Flashback Reeds in the Wind (Jay Ackina)

[Rhyus]

Time Stamp: 60th of Spring, 510AV Location: Sunken Park Who: Jay Ackina Rhyus sat cross legged on the grass as he stared out into the park. His golden eyes watched a white rabbit as it slowly moved through the grass under the tree. He wished that he could stay longer in the city, but Kaya warned him that the longer he stayed in the city. The hunter would have to apply for freeborn status, or he would face expulsion or enslavement. Rhyus thought it was sweet of her to worry about him, but he didn't want her to worry, so he told her that he would leave on the next ship bound for Syliras. For the last ten days, he hasn't seen any ships bound for Syliras in the port, so he wondered if he should just head to Syliras by caravan. However, their hasn't been a caravan bound for Syliras either, so he started to wonder if he just bury his pride and get the damn brand. Feeling a bout of homesickness, Rhyus looked at the swamp and started to picture the snow and ice covering lush greenery. It has been six years since he left Avanthal, and he was starting to miss the cold, the snow, and his over protective parents. Rhyus knew that if he stayed in Avanthal. He would be a married man and have a few kids by now, but the hunter wanted to see the world before he settled down. He knew his mother would understand since she went to Wind Reach when she was younger, but he knew his stepfather wouldn't understand because he was a traditional Vantha who never left the frozen city. Rhyus took a deep breath of the salty hair, stood up, and stretched out his arms. Letting out a loud yawn, Rhyus reached out and snapped off three feet of the reed. Rhyus smirked to himself, looked around, and saw nobody else other than him in the park. Looking down at his bastard sword on his waist, Rhyus shook his head at the peace-tied knot on the hilt of his sword. The city did allow people to bare arms, but the government didn't trust the individual to be responsible enough use a weapon in a appropriate manner. The hunter always thought if a person treated any weapon like a toy than a person wasn't mature enough to use one in the first place. Rhyus held the stick on the thicker side like a sword. He knew that he might look like a damn fool practicing sword fighting with a stick, but he cared nothing about how people in Kenesh thought of him. Rhyus took up a fighting stance with his left foot slightly in front of him and his right foot back. Holding the stick in right hand, he pointed the other end of the reed at a imaginary target and said with a determined look on his face, “You think that you can beat me? I really doubt it!” Rhyus stepped forward and thrust the point of the stick into the chest of the imaginary target, but the imaginary target jumped backwards out the reach of the point of the reed. Rhyus stepped forward and swung wildly across the stomach of the target.

[Jay Ackina]

The city of Kenash was a hub of activity, shouts, chatter and voices filling the air as freeborn and slaves bustling about the streets, a mass of people focused on their daily routine. Carriages and horses plodded along the wide path between buildings, people nimbly stepping around them or waiting for them to pass before moving forward. Small groups of beautifully dressed men and woman stood chatting in groups of three or four, their laughter and gossip echoing in the slightly humid air.


A leather clad figure excused himself from a group of Dynasty members and made his way down the street. His hand rested lightly on the hilt of his long sword, other arm swinging freely, brown eyes observing each passing person. The man smiled in greeting as some made eye contact with him. Some met his gaze and quickly looked away, others smiled back while others ignored him completely. He was used to the variety of responses, especially from some of the slaves and freeborn who didn’t know him. But none of them fazed him from being himself.


The Dynasty member of the Ackina family strode down the street, people parting before him. He passed the Traveler’s Complex and rounded the corner. Empty buildings stood on his right. But his destination was the last structure. He reached the front door and stepped inside. The armed figure was met by a small man standing idly behind the counter. Jay’s boots thumped across the wooden floor boards as he made his way to the desk.


The individual behind the counter looked up at the sound of business and jumped slightly, seeing a Dynasty member. “Hi, umm, I mean hello. Welcome to Ven’s Fine Vehicles. Can I help you?” The small man fidgeted behind the wooden counter. The Ackina member smiled warmly at the man.


“Hello there. My name’s Jay. Morrison Ackina has a carriage being repaired down here and he sent me to check up on it. I was told it would be ready today?" The small man behind the counter cleared his throat nervously as he scrambled through a leaflet of papers. He hastily pawed through them, looking for the right one. He squinted at one of them and nodded vigorously, not making eye contact.


“Yes, yes. Here it is. It, umm, it should be ready later this afternoon. I am very, very sorry to keep you waiting sir. Please accept my sincerest apologizes.” His voice wavered slightly, obviously distraught. Jay felt sympathy of the man. He knew how difficult it could be to work with any of the Dynasty members, especially when things weren’t instantly available to them. A majority of the upper class, especially the youth, were spoiled to the core and held the power to make life very difficult for the lower class people of Kenash. The man in front of him must have had similar experiences to make him this nervous around a Dynasty member.


“Don’t worry, it’s completely fine. You have a wonderful establishment here. Morrison wouldn’t keep coming back if he didn’t like the work you did. Please, take your time. I have no where I need to be.” Jay smiled reassuringly at the man trying to put him at ease, expression making its way up to his brown eyes. He pushed his hair to the side, out of his face, unconsciously; it’s wavy form curling at the edges. Jay knocked on the wooden counter twice and then pointed at the man as he began making his way to the door.


“Thank you for all your hard work. I will be back later!” Jay swung the wooden door open and closed it gently behind him as he exited the building. He looked down both sides of the street and sighed. The Clawstone Plantation was three bells away from the main hub of the city to his home, one way. It wasn’t worth the travel time to go back and return later.


What to do…what to dooooo…


Mulling over his potential time killer options, he stepped down the stairs towards the street and started walking back the way he came. In between two of the empty building, he caught a glimpse of a park. Its inviting greenery and a glint of the sun, reflecting from a small pond caught his interest and he found his feet heading in that direction. A few ticks later, he was standing on a path that wound through the park. The Ackina man took a deep breath, feeling the warm, familiar air filter into his lungs and exhaled it contently. He had time to kill, might as well enjoy the rarely sought out landscape.


Jay strode through the park leisurely towards the water when a lone man, standing by the water with a long stick of some kind in his hand, caught his eye. The man thrust it in the air, the sound of his voice floating through the air. Curiosity tugged at Jay’s mind and he couldn’t resist himself. He quickly made his way across the green grass and came to a halt behind the long haired man. Jay had never seen him before.


“Hello! A little bored are we?” There was a twinkle in Jay’s eye as he spoke, a small smile appearing on his face. He let the joke hang in the air, hoping the man would realize the harmless intention behind it. Jay thrust his right hand out to shake, other hand still resting easily on the hilt of his sword. He introduced himself, interested in the man standing before him. The Ackina eyed the man’s sword with interest.


“My name’s Jay. What’s yours?” He looked up from the bastard sword and met the man’s gaze. He raised an eyebrow questioningly, “I assume you know how to use that sword by your side.”


Jay caught himself, realizing how abrupt that sounded and he smiled apologetically. Bael would have chided him for acting that way. Bael always told him if he wanted to be seen as different; he needed to act in a way that set him apart from the other Dynasty members. And that started with respecting others.


“Yeeeah, sorry that was slightly forward. I just have an interest in that sort of thing.”


He could feel excitement rising up in his chest. He rarely got the opportunity to spar with another individual aside from his weapon instructor back at the estate. Looking at the way the man held the stick, it seemed like he had some inkling of what he was doing. Jay had been training with his mentor, Bael for twelve years and was looking to mix things up a bit. Maybe if this man was up for it, he would be willing to step up to the challenge.


Sparing was one way to pass the time at least.