Unexpected Faces in Unfamiliar Places (Wanda)

[Hope Dawnwhisper]

It took most of Isalie's self-restraint not to turn and bolt. Especially as they neared the guards and the gate. To say that the runaway slave had been void of any human company would be a lie; Isalie had travelled for around two years - too long for the young woman to really keep track of - with caravans of merchants and other travellers. It was the only was she would have been able to survive the journey from Falyndar; under no circumstances could she have done it alone. But there, everyone had their own business, and they were all worried about getting to where they were going alive, and surviving the harsh wilderness.

These guards though? They were a completely different story; all they had to worry about was keeping their precious city safe. They were meticulous in their roles, and whilst the merchants and travellers were glad to have an extra pair of hand to help, and so overlooked some of Isalie's shortcomings, these guards would not do the same.

Just stay quiet, let Wanda do the talking. And,when Wanda does speak to them, Isalie smiles politely at the guard who had spoken, nodding her head in greeting. For a moment, she considers remaining silents, and just trying to continue on past them, but if she was required to speak, she would create a larger scene by forcing them to stop her if she just walked past. A few words now wouldn't hurt her.

"Isalie..." She says, quietly yet proudly, putting on a façade as if she had nothing to hide from them. Because she didn't. She realises that now Wanda would know her name, but she shrugs the thought off; there didn't seem to be a malignant bone in Wanda's body, and if the guards knew, why couldn't she? Isalie was many things, but she wasn't a liar. And her name was all she had, if she lost that, she'd be nothing. "Heading into the city with my friend here..." she gestures to the blonde girl beside her, still smiling, but her knuckles were going white from the pressure she was putting on the horse's reins in her hand.

After what feels like an age, the two pass through the gates of the city, Isalie maintaining a slow pace beside the other as she glances around in awe. Having not been in the area for long, this was the first time Isalie had entered the city itself, and she had seen cities before, or places that called themselves cities, but they were nothing compared to this one... But, hover beautiful it was, it was also incredibly intimidating. The girl was glad that Wanda thought heading back out to the fields was a good idea. "So... where to now, Wanda?"

[Wanda Endust]

After introducing her acquaintance, Wanda paused, catching herself. She'd almost passed on through, nearly leaving the other girl behind. Waiting for someone was another new sensation; her early-morning exploits were typically done without company.

Another one of the guards cast a questioning glance her way as she took a short step forward, then hurriedly shuffled her foot back. She knew that the other girl had to introduce herself as well, but Wanda must've been in a hurry to return to the city. The din could be heard from their position as the shopkeepers and merchants wound up to get ready for a long day of business.

And while she loved the outdoors and the warm light of her goddess, she was eager to be back inside the protective arms of the castle. With this renewed sense of haste, Wanda turned her attentions back to the guard and the girl.

Of course, it didn't surprise Wanda that the girl gave her name, though it probably should have. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, it might have occurred to her that the ragged girl had purposefully tried to avoid giving herself an identity. If Wanda had Wanda had been more astute, she probably would have assumed that the name the Isalie gave was an alias (though it wasn't) based on her shady demeanor.

Luckily for herself, Wanda wasn't quite that distrusting. Isalie, hm? That's a nice name! I wonder why she didn't give it sooner... she mused. Or maybe she did, and I was too self-absorbed to catch it. Even if she hadn't trusted the girl, Isalie's words carried a certain undeniable tone to them. It would've been futile to lie to the knights anyway.

The guard toyed with his sword hilt lazily, scrutinizing the pair. But the line behind them was growing, and he must've have concluded that the two were obviously of no threat to the city. He waved them through with a dismissive hand, and Wanda beamed.

"Well," she began, turning to face her new friend as the horse clip-clopped beside them. The awe stricken look on her face elicited a chuckle from the blonde. "Isn't it the most beautiful place you've seen?" she interrupted her own self with a prideful grin. Even if she had nothing to compare it to, Wanda absolutely loved her home city. "It's got to be the best place in the whole region, for sure," she maintained, nodding confidently.

Then back to Isalie's question. "I suppose first thing's first, yeah? Let's find some food!"

Wanda maneuvered their small party through the busy street as the crowd grew unexpectedly thicker. They were surrounded on all sides by people -- some shouting, some clasping mizas in anxious hands, some just trying to pass through, and all bumping up against one another. One of the city's famed spontaneous outdoor markets seemed to have popped up, which was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, they'd have no trouble finding a good vendor nearby. On the other hand, they'd have to face the too-eager salesmen calling out prices and hawking their wares about, along with the milling of buyers clustered around the booths. "Hope it's not too much for you!" Wanda spoke to the other girl, a hint of concern stretching over her features. She had to holler over the din.

But Wanda was in her element and, resting a gentle leading hand on Isalie's shoulder, she drove them through the throng of bodies.

[Hope Dawnwhisper]

For the first time, Isalie was inside the walls surrounding Syliras. She was actually in the city proper. Not outside it, inside it. She had had the courage to head through the gates, talk to the guards, and she had even shared her real name with them, and Wanda. The runaway slave bites on her lower lip as she nervously glances over to her new friend; would she have just realised that Isalie had only just shared her name? Would she be insulted at not hearing the name on her own terms? Isalie had only just taken her first steps towards reaching out to someone, letting down her walls, and she could already be ruining it. But the other girl continues on, still smiling, so Isalie assumes that all was okay.

The pair make their way through the cobbled streets of the city, though their pace was slower now , since Isalie had never been here and was so in awe of everything around her that she wanted to take the time to look around. Dumbly, she nods in response to the other girl's statement. It truly was beautiful. In her time, travelling to Syliras, she had seem some beautiful sights, rolling hills, fields of yellow and green, vast sparkling blue lakes. But there was something very different about the chiseled stone city.

And then they hit a more bustling road, where Isalie assumes the market stalls that Wanda had mentioned were, but she couldn't see them through the sheer amount of people wandering along the street. Her hands grip tightly around the horse's reigns, and her knuckles go white in trepidation. Why did she ever think that coming here would be a good idea. She should never have agreed to come into the city, hell, she should never have even sat around on that wall for long enough to even come across another person. Se hadn't thought this through in the slightest; and why should she? She had never been into a city this size, how could she have any idea of how busy it was here.

The young woman's paranoia runs mad of a moment; every glance in her direction, and word shared between two people was something to do with her personally, she was beginning to see faces that she could swear she had seen before, faces who know who she was, and might take her back. She had to get out; it was optimism to the point of foolishness to think that she might be able to cope in the city, even with a friend by her side.

The young woman whines, though hopefully it wasn't audible over the sound of everyone else trying to buy and sell their wares and food. Isalie's gaze flickers over to Wanda, who was standing next to her, she attempts a half-smile, "Maybe we could just get some food and head back out?" she tries to keep her voice even and calm, but there was no doubt of the tremors in her voice which betrayed her anxiety about being in a place like this.

[Wanda Endust]

It took the teen a little while to notice her new friend's obvious unease. She was focused and determined to get them through the crowd, occasionally distracted by snippets of particularly boisterous conversations that pierced the constant rumble of speech and stamping feet:

"I thought you'd said..."
"You're sure he's not -- ?"
"Fresh fruits! Get yer fresh fruits here!!"

The last voice caught Wanda's attention, and she whipped her head around to search for the advertising vendor. At that moment, her competent hands felt the other girl grow increasingly more tense, and the blonde cast a glance as she steered them towards the fruit stand she'd now caught sight of. Wanda's brow furrowed in worry at the other girl's expression -- she'd never witnessed a panic attack before, but she figured Isalie was likely coming close to having one.

That sentiment was reinforced as the other girl spoke, her wavering voice barely audible due to their current position. Wanda nodded her agreement. When she returned her gaze ahead, the hustle and bustle seemed to lessen significantly at their destination. It'll be fine once we get over there, she convinced herself. To be honest, she didn't totally understand Isalie's adverse reaction to the city. Sure, it was a bit crowded and all, but that certainly wasn't anything to be frightened of, was it? After going to long without interacting with people, as seemed to be the case with the other girl, Wanda figured she would be relieved to finally return to human interaction. Perhaps this girl was simply claustrophobic?

Either way, Wanda was glad that they had the horse with them. Though he was obviously sickly, no one wanted to run the risk of a stray hoof breaking their feet, and generally opened some kind of pathway for the party. The teen was sweating lightly from summer heat and body heat when they eventually broke through the busy bodies and made their way to the fruit vendor.

The old man behind the makeshift counter offered them a friendly flash of a half-toothless grin. "You two make it al'ight? I was watchin' yer for a bit, seemed to 'ave a bit of trouble there for a tick," he nodded sagely, then shrugged.

Wanda turned to see if Isalie was okay, patted her shoulder, and returned her hazel gaze to the man with a shrug of her own. And a smile. "I think we're fine now." The majority of the mob was behind them now as the group stood off to the side. The fruit stand was propped up against the wall, along with a few other small shops with keepers gazing longingly at the swirling crowd, wishing someone would break away and take a look at their own wares. A couple of the peered hopefully at the pair of girls.

The old man noticed the gazes of the other salesmen and raised his voice to shoo them off, "Ay, mind yer own there! If'n these ladies wanted any of yer stuff, they'd be o'er there!" He turned back to his customers with a sheepish, apologetic look. "Ah, sorry bout that. What can I help yer with?"

Wanda stifled a giggle at the amusing antics of the wall-side vendors, shook her head, and got back to business. "All we really need is a quick breakfast. I'll have..." she assessed what the man had on display. Not a luxuriously wide range of things to choose from, but some of the selections did look to be from places outside the immediate area of the city. "An apple," she decided. Then, considering her friend (who appeared to want to avoid any direct confrontation), she amended the order. "Two apples."

With an overly dramatic flourish, the man handed each girl one of the red-and-gold-colored fruit. Wanda pulled out her coin purse, handed him his payment with a "thanks" and faced Isalie. I hope she's feeling better... but maybe we should get going now. She gestured towards the apple, polishing her own and raising an eyebrow. "I hope that's okay!" a loose half-grin suddenly appearing on her face. "It didn't look like you really felt like... uh, I dunno, interacting much."

NoteI wasn't exactly sure on the price of fresh fruit, so I'll leave that up to whoever grades this.

[Hope Dawnwhisper]

There were too many people, Isalie found, and she was hating every moment of it. "This was such a bad idea. Such a bad idea." subconsciously, she pushed in as close to her horse as physically possible, using the thin, weak creature as an impromptu barrier against as many people as she could. With the girl on the other side, though, Isalie didn't feel overly safe. She kept running her hands through Shadow's hair, a reminder that he was always there. It was a comforting sensation, to say the least.

"It's okay, Shadow. We're okay." Isalie spoke in Myrian to the horse; she didn't think it really mattered, as he was just a horse and most likely could understand nothing of what he was saying. But the horse was from Taloba, where the language was spoken, so it might recognise the distinctive tones. More so, Isalie was saying it to herself, trying to convince herself that she would be fine. Every so often she glanced over to the blonde, Wanda, checking that she was still following the other. Isalie did not know the girl, but she was the only friend she had and she didn't know if she would manage to get past the. Guards on the gates without Wanda guiding and assisting her.

The pair soon stopped, though, and Isalie kept stroking her mount, seeking her own comfort more than trying to comfort the beast, and she remained half hidden and silent during the interaction, though she paid attention to both parties.

"Thank you." She said quietly to the other girl as they walked away. She wasted no time in gratefully accepting the apple and bit down; the apple was just the right combination of crunchy and soft, and was juicy. Isalie wiped her mouth as she chewed on the chunk in her mouth, fighting due tween savouring the taste and filling her stomach. She chose the former, as she wasn't able to remember when food had last tasted this good. "Thank you," she spoke again, with more volume and reverence in her tone, "No, I don't really talk to people much..." she offered her own, wry smile to Wanda. "Don't really get the chance to, but I'm okay with that."

OOCSorry it took so long.. and sorry it's so short..

And sorry for my sudden tense change.. I'm working on moving all my characters into the past tense - it's my New Years resolution!

Just.. lots of apologies <.<

[Wanda Endust]

OOCDon't worry about it!

The girl's smile caught Wanda's attention -- as far as she'd noticed, it'd been the first real smile she'd seen the girl give, even if it was a tad crooked. At least it appeared fairly genuine to Wanda, whether or not Isalie had meant it as such.

"We've all got some quirks," she shrugged, nodding with the girl's words. Wanda herself would go mad if she were to avoid human interaction, but the other girl's peculiarities were not for her to judge.

Wanda bit into her own apple, but without the savory reverence of the other girl. It was an apple -- she chewed it, she swallowed it. It tasted good, of course. Wanda had always had a penchant for sweeter foods, but it was only breakfast to her.

But it was probably best if they made their way out of the crowd. It was getting thicker as the chimes passed, and it occurred to her to wonder if all cities were like this. Surely not, judging by the fact that most newcomers' biggest complaints were about the sheer mass of people.

She was glad that she'd managed to convince the girl to enter the city, but where were they to go from here?

"Where to now?" The throng of bodies eventually began to thin out as Wanda led the pair away from the outdoor market, but they were still in Traveler's Row. Not the quietest of places, and the girl still seemed to be a bit skittish. That is, until it occurred to Wanda that there was something she could do to help.

Now, typically, she wasn't one to throw her djed about willy-nilly. She might be foolish about some things, but magic wasn't one of those things. The other girl really looked like she could use some help relaxing though, and how could Wanda abstain from helping someone when it was perfectly within her power to do so?

With that in mind, she fell silent in focus and gave a few mental tugs on her djed. Hypnotism was an intuitive kind of magic -- sometimes it would take active focus and willpower to get results, other times all it took was a small outward push of her mental sphere of influence. Relax. You're safe here, she silently insisted to the girl. Wanda could feel the blood pulsing behind her eyes but she kept a reign on her djed, and no blood-tears leaked. All she wanted was to give a small mental urge, nothing too big.

Wanda briefly wondered about verbally suggesting a bath to the girl. Not that she was particularly trying to be rude, but Isalie could honestly use a bit of cleaning up. It was painfully obvious to the general public that someone nearby hadn't been an integral part of society for some amount of time, and thus the general public's reaction was painfully obvious.

[Hope Dawnwhisper]

A group of guards passed the pair, laughing and talking amongst themselves. Isalie wondered if they were talking about her; had they noticed her? She was sure that one of them had glanced at her for longer thane what what's deemed normal, maybe he had even nudged one of his friends. She didn't dare look behind to see if any had also glanced back. Were other people also staring? Gossiping about her, maybe? She looked different, filthy, to say the least. Her once beige dress was no longer such a colour, and her skin was almost as dark in patches. Her time away from the tropics of Falyndar, and her worsening conditions and nutrients had left her skin to sallow out, she was no longer tanned, and maybe that made the dirt caking her skin all the more obvious.

“They're definitely staring...” she decided, definitively, “The Knights are going to come for me.” Isalie knew nothing of Syliras; she had never taken the time to learn. The politics and morals were lost on her and all she knew was the harsh Myrian world she had grown up in, why should Syliras be any different? “They're going to take me back!” The panic rose within her, and her knuckles turned white as she gripped Shadow's reigns. People were staring.

The runaway slave started a little bit when Wanda spoke, and she took another bite of her apple - chewing it meant that she could delay her response, maybe then her voice wouldn't be shaky when she spoke. Some of the juice from the apple dripped down her chin and she wiped it away carelessly with the back of her hand, no doubt leaving a streak of clean skin on her face. "Uh... it's up to you, Wanda.." she spoke softly, just so the other girl could hear her. Isalie was determined to make sure that her accent didn't give away the fact that she was foreign. “They're staring, Isalie! Get out! Now!” Blue eyes darted around, searching out the tell-tale shine of the knights. The angry red scars on her back twinge in phantom pains, a reminder of what was in store for her should she ever be forced to go back.

Suddenly, though, a cloud of calm sinks over her, fogging her brain just a little. It was like a blanket, wrapping itself around her and protecting her. It was warm. And it was willing her to relax. The sensation was odd, but she didn't particularly question it, somewhat grateful for whatever switch had been flipped in her mind. "I mean... I'd like to pay you back somehow." She gestured at the apple and raised it in the air so Wanda could see, "For this, I mean. But I don't know how. I don't have much money, you see..." A mirthless laugh escaped her lips, obviously the other girl already knew that, or she wouldn't have offered to buy her an apple.

"Do you know much about plants..?" She said finally as she finished the apple to its core, removed the stalk and held out the rest on her open palm to feed to Shadow. Surreptitiously, she glanced over at Wanda's own apple, wondering if she would eat the whole thing or throw it away. She opened her mouth to ask if the horse could have that one too, but thought better of asking for more than she already had and faced forward again as they walked. "I know quite a bit, you see... Maybe.." she trailed off, again, not wanting to presume.

OOCFeel free to use more Hypnotism on Isa, it's an interesting magic and there's no way she would suspect!