Blazing Your Own Trail [Alodian Aviastas]

[Kadin]

6th Summer of 510 A.V.

Kadin once again found herself weaving through the tunnels of her city with the feeling that she would never get anywhere despite the knowledge of a destination in her mind. The warrens of Wind Reach she knew like the back of her hand, from the unexpected twists the the rocks that would trip you if you weren't too careful. She didn't have to pay attention to anything anymore since everything just felt like a routine experience. Her thoughts wandered as she walked on, thinking of all the things she should be doing and wasn't. I should turn here, she thought as she got to a crossroads. she stared down the tunnel which would eventually lead to the aeries and after pondering over for what seemed like an hour, she abruptly turned around and took the road opposite, towards the Katshika falls. Now was probably the perfect time for her to get away from her life for at least an hour or two, as she currently didn't really have any business to attend to.

The tunnels started to open up and the light would momentarily blind Kadin as she arrived at the Sanikas river. The waterfall was quite far but the sound of thousands of gallons crashing into the river per second could be heard, and her mood lit up. Kadin held up her right arm and issued a loud whistle, signaling her falcon, Zèke, to come. The bird obviously heard her, since about 20 seconds later he came crashing down and slowed down only moments before landing on her Sontav. Kading brought the back of her index finger to the birds head an caressed it lightly before walking on towards the waterfall.

[Alodian Aviastas]

It was his 5th day at Wind Reach, home of the Inarta. He was starting to get the hang of things, as well as starting to get to know the place. Taking one of the many walks he did a day to get accustomed to the area, Alodian was still amazed at the breathtaking beauty of Wind Reach. The scenery was so colorful and alive, it always brightened his mood. As he was walking along Sanikas River, he stared at his reflection. His sleek black hair with emerald highlights, athletic body, and emerald eyes were all indications that he was happy. Usually when he was angry, his eyes turned a brilliant shade of Ruby. But today was a great day, as well as another beautiful weather day. A guy could get used to this climate.

As he was walking along the river, he saw a woman with a falcon. Smiling, Alodian headed over to the Inarta. "Ello there. That's a beautiful falcon you have there," he said, turning towards the girl. Almost immediately, he saw that the bird and the girl had a bond, a pretty good one at that.

[Kadin]

Kadin's daydreaming stopped abruptly at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, her loose posture suddenly becoming rigid as she turned around to face him. Zèke, noticing the difference in her attitude, dug his claws further into the Sontav and flapped his wing menacingly at the stranger. Kadin immediately recognized the man in question as a foreigner, his hair and attire being remarkably different than the residents here. Although she knew it was always wise to be alert in the presence of the unknown, Kadin's eyes lit up in excitement. Her attraction to travelers was almost on par with her love for the sky, and seeing one here and now felt like a gift from the gods.

"um.. hello--" she started in Nari, before realizing he would probably not understand her. She stuttered a bit before she thought up the translation to common. "Hi.. um. Thank you, um, his name is Zèke." Kadin knew she should still remain wary in his presence, and maintained a rather stiff attitude. However, she could not hide the curiosity in her eyes, questions to ask him raced through her mind at an incomparable speed.

[Alodian Aviastas]

Alodian flinched as the native went rigid. Expecting a blow, he closed his eyes and tensed his body and jaw, bracing himself for the impact. When it didn't come, he opened his eyes, looking at the girl. Hearing the girl talk in a language he wasn't the least bit familiar with, Alodian cocked his head to the side in wonder. When she noticed what she had done, the girl switched to Common. He wasn't fluent in it, but he did know a great deal of the language. "Zèke? That's a beautiful name. I'm Alodian. My home is Avanthal, but I come visit here," he said, trying to change from Vani. Even though he knew Common quite well, he still had a hard time translating sometimes.

Alodian remembered the girl smiling at herself. "Why do you smile at your reflection?" he wondered, and then realized he had in fact said it out loud. Crimson coming to his tan cheeks, he looked away, his eyes changing from Emerald to a Topaz. He knew his eyes had changed, mostly because he felt his mood change from happy to embarassed. Glancing back at the girl, he tried to give a smile, but his face had other plans, so it came off like a one sided smile.

[Kadin]

As Kadin listened to the probably equally nervous man seem just as awkward speaking common, she felt a lot more relaxed, feeling that she could relate even to someone of a different race. She cursed herself for not knowing where Avanthal was, and wanted to ask him where it was, despite how stupid it might make her out to be.

She was about to open her mouth to talk when Alodian spoke again. "Why do you smile at your reflection?" he asked her. She wondered if she had misunderstood what he said, it made no sense to her at all. "um.. I don't understand what you said," she nervously replied as he looked away. Why did he seem flustered? Different races acted so strangely. Her contemplation on foreign behavior was quickly forgotten when he turned back to look at her again. She was sure that only moments ago his eyes were jade-colored, yet now they were distinctly yellow.

" Your eyes! they are different now. What happened?" Kadin was perplexed by this sudden unnatural change, but she was so excited now she had completely forgotten to be careful around the stranger.

[Alodian Aviastas]

Alodian nodded as she said she didn't understand him. Thinking how to rephrase it, he thought for a moment. "When I walked up, you were smiling at yourself in the water. Why do you do so?" he asked, taking the time to put together an understandable sentence. When she suddenly got excited about his eyes, he smiled. No longer embarassed, the Topaz gems went back to their Emeralds. "Well, it part of my race. When our mood changes, so does our eyes. Er, when I turn embarassed, they go to Topaz. When I happy, they are Emerald. When I angry, they turn Ruby," he said, and then scolded himself for telling her all of his mood changes and the colors that his eyesturn. He normally doesn't ever divulge that information to strangers, but this girl made him feel he could talk to her. He wondered if all of her kind were like this.

Glancing around, he gathered his thoughts together, so he could focus on what the girl was doing and saying. He turned back to the girl, smiling. "I, er don't know what to call you," he said, as his cheeks flushed and his eyes lightened.

[Kadin]

Kadin was amazed that Alodian belonged to a race with such remarkable characteristics. Zèke, on the other hand, didn't really care much about this encounter and flew away, probably off to look for a small animal to prey on. Kadin took a step towards Alodian to get a closer look at his eyes, which had returned to a green similar to hers. If there was an actual physical change whenever his emotions changed, Kadin felt she could trust him, especially since he disclosed such information so easily to her.

When he asked her for her name, Kadin felt a little embarrassed that she hadn't done so beforehand, and she was grateful that the color of her eyes wouldn't change for it.

"Oh, sorry I did not tell you. I am Kadin," She pondered over her thoughts a little before asking curiously, "What else is your race like?"

[Alodian Aviastas]

"It's good to meet you Kadin," Alodian said, his eyes twinkling. He noticed that she took a step towards him, but this time he didn't tense up. He let her look at whatever was occupying her attention. "Well Vanthas are community based people. All of Vanthas eyes change color, since we are children of Aurora Borealis. Everything is snow and ice covered. Our Goddess Morwen lives there for 3 seasons of the year. Everyone is like family, and we care for our Vantha race," Alodian said, the words slipping from his mouth like an elaborate story. His eyes sparkled when he spoke of his homeland, and continued to when he stopped.

Alodian looked at Kaiden, a grin playing on his lips. "Do you ever go out of homeland?" he asked in broken Common. He wished she knew Vani, so he could talk with the elegance his race was known for.

[Kadin]

Kadin tried to take in every word Alodian said, which actually proved to be difficult considering her very basic understanding of common. When he mentioned his people to be like family, she wondered how hard it must have been for him to actually leave them and come all the way up here, and why he would even consider it in the first place. He seemed so happy talking about them, why would he leave?

"Oh, I never left here, but I always think about--" she suddenly realized what an idiot she was being. She had considered it impossible to be able to leave and travel the world because of the sacrifices she had to make, yet the man standing right in front of her had put the sadness aside and had the courage to go all the way up to such an isolated place. She averted her eyes almost in shame from the person who had accomplished what she couldn't, and let her thoughts wander, thinking about all the things she could be doing and wasn't.

[Alodian Aviastas]

Alodian cocked his head to the side when Kadin stopped mid sentence. "I think I know what you is feeling. It is very hard to leave the family. But I also want to persue my healing. Since father of mine is dead, my mother is only left. She understand my need to heal, and she want me to go," he spoke with great difficulty. Without thinking, he reached out and touched her shoulder, meaning to comfort her. Instantly realizing his mistake, his Emeralds went to Topaz and color flushed his cheeks and he withdrew his hand. That was the first time he had ever touched a girl who was not a Vantha.

"I sorry. I didn't mean to," he said, still obviously flustered. Her skin was impeccibly smooth, like his own kind. He smiled at this thought, and then he quickly made it disappear.