Honoring the promise (Rista)

[Kikue]

Timestamp: 3rd day of Fall 511 AV Kikue had never forgotten the promise she had made with the small Yasi. She was hoping that the little girl had remembered their promise as well and would be there. As the Avora huntress approached the gates, she saw that the mongrel wasn't there yet and was slightly dissapointed. She got to the gatekeeper and looked at him, memories of her and her master went through her mind. She always liked remembering him. Even though he had been strict with her, he was always kind and not once showed that he had regret taking her on as an apprentice. "I'm looking for a Yasi, about my size with eyes black as the night. Do you know where I can find her?" The man looked back at her and smiled. He remembered her as the Yasi that always looked out for the hunt with her master. And now she was here as a fully.... well grown he couldn't call her, woman. Smiling at her, he replied kind: "I'm sure this girl will come here, but I'm not sure when. By the way, are you planning on heading out much in fall as well? Because it might be a bit rougher around these parts again." The small woman smiled back at him and replied: "Not sure yet, but I will head out to hunt in a week. Untill then I think I'll stay here in Wind Reach for a change. Need to train with a Falcon sword master again." She was a little happy that the old man had always been friendly and never seemed to name her by her caste, just as she liked it. "I want to train that girl you see. She's quite interested in the Falcon and I think she could learn it quickly, probably faster then I did.", the last part she said a little jealous, but what the heck? It was just fun to teach someone who's willing to learn.

[Rista]

It wasn't that she had forgotten the promise to be taught the Talon. It wasn't that she wasn't expecting the woman to return either; while their meeting hadn't been long enough to leave a very strong impression on the girl, Rista didn't think that the short red-head was one to succumb easily, to nature or whatever feeling of wanting to escape that she might be having. As far as the yasi knew, it wasn't in the nature of the Inarta to run away; she certainly had never been one to give up without trying, and she hoped that it was a trait that ran through the blood of all the people in the city.

No, the thing that kept the girl from spending the entire day at the Gate was quite simple. A yasi rarely had time to spend on their own volition, and this was true for Rista as well. She'd barely had time to return from the hunt with Fois Endal, and already she felt duty calling from all around. Kovac Avora probably wanted her to stop by and tell how she had fared with the bow in action, she had lessons with her comrades and then there was bendi to take care of; it was with a slightly wild glimpse in her eyes the short girl rushed through the warrens, trying to both unpack and work and keep an eye on the sun, eagerly awaiting the smallest chance to get away.

Dinnertime was the window of opportunity she had waited for. Only stopping by the kitchens to snatch a piece of warm pie from a passing tray along with an apple, the girl hurried off along the steep stairs and corridors that led up to the gate. She ate as she walked, chewing the food as fast as she could; it was a shame to hurry, it was a mushroom and meat pie after all, with a nice crispy crust. The grease ran down the chin and made her fingers sticky, and for a while her thoughts simply circled the delicious taste and texture... Then the food was gone, and the girl wiped her mouth with the back of the hand and the hand on her dark bryda, trying to tidy herself up a bit before she reached the gate.

Saving the apple for later, she was slightly out of breath as she finally pushed the gate open from the inside, eagerly looking around to see if the Avora was there yet. Eyes falling on the short woman, a grin broke out on the girls face and she hurried out, making sure to greet old man Val properly before turning her attention to the teacher.

"Welcome home, Kikue" she smiled, the cheeks a bit flushed from her effort of walking around for so long. "I'm sorry for being late, I had a lot to do before I managed to get here.." Feeling something trickling slowly down the chin, the girl guiltily wiped away the pie from her face. The girl twisted a bit, embarrassed as she heard the gatekeeper chortle in amusement. So what, she had to eat something, right? It wasn't her fault that there was food to be had every time she had met the old man lately... It was his idea, his bribe to make her study Tawna. It did not mean she was gluttonous. Right?

[Kikue]

Kikue was having a great time talking to the gatekeeper, she had totally forgotten time as she chattered about what had happend up to then. After hearing the gates squeak a little from someone pushing them open, she diverted her attention to it and got a nice surprise. She saw the mongrel Yasi coming out and couldn't hide her joy. The girl seemed healthy and held an apple in her hand. "Oh right, it's already dinnertime. The time really flies when one is having fun.", she thought. "Hey Rista, I've returned safely as you can see. And I can see you're healthy and with a good appitite.", she chuckled lightly as she had seen Rista wipe away a some pie. "I guessed something like that, but don't worry. I had a good time talking to old man Val here. Mostly how I've been holding out nowadays. He knew my master pretty well and we came by him alot, sometimes stopping for a chatter, though I was always trying to get a move on it." The old man gave Kikue a small kick against her lower leg and said reprimanding, but with smiling eyes: "Ey I'm not that old, call me seasoned." Kikue minced a little as she got kicked, but couldn't surpress a smile at his remark. She then turned back to Rista and asked: "Well, how have you been? Found a master yet?" She suspected that she had, but she had to make sure. Standing up, she picked up her bow again and put it on her back, her Talon sword hang from her hip. Slowly walking over, the Avora then asked: "Well, are you still interested in learning the Talon? I don't have much knowledge yet, but I'm planning on training a bit more during Fall, so I'll be here alot more nowadays. Right now I've planned to stay here for at least a week." She scratched herself behind her head as she wondered how she was going to get through it, but that was a concern for later on. She'd just have to go to the training area alot, and perhaps go to the valintar to ask if there was a Talon trainer free.

[Rista]

Hiding her embarrassment behind a grin as she watched the banter between the gatekeeper and Kikue, the girl soon listened eagerly as the Avora began to talk to her about the training. The question made her shrug a little, not even sure herself what the answer to that was.

"I couldn't say" she replied, falling in next to the other as they walked; at a distance they would look almost like a pair of yasi girls slacking off after dinner, what with their short stature. Only when taking in the more mature Kikue and the talon dangling from her hip would it be possible to tell their ages apart... "I've begun to take lessons in archery from Kovac Avora, and just a few days ago I was taken on a hunt by an Endal.. None of them has said anything outright about taking me in though. I don't know if they will either, I'm really just glad to have something to do."

Perhaps that wasn't quite true; or at least it wasn't the whole truth. It was just too long of a story to talk about the meeting with Fois and Seleer and how the eagle had spoken to her, and her meetings with Kovac had proven both random and confusing a lot of the time.. Rista couldn't help but to feel hopeful though. Along with Kikue, that was three highly ranked persons that had taken time for her, and it couldn't be that much of a coincidence. In the darkest corners of her mind, the black-eyed girl wanted to think that it still was some hope for her, some way of her remaining in Wind Reach. The thought of leaving, of going off to the deserts of Ekytol to get to know her Chaktawe blood had been thoroughly suppressed for now, as had the fact that Seleer, bonded to Fois had discarded her as a hopeless case. It was gloomy things to think about, confusing and frightening, and along with a dream she'd had not too many nights ago her head was too full of impressions. It just wasn't possible to consider it all at once, she'd go mad if she tried.

Instead of letting herself stray deeper into her thoughts, Rista tried to focus on Kikue and her speculations. A thin eyebrow was raised, and while playing a game of toss-and-catch with the fruit, the little yasi commented on the womans words.

"Instead of you taking lessons and then teaching me, wouldn't it be more practical if we just learned together? It's not that I think you wouldn't do a great job; I still remember some of the things you taught me at the beginning of summer. It'd save time though, and frankly I don't have a lot of that right now..." She caught the apple on her hand again and smiled faintly at the woman.

It seemed like the girl had matured a little since last time they met. A lot of things had happened during the summer, Rista had many things on her mind and it showed; there was a thoughtfulness that hadn't been there before, and a somewhat stressed gleam in her eyes. She was only too aware of the fact that she only had half a year left on her time as a yasi; it seemed too short no matter how she looked at it, and then all the Endal in the Reach could line up and offer her apprenticeship. Only two seasons, and then her fate would be decided. Dek or no dek.. it was really the only thing she cared about. If she ended up Chiet or Endal really didn't matter at this point, as long as she managed to escape the short and hard life as a drudge.

[Kikue]

The avora smiled a little, maybe she could take this girl on as an apprentice. But she wasn't sure at all if she could properly train her. Shaking off her doubt, she replied sincere: "Well, once the day arrives when they have to assign you, make sure to drop by the gates again. I'll make sure I'll be there by then so that we could announce that I'll take you on as an apprentice." She wasn't sure why, but this girl seemed to have changed quite a bit already. Toying around with her fruit looked as if she had something on her mind, but the Avora didn't really want to pry. Well, this girl should have her reasons. If she wants to share her trouble, I'll listen." The huntress blushed a little as Rista pointed out that it would be easier to just train together. She nodded, but thought of how stupid she was not having thought of that. "Oh yeah......... of course. That would be a lot easier. And I'm sorry to hear that you have so little free time now. Well, just give the gatekeeper a message when you want to meet and where. I'll get it then." Thinking for a second, she then asked: "If you aren't to busy right now, would you want to join me for dinner? I haven't had a proper meal since morning. I usually tend to forget lunch and I'm rather hungry right now." The Avora wasn't sure whether the Yasi would take on her offer, but she just didn't want to spend her dinner alone right now.

[Rista]

Rista nodded quietly and returned her eyes to herself almost guiltily, sensing what might be a slight disappointment hiding behind the womans words. It really wasn't her intention to reject the offer; quite to opposite, she'd love to learn to use the Talon properly. It was just... Wielding a sword or learning how to hunt with bow and arrow, or making use of herself during classes and bendi, she was quite aware of what was more valuable. The sword was important, sure, but not when it came to impressing eventual masters. She wanted to learn and this opportunity was too great to turn down. But if she could save a ten-day between practice, without waiting for Kikue to both learn from a master and rehearsing enough to be able to teach it properly, then she would. The faster she got to a point where she could start practicing on her own without a teacher, the better it was.

Passing in through the gates and down along the same stairs and corridors she had been hurrying up from just chimes ago, Rista enjoyed the slower pace and the chance to catch her breath. She nodded in acceptance of the suggestion, knowing that it'd be the best for herself to do it like this; why did it have to feel like she was letting the woman down? Surely she remembered how it was to spend the last year as a yasi? Then again, maybe not. She'd had a master after all, perhaps she'd been picked out earlier.

The sudden question startled the girl a little, and she couldn't help but stare at Kikue for a moment, to make sure she wasn't joking. "Really?" she said incredulous and almost dropped the apple down a set of stairs. "But yasi dinner isn't going to be for another bell or two, are you sure it's okay? Besides, I already sneaked that pie.."

Her belly growled a bit just as she said that, as if trying to prove her wrong. That small slice hadn't done her any good at all, really. Just served as an appetizer, and to be honest the girl was hungry. It was a tempting offer, but the woman would have to reconfirm if for Rista to really believe it. It was rare to be offered food, so far the only ones to do it had been Valtrrrik and Fois... and they always demanded something in return, whether it be her attention or the answer to some strange question. They were quite good at questioning the both of them, to be honest.

[Kikue]

The Avora couldn't help but chuckle a little as she heard the stomache of the Yasi grumble. She really liked this kid. "Of course I'm sure. I don't joke usually. Besides, I think your stomache is trying to tell you that you should just take up on the offer.", the tone in her voice was slightly amused as she found it a bit funny that the Yasi didn't believe her. Thinking about what Kikue should do for the night, she wanted to know if the mongrel would object to it if she decided to stay over. The Avora kept shaking her head as they kept walking towards the communal kitchens, which soon appeared in sight. The small woman then mustered up her courage and asked: "Would you mind if I crash at your place for the time being? Otherwise I'll have to camp out a bit. I've never really cared for a living place here." She sounded a bit insecure, mostly because she thought that the Yasi would object as any sane person would in her eyes. Entering the kitchens, one of the cooks on duty greeted her. "Ey Kikue Avora, here to get some rations for another trip? Or..... a normal dinner for a change?", he said jokingly after seeing Rista. "Could you spare two dinners then? One for this girl as well.", she asked him. "Okay, two dinners coming right up. Go on and take place in the hall, I'll bring it in a bit. You're lucky that you always take way less then what you're allotted, but then again I can understand it. It's a bit hard to carry all that food with you during the hunt right?", he asked a little too free. Clacking her tongue, the Avora gave him a pained smile: "Yes, but a large strong guy like you wouldn't have a problem with that now would you?" After that she walked to the hall and sat at one of the tables.

[Rista]

She pressed the hands against her belly in a vague attempt to silence the embarrassing sound and grinned sheepishly. The woman was quite right, it was a silly thing to object; Rista did it none the less, mostly to make sure that it wasn't just something she heard wrong. With being stated beyond doubt that she actually was welcome to join, she quickly stopped protesting and fell in next to Kikue once more, making sure to keep the pace up and not be left behind on the way to the large dining hall.

When the question of housing came up, Rista couldn't help but frown a little. Throwing a sideways glance at the older person, she wondered what this was about; she was Avora, wasn't she? One word to the Valintar and she would be able to get a room of her own; a nice big room too, with furniture and a large bed... Why would she ever prefer crashing with someone else?

"Sure, if you want to" she answered thoughtfully, not very inclined to reject the surprisingly modest request - she still felt guilty for changing the terms of the training, and didn't want to cause further disappointment. "It's just me that lives in it though, so it's quite small and cramped... You have to give me some time to clean up my mess too."

A hint of laughter came to her voice at the last part, and a wry grin was granted to the other as they passed into the diner. Rista never received any guests, and so she never felt a need to keep the room cleaner than that she could find the things she was looking for. Her belongings were mostly scattered over the floor where they were easy to see and easy to reach; to others it might look like utter chaos, but the yasi knew exactly where everything could be found.

Rista fell behind a bit as they gained the attention of one of the cooks, and let Kikue do the talking. Listening only with half an ear to the exchange of words, the girl looked around curiously, trying to see what the difference of the room could stem from. It was the same grand hall as always, filled with benches and tables carved from the rock itself, the same roof and with the same alluring scent of food hovering in the air. It took a while for her to figure out why it felt so different from what she was used to; there were no yasi around, as far as she could see. A few persons around her own age or slightly older might be apprenticed to the men and women that sat scattered around the room, and sometimes the rare dek would come walking past, performing some duty given by the eating persons. The volume was much more quiet than she was used to, there was a calm dignity to the air, and Rista felt herself relaxing into it. Was this how it felt to eat as an Avora? No fighting over the food, no bickering and gossiping... It was foolish, but as she followed Kikue to one of the tables the girl couldn't help but think that this was something she could get used to.

"Is it always this quiet?" she asked with lowered voice and sat down, very careful not to draw attention to herself by making any sudden noises. This was definitely not the right place to make a fool out of herself... A reminder made her look around the room once more, quietly trying to see if Kovac or Eoin was around somewhere. Probably not. They must be having other things to do.

[Kikue]

The Avora gave the mongrel a big smile. She was happy that she could sleep at her place right now. She avoided going to the Valintar like this as well. "Thanks. I'll help you clean up a bit, if you'd allow me that is, since I'm imposing on you." She chuckled a little. She could imagine that this Yasi wouldn't clean too much. She hadn't done it as well. Kikue looked around and shrugged. "I don't know to be honest. I don't come here too often. I usually just pick up my rations and then leave the city again.", she talked at normal volume, ignoring the other people. Leaning back she then said: "But I like the silence here. Feels more like I'm eating out in the wild." She followed Rista's look and thought to tease her for a second. "Looking for your lover?", she said with a sly smile. She put her elbows on the table, folded her hands together and leaned her chin on it as she leaned forward a little.

[Rista]

The eyes of the girl went wide and her head snapped back so she could stare at the other woman. "My what?" she said with incredulous tone. Her cheeks flushed, from surprise and from the strange thought of her being in that kind of relationship with either of her two acquaintances... That would be decidedly weird. There was embarrassment spreading over her face, and Rista shifted a bit on her seat, not sure what to say. "Kikue, how old do you think I am, really? I'm still a yasi, I don't have anything like.. like a lover. And even if I did, I rather doubt the person would be Avora."

The stray question seemed to have pushed on an awkward button with the girl. Rista had never thought much about romance; people usually were just nuisances to her, she never liked them enough to want to have them around all the time. And as far as the more physical parts went... No. She hadn't even thought about it, not really. There had been a few persons that made her feel weird and act strangely, but...

"I just know a few persons from your caste.. My archery teacher Kovac, and a man called Eoin. Don't know what he does for a living though, I just figured I might see them here..." She hadn't had the opportunity to ask the green-eyed man for any details. Their meetings had been strange and awkward, their attempts at friendship clumsy from both directions. She felt indebted to him, and she suspected that he still remembered about the time when he had gotten so mad that he had unwillingly hurt her... Rista had long since forgiven it, but the man was a strange one, for some reason clinging to emotions instead of just letting them out.

The subject felt a little too personal though, and as they waited for the food to arrive the dark-haired girl forced herself to keep her eyes to herself, instead staring the older woman down with intense and slightly mischievous eyes.

"How about yourself?" she tried to counter, hoping to shift the subject away from herself. "Don't you have anyone waiting for you? You're adult after all, you surely have to have someone..."
Rista's views on personal relationships were a bit strange. According to her, things automatically solved once people got old and got themselves a good job. If someone only had an occupation people would start treating you accordingly, love would come your way and everything would be peachy and good. It was fairly naive, but perhaps the girl couldn't really be blamed for it; all her focus at the moment was in getting herself an occupation, and her view of the world was somewhat dyed by it.