[Syliras Gates] A quiet newcomer

[Dies Irae]

The raven-haired girl seemed unphased by the retorts from the other. She just smiled a sorry-filled smile and sat down across from Ursula. When asked about where she was from, her eyes seemed to go blank. She didn't respond for a little, and when she recovered her bearings, she replied simply, "I was born deep in the woods surrounding a land quite far from here. I've been on my own since early childhood-ever since I was five years of age. " She paused to think over what to say next. "An old friend of mine, who gave me this-" Irae pulled a long, blue, silken ribbon from her backpack, showing it to Ursula. "His dream was to travel the world. I'm just completing it for him." As she spoke, her eyes were focused on the ribbon, and she smiled a seemingly regretting smile. She put the blue thing away, and looked back at Ursula. "I never really had many friends who cared about me, so I really had to fulfill his life dream." She placed her hands on the table, and stared at them, a dull look to her eyes. "You know... You shouldn't hate yourself just because you have blood of a race titled as evil running through your veins... You just need to remember not to be like that, and accept the fact it's what you are, not who you truly are..." Irae's voice trailed slightly at the end of this statement. "I don't know much about the Zith, but I know for a fact you're a nice person. You, like everyone else has something wrong in their past, and I'm not willing to pry for that information..." Irae was looking at Ursula with sympathetic eyes. "Don't ever forget that you are who you are, not what runs through your veins." Irae decided to drop the topic from here, as she knew what it must be like, hating yourself and having to talk about it. Looking at her hands again, she asked, "What's your horses name? It's a real beauty."

[Ursula Altello]

Ursula smiled softly at her, it was nice that she was fulfilling a dream for someone. In way, so was she, her mother desperately wanted out of that place, and now she was, she could lead a life. It was sad to think about, but in a way it was a nice gesture. "What happened to him? You don't have to tell me, I just figured I would ask." her cheeks reddened a bit, she didn't mean to always be so nosey. 'Sorry, that was really rude of me, I didn't mean to be nosey and in your business.' she really should have thoought that through, she hoped Irae didn't get angry with her, Ursula knew first hand how hard it was to loose the only people you care about in your life. She stared down at her cup for a few moments, unsure of what to say. "Its hard not to hate yourself when Zith destroy so many things. They kill children, women, rape them and then eat the kids produced from it. I could be like that, I could have that in me. I can hear people's hearts beating so loudly, calling at me." it was sick, but it was the truth, and she had to live with that fact. She resembled her Zith ancestors and relatives so much, nothing about her but her eyes were like her mother. She was so dark, empty looking, her mom had been so full of life, beautiful. She hoped to always remember her like that. "They are bad creatures, their blood runs through my veins and I look like them, that's what I see when I look in a mirror, how do you not hate who you are when the person staring back at you is some sort of monster, you know?" she had no idea why she was telling her this, it was rare she said more then two words, but Ursula sensed her new friend would understand. Her horse, her beautiful and magnificent horse who stood by her no matter what foolish take off she had gotten him into. She loved him with all her heart, he was her only family now. "His name is Larson, I've had him for about a year and a half, he is as smart and loyal as they come. I couldn't ask for a better friend."

[Dies Irae]

Irae flinched at the question of what had happened to her friend, despite knowing that she had mentioned it. "Well," she started off, slowly at first. "I met him a couple of months after I left home. His name was Vihal and he was a Drykas and he liked telling me stories about where he'd been. He was a sweetheart, and he was probably the only person I've ever really opened up to- my mother wasn't too good with listening. Well, while I was out trying to get some food from some of the nearby forest, I met a few humans, who decided that they wanted to take a panther as a prize, not knowing the panther was a Kelvic, and not knowing I was that Kelvic. While I was running back to where Vihal was staying, his camp, ya'know, the humans followed me and... and..." Irae looked as if she was about to cry. "I felt so responsible.. Vihal tried to protect me, and he killed one or two of them.... But he was speared during his fight... He had told me to run away, 'cause there was one more trying to go after me, and... and... I ran." She bit her lower lip, trying to keep herself from crying. "I-I'm sorry." Irae put her head in her hands, ashamed of it all. "Vihal was my best friend... and I left him alone to die.." Irae began sniffling, but pulled herself together, as she didn't want Ursula to worry any more than she had to. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at Ursula, and smiled gently. "I've never told someone that." She admitted.

[Ursula Altello]

She was thoughtfully silent for a little while, she could only imagine how Irae must feel having her only friend die because of her. She knew the feeling all to well and understood how she could take the blame on herself. "I don't think it's your fault Irae, honestly, he fought for you, he wanted you to be safe and to get away, and now look what you are doing, you are living your life for him, in his memory. It's a beautiful and noble thing to do. I don't think you could have controlled or swayed his decision to help you regardless." She shrugged, you can't take blame for these things, she knew that first hand, if you did the guilt would eventually just consume you. Ursula found that out the hard way, blaming herself for why the Zith had killed her mother and brothers, her mom had died protecting her. It was an uncomfortable situation in all honesty. She forced a smile, not wanting to let her sadness show to her friend. "I think the things in life that hurt us the most, are the things that truly make us who we are, you know?" Ursula figured if she hadn't died yet, she obviously had a greater purpose in life. she didn't yet know what it was however, but eventually it would come to her. "Where do you plan on traveling to besides here?" She smiled softly at her "I'm glad that you did, trust me, I understand how you feel." her voice trailed off for a moment. "The Zith killed my mom and little brothers. They killed her because she tried to kill me, to spare me a lifetime of pain in their captivity. I couldn't stop them, I didn't even try, I just watched them rip her apart." it was a horrible memory, she never said it out loud, the nightmares were enough to remind her. "For a long time, I blamed myself for it, and in a way I still do, but you know what? She got to go to the Gods, she is in a better place now, a happier one. Even thought I didn't get my freedom until two years ago, she got hers when I was only four." she tried not to cry, and sniffled a little.