Another Time, Another Face (Wrenmae)

[Lavira]

Timestamp: Fall 91, 513 (1st Bell)

The steady whoosh of wings beneath her created a charming cadence as she soared upon the backs of an eagle over pinnacles tall and narrow, their minarets different to what stretched heavenward around Wind Reach. These towering spires were bathed in mist, the haunting alpine forests far below them unseen as feathered wings swept through the clouds.

They were just returning to Lhavit for their seasonal trade visit, the birds in the rest of the flight burdened by the load as some came forth to help unload the massive birds and help the individuals. And she? Well, she was off to the Azure Market to see if there was any fine skyglass she could bring back to her husband. The man had loved the last piece she had brought so she was certain he would love it again.

((Azure Market...? I do not know what that even is. Where is this place?))

Before she went to the market, she needed to get their rooms taken care of and see to the teams birds. The other Endal were always provided the best of lodging (if they so chose) and enjoyed the best food so long as they were on their best behavior. And she loved the fall trips to Lhavit. It was such a beautiful city, different in that there was more green and the mists created even more beautiful scenery compared to the rustic views that Wind Reach had. Its lodgings were even more charming. And it was to the Shooting Star Inn that she would be setting up the team during the course of their stay.

((Shooting Star Inn...it has a white door...I've read about it. Ran by someone named...Tirvish...Kirance...Something...))

The door to the Inn opened and she went inside, a the sweet tang of wine and life filling her nose and the sounds of camaraderie abounded. A surly woman stood behind the bar talking to someone. When she approached the bar, the woman looked up, her black hair bouncing. She smiled at her and said "Ah, he said you'd be here soon. He's in the suite waiting for you."

"Thank you-" She replied, speaking the Inn owners name ((I don't know that womans name! It's just static; what the petch...)) before heading for the stairs and climbing them to go towards the indicated suite. If he was already here, then the teams rooms would already be arranged.

At the top of the stairs was a mirror, half-length, that she paused in front of. She could not see her face in it and wondered subconsciously if she should mention it to the Innkeep to have it cleaned, but she could see her hair. Long and dark, like redwood at peak maturity eventhough streaks of grey had begun to show in it, with pale skin and just the lightest dusting of freckles. Her clothes suggested wealth but modesty, the trim of the vinati having several feathers from her wind eagle woven into it and the bryda's seam danced with feathers blowing in an unfelt wind.

She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and fingered the Chevas beneath her ear, smiling and knowing it was he who waited behind the door of the suite ahead. He always seemed to know just when she was going to be with the riders coming for trade, and it made her glad. They had been long time friends when she first joined the Wild Harriers for this trip, and though they had both grown and matured over the years, their friendship and love for each other had never really burnt away. Even when she'd married and elevated into her station as Tavina, her bird and his having chosen each other as mates, she had come to him so far from Wind Reach. And her husband had accepted it, knowing to deny her something so simple was unfair after all the pair had been through and after all these years. He had accepted her of it, and thus made the Chevas binding them that much stronger.

Leaving the mirror, the Tavina stepped to the door, her hand upon the handle, and opened it, grinning in expectant delight for what waited within.

OOCThe (()) Vira's conscious thoughts. You know, those times when you just /know/ a dream can't be as real as it seems but is beyond your control to wake up. One of those

[Wrenmae]

Taliel had never been a patient man. In his youth he'd adopted a worrying sort of pacing that followed him well into adulthood. Even as the rich mahogany of his hair shimmered into a premature silver, one of the few constants was his mind...ever whirring away like some indescribable gadget. The best room of the inn had been made up with the stirring greens and reds she loved so much, a delicately shaped vase holding almost gleaming white flowers plucked from the higher parts of the mountain Lhavit was carved into.

He had taken pains to prepare for her as each time she left, the time between them stretched painfully. Now he paced in his rich-hued and Symenestra silk-spun suit. News bubbled at his lips, words he did not know how to say. It was always like this. She came and he almost asked, and then...let it fade. Today he would though. He had to.

Outside the inn, the bustle of Lhavit brought a smile to his pursed lips. He was, after all, a man of the market in every way. No successful merchant could hate the sounds of chorused voices raising on a crisp wind. Customers, friends, the currency of the human heart paid in words.

She was here.

Taliel had never met her husband, but she spoke of him fondly. Jealous as he was, he accepted that about her. In all truth, when she married he could have been forbidden to see her...but in some feat of mercy or understanding, their relationship continued. He may never live to meet her man, but there was a respect there... every bit a peer to jealousy, and the two continued to grapple even now.

He tapped a finger against the cheva mark that buzzed with her approach and snapped his heels together in the center of the room, thrusting his hands behind his back and a smile on his face as she entered.

((What am I doing here? Who am I?))

" ," he said, but her name sounded like static from his throat, "You're a day late, my songbird...did Zulrav keep you from me an extra day just to taunt me?" He smiled, and the words were jest. His heart was happy to be with her. Here. Now.

"Come," he invited, holding out a hand to her, "Take a seat and relax. Much has happened while you were away."

[Lavira]

The seasoned face of the endal matron burst into smiles as the door opened and she was admitted in, Taliel appearing. He was resplendent as always and the room exquisite. "Haha, songbird, you will never let that night go, will you." She laughed, cupping his cheek and running her thumb against his jaw. "A few drinks and your life never is the same."

The memory was not an unpleasant one, of course. She remembered the drinks she'd had with him one night while the team was in, a few more than she should have had. It had resulted in a romping round of "On Golden Eaves" and a morning of painful regrets (though not for the dalliance they'd shared). It had been the first time she'd sung for him, though the other in their trio had long known of her voice, the woman's humility kept the chords at bay. "Not that I'm complaining. Hallo, Taliel." Her hand fell away and the long haired dame kissed him. It was light but no less sweet than any other time, and when it ended she moved to sit upon the loveseat on one side of the room, the low swish of her bryda creating its own music as she went to settle and pull weight from wary legs.

The walk was made in invitation, the offered hand before taken and she pulling him with her to the seat so that they could sit facing each other. She with one leg tucked beneath her and he on the opposite end of the small couch so golden eyes could stare at him and return to her the freshness of his face in her own memory. ((Taliel...I've heard that name somewhere...))

"The winds were at our tails the whole way, if you must know, as if that ol' skydog wished for her to be there sooner, hastening the beat of Nyahna's wings. But it could never get us here fast enough. Oh, Taliel, I have such wonderful news." The woman reached for his hand, folding her fingers into his and rubbing the back with her thumb while her other arm propped her head up. "Do you remember some years after we made our vows, that day in Spring I came to you?"

There was only one memory that served for such an event, and it had been filled with tragedy. The spring rains en route had been hard, but seemed to fit the then younger womans melodramatic persona at the time. Their vows had been five years passed and she had just turned twenty five. She had not been able to make the trip to Lhavit for nearly two seasons though both she and Saml had tried to write to him of what was going on. The news before that day had been joyous; a child had been forged! Their first, they hoped, of many, and they longed to share the joy with Taliel. But as the third and final season of the pregnancy approached, tragedy had struck, dropping the young woman into a depression quite deep. Their own eagles had only just become mates, further bonding the pair and setting them up for Tavina and Tavinar in the future.

The unborn had been lost and she had left for Lhavit in a dour state, spending four nights with Taliel weeping and heart broken. That was twelve years ago now, and she had just brought it back to the front of memory.