Sunsets and Memories (Adalia)

by **Sitkanis** on October 6th, 2010, 12:32 am

As the words Sea of Grass left Adalia's mouth it was like Sitkanis could not breathe. Sea of Grass, why was that so familiar. The words echoed in his head, why were they so familiar? The land of horses and grass, sea of grass, there had to be some correlation. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind. Sea of Grass, it felt like it was there some where in the edges of his mind but the knowledge would not surface. He opened his eyes again and looked at Adalia. She was such a curious person. She had traveled so far and had been so many places and yet, she was quiet and humble. There was something about her that really sparked an interest in Sitkanis. He was a man who normally did not want anything to do with anyone and now he was faced with a woman who he actually wanted to talk to. What made it better was that her gaze upon him did not change at night. He was still Sitkanis, day or night.

For the first time Sitkanis was faced with an issue of speech. What would he say to Adalia? As a man of few words he had little to say. He liked to settle his thoughts through his actions or through a few curt words. Now he just wanted to talk. He wanted to just enjoy the beach with his blonde companion. "So Adalia, what is it like to heal? I know a little about medicine but healing, that is really interesting." The quiet girl left a lot to be wondered. When a person endlessly talked there was little to wonder about. Adalia only showed a little of who she was and it made Sitkanis curious. What hid behind those blue eyes?

by **Adalia** on October 6th, 2010, 1:38 am

"To heal with gnosis?" Adalia asked for clarification, and to repeat the question. Her mind sifted through the catalogs, eventually finding what he appeared to be looking for... or at least, her description to the best of her physical capabilities. "You have to *believe* you can heal. You can not simply want to heal, You have to believe you can with every little fiber of your being. You must also be a follower of the Goddess, and you must understand that it is her that has given you the power that you now possess," Adalia paused, thinking yet again.

"To treat the ill and wounded in general... Nothing is more satisfying. You feel the rush as you attempt to save the life of anyone from an eighty year old woman to a newborn child. You battle death back like a soldier does the enemy on a battle field. When you succeed, satisfaction fills your mind and body, but when you fail... You simply must tell yourself you did the best you could and move on with life. It is a battle field, as I have said. You win some battles and you lose some battles. You simply must focus on winning the war," she fell silent now, shivering ever so slightly from the cool night breeze.

"If you let your sight drift from the end of the war, then you are lost," Adalia added. These last few words were quiet, but the way in which they uttered them carried a meaning, a powerful sense of purpose. Then, she fell silent for a long time, just enjoying the silence shared between them. Her eyes drifted to Sitkanis, and she studied him for a long moment. That smile played across her lips as she sat up slightly, rolling onto one knee. It was rare for her to happen across someone that she would exchange so many words with. Ever since she had left Mura, the gap that her sisters had filled was emptied. She had had no one to release her thoughts upon, no one to make her think about things she otherwise never would think about. The young Konti knew it was far too early to know for certain, but this man seemed to have the same shape as the gap...

"You're a good man, Sitkanis. I'm glad I met you. Thank you for listening to my rambling," she said, her eyes never faltering. She then leaned in, kissing his cheek lightly before pulling back and smiling. Now, she actually did remain silent. As if nothing had happened, she returned to her normal sitting position.

by **Sitkanis** on October 6th, 2010, 2:27 am

Adalia's passionate words about healing caught Sitkanis' attention. While usually he would space out during another person's words he found himself listening and genuinely interested. He had never thought he would hear the Konti speak so much. He liked to listen to her musings though. He liked the way she spoke, quiet and slow. There was no rush or fluster in her words. It all flowed like water, the body where he was born for the second time. Although Sitkanis was scared of water he was enchanted by it. It was a ruthless element that did not care that he could not swim. If he died once again he would just sink into the depths never to be heard from again.

As Adalia fell silent again Sitkanis found himself missing her careful words. For a moment their eyes were locked, light lilac and blue. Then the soft feeling of lips met his cheek. For the first time since his fall Sitkanis' heart raced. If it had not been so dark the blush that colored his cheeks would have been prominent across his pale skin. For weeks he had been living a stone like existence. Nothing faltered his stoic resolve. Then like the water he was so mystified by she eroded his apathy away. Something was growing between the fissures. He was not sure if he liked it but it felt new and different. He was not used to letting people in and feeling something for him. He opened his mouth to talk but the words were lost. There was nothing he could say. So many fears raced through his head. The main concern, his form. He has spent many nights awake worrying about this day. The day a girl would react to him at night. What if she did not accept him when morning came? Would she still feel the need to kiss him when Syna washed away his lilac eyes and perfect skin. Would she leave when he suddenly became six inches taller and covered in scarred tan skin? Only morning would tell. When normally he could not wait for Syna to appear and bring the return of his Drykas body now he wished he could hold onto the night and stay beautiful forever for Adalia. Sitkanis bit his lip, his usual nervous habit. He needed to know now before he found out naturally. "Adalia, when morning comes will you regret that who I am now will be gone?" Sitkanis was scared of the answer. What girl in her right mind would want a roughed up Drykas instead of a perfectly made Ethaefal? "For weeks I have worried about this. I don't want anyone to favor one of my forms over another. As much as it pains me to say, both are a part of me. I just need to know that when Syna shines on me and I am tanned and tall again you will not wish for the night." It was rare that Sitkanis let on about his insecurities. He was a proud man, much like his Drykas lineage. He was a warrior and a hunter not a emotional man. Yet, deep down inside him the emotions bubbled and at times like these they spilled over. All he could think about was Adalia and her lips on his cheek. What was the feeling that they had brought about and more importantly why did he want to feel it again?

by **Adalia** on October 6th, 2010, 4:30 am

For once in her life, Adalia did not wait to respond. The words she spoke were the ones that came to mind first. The situation would not allow her to take the time to form a statement and have it mean as much as it did if it came quickly and from the heart. Her voice came out over the night smoothly, her eyes holding his.

"No. Your bodies are not what I see. I see your physical form, but that- that is not what I look at. That is not what I find so different about you," she reached a hand out, her eyes following her hand's gentle movements as her warm palm settled upon his breast, over his heart. "This is what I look at. This is what I find so different. You could be a leper, but that is not what I would see. You could be a ghost, seen physically only in memories buried away deep within, but I would still see this. That is what defines every person; from beggars to kings," her eyes floated up from his breast to his eyes again, and the woman smiled. Honesty had laced every word she had just said, and it was reflected in her gaze.

Then it hit her. He had been worried of what she had thought of his other form. He had worried that she would only feel this way about him when Leth's light revealed his true form. Why did he care? Why did he think that she wouldn't feel the same when he was in the form of the tanned and scarred man from the Grassy Sea?

She leaned forward, seizing the silent moment yet again. Her lips met with his, her arm still on his chest. After a few seconds, she pulled away ever so slightly, waiting for his reaction, leaving her lips ever so slightly parted. The warm hand on his chest began to move up and down subconsciously, rubbing his breast as she remained silent. Adalia's lids still covered her blue eyes.

by **Sitkanis** on October 7th, 2010, 2:28 am

Hands on his chest, how long had it been since Sitkanis had felt this? It was more than days and nights, even more than months, it had lifetimes. Her words surprised him. He never knew of someone who was not effected even in the least by his change. Had he finally found the person who would see him as he was? Just a painfully lost man who never had the luxury of staying as one person. He expected to be alone forever, roaming the world in search of the home he had lost so long ago. Now he was faced with a person who was reaching out to him regardless of his form. Adalia's hand was on his chest and his heart raced like the horses in his memories. Why was he acting this way? He never let people touch him but he felt a rush from her touch. He wanted her hand to stay on his chest. He wanted to keep feeling this foreign feeling. As she pulled away there was a feeling of longing. He didn't want her to pull away. To his surprise he was met with her soft lips on his. Thoughts rushed through his head faster than he could contemplate them. In some ways he wanted to deny these feelings. He was safe when he was alone. There was nothing to worry about and no one to keep tabs on. If he let Adalia in he was opening himself up and he was not sure if he was ready to let someone in. There was a part in him, the new part of him, that wanted to let her in and stop the endless loneliness he had been feeling. He was no longer completely Drykas anymore. The Ethaefal who he was now was softening him and it scared him. He was safe when he had a wall built up around him. The thing was, Sitkanis knew Adalia was worth risking his comfort for.

When Adalia's lips left his Sitkanis' he looked at her with wide lilac eyes. Was this it? Was she what he was looking for? He focused on her aura and it danced around her in pink and sky blue waves. She was not just saying things to make him happy. She really meant what she said. He looked at the young Konti sitting there with her eyes closed. He wanted to kiss her again. He leaned forward and he felt his nerves telling him to lean back. "Don't kiss her, don't give in." He would ignore his nerves tonight. Life was made up of these moments. The ones where a man had to make a decision that could alter the course of his life. He had been reborn, that had to mean something. He had fallen from the Ukalas and now he was here with Adalia who had traveled across the world to visit Denval. Why would two people just happen to end up in the same place like this if there was not a reason behind it. Sitkanis looked at Leth hanging in the sky. He missed his deity but he knew under his careful watch all things would unfold as they should. Sitkanis leaned forward and kissed Adalia on the lips. It was very out of character but it felt right. He did not want to pull away but he feared that he might have startled her. "Adalia, I don't know what came over me." He still could not find the words to tell her how he felt. Finally the day had come where he needed all the words that he kept locked in his head and they would not come out. "Although I have just fallen I have never felt like this before. I always want to be alone and hide from others due to my obvious predicament yet when I see you I feel no need to be alone. You show no reaction to my change and for that reason I feel comfortable for the first time since I fell." The words trailed off as soon as they started. It had not been profound, far from it. Still, what he had wanted to say, or at least parts of it had come out. It was a step forward. He was not speaking but he was stumbling through his words. It was better than silence.

by **Adalia** on October 7th, 2010, 3:41 am

The blond felt the man before her lean forward. But the kiss did not come. She felt his light breathing close to her face, but she remained silent and still. This was his choice to make, now. It was his turn to play a card. Adalia's heart sank slightly as she felt his breathing stop, presuming he had turned away by the air that had whipped past her. The woman's eyes opened, and she looked at him for a moment, wondering if she had overstepped the invisible line that must have been created at some po-

Her chain of thought was interrupted as his lips came to hers yet again. Her eyes held a shocked expression for a few moments, but it was not long until she closed her eyes, settling into the kiss. Her arms found their way around him, rubbing his back gently. When he finally pulled away, she did the same, but still keeping her arms around him. The blue in her eyes floated up to meet the lilac in his. Her eyes held some sort of mischievous, happy sparkle, while a grin was on her face.

When Sitkanis began talking, the grin faded, and she listened intently to Sitkanis. Upon the end of his dialog, she spoke quickly and from the heart once more. "That is what life is about. We spend it searching for people we feel comfortable around, and who are in turn comfortable around us. We look for those people that bring out the best in us, that side that may be stifled by the world," she paused, touching her forehead to Sitkanis's, brushing her nose against his in a playful manner, smiling again. "I don't react to your change as others might because you are you. You still make me feel the same way, in either form," her lips landed lightly above his upper lip but below his nose.

"I'm living in the Chapel, in one of the side rooms. Come visit sometime. I'd like it a lot," Adalia whispered, walking two fingers up Sitkanis's chest. A smile played its way across the giggling blond's face, as she simply sat there with him, enjoying the contact. "You could drop by, spend some time talking... perhaps I could even teach you a thing or two about medicine and herbs," Adalia listed off the things they could do together. Another giggle escaped her lips. She was obviously enjoying this little moment. Anyone could see that.

Of course, anyone could also see, and would probably be confused by, the sudden change in personality she had undergone. With the slightest bit of physical contact, she had turned bubbly. playful, and flirtatious, all at once. It was an interesting change, but perhaps a welcome one. Like a flower blooming, one could compare.

by **Sitkanis** on October 9th, 2010, 4:39 am

The change in Adalia was extremely evident. When Sitkanis had first met her she was quiet and barely talked. Now she was flirting with him? It was a lot to take in, not that he did not enjoy it. The normal annoyance he felt towards others did not apply to Adalia. She seemed to be the sole person who was immune to his grumpy nature. Her fingers on his chest sent sparks through him and he could not help but wear a small smile. It was not often Sitkanis' smiled and yet it was so effortless. He wanted to smile at Adalia. He felt like if he didn't he would explode. "I would love to visit you. Hopefully next time we deside to have a deep convorsation like this I will be Drykas. I know you don't mind my forms but I do. I much prefer my day time body." He had spoken and with barely any difficulty. For the first time since his fall he felt comfortable and at peace. When normally there was an internal war between his Drykas self and his Ethaefal self now there was peace. He felt no remorse for his light skin and short stature. If he had never fallen and become an Ethaefal then he would have never met Adalia. He didn't want to say he was happy about his fall. In a way he would never be. He was less upset though. He had found an island in this sea where he could not swim. He was not sure if he would stay on this island, or even be allowed to for that matter. What did matter was he was happy for the time being. It was a feeling he did feel a lot.

Leth was now shinging proudly high in the Denvali sky. Around him the stars glittered and Sitkanis put his arm around Adalia. He was a bit hesitant to do this but he wanted to be close, or at least to feel close. He has felt so out of place for so long and now he finally felt like he fit somewhere. He yearned to kiss her again, maybe even tell her about how she was making him feel. He was scared though. When he was alone he never had to worry about what others thought of him. He could blow them off or treat them however he liked. Now he was faced with someone he could not afford to lose and if scared him. He was faced with a new problem in his second life, rejection. All the beauty in the world would not keep Adalia with him if he was a terrible person inside. He was ready to move forward though. He may not have had the biggest liking for others but he did find himself liking Adalia. She was hard not to like. "Adalia" His nervous words started again. He hated how much he began to talk to her and just trailed off. "I am glad your travels brought you to Denval. I do not want to sound crazy but, I think it is quite interesting that we both ended up in the same place at the same time. I'm sure that I fell to Denval for some reason. Maybe..." Did he really want to finish this sentance? He knew the weight of the words that were waiting to come out. They could make or break what Sitkanis had with Adalia on the beach. It could either make her feel special or it could scare her away. He had started the sentance so there was no backing out now. He had been born again, it was time for no regrets. Maybe we were fated to meet."

by **Adalia** on October 10th, 2010, 2:28 am

As she felt Sitkanis's arm wrap around her shoulder, the Konti scooted in cloer to the Ethaefal, wrapping her own arm around his waist, a playful wink coming along with it. Her blond hair fell oddly to the left as she lowered her head onto his shoulder. She sighed. Not an upset sigh. It was one of those sighs you make when you're satisfied with what is happening at that moment. Her blue eyes remained closed, her mind wandering as they simply sat there. Together.

Her mind's focus lazily returned to Sitkanis as he spoke once more. "You shouldn't," was all she said when he commented on how he was self-conscious of his forums. The silence returned again as they sat there, simply enjoying each other's company in the night. A yawn left Adalia's lips. It was getting late, and although Sitkanis might not be tired-- she didn't know if Ethaefal felt tired-- she was getting somewhat sleepy. Night time tended to do that to people.

Then he said her name. She let out an "Mmm?" to let him know she was listening, and then fell silent, save for her quiet breaths. When he paused, her blue eyes opened, studying his features as he paused. He seemed to be debating something, though what, she could not tell. Then, he spoke.

Them. Fated to meet. Adalia was not exactly a believer in Lhex... but this was too perfect a coincidence. She had met him the day after she had landed in Denval, and he couldn't have fallen much sooner. Seriously. He had fallen from the sky. That sort of thing didn't happen without divine intervention... or at least, she wanted to tell herself that. A smile played across her lips. "Lhex works in mysterious ways," she whispered. "The fact that I traveled across the world, and you fell from the sky... Perhaps it is too perfect for it to be pure coincidence," her eyes closed again, her blond hair still all over the place due to the fact her head was sideways to fit on his shoulder.

"What comes of this fated meeting... time will tell," she tightened her grip around his waist slightly, shivering as a particularly cold wind blew past them.

by **Sitkanis** on October 12th, 2010, 2:32 am

Things felt content when Adalia was around. The normal plauges of the mind did not haunt Sitkanis when her arm was around him. He was, dare he think it, happy. He wanted to smile in her presence. It was a gesture usually lost on the stoic man but now it seemed so natural. It was like breathing or the changing of the seasons. Thoughtless and effortless. Just as it should be.

Adalia's words never ceased to amaze Sitkanis. There was something about how she said so much in her small choice of words that mesmerized the Ethaefal. When just a few bells ago he had been completely closed off from the world now he was letting a little part if it in and it felt great. He felt... complete in a sense. He saw as she began to get drowsy. He wished this moment in time did not have to come to an end but she was cold and tired. He dug through his bag until he found a light jacket often saved for his day form. He handed it to her. "It is a little big but it will keep you warm. It's getting late, we should get you back to the Chapel." Sitkanis stood up and held his hand out to help Adalia up. He was sad to see their time on the beach come to an end but there was always tomorrow and all the tomorrows that followed. This was what having a second chance at life was really about. Being with the person you should have been with the first time around. If only the first time around they had not been hundreds of years apart and in seperate cities. There was always room for second chances, even in living.

by **Adalia** on October 13th, 2010, 12:25 am

She didn't argue with his comment, just yawned in apparent agreement. When the jacket found its way into her hands, the freezing woman slipped into it, shaking her hair twice to get it into a passable position again. Dexterously, she buttoned the jacket as far up as it would go, and with a satisfied nod, thrust her hand forth. Her hand found its way into his, and she rose to her feet. Tempest silently mirrored this movement, approaching Adalia's side. A hand found it's way down to the dog's head, stroking it affectionately. She brushed the sand from her pants, and only then spoke.

"Thank you," she said softly. Her arm snaked its way back around his waist, and then the pair was off. They were an odd sight, walking together. A woman with skin as white as the moon, scales decorating her skin, and a man with horns sprouting from his temples, with hair they matched the season's falling leaves, in each others arms. Ah, it was like something one would find in a fairy tale. The woman's blue eyes slowly drifted shut, trusting Sitkanis to guide them towards the Chapel. Adalia's scaled hand made it's way to her eye, rubbing it as she yawned yet again. Exhaustion hit hard and fast for her.

The Chapel eventually came into sight. The pair entered through the doors. Without opening her eyes, Adalia led them through the aisles of pews, smiling as they stopped by her door. She broke away from him for a brief moment, taking off his coat, handing it back to him. When he took it, she ambushed him with a hug, giggling playfully. "Now you have no excuse to not come by, considering I just showed you where it is," she said in a tone so quiet it was almost a whisper. She kept her arms wrapped around him, looking up at him, her eyes and the iridiscent white scales beneath them sparkling. It was funny. Here she was, thirty plus years old, and part of her still looked like a child as she pulled this on Sitkanis.