Closed Two of Moons

[Valanir]

27th, Winter 512 AV

The bonesnapper tugged and pulled to anchor his step. Its wake continued for few moments before it found another target to tickle and was gone with a roar. The chills were far from spinal, but there were few that could make the hair on his arm stand. Clear skies made everything better and worse all at one time. Leth could be sensed with the feintest glow without clouds hindering his sight, but the resulting drop in heat was somewhat alarming. Sure this was no winter like they had them in Kalea... or Izurdin forbid, Taldera; but it was harsh enough for the alien to shake as he neared the apex of his journery - the docks.

There was little hindrance in his path, he was his own lantern with Leth provided moonshine upon the revealed skin. These strides did him good these days for few dared to venture out so openly. It was the divinity of his once blood that protected him from harm, but it was still quite pleasing to have an entire road to one's self.
The water was near and he could see faint reflections upon the surface of it, this would be a good place to stop, he knew. For all their glory, his silvered eyes were nothing more than those of a human. If he could have the piercing gaze of his Isur counterpart even in these blessed hours then he would've been worthy to gauge the moon.

Normally one would expect people who derived their very existence from the sea and its salt god to have a shrine for the one who in a way keeps the tide where it's supposed to be. Alas, the Zeltivans were not tidefolk, instead one could call them seafarers... every last one of them. Having never seen a ship and coming from Zeltiva was a better job reccomendation than actually serving on some puny vessel from Syliras - or so he figured.

It would be the hour of thieves soon, and in these strange hours he was best to find refuge in his home. The nights were too rowdy to have him do as he wishes without thoughts of consequence. He would leave soon, but he needed to pray first. Kneeling down simply and on both legs, he would keep his back straight to appear proud even in his humility. Valanir was part strength incarnate after all! Closing his eyes, he would clasp one hand firmly around the spear at his side. He might've been religious, but he was no fool.

The words were silent, all but unaudible.

"These are trying days, my lord" shaking off the thought he was being watched, he'd press on "Why must the nights reclaim these curses? Was it not you who sent us all here to find what was wrong with this world before climbing back into Ukalas? I had many things to see, more so to fix, but none felt filling enough to actually grant me peace of mind" he'd sigh "Lord! My will is iron, but I'm afraid my faith in the fall being reasonable is beginning to recede... I pray for direction, luminous one! I pray for direction and that you know that your child won't fail you even when struck with disaster." the voice was gone, but nothing moved on the ethaefal. Even his breathing stopped as if not to hinder the message in reaching the distant heavens. They were far from such grace after all.

[Ayatah]

The wind battered against her window once more, and Ayatah tossed in her bed yet again. Sighing grumpily, she sat up. The room was near pitch black - but she could faintly make out the shape of her cupboard, desk, and the birdcage that sat atop of it. Kiwi would be sleeping, and after waking him up a little over a week ago at a similar ungodly hour, Ayatah knew better than to make a single noise as she slid out from her bed.

When will I be able to sleep again? She thought desperately. The half-Eypharian had expected insomnia to interrupt her sleeping pattern, but in the earlier days of her living in Zeltiva. But it had been nearly thirty days since she had first arrived, and until about ten days ago, she had slept soundly.

She missed her home - that much she knew, but was it just homesickness that kept her awake at night? No, because she had longed for Taloba the moment she saw the green of the Falynder Jungle disappear in the horizon as she floated away on the Myri-damned boat.

It was something else, something unsettling. Ayatah could not place her finger on what exactly it was. But whenever she had been confused as a child, sleep would elude her much as it did so now.

”You are a night child, Aya.”

The voice her Great-Grandmother echoed through her memory, and Ayatah found herself smiling in the darkness. She had always found great sympathy and company in the nighttime, especially when the moon was high and Leth was watching over her.

And it was his company that she sought after now. Having got dressed, Ayatah slipped out of her room and out of the building that housed all of her fellow students. For a moment, she paused - where should she go to talk to Leth?

The docks

It did not sound like Ayatah’s voice that had answered her inner question, but she listened to it all the same. And it was to the docks that she walked, until finally she came face-to-face with the sea.

And somebody else.

Shyke.

She like solitude when she prayed, and the presence of this other person certainly annoyed Ayatah. But she stepped closer to the edge of the docks all the same, every now and then glancing to the stranger. Her attention towards the figure was not down to concern - she was armed with her double-bladed dagger should anyone try to mug her (and who would? She was Myrian!). But she was a curious individual, and it was not normal for anyone apart from herself to seek solace in the night. Unless he is a drunk…

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Valanir]

As if it was foretold, Valanir would rise quickly and with what silence he could spare. Looking around once, he wouldn't notice anyone, his eyes still unused to the surroundings. Upon second inspection however, he'd notice a figure not too far from him. He had hoped Leth would provide him with direction, but somehow he hoped it would've come in form of his own kin. That was it! Maybe she was one of Syna's little daughters, trapped in the twilight of Leth's realm. If that was indeed the case, he should go talk to the female with great urgence. However, the ethaefal was too much a cynic to believe he was important enough for gods to back over backwards to send him such an obvious signal. One could still hope though. Valanir would test her presence. He would not fall before his time, so there was no room for fear, Leth was watching.

Turning fully to the strgenly foreign creature, he'd tilt his head a bit to the side. Friend or foe he, he wondered. Even if she was indeed a sign from his god, she could've still been an ill omen. He would make no more than three steps towards the girl, thus letting her know the focus of his attention without upsetting her needlessly.Releasing his grip on the spear hand for a bit, he hoped she would notice... and she was bound to. Given her eyes were keen enough.

"Strange hours for a soul to tread alone" he'd begin what he considered perfectly normal social etiquette, but there were bound to be a couple of norms that'd disagree. Not that he cared to remember them all.

[Ayatah]

"Strange hours for a soul to tread alone"

The voice made Ayatah jump, and she stepped backwards sharply in surprise. I should have been more aware of my surroundings… The lack of attention she had paid to her surroundings annoyed her. In Taloba, being so casually blasé could lead to a quick death, and although the risks were certainly less dramatic in Zeltiva, Ayatah did not want to fall out of habit.

”Yes, it is.” Her words were suspicious, and she tilted her head to one side inquisitively. The man in front of her - for the voice that had spoken had certainly been male - was taller than she, and as the pale moonlight shone, his eyes looked… Silver?

The poor lighting made it incredibly hard to pick up on any finer details of his experience, so Ayatah’s dark eyes looked at his own warily. When she next spoke, her words were edged with a cool politeness. She knew that some people simply enjoyed talking to strangers, and to ignore them or treat them rudely risked arousing some angered response. So she would be cool, not kind, but respectful. ”I was just admiring the night, and enjoying Leth’s company.” She nodded towards the sea, how its own blackness merged with the dark sky. ”What about yourself?”

She turned sideways to him slightly, to face back out to the sea once more. But every now and then, she would pass the stranger a sideways glance. There was something... different about this man, and she could not quite find the words to describe it in her own mind. It was a bad thing, per se - just... something.

Very odd...

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Valanir]

Not drunk, definitely not drunk - Valanir would think after just gazing at her briefly. Somehow it occured to him both of them might've had this same presumed about the other even if only for a moment. Attentive as they come, the woman didn't take long to step back in response to his own movements. Released or not, there was still as spear in his hand. Figures; he should've left the damn stick at home if it meant making communication that much more difficult.

Apparently she was keen on taking his Lord's name in her mortal mouth. Valanir wouldn't quite call it polite, but there were worse things when dealing with flea ridden creatures like humans. Again, maybe that was the sign he asked for and seemingly never recieved? This apparition could be put to good use yet if he had the willpower to actually try and peel the shell of all those jagged, uncomfortable bitts.

"I was praying" dusting off his knees, he'd nod. It was explanation enough. Good things knees were, reminded a man where his place was below the heavens. Some penance was always good for the soul. Not too much, mind you, lest he not meld completely with the mortals.

"Your kind is supposed to be warming bed at this hour. Go home, young one. Night is no place for a dame. Even Syna realizes this while she slumbers beneath my Lord..." the last piece was left as more an afterthought. Maybe he had taken an awkward approach, but it was never easy to converse with these creatures.

[Ayatah]

"Your kind is supposed to be warming bed at this hour. Go home, young one. Night is no place for a dame. Even Syna realizes this while she slumbers beneath my Lord..."

The words made Ayatah’s eyes narrow into an unappreciative glare. I am no helpless woman… Her thoughts were accompanied by her left hand touching the central hilt of her double-bladed dagger. This male stranger was not the only one that was armed. The first two words of his statement - ‘your kind’ - seemed to have slipped past her attention.

”I think I can manage.” She said coolly, offering no other explanation. She would not make an effort to justify her solo stroll to someone who underestimated her so much.

But then again, Zeltiva has suddenly become a hubbub of crime… A slightly more rational inner voice argued. It was true; and in such poor lighting, it would not be obvious that Ayatah was a fearless Myrian. She might even come across as a fellow citizen of the city.

”I grew up in Taloba,” Her voice was not so hostile now, and she shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, ”so petty criminals do not scare me.” In the jungle, she was more likely to be attacked by a tiger than some drunken youngster holding a dagger for the first time. And the former was much scarier than the latter. ”Perhaps it is you that should go home. Young one.” A smirk pulled at those full lips of hers, entertained by how their roles had seemingly reversed.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Valanir]

He had done something to offend her, or at least provoke suspicion, he was certain. The small glimmering rounds of her eyes were smaller now, barely visible. Valanir didn't really see the point in her squinting at him, her eyes were near useless at this time already. Why incapacitate them further? Especially ludacris was to do so in front of someone like Valanir, someone you didn't know.

Her response amused him, from defensive to neutral, overal impression was null however. She would do as she wished, naturally, he didn't need to meddle such. "No one speaks of criminals when they speak of petty" he wouldn't look away despite the urge "These people have never known crime... most of them anyway, and that makes them especially..." he mused "unpleasant?" with that in mind he couldn't but smile at her trying to put him in his place by claiming to be a Myrian of Taoba, at least that's what he thought he heard. It had been so long since his words last echoed with anything related to the jungle dwellers. If she was to be a last moment's joy of a dying man, then that man wouldn't care if she was Myri herself. The girl should've known that, yet the didn't mean she needed to hear it from him.

"Young on the other hand..." and then laughter would break out through the streets waking anywhere between none and ten neihboring beds and a stray cat that was quite incredibly uncooked and running away in a hissing fit.
"What business would you have with my father?" then he'd bow, but not too much, wouldn't want to lose sight of her now, would he "Might I be of assistance to you?"

[Ayatah]

Drunk… Definitely drunk she decided, nodding as the idea was cemented in her mind. Ayatah had seen drunkards before - in fact she expected that half the ship crew that had bought her to Zeltiva could not see straight (why else had the boat been so damn bumpy?). She saw them staggering in the street, talking animatedly like excited children. In Taloba, it was uncommon for someone to be publically drunk, unless there was a festival or some other celebrations. And even then, the Myrian people did not tend to get quite as drunk as some of the Zeltiva’s locals.

"No one speaks of criminals when they speak of petty"

At that, Ayatah shrugged her shoulders. She had no wish to argue over semantics with a stranger, least of all a drunk one. ”Well, that’s your opinion.” She said simply, casting her dark eyes back towards the ocean. It still struck her how strange it was to be somewhere so… open. The sky could be seen anywhere in Zeltiva, but in Taloba, it was hidden behind the thick overgrowth of foliage. When she first moved to the city, Ayatah had ben stunned to realise just how many stars there were.

"What business would you have with my father?"

That made the half-Eypharian tilt her head to one side, puzzled. She had heard of the Sons and Daughters of Leth and Syna, yet now she seemed to be unable to grasp at whatever information she had learnt as a girl. ”I have always found good company in -- Leth.” She spoke slowly, as if cautious that the stranger had told her a lie in naming the Moon God his father. There was no particularly reason as to why she cared; other than the fact she had not expected to spend her night unintentionally amusing a stranger.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Valanir]

Opinion? It wasn't his opinion, it was but the truth of course. People had used many words as synonim for Valanir over the ages, but humble was never one of them. And then there it was, that subtle change in stance and tone. Surely, she must've been intrigued to know just what he meant when he claimed Leth to be a parent. He was patient sure, but he didn't have nerves to waste on her petty kind.

"Are all females of your species so...khm" there was no point in trying to find the perfect word, to each his own, and she too would likely what suited her best, or offended her most. It was a character thing, he couldn't help her there.

"Our kinds should never come much closer to each other than we are now, but our deities on the other hand deserve to be shared" trying to find the proper way to ask her to relax, he'd push on "Settle yourself and we may find mutual words of Father. Animosity is getting us nowhere" he wasn't arrogant yet, to his measure anyway. It was simply the truth, and the choice was mortal just like her... therefore hers to make.

[Ayatah]

"Are all females of your species so...khm"

The lack of an adjective made Ayatah frown, but then her furrowed brows quickly released from their scowl. The Myrian culture was matriarchal, so yes… She supposed that most of the fellow women of her people were -- authoritative? Fiery? Fierce? Aggressive? Proud?

And outside the jungle, especially in a city where neither sex had power over the other, it would be easy for a Myrian female to stand out. She would give this stranger the benefit of doubt, and assume the word he seemingly could not think of was not a negative one.


"Settle yourself and we may find mutual words of Father. Animosity is getting us nowhere"

I wasn’t being hostile, just suspicious, she thought grumpily, but she nodded all the same. And there was that reference to Leth as ‘Father’ again. ”I… don’t normally share my thoughts meant for a God with anyone else.” The words were not rude, but guarded. When Ayatah spoke to a deity, it was usually in times of desperation or confusion. To voice her inner thoughts in front of someone else - let alone a stranger - was an uncomfortable thought. ”I don’t mean any offence by my words. It’s just… habit, I guess.”

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||