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[Kaiphur]

Day 1 of Winter, Year 513 AV Kaiphur stirred from his troubled sleep drowsy and slightly ill. His eyes were drawn towards the thick cloth ceiling that was still unwelcoming and unfamiliar, and he sighed. Endrykas still felt too unusual to accept it was now the place he called home. Raising his arms to examine his wrists, as had become customary after his shackles had been removed a few days ago, he noticed they still looked red, irritated and painful… Yet not quite so raw. They would probably scar. “Oh well. Looks like I can just add that to the list of things that aren’t right with me.” His words came out thickly as his hoarse throat ached. The new season had delivered him a blocked nose. “Mff. Atleast it makes my voice a bit deeper.” Sitting up, his head collided with one of the wooden poles that kept the structure of his new white home secure. He groaned as he carefully avoided any more hard objects. This tent was a deathtrap! He remembered today was the start of Winter, and soon the light frost on the ground would turn thick and white. Maybe it wasn’t so bad staying here after all… He wasn’t out in the wilds freezing to death. He shrugged on his baggiest clothes and glanced to ensure his dairy hadn’t been disturbed overnight. As usual, it was the way it had been when he left it. Venturing outside, there was a definite chill in the air – maybe it was just amplified in his head, but he was sure it was colder than yesterday. Shivering slightly, he reached inside for his thick cloak – Kaiphur wasn’t going to let this cold get any worse. Glancing warily, it was clear that many citizens still hadn’t risen from their beds- Just a few Drykas leading their striders, or some merchants setting up for the day. Kaiphur felt that today might be good to do some exploring or meet some other people living in Endrykas over the colder months. He had to make a friend here, somehow. He was a slave but not a complete outcast. So far Aran hadn’t shown his softer side, and had left Kaiphur to his own devices since their discussion the other day. Wandering through the streets, he didn’t notice anyone taking second glances at him. Did he not stand out so much after all? And who knew what people he could meet in this city where nobody even knew his name.

[Darius Twoseas]

Darius wiped a little sweat off his brow. He had already been up for a few bells, and when he awoke, he had found a small pavilion trying to move in beside him. They had been riding out through most of the night and were exhausted, He had moved down the run yesterday afternoon, so he was well rested. He had spent most of his time awake helping the new arrivals erect their pavilion, a huge structure compared to his little four-man tent. He didn't mind the work and he got to know his temporary neighbors a bit. After that, he had gone to see Alaxel and make sure he was fine. He had just bought a few dried vegetables and a pot, thinking perhaps to learn to cook sometime. He walked back into his tent and put aside the new supplies. Then he left his tent again, sitting in front of his pavilion, his legs crossed, to practice his webbing before other Drykas got up. He let himself settle out of his body and into the web, watching the people around him. The Drykas in the pavilion next to him were scattered across the inside of their tent, motionless. Asleep, Darius guessed. Almost everyone around him was asleep as well. Oh there were a few traders and early risers wandering around the city. Part of the reason for so little activity must have been how far down the run Darius was--the majority of the larger pavilions wouldn't move until today, leaving him on the outskirts of town. Darius noticed an outsider wandering the random pathways between the tents, drifting as if without purpose. Darius had heard about the captives and felt a little bad for them. All the same, he did see the reasoning for it. The plauge had decimated the population of the city--most of his extended family had been killed by it. He followed the outsider as they got closer to him. Curious, Darius jumped back through the web, finding his body only a few hundred feet away. He stood up to see the captive over a row of smaller tents. "Are you lost?" he asked kindly.

[Zynya]

Zynya ~.~ Pausing as she finished lacing up her soft boots, Zynya glanced at the pallet on which Irea slept, she would wake soon and go to work at the....Opal Pavillion? Zynya was still struggling with the language barrier. Getting to her feet she made her way out of the tent and began wandering through the "roads" created by tents of every size. Her waist length hair was still braided in the simplest of Drykas fashions, the end of the braid that curled around her head brushed the back of her left shoulder as she walked. She had a simple cloak that felt like it had once been very fine, but age and use had worn it down to a raggedy patchwork, that nonetheless still kept the wearer warm. She liked it, it was complex with all it's patches and half pictures, she hoped she could keep it. Her steps were almost silent as she walked, her faded blue eyes scanning for people that might be from elsewhere. At some point she looked up and saw a slim boy with red hair, and a Drykas man. Zynya wandered closer, wondering if the boy was another captive like herself, she thought she saw a redness at his wrists but couldn't be sure since his coat covered them. She cringed inwardly, her ankles had not yet finished healing from the binds she had been in on her way to Endrykas. That's what she got for being fast, but not fast enough. She shook her head and focused back on the two that she was now getting closer to, it would do no good to think bitterly of her present situation. "Hello." She said in common. Making an attempt at the Pa'vi equivalent of a good morning gesture, her signing was clumsy but she had many basic words memorized.

[Kaiphur]

Kaiphur was surprised by the soft voice, and turning towards it he noticed a man – presumably Drykas. He had the rugged yet serene look of a horsemaster. Another young woman was close by too, timidly approaching. “I suppose I’m not lost. Not really.” Kaiphur sighed, but managed a smile. He felt so muddled nowadays, so alone. He turned to include the young woman in the conversation. “I’ve not been in Endrykas long. My name is Kaiphur... And you might you two be?” He remained calm but he couldn’t help the nervous sensation slowly tickling at the back of his mind. He was so anxious to meet someone he could identify with. These people didn’t know him, they had no reason to judge. “Be at ease…” He muttered under his breath. Endrykas was certainly a strange city. Not true streets, no proper form – it had an identity that was completely of its own making. Even in the frosty mornings people could be found outside. Even when you felt completely isolated, there could be someone waiting near the closest pavilion. He took a moment to look at the young woman… She was certainly not native to the city, the way she walked and the wary look in her eyes said that much. “You are’t from Endrykas either, are you?” Kaiphur attempted a gentle smile, his eyes comforting. He took a seat close to the Drykas man. Perhaps he might have something in common with these strangers after all.

[Zynya]

Zynya ~.~ The boy's voice had an odd quality, feminine? And his face was very pretty. In fact Zynya was sure this boy was actually a girl, she didn't say anything though, she'd met one of his type before. Except Lahn had been a boy that was so feminine some found it odd he didn't wear dresses. He was a fantastic runner, and that was all Zynya had cared about, and the fact that Lahn had always been kind to her no matter the situation. Zynya shook her head and said in common, "No, I'm from Syliras, I was brought here during the auction. I don't remember seeing you, you must have been past me in the auction line." She looked at the Drykas man and tried to make the sign for greeting a male that one didn't know. Again, her words would be clumsy. She gracefully lowered herself to the ground nearer to Kaiphur than Darius. She spoke again in common, liking how the language felt after having not spoken it for a while. "How are you settling in? The one who bought me calls me sister, and in all honesty, I'm beginning to think of her as one. She's very kind, and a healer." Zynya said the last bit with a hint of pride. She was proud to belong in Irea's family, even though she missed her own terribly.

[Darius Twoseas]

The captive seemed a little bit nervous as Darius walked over. He murmured something , but Darius couldn't catch what it was. When he reached the captive , he was surprised to see another person, this one a girl. Without looking through the web, he wouldn't be able to tell if she was a Drykas or another of the captives. Darius smiled when she said hello, she spoke in common and made an attempt at the Pavi handsign for good morning. Darius decided to guess that she was a captive. He greeted her and the boy as well, in Common. "Good morning." He answered the captive's question by introducing himself to them both. "I'm Darius. I actually set down just over there." He pointed out his little tent. He was surprised at the male's high voice, but simply assumed he was younger than he had first looked. It would, of course, make sense to bring in a younger captive--they would learn to take up the Drykas lifestyle faster. The woman greeted him and introduced herself. She was apparently from Syliria. Darius did, of course, know about the city, but he didn't really know too much about it. He grew suddenly curious. He knew he would have to start somewhere when he left Endrykas, and these people knew about the outside world. All the same, the so captives were talking and he didn't really want to interrupt them. It seemed rude and he didn't want to be more rude to people who's freedom he had some distant culpability for taking. So he stood and listened for a moment, trying to think of a way to bring the subject up.

[Kaiphur]

Kaiphur detected a hint of curiosity in the Sylirian girl’s eyes that was all too familiar to him. Perhaps he was just being paranoid, but he ruffled his hair and tried to deepen his voice all the same. He could never be too careful in this city, the Drykas were not embracing people like him with open arms. “It isn’t too bad here, just very… different.” He smiled. “It must be nice for you to be accepted by someone – the people here take family and friends very seriously.” He paused for a moment whilst he considered his own situation… Aran hadn’t exactly treated Kaiphur like some new sibling to be fussed over, but he had to admit that the Drykas kept their slaves and captives in good conditions. It could definitely be far worse for him fending for himself in the sea of grass. “I wasn’t brought in for an auction, I was captured by some travelling slaver and brought here on the eve of Winter. My master is not quite as open as yours, but he may come round still.” “Ah Darius, it seems you aren’t too far from my home either.” Kaiphur directed his attention to the man, who had a tentative look about him, speaking reasonably fluid Pavi. “It is a good thing I learned the Drykas tongue - The Gods may have been planning my arrival here for some time!” He joked, attempting casual conversation but feeling deeply nervous. Offending the locals was not something he wanted to do – he wasn’t keen on any word getting back to Aran on his awkward attempts to socialise. Kaiphur returned to speaking common – he wasn’t sure how rusty his Pavi was, so Common might be easier. “It is strange how two Sylirian captives can end up in the same city… It just seems so far away now. Endrykas is another world altogether, I’m so dazed by it all I barely find myself missing home.” He didn’t exactly have much to miss from home, but he refrained from mentioning it. Truthfully, he was just so numb to everything he had to try and scrape something good from the situation.

[Zynya]

Zynya ~.~ Zynya grinned when Darius responded in Common, she missed her home language and Irea insisted she speak only Pavi. Zynya understood, but she still missed not having to think of each and every word and how to string them together. Eventually she would get the hang of it, but for now she was a novice speaker. She nodded at his tent, her expression admiring the quality though it wasn't grand. Quality over quantity, that's what her mother had told her was important when she was small. She did notice Kaiphur's anxiousness over her scrutiny and politely removed the curiosity from her features and attempted to look elsewhere. "It is different, but....maybe different is good. I miss home, but what would I be doing now? Running errands, not doing anything of importance really, my brother was the only one in my family that really amounted to anything. Maybe I can find a place here where I can be useful." Her expression turned sorrowful as Kaiphur spoke. "Oh, that must have been horrible at least the Auction hunters were already looking at us as Drykas." She shook her head. "I'm sure your....master, will come around like you say, you seem very kind and intelligent to me. Those are good qualities to have." She inwardly wondered that maybe if she were smarter then she might have had an easier time finding an occupation back home, maybe by now she would be settling down instead of scrambling to find a place in a society she had only scratched the surface of. Zynya latched on to a bit of knowledge she did have. "Not too odd actually. Many captives were taken from Sylira over the Fall, like myself, some are even settled already. I heard at least one of them has become pregnant." She tried to hide her cringe. If there was anything worse than being in a strange new place, it would be to be pregnant in a strange new place. "I actually like it here, the fresh air, and the way things are done. I miss the city streets though, I can't find anywhere here to go freerunning without running into people or Striders."