Completed Up the Mountain We Go (Azira)

[Syveris]

70th of Fall, 513 AV

Syveris pulled her katinu tighter around her, while she walked through the Inner Warrens without a destination. It was her day off, and the Avora wasn't sure about what she wanted to do. The Inclement Weather had been fun, but it wasn't something Syveris wanted to go again so soon. She wanted to climb, to fight, to feel the thrill of danger. It was also Market Day. Maybe she should just go to the Market and look around. Syveris sighed. No, she wanted to go to the market just as much as she wanted to go to the Inclement Weather.

So, climbing it is. she was a little worried that a big groundquake could hit the mountain, but this would only add to the thrill, and this was what she needed then. The thrill, the excitement. Her mind made up, she turned around. Syveris hummed a cheerful tone, although the worry for her city was still on the back of her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about the two deaths that occurred on the Inclement Weather, due to water poisoning. It had happened only a day after she went there, and the thought that it might have been her to drink said water was still unsettling.

She was passing the Darnivas Common Rooms when she saw a familiar frame walking in the tunnels. Syveris smiled to herself, walking quickly to catch up. It was Azira. She had met the girl, years after their fight in front of the Kitchens, and they had gotten along well. At least on her opinion. Syveris had enjoyed her company in the market, and was hoping to see the girl again.

"Hey, Azira!" she called out loud, approaching the huntress. "How are you? Did you have the chance to wear your new outfit already?" Syveris was glad that she had found someone. Maybe they could do something together again. Hopefully, something related to climbing. "What are you going to do today?" the Avora wondered if she wasn't troubling the girl. She had seen as the other didn't seem comfortable around people, and she hoped the girl had been uncomfortable because it had been a lot of people. Maybe if it was just one the other wouldn't feel that way.

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[Azira]

   

The huntress was at a loss of what to do with herself today. It was her day off but she had no real plans. It'd be good to do something different for a change but there wasn't really anything for her to do so she'd probably go with the activities she'd done before. She was divided about whether to go to the Enclave to read up on some Wilderness Survival, go to shoot some arrows in the range or go hiking again. 

Hiking had been fun, she supposed but she had felt it the next day, every muscle screaming at her as she roamed the mountain in search of game. Perhaps she wouldn't do that for awhile, especially as the season seemed to be taking a turn for the worst. She was probably better off sticking to routes that she knew were safe rather than trying the more difficult terrain.

Reading was something that she loved doing but she wasn't sure what she could learn about Wilderness Survival from books. You usually learned more when you had a teacher as a lot of the stuff was practical and so just theory wasn't much use. As for shooting, it didn't really have much appeal seeing as she was almost sick of her bow. She spent so little time hunting with it now that it was ridiculous. She was relying more on traps than weapons to catch her prey because game was scarce and became a lot harder to find when you went stalking it with a bow. 

She stepped out of her room and began to walk, not knowing what she'd do with herself. Someone called her name and she turned to find Syveris coming towards her. She gave an awkward little wave and stopped to let the girl catch up to her.

"Hi Syveris. No I haven't had a chance to wear my outfit yet, have you?" she asked, smiling weakly at the girl. She shuffled her feet awkwardly. "I actually haven't got any plans today. Nothing to do really. What about you?"

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[Syveris]

"Actually, yes." Syveris answered the girl, happy that she had stopped to talk with her. Maybe they could really do something together. "I went to the Inclement Weather some days ago. It was fun." it had been fun, but the Avora wasn't eager to discuss it now. Her mind was set on going to the Edge. She was about to answer the girl about her plans when another idea came to her mind, and she stopped to consider it.

Azira was a huntress. Which meant that she had been to the Unforgiving many times, and would know some places on the wilderness well. Syveris couldn't remember a time when she had left the city, she never had the need to, nor someone who would guide her. She loved danger, but she wasn't stupid. The Avora knew that if she just went to the Unforgiving, without knowing the paths, she would get terrible lost. However, that didn't mean that the idea hadn't crossed her minds many times. But right now, she didn't have to refrain herself from going.

Her original plans were to go climbing, and she still wanted to do it. But they could go hiking somewhere. Syveris wasn't sure if it was like climbing the Edge of the World, but she thought it was. And even if the practice wasn't, the Avora was sure the feeling would still be. And it was this feeling she was after.

"Azira, what do you think of hiking? We could go together!" Syveris proposed, happiness apparent on her voice. She wanted the other Avora to say yes so much it was almost ridiculous. "I've never been on the Unforgiving before! Besides, I bet hiking is very fun. We could go hiking somewhere, because you must know a lot of places, since you go hunting there all the time..." she stopped talking, suddenly. Azira had said that she didn't had any plans, but that didn't mean that she would like to go outside on what looked like was her day off. "If you want to, of course. I don't want to interrupt your rest or something." Syveris added, after a while. She certainly didn't want to press the huntress into doing something with her.

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[Azira]

   

The Avora stifled a groan at the mention of hiking. It wasn't something she particularly wanted to do again for a long while. She would have outright refused her but the other teen was so enthusiastic about the idea, so totally enamoured by it that Azira didn't have the heart to turn her down. She tried to reason with herself that she had nothing better to do, that she'd been improving her mountaineering ability and that she wanted to be friends with Syveris. She was still reluctant.

"Well I suppose I could bring you out but hiking won't be easy. The mountain can be dangerous enough but if there's a groundquake...believe me when I say you don't want to be caught in the aftermath of that," she warned her. To her ears it certainly sounded as if she was arguing against it. "Also it's called the Unforgiving for a reason but if you're really willing to go through with it then I suppose I can bring you. Just give me a minute."

The huntress jogged back to her room to collect her backpack, checking and double checking to ensure that it had the essentials. This time she decided to bring her bow, still annoyed that she'd missed out on a hare on her last hiking trip. When she was satisfied that she had everything that she needed, she returned to her companion's side.

"Right well I have everything I need. Do you need to go back to your room to get anything?" she asked, cocking her head to one side as she watched her fellow Avora.

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[Syveris]

At first, she thought the girl wouldn't want to go. Azira started to talk about how hiking wouldn't be easy, and that the mountain would be very dangerous if there was a groundquake... Well, Syveris expected this much, although she was glad the other teen had taken the trouble to warn her. However, she still wanted to go. So, when the other teen accepted her suggestion, she couldn't help but smile, exultant. The Unforgiving had a reputation of being hard, but that was exactly why Syveris hadn't wanted to go by herself. She didn't thought it would be too dangerous if they went together, specially because Azira knew how to move around the place.

The Avora waited the huntress go back to her room, still smiling like a kid. She was excited! Not only it was a good chance to finally see the Unforgiving, but it was also a chance to talk with Azira again. She couldn't say they were friends, yet, but Syveris hoped that they would be, someday. Hopefully, someday soon. She enjoyed the huntress' company, and her interactions had been much more amiable than the first time they met.

When Azira came back, she asked if she wanted to get anything. Syveris had to think for a while. She didn't knew exactly what she would need, but the Avora supposed it was better to at least take her backpack with her. Nodding to the huntress, she turned away, and ran to her room. Syveris took her backpack, throwing what she thought might come in hand on it and turning to leave. Thinking better, she took her Talon Sword. The Avora still wasn't very good with the sword, but any weapon was better than none, and Azira was right. It was named the Unforgiving for a reason.

Quickly, Syveris returned to her friends side, adjusting her backpack on her back.

"I'm ready." she informed, excited. It would be a truly wonderful day, on her opinion.

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[Azira]

   

The girl seemed to think for a moment before, presumably, running off to her own room. She hoped that Syveris would be sensible and only bring what she really needed as it wouldn't be fun to carry around a heavy backpack all day. Azira hoped that she'd brought everything that she'd need but there wasn't anything else that she could think to pack so she assumed that she had.

Her companion came bounding back, her enthusiasm for the excursion clear to see. The huntress shook her head in wonder. How on earth did the teen get so excited about trekking up a mountain? It shouldn't have been possible, it really shouldn't have been. The memory of the last hike wasn't at all pleasurable for the Avora but then the glassworker wouldn't know that it was something to dread rather than to look forward to.

Smiling at the girl's enthusiasm, Azira gestured for Syveris to follow her as she made her way through the Inner Warrens and to the Sanikas gate. As she moved past her, she noticed the Talon Sword that she carried. She wondered why the girl had decided to bring that. If they were attacked by something it would be more useful than a bow, she supposed as it was faster but you could only use it at very close quarters so the huntress wouldn't like it but each to their own.

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[Syveris]

As the two Inartans made their way to the Sanikas Gates, Syveris smiled, pleased that she had found something new to do that day. Sure, she would go to the Edge of the World with great satisfaction, but it couldn't possible be more exciting than to go to the Unforgiving to hike. The Avora snickered to herself. If she ever learned how to hunt, Syveris though she would enjoy the trips to the wild very much.

"Hey, Azira." she called the girl, while they walked through the Inner Warrens. "How many times have you hiked before?" it was a simple question and a simple tentative of small talk. She wasn't sure what the huntress would be comfortable talking about, so the Avora decided to ask a neutral question. At least she hoped it was neutral. "Was it fun?" Syveris had started to wonder how hiking would be, again. The mountains weren't completely vertical, so she supposed it wouldn't be exactly like climbing. However, she did not know if it would be harder or easier, more exciting or less.

When they reached the Gate, Syveris nodded, greeting the gatekeeper, and then looked at the road, smiling. She would finally go to the Unforgiving, and she was ready to do it. Adjusting her backpack, turned to Azira, a wide smile on her face.

"So, where to, now?" she asked.

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[Azira]

   

The huntress wasn't in the mood for conversation. That wasn't anything new but it meant that she wasn't inclined to start a conversation with Syveris. Hopefully the girl wouldn't take offence at it but she'd probably been given a good idea that Azira wasn't a great conversationalist thanks to that day in the market. However, just like that day, Syveris tried to break the silence between them by asking questions.

"I've only been hiking once and that was only a few days ago," she replied, hoping that the other Inartan wouldn't ask her if she'd enjoyed it. Sure enough that was the next question from the girl's lips. How was she supposed to answer that honestly when she'd agreed to bring the girl out?

"Well I don't know if fun is the right word. I certainly didn't do it for fun. I need to improve my mountaineering for my hunting so that's why I went hiking. It's good for me," Azira explained. Hopefully the answer didn't sound like she was avoiding answering the question but it certainly sounded like that to her. Maybe Syveris wouldn't notice.

As they passed through the gates, the huntress nodded in greeting to Val, the gatekeeper before continuing on her way, trying to decide the best place to bring her companion. The Avora was wondering where they were going next too.

"I think we should head east. I went that way the last time and I didn't break my neck so that seems as good a place as any to introduce you to hiking and the Unforgiving."

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[Syveris]

When they passed through the gate, it felt like something entirely new. A feeling that Syveris thought felt like freedom. It wasn't that she felt trapped inside Wind Reach, actually it was quite the opposite. However, being outside, in the Unforgiving, walking below the sky with the mountains around her... Everything felt so new and so different, that Syveris couldn't help but classify that as freedom. Maybe it was one of a different kind than the one she felt inside the mountain, working on the Glass Reverie.

She followed Azira, not even needing to try to enjoy the walk. The huntress had seem hesitant, like she hadn't enjoyed hiking, but Syveris was sure she had to at least enjoy the walking. It looked like it didn't matter if she needed to go to the Unforgiving everyday, she would still feel the same thing, as it was always the first. Maybe it was just her being silly again.

However, the thought of the huntress made Syveris' mind focus on a different matter. Azira seemed like she didn't enjoy company, although she hadn't denied Syveris' proposal to go hiking. But now, and on the market, the huntress talked very little, and only if asked something. And even then, she seemed troubled to answer.

Syveris wasn't good with people, and she barely noticed when they felt troubled. But Azira was uncomfortable, and that was obvious even for her. The Avora sighed. Maybe the girl felt lonely. If that was true, Syveris and her had much more in common than the huntress would imagine. A lot of people mistook her talkativeness and her eagerness to socialize with an untroubled mind and a facility to interact with people. That wasn't true. Well, Syveris tried to keep her mind as untroubled as possible, but she only tried to talk all the time because silence bothered her. It felt empty, lonely, and she was tired of feeling it. So she spoke non-stop, to fight against these feelings.

She wondered if Azira was the same, and maybe the huntress only found some other way to fight it on her own. It was sad, though. Syveris thought that she could be much happier and enjoy things much more if she tried to socialize more.

"Azira..." she called, not stopping her walk. Syveris was feeling a little anxious. She was really terrible in the 'how are you feeling' talk, but she also felt that Azira needed it. The Avora only hoped that she wasn't making a mistake. "Why do you dislike people so much? I mean, you're uncomfortable being near them, right? In the Market, it looked like it. You also seem to dislike talking. Why? Is there something troubling you?" she burbled, the highly personal questions feeling weird in her mouth. Syveris was sure this was a topic the other didn't want to talk about, but she thought this was something she had to. So the Avora asked, hoping that the huntress wouldn't jump on her neck.

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[Azira]

   

It seemed like it was going to be a quite a nice hike. The weather wasn't too bad, only a light drizzle and a bit of a breeze so Syveris was going to get a fairly good day for her first trip to the Unforgiving. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as the last day, what with the weather being better but Azira couldn't be sure. It had been quiet and almost lonely the last time but now she had company so she was sure that there would be many attempts at conversation from her companion.

"Azira..." 

There it was now. She was going to try to talk to the huntress now. The teen made a noise to indicate that she'd heard but she didn't turn to look at the girl. Her question however made her turn to stare at her in shock, her feet losing their footing on the uneven ground. She staggered.

"I don't dislike people!" she squeaked. It was a real squeak, her voice raising in pitch as  her mind reacted in horror to such an idea. She didn't dislike them, did she? She talked to people and associated with people and... lashed out at them at every opportunity. Was that really true that she disliked people? She supposed it was but was it really that obvious?

"I don't dislike people, I just don't...trust them," she reasoned, unsure whether she was trying to convince herself or the girl. "I just don't like talking to people either, that's allowed, isn't it? I just don't...I'm not very talkative, okay? People wear false faces. They act one way but think another way altogether. You might think that I'm a hypocrite for saying that but that's just how I think, okay? And I'm not bothered by anything, nothing bothers me. Ever. Can we not talk about this?"

The Avora knew that she'd been babbling but she hadn't been able to help herself. She didn't want to answer the woman's questions, didn't want her to know anything about her. If she explained the true reason behind her distrust then she'd have to give up personal information. She couldn't give such personal information away to a relative stranger. Hopefully the girl would take the hint and just drop the subject.

Please just shut up, please just shut up, Azira thought as she started walking again, moving quickly to try to put some space between herself and Syveris. Maybe that would stop her talking.

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