Closed Starry Eyes, Open Heart

[Fallan Windchaser]

He listened more carefully this time, not that he hadn't been paying attention the previous time, but he wondered if it was just his grasp of the language which was at fault or if he had simply missed her point.

This time though her question was much more detailed and she spoke in a way that ensured that he didn't miss the point. He considered her points before speaking, his control of Stormdancer automatic, his eyes scanning the land around him as he formulated his answer.

"Once, long time ago, Drykas lived city like Syliras. Lived as you say but city not move. Was mistake. Drykas not have army, warriors like Syliras. Trapped in city not safe." He considered whether or not he was staying on the point and shifted their route to avoid some dead ground which could contain a threat.

"Most dangerous animal is people. Drykas keep moving, hard enemies to find, hard for armies to survive here, not enough food." It was a part of the answer but not the whole.

"Too many Drykas for city. Need more city, like Sylira. Big city, not enough food." He smiled at her. "Two answer. Safety from attack, spread out allow better food gathering."

He shrugged and realised that he'd overlooked perhaps the most important point. "Drykas life honour gods. Sea of Grass and Striders gift from Semele. Not wise anger Goddess by refusing gift."

She had a point though about safety and that one was much harder to answer in a way that she might understand. Then too for all that he considered her Drykas and had revealed things that she needed to know but should not have been told to her, the fact that she was not Drykas meant that he couldn't tell her about the Web and that death here was not permanent but merely a phase, a shifting from one life to the next. He'd bent the truth before when he'd told her that she was not bound to the web, and it was perhaps true for it was complicated, and now was not the time to bring that conversation back to life.

"Sea of Grass full danger. Even city not safe sometimes." It perhaps wasn't the time either to mention that Winter was one of the most dangerous of seasons, but here in the South it was perhaps the safest region at this time of year.

"Safety hard explain. In Syliras worry about falling from castle wall, getting lost in castle. Safe for citizen, not safe stranger. Knights not safe." He added in the latter because he knew it was a sore point for her.

"Here, danger yes. But freedom yes. Drykas not die in bed. Drykas live every chime, make most of life." He tapped the side of his head. "Safety in here. Know danger, avoid danger."

[Taylani]

Taylani rode in silence as he spoke, not a stony silence but one of easy listening and careful attention. As Freedom's gait stayed steady she began to relax enough to actually loosen her grip on the Yvas, to be able to look around and enjoy the beauty even the winter landscape gives. She was becoming far more accustomed to the horses and to riding then she had been, though it was a slow process for her simply because she really had a fear of the animals at first. Mainly now she just struggled with the idea of trusting an animal beneath her to carry her where she needed to go. She still half preferred walking.

Walking would also allow her to be more confident in reaching out to take his hand, or to just give him a light touch. Affections she had been raised with her entire life, hugs and warm embraces, so she naturally and easily had fallen in to exhibiting them with him. But on a horse she was far too reluctant to upset the easy balance she maintains with Freedom.

She nodded when he spoke of the gift from Semele, she had began learning more from various Drykas about the way the Drykas honor deities and she had also taken to honoring them in her own fashion. Though it was yet one more thing that was more trial and error then anything else, because she was not raised in a particularly gods-observant home.

"There was freedom in Syliras." She stated, not quite as ferociously as she might have before. She had slowly began, in her mind, to unravel the illusion that she had wrapped her mind around about the state of her home city. Started to see the darkness that laid beneath the surface lightness. If he had added the knights to his comments because he knew it was a sore spot for her, it worked for she flinched just a little, her brow furrowing lightly.

"I had always thought I was free at least." She conceded with a soft voice, shifting as he shifted to avoid an area, pleased that it only took just a little pressure of her knee this time to get Freedom to follow his lead. Though she did also acknowledge that Freedom was usually willing enough to follow Stormdancer without much direction from her.

"I admit that there is a different kind of freedom out here.. that I had never knew existed." She turned her head to look toward him, thanks to the difference sizes of horses they rode -his a powerful strider, hers a mare that was small enough for Taylani to have been comfortable learning to ride on- making her have to tip her chin just a little more to watch him. "Though that freedom comes with the uncertainties that lay in the grasses."

Before she had became pregnant, Taylani never worried more then what she expected was normal for her own safety. She had always been a little headstrong, a little rash, but since knowing she was carrying a child she found herself more preoccupied with safety. Perhaps because of her ill-advised run into the grasses, or perhaps just because of the special kind of vulnerability a woman with child is subjected to made her wish to think more on the safety.

"Fallan? Can we work on my Pavi some?" She asked, for her the request was a natural flow from the conversation. Speaking the language that the people of the grasses seemed to prefer was a step into independence. "I have been here with you for a season now, and I feel I haven't made any progress at all."

[Fallan Windchaser]

He listened to her answer and nodded at the points that she raised, considering that she was right and that it was something of what he'd wanted to say to her when he was explaining his thoughts.

"Freedom Syliras yes," he agreed with her. "Freedom hiding in castle, stand behind knights. Freedom if do what knights say." He paused after this, realising that he hadn't intended to refer to her own experience and shook his head.

"Freedom different here. Freedom because respect. Respect for Drykas, for Semele, for Zulrav." It was hard to put into words so he was pleased that she had asked about Pavi. Certainly he hadn't improved his Common as much as he'd assumed that he would by being with her.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trusting Stormdancer to watch where she walked and for her own eyes and senses being alert for danger. Now he could feel the breeze upon his cheek, a reminder that the god was ever present even as the Goddess was too, the two complimenting each other.

They were too comfortable with the way that they communicated even though it frustrated them and it would be all too easy to fall back to Common. It probably required a drastic change and he opened his eyes once more with that decision in his mind. Allowing Stormdancer to drift in a little closer to Tay he smiled down at her.

"Fallan think need change way talk. Tay learn Pavi faster if not use Common." He paused and grinned, "need use Common yes, but Pavi first. Yes?" He twitched an eyebrow at her and waited to see if she would agree or suggest something else.

[Taylani]

She had to concede he was correct, it was hard to argue the point when her entire complicated life was due to hard-nosed policy of the Syliras Knights. She was perhaps fortunate amongst her captivity, for she at least had only the possibility of a life beyond. She wasn't sure about the others, who might have had a very real life ripped from them. She pushed that from her mind before it could drag her mood downward.

Riding out here, especially as he edged closer almost enough for her to reach out and touch him, with nothing by the grasses surrounding them she felt a little more connection to him. She felt as if she truly could belong to him, out here without the other captives reminding her where she had come from. Without them telling her she was still nothing but a slave no matter how he dressed it up. Unconsciously her face darkened at the memory of Anton and his conversation, yet a simple glance back to Fallen eased the darkness back.

His suggestion seemed as good a way for her to learn Pavi as any she could think of. She had the basic Pavi words that they had told her at the auction, and the ones she had picked up but those were woefully few. She knew to truly learn Pavi would involve the signs too, which would mean she would have to be more confident in sometimes letting go of the Yvas completely. Well maybe a little later, for now she managed to answer a simple word in Pavi " Yes."

The next sentence was almost non-nonsensical so few words in Pavi did she know, "Um.. No.. Pavi.. Big. Now." Even she knew that didn't make sense, but was the closest to Pavi as she knew, so with a laugh at her own ineptitude she repeats what she had wanted to say in common. "I don't know many Pavi words, right now. So my Pavi sentences will be.. largely incomplete."

[Fallan Windchaser]

He was happy to have the conversation turned away from the reminders of what she had been and where she was from for he could always see an edge of darkness in her eyes when the subject came up and it was too good a day to spoil. They were only now heading out for some time by themselves and he didn't want the trip marred right from the start by an ugly discussion.

Her words made him laugh softly yet his expression was not mocking and he nodded at the translation.

"Tay sound like Fallan speak Common." He knew only too well how badly he spoke that language and her words were a reminder of his previous thought. It sparked an idea which modified what he'd said, especially since it was clear that they would sit in silence if only Pavi was to be spoken.

"Fallan think Tay teach Common, Fallan teach Tay Pavi." It seemed to him the simplest solution to their communication problems and he wondered why they had not got round to discussing it before.

If here were to instruct her then he needed to fill the gaps in the words that she knew. "Fallan think Common more words than Pavi. Pavi much sign. Some sign words, but words for hunt, herd, here," his arms encompassed the space around them. "Sign words talk distance, simple words. Most sign colour spoken word." He knew that wasn't the right word, so he continued, "like bigger, smaller," he used the signs for those as he spoke and watched her expression to see if she understood.

[Taylani]

Taylani rolled her shoulders, more just to stretch her back and resettle herself. She grinned upward at Fallan when he speaks, and thought that it would be a good idea. It might be a little difficult at first with her not having as many words in Pavi to help him but the fact that they were helping each other in learning each others language helped to cement the idea that they were partners rather then anything else.

"The signs are mostly used as describing words. To add emphasis to the sentences?" She asked, thinking that was what he was saying. She watched him closely when his hands moved, watched not only how his hands moved but what his features said. It was amazing and somewhat daunting to remember how easily he and the Drykas remembered such nuances.

She repeated his words in Pavi, "Herd.. Hunt.." She added the signs for bigger and smaller as well exaggerating the signs a little just to try an reinforce them in her head not trying to mock or in any way belittle the language. "Common does have many words, for example. When speaking about yourself," She points to him, "Instead of saying Fallen. We say 'I'. I do not speak Pavi well, instead of Tay does not speak Pavi."

She leans over very carefully, thanking Semele within her mind that she was finally growing a little more comfortable on her horse, to touch his arm gently not trying to take his hand because she and he both will need them practicing Pavi. "You and I, when speaking of us the word is 'we'."

[Fallan Windchaser]

To talk and to observe the landscape about them was a skill that he had learned while still young and out with his family watching out over the herd but it still required a degree of concious thought to interpret what he was seeing because the landscape changed as they rode and each new horizon and change in view brought with it new potential threats to be analysed, but he did the best that he could to split his attention between that, his conversation with Tay and yet still maintain a course towards a location whose whereabouts he had yet to find with any exactitude.

"Yes, sign modify word." It wasn't as simple as he'd first assumed for her questions revealed many things that he had taken for granted without ever needing to explain before. "Sometime same sign used different word. Bigger same more of. Horse, food, love. Not so hard. Give colour to word."

Already though it was bearing fruit for she had corrected something that he had not properly understood before. It made sense for the same words were used in Pavi, not the same words of course, but words for the same concepts. He had heard her use them all the time but not managed to bring them into his mind when he spoke.

He reached down and touched her hand, the manoeuvre easier for him than for her as like most Drykas boys he had performed all sorts of acrobatics as a form of bravado with his friends and brothers.

"Fallan thank," he paused and corrected himself speaking even more slowly than usual sounding out the words in his mind to see how they felt. "I thank you." It sounded odd to him, in part because it meant that he did not say her name, something which he always enjoyed doing, but he smiled anyway.

[Taylani]

As the conversation went further Taylani felt more comfortable being out here with him. She was able to put out of her mind the dangers that seemed to lurk behind every blade of grass. She recognized most of the time that that sense of danger was exaggerated by her mind so was usually able to just ignore the little niggle whenever they had to leave the camp city for any reason. However now the niggle wasn't even there, instead she was focusing solely on Fallan, dangerous yes, but in a way it was a little relief to her mind.

This was what her child will grow up doing, riding along side Fallan and perhaps herself if she ever got adept enough at riding to keep up. It struck her that if she didn't get a jump on learning all that she needed to learn, then she and her child might end up sharing the same lessons. Shaking her head at her own inner musing, letting her hair spray with the motion Taylani focuses once more on the Pavi lesson. Her brow creased as she tried to pull forth words to say in Pavi that would mostly convey her thoughts. "Pavi..One .. " No that wasn't correct she knew, but she didn't have the word for 'first'. So she repeated in common with another smile "Remember Pavi first, then common. I will do the same for you when I get enough Pavi words."

She was enjoying this working together. Yes she enjoyed their time in the city, she was learning to enjoy being among the Drykas. Even though there were times she still felt so homesick that all she really wanted to do was curl up in the bedroll and cry she never let herself. Those times were getting fewer and fewer though. However they had always been he instructing her, there was always that color of her being dependent upon him. Here, doing this, they were working together rather then one being in a position of authority even if that authority was simply instructor and pupil. It put him in a new light to her eyes, and allowed her to begin to see him and herself as equals.

"Thank you." She returned in Pavi, it being one of the first phrases in Pavi he had taught her so long ago..though he had been holding her in his arms so he never did show her the signs that would make it perhaps more sincere or meaningful. "Your family will be gone from Endrykas until Fall again?"

[Fallan Windchaser]

She made his heart soar with her wit and yet it was the simple things like the motion of her hair which caused it to skip a beat. The last of the tension which had built in the camp now started to ease, draining slowly away with each breath that he took.

He laughed softly at her admonition, accepting the truth of what she said even though he needed to make sure that she understood that he couldn't just teach her the words or the sign for neither made much sense without the other.

"Yes," he agreed with her question regarding his family, knowing that this was a word which she would understand well. "My family," he brought his hand in to his heart to emphasise the connection, though in truth this was something of an untruth and a formality in his case. Still he felt an obligation to the connection and a Drykas would have noticed the omission in the circumstance of his separation from them for such a period of time. "Travel back along the Run to seek Spring and the foaling of new horses." He repeated in Common, somewhat more crudely but retaining the hand gestures.

"Family go back. Follow Run for Spring and birth new horses." He held back from asking his own questions or making his own comments for it seemed right to allow Tay to lead this part of the conversation.

[Taylani]

Her hair was loose, he seemed to prefer it that way rather then the braided fashions of the Drykas so Taylani had long since given up trying to coax her strands into submission. Over the season she had gotten used to wearing it down around her back and shoulders, and already she noticed that it was an inch longer then when she had been captured. In Syliras her mother would trim it to keep it at a manageable length for hair could hinder dance if one did not maintain it, professional dancing was far more complicated then just simply moving to the beat of music.

Now she felt no compulsion to keep it a medium length, nor did she wish to try and trim it herself. His answer was typical, he did not share his feelings easily she had come to realize, and his family was a bit of a sore spot for him. As much as she longed to heal the rift between them and he, she risked widening it due to her ignorance at the root cause of the problems.

It was a little awkward for her to ride and at the same time focus on his words and his hands, mostly because of her novice riding skills did not lend her confidence in not watching where the horse was going. "You, speak. family?" Still the Pavi was halting and lacked the filler words that would have tied the sentence nicely but she was pleased that it came out at least in a semblance of a phrase. Her hands mimicked his, just as he had drawn his hand closer to his heart when he spoke the word 'family' so did she. She repeated the question in common, her voice still neutral and quiet. "Have you spoken to your family?"