Between Here and There (Alva)

[Taletha Virain]

73rd Day of Spring, 512 AV A young woman sank down in front of the campfire, a piece of bread in her hand. She had chosen a fire at the edges of camp, one that wasn't surrounded by as many people. In a caravan of this size, it was impossible to truly be alone, but Taletha had certainly given it her best effort. She hadn't really spoken to anyone these past few days, except to ask the occasional question or to answer one, and often walked and rested alone. Her fellow Zeltivans were a little too intimidated by her status to approach her, and she ignored those that did in the typical haughty fashion of the wealthy. The Sylirans ignored her for the most part, except for head counts. In a caravan this size, it was also easy to be overlooked. She took a bite out of the piece of bread in her hands, staring at the fire. Her hair was unbound, falling around her face in a dark curtain as her eyes fixed on the flickering flames, her thoughts wandering. Her feet ached. It had been three days since the caravan had officially left Zeltiva, and from what she heard, it would be at least thirty-seven more before they reached Syliras. She had never traveled before. She knew the distances between the cities as a vague number in her head, but the experience was really driving home how vast MIzahar was. She'd always expected that she would travel someday, but she had always thought it would be by sea, accompanying some of her family's goods or negotiating with a buyer in a different city. The thought that she would be taking the dangerous overland route had never crossed her mind. The thought of becoming a Syliran Knight...well, she had never considered it. The girl stared down at her hand, flexing her fingers before slowly clenching it into a fist. She could fence, so she had some training in the art of combat, but that had been purely for sport and self-defense. Now that she was three days away from Zeltiva, the angry rush of rebellion was starting to fade away, and she was realizing just what she got herself into. The Knights weren't just a group of fighters. They were devoted to a creed, and came from a rich tradition. She would have to subscribe to that, to follow that code. And she wouldn't be an ordinary Knight. She had signed up to be a warrior mage, which meant learning magic. She certainly had nothing against wizards, coming from a city like Zeltiva, but she had never thought of learning magic, especially the personal kind that the Knight's warrior mages practiced. She wondered what kind she would be asked to learn. Flux, probably...or reimancy... How would that feel, she wondered. Manipulating her own energies in a supernatural way... There was so much about this that she hadn't thought about at all.

[Alva Whiteshield]

Seated by the fire, Alva marveled at the beauty around her. Soft sunlight glittered on the trees above her and she happily let the rays warm her skin as a welcome break from the rain. Day after day she had been soaked to the bone by heavy rain, but for the last few bells the sun had somehow managed to burn through the heavy clouds to brighten her spirit.

The warrior had already finished her evening meal and was drinking in the last moments of the dying day, enjoying this very magical time when light slowly faded into darkness. There were only a few other people sharing the fire, some whom were engaging in quiet conversations. Alva took no interest in it however. She had chosen this spot in particular to be as alone as possible when traveling in such a large caravan.

Soft footsteps made her look up as a dark haired girl approached the fire, the strange girl with the emerald eyes. Alva did not say anything when the girl took her seat, and she tried to not stare but her curiosity was again tickling her insides. Alva was not good at making conversation with strangers, nor making friends. She never knew what to say. Everyday conversations about mundane things easily bored her, however she was always interesting in learning about people. Especially the ones she was somehow drawn to, perhaps because they had something inside them worth knowing, worth learning from.

Alva was a very spiritual person. Not in a fanatic, sick kind of way, though she was fiercely devoted to her god. She was just curious about life. She wanted to know things, and through Yahal's guidance, to be everything she could be. She was also beginning to understand that it was through interactions with others that she could learn the most.

"Nice evening." She said suddenly, hinting at the sunlight that was growing colder by the minute with the setting of the sun. She delighted in the last call of the birds, signaling the end of the day. She knew she would wake up to their chorus in the morning. She turned her head to look at the girl with a warm smile that echoed in her eyes.

"I'm Alva. I'm one of the squires from Syliras." She said, though she was sure the dark haired girl had already figured that out. Her next question went straight to the source of her curiosity.

"What made you come on this.....adventure?"