Closed The stranger in black

[Absynia]

All she knew about gods were they were people with the ability to rule over others and do things beyond mortal means. Seemed some were good and others not so much, very much like everyone else, though she could be wrong.

I don’t really know much about other gods…
When I was younger I met one once, Eywaat, he was rather nice.
They are people too, are they not?
I mean, they have a lot of strength due to their powers, but they don’t seem too much different…

She listened to him talk about the dancers and the other races her eyes lighting up as she tried to imagine what he described, they seemed rather fascinating. His question about her eyes startled her and she turned her head to look at him wondering why he’d want to, but sat up anyways.

I don’t know if you’ll see them very well in the dark, but…I guess you can, I did study your claws so its only fair.

Her eyes started pale along the edge, deepening to yellow and then gold around the irises. Her eyes often expressed all sorts of emotions, they were the eyes of an individual that had plenty of passion, but as they watched him closely he’d see shy wariness. His nearness made her edgy, she tried to stay as still as possible, but she was tense, as if she hardly ever had anyone near her as close as he was. She couldn’t see much of his own gaze, it was too dark to really see, but she waited patiently even if she was anxious. It showed in her eyes, her uncertainty, but she showed strength by not flinching back when all her instincts said to move away. Only Ash and the various animals and birds that came near her had her unerring trust. People not so much.

So why is it you roam so far from your home, don’t you have family that miss you?

[Demetri Velutina]

Sitting up onto his knees he positioned himself in front of her to look into her eyes. “They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that's the case, your soul must be very peculiar.” Sometimes peoples eyes were dark, cloudy, and mysterious. Other times they are bright and confident. With the colors of expressions behind them one glance could make some mysterious, confident, or unreliable animal like an animal. When he looked closely into her eyes Demetri saw her vast curiosity and timidity which made him wonder why she acted in such a way. The angle he held his head caused the moonlight to reflect off his violet irises allowing them to truly lock eyes together. As he kept the gaze his right hand rose so his palm hovered only centimeters from her cheek but never touched her. Once he was done with his personal examination of the women he let his arm fall back to his side. ”Some people would find that line of thought blasphemous to consider a deity to be anything lesser then divine.” The name of the god she had met did not register in his mind which stumped him. He thought he had some basic knowledge on the names of the gods for harvesting purposes. This one must have slipped past him after ages of having no need to remember it. “Eywaat? I do no recollect this gods name though no doubt he must have left a mark upon you in some way?” Having seen others with divine marks before it wasn’t such a far fetched question to ask. It was also a question that held more meanings then what was spoken. He figured meeting a god could or would change a persons outlook on life. “I travel because I simply can, I know my home will be there when I return and also like you worship Eywaat in someway; Like I told you before I worship Viratas. He is the god of the Essence, Connection, Heritage, Blood, and life.” Pausing for a moment to muse over what he had said and let the understanding sink into her, he soon continued again. “It is through our connection that when so far from home I am never forgotten, and when I am alone the ties that bind will never be broken.”

[Absynia]

Her left hand reached up to move her hair away from her ear, along the top ridge he’d see small raised bristles, like unfledged feathers. She didn’t say anything more, just let her hair fall back to cover her ear, her eyes still looking him over as they had when he’d first appeared, though far less hostile.

Then those people must be very silly. I suppose if my bondmate and I came flying out of the sky to a people who have never seen such a thing, they too would think so, but that wouldn’t change the fact I am still a person.To us, gods are so, but perhaps to them they are individuals that to each other seem fairly normal and ordinary. We don’t live in their world, we only give them our respect, trust, love and things, so its very plausible that this is so, who is to say they even keep the things people offer to them. I certainly respect and am wary of the power he can use, but I don’t fear him as a man, why should I? It is far better to treat ones gods as one would treat a person who has plenty of power, but still maintain ones self-respect by acknowledging them as one individual to another.

I honor him by doing so and I set a place for him leaving behind something as a gift from time to time. Just as I would a friend… Perhaps this is not how the other gods would appreciate it, but one does what one thinks is best. If Eywaat wanted a change he can certainly tell me so, I would obey as a child would ones elder.

He didn’t say he had any family and she wondered if she should ask, she herself had none, but who is to say he hadn’t been raised and loved by his own.

If Ashta was not with me it would be very lonely… To travel around with no one you trusted seems sad. I couldn’t leave him behind to wander aimlessly about, all we have is ourselves, no one else. Did you not have anyone you’d have asked to come with you? I always see strangers come in groups or with someone, hardly anyone I’ve ever seen travels alone.

She had plenty of spirit to have views as she did, especially about a being that could end her life without so much as a struggle. Ashta had settled upon his rock keeping an eye on things around them, he silently wondered what the stranger was thinking. Syn was doing quite well, one had to give her credit for the courage she was showing. Though he was jealous that it was the stranger and not him that had drawn her out as much as she was, but he could let it slide since it would make her stronger.

[Demetri Velutina]

Demetri listened soberly to the fiery haired women speak nodding his head at the notion of equality between a god and their followers. While he didn’t consider himself a zealot, he did find himself to hold his god on a higher pedestal out of respect hoping his views were looked upon with favor. The mark on her ear was observed with a silent smirk on his lips before leaning back away from her. “Being alone does not bother me. While I do enjoy the pleasures of people company , I do not have anyone that wished to venture the land with me. It is like you have said ~"all we have is ourselves, and no one else."~ I depend on my own hands to carve out my survival to bring worth to my soul.” Pausing he sat up again and chuckled. ”One day when I am old and happy with a family I have settled down with… thinking back to where I have been and seen. I will regret nothing… Looking out into the distance of the starlit horizon he pointed to the far distance. "Momentary sadness and homesickness is nothing when compared to the regret of 'What If?'.... To look into the distance and think What if I had never taken that first step and missed the greatest adventure of my life." Lowering his hand he stood up from his seated position to stretched his long arms into the air.

[Absynia]

She looked at the sky sadness welling in her heart, she wondered what it would be like to have a family. She knew not what it was like to have someone care enough about a child to raise it and love it. All she had was Ash, there was no one else who cared for her as he did.

I suppose I envy you a bit… I don’t know what its like to have people whom you miss waiting for me at ‘home’. Ash is the only family I have ever known and I am often with him, yet…to have someone who shares my blood… I wonder what that’s like.

Her mindvoice held a shadow of grief, the sorrow she felt at knowing without Ash beside her she had no one else and the fear she had that she would lose him. The small child she had been attached to him as a father, brother and teacher, in some ways she still felt like the scared girl clinging to his feathers in the shade of one massive wing. Part of her wanted to be angry at this stranger for bringing such things up and making it clear that she had no one to call her blood, but she sighed looking at the sliver moon. She had Ash, she needed no one else, no one else would stand beside her as he did. Most of the time telling herself that helped, but those few other times it only made her sad. She stood up stretching walking to the edge and looking down. Ash watched her wondering what she was thinking, but didn’t worry she’d try to leap off, though if she did he’d catch her. He extended his head to gently touch his beak to her shoulder. Syn turned and hugged him sighing, she hadn’t meant to worry him.

So, are you just passing through or are you staying a while Demetri?

She let go walking to stand near the man looking up at him, he was rather tall, seemingly more so because he was slender and deceptively delicate. Being so close made a shiver run up her spine, she was not used to being so close to someone strange. Usually she set up a time with a merchant when hardly anyone was around so she didn’t have to be hemmed in. Even with the merchant she kept her distance, but she was close enough to hear him breathe, close enough to reach out and touch. It was mostly from a desire to seem more confident, she wanted to not be so unnerved. She felt that if she tested herself so she would overcome it, though the thought of braving a crowd of people made her feel sick.

[Demetri Velutina]

“It is blood that keeps a creature from the agony of solitude. Isolation is lost in the offering and acceptance of blood's sacred chain. This chain may be heavy or light, but it is not one of bondage. Even its greatest weight is made bearable by the many hands that lift it.” There was something laced within his words that gave them a hidden weight behind them. He spoke directly from the holy book of the Viratassa which texts he had memorized as a young age. Demetri paused showing the ever changing small smile on his face. ”"By nature, by love, by creed, or by the will of gods the chains of blood are made… While I may not fully understand the connection of a rider to their eagle, I do respect the strong chains it creates.” Slender arms crossed across the hardened black leather of his armor as he watched the young women who was close next to him. The sadness in her inner voice was easy enough to notice but he chose to ignore. Her thoughts were her own to keep and he had no reason to pry any further then he needed to. ”I am planning on staying for sometime. I have no reason to go back into the unforgiving. While I do like traveling alone it is a weary process.”

[Absynia]

She knew that he’d have had his occupation assigned, given also a place, but maybe he hadn’t found it.

Do you have a place found already?

Due to their bond Ash already could tell what she was planning and felt that the desire was driven by her curiosity. She was taking an unusual leap, but it would be interesting to see how things went, this stranger had better not do anything to hurt her. Syn’s golden eyes watched Demetri, thoughts and feelings lighting them from behind, never a good sign for it usually meant she was up to something, though only Ash would know that. He’d probably get asked by people wondering what was going on, she wasn’t in the least bit anything of interest, but her allowing the stranger to stay with her and him not being too long in the city? That would make people curious. She wondered what he might do, her head turned and she looked out across to the other cliffs thoughtfully. While she was worried she was making a bad choice, she decided the risk wasn’t going to be too bad, she would live with it regardless.

[Demetri Velutina]

Demetri had been assigned a job upon first entering the city. It was why he couldn‘t sleep, because he had yet to find where he was going to sleep so he just explored during the night to avoid crowds. ”No, I have not found it yet but I will eventually. ” Demetri glanced down at himself finding the straps of his armor he had loosened to tighten them again as his ravenesque hair had fallen to cover his face when he looked down. For now, at least, his body was straightened as if he had put on a corset which made his posture perfect showing his true tall height. For some reason he expected their conversation was coming to an end so he readied himself for a long climb down the mountain side. OOCVauge about his home and job because I have yet to be assigned a job and ect.. from a storyteller. Phoenix gave me the go-ahead to post because she would be away on a trip so I will find out where he lives and ect later ... OOC'ly he is homeless and jobless.

[Absynia]

Stay with me then. This way you get more privacy and I can learn more about where you are from and what you have seen. I just hope you are not afraid of a short flight to get there… Providing you ask Ash if he’ll fly with you with me.

Technically he didn’t have to ask, but she wanted to get him back for his earlier joke, he’d also humble himself a tad too which would do him some good.

That is if you’ll even wish to… I suppose you could find better company in town…

She just hoped the offer of a nights rest without a long climb to wander around till he found the correct place.

[Demetri Velutina]

That thought did not settle well. Demetri barely liked riding horses so the thought of riding on Ash wasn’t something he really wanted to do. Not to mention the somewhat hostile previous body language of the large creature made the pale man unnerved as if it would drop him on purpose during mid-flight. Despite his qualms Demetri was a man of experiences and while he had ridden on a horse he had never flown on an eagle. Was this really a chance he wanted to pass up? Considering it a new memories and future story to tell he decided to take the chance. “I would love to stay with you I find your company highly pleasurable, also it has been sometime since I have had a proper nights rest.” The smile on his lips skewed as if really not wanting to say the words when he was about to speak to Ash. “Would you care to honor me with a ride?” The sincerity in his words was clear yet the awkward expression he gave revealed his hidden fang that held a good amount of poison in them since he hadn‘t eaten in a day.