[Argo's Apartment] A Sunset over Zeltiva. (Private)

[Basiliscos V Argomedo]

Time Stamp :

Evening, 71st of Summer, 510 AV.

Basiliscos, or Argos as his friends referred to him, had recently arrived back at his apartment near the old quarter, having finished a philtery project at the university lab. Taking on some classes during the summer was the best way to spend it, in his opinion. At the moment however, his mind was very far from his work. He was instead focused more on his home. He had managed to receive a letter, it was probably one of three floating around Zeltiva at the moment. His apartment was in an awkward position, and messengers frequently sent them to a building across town.

Despite having prior arrangements to meet his some of his friends for kelp beer, at a residence later on, Argos found himself on the roof of his apartment building. His friends wouldn't find him there, they rarely looked up. His legs dangled three stories above the streets of Zeltiva. He was draped in one of his blankets and was sipping a bit of tea, from leaves that had been stuffed in the letter, both protections against the breeze from Matthew's Bay. He wasn't facing the water however, he was instead turned to the mountains surrounding Zeltiva. The sun was just settling behind them, leaving Argos in the last bits of straggling light. It wouldn't be long before their silhouette had covered Zeltiva entirely.

Argos' thoughts strayed for a moment to the fact that he hadn't seen a sunset over a flat horizon in over a year. He had however started to appreciate the majesty of the mountains, despite finding them an eyesore at first. This momentary reminiscing of flat horizons had been caused by the contents of the letter. In it, his mother informed Argos of the death of his father. She also wrote some of his brother, particularly a new venture of his. The contents appeared confident and perhaps almost brave, but Argos knew better than to be pulled in by such a facade. The debtors would not stop calling simply because their father was dead, they would just begin bothering his mother instead. His brother was also most likely failing in his venture, and going about in a way his father would of.

Argos' grief or even acknowledgement over the death had not yet arrived, instead his mind had begun racing on how to send money home. He had been living fine on the money he had arrived with, having saved for several years, but he would probably have to start supporting other members of his family now. He hadn't spent much time in the commercial areas of Zeltiva, and didn't know many of the merchants there. He supposed that would have to be his first move, gathering intelligence of the market. His grandfather had taught him that was the most important thing, for a successful venture of any kind. As he concentrated on his quandary, Argos sipped some more of his tea. He swirled it about in his mouth, to truly savor the small amount he had left.

[Sereptinidy]

In the evening, Sereptinidy had eventually arrived at Zeltiva near the port and propelled herself out of the water to check out the city from the above. What she was looking for, of course, was the university, although she supposed that she wouldn’t be able to register for classes anymore. That had time, though. Surviving on kelp and salt water, she had made the journey of a few days from Ahnatep to Zeltiva, but the first thing she did in the new city was getting familiar with its architecture. It was obvious that there was nothing more but the sailors and the university and its adjacent scientific and research facilities. Sereptinidy was particularly interested in the Archives Building … tomorrow or later, she told herself. The architecture wasn’t enough to taste the full atmosphere, though. There was more to a city than stone and wood. To a storyteller, the people hiding in those buildings were far more interesting, the stories they could tell and the passion moving them. Had she thought hiding? A man was sitting at a rooftop. Curious, Sereptinidy fluttered closer, her wings almost noiselessly carrying her through the chilly evening air. The Akvatari didn’t feel the cold, although she was dressed in nothing but a bright red strap of fabric holding her breasts. The setting sun cast a faint golden shadow over her brilliant red and crimson wings and tail, mixed with the occasional silvery white. She carefully circled the human – judging from his ordinary appearance and pale skin, she categorized him as human – and tried not to scare him when approaching. Out of politeness she maintained a distance of a few feet, hovering in the air over the roof and nodding at him in greeting. “I am Sereptinidy, an Akvatari. Why did you choose to sit here?” Quite straightforward she was, but the Akvatari somehow sensed that this particular human was in an extraordinary situation. Perhaps he just needed someone to share his emotions with. Sereptinidy would certainly listen.

[Basiliscos V Argomedo]

It took Argos half a moment to realize their was something floating in his field of vision. When he did realize it, he backed away sharply and instinctively. The initial pallid shock, that had covered his face, quickly turned rosy. In front of him was one of the least dangerous things, of that size, that could of have been flying so close to him. The spoon on his saucer fell towards the street at his sudden movement however. He almost jumped down after it, before he remembered how high up he was.

"Sorry." Argos spurted out, his heart rate returning to a normal level. His usual curiosity was somewhat muted at her sight. It hadn't been since he had left Ahnatep, that he had seen an Akvatari flying about. This particular one looked to be about his age. He considered what she said for a moment. "Good question, I'm not sure." Argos made sure to look at her in the eyes after answering the question, instead of all the other things about her that were drawing his attention.

"I'm, er, Argos." Argos remembered to introduce himself, if somewhat halfheartedly. His eyes wandered off behind her for a moment, back to the sunset, and he took another sip of his tea. He looked down at the ruddy waters in his tea cup. He shook his head slightly, as if to free himself from his reverie. "Would you like some tea?" He also remembered that it was rude to drink or eat, without also offering others the same. Or at least that was what his mother always told him. In any case, Serep, Seretip, Sere-something or other was a welcome distraction from his grim thoughts.

[Sereptinidy]

So she had startled him nevertheless. Sighing, Sereptinidy performed a skillful dive after the spoon and brought it back to him in a few seconds. She didn’t comment on his apology, for the simple reason that no words came to her mind that would sound right. Perhaps she was just thinking too much and speaking too little. But that was what the Akvatari were, after all – and who was she to think that she could change them? After the human had regained his composure, Sereptinidy took the time to inspect him more closely. His hair was curly and a bit unruly, especially the facial hair – she didn’t understand why one would like a beard anyway –, but his eyes were clear and his entire demeanor more intelligent and polite than hostile. Like all Akvatari, Sereptinidy avoided violence and aggressive individuals whenever possible. This one seemed content. Of course, she could only make a good choice when addressing someone sitting at a rooftop. Those people usually were more on the philosophic side. Still eyeing him with pale watery blue eyes, she fluttered a bit closer. He didn’t answer her question, but that left her rather unperturbed. If he didn’t want to talk about it, she was just fine with it. She hoped that there would be something, anything he had to tell her though. Whatever business she had in mind with the university, she was a writer first and foremost, and a collector of stories. Then he introduced himself and Sereptinidy suddenly realized something else: It seemed to be common in Zeltiva to go by shorter names than she had. Argos sounded neat; in fact it sounded like a good name for a hero on a benevolent adventure into the wilds of Taldera. Pushing that thought aside, she replied: “Tea sounds nice. Thank you. If my name is too long for you, just call me Sere. I’m really not picky with names.” Obviously the formal introduction time was over, so her wings carried her to Argos’ side at the rooftop where she sat down, or rather, arranged her furred tail in a way that would prevent her from slipping off the roof. Then she focused on the man next to her. “Argos, would you tell me something about Zeltiva, if it’s not too much trouble? I’ve just arrived today.” she asked, hoping to relax the atmosphere.

[Basiliscos V Argomedo]

As Sere managed to deftly grab Argos' wayward silverware, he couldn't help but stare at her flutteting wings. The light of the setting sun had them appear almost as stained glass, though they also reminded him of the colorful bottles that he had encountered on a sunny philtery shelf, many years ago.

"Thank you." Argos said, after grasping his spoon once again. Argo's stomach rumbled slightly as Sere settled down. He looked down at his belly, and would of laughed at the reminder of the situation of food in Zeltiva, had he been in a better mood. Instead, a sigh escaped his lips. His already rather slumped posture, went slightly lower.

"Food is hard to come by." Argos responded to Sere's inquiry about Zeltiva. He clambered back into his apartment without another word. It was a tight fit. If he had been a little larger, he wouldn't of made it through the small window above his bed, that led out onto the tiled roof. He had gotten rather good at traversing the breach however, enjoying the peace of mind the roof provided. Feet back on his wooden floor, he opened his dining set case, and took out the needed pieces. He poured more tea into his dining set's alabaster mug, and spoke from inside.

"I was just informed my father died." Argos admitted, almost before he realized what he had said. He had wanted to speak of it, but felt if he had, he might of lost control of himself. It was much more convenient telling a stranger this, in any case. Certainly from inside his apartment, not face to face. He couldn't let himself see his emotions, mirrored back at him. He sighed again, much more wistfully this time. This sigh had a melancholy settle over him, much more difficult to ignore than any thoughts. Saying what had actually happened aloud started to give credence to the idea that his father may indeed have been gone, and for good. "Would you like some fish?" His mind quickly went back to distracting him with mundane details of etiquette. He stepped back on to his bed, and tiptoeing to reach, left the mug of tea outside the window, for Sere.

[Sereptinidy]

Despite her own constant melancholy, Sereptinidy found herself intrigued by the variety of expressions she could observe on Argos’ features. There was sadness, but also fascination and serenity. A roof certainly provided a comfortable, peaceful atmosphere for those who weren’t blessed with wings to explore the endless sky. Her inquiry, while answered, didn’t dig up the kind of information she had hoped to receive though. This human certainly was entangled in his own problems and concerns. He actually acted much more like an Akvatari, Sere thought. Most likely this was a special mood for a human. She suspected that something must have happened even before he climbed back into his apartment and the heavy words reached her through the window. Letting silence cover the revelation, much like dust or time, Sereptinidy remained sitting on the roof and watched the slowly darkening sky and the outline of the city against the last light of the day. Did his earlier statement mean that Zeltiva was short of food or that he was short of money? Perhaps both? It was fascinating how such simple words could mean anything and nothing, especially about the person who had spoken. When asked about fish, however, she gave a brief, dry chuckle. “We swim among fish, but we neither hunt nor eat them, so no thanks. The only diet I need to survive is kelp. I guess that sounds useful to you?” The situation was slightly amusing, but Sereptinidy rather pondered over the paradox situation. Ah, amazing how coincidence surprised them again and again, right? While she listened to the clinking of cutlery and dishes under her tail, Sereptinidy’s thoughts drifted back to the topic of death. The Akvatari were highly individualistic, so she only understood Argos’ grief to a certain degree. She tried to imagine how she’d feel if her mother died. Most likely a painful stab in the ocean of melancholy. Eventually she spoke: “Death cannot be understood, right? But despite that it’s clearly transitory. Someone dies and we are devastated. But a few weeks later we make a minor mistake or are in need of money and are equally devastated. What really matters … is hard to find out. What you feel will pass, I believe.” Unseen to Argos, she suddenly shook her head. Did he even need her philosophic essay in such a situation? Combing through strawberry blond hair with one hand, she added: “Maybe we all are a dream of some unknown being, an illusion made to entertain.” At least they would be remembered then.

[Basiliscos V Argomedo]

Argos closed the drawer he kept his smoked fish in. He closed his eyes for a moment, and breathed in deeply. It didn't focus his mind the way he would of liked. His head instead turned back to the window, upon hearing Sere's voice. He sifted through some of his other drawers for any kelp he might have had. He wasn't fond of it, but locals had told him it was good to keep a store of it, for when the hungers come to Zeltiva.

Finding his quarry, Argos gingerly placed a piece of dried, tough kelp on an alabaster plate, along with a large knife and fork. Perhaps larger than would normally be needed for a sort of salad, but he could make an exception, on account of the rubbery qualities of the food. He set it down, in the same way he had the tea.

"It's not very fresh. I'm not really much of a kelper." Argos used a common motif in insulting Zeltivans. He jumped up on his bed and hoisted himself through the window, wriggling from side to side, to gain ground. Once up, he took his position under his unnecessary blanket. "You can find more at the markets, only place to find food here." He stood up and pointed behind them, where he had figured out the markets were, after many afternoons pondering over Zeltiva. "Well, buy it, I mean." He corrected himself, considering Sere's ability to swim.

"I see death as rather permanent, though, and I'm certainly not an illusion." Argos responded to Sere's musings, having had ample time to ponder them. He then paused for a moment. "But, how do I know you're not mine?" Argos pondered half-seriously. He tried to catch her gaze, in an attempt to ferret out any deception. He then looked her over more closely, looking for hints of unreality. He wasn't used to observing Akvatari, however. The fur on her tail certainly looked fuzzy and detailed, as it should. The wings were what he suspected Akvatari wings looked like up close, almost paper thin and covered in delicate looking veins. Her skin was clear and that of youth, perhaps slightly more so. She'd also been casting a shadow and handling objects. If she was a hallucination of sorts, it seemed too good to Argos to be a waking one. Perhaps he was dreaming, and his father wasn't really dead.