[Western Hills] Gallops and Drunkards (Stigandr & Kalila)

[Stigandr]

Words are an important part of life. They are used to communicate feelings and emotions, or to lie about them. They can make one laugh, make one cry and make one angry. To Stigandr though, as a Kelvic and as a creature more animal than human, words could matter very little. More often than not, it was the tone that was carried with the words when they left the lips of the speaker, the actions that were typically associated with these words, as well as physical pleasure or pain that could trigger a response in connection to a word. This was one of those times that the tone of the words, as well as what Stigandr knew of..."human"...emotions fell in line with his understanding. There was an extreme sadness in her tone, behind her words, to his reaction to her. He was reminded of trying to fit in as a child, to have friends, and being told he was a freak and could not play games with the other kids. No one had wanted him around during that part of his life, and now it felt like this all over, only he was the one calling the other kid the freak now. He felt in his instincts that she was not a threat. She smelled like some reptiles he had seen before, but his hairs were not immediately standing on end, and he trusted his instincts above all else. His head dropped in shame, an emotion he knew and understood. Several long seconds passed, the wind dying down to nothing, then beginning to pick back up gently again, ruffling their hair as they sat. He looked back up and reached out to her hand to stop her from veiling herself, "No. Do not do that. I just did not recognize your scent and the form you were in. I have heard the term "Dhani" before, but I know little else beyond a connection to snakes. Stay. You have no reason to leave." What am I doing? I should not trust this creature, he thought to himself, unable to fully explain why he did trust her enough to stay. He had smelled a scent that reminded him of a predator and he was staying. His eyes danced around looking at the trees, the grass and the food. He felt confused and was not sure what to do except to trust his instincts. He glanced up at the dog and the horse that belong to Andalusia and thought that maybe what he was feeling for Sahashkalilia was how the horse felt towards the dog. It smells and seems like a predator, but it is not. Bringing his eyes back down to the food in front of them, Stigandr reached out and took an apple and bit into it, his eyes closing in pure pleasure as he tasted it, accepting Sahashkalilia for who she was.

[Andalusia]

OOCI don't think the Dhani smell like reptile when they're in their human form, did you check that out first? If you've never come in contact with a Dhani, then you shouldn't be able to tell that she is one. Just a heads up!

Andalusia opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, her wide eyes set intently upon the man. He had completely ignored her question and remarks beforehand, and seemed to even be deliberately refusing to acknowledge her. She turned to Kalila before she could get up, and placed a warm hand upon hers, a trembling smile forming upon her lips. Her eyes, however, looked sad and disappointed. "You're just fine," she whispered, so inaudibly that it as if she had mouthed it to the woman. She gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and then let go. And just as soon as she had clasped her hands together onto her knees, with her pale legs sprawled neatly in front of her and her back stretched forward, her blood ran cold. As Stigandr began to speak to the Dhani, his words turning into a muffled heap as Andalusia's mind began to wander, the familiar feeling of insecurity overwhelmed her body, and she went stiff from the sickening sensation. Her eyes and cheeks burned, her skin stung, and her bones felt frozen solid. Her chest tightened as her heart rate sped up, yet the surge of blood felt dry and chilly. Her stomach began to churn and flutter as her mind began to race.

At a glance, she simply appeared composed and calm, preferring to stay in one position as the other two interacted. But upon more observation, it was clear that any sudden movements on her part would cause her to slip into a trembling fit. She felt outcasted and snubbed, and that alone caused a sea of delirious and nonsensical assumptions to flood the recesses of her mind. Despite her effective manner of blocking any form of emotion upon her face, involuntary flashes of worry, discomfort and paranoia would appear, although they would only occur for so long that it could be easily missed through just a blink of an eye.

"Did I say something wrong, is there something wrong with me?" Her eyes remained fixed upon the meal before them. "Does he think I'm something else, doesn't he trust me even just a little bit, do I look bad?" The ideas raced against each other towards a finished line that they could never reach. They pulled at each other, fought with each other, and trampled on each other, which just ended up confusing the girl even more. She had her eye on the warm, delicious bread. It had always been a special treat to have during her meals, but she usually didn't have the time or coin to purchase such a decent loaf as the one Kalila had brought with her. Baked goods and pastries were her absolute weakness, and even in her troubled state, her hands itched to grab at the baked roll. She wanted to dig her fingers into the crust, still crisp and warm, and hear it break from the pressure. The sweet and homey scent, coupled with the calming color of golden brown, had always been the reasons why Andalusia could not simply take her eyes off the tempting mounds of bread being sold at the Castle Commons. She wanted a closet full of them, to have and eat every single day. When she was still living at Zeltiva with her father and uncle, their home had always smelled of freshly baked bread, as her uncle was very much into baking, as well as having shared with her the love of baked goods.

"Maybe I'm ugly," she thought, chuckling silently to herself, "I haven't looked in a mirror in a long while." A light breeze tossed strands of her hair to the side, and she suddenly felt the urge to fix herself up and view her reflection. Too preoccupied with her own thoughts, her eyes did not flinch as a tanned, masculine hand reached out to grab an apple out of the little pile. They had stopped talking, and silence had clouded their mouths. Perhaps it was due to shyness, or in lack of conversational topics. She leered at the man subtley as he turned to glance at Howlite and Dante, who had just finished another round of tag. The Leopardbred had his head down to the grass, nibbling at the delicious green blades, his long ivory tail flicking and tossing happily. Dante lay behind the horse with his back upon the ground, his tongue out and panting. The Luvanor was playfully batting his paws at Howlite's dancing tail. Andalusia smiled softly at the endearing sight, her eyes darting back to the food before the stranger could notice her. Her mind wandered once more, but no longer to her insecurities, although a faint sense of it remained in the tightness of her chest. She was desperately wanting to have some of the bread. Her head slowly turned to face Kalila as she spoke, "may I please have some?" Her finger shot out to point at the warm loaf, almost eagerly. Her body was still stiff, however, and she could not even move her head without shaking anxiously.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila's eyes widened at the stranger's plea, but she removed the veil once again as she watched him reach for an apple before turning to give Andalusia a kind smile at her comfort. The silence stretched between them and Kalila took a moment to observe her two companions. Andalusia seemed to be acting strange, like a skittish animal just before bolting. Her body was tense and she seemed lost in thought, and Kalila wondered what was going on inside her mind. Her other companion however seemed to try and act relaxed, even though she was sure he was aware of everything that was going on around him. He was an attractive fellow, muscular and tan but with a hard edge to him, as if he had been through much. She had guessed as much by his actions towards them. She was aroused from her thoughts though by Andalusia speaking to her and Kalila turned her attention back to her.

"You do not need to assk Anda,"she said with a soft smile, noticing what Andalusia was pointing at. Kalila leaned forward and broke off a hunk of the bread and a piece of cheese, handing them towards her friend. Her body was still tense, and Kalila was not sure what had caused her to be upset so....but Kalila had learned that her friend needed to be treated delicately, and she was more than willing to do that. "I brought thiss to sshare between friendss, and friendss do not need to assk for a gift that iss freely given." She smiled and placed the food in Andalusia's lap, reaching to hand her and apple as well before she did the same for the stranger, placing the bread and cheese before him. "I believe Anda assked you a quesstion that iss sstill a mysstery to uss....perhapss you would care to tell the both of uss your name?" As she spoke she took a small portion of the food for herself and reached into her pack to bring out her clay mug and pour some of the steaming tea into it.

[Stigandr]

Stigandr bit into the apple, his teeth making the skin snap softly as they broke through, his tongue met by the initial burst of cool juice from the apple. His hand pulled the apple back, causing the flesh on the inside to separate in the area between where his teeth were, and firm white meat of the apple delivery a slightly sweet taste to his tongue, the smell of the apple rising up to his nose from the broken skin, a couple drops of juice running out of the bit area, dripping onto the grass as his feet. So tender and firm, sweet and delicious. And fresh. Fresh fruit was hard to come by at time and Stigandr relished in the flavor of it. Stigandr watched the world around him, enjoying it as much as ever, but something seemed off with Andalusia the entire time. He face was making random faces on it, thought some of them he did not know the meaning of, another human nuance he missed out on a lot. He did however see her body was unyielding, as if she were expecting something bad to happen. This confused him since the tension between Sahashkalilia and him had ended. His eyes remained on Andalusia a bit longer, biting his apple again and eating the tender piece of fruit slowly, savoring this treat. As Stigandr watched Andalusia, he noted her eyes on the bread a lot, as if she were really wanting it, but not taking it, but that could not be the source of her tension, could it? No. Why would it be? It was bread after all. His thoughts were interrupted by Andalusia suddenly speaking, spooking him a bit as he was not expecting it. She was asking for some of the food that Sahashkalilia had put out, something he thought belonged to Andalusia as much as Sahashkalilia. Why would she ask about it? He must figure this out if he could. His eyes drifted up again to watch the animals, seeing the horse grazing peacefully, seeming so calm with Andalusia as her master. The dog was lying down peacefully, playing with the mare's tail, who did not seem to mind what was happening to her dangling tail. Such an interesting pair those two. "I believe Anda assked you a quesstion that iss sstill a mysstery to uss....perhapss you would care to tell the both of uss your name?" He heard Sahashkalilia speaking to him. Shaking his head, his hair flying around in a wild mess, he looked back to the women he was with, not realizing he had missed a question. It was possible he just forgot about it when something happened, distracting him from what was asked. It was not in his nature to deliberately ignore anyone who was not a threat. "I am called Stigandr. I did not mean to leave the question unanswered. I just sometime get distracted and forget things. It was nothing against you, Andalusia," he replied, looking at Andalusia at the end for his apology. "Did I miss any other questions?" he asked, genuinely curious if he had missed anything else.

[Andalusia]

Andalusia's face came alive, a rosy blush rising to her cheeks as Kalila called her a friend. A shy, gentle smile graced her soft lips as the Dhani placed a portion of bread and cheese upon her lap. Her eyes sparked and lit up brightly at the sight of the warm, delicious baked good, as if she'd just been given a huge sack of diamonds and gold mizas on her birthday. "Th-thank you," she looked to Kalila excitedly. It may not look much to others, but it was a delightfully precious gift to her. The friend, and the bread.

She brought the bread to her nose and took a long sniff. It was sweet, intoxicatingly sweet, and it induced a pleasantly dizzying sensation as she took a bite out of it, relishing the sugary softness as she paired it up with the salty cheese. She could only register a little of what Kalila was saying, unsure if it was for her or for the stranger, as she eagerly began to slice up her apple with her assassin's dagger. She realized then that the sharp weapon would probably upset or alarm their male companion, who wasn't completely at ease just yet. After two cuts, she quickly returned the dagger, swathed in the fruit's juice, back into the holster strapped around her thigh. "S-Sorry," she mumbled, staring straight down upon her lap as she took a bite out of the few slices that she'd managed to make, ripping little pieces of bread and cheese to nibble on afterwards. She wanted to savor the latter as much as she could.

The man took a little while to answer, seemingly distracted by the forest's beauty and Andalusia's animals, who continued to enjoy each other's company up on one of the hills. Andalusia had calmed down now, after she'd had some food. Her muscles relaxed and she looked less tense, although her gaze remained upon the colorful meal upon her lap. "I am called Stigandr," the man began, "I did not mean to leave the question unanswered." Something heavy in Andalusia's chest immediately evaporated like steam, and she let out a whistle of a sigh through her pursed lips. The questions brought up from her paranoia and anxiety began to slowly disperse as optimism began to set in gradually, telling her that everthing was alright, and no harm was dealt, none even intentionally. Whatever that was left of her fears quickly disintegrated at the sound of her name. "It was nothing against you, Andalusia," she caught him say. She flinched as she turned to look at Stigandr, finally able to do so after having been reduced into a scared fit. Her keen senses of observation, brought on from her time out hunting, were quick to scan his features. His eyes were on hers, a magnifcent deep brown that reminded her much of the forest, the barks of the trees that upon sight, would always relax her. They were filled with a strange kind of emotion, curiosity, or perhaps even observation as well. Whatever it was, it was something, and it was very entrancing. His face, sharp, strong, and rough, gave him a rugged, yet extremely attractive look that she found herself uncannily drawn to. The dark, wavy tendrils of hair that fell upon his head was a little disheveled and out of place, but it worked well. He looked wonderful, but he didn't seem to be aware of it. She shifted her gaze away from him before another blush could make its way to her cheeks. "I-It's fine, really," she said softly, giving him an understanding smile, although her eyes were lowered. "Stigandr," she pronounced his name, her brows furrowed as if she was having trouble with it, although a distracted, playful smile formed upon her face as she did so.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila smiled happily as Andalusia seemed to come out of the shell that she seemed to be in, the tension that seemed to gather around her dissipating. Kalila did not know what made Andalusia like that, but she knew that she was getting better and she was proud of her friend. Kalila picked up her own portion of the meager meal and began to nibble on the bread before placing a piece of the cheese on top and began to really study the man that was in front of her. He was handsome, in a rugged way, his dark hair long and shiny, much like the hair in his stallion form. And while his physical form was very attractive, he seemed troubled, as if he was always looking over his shoulder. That much was obvious by the way that he greeted them with distrust and even aggression.

Kalila could understand his distrust, harboring much of that same emotion herself. She did not know who she could tell her secret too, if at all, and she was always worried that she would be driven off for what she was. Society could be cruel, but she tried not to be unkind towards others simply because they were different, she had been on the receiving end of that cruelty far too much.

"I am glad that you both are enjoying the food, I wass hoping the bread would be good,"she said with a smile, tucking her legs beneath her and picking up an apple. "It isss a pleassure to meet you Ssstigandr, and once again I apologize for usss sstartling you. But, perhapss we never would have met if we didn't, and that would be a shame." She chuckled lightly and bit into the apple, the fruit sweet and firm, the perfect companion to tangy cheese and bread. She then set the apple back in her lap before she poured a bit of the tea into the clay mug she had brought with them. "Thisss iss a very sspecial tea, made with rosse petalss and honey with a touch of cinnamon. It iss ssaid that it providesss sspiritual healing, although I do not know if that iss true. Either way, it warmss the heart and iss a good drink to sshare among friendsss." She smiled warmly at the two and pushed the mug forward, encouraging them to taste it.

[Stigandr]

Stigandr watched Andalusia as she seemed to relax as he talked to her. Her muscles softened and she seemed to smile now, enjoying herself as if before she was not enjoying herself. He did not know why she was tense, or how his words had calmed her, but it was clear that his talking had calmed her in some way. This was only further reinforced by her eyes, which had a look to them akin to a creature worried about something going on, then suddenly clearing of that worry, replaced with a calm face that was gentle and sweet. No matter what or why, it was good she was relaxed. It made him less tense. He watched as she pulled out a knife to cut the bread, his reaction to tense taking over, but slowly calming as she only cut the bread, though he could still feel himself ready to move in a moments notice, years of being on his own conditioning him to be ready all the time. She apologized to him and he shook his head, dismissing it as nothing. He looked up at Sahashkalila as she spoke, her words drawing out at each 's', hinting at her blood and heritage, though he only knew that blood because she had told him instead of hiding it. His eyes watched her as she spoke, listening to her apology for scaring him. "You did nothing wrong against me. I assumed you were threatening to my life based on the dog and reacted. Nothing wrong or right from either side, we did as we know how to do."/b] He took another bite of his apple, savoring the fruit treat, thankful they had brought some apples and offered them to him. Even though he had just met Sahashkalila, he felt calm around her. Maybe it was her past and what he picked up on that was so similar to him that brought that ease on. She was a lot like the Kelvics that Stigandr was quick to defend with his life, immediately treating them like family and protecting them, even without knowing them. [b]"I have never tried tea. I have only ever been interested in water really. I would try it day I am sure. He set down the apple core and looked up to the other horse and dog, his eyes watching them steadily, his head tilted to the left slightly, "Have you ever let your horse run free while you ride? No control on your part, trusting her to run free and protect you, your life in her hands? Do you let her run free without bit and saddle?" Stigandr spoke softly, his brown eyes dancing around the hills as he imagined running as he had just described. It was something no equine, or any creature for that matter, should ever go without experiencing on a regular basis. As he waited the answer to his questions, he reached out his left hand to take a piece of bread, tearing off a bite size portion. Sniffing it, he held it for a few seconds before placing it in his mouth, chewing it slowly. The taste was exquisite. It had a much fuller, richer flavor than the plain bread he had been given in the past. Bread was one of the few foods humans made that he would partake of, finding most foods unpleasant to his tongue.

[Andalusia]

OOCStig, posting our one-on-one thread in a little bit. What date would you like?

"Y-Yes, but i-it always ends up w-with me sore," Andalusia giggled as she spoke, her voice remaining soft and demure, like the chime of a small bell, or the chirp of a newly-hatched baby bird. It wasn't high, but neither was it low; it was just right. She found it delightful that Stigandr took an interest in her dog and her horse, and even more so that he was interacting with the two women. "I do l-like to race w-with her, down th-these hills, it's very f-fun," she gazed at Howlite and Dante, who remained relaxed up on the very same hill, "I a-always lose, of c-course, she's so very quick!"

Absentmindedly placing bite-sized bits of bread and cheese into her mouth, her eyes inclining towards the Kelvic as he ate. "What are you doing!?" she scolded herself silently, as a blush rose up her cheeks, "Stop looking at him. If you keep this up, you'll be red-faced for the rest of your life!" Of all the men she had seen in Zeltiva and Sunberth, during her youth and her time in the latter city, she had never found herself attracted to such rough, rugged features. All the other men she's ever met either looked youthful, androgynous, feminine, or only mildly masculine. The rest had such dreadfully tough auras that it pained her to even look at them for more than a minute. But this man had the strangest, most intriguing look to him. He was husky and robust, yet he was mild and gentle-looking, all blended together in such a curious fashion that Andalusia couldn't simply stop glancing and looking at him. "The death of me," she thought in exasperation, her eyes shifting over to Kalila, hoping that the Dhani hasn't noticed her rather odd behavior.

Gingerly, she took the clay mug out of the young woman's hands, cupping it with both her palms as she gently blew at the steaming hot surface of the tea. The aromatic mix of herbs and spices caused her lungs to flare and her eyes water, and yet even so, it enticed her even more to try it. Without any more doubts, she quickly too a slow, gentle swig of the drink, grinning to herself afterwards. It was absolutely delicious. "This is liquified paradise," she mused quietly, holding the steaming mug in front of Stigandr expectantly. A part of her wondered if he had noticed her constant gazing at him, and wondered if it bothered him. Her flush cheeks remained, but now, she had managed to smile brightly.

[Sahashkalila]

Kalila watched as her two friends enjoyed their meal, happy that she could bring them happiness with her meager offerings. She did not have much, but what she did have she was always willing to share with people who she felt made a difference in her life. Andalusia had become a very good friend to her, and was someone that Kalila felt would never her judge her for what she did or what she was....and that was worth more to her than anything that she has ever possessed or wanted in her lifetime. Stigandr was a mystery to her, someone strange and new, who seemed to be very empathetic towards others....and she hoped that she would be able to get to know him more if they did not scare him away.

She watched as Andalusia sipped the tea and was rewarded with a pleased expression from her friend, and Kalila took that she enjoyed it. Tea was always something that warmed the heart and mind and Kalila always felt that it was something that was much better shared between friends. She smiled happily as she listened to Stigandr speak, thinking that she would love to just pet a horse, seeing as animals did not seem to like her as much. "I have never ridden nor have I even touched a horsse, for they do not sseem to like me very much. But I have alwayss wondered what it would be like to experience the freedom that riding can bring to you. A sssilly dream I ssupposse, sso I would jusst ssettle for being able to pet one." She shrugged her small shoulders and returned to her meal, looking out across the hills to where Dante and Howlite were playing.

[Andalusia]

Andalusia grinned eagerly as she heard Kalila's wish to pet a horse. Quickly, she removed her cloak and rose to her feet, folding the piece of clothing and placing it on the ground, leaving her food on top of it. She brought her hand out to Kalila, urging her to rise from her seat on the floor. "I can m-make that happen," she exclaimed, glancing over to Howlite, who seemed to have sensed her intentions. The horse turned towards them warily, his tail growing still and his ears perking up. He took careful steps backwards in anticipation and fear, but finding that Dante was enthusiastic about it, slowly eased up.

"Howlite will let you p-pet him, Kalila, h-he will!" Andalusia bounced in place, looking much like an excited little child, urging her mother to look at a some thing she's done. "I hope you d-don't mind, St-Stigandr," Andalusia turned to the young man, giving him a reassuring smile. She pursed her lips and made a soft, whistling sound, much like a little bird's chirp. Howlite began to gallop down the hills, but stopping a good few feet away from the trio, Dante following suit. The two weren't as afraid of Kalila as they were when they first met her, but Stigandr was a whole other story. It wouldn't be hard to befriend him, especially since he was a Kelvic, but he didn't trust them enough to even let them near him. "I-It's ookay," Andalusia called out, but the two animals would not budge. She turned to Kalila with a worried expression on her face, but she knew it couldn't have been the Dhani. "D-Do you mind if th-they come c-closer?" she turned to Stigandr as she spoke.