Closed The End of Mistrust (Syveris)

[Azira]

Azira laughed softly, surprised and amused that she'd actually been right about telling the bird's gender. "Well it seems I'm not as clueless about birds as I thought," the huntress told her friend smiling. A thoughtful frown creased her brows and she looked at Syveris with a question on her lips. "How can a bird be late in showing its gender? How is that possible? I mean..." She trailed off as some possible solutions to that question arose and she realised what a strange question it was. She shrugged to show that it wasn't that important but that wouldn't necessarily mean that the glassworker wouldn't answer the question, silly as it was. Better to distract her with something else.

"Do you know that your falcon seems to be uncannily like Wilem? In behaviour at least. They're both territorial, Wilem won't even let me near his room and he nearly throws a hissy fit if I come too close while he's shooting in the ranges. To be honest though, too close is probably me being in the same room as him." The Avora rolled her eyes to show what she thought of the teen's ludicrous behaviour before smiling and continuing with her list of similarities. "He always looks at you with a challenge in his eyes and he's only going to become more of a hassle as time goes on. I apologise, you do know my apprentice. In bird form at least." The young woman laughed at her little joke, pleased that the conversation between herself and her friend was so easy and light. It was good to know that she could still talk normally to her.

The teen became a little more serious as her curiosity won out over her humour. She was always eager to learn so what Syveris had said caught her attention. She knew very little about birds and while the glassworker was only a novice falconer, she knew more than the huntress did. "What's imprinting exactly? It sounds interesting. Is it something only you can do with the bird or is it something that anyone can do? Is it an important thing? Sorry I'm asking loads of questions." She flashed an apologetic smile at her friend and stuffed the last of her dessert into her mouth. She chased it down with cider and then turned her attention to her friend's plate. She wasn't eating very quickly.

"After you're finished we can go and see your falcon. If you think that my apprentice would be worth meeting after all I've told you then I suppose we can go and see him as well," she explained, making a face at the idea. The teen didn't want to go and see her grouchy apprentice, especially not if he decided to be flirty instead of confrontational. Maybe Syveris would keep him reasonable.

[Syveris]

"Well, I don't really know about other birds, but you can identify the gender of the falcon by the color of the feathers. But they change feathers during the course of their lives. With the Pygmy Falcon, they reach the fledging age sometime between 27 and 40 days, more or less." Syveris thought a little, to see if she was making sense. Azira hadn't read the same books as her, after all. "Fledging is what a bird is called when they grow their flying feathers, which is the same as Juveniles, I guess... The book I read said this terms weren't very defined. But the important thing is, when they get their flying feathers, you can tell by the coloration if the bird is a male or a female. So, if they grow the feathers late, you won't be able to tell until they do." the Avora bit her lip, frowning. "Did that make sense?" she wasn't really sure. It was hard to explain something she didn't understand very well. All she knew was that, when the falcon became able to fly, she would be able to tell the gender.

When Azira said the bird really did seem like her apprentice, Syveris had to laugh. "Well, then I'm sure you are having a very hard time trying to make him listen to you." the Avora found the idea of her bird in human form very amusing, but she knew that, if it was true and the huntress' apprentice was that annoying, then Syveris would probably hate him. It was one thing for a bird to have that kind of personality. A human like this seemed to be incredible annoying. And that was exactly what Azira was telling her.

Azira's question, though, made her focus on the talk once more, instead of trying to imagine any way that this Wilem could not be annoying. "Don't worry. I don't mind." she said, smiling when Azira apologized for her questions. She really didn't. It was actually nice to be the one answering and not making the questions, for a change. "Imprinting is... Well, there are actually two kinds of imprint. One is when the bird associates human with food, and the other when they become accustomed to human presence. The first one I'm certainly trying to avoid, so we can't let the bird grow hungry." Syveris sighed. It was hard work, but she loved the bird anyway, and she was enjoying it a lot. "I can actually go on and on about how I'm trying to do it, but to tell the truth, I think the falcon won't exactly be friendly with humans, anyway, but as long as it doesn't hurt me when its hungry, I'll be glad. The thing is, I'm not sure I'm doing things right. Well, in the worst scenario, the bird will hate me and I'll have to hand it over to the aviary." they would certainly be able to correct any mistake she made. At least she wouldn't kill the chick, that she was very certain of. "I'm talking too much again, aren't I?"

The Avora noticed the look Azira sent to her plate, so she focused on her food, eating what had remained in her plate, even though she wasn't that hungry.

"Sure, let's go then. And you just have to introduce me to your apprentice if you want. Or if you want me to hit him." Syveris got up, smiling. It would certainly happen, if Azira introduced them. Well, not certainly, but it would sure be very likely.

[Azira]

The mouth of the huntress dropped open. Syveris was talking as if she was an expert on such things, her words sure and spoken easily. She sounded just like a book, perhaps it was something she'd read but Azira couldn't be sure. Her mouth closed again and she managed to show that she understood. It didn't seem too hard. They had to grow certain feathers and the colour of them told you what the gender of the bird was. Some birds developed the feathers later than others. It wasn't very complicated but it sounded weird to her.

"Why do they have different coloured feathers though? The males and the females, I mean? And how different are they?" the huntress asked, truly curious. When she'd discovered that birds hated her, her interest in them had waned quickly and so she'd never really taken the time to learn more about them. She knew how she was supposed to treat a Wind Eagle (at least she thought so) but she didn't need to know it because she never got close to the birds so why have knowledge if it was absolutely no use to her. Yes, she loved knowledge but she read to learn things that might be useful. Reading about other races and cities made sense; she might come across them some day. She didn't plan on leaving Wind Reach any time soon but if a visitor came, the young woman didn't want to be ignorant of where they came from.

Azira laughed at the glassworker's comment about her bird. It was true! Syveris actually knew what the huntress was on about. She seemed to understand Wilem perfectly so her falcon must be the youth in bird form. "You're absolutely right, which is hilarious. I can't believe you have a falcon version of Wilem. You have to name it after him if it's a male, or Wilema or something if it's female," she ordered her friend, giggling to herself at her own little joke. She became a bit more serious, however when Syveris answered her other bird-related questions.

"So imprinting is just getting the bird used to you? Why is it called imprinting then? It makes it sound like it'll become really attached to you. Well, I suppose that's the point if you were using it for hunting. Are you going to be using it for hunting?" Her words came out in a rush just as Syveris asked if she was talking too much herself. The Avora grinned broadly back at her. "If you're talking too much then what on Mizahar am I doing? I'm asking a question a chime so if anyone's talking too much, it's definitely me." The huntress followed Syveris eagerly as she rose at last.

"Please hit him for me. If I hit him, he'll get revenge somehow but if you do it, it might bring him down a peg or two. I can't imagine him reacting too well to being beat up by a girl, it might destroy his "manly" pride," she told her gleefully. She was enjoying this line of conversation far too much.

[Syveris]

Syveris smiled at the questions once again, enjoying it far too much. Maybe she would really get a glassworker apprentice when she was ready. It was fun to teach, even though she was in truth just talking with her friend and answering her questions. Azira seemed to be genuinely interested in birds, and it was fun discussing this subject with her.

"Well, I don't really know. They were made like that, I guess." Syveris chuckled. The huntress' questions were very similar to the ones she had heard Yasi make. "It's a gender thing. Just like, you know, the Inarta, for example. We have physical characteristics that are very different between females and males. Falcons are like that. As for how different..." Syveris thought a little, trying to come up with examples. She remembered the Pygmy Falcon's easily, but the others... After a while, she answered, a little hesitantly. "It varies a lot, actually. Pygmy Falcons are very similar, the only real difference is that the females have brown feathers on their backs, while males only have grey ones. But there are some types of falcons that look exactly the same, except for the size. The female is normally bigger. I can't remember an example, but I know there are some like this."

She laughed along with Azira, finding the idea of naming the poor bird Wilema stupidly funny. But then, if she did that, there was a very high chance that the falcon would claw her eye out, so it wasn't a very smart idea. "I would, if I didn't think my life would be in danger for calling the bird Wilema. If it's a female, of course." it was nice, to just sit and joke around with Azira. She had never done that before, not really, and to do so was incredible enjoyable.

The Avora laughed at the huntress' comment about how much they were talking. It was true, Azira had been asking a lot of questions. Not that it was a bad thing. Syveris liked to share the little knowledge she had.

"Well, they really do become attached to you. But to become very attached can be harmful for both the bird and the human. I mean... If the bird gets too attached to you, it might consider you his kind, which mean the bird won't want to socialize with others birds. So I guess it's about finding a balance." Syveris shivered a little at the idea of her bird becoming that attached to her. Somehow, she found it very scary. "As for the hunting part... Well, if I ever learn how to hunt, then I would use the bird." she shrugged, smiling. "Maybe I can use the excuse that the falcon needs to exercise so I can learn a few things, too."

When Azira got up too, Syveris began to make her way to the Commonrooms, laughing at the enthusiasm the huntress was showing. The boy was clearly annoying the other. Well, she would be glad to help her friend.

"Ok, I'll do it for you. Just introduce him to me. I guess the rest will come naturally." she giggled, not really wanting to confess she too was enjoying the idea. Seemed a good way to relieve some stress.

[Azira]

The huntress was actually interested in what her friend was saying. She never would have guessed that birds were so complicated. They didn’t seem like they ought to be so complex, in terms of personality but other than that she wouldn’t have thought that they could have different feather types and colours and the rest. She could understand what her friend meant about different physical characteristics even without thinking about it. As soon as Syveris said it, she looked down. ”Ah yes, I understand where you’re coming from, all right,” she replied, bringing her eyes back to the glassworker’s face.

She laughed along with her at the idea of calling the falcon, Wilema. It really was a stupid sounding name and she could truly imagine the bird reacting badly to being called such a thing. It had just been an idle thought so there was no harm in it, especially if it helped the pair of them to get on. She’d been worried that the glassworker might have had some manner of bad feeling towards her after the way Azira had acted after she’d relayed what had happened the night they went to the Inclement Weather. It was good that the air between them seemed to have been cleared.

”Right so Wilema is out but you didn’t say anything about Wilem. If it’s male will you call it Wilem? That’d still be pretty funny, if a bit cruel,” the young woman laughed, listening to her friend begin to talk about balancing the amount of attention the bird got. At the mention of Azira perked up, her mouth opening to offer her help but then the thought of teaching apprentices and meeting her own hunting quota came as an annoying reminder that she couldn’t do anything so she shut her mouth and kept silent about it, frowning.

As they walked to the Darniva Commonrooms, the teen wondered if there was anything she could do to help her friend. She couldn’t help her hunt, couldn’t help her with the bird... or could she?

”Syv? Are you getting enough food for the bird? If not, I can give you some of mine so that you have enough. That way it can’t get too hungry and only associate you with food.” The teen shrugged to show that it was no big deal though the idea of sacrificing some of her food was certainly a big deal considering how much she needed it. The offer was there though and hopefully the glassworker would think well of the gesture. They really needed to patch things up between them and that seemed as good a way as any.

[Syveris]

"Well, Wilem can be. As long as you don't tell why I'm calling it that." Syveris said, only half joking. True, it was highly unlikely the bird would understand, because it was a bird, after all, no matter how it behaved. But still... The thought that the falcon might understand the reason behind the name was very unsettling. Better not risk it.

They walked mostly in silence, and Syveris took that time to think. Even the silence now was comfortable, which was something the Avora appreciated. For some time after the 'incident', Syveris thought that maybe Azira wouldn't want to be her friend anymore, and it upset her a lot. But now, she could see that, even if the huntress still didn't believe in her completely, at least she was willing to listen, right? Or maybe she had simply decided to believe. Syveris didn't really know what to make of the entire thing, but she knew that she had to talk with Azira about it, even if only to make sure the huntress understood that she really wasn't thinking straight, and that if she had been sober and not drugged, she would have never done that, specially since she had noticed Azira was attracted to him.

But they were having fun right now, and Syveris didn't want to spoil it by bringing up the subject. That, and she wasn't really sure how she would be able to bring it up. So when Azira spoke again, the Avora tried to clean her mind from this thoughts and focus on the present conversation. She could always think about it later.

"Thank you." she said, smiling, genuinely happy by the offer. Not that she could take it, but it was very satisfying to know her friend was willing to help. "But don't worry. I just have to give up on my meat, and you need a full meal so you can survive out there in the Unforgiving. But really, thanks a lot for the offer!" they finally reached the door to her room, Syveris opened it. "For now, it's enough. But if I need some more meat, and I can't find a way, I'll ask you."

"What took so long?" an angry voice met them, and Syveris turned to her mentor. "That bird hates me, I'll tell you that. It was making noise the whole time I was trying to read, and..." Virat suddenly stopped talking, realizing there was someone else with them. After a sigh, he straightened himself up. "Hello. I don't believe we have met."

"This is Azira. Azira, Virat, my mentor." Syveris introduced them. "I think it likes you, you know. Maybe it was just hungry? Or lonely?"

"If you feed any more food to this bird today, it'll explode." Virat grumbled. "Well, good luck and good night. I need to sleep. See you tomorrow." he nodded to Azira, before exiting the room and walking away.

"Well... Anyway, sorry?" Syveris wasn't really sure what to say. She had hoped her mentor wouldn't have mind, but it seemed like the bird had another plan. "Well, anyway. Make yourself comfortable, and all that." at least this time her room was organized.

[Azira]

"Yes!" The huntress whooped, punching the air and laughing. "I feel like I won something, which I suppose I did. And what? Do you think that the bird is going to know where its name came from or something? I know that they're smart but I don't think that they're that smart," Azira giggled. The huntress lapsed into silence when her friend didn't say anything more but it was a comfortable silence though so the teen didn't mind. It allowed her a chance to just walk in relative quiet, feeling lighter than she had in the previous days. It was good to just walk and not think or worry about anything. She was also being social, still a relatively new thing for her so it wasn't all bad.

Except for the shunning.

She didn't notice at first that people seemed to melt out of sight or turn back if they saw them. When people entered a tunnel and immediately left it again after shooting mistrustful looks in the girls' direction, Azira took notice. The young woman didn't bring it up immediately, instead watching to make sure that what she was seeing was actually happening but it certainly seemed to be the case. She didn't know if it was her or Syveris but it didn't make sense to her either way. The glassworker beside her didn't seem to notice at all but Azira was just about to bring it up outside her room when the thought of the meat occurred to her. When her friend turned down her offer, the huntress just shrugged and felt secretly glad that she wouldn't have to give up the precious fat and proteins. She vowed to sneak meat in if she caught something very small that wouldn't be much good to the city. It would mean setting traps but she was willing to do it.

Her next words would have concerned the odd behaviour of the Inarta they'd come across but a man came out of Syveris' room looking more than a little annoyed. The fact that he'd been in the glassworker's room surprised her but then she realised who he was, particularly when he mentioned the bird. A quick introduction confirmed her suspicion that he was the girl's mentor and she nodded respectfully in his direction with a murmur of "Avora Virat." She wasn't even sure if he heard her because himself and Syveris were discussing the chick. Before she knew it the man had disappeared as quickly as he'd appeared.

Given access to her friend's room, the huntress made her way into its centre with slow steps, eyes searching the corner where the egg had been for a sign of the hatchling. "Uh Syveris? Did you notice how the people in the tunnels seemed to be avoiding us? I don't think I was imagining things but it doesn't make sense either," the girl explained carefully, stopping where she was on the floor. No point approaching the bird alone and without permission but they could have this conversation first anyway.

[Syveris]

"I think they are that smart, they just don't understand us." this was her last comment for the moment, before she fell into a contemplative mood.

After Virat left, Azira entered her room, and Syveris followed, closing the door. She noticed the girl was looking at the corner of the room, where the crate was, but that she didn't make any movement to approach it. Syveris had cleaned everything and changed the crate for something bigger, to allow the falcon more comfort, but otherwise, there wasn't anything to indicate that there was a bird in the room. It wasn't big enough for a mew, and the Avora decided to wait a little more before she bought one. There were more urgent things to think about.

When the huntress commented on the people that were avoiding them on the Warrens, Syveris tensed for a moment. This wasn't a topic she was comfortable with, but that had more to do with her own worries and fear that she couldn't prove herself innocent than with the trust she had on her friend. After a moment, she sighed.

"They think I'm working with the Despised, or some shyke like that. You heard the accusation Zulrav made. It seems that almost all of Wind Reach believes him. Not that I blame them..." she didn't, but she was really angry with everyone. Well, except with Azira, Turrin and Virat. Her mentor and the Endal had both been supportive, and they believed in her. Azira still hadn't said anything about it, but the fact that the huntress was willing to spend time with her said a lot about that. "Did you noticed someone was following us?"

The talk was interrupted by a loud chirp, and Syveris only rolled her eyes. "Well, apparently the Valintar assigned an Endal to follow me around all the time..." another chirp, louder than before, and Syveris sighed, before walking towards the crate. As soon as she came in view, the chirping stopped, and the small bird looked at her, as if it had never made a sound. The Avora ignored it, and turned back to Azira, still staying in the field of view of the bird, though. "Wind Reach just don't trust me anymore. It's stressful, but I'm trying to ignore it all." she finished, shrugging. There were really nothing she could do. Syveris would have to wait for the arrival of Zulrav's Priest and try to convince him she was innocent.

The Avora leaned on the table, frowning. As much as she didn't want to, she needed to ask. She considered Azira a friend, maybe even a close one, and she trusted the huntress. But she also knew that if she kept quiet, the doubt would ruin all the trust, and she didn't want this to happen. With another sigh, she looked at Azira.

"Do you believe me?" Syveris asked, her face serious. "Do you really think I didn't help him? I just want you to be honest." yes, if Azira said that no, she didn't completely believed in her, Syveris would feel terrible, but she would be able to live with it. Virat didn't trust her completely either, but he didn't care to be seen near her, and he was there for her. He was her friend despite everything, and Syveris thought that maybe Azira was the same. But if the huntress lied to her now, it could destroy all the trust she had on the other.

"You can come closer, if you want. Just don't freak out with how ugly the bird is right now." Syveris said with a smile. She didn't want Azira to think she was angry or hurt. Right now, these feelings were reserved only for the God and the Despised. Syveris had almost begun to think of them as one, as the same problem, although she would never admit this out loud.

ooc :

If you need it for reference:

[Azira]

Standing somewhat awkwardly in the centre of the room, the huntress waited for some sort of confirmation from Syveris that she had seen the same behaviour as herself. She needed to know that she wasn't completely paranoid. Maybe the girl might even have some manner of explanation for the rude and bizarre reactions of the people in the Inner Warrens. It was all that she would have to focus on until the glassworker introduced her to the bird and as she didn't seem in a hurry to do that, Azira just had to stand there aimlessly. When her friend replied however, she was shocked but she also began to immediately feel guilty.

She'd forgotten. Again.

Somehow in all the stress of the early days of winter, the teen had given little thought to Zulrav, or the Despised, or even the individuals who had been marked by the God of Winds as helping his adversary. As a result, it was something that didn't often cross her mind. It had only briefly crossed her thought just a little while before when that woman had glared at her friend in the Kitchens. Somehow she hadn't connected the behaviour with that. It seemed glaringly obvious now and the young woman felt like an idiot for not realising it sooner. The question of being followed gave her pause but she couldn't remember anyone following them, too caught up in the idea that everyone was avoiding them. It was an idea that made her feel uneasy.

"No, I can't say that I noticed but that must be awful. It must have been going on for awhile for you to have noticed it, unless there was something that brought it to your attention, of course," the huntress commented, her last words phrased in a way that might persuade her friend to elaborate. She wasn't going to ask outright. Her blunt manner didn't normally get her places so perhaps a more subtle approach would. Directness was instead a trait of Syveris' today as the girl asked her if she believed her to be guilty. Azira just stared at her, her eyes wide and worried as she tried to contemplate the idea quickly.

The guilt of innocence of her friend had never crossed her mind, not even at the time of the meeting. Her only thought at the time had been that the glassworker was her friend, her only real friend, and that she wouldn't turn on her without a thought as the others had clearly done even then. The teen was at a momentary loss for words and she was glad to have a bit more time to think over the matter when the other suggested she move closer to the bird. Taking a few hesitant steps towards it, the inside of the crate in the corner came into view.

At first, the huntress didn't know what she was looking at. It was small and a light grey colour and it was sort of crouched down, little feet sticking out from under it. It was covered in a short fuzz, which she assumed were some sort of baby feathers or something and it looked... ugly. It also looked as if it was glaring at her just a bit. Its stare was a bit disconcerting actually so the young woman turned to look at her friend instead.

"Sorry to say it but you're right. It really is ugly," the girl whispered. A frown crossed her face as she realised that she was speaking like that so that the bird wouldn't hear. It certainly looked intelligent enough to understand her, beady black eyes staring fixedly at her in that knowing way. Very disconcerting. Turning her thoughts to the girl's previous question, the huntress looked her friend in the eye before replying.

"Do you honestly want to know what I think about this whole Despised situation?" she asked but continued on without waiting for a response. "I don't know. I would have thought you were innocent but a god wouldn't have pointed the finger at you by mistake. So as far as he's concerned, you helped the Despised. As far as you're concerned, you didn't. Gods know more than we do so I'd assume that he's right. The only thing is though that you mightn't have done it on purpose, mightn't have known what you were doing. I mean, isn't it possible that you could have done something for someone you didn't know who didn't seem shady? Nobody knew he was among us until Zulrav came so you might have come across him and not known it. But I'm speculating."

The teen chewed on her lip absentmindedly, her gaze shifting to the bird once more. She didn't really see it though. She was thinking.

[Syveris]

"It's more annoying than anything else, actually." Syveris told the huntress, shrugging. After some time, she got used to it. Well, maybe that wasn't the best way to put it. The Avora had begun to figure out how to shut everything out, not pay attention to the people that distrusted her or the Endal who kept following her around. It was still annoying, but at least she didn't feel like punching everyone in the face anymore. "I noticed I was being followed around the fourth or fifth day." Syveris turned her focus to the question, noticing the other was trying to get more information out of her. She didn't care, though. She would rather be the one telling Azira that than let the huntress find that out on her own. "But I became sure of it once I tried to search for the Despised in the Deep Warrens. I was... I'm desperate to try and find something that will help me clear my name when Zulrav's Priest arrives. I heard a rumor that the Despised was in the Deep Warrens, and I went to investigate." she finished, hoping that this would make it easier for Azira to answer her question.

The huntress seemed to think for a moment about her question, before coming closing to the crate. Syveris couldn't help but chuckle with the huntress comment.

"You should have seen when it just came out of the egg. It was ten times worse." she whispered back, not sure why she was doing it. The bird chirped loudly before clumsily trying to move, opening the tiny and still strange wings, but only managing to fall down. After three more chirps, it quieted down again, looking at both girls with interest. Syveris smiled at the small falcon, before turning her full attention to Azira again.

The way Azira put it made sense. Syveris was still sure she hadn't done anything to help anyone commit murder, but maybe she had aided the Despised in some way, like Azira said. The Avora leaned against the table, eyebrows furrowed in thinking. Someone shady? Fall and the beginning of Winter had been so chaotic that Syveris could barely remember everyone she had seen or talked to. She sighed, defeated, and shook her head.

"I don't know, Azira. I truly don't." she felt tired once again. "Maybe I did, I mean, people are avoiding me, but in Fall I did talk with a lot of people. Most were Inarta or citizens of Wind Reach though, and the ones that were foreigners were just stall vendors on the Market. So I really..." she trailed off. The Market. She had met Azira on the Market on her birthday, hadn't she? Syveris looked at the huntress, blinking, wondering if the other was thinking the same as her. "Azira, do you remember that man on the Market, the day we met? He was 'shady', I think, but..." the Avora scowled, annoyed, remembering a very important fact. She had received money from him as his way to apologize, but as far as she was concerned, that was the extend of their interaction. "I didn't do anything for or with him, so it has to be someone else."