beleaguered. (open)

[Caelum]

52nd Day of Spring, 510 AV


Gulls wheeled on wings whitened by the sunlight as the Crack of Noon was pulling into port. The merchant's ship was en route for Nyka wherein Captain Leiland Topher made his home and this stop at the astounding structures of Riverfall was decidedly unplanned. The captain was at his wit's end. The only reason he had agreed to take on a passenger was because the man was an ethaefal. His mother would roll in her grave if he refused to aid an avatar of her favorite goddess, earth-shot or not. Now he supposed she very well might petching rise from it because, all the gods help him, he was kicking that maddening creature off his precious ship.

"Sahova?" Captain Topher was shouting, craggy face broiling red as they passed into the waterfall mists. The crew dangled like monkeys from rails and rigging, clearly torn between the gaping at the wondrous sight of the conversion of the Bluevein River and the Suvan Sea and the equally as enthralling scene playing out on the deck. Weathered faces swiveled from the magnificence of the soaring cliffs to the striking vision of their portly captain going toe to toe with the intoxicating ethaefal. There was a dull clatter and hum of private bets being exchanged over the ultimate outcome.

"What in the name of all that's holy makes you think I'd be willing to stop in SAHOVA?" The captain gesticulated wildly. Their tall passenger, soul flung in a single, pillar of shadow to break against the ship's railing, glared down at the captain, holding himself perfectly still as though he were concerned that even the smallest gesture might leave him erupting like a solar flare at Topher. "Buggering, no-good waste of a cursed isle," the captain continued his incensed paranoia. "Steal your soul, they will, n' what then? You going to be wagerin' it back? Spinning up some riddles to a Nuit? The hells you think you're going to do 'bout some chum of yours gettin' body-snatched? No. No, no, nosiree --"

"Fine," the ethaefal ground out through his teeth, the haunting pull of his voice clipped and cut up with his anger. Yet his anger was born of fear, a thing hidden somewhere in the pit of his stomach even as the crew cast lines and scurried to bring the ship safely to berth. "Fine. The hell, man. Just drop me off somewhere else. Not here, bloody Riverfall --"

"And what's wrong with Riverfall?" The captain bellowed, shoving a finger into Caelum's chest. "Seen you by Leth's light, mate, I have. Windmarked all the way. 'Sides, plenty of ships here. Someone ought be stupid enough to bear you on to petching Sahova."

"Syna's tits. Don't be such a coward," Caelum retorted, "And get me the hell out of Cyphrus."

That was how Caelum found himself standing on the docks of the port of Riverfall, worn and beaten saddlebags sagging over his shoulders and his dappled grey Windrunner snuffling worriedly at his blood-thick hair. Vega's tail twitched with what was likely a combination of concern and disapproval as her rider's rangy shoulders hunkered up defensively, mouth thinning into a hard line as he took in the view.

The sun softened around him as the sky yawned slowly towards twilight. The eerie clarity of the light glittered against the delicate sweep of his horns, speckling everything with tarnished colors. He had much heart left to consider that this might be Syna's way of welcoming him home. Cyphrus had not been his home, as far as he was concerned, for centuries beyond dreaming; and what jagged bits of memory he retained of it consisted of horrors. Had there been good things, had their existed any hope-filled hours, their echoes had stubbornly refused to reintroduce themselves to his consciousness.

"Damn," he sighed. Stupid stars.

[Flick]

Flick sat on the edge of the dock, legs tucked into her chest, watching the rise and fall of the ocean. Her arms hugged her knees as her dark glittering eyes caught the first flickers of morning. She was in a pensive mood, having spent the night as her fennec form tucked into a storage crate. It was lonely, late at night, when all the tavern dwellers were asleep and the city was at a lull. The kelvic missed Reghitaar in the early hours of morning, remembering a time where she would have been hunting, and laughing. Sighing, the girl turned her eyes along the dock, to where a man stood. Lifting her head, she sniffed the air. There had been a boat earlier, stopping to drop off cargo she had assumed, and she'd not even bothered to look. But the appearence of the man caught her interest.

Standing, she moved closer, ears listening carefully for any sound the curious creature might make. He was like autumn had been caught in his body, turned into some sort of living breathing creature. The way the sun seemed to play with the highlights in his golden hair caught her eyes, and her inborn curiosity got the better of her. Creeping closer, she stood behind a wooden barrel and smiled widely at him.

"Hello!"

[Caelum]

Caelum blinked, still standing exactly in the same place he had stopped, head tilted back and staring at the massive, breath-taking rise of the falls. It was not that he failed to appreciate their glory. Nature was particularly insistent in reminding him of his connection with it, and it was true that he could occasionally be caught staring at a thing so common as a daffodil for far longer than was either polite or necessary.

Yet today he gazed upon this wondrous city and felt only apprehension, the miracle of it's construct grazing against raw patches of broken soul. For his distraction, it took him a minute to realize that he was being addressed.

A shift put his back against the broad side of his horse, reins tangled loosely about digits bared by fingerless gloves, and his bags were as worn as the rest of him.

"Mornin'," he said slowly, amber eyes taking in the diminutive figure.

[Flick]

The kelvic moved slightly out of her barrelled protection, tucking long strands of blonde behind her ears and looking over the stranger. He looked...for lack of a better word...beautiful. But weary, and almost far away, like he wasn't really looking at her. Going through the motions of looking at her, but not really doing it.

Moving closer still, she glanced up at the waterfall, before smiling back at him.

"Impressive huh? I sometimes wonder what would happen if you jumped off the top and just dived headfirst into the water." Looking back at him, she grinned again.

"Probably just come down with a case of Dead, but still...." Shrugging, the young kelvic stepped closer still, thrusting out one hand.

"My name is Flick! I live here, in the city actually, with all my friends! We have the best time! Are you new to Riverfall? I could show you around...its still early but I know the best place for a brilliant breakfast!" Smiling her wide smile, she blinked, lying to pretend the loneliness didn't eat her up inside.

[Caelum]

"I wouldn't recommend such a fall," came the dry response, words smooth as smoke. Memory flinched, well acquainted with shocking, tumbling falls from too great heights into seething, unforgiving seas.

Carefully, he accepted her hand for a brief shake, her's so very small in the worn breadth of his own. She reminded him of someone and, perhaps, that and the fact that he was entirely off balance by being in Cyphrus at all was why he eventually nodded.

"Caelum," he bit back a sigh at the name. It still did not feel as though it belonged to him, a poor fit and a dim substitute for what was burning brightly in his mind. He was not hungry, of course, the sunlight bothering to sustain him, but this was not a city he wished to venture into alone. This curious little creature struck him as the distracting sort, and the gods knew he needed distracting so long as he was forced to linger here. "Well, then," a smile suggested itself to his mouth as if the attempt startled his face. "Lead on, Flick."

[Rhylen]

The Drykas, in silent awe of the shining blue expanse, was shaken from his absent stance by the nearby exchange of words. He eavesdropped on the conversation; the ache in his gut coupled with their talk of food reminded him that he’d not eaten in several bells. Easily distracted by the city’s impressive beauty, the wildlander had been so caught up in Riverfall’s dramatic design and scale that he had only partially noticed the fierce stares of the city’s blue skinned inhabitants.

His path to the sea had been accidental, but well worth the trip. Thalla, stabled high above just outside the city’s land entrance, had not liked the prospect of abandonment, but her presence in the city would have inconvenienced him. Rhylen reluctantly handed over the five silvers for her care so that he might explore the city’s depths. He sought supplies and possibly a sturdier weapon than the ceremonial dirk at his hip. He’d found neither, but the views served as a fair exchange.

“You wouldn’t mind terribly if I followed along?” he asked, his drawl a heavily accented common. He took in the strangers with a cautious gaze, clearly aware that the man, Caelum, was of the Sky Children, the colorful horns and immaculate features evidence enough of his rarity. The other, a childish and spindly looking girl, seemed normal enough, save her unusually sized ears. These he tried not to look at for too long, hoping to save her any discomfort. “I don’t mean to pry, but I am unfamiliar with this city,” he glanced between them, an embarrassed look on his face. “My name is Rhylen.”

His eyes came to a rest on the ethaefal, captivated for a brief moment, before they hurriedly fell to the docks.

[Flick]

Flick smiled down at the huge hand over hers, looking up at Caelum with her broad grin. He seemed nice enough, even if his smile seemed so very out of place. Taking a breath to answer him, she was shocked by another voice. Turning her head sharply, the kelvic looked at the drykas with a wide stare. If she'd been in her fennec form, her ears would have stood straight up.

"Rhylen." She repeated, looking him over. He wasn't captivating like Caelum. He was rugged and common and looked like he had stories to tell. Turning on her wide grin, she nodded.

"Sure! It'd be fun! I mean..." Flick's smile faded, and she looked up at Caelum with a sort of worried face.

"If thats alright with you?" The young creature didn't want to upset her new friend. They got mad when they got upset, and then they left her.

[Caelum]

The stranger appeared surprised to have been approached twice in so short a time, actually taking a small step back more out of instinct than any actual feeling of being crowded. The Drykas, and that caused his skin to twitch a bit, dropped his eyes relatively fast and then the cute young woman -- Flick -- looked so terribly concerned about his reception that, for a moment, it only added to his confusion.

Why did anyone care what he thought about this? A lingering, apprehensive glance was cast the towering waterfall and Vega shifted uneasily behind him. A breath was taken, filling his lungs as though a wave was about to break over his head. Molten eyes strayed back to them and he tried on that smile once more, trying, truly, and it looked as rusty as it was.

"Caelum," he offered the man on a mutter. "And this is Flick. No, I don't mind, no. Whatever's fine. I'll need a place for my horse," which sounded ridiculous, he thought, but the entire language sounded ridiculous to him at any given moment. Inevitably, it only caused him to feel ridiculous.

[Rhylen]

Rhylen eyed the Windrunner at the man’s back, taking in the horse and then shifting his gaze to the tiered city above. “I can show you where I stabled my horse, though it might take me a while to remember the way.” He scratched the back of his head absently, considering the winding paths that had brought him here.

The Drykas was not particularly keen when it came to navigating the cloistered surroundings of large cities. He, like many of the Horse Clan felt more at ease in the open embrace of the Grass, free to wander between the earth and the sky. “You may know a better way,” he added hesitantly, regarding the smallish woman before returning his eyes to Caelum. “I believe it was called the Sanctuary.” The thought of climbing to the top of the vast city weighed on his mind as much as it did on his belly, but it would be preferable to have companions in this place than to scour its expanse alone. Urban exploration was not a strength many Drykas shared, him least of all.

The churning of his gut spurred Rhylen to an uncharacteristic forwardness. “I’d very much like to buy you both a meal,” he said, his eyes reflecting the rolling clouds above. A gentle wind had picked up and the lapping waves seemed to applaud his assertion. “Shall we make for higher ground?”

[Flick]

Flick's smile returned, and she listened with interest as the newcomer spoke. As he explained the location of his horse, she just about jumped out of her skin with delight.

"The Sanctuary?! I know where that is! I can take you there later!" Glancing at the autumn struck man beside her, she shrugged casually, looking at her nails.

"Or now, whatevers fine." Feigning the cool collected manner of the intruiging Caelum, she pushed her hair back behind her ears again and rested small hands on small hips, looking at Rhylen as he continued. Her sudden reservation dissolved at the mention of food.

"Yes! Food! I'd love that! Come on, I know a good place, I told ya before! Its got the best food, all warm and crunchy and delicious!" The girl had to resist licking her lips, instead she grinned happily, holding her stomach at the thought. Sighing with delight, she turned to Caelum.

"Hold this for me? I cant find the place like this." Flick said simply, before stripping of her fine white dress in one move and handing it to him and shimmering into her fennec fox form. Stepping away from the men a bit, she yipped at them and waited till they followed her.