Welcome to the Big City [Open]

[Aeryn Weylyn]

4th Day of Winter, 511AV {{Late Afternoon}} Aeryn glanced about him once more, now most certain tha he had lost his way. Thinking back on the guard's directions, he realized he hadn't heard half of what the man had told him. He let out a exasperated sigh and came to a halt, leaning against the nearest wall, which wasn't all that far away. He still wasn't used to being in this city, having spent the last few weeks journying up here from the south. This was actually his first time in an actual city, he realized. Growing up on a farm, he didn't exactly get out all that often. Well, might as well suck it up while he could. He wasn't sure how long he was staying here, though if he got his way, it'd be for quite some time. That's if I can find this petching recruitment center, he thought, annoyed with himself for not paying closer attention to the directions given to him by the old guard at the gate. Letting out another sigh, he pushed himself off the wall and began sulking through the streets once more, eyes peeled. He doubted if he had payed more attention to the man's words that he would have found it anyways; this city was too damn big. Glancing about him once more made him rethink his so-called plan. He had figured that it be simple. Just walk up to the Knights and ask to join, and of course, he'd be let in. Now that he was here, he realized his assumption had been entirely wrong. He wasn't even sure if they would take him in. They'd probably point out every thing he did wrong or didn't have. He wasn't of one of the First Wing families. He was a simple farm boy, with no record of his past oher than his memories and nightmares. He knew he wasn't all that good with weapons, though he felt he was doing fine with the sword he had purchased on his way here. He had been practicing every evening, doing the exercises his faher had once taught him, if only briefly. He wasn't at all good with the bow he had aquired yet, though he was still practicing. It didn't seem to be helping much with his aim, however. Aeryn let out another of his famous sighs, conflicting thoughts battling it out in his mind. He should just turn back and leave, go out on his own and do what he wanted, when he wanted. Another part of him, however, told him to stay and stick it out. Besides, worse that could happen was that he'd get rejected from the training. Letting out a frusrated groan, he kicked out a a small rock laying on the ground before him as he came to a stop once more, atempting to think back on what the guard had said about finding the recruitment building, glancing about him with a scowl in attempt to determine his locaton. Didn't help, of course, but didn't hurt to at least try, right?

[Tara]

Tara was leaning against a wall in a narrow alleyway just off one of the streets of Syliras. She had caught a mouse scuttling around in the jumble of the alley and was now holding it by the tail in front of her. It was still alive and Tara was inspecting the struggling creature. She let it drop onto another hand and watched it scuttle over her arms as if it had a chance of getting away. Tara was finished playing with it and was about to deal out the finished blow to the back of the mouse’s neck when she heard the thud of a human leaning against the wall and a couple disheartened sighs. While she was distracted the mouse managed to slip out of her grasp and dash into a crack in the wall. Tara hissed, cursing her luck. She sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, calming herself down. She could get a better meal later in the forest.

Letting go of her frustration she walked to the edge of the alley and stuck her head round, looking left and right. It was a quiet part of the city, which was the only reason Tara could tolerate being here in the middle of the day when the streets were busy. She saw a young man leaning against the wall. He seemed confused, and somewhat regretful. Probably new Tara guessed. She stepped out of the alley and tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear. She walked over to the man with a friendly smile. Hopefully if she helped him he would go away and leave her in her secluded spot alone. ”Hey there, something wrong?” she asked him, standing in front of him. Perhaps he was simply lost and would be on his way in no time…

[Etrius]

Etrius walked down the busy street, eyes half closed. For such a big city, there really was nothing to do. He shook his head from side to side, trying his best to get rid of the sleepy aura that seemed to surround him. Why is it so boring here? You'd think that in a big city like this there would always be something to do. He looked around at the sea of faces about him. The city was bustling with activity. People doing business, buying goods, talking, drinking, and just going about their daily lives. He looked up at the blue, sunny sky and began humming a tune to himself. He stood still in the middle of the street with his eyes closed, humming his two-note tune. The crowd of people flowed around him like a river flowing around a rock. He continued walking down the street. There's got to be something to do. Maybe there is a training ground somewhere around here. It would be nice to test my skills against someone else. He looked around again This time he noticed something different. There was a kid looking around almost frantically. Well, maybe not a kid, but he still might have been a few years younger than Etrius. He looked lost, like he hadn't been in the city for long. Well we're almost in the same boat. He thought for a moment then shrugged. Might as well see if he needs help. He approached the man. "Oi, you need some help?"

[Aeryn Weylyn]

Aeryn was caught off guard by the voice that broke into his concentration, and when he turned his gaze to the source, he was surprised by the young female in front of him. Where the gods had she come from? He had been pretty certain that there was no one on the road when he had walked into the area, but he didn't dwell on the fact. She had most likely appeared out of one of the many branching off alley ways that lined the road. He studied her curiously, noting he strange eyes, which seemed strangely cat-like. It hit him then that she was likely some sort of kelvic. He had met a few during his time with his Zith capors, and could pick out a few of the more obvious charecteristics of some kelvics. He couldn't se anything blatenly obvious other than her strange yet intriguing eyes, so he could only speculate at the moment. She appeared to be a bit younger in appearence than himself, and before he could manage a reply to her question, another voice cut into his thoughts. Glancing away from the woman, he noticed another stranger approaching him. Gods, these Sylirians seemed to appear out of the shadows. He studied the man before him. Just barely taller than Aeryn himself, a bit more on the muscular size. Pretty common of the people he had met on his journy up here. The man had asked virtually he same question as the girl had inquired about merely seconds before, and, looking back and forth between the two, gave a slight smile in return. "Oh, you know, just a tad lost is all. This is my first time here, you see, and I have pretty much no idea where I'm going. I got some directions from some guard at the..." he stopped, realizing that he was pretty much just rambling on at this point, his words jumbled together. He attributed it to nervousness, though as to why he was so nervous, he did not know. He was usually pretty conversational. He decided to blame it on being in an actual city, and the fact that he had no idea what he was doing. "Basically, I'm looking for the Recruitment Center for the Knights. Do either of you by chance know of it?" he asked hopefully, slowing down his words. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, his heart pounding nervously against his chest. He was way out of his league here. He didn't know what strange impulse had told him to come here. He didn't belong here; he was merely a farm boy, with no farm, no family, no friends...He quickly shook these thoughts from his mind. He wasn't sure why all those thoughts had popped up, but he didn't like them, even though they were certainly etched with the truth. Instead of pondering and worrying about it, he glanced back and forth between the strangers, still smiling slightly to hide these conflicting emotions as he awaited their answer, whether it be a yes or no.

[Tara]

Tara looked up in surprise as another human walked onto the street. She saw he didn’t mean any harm and quickly turned her attention back to the first boy she had seen. She sniffed the air, investigating the two humans who were now in the street. The first boy was defiantly not from Syliras but the second human was it seemed. ”Well, welcome to Syliras” she said with a warm smile.”The recruitment office is down that way, I think” Tara continued, pointing down the street. ”You turn at the end of the road and keep walking and I’m pretty sure you’ll find it”. Tara had never had the need to go to the recruitment office but she had looked around Syliras a good bit and knew her way around.

She looked up at the boy, studying him. He was probably just a bit older than her and was most definitely taller. She had to tilt her head slightly to look at him. He had pale brown hair and blue eyes. He seemed extremely nervous, and even a little lonely. A light wind whistled through the street and Tara’s hair was tousled gently in the cold air. ”Are you planning on becoming a knight?” she asked, curious. He didn’t seem like most of the knights Tara had met, who looked on her with cold gazes as she had walked into the city. They were honourable, but Tara never felt truly at ease with someone who would easily be able to leave her dead on the ground.

[Etrius]

Etrius was surprised to see the young girl who had emerged from the alley. They had seemed to approach the boy at the same time although she might have gotten to him an instant sooner. He looked at her closely. He could tell she was not human from the way she moved. It was almost as if she were an animal, a hunter definitely. It only struck him that she was a kelvic when he looked at her eyes. They were feral, catlike, but with a certain piercing stare. He turned his attention back to the boy in front of him. Now that he could get a good look at him Etrius could tell that being in the city made him nervous. He looked like he would be more comfortable with a plow than with the sword at his side but he still looked like he could fend for himself in a fight. The boy started talking. Fast. Etrius could barely understand what he was saying but he managed to get a grip on the fact that he was, indeed, lost. When he calmed down and worded his question more slowly Etrius brightened up. He was about to answer, when the kelvic girl interjected. He waited until she had finished then agreed. "Yea, that's pretty much how." Etrius said. "I could lead you there if you'd like. I was planning on going there eventually." He extended his free hand. "Name's Etrius." The kelvic asked the boy a question, leaving Etrius waited for his answer. Hmm... I still don't know her name.

[Aeryn Weylyn]

Aeryn listened intently as the girl gave him directions, not wanting to repeat this whole 'lost in thebig city' scenario, and also relieved that she knew the way. Who knew how much longer he would have wondered around before he found the damned place. He made a mental note of the directions she gave him, going over them in his head, even though they were pretty simple. Better to be cautious than overconfident in his memory skills. When the girl finished relaying the directions, he heard the man speak up, offering to guide him there. Well, that simplified things. He smiled and gave an eager nod, glad that he was finally going to be able to get to this damned place, and took hold of the man's hand with a firm grip. "Nice to meet ya, Etrius. The name's Aeryn Weylyn," he replied to the man's greeting, his nervousness seeming to fade away in seconds. These people wern't so bad. Aeryn's gaze drifted back to the girl as she asked him whether or not he was planning to become a knight. The logical answer was yes, of course, and it was what he wanted to say without heasitation. The heasitation came anyways, unbidden. Whould they even accept him into the order? He wasn't all that special; he didn't have any particular qualities and abilities that they were probably looking for, unless they need someone to tend a garden. Which Aeryn hated, despite fond memories of his family and their farm. He hated farming, always had, and most likely always would. Instead of stating this to the girl, he simple gave a slight smile and a shrug. "Yup, if they take me, that is. But yes, I am looking to become a knight, one of these days." He studied the girl curiously for a moment before flashing a dazzling smile. "And what might your name be?" he asked politely, his tone friendly as he held his hand out in greeting. He instantly regreted it, however, and worried briefly that it was not a proper form of greeting among kelvics, or wherever she might have come from.

[Tara]

Tara’s eyes flicked to the side as the man, who said his name was Etrius as he started to talk. She looked at him carefully. She noted that he was also taller than herself and she started feeling quite small. She shifted her weight nervously, unsure of what to do. Then her thoughts were interrupted when the man named Aeryn offered his hand. Tara took Aeryn’s hand with a smile. It seemed he was not so nervous now, which was good. ”I’m Tara.“ she answered him. The friendly smile he gave her calmed her nerves, reminding her that humans, especially Sylirans, were not the kind who started fights with strangers on the streets. ”Anyway, I’m sure they will take you in” she told him. Tara was a short, lithe kelvic but was lacking when it came to strength and so it was not hard to appear knight-worthy to her. She was also quite ignorant when it came to the details of the Syliran Knights.

It was then that Tara decided, on a whim, that she would go to the recruitment office with the two boys. She had never really looked at it closely and it never hurt to gain some knowledge. In fact it was probably a good idea to learn all she could about the Syliran Knights, as she herself was currently evading the law to some extent. Know thy enemy she quoted to herself. ”Here, I’ll come with you too. she said suddenly. ”I haven’t been inside there and I’ve always been curious”.

[Etrius]

Etrius couldn't help but smile at Aeryn. He could tell that Aeryn was the kind of person that could brighten up any situation. Aeryn answered the kelvic's question with a confident smile but Etrius could feel a nervous tone in his voice. The girl introduced herself as Tara and he took this chance to get a better look at her. She was very small and slender, and looked like she would sooner run from a fight than attempt to beat her opponent. He also noticed the lack of a weapon anywhere on her person. Maybe because she has claws and fangs. "I think they'll take you. With the right training I bet you'd become a very good swordsman." He turned, looking behind his shoulder at Aeryn. "C'mon. Follow me and I'll show you the way." He was about to go, when he heard Tara's voice behind him, wanting to come as well. He stared at her, looking her up and down again. She certainly wasn't knight material. So why would she want to come? He stared harder, trying to figure her out without her noticing. Probably just wants to learn about them, that's the only reason I wanted to go. Then again... the knights could have use for someone like her. He shrugged, shaking off his suspicion. "Fine with me. Let's go."

[Aeryn Weylyn]

Aeryn glanced from Tara to Etrius as they attempted to assure him that he would indeed be accepted into the knighthood. He still had his doubts, however. When Etrius commented about him becoming a swordsman, he took an involuntary glance down at the sword hanging at his side. When Etrius spoke again, this time of leaving, Aeryn glanced up from the sword to give the man a slight nod of agreement. Might as well get on with it. He turned to Tara, preparing to bid her a farewell before following after Etrius, only to hear her announce that she too was going to tag along. Aeryn looked at her curiously. Surely she wasn't planning on joining, right? He didn't have a problem if that was what she wanted to do, but she didn't really seem to be the fighting type. Though, he probably wasn't all that much better. Aeryn flashed another smile and shrugged once more. "Why not? The more the merrier," he replied, turning his gaze back to Etrius. "Lead on, my good sir," he said sarcastically, flourishing his hand towards the direction that Tara had first said the building lay, smiling towards Etrius as he did so. At least, he thought that it was the direction. Damn, he did it again. Ah, this was going to be quite the interesting outing.