[Guest Storytelling] Who Do You Fear More? (Vala)

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The westernmost tip of Kalea, Wind Reach is home to an amazing group of people and their giant eagle mounts. [Lore]

[Guest Storytelling] Who Do You Fear More? (Vala)

Postby Fois on July 22nd, 2011, 8:03 pm

[Guest Storytelling]


The girl was a good learner. At least her improving shots seemed to indicate that. Lerst was slightly impressed by how easily she took in everything he said and applied the advices with almost unnatural ability to remove anxiety when needed. The Avora smiled briefly to himself at some thought that crossed his mind and looked at Vala. The little librarian finally started to transform from a frightened deer into small, young woman. She asked him the first personal question aside from an indirect one of his name back at the Enclave. Whole Lerst’s face except for his eyes appeared to be satisfied with the progression of their relationship. ”I would have to say it’s summer. It visits us for such a brief period of time that it is difficult not to cherish those weeks. The forest is at its most beautiful now. And the weather doesn’t bite, but rather gently caress your skin.” His gaze wandered off somewhere absentmindedly, though it seemed that his eyes could never appear to be dreamy. The hunter returned his piercing look back on the girl. ”You know, you should really come to a hunt with me. How about tomorrow? If it’s the library duties that you have to do, then I’ll arrange something so that you could go.” Vala couldn’t tell if there really was something that Lerst would be able to do about it if needed, but since he was an Avora, his ability to negotiate certainly had less restrictions than that of a Chiet. ”I will really do anything in order not to take ‘no’ for an answer,” he added playfully.

While the Avora was waiting for an answer, the two were approached by a man. If Vala looked at him, she would immediately notice how familiar he looked. And it was not surprising, since she had been spending time that afternoon with an almost exactly looking guy. The new man had slightly longer hair, lacked the scars on his torso and appeared to be not as strong as Lerst when contrasted with the hunter’s rather athletic build. However the most striking difference between the twins was that unlike Lerst’s piercing dark brown eyes, his were much gentler and only the right one shared the same hue. The left one was entirely blue and dead, or rather unnaturally glossy. A closer observation would reveal it being a glass eye. His clothes were lavishly decorated with beads of a similar shade of blue like his eye. ”Is that another girl of yours that I see here, Lerst?” the voice was tender and calm, and oddly enough his inquiry sounded like a genuine one. The man approached from behind the hunter, so Lerst didn’t see him coming, but his face immediately revealed that he recognized the voice. The reaction however didn’t appeared to be one that would be expected after hearing your own brother speak to you. For the first time that day Lerst’s face showed irritation that was a great challenge to contain. His sibling however didn’t even glance at him as he passed by and walked up to Vala. ”My name is Zemel. I see that you fell into a misfortune of grabbing an eye of my brother. Unsurprisingly so, I should say. Truly a marvelous girl you are. Do you happen to have a name with you?” Before Vala answered, Zemel mumbled some kind of word under his breath.

Whether or not the girl responded to him, Lerst soon grabbed the Avora by his arm and pulled him a couple of yards away. ”Practice some shots,” he told Vala rather harshly on his way. The tone was probably not directed towards her, but it still sounded impolite, to say the least. If Vala watched the twins instead of doing what she had been told, she would see them arguing. Or at least Lerst quarreling quite passionately, while Zemel appeared to be fairly calm and content with the response he managed to get from his brother. If the girl tried to overhear what they were talking about, only words that hardly held any meaning outside the context would reach her ears. However, even without the sound one could imply the emotions surrounding the two men. Lerst’s hatred towards his twin was obvious, and even though Zemel didn’t show any signs of open aggression, the feeling that the dislike, at least at some level, was mutual, wasn’t hidden very deeply. The reason behind such emotions and how long they existed in the two Avoras’ hearts, however, remained a mystery.

After several chimes Lerst finally turned around and walked back to Vala. Zemel just smiled at the girl from afar if she was watching, and left the Gilded Arrow. ”I’m sorry this happened. It’s impossible to predict when my idiot brother will show up and ruin everything. I think all that petching magic makes him wrong in the head.” Lerst closed his eyes, deeply inhaling and exhaling several times in an attempt to calm down. ”I didn’t want it to be spoiled like this,” he said when he finally opened his eyes, this time in slightly calmer voice. "I think we were starting to have fun. Please, let me make it up to you tomorrow. Let’s meet here in the morning and I’ll take you on an unforgettable hunt.” He quickly looked around the archery range. ”You can stay here some more if you want. They won’t say anything.” Perhaps still being too full of fiery emotions, Lerst stormed out after his brother without waiting for Vala’s response. She was left in the Gilded Arrow feeling that after the scene everyone’s eyes were set on her.

OOCAs Lerst said, you can practice some more if you feel like it. You can do as many posts as you want until the next day’s morning when Vala would hear a knock on her door (cue for me to come in!). It would also be nice if she opened them :)
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[Guest Storytelling] Who Do You Fear More? (Vala)

Postby Vala on July 25th, 2011, 9:15 pm

A hunt? Vala could barely contain her excitement – you know what, why not – Vala giggled. She bit her lip, chewing on the soft flesh from genuine anticipation. And a day off arranged by a superior? Vala’s heart nearly clenched in distrust at fate’s extraordinary benevolence. But she tried her hardest, a rare feat, to not let her paranoia ruin the moment. Not that she had to do anything for the moment to spoil itself. Fate was a fickle thing.

Lerst’s twin approached them. Vala wasn’t too surprised – twins were to be expected in their society – she was more surprised that she had yet to meet anyone that looked vaguely like her. She pushed the haunting, aching, pathetic need to find such a person from her thoughts, too long had she already dwelled, to live in this moment.

He was handsome – just like his brother. She dropped the bow to her side, angling her body to face both men straight forward. Never again would she be fooled by ‘twin’ antics; Vala identified every variable feature between the men. The other man was not a hunter. It was a pretty obvious deduction. The beauty of men going around shirtless all the time was a girl didn’t have to work too hard to judge their physique. The twin lacked a hunter’s scars – even Vala had a few. Also the muscle definition was only slightly lacking, not enough to be off putting, but Lerst would definitely win a feat of strength – judging from the looks. From a distance Vala would have been able to identify the twin in a crowd with far less effort; he was a dramatic one, the twin. Vala had yet to decide if she preferred the longer hair… thankfully it was still shorter than hers: she still believed in some gender specific traits. His clothes were fantastically embellished: even more so than some women she spent time with, but then again her usual company was of meagerly paid chiets. The bright blue was dazzling, quite attractive in fact.

Then there was the eye. Vala did not have to linger. His glass eye – as a competent glassblower, it didn’t take long for Vala to identify a fellow craftsman’s handiwork – well anyway, it was very well crafted. She would have looked harder at it, try and identify anything more than the beautiful color, but that would have been rude. Vala wondered if the craftsman had used copper or cobalt frits to achieve the icy coloring. Vala shifted her gaze so that she looked at both his eyes equally, refusing to betray her prying curiosity. There would be time enough to satisfy her urges without getting caught.

Bringing her right foot behind her left, Vala curtsied daintily, even bowing her head ever so slightly. She replied demurely, lips curving suggestively. “It’s very nice to meet you, Zemel. My name is Vala, sir.” Her acting was impeccable, especially since she was hiding the sudden ball of hatred that had flared up at Zemel’s obvious dig at her companionship to Lerst. What right did he have.

The two men walked off. Vala did not react; she did not catch Zemel’s mutterings; did Lerst? Either way, when Lerst pulled his brother aside, ordering her to continue practicing, Vala snapped. Vala nocked another arrow, swiftly going through the motions to release yet another clean, and deadly shot. For a novice, Vala had been running on a pretty good streak, but then again the target was laughably close. Vala did not nock again. It had been a ploy, not a very complicated one, to appear nonchalant. She thought she would have to take another, but Lerst and Zemel began their tiff faster than Vala first anticipated.

Something felt wrong about Zemel, and it wasn’t just the glass eye. Vala didn’t bother listening in anymore; the few words she could catch over the bustle of the range made no sense to her. And she could already tell it was deep seated hate, something that had to have built up over a lifetime. From their general candor to duke it out in a public place, Vala had no worries about being able learning the full story with a few well placed nudges and accusations. What really interested her was Zemel’s aura. He was a little far to get a clear reading, but close enough that she could get something without fearing his detection. And it was rare to catch someone distracted by something as consuming as a battle with a relative, a twin no less.

Taking a deep breath, Vala’s shell (yes, she had relinquished control) cleared its senses of unnecessary distractions; its mind was clear. Her bright blue eyes glazed over until they were a cloudy gray. Everything faded from view until only Zemel was visible. Too far away. Vala couldn’t get a clear reading. A throbbing, an old friend, took residence behind Vala’s eyes. The pain only helped. Vala strained even harder; the pain increasing exponentially. Thankfully only a few people dared walk between them, unconsciously walking around the imperceptible line of sight, singing with energy. Zemel’s anger was palpable, very distracting. Vala couldn’t see his physical body clearly, but she figured he wasn’t moving much, not as much as his very disruptive brother. His lack of physical expression intensified his swirling aura, his energy bottled deep within. Before her reddening eyes could begin to tear, Vala stopped: she had seen what she needed. A shimmer.

Lerst returned. Zemel walked away. It didn’t take long for Lerst to confirm her suspicion – Zemel practiced magic.

What had surprised Vala was Lerst’s nonchalance about selling out his brother. Even if reimancy was openly practiced in the city, magic was still a thing to fear, magic users a kind to avoid. She had expected at least a small battle of wits, of Vala prying with just the right words, digs, commentary to get Lerst to slip, but she wasn’t one to complain when so gifted with a break for once.

Vala didn’t even blink when Lerst left her, her gaze cold and unfeeling.
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[Guest Storytelling] Who Do You Fear More? (Vala)

Postby Vala on July 25th, 2011, 9:59 pm

It was smiling. Creepy. Her lips curved perfectly, her cheeks as rosy as apples, even her eyes were drawn until they wrinkled at the corners. But her eyes, those dark slate eyes, were dead. Her gaze did not waver from the target. It moved mechanically, without any waste of movement. Perfection.

Each arrow came swiftly after the other. It was not lingering on analyzing every aspect of technique – without an outside party to comment it would be near futile – right now she was conditioning for the hunt. One chime per shot: the actual steps were no longer than 10 seconds, to nock, draw, then release, but the follow through required time and peace. Every muscle needed to be relaxed, consciously so, so that when she was out in the wild, everything would fall into place naturally. It took fifteen chimes for Vala to finish off the quiver. Vala’s head whipped from side to side; no one else was in her row. Before Vala could step forward to retrieve her arrows, a Dek was already half way down the alley, and before she could speak he was already plucking out the arrows. Vala stood still, watching silently as the wrinkled, probably aged fast by its degrading lifestyle, drudge pulled out the borrowed arrows. Once it was done, it trudged back, head bowed. He did not need to say anything, he just held out the arrows to her. It wanted to strike the man down; it did nothing wrong. Vala’s hand shook; she grabbed the arrows, stuffing them into her quiver. The dek scuttled away as fast as he could.

Vala nocked another arrow: deadly fire in her eyes.
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