[Windward Boardwalk]Meet My Imaginary Friends. (Larina)

[Alexandra Von]

16th of Spring, 511 AV

Alex walked through the familiar surroundings of the Windward Boardwalk. She liked to come here and talk to Kilian, she did it where nobody was around of course. She got annoyed when people told her that Kilian and Maxy weren't really there. Of course they were, why else could she see them? She yawned and found a nice quiet place away from everybody else. Then she summoned Kilian in front of her, he didn't look happy. "Why can't I walk with you Alex? Too ashamed of me?" he said it angrily but she knew he was just joking. She replied nonchalant, "Does it really matter? Nobody can see you anyways." She looked beside him and there came Maxy, she usually came with her big brother unless they told her to get lost. But today they let her tag around considering they were just hanging out.

Alex looked at Kilian boredly, he had black shaggy hair and blue eyes like hers. "Get a hair cut" She muttered to him with a grin. "Or let me give you one" She laughed as he gave her one of his looks. "Alex, you'd probably mess it up." Maxy said with a smirk at her brother. "Actually I think you should give him a hair cut Alex. He would look good with it." Maxy said laughing with Alex on that one. Kilian on the other hand didn't look very amused, he tackled Maxy and started tickling her. Alex smiled, she loved hanging out with her friends like this.

[Larina]

It was always peaceful here. The trees of the boardwalk provided merciful protection against the winds which normally blasted through Avanthal. Even though it was well into the Spring season, the permafrost of the winter never released its grip on the city, making this haven all the more valuable to the Kelvic girl who took refuge here. Larina had taken a liking to one of the more majestic looking poplar trees in the park and had perched herself in its branches. Snuggled up against its trunk, she had pulled up her knees and propped her drawing pad upon them. The weave of tree limbs looked interesting from this vantage point, and she had set about to capture it on paper. Dark brown veins against a cloudy blue sky. A little less than a bell had passed before Larina heard the distance tramping of someone walking through the park. She paid little attention to the noise at first; however, the sound grew louder, and Larina realized that the entity was walking her way. She tensed up. No part of her body moved, quieting even her own breathing. A young girl – Vantha, perhaps? – meandered over to the tree where Larina balanced in its branches and stopped just below the Kelvic’s hiding spot. Gingerly, Larina reached an arm out to the tree limb next to her and leaned her weight against it, tilting her head down towards the girl. She was talking to someone. Golden eyes swept the landscape below, but they caught no trace of anyone else nearby. Who exactly was this girl talking to? Her imagination sprang into action even before she had formulated the question. The being that the girl was talking to had no corporeal body. Or they were invisible. Could people become invisible in this day and age? Even ghosts couldn’t fully do that. Yet wizards and mages had frightful power which Larina could not understand. No, that wasn’t right at all. Larina’s keen animal sense of smell told her that one person, and one person alone was standing underneath the tree. But the soul can become detached from the body and move around, right? Lady Ilahi had once tried to explain it to her. Something about projecting one’s own life force. So, there is someone else down there. A terrible wizard who moves his soul without his body. Unconsciously, Larina shuddered. But this movement caused a few of the pencils to roll off her lap, cascade down through the branches of the tree, and land…Right on top of the young girl’s head. Oh no.

[Alexandra Von]

Alex looked up confusedly as something hit her head. She tilted her head at Kilian who just shrugged his shoulders. So she quickly climbed he tree to find a girl there, she smiled and looked at her. "Hi! My name is Alexander." She said quickly. Then shook her head, this girl had just seen her talk to Kilian and Maxy, maybe she was surprised at her? Thought she was insane? She just shrugged, it didn't matter. Alex was not insane, no matter what people said. She gave a look at Maxy who had climbed up and was now staring at the the girl. She just shrugged, not giving any warning of her so Alex decided she was okay. She sighed as Kilian told her to get her butt out of the tree before she hurt herself, she decided that it would be okay to talk to him considering this girl had already heard her. "I'm coming! What are you Kilian? My mother?" she said laughing and swung down. Just before she did she motioned for the girl to come down too.

Alex didn't like acting mature and such for her age, it was boring. She grinned at Kilian and muttered, "Have some fun dude. You're so boring!" He rolled his eyes and grumbled angrily, "You're going to get yourself killed one day Alex." She again just laughed and looked towards the girl. "So Kilian, what do you think of her?" she said and smiled as he replied, "I dunno haven't seen her long enough, she doesn't seem too bad." "Ohh the oh-so-amazing Kilian without an opinion? What is the date!?" she said and muttered an 'ow' as he punched her in the shoulder. It didn't really hurt but she liked pretending it did.

[Larina]

Nails dug into the bark of the poplar tree. The girl was climbing up the trunk. Larina could feel her heart start to race as a complete stranger started to scramble up the tree she was perched in. The very same girl that Larina had just dumped a fistful of pencils on. And who also had a powerful, incorporeal mage acquaintance that probably had voided the face off of people for a lesser offense. This did not bode well. Pressing her back against the rough bark, she glanced around as if hoping for some sort of way out. However, there no way to get back down to the snowy earth other than leaping from her high roost. Not fancying a shattered leg, Larina gripped the thick branch beneath her and readied her body to strike if need be. She had never fought someone through treetops before, but there was a first time for everything, right? And then the most curious thing happened. The girl introduced herself. But not just that. After Alexandra gave given her name, the girl then started jabbering back to the unseen wizard who, if Larina understood this exchange, was also climbing up the tree! Could projections of one’s Djed even do something like that? The soul is separate from the tangible body. It shouldn’t be able to breathe or eat or swim or climb. Perhaps it was soaring up the tree, floating like some kind of bubble. Reflexively, Larina swat at the air to ward away the ethereal being from getting to close to her. This was all very confusing and happened too quickly for her to fully grasp. Yet before her mind could find a satisfactory answer to its buzzing questions, the girl looked the Kelvic straight in the eyes and encouraged her to follow. Or, at least Larina assumed Alexandra was looking at her: the shaggy veil of her hair proved difficult to see through. The girl dropped down from the tree and started prattling to her figment acquaintance, leaving Larina in a whirl of her own thoughts. What on earth was she supposed to do? She had been caught eavesdropping on a Vantha girl and her disembodied mage friend. There was no real way for her to escape now, stuck in the branches as she was. So, Larina could either stay planted in the tree and just stare in wonder at the girl, or accept Alexandra’s invitation and descend. You know, I could live quite happily in this tree if I had too. Poplars are a sturdy breed. With a twitch, Larina figured it would be best to head on down, if just to pacify the invisible company. She shoved her paper and the remainder of her pencils back in her satchel and threw it over her shoulder for the climb down. Slipping under snow-covered branches, Larina jumped from the lower boughs of the poplar and landed with a muffled crunch in the snow several feet away from the girl. She rose, her softly glowing gaze steady on Alexandra, and murmured in Common, “I-I’m sorry. But, heard you talking to someone earlier, and didn’t want to disturb you. I did not mean to eavesdrop.”

[Alexandra Von]

Alex looked at the girl with a smile. "It's okay! It's just Kilian and Maxy. I'm sure they don't mind." she said and smirked at Kilian. He started, "I actually do.." but Alex kicked him and told him to shut up. The girl seemed unnerved by Kilian and Maxy, so she thought about it. Maybe she could see them too! Wouldn't that be great? She sighed, it was probably unlikely. Alex had met a lot of people that had thought her friends were demons and such, so she had gotten use to telling them they were her 'imaginary' friends just to get them to calm down. She bit her lip and said, "They're my friends! Human friends"

Alex yawned and stared at the girl. "So do you have any friends? What're you doing here?" she said these things with a smile. She was naturally social. She took a look at Kilian who was moping in a corner, she was surprised at him today. Usually he was happy and such, maybe something was wrong. She would have to ask him later though. She was happy to talk to a person that everybody sees, not a lot of people found her quite right. Also she didn't go out much, she usually just stayed around with Kilian, Maxy, and her other friends.

[Larina]

There are two of them now? How stressful. The idea of one unseen wizard was enough to fray her nerves. But now there was another one floating around in the snow? Larina locked up her joints and pulled her arms to her chest. She remained perfectly still she that she wouldn’t accidentally bump into the invisible spirits and incur their fury. Alexandra seemed perfectly content in the presence of the mages, but then again, Larina knew nothing about her. It was possible that this girl might also be well acquainted with foreign magic. Why else would she have Djed figments as her companions? Unsettling. All of it. Although Alexandra gave off the impression of kindliness, Larina began looking for ways out. She may know how to handle herself in a fight, but she was not a fool. If she were to upset the girl, there would be no way for Larina to hold her own against a magic wielder and her two astral comrades. No combat scenario that she thought up would end in her still standing. But blindly running away now would be senseless. Her best option was to appease Alexandra by being polite and conversational, and then try to beat a hasty retreat later. The Kelvic fidgeted with the spikes on her gauntlets nervously. Her glowing eyes did not stray away from Alexandra even for a moment as she spoke and interacted with the people Larina could not observe. Human friends? At least the phantoms a race that she knew well, though this still provided little comfort to her. Feeling rather foolish, she stammered in Vani, “Where exactly are Kilian and Mexi, er, M-Maxi? I mean physically. I can’t exactly see th-” A frantic thought raced through Larina’s mind that cut off her sentence. Maybe she should be able to see them! Clenching her fists, Larina ignored this idea and instead listened to Alexandra’s questions. Hoping to make up for her gaffe, she replied, “I was just drawing a little. From the tree. There was…a pretty view.” Proving her claim, she tipped her head at the pencils which had fallen from her perch in the branches. She desperately wanted to snatch them up from the snow, but remained completely stationary. “And, no. I did not come here with any friends. I came alone.” And as she said the words, Larina felt it. Alone in the presence of the Vantha and two unseen forces. Trying to shake her fears, she went on, “I am called Larina.”

[Alexandra Von]

Alex looked at her confusedly, she still seemed nervous. She wasn't exactly sure what was wrong with the girl. She guessed she should. . . ask? She shuffled uneasily, confused about the girl across from her. "Um, Kilian and Maxy aren't any type of evil and they won't hurt you? They're my friends! They also can't physically harm you?" She shrugged. That was the best she could do. She paid attention to the new person she was talking to and smiled. "I hope I have cleared any bad thoughts you have about my friends?"

She tilted her head to the side where Kilian and Maxy stood. "Kilian and Maxy are over there. They are currently having a brotherly-sister fight." Alex skipped over to pick up her pencils and then handed them to Larina. She smiled and nodded. "I'm sure there was a great view, Larina!" she said smiling, trying to change the mood."
"So tell me about yourself Larina!" she said with a grin.

[Larina]

Larina wrung her hands. What was she dealing with here? The cogs in her head worked overtime to understand exactly what the girl was saying. The spirits were apparently human and related by blood, as well. Alex had also just said that they were both benign, and even that if they were hostile, they wouldn’t be able to actually touch Larina anyways. This ruled out the possibility of wizard’s magic since the Djed can physically move things even in an astral state. That’s how it worked right? But, what did that leave her with? “Are your friends…dead?” Larina whispered this last word reverently. If this were true, it opened up a whole host of terrifying, though admittedly exciting, possibilities. Golden eyes swooped around the boardwalk, looking for the spirits of the dead who may still be lingering. Were this possible, that meant that other souls of the departed could be around. Some that Larina might like to see again. Giving a bow, Larina graciously accepted the colored pencils back into the fold of her arms and delicately placed them into her bag. She watched as Alexandra brightened and then encouraged her to speak plainly about herself. The Kelvic shuffled her feet in the snow. She gave a few noncommittal “Um”s and “Ah”s as placeholders while she tried to search for something to say. This was difficult for her. Not that many people asked such open ended questions of her, and Larina was at a loss. “What, um. What would you like to know about, Miss Alexandra?” she sputtered. “Things like my favorite color? Blue. Or like which side of the bed I like to sleep on? The left. Or how many times I’ve thought of pursuing profession horse whispering? Three…Now, four.” Poor thing. She tugged at the straps around her arms again and gave Alex a sheepish shrug.