By Dawns Early Light (Emeric)

[Haeli]

Haeli listened quietly, but for the first time in the course of their conversation, she completely disagreed with him. She was far more content with nothing. Peace came to her in the depths of the wilds with no one or nothing like civilization around her. When he was done speaking about why he understood, she shook her head quietly. "No. We are not all the same. Never that. Not after everything is removed. People are all different inside from one another. I can feel your difference even as you can feel mine. Don't pretend every lily here growing together is the same. They are not." She said gesturing to the profusion of flowers behind him, the ones he'd be stroking. "If you think that, truly believe that, then humanity has already taken immeasurable things from you - too much - and left you empty inside." She said softly. Haeli turned and stared across the space they were in, finally letting her eyes drop and settle on the expanse of cloth covering the sword. "Cloth is not just cloth. There is more beneath. One never knows how much more." She said pointedly, then turned to look back up at him.

There was a power and purpose smoldering within him. She could feel it keenly as she watched. Her eyes roamed his face and she found him appealing in the way he spoke thoughtfully and in his very presence. It was hard for her to pinpoint what exactly drew her. His features were handsome, but she rarely gave such things any thought, having no experience judging or even caring to judge someone upon their looks. She'd just recently passed through the stage where all humans looked alike to her and had moved into a place in her head where she could easily recognize individuals. She wouldn't forget his features, not for a long while, for they appealed in a way that she would have to dwell on later when he was not around and thus posing such a distraction to her normally very busy mind.

It was more than his looks. It was his voice and his eyes. She simply wanted to sit and talk to him because he was truly talking with her and not just lecturing her like she was an ignorant child which was how most people saw her who didn't know how to look beyond the physical. Haeli could disappear into the wilds and be perfectly fine without giving it a second thought. She didn't really need clothing, skins served well enough when the weather was cold, and food was to her abundant all year round. Coin and possessions above a basic knife and hatchet were just added burdens that would slow her down. She was resourceful, smart, and incredibly cautious. The people of Lhavit, almost to a man woman and child, wouldn't last a second night outside exposed to the wilds. No she was different from them. So too was he. That was why sitting with him, talking to him, hearing his views was a rare pleasure for her. Just that very act made everything about him more appealing to her.

He handled her journal like it was a precious thing and then spoke quietly about it. "These are my harder times, here in this city. Out there, in the wilds, it is easier. When I was small, only just new into the world, there was a huge storm and the ship my mother was on ran aground. Everyone except me was lost. They stayed lost, though I did not. I was left cast ashore in the wilds of the Gyvaka. My mother, the Dhani who found me among the flotsam, said that meant I was never supposed to be with people like this. I was to be like her, a guardian of the wilds. I would rather not have coin at all, and have no need of it. And where I came from people would go out of their way to stop and trade things for the plants and remedies we made. So the things we couldn't produce like iron for knives and cloth for clothing was always provided. They were in ships that would put great iron smiles into the water and hold their position there so they could row in and trade. None of those sailors were the same. Some were very very good men, and some were like beautiful apples that worms had already eaten from the inside out. Some of them I remember and because I can remember them, they help me sometimes be a thing people will pay attention too. But mostly I am ignored. She said thoughtfully.

This is fine with me because it makes my work easier. I did not come here to only learn about people. It was my burning need. When my mother died and I was left alone, I stayed for two years. But the Gyvaka was healthy, thriving, and had no need of a protector. Someday it might and I will return. But for now, this place needs me more than it realizes." She shifted then, so she was less sitting with him and more facing him.

"It is no different than you. Don't you feel it? Fate rides you, bringing you here for a reason. These people are in need, even if they do not know it themselves. I do not know if you are here to help them or for something else. But the wilds watch, and I can feel their attention on you. Its curious now, not alarmed, or else we would not be talking. There is more to you, far more, than you've allowed yourself to realize. I can feel it. I should say nothing, but you have been kind. The Gods move around you, touching you in ways you might not recognize. I think it makes you angry. I can feel the anger in you. Everyone here can, even if you yourself don't know why." She spoke of the lilies and the small hopping sparrow on a nearby tree listening shamelessly in on their conversation. She spoke of the worms in the ground and the mice hiding in the grass, insects on the wind and nature all around. "There is so much strength in your gaze, but it is a strength you have yet to truly acknowledge. You are not like them, walking about asleep. You are awake and aware. And it makes me smile to think you are here. Things won't be the same, not now. Not after you've arrived." She said softly, meeting his amber eyes with her own citrine ones darkened with thought.

Their eyes were not so different. Not really. With that, she quietly answered his question.

"I will stay until this place is better. Humans were not meant to live on mountain tops and its caused much harm. I can help and it is what my Lady requires of me. It is what us witches do, and I have no regret of my task. If I come to understand humans, then that will be my joy. If I do not, it is my failure alone. But once I am ready I will ask Caiyha for knowledge of more than a swamp, for my training there will help but not be perfectly suited for here. If she tests me and finds me worthy, I will gain access to the voices here other than in just muted whispers and mutterings. And once I can speak to the whole of the world that is these mountains and have my next mark, I will caretake like my kind always does. I suspect the humans will leave me to it as well, for they tend to not see what is beneath their nose if it is strange to them." She said in probably the most forthright way yet. She sounded almost different talking about her purpose, wiser, almost... old.

"I hope you stay a while here in this city." She said suddenly, abruptly, making a decision for herself. "I've never met someone on the edge of discovery like you are. I would like to see you find your footing here and let go of it, leaping off the edge. In the wild its called fledging when young eagles finally learn what their wings are for. You do not have strength without reason. When you find that reason, it will be a reverent day. Do you have a place to stay? If not, you can come home with me. I have room." She said thoughtfully, not caring about tradition or what anyone thought proper or not.

[Emeric]

The sky above was clear but for the odd wispy white cloud and the highest altitude birds soaring above, looking to break their fast. The wildling girl before him flashed a scowl of indignation at his words, and he felt her disagreement and annoyance in her words. Perhaps she’d misunderstood, but more likely she was right. Emeric didn’t want to meet the girls gaze, as she pointedly tore into his rhetoric and forced him into a wider perspective. “Humanity has taken a lot from me, girl. Don’t be saying I’m empty because of it.” He growled again, resenting her wild truths. His words were abrasive, his face sombre. The heat was starting to become much more apparent now, as she glanced at his cloak and the falchion hidden beneath. Sheltered from the howling winds of the mountain range, the city offered a true feeling of summer. The cloak for the most part useless, except at night, and even the night leather armour he wore could become uncomfortable at the height of day. It was another, albeit smaller, reason that he felt compelled to start conforming to the Lhavitian way of life. Gyvaka, she said, swamp, Emeric remembered. The girl was submerged by the tide of new experiences, even the rudiments of society a mystery to her. His own limited experience still far outstripping hers when it came to being human. Yet despite it all she seemed to have a firm grip on what was, and what was not – a refreshingly candid glimpse into another world. The gods move around you, she said. Emeric glanced around, the smallest voice in his mind asking if she had just summoned them herself, but the courtyard was still empty but for the odd rustle in the grass, and bird in the trees. He smiled at his mild hope to suddenly be surrounded by Syna and her kin. She captured his gaze and spoke in a prophetic cadence, like the seers who pitched up on the docksides but without the drama and mummery. Those honest eyes flared, and he felt that she was tapping into some magic far beyond his comprehension. How powerful is this girl? He thought, worrying for a second that he had severely underestimated the strength of the girl who sat before him. She was looking at him, or rather – he felt, through him. Her voice measured and focused, she seemed extremely comfortable in the path she had been set, or had set for herself. Her quest to gain another mark from Caiyha, she was clearly a fervent believer in Caiyha’s cause. Many he’d heard say that they would become a champion for their particular chosen god, but none had even received a single gnosis or let alone had such direction to achieve another. “What exactly is it you mean to do, here? Heal these people? Open their eyes to some greater truth about how they should live?” Emeric couldn’t help but sound cynical, “It’s a noble goal, aye. Some would say futile.” He licked his lips, the mountains having a tendency to leave them dry and cracked. “Not I,” he clarified, “any effort to stop people from stabbing each other in the back every five chimes is commendable.” Her blonde hair shook as she snapped from talking of herself, back to him. Fledging, she said as she compared him to an eagle. A queer image of a redheaded figure jumping onto his back and pushing him off the edge of the mountain grew in his mind and he smiled again. Everything she said with such conviction that Emeric was almost won over, that perhaps she had some prophetic abilities. She seemed to have the impression that the gods impressed some great destiny on him, which bemused Emeric. His entire experience through life thus far could be summed up by simply saying: Kelwyn petched him over. The notion of a home in the city made Emeric feel uneasy, his experiences crying out in alarm at the stranger inviting him to stay with her. Trap, his mind screamed, but looking into those honest eyes he knew that she worked on a whole different set of rules to most people. He imagined she wouldn’t even think anything odd in sharing shelter, as you would in the wild. For the time that he had been in the city he had stayed at an inn by the gate, for travellers, kept quiet all through the night to let them sleep. Then pragmatism took over. “I’d… yes, ok. Is there anyway I could repay you, though? My coin is obviously worthless to you, and I can’t cook for shyke.” He felt a small pang of hunger and looked to the tree above, a number of fist sized red fruits nestled between the leaves. They were dense, but edible, as he recalled from earlier days in the city. Standing, he plucked two, one he rubbed on his armour and took a bite out of, the other he offered to the girl before him.

[Haeli]

She almost smiled when he growled at her. Almost. But she was cautious and knew a snake when agitated didn't need to be further poked with a stick. Slowly she shook her head at him then shifted her position, discretely tucking her feet under her. Flight was a powerful instinct in her, regardless of how relaxed she'd become around him. "No, not empty. Not that." She said softly, then continued watching him.

Haeli seemed to enjoy observing him think, for she was a quiet companion until he felt the need to speak. She didn't fill the spaces with words nor seem uncomfortable in the silence. But when he asked her the question she asked, Haeli thought a few moments before she answered.

"No. I came to study humans, not change them or save them. Caiyha demands of her followers to make sure what was done before won't be done again. So I will be something of a guardian here, doing as much as I can and finding ways to influence what I can until things are balanced again. Mountains were never designed to hold cities in their arms. But it is not so bad as I would have thought, coming here and seeing such a thing happen. Small things, touches here and there, will make this place stronger and more able to handle the humans that infest it. And if She is pleased with my work, she will further my ability to work, and make me wiser in Her ways. No, I am not really here for the humans, though they will benefit from my work. I am here for the wilds." She said softly, not meaning to sound arrogant or self important, but he'd asked her a legitimate question, one that deserved an answer.

The girl shifted again, tilting her head and then reaching back to brush long mixed blond locks out of her eyes, tucking her hair back behind her ear so she could see him better.

He seemed torn about her offer of shelter. She wouldn't have been offended either way, but having someone more human than the kelvics that often sheltered with her would mean a great deal to her. Studying one closely, in an environment that might let them relax, would give her a chance to learn about them in leaps and bounds. Surely he'd understand that? Haeli rose.

"No, I do not need your coin. The people here pay well for the things I can make, some very well. But there are other things I need that you might help with, mostly answers about people and why they do things. Maybe sometimes we could walk the city together and I could ask you the questions that come into my mind that take days of following people and studying them to gain answers too. Sometimes simple things humans do surprise me and I do not understand the motivation for it. It would help to have someone around, even for just a little while, that might know the why of things. This is far more valuable to me than stone coins." She said, then waited quietly as if she were lingering to let him gather himself together.

"I will show you. Will you come?" She added, looking thoughtful. Haeli had always thought herself tall for she'd towered over her Dhani mother at 5'6", but Emeric was by far larger. Even the Lhavitians were rarely taller than she was, and certainly not the females. If Emeric stood up, Haeli would definitely take a moment to frown at his height and wonder at it. He was big, bigger than the people normally found in Lhavit, but in a lean powerful way.

If he'd rise and follow, the witch would definitely lead him through the city. When Haeli moved, her body oozed purpose and intent, leading them seemingly from one strategically advantageous position to another, and never in a straight line. Lhavit's straight avenues felt strange to the girl, so her pathway took her down alleys, cut between houses, in and out of little courtyards, and just about as circular as possible as they navigated the city. They always seemed to end up on the side of the streets, when they did cross them, that lacked pedestrians and had more cover than the other. And as she walked, she touched things - flowers in pots, trees growing along avenues, and even green moss invading the cracks of stonework. It was an unconscious sort of reverence, as if she talked to each and every plant she encountered.

Soon, they came out into the main square of the city and took a side road that was largely known for the temple that graced its stone street. Across from the temple was a large glass-domed structure that even from the outside looked like it teamed with life. In various cities it would be called perhaps an Orangery or Conservatory, but within Lhavit it was a standard structure since most of the buildings had glass roofs. Haeli passed under a hand-carved sign that read "All Things Wild..." and lead Emeric into a glass structure that had two sets of doors, mainly to keep inside things in, and outside things out. Upon leading him through the first, then through the second, a wall of moist air hit them and Emeric passed from dwelling in clear clean mountain air to the warm moisture of a jungle.

Living trees filled the interior, some in bloom, others fruiting, and yet others simply providing shade. Their branches reached up to the glass sky, seeming to worship Syna's light falling down across them. Exotic plants of every type filled the space, some growing in pots, others growing upon the trees themselves. Birdsong greeted them and Haeli trilled back happily. Insects swarmed, leaving the humans alone, but still moving about happily in the wild space. Pathways lead between the greenery revealing little displays here and there. Perfumes, incense and herbs were for sale, tucked into spaces that were carved out of the inside jungle. Even a small stream ran through the place, alive with frogs that splashed into the water for safety as they padded past.

Off to one side of the doorway was an enormous front counter made from a fallen tree. Upon it sat more things for sale while behind it lingered a huge apothecary cupboard. The place was definitely part shop, part garden, part jungle brought indoors. Double doors past the large front counter appeared to lead to a back courtyard garden outside that looked as elaborate as the inside did. And off to the other side, a large stairway lead upwards. "This is my place. There are rooms upstairs, small things, but comfortable, and a big room with a fireplace you can find quiet enough to think in. All Things Wild is a proper home for someone like me... not like the square rooms and cold dead spaces the people here like. There are animals here, but they will not bother you if you leave them undisturbed. What do you think? Will you stay here a time so I can ask you things and learn faster?" She asked, looking thoughtful. Haeli would show him the upstairs and the gathering room if and when he wanted to see them, but for now she wanted him to get a picture of where she lived before he completely agreed.

NoteI assumed Emeric would have followed her. If I took too big of a liberty, let me know and I will alter my post. You didn't answer my PM so I wasn't sure how to proceed. Sorry for the delay.

[Emeric]

Once again Emeric found himself wondering how it was that the girl before him had seemingly found herself on such an important task – what it was that drove her, when she could clearly have lived out her days happily enough in the wild. What had borne her such dedication to the god who had marked her in such a way? As she explained what she wanted in return, Emeric couldn’t help but feel a pang of discomfort, to be test subject in many ways. But he rationalised, free shelter couldn’t really be passed up in a world so harsh as this. And if she overstepped, he’d leave. “Aye, that’ll do. So long as I don’t wake up one night to have you looming over me with a scalpel, you can ask your questions.” He nodded his assent and the pair rose, him with a grunt of effort and his arms swiping at his belongings, she with a near effortless plié. For Emeric, the purchase of his armour had been doubly practical – stiff enough give modest protection from most blades, and with enough straps to hold all manner of objects on his back. He plucked the cloak off the ground, and drew out the sword, slinging it across his back and harnessing it with habitual precision. The lyre he strapped also, and his sack cloth pack he hefted over his other shoulder, the Shinya could often take offense to armed visitors, so he donned the cloak as well. The crisp breeze that ran through the city made it bearable. It took less than a chime to be readied, and when he finally straightened up and held his hand out for the girl to lead on he found her frowning. She seemed to chew at her mouth as she looked up at him, the height difference was clearly apparent. In Ravok he’d been tall, by a few inches at most, in Lhavit the people were generally smaller and slighter – aside from her skin tone and demeanour, the girl fit right in. He was immediately spotted for an outsider when he walked through the cities streets. She turned on her heel and walked off, back along the sheltered pathway that she had entered the courtyard through. The route they took quickly seemed odd to Emeric, he wasn’t familiar with the city but they often swerved off the main spiralling paths, or crossed straight over them – and then eventually looped back to them. As they prowled the sunlit city, he watched the girl as she clung to the walls of alleys, stuck to the shade in the wider berths. Animalistic, neither predator, not prey – to Emeric, it just seemed like she was carrying caution with her as a fundamental part of her character. Her arms embodying the curiosity and kinship she appeared to have with all things under the domain of Caiyha, constantly floating away to brush across the flowers and weeds alike as they passed. Rising up through the peaks, the pair travelled in a companionable silence. Barely noticed by the sparse Shinya who prowled the streets. When Emeric emerged into the grand square, his gaze was immediately drawn to the great building which dominated its surroundings. One of the many temples which dotted the city of Lhavit, each dedicated to a different art, or god, or colour shoe for all Emeric knew – to his untrained eyes they all appeared the same. The pair, however, veered in the opposite direction – to a more modest structure entirely but teeming with an energy that was on the edge of Emeric’s perception. The great glass dome that was a characteristic of the city full of leaves and flowers and fruits. A handcrafted sign hung above the door, All Thing’s Wild. It seemed appropriate to Emeric. She passed through it without a second glance, but he lingered for a moment to examine the building – large, sprawling. A veritable mosaic of glass and stone, teeming with plants and high above small birds darting in and out of the windows. He pushed open the door, only to be confronted by another – a feature Emeric thought unique to fortresses. So he pushed through the next door, and had to physically step back. The heat was almost stifling, the great glass letting Syna flood the room with heat and the walls allowing none of it to escape on the wind. He had to slip the cloak of his shoulders, and even then was too hot, so he yanked at a pair of straps and slid the armour over his head, sword and lyre still attached. Even in his linen shirt he could feel the trickle of sweat along his back, and his nose was overwhelmed by the scents. Untrained, he couldn’t pick out a single odour, merely swimming in the heady mix of plants, herbs probably, spices possibly. Holding his possessions in his hands, he called ahead to the girl. “I don’t even know you’re name.” He peered ahead, as she was partially obscured by one of the many trees which reached high up to the glass dome, with great leaves trailing down and brushing his head as he passed. He wasn’t sure if she heard him, as she seemed to be chatting away happily with a group of birds high above. This was definitely up there as one of the most peculiar places Emeric had ever been. He walked on, briefly stopping as a frog passed under his foot. This was a place of nature, and humans were merely visitors. In every corner there were roughly hewn shelves and tables covered in small bottles and jars and even ground up materials sitting without label. He had an inkling that she knew the names, properties and histories of most everything he could see. For the best part of two years Emeric had been living in the wilderness between cities, encamped beneath mountains, beside great lakes and rivers, in light woods and grasslands and even thick forests with trees as high as the eye could see. Never had been in such a hot and exotic place, but he knew he could adjust. It was a welcome relief from the deeply spiritual people of Lhavit, almost as if he had left the city entirely. The heat, though, was of a level of that in the desert but seemed to stick to you and surround you. He could feel the moisture in the air crawling along his skin. She welcomed him, and seemed quietly hopeful that he’d stay. For Emeric, it was too good a chance to pass up, to be given such a place to stay with little else asked of him but his company – sour though it could occasionally be. She motioned upwards and he noticed the staircase to his left, crafted into the wall and climbing up to a platform which lined the top of the atrium. Up there he assumed the humidity wouldn’t be so cloying, with open windows to allow the birds to come and go as they pleased. “With pleasure.” He replied, nodding slightly – echoing the statement drilled into him by his years indentured. His eyes darting to every disturbance in the flora, as the animals she mentioned went about their business. Emeric placed his belongings on one of the few empty tables beside a tree covered in vines. “Guess I’ll be sticking around for a few more days, at least.” Her eyes seemed to widen at the inflection. “Don’t worry though, I’ll give you fair warning when I’m getting itchy feet.” Even his hands were beginning to become uncomfortably hot, so he slipped off the gloves and dropped them with his other things, exposing the half-sun brand to the heat of the place.

[Haeli]

When he called out to her, she stopped, retraced her steps, and seemed to hesitate approaching him for a moment before she actually did so. Again, her eyes flicked from his toes to his eyes and Emeric could see that she was once again thinking he was big. "I'm sorry. I know names are important. Mine is Haeli. May I have yours as well?" He had less clothing on now, perhaps due to the heat, and her eyes flicked across him curiously. They rested on the marking on the back of his hand for a moment and then moved on, as if she acknowledged it but didn't know what it meant. It would be important when and if he made it important or when her curiosity and familiarity with him grew enough for her to ask him what it meant.

She started to speak, then hesitated a moment. Haeli met his eyes again, still a wild thing even in this place she'd made her own, uncertain how to say some of the things she needed or wanted to say to him. It wasn't because she was afraid, it was simply because she didn't know how. Plants and animals were easier than humans. She'd been conversing with them all her life.

"I want... you to feel... comfortable here. Safe. I know how to help things that fly and climb and grow green feel comfortable. It's easy. I touch them and I know because we speak the same language. With you, I want the same thing, but it is not easy. This language is harder. I need someone..." The next part was even harder for her to articulate. Words were not as easy as thoughts and feelings transmitted through touch.

"I need someone to help me understand, sometimes, what is meant or done or .... " She paused, looking pained. Reaching out, she offered to take his cloak and the chest piece she'd removed. "Come, this would be easier upstairs in the place for people." Haeli turned, leading him carefully up the stairs. As they rose, it gave him a birds-eye view of the conservatory that gave him a new appreciation for its size and the extent of the garden out back which could be viewed through the glass walls. The stairs ended on a sort of mezzanine that attached to the brick portion of the building. It was a low slung stone floored place that harbored a hearth tucked into a low wall. A couch and chair faced the hearth, seeming to pin down a sheepskin rug between them which added a splash of white to the floor. An archway lead off to two doors down a short hall. Haeli opened one to show him a room with a large bed, another small hearth, and a larger wardrobe. It looked unused for the most part. "My sleeping place." She said. Then she opened the other door, where there was a narrower bed and a room half the size. There was a bed, dresser, nightstand, and trunk at its foot... as well as a handy stand that looked like it could be used for armor, but was most likely used to dry clothing. Upon seeing it, he could tell she'd knocked out a wall between two rooms on the opposite side of the hall to make the place bigger. A second door further down the hall graced either side. One he'd bet let into her room as well, while the other most likely lead into an identical room as his own. "You can stay here?" She said, leaving it a question. There were no locks on any of the doors, and he could see the end of the hall had another doorway that probably lead to a high vantage of the garden below. Two escape routes, for certain, though one far more obvious than the other.

It was enormously cooler up here as well, the windows letting in a breeze, and allowing the humidity below to escape. Haeli let him settle, and retreated back down the hallway to the couch. She settled on the floor, back to the couch, legs stretched out on the sheepskin rug. It was almost as if the furniture was supposed to be there, but she wasn't quite used to using it yet.

When he rejoined her, she finished her thought of earlier. "It would be helpful to me, to fulfill a need, to be able to have someone who knows what other people are like to ask when people do things I don't understand. I need this help, sometimes badly - for my customers or just for trying to go down the street and purchase cloth. I would be grateful to you if you would answer questions sometimes, in exchange for sheltering here for as long as you'd like. I do.. not cook. I'm trying to learn, but it is not like see others doing. You'll have to feed yourself because I forage a lot, or hunt in other shapes that are stronger than this one. That is all I want from you. But it is something I need badly, of someone, but I would like it to be you. That is why I asked you to come here." She said, looking at him thoughtfully. It had been a hard thing to say, and an ever harder thing to ask.

[Emeric]

The living area was incredibly alluring to Emeric, hidden amongst the canopy of plants and trees which thrust upwards through the building. It was comfortable, natural and above all else – cool. He took a step towards the edge, and leaned over the barrier to look down at the shop below. The counter and alcoves completely obscured from sight, if not for the floor it was like looking down onto the floor of a forest. Complete with critters darting in and out of view. A bird fluttered over and settled on a branch not far from him, quirking its head in curiosity. He was a newcomer to this place, and clearly some of the locals had taken an interest. Haeli, was her name. Not unheard of, or at least he thought, he recognised it as a name, but couldn’t recall meeting anyone who went by it. From city to city the names varied wildly, he’d met some for whom he couldn’t even pronounce – and found it a small blessing that hers was simple. He was not like to forget. “I am called Emeric.” He replied. I am called, not, my name is. For truly – he didn’t know what his name was, and for the longest time he had gone simply by the name of a dead slave he had come to replace. The door she opened led to a room, sparsely furnished he noted. But not a bad thing, it seemed cleaner and more comfortable than most inns he’d stayed in. She left his belongings on the precipice of what would now be his room, and he had to check himself for how sudden the day had turned into an opportunity – for both parties. He placed his armour onto the stand, and draped his cloak haphazardly across it. The sword and lyre he left at the edge of the bed. The lack of locks showed a high level of trust from the girl, though how she spoke he did wonder how often she actually slept in the room she called her own. He left the room, which was now his own, and appeared back on the platform. Haeli had chosen to forgo the chairs and sofas and sit simply on the rug, sheepskin – thick and warm. Glancing around, he made note of the doors, windows, furniture. Where he’d run if he needed to run, where he’d hide if he needed to hide. He settled down on the rug, beside Haeli. He leant back against the sofa, and glanced beside him to the girl. “I’d be honoured, then, to assist you on this journey of yours. Though, as you yourself say, I may not be the most typical human – what you learn from me may well be useless when dealing with others.” He spoke slowly, as was his normal habit – he felt they both preferred to say what they meant, however long it took. There was a struggle on her face, and raging through her – which he could see clearly. And it was not like to be over soon, her entire existence in this city was a struggle, and approaching him had been just one hurdle of many he assumed would be laid in her path before she could complete what it was she had come to do. His hand reached up, again out of habit, and brushed through his hair. “You forage?” He asked, “In the Windy Peaks, or do you often pluck from the gardens of Lhavit? I’d like to see the Peaks, if you’d care for the company, but then – you may well wish to hunt alone.” He had yearned to explore the vast bluffs and valleys of forest, but he’d quickly been discouraged by the Shinya, who told stories of bandits, and Symenestra and Dhani who preyed on unprepared travellers. In the most carnal part of his mind, much to his sorrow, there was also a wish to bear steel again. To clash against an opponent and have no other focus but that of the will to survive. He had no wish to harm anyone out of malice, but he had never felt so alive as when he was as close to death. Until he found something greater to drive him onwards, he felt, the yearning for conflict would stay – settled in the recesses of his thoughts.

[Haeli]

She watched him as he approached and sat down. His body language told her he was more comfortable, a bit more relaxed, than he'd seemed before. For that she was glad of, for nervousness was a catching emotion, one that ran through all the thinking creatures seemingly at one time. Here was her safety though, her lair, and she wanted to be comfortable in it at all times even with strangers present. But she wanted those strangers comfortable as well.

"I like what you are called. It is easy for me to say... and suits you." She said when he returned.

The denizens of All Things Wild were free to come and go as they pleased, and quite a few of them came to get a good look at the new comer as he lounged on the floor with Haeli. That he settled next to her was a surprise, but not an uncomfortable one. She reached out and touched his leg with a bare foot, gently bumping it before retreating. Her kidskin boots were discarded by the top of the stairs. The touch was brief, almost as if to reassure herself he was real, and then she settled once more, head perfectly positioned against the seat of the couch. The fire was nearby, though the hearth was empty. Then all but one window would be closed against the cold and snow and a roaring fire would keep the area warm. Haeli often slept there, stretched on the rug, in whatever form was most comfortable at the time. Beds had little appeal to her, though she knew what they were for and sometimes did use them. It was just so convenient to sleep where and when one was tired at rather than reserving a time and place for such things.

"I do both. I know stealing is wrong, but people don't see the bounty in their yards and gardens and the trees don't mind if I take fruit. But I hunt too Emeric. I can show you the places I know. I was going to go out tonight and hunt as Fang because there is no meat here now, and one needs meat to survive. I'll hunt, make a kill or two, and then bathe in a pond thats heated by the mountain. I would not mind the company. But hunting is better just before dark when the rabbits are bolder and out eating. We have time still, before we would need to leave." She said. "If you go with me, I won't have to shift in the woods, where it is dangerous and cold. I can shift here and make a collar so that people will think I belong to you and no one will ask questions if you leave the city with a jaguar, even though there are no swamp cats here. There is nothing really dangerous out there I've found yet. Maybe as we get warmer more things will come up the mountain, but so far there is not a whole lot I've found to be afraid of yet. I don't like being alone, so I'd welcome the company. I've been alone my whole life, Emeric." She added as if this was something everyone did or knew about.

"What about you? What do you like to hunt for or eat? Perhaps we can go after larger things if there are two of us, and one with steel for that matter." She said, half turning towards him, wondering about trying to take on a boar, though cautious because there was easier game to be had.

[Emeric]

His eyes darted over to the approaching and retreat of her foot, like a kitten with a ball of twine for the first time – sizing up how best to play with it. There was warmth, and the vaguest scent of life, emanating from the rug they sat on. Despite the unconventional nature of the girl’s home, and the unconventional nature of the girl herself, the room they sat in was at once reassuring and comfortable. “Fang?” He asked, intrigued. She had alluded to her abilities in their conversations, which he had done his level best to appear casual and not at all in awe of the girl who could slip between skins like clothes. A jaguar, she said – and he had to laugh. A deep and loud laugh at the incredulity of her idea. “I’m not sure what kind of people you’ve been hanging around with… but most humans don’t keep jaguars as pets. Hell, I’ll do it just to see the look on the guards face.” But even through the laughter she was tinged with a certain sadness, which he could relate to uncomfortably keenly. Loneliness, though often self-imposed, was never a nice place for one’s mind to rest – it had eaten away at him through many cold nights, and occasionally driven him to seek companionship in the most disreputable of places. He couldn’t imagine what kind of things travelled through her mind, having spent so much of it with only the company of birds and the critters of the wild for company. The invitation was a tempting one, to leave the city which had begun to stifle him already – despite the clear advantages to staying. In his travels he had often watched the hunters in their group, leaving quietly on their own, reappearing at dawn with a deer across their shoulders, or a string of rabbits along their belt. A few times he’d watched as they tracked an animal and made the kill, and he knew that he wasn’t fleet enough of foot or steady enough with blade or bow to match them. Hunting with a jaguar was an entirely different proposition, though. “Lead the way, Haeli. Though I fear I may be more of a liability, perhaps we should steer clear of anything that could do us too much damage.” His hand slid down to his waist, where the small hunting knife was tucked away. Useful, if they were to catch something, to skin the creature. Designed with practicality in mind rather than combat the knife hadn’t often been used, but the overzealous vendor had assured him it was the finest knife he would ever see.

[Haeli]

Haeli was at ease with the man. It was an unusual feeling, one that was unexpected, and reinforced the decision to invite him to stay. She was as comfortable with him as she was with Brig even though he had things like swords and secrets, whereas the kelvic had no such complications. Talking to him was easy, but understanding what he said wasn't exactly always the case. His words though, about the look on the guards face, confused her though she nodded anyhow. "Yes.." Haeli said, adding a simple affirmation to his discourse. Her face betrayed her though because it always read like a book and in that instant it mirrored her confusion. She had no idea what a pet was, nor why humans would keep a jaguar as one.

Usually understanding was hard for the most part, not just with him but with everyone, and was a skill she was decidedly getting better at the more exposure to humans she had. It took practice though, with people willing to talk to her. Haeli wondered if Emeric would stay long enough to enjoy a few quiet fall nights by the fire and if he'd talk to her about all the things she longed to ask him. She also wondered why Caiyha lead her to him, to where he was playing, and if there was something she could do for him. Haeli knew all about trading and the giving and taking of things. She wondered if he did as well. Most likely her Goddess knew there was something Haeli could do for Emeric. Haeli just had to figure out what that was. She already knew what he could do for her.

Haeli stretched, rolled her head sideways and smiled at Emeric. He wanted to go hunting, did he? Well, Fang could certainly help. "Alright. But bring your steel, both the one you think to hide at your waist and the longer one, the sword. I can't talk to you when I am what I will become, but I can try and protect you and I can certainly understand what you say." She said thoughtfully and then sat up, the lazy languid body posture gone suddenly. Without a second thought she reached down and laid her hands on the belt holding her sleeveless tunic snugly to her waist. The witch fumbled with the leather for a few seconds before it fell away. Then grabbing the material of the tunic hem in both hands, she gathered it and pulled it up over hear head, baring her torso to him. The nudity didn't seem to bother her at all, for her hands slipped back down to her waist and pulled at the drawstring holding her leggings on and released their waist. In one solid motion, she lifted her hips still sitting down and pulled the lower half of her garments free, baring herself completely to him. The clothes went in a loose pile beside her and she drew a singular breath, deeply, concentrating.

It was certain that Emeric had seen other women without their clothing, but Haeli didn't have the body most brothel women or city folks did. Usually they were overly padded with rounded full breasts and softness everywhere. Either that or they had a profusion of ribs and were so skinny their hips jutted out revealing the poverty they tended to live in within larger cities. Haeli was neither. Her body was corded with muscle, slim and sleek, that spoke of a life of abundance yet constant motion. There was no excess fat or softness on her. The sleekness of her body spoke of quiet strength and dedication to running and roaming free. She was not groomed like a professional woman would be, probably not knowing that most city dwellers trimmed excess hair and decorated their bodies with jewelry and tattoos designed to entice and allure. She wasn't flawless though. Her body had a few scars, some in the form of claw marks, some even stranger, though nothing that would be out of place on a child that grew too adulthood in a swamp running with the rest of the beasts there. She had breasts enough that no one would ever mistake her for anything but a strong healthy young woman, though like the rest of her there was no excess fullness or brothel-suitable softness there either. Haeli, even without her clothing, had the same unconscious grace of something wild. In fact, stripped of her human clothes, her feralness seemed even more pronounced.

She gave him one last long trusting look that held no hint of shyness or embarrassment, closed her eyes, and began to change. Once, when she was smaller, her changes had been awkward, in stages that involved molding her hands and feet first, then her head, and finally her torso. Once, it had taken her a full ten minutes or longer to find Fangs shape within her own. Now though, she was better at it, smoother, and while he watched she shapeshifted fluidly, her body slowly switching from human to big cat. Nude flesh went from deeply tanned skin to molted patterns of tan with black rosettes. Her jaw and head reshaped, ears elongated along with her neck, and her entire bone structure rearranged itself. The air around her was tinged with a tang that maybe someone knowledgable in magic would recognize as powerful djed at work. She shifted her stance, making room for a tail that was growing where her rump was pressed down on the white rug, and feet became paws, hands shifting to match. Fur sprouted and so too did long teeth.

The whole process took no longer than five minutes, but he could see where she said it would be dangerous. She couldn't stop once started and was vulnerable to predation and capture while preoccupied with her shifting. When she was done, a jaguar - sleek and small - crouched where the girl had once been. It was brilliantly patterned with golden fur and black rosettes. Gold eyes, wholly Haeli's, stared back at him as her tail began to lash. She yawned, revealing a moth full of teeth and stretched. Unlike a normal jaguar's paws, her cat form's paws had huge splayed out pads on her feet coated with hair that seemed to make them look awkward and huge even as she figited. They would be excellent for running across wet soil or mud, something profusely found in the Swamps, but perhaps not as useful on the city streets they had to traverse too in order to get out of the city.

Haeli seemed to be done, then huffed a little frustrated and began concentrating again. The fur around her neck elongated, wove itself together, and reshapped its structure until it looked fairly close to a large collar.
Haeli rose then, stretched, and butted her head up against his arm huffing eagerly as if she'd just now decided the hunt sounded fun and she was eager to get too it.

She'd wait for him to rise, gather the things he might need, then she'd lead her way out of All Things Wild, leading him onto the streets heading for the main gate and some of the hunting trails beyond. Haeli had no intention of going for big game. Rabbits, mice, an occasional small deer or two were all Jaguars managed easily. She had no idea if Emeric knew that or not, but he was about to find out.

[Emeric]

Emeric rose at once, shaking his head ever so slightly at the brazen act he had just witnessed. Before him now, where once had been a peculiar young woman, was now a true creature of the wilds. As she had removed her clothes he found himself caught in a quandary, torn between propriety and interest. The tunic dropped to the floor and she gave him a look, which he struggled to place – but sensing no ulterior motive he remained quiet and took in the scene. As she slipped off her breeches he could do nothing but look up towards the domed glass above and studied one of the birds intently. In the failings of a man, however, his eyes were quickly drawn back to her. Unblemished, and toned, she sat there – more wild than ever. The gnosis upon her leg entirely clear, and only serving to add to the image of the wildling. Time trickled by ever so slowly as his mind emptied of the personality of the girl and he was drawn into the purely physical attraction he could feel. From his chest a heat began to spread upwards, crawling up his neck and onto his face – he forced himself to look toward the fireplace and draw a long breath. Emeric had only begun to regain his composure, when the girl began to change. The very skin she lived in seemed to shimmer with a movement he couldn’t quite track. His eyes darted around her body, as the skin darkened and changed in texture, and across the limbs and up her face – almost silently, the very bones within her seemed to mold into an entirely different form. The process was subtle, yet swift. Within minutes he was sat beside a jaguar, two or three times the size of the biggest cat he’d seen. Lithe, and looking at him with disarming intelligence – reminding him immediately that inside was a girl he had spent the day with. He had never seen a jaguar in the wild before, but had seen the pelt of one in a market – distinctive, even then. And instantly recognisable now. As he rose he brought up images in his mind of what he imagined her childhood to have been like, living and breathing alongside creatures such as this. Emeric had heard many different stories on the extent and capabilities of different schools of magic, mostly hear’say and general tavern nonsense – but the prevailing knowledge was that morphing required intense studying of the form they would morph into. Which meant that Haeli had spent time and effort tracking and living in the vicinity of real jaguars, and Caiyha knows what other animals she could turn into. He walked across the rug they sat on, and across the wooden floor to the room which was now his own. The armour sat undisturbed but catching the light in the most particular fashion that made it so distinctive for Emeric, he threw on the chest piece and strapped it up with timeworn speed. Barely any weight added to his body, the armour which offered remarkable protection and was made in ways beyond Emeric’s comprehension, and which generally cost an arm and a leg. He quickly strapped on the arm and leg guards and slung the sword over his back, harnessing it with practiced ease. He checked all his strapping’s once over, drawing the blade out a little to loosen the sheath and give him that extra split second which could mean the difference between life and death. He then slung the cloak over his shoulders and left the lyre sitting at the end of the bed. Back in the landing, which he thought would be an apt name for the strange room owing to the number of birds which landed upon the balustrade for a brief rest. He caught the eye of Haeli. The honest eyes he’d been fascinated by earlier, which had seemingly been the only part of her not to change entirely – though their shape and position had shifted into more feline territory. He nodded toward the stairs and she immediately tore off, with the speed and grace of the animal she inhabited and he followed at a brisk walk – already mindful of the weight of his footsteps in the wild and attempting to lighten the weight he put into each step. The pair quickly exited the incredible shop and began weaving their way through the city, down towards one of the gates which led out to the Misty Peaks. In many respects, Emeric noticed, the jaguar wasn’t suited to the city streets – which were clear of many obstacles and flat enough to make the large splayed paws more of a burden. He had no doubt that once out into the wilderness she would be ranging away at incredible speeds and would be able to sneak upon him without a single clue. As they came to the gate she slowed up and fell into step with him, the trio of guards were immediately alert and gripped their swords with anxiety. One, who was barely older than Haeli, looked on with wide eyes and his mouth in an obscene “O” shape. “Halt! Foreigner, what is this?!” The more senior guard spat, in Lhavit tinged common. Emeric approached as casually as he could manage, “Relax, she’s with me.” He gestured an open palm to Haeli, who stopped in her tracks and regarded the men before them. “You’re taking the idea of a guard dog a little far, traveller.” Said the other, “Mind that pet when you’re in the city, the customs and laws of Lhavit don’t look kindly on you parading wild beasts through our streets.” “We’re leaving your streets, now.” Emeric replied diplomatically. “Well then don’t expect as warm a welcome if you intend to return, the Shinya aren’t all as accommodating as us.” The guards stepped aside and motioned for Emeric and Haeli to exit the city, as they passed by the younger one called out. “What’s she called?” Emeric’s mind froze up as his legs kept walking onwards, catching himself from saying Haeli. For all he knew she was well known amongst the denizens of Lhavit, and awkward questions may be sent her way. Summoning the little creativity he had, and coming up blank, he called back. “Cat.” He barked, without a hint of irony. NoteDo you want to finish this thread, and start another in the Windy Peaks?