(Open) Wandering Lanes

[Almech]

Almech was just as surprised as she was, he shuffled his feet back with agility, his lip curled up flaring his dagger like teeth and one of his very long canines, he was soon calm again though upon peering into the eyes of a woman. It was then Almech heard the Jamoura speak of love "Love is Ionu's greatest tool, the ultimate illusion. Cheva would disagree, but then again, what god doesn't see the world from their own eyes?". Almech let out an audible whimper, obviously a testament to his confusion "Ionu? Cheva? why do you speak in riddles creature? I know not who these people are and do not understand what you say, love is an illusion? gods? pardon my ignorance". It was then that he addressed the woman's words "M..My name is Almech" he said and for some reason a warm smile appeared on his face "It's a pleasure to meet the both of you" he looked at both of them as he said this.

He couldn't help but look back at the woman "You smell....pretty, i believe that is the word i want to say, please tell me if that sounds incorrect" he bowed his head to her slightly after sayind this. He addressed the Jamoura and out stretched his hand "It's customary to shake hands upon introductions right?" he wasn't sure if the customs of this creature were similar to the other peoples he had met in his time at Alvadas, he certainly hoped it wasn't considered rude where he was from. He still had alot to learn, about proper conduct anyway, for instance, he didn't find it the least bit strange to strike up conversation with a complete stranger after having so rudely bumped into them, he merely thought of this as an opportunity to make some new friends, he spoke up again addressing the Jamoura "It's a pleasure to make your aquaintence, may i ask what you are called?".

[Kiou]

The day was quiet so far. Not much commotion on the streets of this new town. Kiou strolled casually down the middle of one such street, his gait smooth as he glanced curiously about this settlement. He was in a good mood this fine day, and not much could sour it at this point. It had been weeks since he had last entered the walls of a town, and he always found the experience somewhat exciting. One never knows what mysteries a town may hold, and every single one was unique in it's own way. Of course, some are more hospitable than others, which he has found to be true on more than one occasion. So far though, this one, Alvadas, if he remembers correctly, has been quite decent. A bit quiet, but decent. It has come to his attention though that this settlement is strange in many ways. He overheard someone calling it the City of Illusions. He had never been entirely fond of magics or illusions. It wasn't natural in his mind. Of course, there was hardly anything natural about his transformation into a lion that occurred at his will, but he still felt uneasy about it. As of now, he'd had a minimal amount of time exposed to such things. In the end, though, he decided he would stay for a little bit anyways, see how it was and all. Whilst he was caught up in his thought, he failed to notice that he was approaching a strange group of people. His senses were immediately assaulted by a variety of strange smells he had never before encountered. He came to an abrupt halt to try and quell the barrage and sort through it. He glanced at the group of strangers more closely, trying to pin up scents to the different people. The first to catch his eye, and it was hard not to, was the large hairy one. And he meant large. He had never seen a civilized creature so big before, and it enthralled him. He pinned the strangest smell to that creature, before shifting his gaze to another, a man who seemed to be in the process of extending his hand to the hairy creature, a gesture Kiou had still yet to understand. After a moment, he turned his gaze to the final member of this strange gathering, a female, who appeared to be around the same age as himself. He was unsure exactly why, but she seemed a bit on the defense as she stared at the man with the strange gesture, which made him glance back at the man in curiosity. It was none of his business, of course, but one could always speculate. He turned his attention back to the girl to study her more. She was quite pretty, he happily noted. He let out a small sigh and took a few short steps over towards them. He felt awkward just standing in the shadows gawking at them, like a creeper or something. He stopped a couple feet away, still a bit wary, of course, but appeared to be every bit as friendly as he usually was. He had learned from recent encounters that it was best to be a little on the cautious side, at least at first. Though he had hardly hung around in one city long enough to really get to know anyone. He raised his hand about shoulder height briefly and flicked his wrist before lowering it once again, another one of those strange gestures he still did not understand, but had seen friends and strangers use it to greet each other before during his travels. "Hello there," he greeted, flashing a dazzling smile. "Just thought I'd pop in and say hello, seeing as I'm new in town, and have hardly seen a soul around." He gave a slight shrug and glanced from person to person, sensing a slight tension between the girl and the boy, though mainly from the girl. He glanced at her curiously, but said nothing of it. "Forgive me if I interrupted anything," he said, just in case. One never knew, and he didn't want to seem rude.

[Blaze]

Blaze looked at the man infront of her, Almech as he called himself. She kept her muscles tense as he exchange pleasantries with her friend, Roy. He didn't seem at all alarmed so she relaxed, but only slightly. Her eyes were narrowed as she gazed at Almech and she examined him with a intensity most found intimadating. He didn't look like to much of a threat, so she gave the appearance of being relaxed but remained on her guard. 'They call me Blaze.' She said simply, not wanting to say anything else before she knew more about the person infront of her. She flicked her hair behind her ears and got to her feet. Her warm brown eyes flicked form side to side before she continued to gaze at Almech. Her nostils were flared in a warning manner that another horse would understand before she walked gracefully over to Roy's side. Blaze's ears pricked up slightly and she felt uneasy as another boy appeared. There was something about him that set her on edge, like prey trapped in the gaze of a predator. Her eyes widened and she bent her legs ready to spring away on hooves at any moment. The gathering that was there, made her tense up and her heart beat faster. Instinctively she knew they were alike in someway, or kelvic as the Jamoura had told her. She bit her lip as her gaze swung between the 2 newcomers. The one with blonde hair spoke and she replied almost in a horse's voice, 'There was nothing to interrupt,' But her eyes said a different story. They said, don't cause any trouble or someone's going to get hurt. Without noticing it, Blaze had bunched her hands into fists and her nails were digging into her palms. She slowly released them and took a couple of deep breaths slowing down her racing heart and calming herself down. Not everyone in the world wants to hurt you child. The words popped into her head from some distant memory and she listened to them. Blaze sighed before giving the faintest smile to the newcomers, covering up her earlier reaction. It was impossible to rid herself of her thoughts but she hid them well beneath her expression of cheerfulness. Learn a bit about them before you react, she berated herself in her mind.

[Royjeck]

OOCI think I got skipped? Royjeck snorted before chuckling out loud. This new stranger, Almech, asked questions, claimed answers to be riddles, then announced his ignorance on the matter. It was as if he wanted to understand, but wanted to skip over learning. How foolish these children were. Royjeck, who had seen more than tenfold as many winters and summers than any of them, felt almost like a child's teacher. "There is no riddle here. The only thing making this mystery unsolvable is your willingness to solve it. To ask questions is to seek answers, but to deny answers is just foolish. No, you are not ignorant, but perhaps, foolish." Harsh, that's what Roy's words were. Yet, somehow, he didn't grasp the concept of manners, or perhaps he didn't find any value in pretty words of politeness. Whichever it was, he definitely came across as a jerk. As Almech reached his hand out to shake, the Jamoura only stared at the hand. He knew what it meant. A simple greeting of mutual understanding. The humans, along with many other races with their variations of the handshake, used this technique to greet and to let each other know they were equals, friends, and trusted each other. Yet, Royjeck didn't feel any of these three things for Almech, not even Blaze or the newer new stranger who was, within seconds, of meeting the trio. Royjeck shook his head, a quiet refusal. "Roy is not against the action of shaking hands, but he does not agree with what it means. No, Roy feels such a greeting is... Oh, what's the word... fake. An illusion if you will. The thought of holding hands in welcoming a friend, Roy can do that. The same thought of someone on Roy's level of intellect, he could greet them so. But... Uh, Roy doesn't know you. Almech, Roy doesn't know you enough to engage in such a trusting gesture." That makes it twice now that Royjeck had said something mildly offensive, assume Almech read his words much like any logical person would. "Your pleasantries are well versed. Roy assumes you have heard people speak in such a way before. Kindness, yes, it does good for people, but Roy is different. He prefers genuine words that reflect genuine thought or emotions. Yes, illusions are very interesting, but Roy doesn't employ the use of Illusions. He is not Ionu, though he would be very much pleased to meet him, or her. Oh, Another stranger comes." The more people that came around, the more Royjeck's words became strained and broken with occasional stuttering. Crowds, they weren't particularly a fond thing to him, and it wasn't from bashfulness, but because of his fear of attracting Ionu's attention, like this. It was complicated, wanting to meet Ionu, yet not have Ionu come to you as he/she pleases. "Interruptions... interruptions... Roy does not like interruptions when solving riddles. Riddles take time, puzzles demand attention." Roy growled faintly to himself as he lifted two black finger to his forehead and pressed against his thick skull. His eyes closed a minute, as if trying to massage away a sudden headache. Then he turned to Blaze, she was standing closer to him. Possibly using him to protect her, should something turn violent. "The chances are unlikely at best, Blaze. Fear not these people, Roy is a large person, instincts tell all creatures of every race to avoid the larger foes. They'll not lift a hand in anger against you, Roy is displeased by violence, but employs it to end it. Do you understand? Roy hopes Ionu is not watching. Such attention, might be undesirable. Roy must find his home. If you wish to use it still, you can follow. Roy, he cannot stay here longer. Midday grows late.

[Almech]

Almech was struck by the Jamoura's words "There is no riddle here. The only thing making this mystery unsolvable is your willingness to solve it. To ask questions is to seek answers, but to deny answers is just foolish. No, you are not ignorant, but perhaps, foolish". He was startled, and had to shake his head, he hadn't been spoken to with such honesty before "I don't deny my foolishness, Roy is it?" he slowly lowered his hand. He smiled at the man showing his appreciation "I was under the impression that the handshake was used as a friendly introduction as well, i never understood it myself, but i am still learning the habits of bipedal sentient beings, i've not been a free man for but a few seasons," he'd heard the term bipedal sentient being before from a man in a white garment that appeared to be a coat of some kind.

Then he heard the woman tell him her name, he smiled "Blaze eh? an appropriate name for one who radiates such beauty" he smiled. Almech turned to Roy and reprased his question "What are gods? what are Illusions?" just as he finished his question the Jamour spoke again "Oh, Another stranger comes". Almech turned to see a blond man appear, flashing a smile that made Almech jealous, he wished he could smile like that, "Hello there, Just thought I'd pop in and say hello, seeing as I'm new in town, and have hardly seen a soul around". Almech bowed his head to the man for a moment and lifted it back up "It's a pleasure to make your aquaintence, my name is Almech, yours?" he understood what the man was going through, Almech was new to social situations in general, but if he wasn't, not being able to have them, he would probably feel even more out of place than he already did. Almech then knodded at Blaze hearing Roy speak of the obvious tension "Roy is correct, Blaze, you have nothing to fear from me". He then addressed on Roy trying to find his residence "Roy, if i may suggest, simply close your eyes and walk a while, if you truly need to be home, your home will find you, such is the way of Alvadas".

[Kiou]

Kiou was somewhat taken aback by the girl's strange reaction to his greeting, as she almost immediately scrambled into some sort of defensive position, looking as if she was about to sprint away at any moment. He had noted that he had that effect on many people, for one reason or another, much to his dismay. He didn't want to come off as frightening or whatnot, but he simply didn't understand why some people had that reaction. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind for the moment however, not wanting to dwell on it at this time. He got a strange feeling that her and this other man were not what they first appeared to be, much like himself. He wondered briefly if they were like him, but figured it would be rude to ask, so he kept the speculation to himself, for now at least. As the girl replied, he could instantly tell that she was lying, at least somewhat. Her eyes gave everything away. They appeared to be almost threatening, which didn't bother him all that much. He had gotten almost that same exact look many times before; besides, he figured he could hold his own. He didn't mention it though, instead opting to reply with a curt nod. Kiou noted that the girl was extremely tense, going so far to even bunch her fists, though it appeared that she realized what she was doing and attempted to relax. He figured he must have caught her off guard or at a bad time. All of a sudden, she was standing the smiling politely at them, apparently trying to cover up her earlier reactions. He was fine with that, though, so he politely returned the smile. It was actually only recently that he had begun smiling, and he had decided he quite enjoyed it. Kiou turned his gaze from her once again, this time switching his gaze to the giant, or Roy, he figured. It appeared to be talking about itself, but it's words confused him slightly at first, since it seemed that he was using his own name to talk about himself, something Kiou had never witnessed before. He got the feeling that this Roy fellow was starting to get a bit nervous, though not quite as jumpy as the girl seemed. When he went on to talk about interruptions and riddles, Kiou frowned slightly. He had never really liked riddles, as they required too much thought. While he liked the idea of learning, Kiou had never actually liked the process it took to learn things. At Roy's next words, he gave another nod, smiling slightly. There was quite a bit of truth to the giants words."He's right, you know. I wouldn't dare." As a lion, he was quite large, nearly 500lbs as a matter of fact, though not nearly as large and powerful as Roy, and he knew it. He wouldn't dare to take on such an opponent, because he knew the outcome. He'd lose, no doubt. Roy looked like he could make a formidable opponent, though Kiou was determined not to find out for himself. Kiou then turned his gaze to the other man, who introduced himself as Almech. And there it was again, Another one of those strange gestures employed by many to greet someone, or so he guessed. This one in particular, he had yet to observe, so he was unsure of how to respond to it. Instead, he opted to smile politely to return the greeting. "My name is Kiou," he replied. "The pleasure's all mine. I was beginning to fear that I had walked into a ghost town, what with no one out and about." Kiou listened quietly as Almech spoke to Roy, though what he was talking about escaped him. Closing your eyes to find your way home? It made no sense to him, and he briefly thought about trying it sometime, though decided he would probably just run straight into a wall. Talking about Roy leaving for home however made him wonder where he would spend the night tonight. If he could find some sort of inn, he'd be content with staying there, though if not, he greatly enjoyed sleeping beneath the open night sky, as he had done so for the past week or so.

[Blaze]

Blaze was taken off guard when the 2 newcomers spoke about not hurting her and she looked at them with renewed curiousity. She fingered the little wooden horse in her pocket and studied Kiou, he seemed to be a interesting kind of person but she had basically no experience with people. She switched her gaze the Almech and looked up at his mismatched eyes, he seemed pleasant enough in his words so far. Blaze sighed lightly before stepping out beside Roy. She chewed on her lip but kept her smile in place to hide her churning emotions. Crowds tended to scare her quite a bit because of all the people that looked at her, but she just stood and took it all in, doing her best to hide her fears. Blaze's face turned a slightly rosey coloured when Kiou smiled back and she realised she was blushing. She quickly pulled up her cloak hood to cover the expression and fidgeted with the corner of the material to hide her embarassment. At the back of her mind Blaze asked herself, why am I acting like this? I only just met these people, but she couldn't htink of any answers as her eyes flicked between them. She listened quietly as Roy spoke with Almech and looked up at him wondering how he could talk to people so easily. When he spoke of going home she asked herself if she still wanted to go with him but couldn't make up her mind. She was quite enjoying just listening to their conversations to move but she knew if she wanted somewhere to sleep that night she might as well follow the Jamoura. Blaze bounced lightly on the cobblestones to remove the stiffness from her limbs, staying still didn't exactly agree with her and she was brimming with restless energy. She had the sudden urge to shift into her other form and race through the streets to see where she might end up. Blaze knew she would probably only get lost but she wanted to do it anyway for the sheer thrill of it. Blaze reached out behind her until her fingers brushed agains the rough stone surface of the wall and seemed to be alive and for some reason it comforted her. The whole city seemed to agree her personality and she knew she would stay there for a while longer no matter the risk.

[Royjeck]

Royjeck merely shrugged his broad shoulders to Almech's response. He accepted his ignorance, or foolishness, for what it was. Still, it was strange to accept it, but not show a passion to destroy it. Perhaps Kelvics were more passive creatures than had thought. Perhaps, maybe, they weren't as instinctual or aggressive as animals in nature were. Another riddle, one that could not be solved here, or at this time. Time, that was another issue, he had to go, and he wasn't waiting any longer for Blaze to answer. She could follow if she needed him, if not, then may Ionu have mercy. "Roy is leaving. It was an interesting experience meeting you timid kelvics. Perhaps your and Roy's destinies shall bring them together once more, but I would not gamble on it. Odds are, slim." Royjeck nodded and stepped past Almech and Kiou as he walked off down the winding streets, with or without Blaze meant nothing different to him. [[Exit]]

[Kiou]

OOCGuess I'll go ahead then... Kiou moved his gaze quietly from person to person as they stood there, silently mulling over the situation. Here he was, after weeks in the vast wilderness, in a new and unfamiliar territory which he knew next to nothing about, and he had walked straight up to a group of complete strangers and started chatting as if he had actually known them for more than two seconds. He frowned slightly at his personnel observation. He had never done such a gregarious thing before, ever. Thinking back on it, he realized he had never actually gone up and talked to someone, that he usually just stayed in the background, listening and observing. This actually was his first actual social situation that he could remember. Not a bad job, he thought silently to himself as he gazed at the others. I may have a chance yet. He was brought out of his thoughts as he saw Blaze slowly slip out from behind Royjeck, coming to a halt next to him. He figured she still looked a bit nervous, but figured it was his imagination playing tricks on his mind. He was used to watching people from afar, trying to decipher their emotions. One could call it a strange habit of his, though he hardly ever noticed what he was doing. Before he could manage to turn his gaze away once more, he caught her glance his way, and turn a shade darker. This confused him; he had never seen someone, man or women, do this before, and for a moment thought that she was ill. He had seen the sick and wounded who had either darkened or paled. After a moment however, he was able to come to a crude conclusion about what it meant, which in turn made him darken, if only slightly. He could only guess that that was what this strange feeling in his stomach was, and it was all he could do to lift his gaze away again as she pulled her cloak up to cover what he was not meant to have seen. Kiou switched his gaze to Roy, who was now speaking of some stranger by the name of Ionu and of leaving, at which he felt a pang of regret. These were the first people he had actually talked to in gods know how long, and he was actually beginning to enjoy their company, even though he had barely just met them, and when Roy announced that he was finally going to make his leave, he involuntarily glanced towards Blaze before he realized what he was doing. Was she going to accompany him on his way after all? He quickly shook the thoughts from his head and looked away again. It was none of his business what she chose to do. As Roy continued, he shifted his gaze back to the Jamouran and listened quietly. He almost snorted aloud his objection at being called timid. He took it quite personally, in fact. Timid? I bet you would change your mind if I chose to shift here and now, he thought pessimistically, then instantly thought better of it. Perhaps it was better to be timid than a beast. Or perhaps not. Whatever the answer was, it was lost to him as he pushed the irate thoughts from his mind. There may be time later on to mull over this subject, but now was not that time. He did however agree that they would likely not cross paths again, which surprisingly saddened him. He would genuinely miss this large, seemingly extremely intelligent person. As the Jamouran lumbered off down the street, Kiou raised his hand in the same manner that he had when he had first ambled up. "Goodbye, Roy, and safe journeys." Once more, he shifted his gaze to Blaze, who seemed to be entranced by something that he did not understand. And perhaps never would. With a slight sigh, he glanced away again, this time to no where in particular, and instead found himself staring at the cobblestone ground that stretched out beneath his feet, the strange pattern winding itself as far as he could see. Tearing his gaze away from it, he turned to admire the darkening sky. He wasn't sure on how long he was planning on staying in this strange place, but neither did he worry about something so minor. He had no deadlines to meet, so he would stay till he found absolutely no need to stay any longer, then most likely move one to the next town he might manage to stumble across. As was his way.

[Almech]

OOCYeah, sorry about that, writer's block and all, here we go

Almech wiggled his nose back and forth as new scents began to spill out of the woman, it reminded him slightly of the way his prey would smell, when it noticed him and panicked. The smell was essentially the same, but characteristics would change slightly from time to time, fairly rapidly, and then a completely different shift in her scent as she turned red, what was the reason for this? He wanted to understand very badly, why did she hide her face? So he asked her "Blaze, why is your face red? why do you hide it?" embarassment was not something he knew very much about. She then did something rather odd, hopped on the cobblestones, Almech looked at her dumbfounded Bouncy.........female raced through his head as his eyes dialated. He wasn't the best at keeping his primal instincts at bay, his eyes gazed on her with desire, her energetic scent was shifting his mind in a million places at once, his heart beat rapidly. He looked at Roy as he spoke of leaving and scoffed at his comment of being timid "Timid and careful are two completely different things", Almech couldn't exactly speak at this moment, he knodded his head, his questions would answer themselves soon enough he figured.

Then there was this Kiou's scent that burned into his nostrils with every sniff. His instincts told him this man was competition, and not only that, somehow his scent, told him something else, he didn't know what, he just knew he didn't like it. Almech unconciously let out a growl, it was soft, but a growl none the less, why? why was he so good at pretending to be human then so easily overpowered by his own subconcious? His dog mentality. His growl, quiet as it was, was a sign of aggression, one of dominance, an, I saw her first so back off, Almech couldn't help himself but regardless he still tried his best to be friendly. How odd it was it that two predators, who were natural enemies would meet up like this? of course Almech had no clue that the man next to him was a feline, he recognized the scent, but it was distorted, he couldn't put a finger on it. Then to top it off, two predators, who were natural enemies were speaking with a female who's true form was that of a peaceful majestic herbavore, this was indeed an interesting encounter, Almech didn't like this silence anymore "Kiou, where did you come from?" was the first thing that came to mind, he wanted to cool this situation down.