Far from Home (Alvina Celandine)

[Veldrys]

Spring 35, 511 AV Veldrys had been in Denval for a few months now. He had gotten used to life on the surface. He had gotten used to having no ceiling over his head, and he had come to love the sky. He had gotten used to the humans and their ways, and they had gotten used to him. They were no longer surprised to see a Symenestra in the Chapel. He had learned to speak their language. He still didn’t speak it completely fluently, and he still had a noticeable accent, but he had gotten much better at it. He had even begun to dress like a human. He wore clothes that had been made by humans, and he covered his feet. He had tried his best to become a part of this city. He had initially come to Denval because he hoped to find information on the world before the Valterrian here. It seemed easiest to do such a thing in a city that had been isolated from the rest of the world for centuries. And he had intended to study the Denvali Viratas Cult. It had been the right decision to leave Kalinor, to leave the Harvesters that had no second thoughts about spilling blood and condemning women to an early death behind. He wouldn’t have been able to stand life in his home city much longer, but sometimes, sometimes he missed it nevertheless. He had not seen another Symenestra since he had arrived in Denval. The Denvali had welcomed him in their city for the most part, and he enjoyed their company, most of the time at least, but there were some things that could only be shared with another Symenestra. The humans didn’t speak his language. They had never lived underground. They only had a vague idea of how desperate the situation of his race was, and their eating habits seemed strange to him. If he managed to achieve his goals, if he found a way to make the situation a little easier to bear, if the solution to the Symenestra’s problems was indeed hidden in the world before the Valterrian, and if he returned, would his people welcome him back? Or would they hate him and condemn him for being different from them and going against their traditions? He wasn’t sure if he was brave enough to find out, but the fact that life for a Symenestra in Denval was somewhat lonely remained. He found some comfort in his worship of Viratas though. Haimon, the Chaplain of Viratas, had accepted him as an acolyte shortly after his arrival. From then on he had been in the Chapel every day, praying or conducting small rituals in the name of his god. He still hoped to become a priest one day as well, although he wasn’t always sure if Viratas approved of what he did. Sometimes Veldrys sacrificed a bit of his own blood to his god, but this time he merely sat in one of the benches, a quiet prayer on his lips. His back was to the door – that stood open, as always – and thus his face would be impossible to see for anybody that entered, but his soft, silver white hair would be a clear sign that he was different from the Denvali, at least to another Symenestra that was just as far from home as he was.

[Alvena Celandine]

In the few days Alvina had spent so far in Denval, she had come to realize that she had somewhat underestimated the weight of her decision to leave Kalinor. She was used to seeing humans and other races often enough, but being completely surrounded by them was a different matter. The architecture, the weather, and the culture were all immensely different. Even the activity in the town was more fast-paced, and all in all Alvina was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Starting to doubt her decision, she decided to seek consolation from the gods. After asking a passer-by about the direction to a house of worship in her strong Symenestran accent, she was directed to the Chapel. On her way up, she fascinated herself with the roads, the wideness of the passages almost intimidating to her senses. She was relieved when she found out on her way to Denval that the people here also had a strong penchant for praying to Viratas, and once she arrived at the Chapel, she felt slightly more comfortable than she had in other locations across town. The building was one of the larger ones in the town, and even her light footsteps were hard to keep silent, as every slight movement seemed to be rebounded by an echo. Not paying much regard for the others in the room, she turned to take a seat on the edge of one of the back benches, too anxious to walk all the way down to the front. Just as she was about to close her eyes in silent prayer, her crimson eyes darted back up as she caught a glimpse of something familiar. She couldn't quite tell, but a man with silver hair remarkably similar to that of her people seemed to be sitting further up. Her heart jumped up to her throat as she had a sudden hope of the trait to truly be one of familiarity. Still, she was too shy to awkwardly walk up and invade someone's privacy, just to verify her suspicion. After pondering it over for a few moments, Alvina decided to see it as a test of sorts. She had come to the chapel to seek guidance as to whether she should turn back home or not, and if she couldn't even greet a stranger in fear of interrupting him, of course she wasn't ready for this. She got up, the tapping of her feet louder due to her flustered nature, and walked up to the silvery head of hair, not even waiting to see his face before asking in Symenos, "Good Morning--" She cut herself off as she finally reached an angle to properly see his face, and after she realized he was undoubtedly Symenestran, her face widened into a grin, not even finding the words to speak.

[Veldrys]

Veldrys didn’t notice that somebody had entered the Chapel right away. In the beginning, when he had first arrived on the surface, he had constantly been on his guard. He had always watched his back, afraid that a couple of angry humans would sneak up on him, accuse him of raping and murdering their daughters and ultimately kill him or at least torture him until he wished he were dead. Symenestra were not the most popular of races – for a reason. But as the time passed, he had allowed himself to relax. The people of Denval at least seemed to welcome strangers, even a stranger like him whose kiss was venomous. He was deep in prayer as Alvina turned to take a seat, and his eyes were closed. Sometimes he wished that Viratas would give him a sign whether he was on the right path or not. Did his god approve of the life he had chosen for himself – or did he want him to return to Kalinor? Viratas had accepted all the sacrifices he had made to him, he had accepted his blood, but sometimes Veldrys wished he would receive a clearer message. Sometimes he still didn’t know what he was supposed to do and was afraid that he would offend his god. He only noticed that there was somebody besides him in the Chapel when Alvina rose from the bench again and approached. „Good morning“, he automatically answered before he realized that he had been adressed in Symenos. He hadn’t heard that language in a very long time. For a moment all he could do was stare at the young Symenestra that stood in front of him, as if she were an apparation, a product of his sometimes overactive imagination. What was she doing here? Where had she come from? Denval was hardly the most popular place for a Symenestra to visit. It wasn’t really Harvest territory either. Had they sent her? Had his Web sent her to find out what he was doing and persuade him to come back to Kalinor? No, that couldn’t be. He didn’t recognize her. They wouldn’t have sent a complete stranger. „I ...“ he began and shook his head. He needed another moment to recover from the surprise. „I didn’t expect to see another Symenestra in this place. Did you just arrive here? What brings you to Denval?“ He gestured for her to take a seat next to him. Now that she was close to him she could see that he was young, about her own age, maybe even a bit younger. There was a smile on his face as well, although it wasn’t as big as hers. Veldrys was happy to see another Symenestra, but on the other hand he was careful. There were a lot of quesions on his mind.

[Alvena Celandine]

Her smile waned as she regained composure from the sudden revelation, her irrational emotions gradually replaced by common logic. She studied the man a little closer, taking some time to observe him in a more individual sense rather than the simple fact that he was Symenestran. His features consisted of traits typical to his race, the hue of his eyes resembling that of her father's. She paid close attention to his expression, making sure not to overstep her boundaries with a man who seemed to be both a brother and a stranger. He didn't react in a negative manner to her introduction, which was already a great start in her eyes. She could see his confusion as his brows furrowed, and he took a moment to speak. She sat down next to him as he prompted it, lightly positioning herself about a foot away from him on the bench. Her smile now only barely revealed her teeth as she reflected the short series of questions he had shot at her. She looked him straight in the eyes, but diverted her gaze every few seconds so as not to seem as though she were staring. "Apologies for my rudeness. My name is Alvina, I arrived in Denval a few days ago," she answered, taking a gap before answering his last question. She was not sure what to tell the man, as a number of explanations would have been possible, and knowing which one would satisfy him was difficult to predict. She wondered whether she should just tell him she was on harvest, since that was a more likely answer. Maybe he is on harvest, she thought fleetingly. She decided against telling him that, as she was a terrible liar to begin with. Mincing her words, she finally spoke, "I am-- traveling, to put it simply. It's a long story." Realizing the vagueness of her answer, she quickly diverted the attention to him, "What about you, sir? I never expected to see any of my brethren so soon after my departure."

[Veldrys]

„I am pleased to meet you, Alvena“, Veldrys spoke. After nearly two seasons among humans, using nothing but the Common tongue, speaking his native language again seemed strange for a moment, but after a while it was as if nothing had ever happened, as if he had never stopped. „Would you mind telling me the name of your Web?“ he asked. The tone of his voice was exceptionally polite as he posed this question. It was possible that she had only given him her first name for a certain reason, he thought. Maybe there had been problems in Kalinor, and that was why she was here now, so far away from home. On the other hand, it could also be that she had simply forgotten to say her last name or decided that it was not necessary. Either way, Veldrys was convinced that, while he didn’t recognize her face, the name of her Web would tell him something. Kalinor was a close knit community, and most Symenestra recognized the names of other Webs, even if they didn’t know all of the individual members of a Web. „My name is Veldrys“, he introduced himself. „Of the Vervain Web. I am here to do a bit of research.“ He had decided that he might as well tell her since she would find out before too long anyway. His face was well known in Denval by now, and he had already come to the conclusion that she was most likely not a spy. She didn’t have the looks of one. „Did you know that the Denvali worship Viratas, just as we do? I want to find out more about it.“ As Alvena mentioned a long story, Veldrys nodded, as if he was entirely content with that vague answer, but then he said, „I wouldn’t mind hearing a long story, if you are willing to tell me.“ Again, the tone of his voice was polite, careful. He wanted to know more about her, but if she didn’t want to tell him, he would not insist. He didn’t want to make the first Symenestra he had seen in months mad at him and make her leave, but spend a few more moments in her company, despite all the issues he had with his people and Kalinor in general.

[Alvena Celandine]

When Veldrys asked her for the name of her web, she momentarily felt thrown aback by the question. Why was he so curious about a small detail? Perhaps he was being more apprehensive than she thought when she didn't mention any goals of harvest. Treading on her words carefully, she answered with a polite smile, "It's Celandine. A pleasure to meet you Veldrys; I don't believe I've met anyone of the Vervain web before." Knowing the nature of the Symenestra, Alvena tried to read through the lines of well-worded language to further understand him. Her race was experienced with the art of eloquent speaking, and hiding the true meaning of a sentence or question was something they were almost born with. Veldrys seemed to be regarding this coincidence as less of a miracle and more like an event that should be further looked into. Just as he mentioned the small factoid of Viratas worship around Denval, Alvena remembered they were sitting in a chapel, and even though it was rather empty, she found it to be ill-mannered. Nodding silently, she waited for him to finish speaking before leaning in closer to him and saying in a lower tone, "Perhaps we should continue our conversation elsewhere... Idle chatter in such a beautiful Chapel is somewhat disrespectful, don't you think?" Standing up, she gave a silent motion of her hand, suggesting that he get up as well and follow her to a more suitable location.

[Veldrys]

Alvena seemed to be surprised that he wanted to know the name of her Web, almost taken aback, Veldrys noticed. Were his assumptions about her true then after all? Had she run away, just like he had as good as run away? Or did she simply think his curiosity was inappropriate seeing as he was a stranger and had no business prying into her life? In his opinion it was natural to want to know more about the only other member of your race that you had seen in months, but it seemed as if she had different views. Still, he did not urge her, but patiently waited whether she would answer or not. „Celandine“, he repeated as she finally told him. He smiled as well, the same kind of carefully polite smile. „I have to admit, I only had limited contact with your Web when I was in Kalinor, and I don’t know much about them. I seem to remember that your father is a hunter of some skill though. Is that true?“ He gave her a few moments to answer before he remarked, „It’s no surprise that you’ve never met anyone of the Vervain Web before. We are a small Web and not really famous. My father is a simple merchant.“ In truth his father was a rather successful merchant and well off, but he decided that while he would reveal his identity to her, she didn’t need to know any details about his Web until he had gotten to know her better. „I do not consider it disrespectful, as long as we do not argue or engage in heretical acts“, he replied as she suggested that they continue their conversation elsewhere. „I often come here to talk to others that serve him, to pray, to share my thoughts with our god. Is Viratas not the patron of our people? I would think that he is rather pleased that two Symenestra have found each other here.“ He paused to glance at the bowl where he often sacrificed his blood, and then he inclined his head. „But maybe it is indeed better to continue our conversation elsewhere. While I’m not worried about Viratas, Zahari or Haimon might object. Our conversation might distract them from their prayers or whatever else they wish to do in here.“ He took a look around, wondering where the chaplains of Viratas and Aquiras were. There was no sign of them, but it was possible that they would come soon. „Where would you like to go?“ he asked her. „Do you want to visit the tavern or would you rather take a walk through Denval with me?“

[Alvena Celandine]

Alvena simply nodded politely as Veldrys shared his views on their god, acknowledging that he had a point. She had never thought of her worship of Viratas in a manner of day to day concerns. She often sought his advice for guidance, but never though about connecting with him on a personal level such as mundane conversation. She ought to ponder over that someday, though she could not wrap her head around her god caring about such things. Still, Veldrys agreed to accompany her outside of the Chapel. She was a little relieved that she wouldn't have to sit back down awkwardly if he had refused. She smiled again, discarding her previous suspicions as they seemed unnecessary to worry about. "You seem like you've been here longer than I have. Would you mind giving me a tour around this beautiful town?"

[Veldrys]

„I have been here since the beginning of winter“, Veldrys replied. „I actually arrived here on one of the last ships before travelling over the sea became impossible. In the beginning I found it hard to adjust to life in a city full of humans and understand their language, but it’s gotten better.“ He stopped here, worried that he was revealing too much. She still hadn’t told him why she was here and might disapprove of his reasons, of his attitude towards the things that happened in Kalinor. There was a part of him that still thought that it was better to be a little careful around her. „I wouldn’t mind at all“, he replied with a small smile as she asked him about giving her a tour. He gestured for her to follow him, to walk next to him. He stopped in the doorway for a moment, allowing her to leave the Chapel first, as if he were a gentleman, and then he assumed his position next to her again. „I’ve found the people of Denval comparatively accepting of our kind“, he told her as they walked, even though she hadn’t asked him about it. It seemed like something she would be interested in if she intended to stay in the city for a longer amount of time. „They care little about what happens in Kalinor or the surrounding areas. They have been isolated from the rest of the world so long that they welcome any outsider and desperate to find out more about the rest of Mizahar.“ „Have you seen the Labyrinth yet?“ he wanted to know. „It is a sacred place where the Denvali go to meditate and find enlightment. I’ve never entered the Labyrinth before, but I’ve often wondered about it.“

[Alvena Celandine]

Veldrys stood taller than Alvena as he got up from his seat and agreed to show her around. His charming demeanor was more apparent to her as he walked out, holding the door for her politely. She walked closely to him, confident in his ability to lead her despite having just met him. "The Denvali have truly made me feel welcome," she spoke in reply as he acknowledged their general kindness. Though I must say made me feel less confident than I was in my knowledge of common. They seem to speak in some sort of dialect, and I've already had several awkward experiences on the communication front," She giggled as she remembered her futile attempts to speak with one of the men at the docks. "The Labyrinth?" She asked inquisitively, her tone suggesting that she had never heard of the place. Her scarlet eyes were plastered onto him like an overly attentive child. "That sounds beautiful. I haven't visited much yet; Perhaps we could visit this Labyrinth together?" She knew she was sounding a little clingy, but she was never the type of person who tried to hide her dependence. Veldrys seemed like an honest man, open to the outside world; he was humble in his attitude, and finding him in a chapel suggested that he was religious, which Alvena approved of greatly.