Closed To Die Alone or Escape Together (Sheva)

[Nikomas]

The Fifty-Third Day of the Spring Season, Five Hundred and Thirteen Years After the Valterrian

[Nikomas]

Friends? Who needed them? Well, at this very moment in time, Nikomas did as he stood within Avanthal's most challenging recreational structure. It was deemed The Smoldering Embrace, and right about now it was certainly living up to its reputation as one heck of a mind-bending maze. Actually, if the Vantha had any say in the matter, he would rename the place The Smothered Enraged! I feel like the walls are closing in on me, he thought as he pushed forward through the ankle deep snow until he was once again at a dead end. "No!" he cried out as he kicked at the dense powder and pounded his fists against the polished wooden wall before him. "I can't do this anymore!" he continued to shout as he once again struck the solidly built wall. "Petch!" he barked as he felt a sharp pain shoot up his arm. And where exactly did my two best friends in the entire realm get off to? Huh? I bet ya they're sitting back at the entrance to this forsaken place, laughing the night away over cups of hot cinnamon. Shyke heads. Tracing his steps back, he came to a juncture where he could go left, right, or straight. It was late in the evening, so there were little to no signs of life left in the maze, but the moment he did see someone, he would be sticking to them like a tongue to a metal pole in the dead of winter. Okay, Niko, you already went left...how about we try right? he reasoned, only to get about ten feet in that direction and realize that he had already tried this path, too. "Petch this shyke!" he barked as he made his way back and took the third option, straight, toward the gods knew what. "I swear on my grandmother's angelic voice, if I don't make it out of here in the next bell, I'm setting this entire place on fire!" he muttered as he glared at one of the many torches sticking out of the lofty walls all around him.

[Sheva]

Another night in the snowy city of Avanthal, Sheva had heard of this new place where they put on reimancy shows at night and with her curiosity peaked she had decided to go investigate. The reimancy show had been enjoyable, Sheva was impressed and also happy to see that she could probably pull off most of the stunts the reimancer had done, altogether it had been a great experience, it was nice to observe humans in such a festive atmosphere. The Smouldering Embrace, that was what this place was called, a giant bonfire surrounded by a massive maze which lead to who knows where. Sheva had sat there intrigued by the intricate design of the bonfire for quite a while, there were barely any locals around when she had finally decided to leave. She had picked one of the eight paths at random and began walking, excited to see where the path would lead, she enjoyed the anticipation, her feline side revelling in the curiosity it presented her with. After a while of walking from dead end to dead end Sheva got whiff of someone's scent, she was surprised since she thought she had been alone here, but her keen senses told her otherwise. Sure enough after following the path she heard a nearby voice saying something about 'setting this place on fire', she could hear the frustration in the persons voice and couldn't resist the urge to go see what was going on. As she took the corner, there he was heading towards her. It was a young man, his build was neither large nor small and he had very dark hair which complimented his face, he was adorable. "Hey." she said cheerfully, greeting him with a bright smile as she waved.

[Nikomas]

Were his eyes playing tricks on him or was this really another person approaching? They nearly blended in with the white of the ground and the blue of the ice-slick walls. Then they spoke - more specifically, she spoke - and Nikomas knew he wasn't going mad. It was too soon for him to be that far gone. He had only been in here roughly two bells, even though it felt like nearly twice that many. "Hey!" he called back as he quickly closed the gap between them. "Please tell me you remember exactly how you came to be here. This...this darn maze is a death trap! A death trap, I tell you!" he lamented to her as they now stood just a few feet away from each other. Okay. Maybe he was being a tad bit dramatic, but he had heard the stories. Everyone had heard 'the stories.' Hadn't they? "The name's Nikomas, by the way," he offered now, feeling like introductions were still in order, regardless of the fact that all he wanted to do was get the heck out of here. If he ever wanted to successfully retell this story at a later date - with a few minor embellishments of his own - he would want to have at least some of the important details set right, you know, just in case someone dug a little deeper. "I'm from Frostfawn Hold, which you would think would work to my benefit...sort of...well...you know...having been raised around animals all my life. They're usually pretty good at reasoning these things out. Myself? Well, I'm clearly not as good at following a scent or marking or whatever it is that they use to find their way." He was rambling now. Uncontrollably rambling. "I...I'm sorry. I haven't let you get a word in yet. Please, how about we talk as we walk? That way we'll get out of here sooner, rather than later...much later," the Vantha finally concluded, realizing that he was on the verge of rambling once more.

[Sheva]

Sheva had barely finished greeting the young man when he pounced on her, metaphorically of course. He was clearly very happy to see her, but above that he had clearly had enough of the maze. She simply listened as he continued speaking, a giggle or two escaping her lips at how panicked he was, it was cute. She of course didn't understand why he was so worried, it was just a maze right? Or was this one of those 'people' things that she didn't fully understand? When he had finally finished speaking Sheva tried to mentally sort everything he'd just said. Into order so she could answer him, but she could barely remember most of it. "Pleased to meet you Nikomas, I'm Sheva." she said in her usual cheerful voice as they began walking. She remembered him saying something about how animals would be better at navigating the maze and frowned slightly confused. Yes, animals were generally better than people at navigation, but that was when they were out in the open-ness of nature, whereas this maze was rather enclosed. "Sorry, I don't think I'll be much help in getting out of here, at best I can tell where we've been." she said as they walked on. Everytime she noticed a path where their scent lingered she would turn into an unexplored path. They'd been walking for a few chimes when even Sheva was beginning to get slightly annoyed with the maze, it's narrow paths and high walls were making her feel a bit claustrophobic. If not for the open sky and fresh air, she might have been as panicked as her companion. "Did you enjoy the show?" she asked Nikomas cheerfully, trying to distract both of them from their minor predicament. Sheva decided it best not to tell him she was a kelvic, especially since she was a tiger kelvic. The boy seemed panicked enough as is and she wasn't certain how he would react to such information.

[Nikomas]

"It was...uh...fun," the preoccupied Vantha responded as he looked right and then left as they came upon another junction. "Are you sure you don't remember the way?" he questioned, not wanting to believe her. However, one glance her way reaffirmed her initial statement. "Well, okay then..." Letting his words hang in the air, Nikomas did his best to remain calm, cool, and collected. He had already lost his head once. There was no need to do so again and, in particular, in front of this young girl. It would probably only upset her, not that she looked like a snowflake or anything, but still. "Actually, now that I think about it, the show was better than I remembered. The last time I was here, I believe I was a mere boy of three or four. That's probably why I'm not so good at finding my way around this maddening maze!" he informed his companion as he transitioned into some light conversation in an effort to take their minds off of their current predicament. "What did you think of it? Have you been before?" He paused now, still pondering the choices set before them. Left or right? Left...or right? Left...or...right? "I'm sorry. You were saying?" he apologized, having lost part of what she had just said. "I'm a horrible travel companion, aren't I? You should just leave me where you found me. I wouldn't blame you in the least. Go ahead and save yourself!" he mock-wailed as he pretended to battle the not-so-treacherous snow at their ankles.

[Sheva]

As the unusual pairing pushed on through the maze they seemed to be making progress, although only in that they weren't stuck in the same pathways they were in earlier, there was still no sign of an exit nearby. This maze was more confusing than Sheva had initially anticipated it to be, but it was a new experience for her so she was still more curious than upset. She tilted her head curiously in the young man's direction when he mentioned he had last been in the maze when he was a little boy. How could he live so near to it and yet only have been here twice? Where was his sense of adventure? Although now that she thought about it, he clearly wasn't the adventurous type...as was evident by his current behaviour. "I thought it was amazing!" she said excitedly as she thought back to the show, "It was my first time, although I doubt it will be my last." she said honestly, perhaps she could learn a trick or two from the pyromancers by simply watching their performances. "I'm a horrible travel companion, aren't I? You should just leave me where you found me. I wouldn't blame you in the least. Go ahead and save yourself! " Sheva replied with another soft girlish giggle, this young man, Nikomas, was something else. She hadn't met many funny people like him since she'd come to Avanthal. Just as Sheva was about to answer she noticed a large metal door blocking the pathway ahead, "Hey! I think we found our way out!" she said excitedly, she was even slightly relieved although she wouldn't admit it. As she walked up to the large door it opened up to reveal, well...the wilderness. Sheva's expression changed from excited to disappointed, she was expecting something more spectacular, the wilderness was something she saw everyday. As they stepped out, the large doors of the maze shut themselves behind the two companions, clearly there was no way back in from here. It was dark and only the stars and Leth lit their surroundings. Sheva became visibly more relaxed, now being in her natural habitat...even though the wilderness was least safe at night since it was hunting time. She wondered if Nikomas had any skills he could use to keep himself safe, or of she should she escort him back to the safety of the city, it's lights flickering off in the distance. If he'd been panicked by the maze he was certainly not going to be calm in the dangerous and barely lit snowy wilderness.

[Nikomas]

"How's that saying go again? Out of the skillet and into the coals?" he mocked as they stood side by side gazing at the woods before them. "Wh...what do we do now? We'll...we'll be eaten for sure!" he exclaimed as he suddenly grabbed her hand and then her arm, tugging on it, with a look of utter horror on his face. He then dropped to his knees and began to cry out, moaning and lamenting as if it were the end of the realm. "We're too young to die! We had so much to offer, but now...now it's the end! Goodbye cruel realm, goodbye!" At this point, the young Vantha buried his face in the front of her coat and began to weep openly. His body trembled with each sob... No. Wait. Those weren't sobs emanating from the youth, but... Laughter? Looking up, Nikomas had the biggest shyke grin on his face. "Ha!" he exclaimed. "I had ya going there for a chime, didn't I? Huh? Didn't I?" he continued to blather as he got to his feet. "I could kiss you right about now!" he added as he brushed snow from his coat. "You got us out of there! You did it!" he continued to cheer as he took a step closer and proceeded to hug her. "I'd rather be out here any day over being trapped in there! What a night terror that was! An absolute night terror!" Releasing her from his hold, he then turned and surveyed the area, and as he did he questioned, "Well, Scout, where to now? By the way, that's your new nickname, Scout. Scout Sheva the Fearless! No. Wait. Sheva the Brave? Hmm. No. Scout Sheva the Swift! Sheva the Surefooted? That has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

[Sheva]

Sheva had no idea what was happening, one moment they were standing side by next and the next he has holding onto her, his face buried into her coat as he sobbed. Her hands hovered above his head in uncertainty, she had no idea what to do. Just as she was about to pat him reassuringly the young man looked up at her revealing that he was indeed laughing. Sheva was now even more confused than before, humans made no sense, they were ridiculous. The next thing she knew she was pulled into a hug, so he was happy? Grateful? All the crying was just an act? Sheva let out a sigh in her confusion as the young man began to spew titles. She scratched her head while smiling awkwardly, "Uhm, let's go this way." she said as they began to walk. Luckily for Sheva, her feline eyes didn't need lots of light to see and so they had one advantage in the reaches. As they walked on Sheva noticed that the area they were passing through seemed like an excellent area for a hunt and if she thought so, then so would other animals. "Be careful here, this is a hunting ground." she said calmly. She was contemplating whether or not she should draw her bow incase of attack, but she wasn't the best shot and it wasn't only herself she needed to protect at the moment. Then an idea sparked in the kelvic girl's mind. "Fire!" she said out loud. It made perfect sense, it was bright which served as a deterrent to most nocturnal creatures and other than that, animals didn't like fire anyway. It was the perfect solution! With that Sheva held her palm facing upwards as she focused her djed, slowly a small stone sized ball of res formed a foot above her palm. She transmuted the outer layer into fire, the initial flash was a bit harsh on her eyes in contrast to the previous darkness of their surroundings. Sheva made sure to keep the core in res form so that she'd have control over the fireball. The ball was tiny and easy to maintain, but she could enlarge it if needed.

[Nikomas]

"Fire? Really? Do you think that's wise? Won't it...ooo, wow, look at that!" Nikomas remarked as the young woman created a ball of the element in the center of her hand. "I...I don't think I've ever been this close to someone who was able to do that! That's, well, that's pretty spectacular if you ask me. Wh...what else can you do? Can you make it bigger? Or...oh, yeah, I know! Can ya make it change colors? That would be really neat if you could." I wonder if I should be more cautious, he pondered as his eyes followed the dancing flame. "You, uh, you're not going to do anything, uh, hasty with that...are you?" he now questioned as they began to walk. "I mean, you can control it...right? I shouldn't be alarmed for any reason...should I?" As they continued to walk, the young Vantha's mind began to whirl with a series of questions. It was the storyteller in him, and once he went down this path, he just couldn't let it go. What's her story? he wondered. Who is she and why is she here? he pondered. How come she knows how to do such things? Is she dangerous? Am I in danger? Maybe I should just ask her...something...anything...to get a better feel for who she is. I bet she has a story or two to tell! "So...uh...do you live in Avanthal or are you just visiting?" he began to dig a little deeper, hoping she would share as much of her story as she saw fit without him having to pull it out of her with a dozen or more questions. "As I mentioned earlier, I've been here since I was a little boy. Well, actually, since birth, if we're going to go all the way back to the beginning," he shared.