Closed Soaking the Night Away (Syveris)

[Turrin]

Leaning up against the wall, Turrin thumb the top of his talon sword hilt. The Myrian placed his head back on the cold stone wondering who this Arin was to Syveris. He knew that he shouldn't be dwelling on her past relationships, but the way Syveris broke down about her friend made him wonder if they were more than just friends. Turrin didn't understand why he felt jealous of one of her old flames because they were just friends, but there was feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach as he pondered Syveris and Arin. Turrin heard footsteps down the hall, and he turned his head to see Syveris hastily walking down the hall towards him. The Myrian just watched the young woman as she approached him, and he couldn't help himself from admiring her beauty and grace as she strode down the corridor. However, something was clearly bothering her, and he wondered if she was still thinking about her friend Arin. Turrin knew that he was being selfish for being jealous, so he pushed himself off the wall when she walked past him and urged him to follow him. The Endal raised an eyebrow when she didn't look at him, but he stayed silent as walked beside Syveris and took her hand in his own. Turrin smiled at her and said reassuringly, “I am sure your Arin alright, Sy.” The Endal knew that he shouldn't give the woman false hope, but he knew even the faintest glimmer of hope was enough to get through even the darkest tunnel. Squeezing her hand, he walked down the Inner Warrens letting her lead the the way. As they walked down the corridor, Turrin noticed that she was leading him to the Infirmary. The Endal looked at Syveris for a moment, and he wondered if he should ask her a few questions about Arin. He didn't want her to think that he was probing for information, but another part of him that was dreading their reunion sort of wanted to find out about the man that she was rushing to see. Again, Turrin inwardly kicked himself for being selfish, but he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and asked softly, “Syveris. You don't need to tell me if you don't want too, but what kind of man was Arin?” The Endal was satisfied with his question. It was just a causal question, but a part of him kept poking him to ask about her relationship to this man. Turrin could feel the nervousness well up in his stomach as he walked down the hallway trying to figure out the best time to ask her such a personal question. When they rounded the corner, Turrin found his courage, swallowed the dryness in the back of his throat, and asked quietly, “Syveris was Arin old lover of yours?” The Endal inwardly groaned at the lack of grace to his question. It was like cutting a piece of bread with a talon sword. It just didn't work! Turrin shook head and said quickly, “Sorry I should not ask question...”

[Syveris]

Syveris almost jumped from surprise when Turrin took her hand, not expecting this movement from the Endal. It took a lot of effort for her not to jerk away, although the Avora wasn't sure why she was behaving that way. It could be because what the Chiet said was bothering her, or it could have been the fact that she still didn't know what happened with Arin. When Turrin spoke to reassure her, the Avora gave him a small smile. She wanted to believe in what he said, but no matter the outcome, it was a nice gesture, and she was grateful for it.

She forced herself to breath evenly, at least to try to calm down. Syveris was still walking fast, but no faster than she normally did, so the Avora considered that an improvement. Her mind was running wild, and if she didn't calm down, she would end up crying once again, before even knowing what had truly happened. The Avora squeezed Turrin's hand, trying to draw comfort from it. However, the others question made her frown a little, thinking on the best way to describe Arrin to the Endal.

"To tell you the truth, I don't really know..." she whispered, smiling when the memories came back to her. Arin was plainly weird, there was no other ways to describe him. "He was very different from everyone. He seemed to be friends with everyone, and at the same time, it was almost as if he had no friends. That doesn't make sense, does it?" Syveris chuckled a little, knowing that even though it didn't make a lot of sense, it was an accurate description. Arin didn't make sense to her, either. "When we met, I ended up falling on the mud and twisting my ankle, and he helped me back to the Tisuma Baths." the memory made her blush a little, the stupid of the situation and how embarrassed she was to fall flatly on her face were things she hadn't forgotten yet. "I had to practically squeeze his name out of him, because he kept saying he hadn't met me yet, and that names were the least important thing about a person. He was like that. It's hard to describe, actually."

She quieted down, still thinking. Syveris had never really tried to describe Arin simply because it was something she found impossible to do. The Avora knew it wasn't that Arin himself wasn't that complicated, but her relationship with him was. When her thoughts were interrupted by another question, Syveris blushed again.

"No, don't worry about it. I don't mind." she mumbled, cleaning her throat before answering. "We were just... friends, I guess. To tell you the truth, I never understood our relationship. If I had to, I'd say we were friends. Definitely not lovers, though."

[Turrin]

When Syveris started to talk about Arin, Turrin stayed silent and listened to her. Syveris seemed to be lost in thought as she recalled the memories and feelings of her past. When she asked him if it made sense about how she described her friend. Turrin looked at her and said softy in Nari, “Yes, I have know people like him in my life. My sister was vary similar to how you described Arin. In Wind Reach, Kaya always had people that she spent a lot of her time around, but she never trusted a person enough to get close to anyone. She tended to push them away if she got to emotionally close to them. I think her life in Taloba scarred my sister somehow.” Turrin listened continued listening to Syveris talk about Arin. In the Myrian's mind, Arin seemed eccentric, but Syveris didn't seem to mind his bizarre behavior. It almost seemed like it was the reason that she was attracted to him. In truth, he was to attracted to people that don't quite fit in normal society because he had always kind of been a outcast all his life. When Syveris started answer his question about them being lovers, Turrin was relieved at her answer. He wasn't quite sure why he felt jealousy over a man from her past. When she reassured him, Turrin shook his head and said softly, “Again...I am sorry.” Turrin paused for a moment and said gently, “All in all, he sounded like a good friend.” The Myrian look at her and said with a grin, “When I meet the man, I will have to tell embarrassing stories about you.” Turrin started to rub his chin with his free hand and said with a laugh, “It would be interesting to learn the secret life of my favorite glass worker.” The Endal noticed that Syveris seemed distant since she left the Baths. The Endal was certain it was the stress of not know if her friend is dead or alive that is troubling her. Turrin smiled at her, squeezed her hand, and said softly trying to change the subject, “After we find Arin. I will take you to my aeries. There I can give you a box full of my sister's glass work. Most of the art is broken beyond repair, but I am sure you can make something equally beautiful out of the glass.” When entered the corridor of the Infirmary, Turrin could almost feel the aura of death in the place. Along the sides of the wall, we empty cots must have had many patients on them over the course of the last week. When they got closer to the door, the cots on each side of the inner warren were still occupied with wounded patients. As a Dek walked by with a basket of bloody rags, Turrin moved out of the way to let her pass. He was fairly sure that the Dek had been constantly making runs for clean rags all week. It was awful, and it brought back painful memories after the Djed Storm. Turrin looked over at Syveris and said sadly, “This brings back painful memories...” Turrin looked over to see a young woman wrapped head to toe with think bandages. He remembered the healers telling him his sister was pulled out of the Glass Reverie when the Djed Storm hit Wind Reach two years ago. The Myrian pulled his eyes away from the girl in the bed, “Are you ready to head into the Infirmary?”

[Syveris]

"That's unfair." she said, trying to joke around at least a bit. "I don't have anyone to ask about yours embarrassing stories." Syveris wasn't really in a very playful mood, but Turrin's words somehow made her feel a little better. The Endal was really sure they would find Arin alive, and that was a very comforting thought. She was very grateful, specially since she was beginning to doubt she would be able to face all this alone. Well, she didn't have to, so there was no reason to dwell on it.

Syveris nodded when Turrin changed the subjects to his sister's broken glasswork. She really didn't want to say anything right then, but she also wanted to know she was grateful for everything. It didn't seem right to bother the Endal with something that had nothing to do with him, specially since he had his own problems to deal with. Nevertheless, he was being a very great friend. With a sigh, Syveris squeezed his hand, and smiled.

Her smile quickly died when they reached the Infirmary. It was a suffocating atmosphere, although she couldn't quite understand why. "Yes. It does." she agreed with Turrin's statement, the memories of the dead Endal coming back to her. "I don't think I'll ever be ready, so let's just..." Syveris just shook her head, before entering, almost pulling Turrin with her.

The Avora searched the room, trying to find the red haired boy. She walked between the beds, looking closely to the ones laying in them. In some point, she let go of Turrin's hand, not really paying attention to anything else than the faces. The Avora had already circled the room twice when she finally stop, her breath getting stuck on her throat once again. He was nowhere to be found. Almost all Inarta had red hair, and it would be difficult to identify one in the middle of so many, but Syveris knew the boy well enough. If he was there, she would have found him.

She would cry again. Shaking her head furiously, Syveris looked around once again, searching for anyone who looked like a healer that might have some information. She approached one woman, and touched her lightly to call her attention.

"Excuse me." when the healer turned to her, Syveris cleared her throat. "Hmm... Do you know if any Chiet was treated here? One with..."

"What would a Chiet be doing here?" the woman asked, almost angry. "Our priority is to treat the Endal and Avora hurt by the Storm. And even if there was a Chiet here, I have more to do than memorize the faces that have been here. Now, if you excuse me..." the woman turned and walked away, hurrying to a patient's side. Syveris couldn't really blame her. The Infirmary was busy, and she probably was under a lot of stress.

But that didn't stop the tears from rising to her eyes, although she made an effort not to let them fall. Syveris placed herself on Turrin's side, and bit her lip. "He is not here. But..." she had to be hopeful. "That can be a good thing, right? It can mean he wasn't hurt by the storm."

[Turrin]

When Turrin and Syveris walked into the infirmary, the Endal stiffened when he recognized the faces of people that he called friends, acquaintances, and enemies. Suddenly, the Myrian felt a bout of anger start to well up in his heart as he realized that the person or god to name was Zulrav. If the temperamental god didn't bring the storm, none of these people would be hurt. Grinding his teeth, he took his eyes off a face of a mangled woman. Turrin looked up at Syveris and noticed the women was going from bed to bed looking for her childhood friend, Arin. Turrin quickly moved to intercept the young woman, but he didn't want to hinder her search, so he stay slightly back as she talked to the healer. The Endal saw the stress in the healer's eyes as she snapped at Syveris. When Syveris turned around and walked to his side, the Myrian noticed that tears streaming from her eyes. When she asked her question, the Myrian's heart sank because it doesn't mean that he was fine. It could just mean that they just found the body of her friend, but he wasn't going tell her that morbid scenario right at this moment. Syveris needed hope, and he wasn't going to deflate her hopes right now. Turrin walked in front of her, placed a left hand on her shoulder, gently placed his right hand on the side of her face, and said carefully, “Yes...the majority of the destruction centered around the aeries, so if he didn't have business with the Endals that he might be alright. I think should head to his apartment. He might be seeking refuge in his home. Does he have loved ones that he might be staying with too?” Placing a stray lock of her behind her ear, Turrin gave her a warm smile and let his hands fall to his side. Turrin had a question of his own for the healer, but he didn't want to ask it with Syveris by his side, so he shot a glance at the healer and said to her, “I need to ask the healer a question, Sy. I will be right back.” The large Endal pivot and went straight towards the first healer that she could find. Turrin recognized the healer named Keah, so he walked up to her and saw that she was bandaging the head of young man. Turrin waited for about three chimes till she was finished with her work. The healer placed the roll of gauze on the tray and asked, “You a patient for a Endal. How can I help you?” Turrin gave her a nod of respect and asked bluntly, “Where are they keeping the bodies of the storm victims?” Keah took a deep breath, ran a hand through her hair, and sighed, “They are keeping them in one of the storage caves close to the Courtyard of the Sky. When we identify the bodies, we will be sending them to the Tomb of The Fallen for burial.” Turrin closed his eyes remembering the day that he had to drop the bodies of his mother and sister into the volcano after the djed storm. The Endal opened his eyes and said, “Thank you for your help, healer.” Turrin walked back to Syveris and asked, “Shall we check his apartment?”

[Syveris]

Turrin was obviously trying to comfort her. Syveris could see the doubt in the Endal's eyes. She knew herself that the fact that she couldn't find Arin didn't mean he was alright. But what she needed right then was just soothing words, that could give her strength, even if they were a lie. Or not entirely true. Syveris just needed to calm down, so she could keep going. So it didn't really matter whatever or not she believed Turrin. Hearing his words would be enough.

The Avora took a deep breath, calming herself. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, and she was worried, very worried, but at least she could think again. Loved ones? Arin had mentioned something like that in the Enclave, the last time they had met, hadn't he?

"He has... A lover. A wife. Well, I don't really know. He has someone, though." she noticed Turrin talked about him in the present, as if Arin was truly alive, and also noticed that she couldn't bring herself to talk about him in any other way. She needed to believe he was alright. "I hope they live in his old room, though... I don't know where else to look for him." Syveris couldn't remember even the name of the woman he was with, so where she lived was not something she had knowledge on.

Syveris stayed in place when Turrin went to the healer to ask something. She felt it was something the Endal didn't want her to hear, but in truth, she didn't care. It wouldn't make the situation any better if she allowed herself to think about what the half-Myrian could be asking. While she was waiting, though, Syveris couldn't help but look around, at all the faces that had been harmed by the storm in some way or another. The Avora had never seen so much damage before, and it was definitely frightening.

So when Turrin returned, she felt relieved, even though that meant they would need to go back to searching for Arin, and this could mean she would find out that he was not fine. Shoving the thoughts away from her mind, she only managed to nod, not trusting her voice in the moment. Slowly, she turned and walked out of the Infirmary, going towards the Darniva Commonrooms, worried and afraid that Arin wouldn't be in his old room. But he wasn't a man of changing his habits, so it was unlikely he would have moved.

[Turrin]

Turrin could tell Syveris was determined to find her friend, Arin. The Endal was starting to fear the worse, but he didn't want to put strain on her emotional state. He wasn't really good at reading people most of the time, but Syveris seemed to be doing her best to keep her emotions under check. Since he didn't want to start babbling nonsense, Turrin decided to be silent as they made there way through the inner warrens. The warrior could tell the damage off the storm didn't effect the deeper warrens unlike the aeries, but the amount of people injured seemed endless since they lined both walls of the warren. As they walked through the corridor, Turrin mentally contacted Aponivi, “Aponivi...can you have the Dek saddle you. I might need you to help me take a body to the Tomb of the Fallen for burial.” The didn't hear anything from Aponivi for a chime, but after a minute, he heard the wind eagles' voice in his head, “Who died?” The Endal mentally stated, “It is not confirmed yet, but Syveris might have lost her friend to the storm...” Turrin paused for a few ticks and continued, “If he died, I want to make sure Syveris gets proper closure.” Aponivi quickly replied, “You have quite a strong attachment to the human don't you?” Turrin glanced at the beautiful women walking next to him for a moment and said mentally, “I can't hide anything from you. Can I my friend?” Aponivi replied with a laugh, “No. I might know you better than you know yourself.” When Turrin walked into the corridor Darvina Apartments, the lower castes seemed to busy in there daily duty to notice him. However, Turrin noticed the glances thrown at Syveris and him as they walked down the hall. He figured they were curious why she was walking with a rider. The Endal was totally out of element since he hadn't lived in the common apartments since his family arrived in Wind Reach. Looking at Syveris, Turrin said quietly, “These apartments bring back memories for me. I remembered my sister and I would pick a random door in the hallway and knock on the door. When the resident came out to answer, my sister and I would run back down the hall and around a corner and hide.” Turrin chuckled to himself and said with a smirk, “You should have seen their faces when they saw nobody there.”

[Syveris]

They walked in silence, most of the time, for which Syveris was both grateful and apprehensive. If Turrin talked with her right then, she doubted she would be able to answer calmly. However, silence was never something good, and she feared that the Endal was already expecting the worse to happen, and if not even Turrin had hope...

She let out a sob, before controlling herself again. Crying wouldn't help, although all she wanted to do was sit on a corner and cry. The Avora tried to ignore the injured people on the Warrens, focusing on the rocks of the way, forcing herself to keep walking.

It was only when they reached the Darniva Commonrooms that Turrin spoke, and it was to tell some story from his childhood. This seemed so out of place that Syveris gave out a chuckle, feeling a little better. Somehow, the prank seemed so innocent that it almost made her feel like everything was going to be ok.

"I can only imagine their faces." Syveris said, her voice still shaken, but amused. "I didn't use to come here. Actually, the first time I did was when I got an apprenticeship." however, she couldn't bring herself to say anything else, because they had arrived.

The door was just like every other, but Syveris was still reluctant in knocking. She didn't know if someone would answer, and who would that be. The Avora refused to look at anywhere else that not that door. She needed to be strong, and she wanted to gather her courage alone. Raising her hand, she knocked, her body shaking with anticipation.

The whole world seemed to collapse around her when a woman opened the door. She was just a little smaller than Turrin, with wavy red head reaching her waist. But what bothered Syveris was her red eyes, and the tears that had left a mark on her face.

Everything is fine. This means nothing. she recited it inside her head. However, she still couldn't talk, her voice trapped inside her throat, and she still had to fight the tears so they wouldn't fall.

The woman was waiting, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. Her mind had gone completely blank, the only thought was that she didn't know this woman. But that didn't mean anything. This was still his room, that she knew it.

"Who are you?" the woman asked, in a weak voice. Syveris just looked at her, unable to form any word. She felt stupid.

[Turrin]

Turrin heart sank into her stomach when Syveris started to suddenly cry, but his story about his sister and their childhood antics brought a smile to young woman's face. The walk down the hallway was silent one for Turrin who kept thinking of ways to cheer Syveris up. When they got to the door, Turrin took the her free hand hoping the simple gesture told her that she didn't need to feel alone Standing beside her, he watched as Syveris reluctantly knocked on the door. The myrian squeezed her hand, held his breath, hoping a man would answer the door. When the door opened, Turrin saw a woman with long red hair. However, he knew something was wrong with her eyes red and tear stains on her cheeks. The Endal thought this woman had to be crying, but he didn't want to make assumptions at the moment. The Inarta woman seemed emotionally drained as she asked there reason for being here. Turrin waited for half a chime in silence hoping Syveris would say something, but she couldn't find the words. Squeezing Syveris hand, Turrin gave her a sympathetic look and for a tick and said to the woman in the doorway, “Hello my name is Turrin and this is Syveris. I hope that we aren't disturbing you, but we are looking for a young man named Arin. Is this his apartment?” Turrin knew it was kind of direct question, but he didn't want dance around the question. He doubt if the woman was grieving, she wouldn't want them to dance around the reason for them being here. The myrian did his best to keep his question as neutral as possible since he didn't really know Arin personally. The only reason Turrin was here was because of Syveris and her well being. The myrian just hoped his directness didn't cause the woman anymore pain than she was already feeling. Turrin looked at Syveris and have her a nervous look hoping she wasn't mad at him for speaking up for her. Looking back at the woman in the doorway, the Endal stayed silent as he waited for the woman to answer him.

[Syveris]

When Turrin spoke for her, Syveris felt anger for a moment, but not at the Endal. She should have been strong enough to answer for herself, to speak up, but she hadn't been.

The woman looked at them for a moment, her eyes focusing on the Avora, before she turned around and disappeared inside her room. The door was still open, and they could easily get in if they wanted, but Syveris didn't. She knew that the woman would come back, after all, the door was still open. And to enter the room uninvited was something she wasn't sure she could do. The woman was in pain, and whatever the reason, Syveris was afraid to find out why.

After a few chimes, during which the Avora refused to say anything but closed her hand strongly around Turrin's for comfort, the woman came back, holding a small envelop. She eyed the two of them once more, before handing it to Syveris and speaking in a weak voice.

"I don't know and I don't care who you were to him, but Arin asked me to give this to you if he didn't return." she said, simply, before turning around once more, only this time closing the door after her.

Syveris held the paper in her hand, feeling like it weighted much more than it really did. Her feelings were clouding her thoughts, and she felt so suffocated that she couldn't even cry. If he didn't return. Arin hadn't returned, and now, Syveris knew for sure he was dead.

Sadness, tiredness, everything was crushing her soul and her will to even walk away from that door. She was so sad that she only wished to curl into a ball and cry. And yet, she didn't do anything. She didn't say anything to Turrin, nor made any movement. Syveris stayed completely still, her eyes focusing on the closed door, not sure what to do or feel.