Mapping it Out [Kendall]

by **Seven Xu** on May 1st, 2011, 7:21 am

48th day of Spring, 511 AV

Syliras was alive with a myriad of sounds and smells, although the sights were mostly going unseen. The determined Mixed Breed had his mind -- and eyes elsewhere as he narrowly avoided pedestrians in the dusty Citadel. A bit careless, for someone with as light a bone structure as himself. One hard collision and he could end up bedridden and in an excessive amount of pain.

Seven had only been within the Citadel walls for a couple of hours and he'd already scribbled a fair bit of the layout of the first ring into his small notebook he had been carrying around in his hands. The attention to detail was exquisite, everything neatly labeled. He'd become rather talented at simple map making from his practice seeking dim stars in a midnight sky. Despite all of this, he was finding it hard to concentrate on the actual map itself.

Thoughts wandered to his mother. The same questions were repeated over and over in his head. Questions he wasn't sure he even wanted the answers to, but if he could just see her... touch her, know that she was alive... and if she was no longer for this world, something to let him know that she existed. She was there. A letter. An address. A--

"Oof!"

Seven tumbled to the ground, his absent-mindedness getting the best of him once again. Paper flew everywhere. He lost his pencil. Apples tumbled out of his canvas bag and as a finale he landed squarely on his ass.
With a pair of wide scarlet orbs, obscured by silver-white bangs and pupils contracted to block out the harsh spring sun, Seven raised his chin with a pink blush and an apologetic frown to whomever he had just walked carelessly into.

by **Kendall Saarinen** on May 1st, 2011, 7:38 pm

Although Kendall did not want to admit it Syliras was slowly becoming like home to him. He still loved Zeltiva. It would always be his real home. He loved the sea and of course the university. Hadrian was in Syliras though. He could not imagine leaving him now. He felt like he would lose a part of himself if he did. He would lose his heart.

Hadrian was busy elsewhere today so Kendall walked the streets alone. He would have walked with Cathan but he too was off doing his own things. He had not seen Sondra in a while either. "I really need to make more friends..."

As Kendall walked he sang quietly to himself. He was trying to get used to this voice. He wanted to be able to sing for Hadrian someday. It was so proud of his voice and he would do anything he could to get it back.

His mismatched eyes followed the lines of the ground as he walked. His mind slowly drifted away into his daydreams the longer he walked. Usually he could do this without too much trouble. The others in the city tended to watch where they were going as they walked enabling him to space out every once in a while. Today there was another person who was off in their daydreams though. Kendall had not noticed him until he felt the man run into his chest. His eyes shot open as shock took him over. "Oh Gods! Are you okay?" Kendall hastedly thrust a hand out in front of the man, an offer to help him up. "I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." The man was interesting looking. Silver hair with red eyes. A Symenstra? Suddenly Kendall felt a little scared that he held his hand out for the man. Didn't Symenstra tend to kill people?

by **Seven Xu** on May 1st, 2011, 8:17 pm

Seven scrambled across the ground for his papers, but it seemed to be in vain as the wind took them through the crowd and many were promptly trampled by others that either failed to notice them or gave little regard to the importance the half-breed placed on them. "No.." His pale lips parted in desperation. His star charts, the only thing that had kept him sane on the usually dangerous and sometimes mind-numbing journey from Lhavit... gone. The teen reached forward and gathered what he could of the now bruised apples that had not rolled far into his satchel.

"No! I am sorry, it was my fault. I should be more careful, I..." Seven's chin lifted and he eyed the figure he'd rudely bumped into standing over him for the first time. A mane of blond hair glistened, barely obstructed the hot sun. A wave of heat rushed to Seven's face, and when he realized he was blushing, it only turned a darker pink and began to creep down his neck. He could not have bumped into a more strikingly attractive person if he'd actually tried.
Their eyes met, and the stranger seemed to pull back slightly, a helping hand now a hesitant one. A familiar lump formed in Seven's throat and he pulled himself to his feet, brushing himself off.

Seven never knew what exactly to say when he saw that flash of fear, disgust, or revelation in a person's eyes when the horror stories of Symenestra started to swirl in their heads. Killers and blood-drinkers. Harvesters of innocent young women. Seven, on the other hand, was a vegetarian pacifist raised by humans. This largely went unknown as this was usually as far as he got in introductions before he or the other party put an end to the interaction.

Now that he stood at his full height he could inspect the stranger without squinting in the sunlight. The gap of awkward silence grew. Seven's dry, pale lips opened and closed a couple of times, his shoulders sagged, and his crimson eyes blinked back moist wetness that had began to form in his state of being entirely overwhelmed.

Seven's pale fingers tightened around the strap of his satchel and his voice cracked. "I was just -- and my head was -- and then, I..." he trailed off, ending his scattered thoughts with another shaky apology.

by **Kendall Saarinen** on May 1st, 2011, 8:47 pm

Kendall's mismatched eyes looked over the miss on the ground feeling a pang of pain at the lack of attention people paid to the papers. What if those papers had been his poetry? He shot Seven a sorry look before speaking up. "Let me help you." His voice was stained with a shy tone that seemed to cling to it like rain. He walked quietly between the people trying to recover what papers he could. He knew that they were probably personal papers. Meant only for the eyes of the red eyed boy buy Kendall could not help but try to sneak a peek. His feminine need to know people's secrets and business took over just enough for his green and blue eyes to sweep over a few pages in his hands. They looked like charts by as to what, Kendall could not tell.

Kendall tried his hardest to collect the scattered papers in hopes that the boy would try to collect the others. It really would be a waste for him to lose all of his work. Kendall knew he would have been a mental case without his journal and his poems. The apples on the other hand seemed to be beyond saving. He was not sure if Symenstra cared about the bruises so he attempted to save a couple. Even Kendall knew how important it was to try and keep as much food as you could.

"Don't worry about it." Kendall smiled shyly as he looked at the red eyed boy. He seemed to be young, or at least younger than Kendall. Forcing the smile to be a little brighter Kendall held the papers out to him. "I'm sorry you lost your work. It looks very... well done." Kendall still felt a little nervous, although he was almost always nervous around people except Hadrian and Cathan. "I am Ken by the way." Kendall never gave out his full name to people he didn't know. Only Cathan and Hadrian knew his name was Kendall. "Are you new to Syliras?"

by **Seven Xu** on May 1st, 2011, 9:18 pm

Seven had indeed gone after the remainder of his papers, both relieved and taken aback by the fact that this complete stranger was willing to help him. When his complete works were safe in his hands again the youth blinked back his drying tears and his lips curled into a smile. "Thank you, thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me." Seven's unnerving fangs were visible when he spoke with a smile, a sharp contrast to the smooth falsetto voice that came from the same mouth.

Seven had stolen a few more glances at the blond while they gathered his papers together. There was something about him, and it took some time before he realized that his eyes did not match. Not that he was one to judge, but it did not help Seven's effort to stop staring at him. Stop staring at him. Seven's eyes widened and darted to the papers Ken had helped him gather. He began to organize them but quickly gives up, shoving them into his satchel along with the remaining apples where he hoped they would remain safe once again.

"I just arrived here this morning, actually. I have been within the city walls long enough to be thoroughly overwhelmed by the size of your magnificent city." That was an understatement if he had ever given one. Seven was exhausted, barely able to put thoughts into words, and most importantly he was in desperate need of a good bath. He bit down lightly on his bottom lip. One fang dug deeper into his soft, cushioned mound of lip than the rest of his teeth and distorted his face somewhat. "Oh. My name is Seven. It is nice to make your... I am glad to... it is nice to meet you." The blush abruptly returned to the bridge of his nose and cheekbones and he extended a pale hand in greeting, hoping Ken would accept it.

"I do not bite." He added meekly, the blush growing across his face again.

by **Kendall Saarinen** on May 2nd, 2011, 1:31 am

Another forced smile was pushed onto Kendall's lips. He was not very good with social interaction for many reasons. Mostly because he was always scared someone would see through his ruse. If he slipped up someone might be able to see the girl that was hidden inside of him. He was still unsure of how to be a man, in lack of a better way of putting it. He had tried to do things like Hadrian and Cathan did them. It was like he was studying. He could not run, walk, or talk like he used to. He had to relearn everything.

"Don't mention it. I know I would have liked it if my poems were scattered across the floor and someone helped me. You never know what people hold dear I suppose." Kendall's eyes could not help but he drawn to the fangs hidden behind the man's lips. Fangs that could kill him if he had learned about the Symenstra correctly. The way the boy watched him seemed to unnerve him a bit more though. He knew a gaze like that, or at least remembered having one. He was sure he had watched Hadrian with the same expression at one point.

Kendall let himself smile a little more calmly as he looked at the boy. "Thank you but it isn't my city either. I am from Zeltiva. I do like it here though. It is very…calm." It was very quaint in the city. The knights kept things running very smoothly. "It is nice to meet you Seven." He held his hand out to the man, shaking it. "It is good to hear you don't bite. I'm not really a fan of being feasted upon."

"So, what brings you to Syliras?" Kendall was sure there were many reasons why a person would come to the big city. It was safe and there was plenty to do."Or more importantly, where are you from? I guess that answer would be equally as interesting." These questions could be considered a little nosey but it was all in the spirit of making conversation, right?

by **Seven Xu** on May 2nd, 2011, 2:23 am

Seven was certainly not the picture of masculinity, to his chagrin. He had grown up around women. His twin half-sisters were only two years his younger and they had practically taught him everything he knew about keeping clean behind the ears in the most literal sense of the term. They cut his hair, picked his clothes, they were his best friends.

Ken's hand was unusually warm to the touch, and too soft for any man that would do hard labor. He mentioned poetry. Seven's head was already swimming with possibilities of what this man's story was.

They began to walk through the Citadel corridors as shoulder to shoulder as they could be, Ken being quite a bit taller than the half blood. Seven shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and did his best to keep his crimson gaze occupied with the sights of the mid-afternoon marketplace. He had noticed Ken noticing him. Staring is rude, he reminded himself.

"I have only heard of Zeltiva in my studies," Seven admitted with a half-smile. "I am from Lhavit. It is where I was born, it is where my family is." He paused, his light brows furrowing. "Most of my family. My mother, she left when I was a baby. My father told me that she was headed to Syliras. I want so badly to find her, to know who she is. The problem is, I have no idea where to start. My mother, she was half Symenestra herself. She was young, or so my father tells me, and was not prepared for motherhood... so she left me with him."

Seven suddenly fell silent. He could not help but be distracted by the discomfort he was feeling from the tall blond. A light pink tongue lashed out to wet his dry lips and he reached up to scratch the back of his head, fingers delving into silver-white locks. "Oh, my. I apologize. I had no intentions on telling you my life's story."

by **Kendall Saarinen** on May 4th, 2011, 10:38 pm

"It is the most beautiful place I have ever been. Although I am sure that I am biased. Home is always beautiful." To Kendall nothing was more amazing than the sight of his home. Sadly, he could not go back there. Not now anyways. Things there were still to unsettled. The wounds were still too fresh on both his account and his family's. Maybe someday though. It would be nice to see the Zeltivan sea again.

"I've heard very great things about Lhavit. It is the city of the stars… Although you probably knew that." Kendall looked away shyly at the strange statement. Of course he knew that. He nodded simply at Seven's story. It was nice to hear about others lives. He did not tell his own story too much so he took pleasure in others'. "Don't apologize. Life stories are beautiful. It is a gift in itself to be able to tell them."

Kendall felt like he should have said a bit about himself. He really did not want to though. It was polite and besides, Seven had told him a lot about himself. "I used to attend the university in Zeltiva. I studied poetry and writing." That was vague enough right?" "I have two brothers and a sister. Oh, and two parents as well." He frowned a bit as he spoke of his family. They had not left him with very pleasant memories. He did not want to elaborate on his life but if Seven asked he would. He did not know what else he could say.

As the pair walked together Kendall could not help but feel a small smirk appear on his face. Seven was shorter than him. Almost everyone he had been around lately seemed to tower over him. It was a small victory but a victory nonetheless. "I would not know where to look for your mother either. I barely know how to find anything in this city. A lot of help I am right?" He chuckled a little. At times he felt as though he was just existing and not really experiencing. One would think after being in the city for a season he would have figured out some way to navigate the city. "Do you know what she liked? There are a lot of different stores and groups in the city. Maybe she spends time with one of them." Kendall did not know why he felt the need to help the red eyed boy. Maybe it was because he would have done anything to see his own mother smile at him. "I can help you brainstorm if you like."

by **Seven Xu** on May 5th, 2011, 1:49 am

The awkward city of stars comment nearly made him titter like a little girl and Seven forced back a smile. There was an aspect to Ken that he couldn't quite place, but he saw a bit of himself in him. Except much taller and more attractive, Seven's cheeks turned pink when his shoulder bumped Ken's arm. He had never felt considerably short, as his sisters were both shorter than him, but he was beginning to become a bit more conscious of his stature.

"So you are an artist," Seven's voice was lofty with an undertone of curiosity. "I noticed you singing earlier, before we... met. It sounded very nice." The pink turned to fuchsia. It was the truth. The singing had nearly been enough to break Seven of his concentration; although if it had, they never would have met.

Seven noticed the tone of Ken's voice as he spoke of his family, the frown that tarnished his face. Indeed, it was the same way Seven spoke of his mother. He didn't look as nice when he frowned. Seven had half a mind to question Ken's family life, but he kept quiet, thinking it impolite to pry into such personal matters. On the other hand, he didn't want to seem disinterested. A mental list of questions began to bubble up in the albino's mind.
Seven sidestepped a child that sped between them, a bushel of apples held in her apron soon to be followed by what Seven would only hazard a guess to be her brother. He pulled a slightly bruised apple from his bag and took a small bite of it. The juice flowed from the fruit and onto his fingers and lips, sweet and warm it dribbled down to his chin and he wiped it away with a sleeve. "I wish I knew what it is my mother likes," he replied wistfully, "I have told you just about everything I know about her... in that she is my mother and she may be here. Heh. Is that sad, or what? My own mother and I know nothing about her..."
Seven peered down at the apple with a pained look on his face. The complete and utter feeling of physical and mental exhaustion came rushing back to him, reminding him of his circumstances. Hesitantly, Seven's lips parted and he prayed he didn't sound too much like a whining child. "Do you mind if we find somewhere to sit? I am so exhausted from my trip and want nothing more than something cold and wet to drink and a place to get off my feet."

by **Kendall Saarinen** on May 7th, 2011, 7:46 pm

"I'd like to think I am. I'm really only good at writing. My singing is pretty much crap." In his mind he added "But it used to be amazing". He smiled at the little red haired boy. It felt really good to hear someone speak kindly of his singing. He had not been brave enough to sing in front of Hadrian. He was scared his voice would crack or he would hit a wrong note. He wanted his voice to be perfect before he sang to him. "Thank you. I often worry I have lost my edge." In truth, he had. Trading a soprano voice for a tenor was not only strange but hard to deal with. There were new octaves to explore and a whole new set of notes to learn. "I'm trying to regain my abilities again. I had a bit of a… problem with my voice a while ago." It wasn't a complete lie. Sure, the problem wasn't a physical problem. He could speak perfectly fine from the day he was changed. It was an emotional problem. Waking up to hear your voice had dropped multiple octave was not the most pleasant thing to hear. Nor did it fare well for the mind.

Kendall's body tensed as the girl sped past him and his new friend. He had never been too jumpy when he was a girl but ever since his accident he had become quite skittish at times. Almost like he expected someone to jump at him again and take him away like that man had done in Zeltiva. He shook his head and tried to think about things that made him feel better. Hadrian and Cathan came to mind first. As he calmed he began to listen to Seven's words. "At least you are on your way to find her. I am sure I will not see my mother for years… if ever at all." The words made Kendall tear up inside. He missed his mother terribly. He could not see her though. Not like this. It was to shameful to his family.

Trying to hold back tears Kendall nodded. "There are plenty of places in the city to sit and even drink if you like." He sniffled a bit as he lifted a few fingers up to his eye to wipe a tear away. Oh Gods, did he want to go home. "I know the Rearing Stallion is a good place for that." The Rearing Stallion sounded amazing right now. Kendall needed some alcohol in him. He could barely wait to get to the tavern now that he thought of the beer. He did not know if the Symenstra would drink it but there had to be water in the tavern right?