Open Oh sister of mine

[Viridae Kabre]

"Me too," Viridae said quietly to Laute. Home. Seivis was home for him. Not his house, not his brother, not his father. Just Seivis. For all they knew, they were all that is left of the Kabre web, but he did not care much. Seivis did a fine job keeping appearances up, and he assumed one day he'd have children. That would be enough.

After watching Sosicly's gesture, Seivis chimed in, saying lightly "Its full of pools. Beautiful really. We climb there, you two would have to fly." Seivis looked at Aditi with a warm, all be it very creepy and fang filled, smile. "I could carry her if you aren't up to it."

Viridae followed Sosicly off the stage, careful to land on his toes, and feeling a pain in his ankle. Ouch. Seivis followed close behind, and they left from a small hole in the wall. Before long, they were walking across a thick red cord towards the Blue Grotto, Viridae looking around at the passing stalactites, Seivis focusing on walking upside down on her hands, legs curled foreword over her head unnaturally like a scorpion.

"I'm so glad you all came along," She began as she continued to walk hand over hand backwards, facing the group. "Viridae gets extremely boring. And quiet. And Cranky.."

In that moment, Viridae pushed her feet to the side, and she slid over the side of the cord, holding on with both hands and continuing to carry herself across, only below the group. "That was very rude," She said as she swung her legs up and walked upside down on the balls of her feet.

Viridae simply laughed and continued on, turning to face Laute. "Are you enjoying the season? Game is plentiful," He said awkwardly, not quite sure how to strike up conversation with the Zith.

[Laute]

Laute watched as Aditi, perplexed, attempted to find sense in the scribbles. Unfortunately, her skills at reading were not up to the task and with a defeated expression, she flashed an apologetic smile at the Symenestra.

Strange. He had never met one that communicated solely in the written tongue. Leaning a little closer to her, he sniffed her. While there were slight changes in her scent, the subtle differences that marked her separate from the others of her kind, there was nothing wildly off that explained it. A preference, perhaps? Or something more biological. He'd like to a dig a claw in her flesh, to compare her to the other Symenestra around him, but he resisted the urge. He'd have to leave the city far earlier than he hoped if he followed that train of thought.

He merely nodded in response to Viridae's sister's question. Aditi didn't even flinch at the smile. Living with Ziths, she had become accustomed to the grotesque, no matter how unpleasant she found them.

As they headed through the hole, he ducked slightly and curled his wings in tighter as they maneuvered through the small space. Then there was an open cave and a cord disappearing into the distance. Laute waited till the others started crossing, balancing themselves perfectly on the rope. The sister was strong, perhaps stronger than her brother, pulling herself by her hands. After a few minutes of staring, Aditi coughed lightly and Laute turned his attention back to her. In the earlier days, he used to hook his arms through hers, her body hanging below his as he flew. But that caused too much strain on her, her muscles unable to cope for more than a few hours. Now, he scooped her up in his arms before opening his wings and flying out of the small cave. She had taken to this method surprisingly quickly and Laute had a suspicion his brother had done this before.

The siblings were making small talk, a skill Laute had yet to acquire a taste and understanding for. Staring at Viridae, he slowly blinked, considering the question, and then nodded. He liked hunting in the woods here, though the tree covering was a hassle he had to adjust to. A few seconds later, Aditi subtly poked her elbow into his chest, a cross look in her eyes, and he rolled his own. Nimis would have abandoned her if he knew she was like this. Probably. Maybe. "There are some prey here I never saw before. A much different taste than I expected," he answered aloud this time, voicing his thoughts. He was used to a warmer region and the creatures here were a slightly hardier than those at home. Having provided an answer, he asked a question of his own as an trade. "Do many Symenestra dance like that?" He paused, remember the blood priestess and her performance on the roof. "Blood priestesses too?"

He looked curiously at the quiet female trailing with them and the book in her hands. The smell of ink was still fresh in its pages. Moth queen, someone had said earlier. She didn't look like a moth to him, more like a spider like the rest of them. Her scent wasn't all that different either. "You're a moth?"

[Sosicly Magnolia]

Sosicly’s lips twitched. She didn’t want it to seem like she was laughing at the Zith but a smile crept across her face regardless. Silently she shook her head but was unsure about how to continue. After a moment, she shook her head again, tapped her lips and wagged her finger in a no-no gesture. From her pack she balanced her book, pleased with her decision to purchase the inksticks. She would have to get some more. Awkward, she wrote out a few things, focused on her book for the duration of the walk. When she looked up they were nearing their destination. While she enjoyed the Blue Grotto she did not enjoy getting there. She placed the inkstick in the page, and slipped the book back into knapsack then tightened the straps a bit. When they reached the wall Sosicly kept behind as to not get in the way, and started her slow climb, focusing her energy in her hands and legs, then alternated to her arms and hands to give her body a rest in between. Curiously she looked to the Zith to see if it would fly, feeling envious of the way they could so easily get from point A to B. Then wondered if the fur would hinder or help with swimming. When she reached the ledge finally, her toes dug into the rock for the final push and she lazed for a moment content to let herself hang.

[Viridae Kabre]

Viridae opened his mouth to answer Laute, but was cut off by Seivis' light voice and annoying accent.

"Many do! Its a fun hobby, but not all can hold it as a career. Dancing has been my life since I was just a Bitta-"

"We get is Seivis. You like to dance."

Viridae rolled his eyes and continued to walk.

When they reached the Cliff, Viridae glanced to Sosicly, raising a brow, then said, "Don't be afraid to climb on my back if you need help, Sibea," He said with a wink and a kind smile. Seivis huffed and backed into the cliff, climbing up its wall backwards like a crab.

"Will you ever stop showing off?" Viridae said to her in Symenos, as he began to scurry up the wall after her. He glanced down at Sosicly, making sure she was in toe, and slowed to stay close to her.

As they cleared the cliff, Viridae took a moment to gaze upon the beautiful pools. They shone in the near pitch black, lit to his Symenestra eyes in shades of bright crystal blue. White sand was set in delicate ripples beneath the water's surface, and a quiet symphony of drips sounded throughout the area.

[Laute]

All he got from the silent one was a shake and a upturning of her lips. Not a moth, but that didn't explain her title. Did she control moths then? Was her behaviour like a moth? Her lack of vocal responses intrigued him further--was she unable to make noise, or was she just refusing to talk?

His questions would have to wait, they were almost there. Looking at the craggy wall in front of them, he flew directly up to the ledge first. Hovering, he looked down at the pools of water. Laute wrinkled his nose slightly. At least it wasn't the sea, he couldn't handle that. The water wasn't salty and it was shallow. Like the ponds and rivers in the woods outside. He could handle that. The pools were a pale blue, barely discernible in the dim light. Curious, he deposited Aditi onto the soft sand before approaching the water himself.

His knees sank into the cool sand as he reached down into the water. Cool and clear, he let it flow out of his hands. Behind him, he could hear Aditi's breath shallow as she carefully sat down. He had forgotten that her own senses were limited, and for her this was just a place of great darkness. The Zith caves had lights for the slave quarters, allowing them to move in the caves with relative ease, unlike the here. Even the main part of the city was much brighter than this. To her credit, though she was nervous and her heart was beating faster, she seemed to have some control over herself.

She'd be well enough for the next little while and he turned his attention back to the Symenestra behind them.

"Do you control moths?" he asked the silent one.

[Sosicly Magnolia]

Sosicly enjoyed the Blue Grotto as much as the next Sym, even if she could not swim. She thought it must have something to do with the water. Clear, never quite cold, and always soothing. It was the best when there was no one else and she wondered why she had accompanied them. Mingling was not her strong suit, but any tension released when the Zith question her again. Soundless surprised laughter shook her shoulders, as she silently denied it with a shake of her head. She glanced towards Viridae and Seivis, and pointed at the Zith with a questioning expression, trying to get them to answer his question for her. While she waited for them to discuss the Moth Queen she set her knapsack to the side, far enough from the pool that she hoped it would not get wet. Then she made her way to the edge of the pool and sank down comfortably on the edge, letting her feet swing and kick up water around them. Once she was comfortable she turned back to the others, pointed to the water and made a paddling motion with her arms, and raised an eyebrow in question. Her gaze fall particularly on the Zith and his wings, wondering how he would be able to swim with those or if they helped in some way.

[Viridae Kabre]

Seivis looked to Laute, an amused smile poking at the corner of her lips.

"Its sort of a....competition. Of vanity. The winner is crowned moth queen. Moths produce our silk you see..."

As she continued on explaining The traditions of fall to the Zith, Viridae looked to Aditi, and realized she probably couldn't see. He gently placed a hand on one of her shoulders.

"You aren't afraid of the dark, are you?" He said quietly, guiding her to the edge of one of the pools. "You can't see it, but its beautiful here. Its not often one of your kind gets to visit, so enjoy it. Its the only place around here to swim."

With that he pulled off his jacket and the silk shirt beneath, folding them and setting them on a nearby rock. He unwrapped the silk from his feet, and sat at the edge for a moment before nodding to Sosiclly and slipping delicately into the water, treading for a moment, then sinking beneath its surface and slithering across the bottom.

Seivis followed suit, removing her excess layers of silk and sliding into the water in pursuit.

[Laute]

So it had nothing to do with moths after all. Laute felt slightly disappointed at that realization, though the truth was still interesting enough. As he listened, he looked over the water to the silent Symenestra, the Moth Queen. She produced silk. Silk...came from...where? Laute stopped at that thought, considering the item. No, he didn't know. Maybe later he could have the Moth Queen show him how it happened. To his knowledge, no one ate silk, but maybe in its raw form it could be transformed into food?

Aditi started at the unexpected hand on her shoulder and the low voice hovering near her. In the dark, it was easy to make demons out of sounds and though she could hear her companions around her, she had felt disconnected from everything. Disconnected, but for the stranger at her side now.

The hands guiding her were warm, the water cool, and she smiled in appreciation. "Thank you," she said, not expecting the small kindness. Dipping her hands into the water, she played with the sand underneath as she listened to the group around her.

Laute meanwhile grimaced slightly at the face of the large pool of water. While he had seen Scorn attempting to maneuver in it previously, he himself had never attempted it. Still, this was a small pool, not the endless sea. He could handle this much.

The Symenestra were more than handling it, gliding through the water with ease. It couldn't be that hard, if they were doing it.

Gathering his courage, he removed his belt and left it on Aditi's lap. Bracing himself, Laute folded his wings in and imitated the Moth's first actions in the pool.

The cool water swallowed his legs instantly, pleasantly, and Laute relaxed. It wasn't too bad, this 'swimming' thing. Now he just had to get the rest of himself in. Scorn had left her wings open when he saw her previously, but these Symenestra had no wings. Perhaps his weren't needed at all.

Entering the water, he kept a grip on the land as he put the rest of his body in.

There. That wasn't too bad. Just like flying in the air almost, the same sense of weightlessness, the same disconnect to the earth. Now he just had to let go...

But then what?

How would he stay afloat? In the air his wings would help. In the water, they were far too heavy.

Stuck, he clung to the land with a hand and watched the others move. Maybe their actions would show him what to do next.

[Sosicly Magnolia]

Sosicly had forgotten that the Ziths companion could not see. It was hard to imagine living someplace where one of your sense was gone. It made her frown slightly, why did humans come to Kalinor at all if they could do nothing themselves? She was pulled away from her thoughts when the Zith went in the water, and laughed silently to herself. His predicament was the sole reason she never really went in the water either. Sosicly slipped off her own shirt, and pants, leaving her in only her wrappings so she could sink farther into the water. When she was all the way in Sosicly waved her hand to get Laute’s attention, she herself did not know how to swim but she knew the basic principle. She dug her toes into the rock so she could not float away, and let herself float on her stomach, struggling to keep her head up. Again she waved at the Zith in so he would watch what she did. Then she began to paddle her arms, making dramatic arcs. When she finished she bent her knees, pulling herself back towards the wall with her face in the water. It took a couple seconds for her to right herself, holding her breath was painful for more than a few ticks but even underwater she could climb until she was right side up. Sosicly came up gasping, and made a shooing motion at the Zith for him to try it. She herself often just enjoyed cling to the wall and dunk her head underneath. When she seen one of the brother and sister pair, she playful splashed water at them. A bit surprised by her own actions but beginning to enjoy herself more.

[Viridae Kabre]

Seivis shot the moth queen her smug and mischievous smile as she sunk beneath the water's surface, twirling like a graceful torpedo, and surfaced just behind her.

"Look out!" Viridae gasped, but it was too late. Seivis splashed a substantial amount of water over Sosiclly's head before giggling uncontrollably.

Although Viridae wasn't nearly as graceful as his sister, years of hunting in the wilderness made him proficient enough to sneak to her left and splash her much in the way she had just splashed Sosiclly. He was laughing all the same, and Seivis spit a mouthful of water at him.

"You think you're cleaver, don't you?" She said with a smirk. She wrapped her legs around his shoulders and arched her back, pulling his torso beneath the water. Viridae surfaced after half a chime, frustration streaked across his face. He flopped onto his back and floated across the water's surface in silence, enjoying the warm glow of the water.