant rush of water made him feel alive.

Deep breaths in. Slow breaths out.

Time passed as Karvelic focused his breathing and attempted to clear his mind of the noise. It felt like hours since he had first sat down, but in actuality he had probably only been sitting for 10 minutes. Time had a way of slowing down in the Knirin Gardens. Halfway into his meditation, a small voice broke the silence.

‘Hello?’

His breath caught.

Karvelic’s eyes shot open and he spun his torso around to see who had snuck up behind him. Standing three feet away from him was the most stunning creature he had ever seen. A beautiful, fair-skinned human woman with blonde locks falling to her mid-back. She was dressed in a sky-blue dress that cut off at her knees. She was much shorter than he, only standing 5’3”, and her blue eyes spoke of joy and comfort. Karvelic could feel his skin tingle and his heartbeat increase in speed.

Deep breaths in. Slow breaths out.

How could anyone be this beautiful. Her skin was perfect. Her smile made his heart melt. Her face made him want to give up everything he knew just to look at it. Her sweet scent wafted to his nose and seemed to pull him closer to her. It wasn’t perfume, but her natural scent. It made the baby cheeks seem increasingly dull and odorless with each breeze that blew the scent his way.

Deep breaths in. Slow breaths out.

Her dainty, smooth hands were clasped in front of her dress, taunting him with the promise of a sweet caress. Her perfectly-pedicured toes peeked out from underneath her sandals. He imagined how they must feel resting on top of his. As he stared at her, he realized he could stay in her presence for all eternity.

Deep breaths in. Slow breaths out.

‘I said hello.’

Karvelic gave another start. She giggled and smiled down at him.

‘H- Hi!’ Karvelic stammered. ‘My name is Karvelic. What’s yours?’

‘Aliandra.’

I think I’m in love. Karvelic thought.

Deep breaths in.

Slow breaths out.


Karvelic
Player
 
Posts: 18
Words: 11475
Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2012, 5:32 am
Location: Fuquay Varina, NC
Race: Akalak
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets

Love at first sight?

Postby Karvelic on November 2nd, 2020, 11:36 pm




“Kar-ve-lic. Karvelic! Such a strong name” Aliandra exclaimed. “Do you have a last name?”

“Usandras...” Karvelic spoke it slowly as he squinted his eyes and unintentionally tilted his head slightly towards her.

A flash of confusion ran across Aliandra’s face before she suddenly realized his wariness of her question. “Oh, no reason to be alarmed. I’m not trying to pry. Just wondering.” She twisted her hips back and forth as she gave him a half grin. Karvelic watched as she clasped her delicate fingers together and swayed. He felt the back of his neck warming as the hair on his arms stood.

“I haven’t seen you around here. Are you new?” Karvelic asked.

“Yes.” Aliandra replied excitedly as she quickly bounced up on her toes. My family just moved here for my father’s job. He’s a newly-hired professor at Valkalah Academy. “We only arrived yesterday, and I couldn’t wait to get out and explore the city. It truly is beautiful.” She gawked at everything around her as she said it. Her face turned up towards the sun as she stared at the overhanging trees. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply before she looked back down at Karvelic and caught him staring at her.

Karvelic blinked his eyes and took in a sharp breath, “Ah yes, Valkalah Academy. I used to study there as a child. I still take the occasional course there when there’s extra time. But, there’s not much of that now.” Aliandra noticed his forlorn look into the distance.

When Karvelic looked back, a frown was spread across Aliandra’s face. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Sure” he lied. “I was just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” She jumped over to where he was sitting and sat down next to him… very close to him. Her ankles crossed and her hands gripped across her knees, she looked up at him with a smile, anticipating his response. The smell of her filled his head and the touch of her satin skin against his arm picked up his heart’s pace.

I- I waaas thinking about school, is all.” Karvelic’s mouth gaping after his response.

“Sure you were.” She studied his face as if looking for some kind of crack. Some place to sneak in and figure him out. After about 10 seconds, and a refusal from Karvelic to provide any more information, Aliandra shrugged and gave up her pursuit.

Aliandra let out a long sigh as she glanced around the spot where they were sitting. “What is this place?”

“It’s the Knirin Gardens.” Karvelic responded.

“No, I mean this place.” She motioned with her hand as if presenting the spot to him.

“Oh, this is just a little meditation spot I found years ago. I use it to get away and clear my head. I’m usually uninterrupted, save today.” He cut his eyes over at her as she raised her eyebrow and gave him a smirk. Karvelic smiled back. “It’s got a perfect view of the falls and it’s away from prying eyes and ears.”

Karvelic spent the next couple of minutes going on about the city and telling her about what the different buildings were. “The Akalak are an interesting race, a race of only men. When the city was built… I’m sorry, I’m going on and on and you probably don’t have time or want to hear about it.”

Aliandra giggled. “Tell me all about it. I have nowhere to be today.”

They talked for hours under the sun, and eventually the stars. He told her of the Akalaks and the tradition of young boys training to be warriors. He told her of his Rite of Trial and his hairy battle with the Glassbeak. She gripped his arm tightly as he told her how close the glassbeak came to biting through his leg, and his face flushed as she pressed her side against his. She learned of his Rite of Passage where he hunted his first Zith and moved from boy to man.

Through the course of his stories, she had moved closer and closer to him, eventually laying her head on his shoulder as he told her more than any human could hope to learn in a day about the Akalak.

Karvelic looked down at her after a long time had passed only to see she had fallen asleep. “Aliandra. Wake up. Maybe you should head home.” She slowly opened her eyes and smiled up at him.

“Yes, maybe I should.” She lifted her head and stretched. “Will you walk me home Karvelic?”

“Of course.” Karvelic stood and helped her up. As they began to walk away, her arm wrapped up in his, he thought Maybe finding a mate isn’t such a bad idea.


Karvelic
Player
 
Posts: 18
Words: 11475
Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2012, 5:32 am
Location: Fuquay Varina, NC
Race: Akalak
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets

Love at first sight?

Postby Karvelic on December 16th, 2020, 5:53 pm




They met nearly every day for the next few months. Whether meandering through the Knirin Gardens, strolling through Semele Park or curling up together at the Cliffside Grotto, Karvelic and Aliandra spent every free moment they could find together. Karvelic’s routine typically consisted of rushing off immediately after his shift, meeting up with Aliandra at their usual spot, spending the evening together walking through the city or finding a quiet spot together where they could participate in more intimate acts.

Hours later Aliandra rushed home to meet curfew and Karvelic locked himself in his room where they wrote letters detailing their desires and secrets before drifting off to sleep. They would pass by each other every morning before Karvelic went to work to exchange their letters.

Karvelic and Aliandra were quickly becoming bound to each other as the days and weeks passed and their love continued to blossom. Even the citizens of Riverfall were beginning to notice the inseparable pair rushing about town. It was apparent that love was in the air and the once quiet and reserved Karvelic was full of life, hopes and dreams.

Nearly six months after their first meeting, Karvelic and Aliandra were snuggled up late one night under the stars in their first meeting spot in the Knirin Gardens when Aliandra asked Karvelic a question that would change his life forever.

“When are you going to ask me to marry you?!”
Aliandra shot up quickly with a playful scowl on her face.

“Whaaa.. What?”
Karvelic’s eyes shot open as he stammered, much to Aliandra’s pleasure as she giggled at his response.

“I’m only playing with you,”
she said, just before her smile faded,
“but I do want to marry you, Karvelic.”


“And I, you, my sweet Aliandra. My beautiful baby cheek.”
Karvelic touched her face as Aliandra rested her cheek against his hand.
“I will ask you to marry me, but I must meet your parents first; and you, mine. When are you going to introduce me to your parents?”


“Hmmmm…”
Aliandra placed her finger against her chin and looked up as if searching for the answer.
“How about tomorrow!?”
Her eyes shot open with excitement.

“That sounds okay to me. I’ll let my parents know I’ll be with you tomorrow evening for dinner.


* * *


The next evening, Karvelic’s stomach was in his throat as he made his way across town to Aliandra’s parent’s Skyview Condos. He hardly noticed the congested streets as he played over and over in his mind what he would say to her father. Should I be formal, or a little more casual? Are there customs that I should follow with humans? Should I ask with a specific question? Should I have brought a gift for the family?

The questions were a tidal wave in his brain, bringing chaos and confusion to his thoughts. He began to feel light-headed and uneven in his footing. He leaned against a building to catch himself from falling and gather his thoughts.

I’ve got to pull myself together. Getting worked up like this is not going to help my chances of impressing her parents.

Karvelic took a few moments to slow his breathing and wipe the onslaught of thoughts from his mind. He looked around to get his bearings and realized that the building he was leaning on, was the Skyview Condos, where Aliandra and her family lived. He pushed himself off the wall and walked gingerly towards the door to the entryway of the building.

The foyer showcased the high-society living of the tenants. Marble floors, elaborate flower arrangements in porcelain vases, gold finishes and a crystal chandelier was the welcoming view of the condominiums. Karvelic was used to this sort of fancy decor. His parents did live in the Suvan Suites, so he was very accustomed to these sort of over-the-top affects.

Let’s see. Second floor. Suite 221.


Karvelic began climbing the marble staircase in front of him when he heard distant, muffled voices. As he reached the top of the stairs and turned right, towards Aliandra’s condo, the voices began to get louder. As he approached the door to her condo, he finally realized that the voices were coming from behind her door and that what he was hearing was yelling and not merely talking. He stood at the door stunned, in no rush to knock and succumb himself to what was going on inside. He could only make out a few phrases here and there.

...will not see…
...is too dangerous…
...only if he is a human…


It didn’t take much to know exactly what was happening, and Karvelic wasn’t going to hang around to either be berated or attacked. He knew he had not done well balancing his light and dark brothers and he wasn’t going to run any risk of getting angry and doing something he shouldn’t. Karvelic turned around and quickly began making his way down the hallway when he heard the door open behind him and yelling pour out into the hallway.


Karvelic
Player
 
Posts: 18
Words: 11475
Joined roleplay: July 3rd, 2012, 5:32 am
Location: Fuquay Varina, NC
Race: Akalak
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests