Closed dance magic, dance.

[Yra]

sixty-ninth of summer, 514 av.

Her hands were shaking. Her fingers tightened, one on the bow and the other on the neck of that instrument in her hand. Someone from within the room, across it and out of sight, guffawed at a joke she'd missed. She startled and chewed her lip.

Arrogance and an aloof demeanor had dimmed when Syna lowered, followed by the dimming of her own personal radiance when her sunspun form was exchanged with that of this girl, this Svefra, and faint stirrings akin to feeling as if she had done what she was doing before plagued her at times. This was one of those times.

"I would like a glass of wine," said Yra to the woman tending the bar, folding her instrument over her own lap and her hands on top of it. Her fingers laced together in order to ease her fidgeting and she hunched over the bar protectively. This place was as Eilin had described it: lively. "Red?" She continued rather hesitantly. Her experience with fermented drinks was lacking, due to the flavour being unappealing during the day. It was nerves that drove her to it, now. She'd seen what happened if one requested water.

"One gold," the woman held out her hand. The coin was exchanged and the purse it drawn from returned to Yra's belt. A glass of wine was poured and deposited, pomp and flourish left out. However, it simply sat there. She watched it.

Gods, she'd not expected to be so nervous. She clung to the mask of indifference, though, as her mind reeled and she fought to claim purchase in her newfound uncertainty. Since her fall not at all that long ago, she'd not placed herself in a situation where she was being watched. That needed to change.

Fermented fruit helped, right?

Yes, her gut said.

In delicate fingers, she took the glass and brought it to her lips, taking a slow sip of it. The flavour was not one she enjoyed. The scent was horrendous.

Great.

[Tydus Tempest]

Celebration. Tydus had, just days ago, returned to his home port from the job that Caelum had set him to once again. This time, however, he returned not with his head low and hidden with the signs of defeat upon his face, but there was a different expression set upon him. Victory. The smirk of victory was worn upon his face as he broke the threshold of the Blue Bull Tavern. It was a place Tydus had been to before, and kicked out of, but a season's difference in time and the fact that Tydus carried himself with the air of a man who did not worry about the coin he would be spending made it obvious to the proprietor that perhaps it was best to leave Tydus alone.

The steady stream of coin and the consumption of drink were far more important what what could be considered previously-assumed-as-inconsolable differences. Greed gripped at the heart of every business owner, and Tydus, who possessed a keen eye for people, could see this in the Akalak owner. However, the man did not seek out his customers, and instead watched the doors for unwelcome sights. Instead, Tydus had the distinct pleasure of speaking to the waitress, the man laying down a gold miza upon the bar.

The man's voice fled from his lips in a practiced, delicate stream, his Common doctored due to his multiple visits to Kenash. The Svefra accent would be nearly eradicated from it, stemming again only once in a sentence or less. For the most part, his tone was metered and slow, comprehensible and perhaps even pleasing to listen to,

"A mixed drink, lass, if you would."

A momentary lapse gripped Tydus as he realized that in his previous visit, he had drunkenly flirted with the waitress, but never learned her name, the Tempest easily turning a smile upon his features as he decided to do the flirting before the drinking.

"It's a pleasure, you know, to have two lovely ladies making and serving the drinks here. The Akalak sod just sits o'er there watching, doesn't he? T'is best, you both captivate the eye so well, he'd only get in the way."

A disarming pair of sentences passed and Tydus took the drink that was made for him, a curious note in his gaze when he noted the fruity concoction, but did not take it back. He'd assumed it would be a mixture of liquors, not of bases, but he was not disappointed by the taste. A sharp sigh escaped his lips as the burn of alcohol fled from his lips. The Tempest turned his head just in time to note the sour expression upon the face of a rather lovely young woman. By the ocean's blue of her gaze, she could almost be confused as Svefra, but the lack of the flow of the tides settling in his stomach: the celebrated symbol of meeting a Laviku-born; told him that he was not speaking to a sister of the tides. Or, if anything, not one that Laviku looked to and smiled upon.

Not that it mattered. Tydus took a seat next to the woman as his lips parted to speak again,

"Let the drink breathe a moment, lass. Drinking wine right after ye serve it isn't going to do the drink justice. Ye never had wine before?"

The Tempest's smirk faded into a small, but amused smile. That was a first. The woman looked to be no younger than a year to his age. Any normal person would have tried at least a glass by the age of fifteen. To Tydus, that was simply the norm.

"Haven' seen ye around the city yet, either. Women are too sparse in this place to not get to know the most attractive ones. My name's Tydus Tempest, lass. May I learn yours?"

The Tempest extended his hand, and Janii would shoot him a dirty look for but a moment before settling upon a customer to take his order.

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Yra]

More than one person had taken a seat at her side and attempted to strike up conversation with her already, so Yra only furrowed her brow and stared with further intensity at the dark fluid within her glass. She was not rude, despite social niceties being... new.

"It does not hurt to try new things," she said to him, delicately, with the blatant refusal to acknowledge him with eye contact. Let the drink breathe, she mentally repeated to herself. Useful information, if she intended to drink this again in the future.

"I am Yra," the response came with something of a bite, but it was neither intentional nor personal. Yra was on the edge, having brought an instrument but feeling uncertainty now that she was here, where musicians were enjoyed. How strange, to feel nervous.

Finally, once she decided she could not bear to not know what this new stranger looked like. Her eyes lifted from the disgusting drink and she smirked at what she saw. Admittedly, Yra expected Akalak. There were many, and they saw an unattached female as one who needed company. She should have known, though, for this Tydus spoke like Calin, albeit with less of an accent than this man presented.

"Are you Svefra?" She took his hand when it was offered and simply followed his lead, paying no heed to barmaid or gloomy Akalak and simply accepting what was given her. She had not been shown handshakes and the gesture allowed the edge of the outdated Icewave tattoo be bared upon her forearm underneath her sleeve. The gesture was strange, as she'd not done one yet in her brief span of life; this must be what a child felt like. "I am new to the city." She did not lie, at least.

Politely (to her) extracting her hand, she returned to her glass of wine as if to offer him the chance to leave, now. Again, she took a tentative sip of the pungent drink. It tasted more like fruit, at least, but it was still not as good a drink as she had been lead to believe by the expressions of people at different chairs.

[Tydus Tempest]

The Tempest quirked an eyebrow at the strange woman. She seemed to lack the wherewithal to draw upon social encounters. It seemed to not be purposely done, which led Tydus to a strange, and unfeasible conclusion. Did she not have experience with people? It seemed a strange thing in it of itself, but when Tydus looked to the woman's forearm, he saw the tattoo upon it. And with the realization that the ink was a tattoo, and a pod one, at that, the notion drew even deeper. Tydus had no idea what was going on, but the way a pod tattoo looked was familiar. The placement, the shape, it all reminded Tydus of his own.

And again he was drawn to her eyes. Tydus found a strange curiosity compelling him to stay with Yra, a desire to reach out to the woman and wonder what she was. Another Svefra that he had known without the mark of Oceanus was one forsaken by Laviku, a grim fate indeed, but this one was far different. Aedre, at the very least, showed the signs of life. Human interaction was not lost upon her, and Tydus decided that he wanted to know why this one was so reserved. Such a way of being was almost blasphemy in his view of his people. Loud, proud, and drunk, the Svefra were obviously the pinnacle of human existence, and tydus would strive to, at the very least, find a way to bring some of that life into Yra.

She was, after all, family. Tydus could see it, literally, in her eyes.

But, this all changed when the woman asked him if he was Svefra. A frown pursed Tydus' lips. The answer was incredibly obvious to anyone who shared even the slightest of kinship with his people. The frown did not last, but he decided to answer the woman truthfully.

"Of course I'm a Svefra, lass. What else would I be?" A chuckle escaped his lips, rather awkward in execution as he attempted to recover and regroup from such a strange, disarming question from one that he had formed such an immediate conclusion about.

"What're you then? Look like a Svefra, with teh eyes n' the tattoo. But you're... strange. Differen'. Yra, ye say? It's... nice to meet ye." The Tempest decided to be proactive. The Tempest would attempt to snatch the drink from Yra's hands. If successful, he would drain the glass, and in turn, push his own towards her,

"Maybe that'll put a better taste in yer mouth, lass. Wine's an acquired taste. Takes a bit o' time to process."

Tydus knew this from experience. Five years ago, he'd have pushed back an offering of wine, yet now, it was his second drink of choice. Nothing replaced the burn of rum, but wine was a very sound alternative.

"Maybe ye'll like that one. More of a fruity taste. Less of the tart aftertaste. I don' know what it's made from, but it's sweet to the tongue."

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Yra]

Yra regarded him cautiously, having turned again at the tone of his incredulity to watch his face and read the expressions as they came. What she had learned from watching the two who had all but adopted her was that their kind was open; gloriously, wonderfully open. She did not feel disappointment, and a smile cracked across the features that had been furrowed in concern and uncertainty. It had not been him to put her off guard, but that eased.

All it took was setting him off guard, instead.

"You are entertaining," she said. That smile glittered in her eyes even when he recovered and again she was sent askew. Was it a bad thing to be Ethaefal? To the contrary, she was welcomed where she wanted to go-- if it was open to the public, and suffered only the gawking of people unfamiliar with the plight of her race. Her nose wrinkled and she watched him take her glass, down it, before offering his own, considering her response. She had not been warned against it, and what was the point of worrying, regardless?

Maybe she wanted to pretend to be human for the first time.

"I am not Svefra by birth." She drew back her sleeve and held out the marked forearm to show him the tattoo. It meant more to those she'd left behind on their casinors than it did to her, but it must have ousted her as Svefra-shaped anyway. "It's an old tattoo."

It was withdrawn quickly enough, sleeve pulled back over it and hand clasping upon the new drink. He'd downed her wine in one go. She'd aspire to do that, also. For now, she tested this drink and found the fruity flavour much more appealing. The sound that escaped her was appreciative. The smile returned before masking itself at the rim of the cup. This man's company was already more agreeable than the Akalaks and men of before. "Thank you. I enjoy his taste much better."

[Tydus Tempest]

Not a Svefra by birth? An old tattoo? The woman was talking nonsense. Perhaps the sip of wine had gotten to her? No, that was too simple. There was a more complex explanation for why the woman was acting so strangely. However, it was endearing to witness the plain quality of her replies to him. Her observations, her reactions, all of them spoke of, once again, a lack of social finesse that the Svefra could not quite identify. It was as if the woman were an infant, new to interpersonal communication, not quite shy, but curious and untouched by the passage of time. Ty couldn't place it, but he found the bite of curiosity in him and he wanted to know more.

It was a good thing, then, that the woman was entertained by him. A grin marked the Tempest's lips as her appraisal of the new drink, her approval of it, was presented. Tydus was glad to be of assistance. He took pride in his ability to know people, and to guess them. It was a product of circumstance and his own particular queues that he sought from other people. As a Hypnotist, one did their best to get to know a person early on. The queues that brought on their expressions, the emotions they gravitated towards, the words they used. Vocabulary, posture, facial expressions, all three lent to the impression of what a person was and how they operated, and the woman in front of him, Yra, was rather absent on two fronts. The Tempest was having trouble, but he would adjust. He always tried his utmost to.

The man shrugged noncommittally, the gesture passed off as nothing more than it was. Generosity was not in Tydus' nature, he had merely traded glasses with her and hazarded a guess as to what she would enjoy more. He was right, of course, but it meant little in the grand scope of things. When she finished thanking him, Tydus decided to move back to the previous topic, wondering why she had spewed such nonsense from her lips. He needed to know. It was now a question of pride, for a pod tattoo was a very steep cultural thing in the mind of the Svefra. It, with the gnosis, and their distinctive eyes, were what set them apart from normal human beings. They made them distinct. Tydus wanted to know why an outsider had both.

"What did you mean? How were you not born a Svefra? Are you something else?"

Was she wearing a disguise?

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Yra]

Yra continued to drink at her beverage, enjoying the fruity bouquet upon her tongue, the faint tartness of the alcohol content simply an aftertaste. It eased the memory of the wine from her. It did not ease his interest.

"I mean what I said," said Yra as she again placed down her glass. Her lip curled in smile, despite the hush and quick response she offered. Internally, she knew there was a word for exactly what she was, but it had been used with her so rarely that she was not certain of the exact word. Not willing to make a fool of herself, she raised her hands and mimicked horns perched at her temples with them.

Yes, that was so much less embarrassing.

"Not born a Svefra, see?" She frowned at him for a moment. Was she being clear? If she had thought the name of her race important, she'd have spent more time remembering the sound of the word as it rolled from her tongue. It was a silly thing, knowing Svefra rather than Ethaefal, but her companions found it of little importance and the people she passed by daily didn't greet her as her race.

To mask her frown, she turned away quickly and downed the rest of the drink. With the glass empty, she pushed it away from her and requested a refill of whatever it had been. "Svefra keep me, though." Perhaps that would end his curiosity, but she did not deny him further questioning. She might not have all the answers due to her own inexperience, however she was a creature with her own curiosity to be sated, and nice company offered a nice opportunity to learn more.

"Do you dock nearby?" She thought to return the topic to him, now.

[Tydus Tempest]

The gestures assisted in ways that her words could not. The woman did not know what she was? It seemed rather absurd, but already Tydus could begin wondering what had transpired. By the motions she was providing, she was implying that she had horns. It took the Tempest several moments to collect his thoughts before he had an 'ah' moment.

An Ethaefal!

The Ethaefal were a race that Tydus was not very well learned of, but Caelum, his employer was one. He had seen Caelum possess horns in the daylight, but a mortal's body and even a completely different shape in the evening. Perhaps Yra was the same way? When Tydus thought of Caelum and the differences in their appearance, he could say that objectively speaking, the form that Syna spilled into being was more attractive. Was that the case for this woman, as well? To Tydus, the Ethaefal; as he now knew her as; before him was an incredibly beautiful individual. Delicate features, sharp blue eyes that stirred with the blood of the ocean. Her moongiven body was obviously that of a Svefra's, and even though Tydus did not understand how such a thing was possible, he accepted it. A moment passed and the man offered her a single word,

"Ethaefal."

Her next words, though short and direct, provided much more insight. She was also housed by the Svefra. Perhaps she knew the language? Tydus could ask her later, but he decided that it was best to answer her now. The Tempest, now that he had an explanation, however narrow and unsatisfying, as to why she held the tattoo without being Svefra. Tydus was more than happy to spend time with the woman now that he was aware. A grin marked the Tempest's features as he replied,

"Yes, I am. Docked righ' down teh way, Yra. Maybe you could go visit me ship with me later? T'is a fine casinor."

The young man chuckled for a moment, clicking his tongue before he requested a second glass of wine from the bartender. When it was brought to him, Tydus allowed the wine several moments to breathe, passing the young bartender the mizas required of him before he decided to try something. He really wanted to know whether or not the Ethaefal who lived with Svefra knew the language. She bore a Svefra's pod tattoo... did that, perhaps, make her more attuned to the Svefra lifestyle? He spoke to test it out,

"Do you speak our tongue, Yra? If you're a Svefra by night, then you need to know the language. If you know that, at least, maybe I can teach you what else you need to be one of us."

The Tempest winked at the woman, curious as to whether or not such a gesture would fly over her head. Tydus was all too willing to invest his time in such a lovely creature. It was just a matter of her decision to accept his offer or not.

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Yra]

She watched him intently for his reactions, for understanding of what he might say or see within her gestures. Hope would have it that he'd understand, and when the light of understanding illuminated his features, her own brightened and that frown that had settled over them diminished. It was fleeting, but it was glad; a bit of Syna's joy in Leth's time. It passed with the lift of a glass and another swift swallow of that fruity bouquet from within. He'd said the word she'd callously forgotten, despite it defining her. Ethaefal. She would need to keep a better grasp of it, now.

His invitation earned the return of her smile. They came easier, now. The drink loosened her tongue the way her nerves when it came to playing had tightened them. He did make fair company, as well, but she would fully credit the mind-altering substance she was drinking. "I have not seen an ugly casinor," Yra allowed, "However, I would not mind if you showed me yours. If there was an ulterior motive, she did miss it. Yra was young, still. Even if an Ethaefal could not be wholly innocent, she was not socially adept. She was not suspicious, as he'd given her no reason to think suspiciously of him.

The shift to Fratava was conscious. Yra's head tilted and she pondered the sounds, mulling them over as if chewing upon them and learning the sound from someone who had not been there the day she was dragged aboard a casinor for the first time. The frown that came was one of focus, now, her brow pulling and her eyes darkening in thought. "I speak this, but not well," she responded, her method of speech even more formal than her Common. It would likely ease the longer she spent with people and learned their method of speaking, mirroring them to a slight degree with every encounter. "What would you teach me?"

Yes, the sounds were certainly strange, even more so than Common the moment she'd realised she could understand it at the time of her "birth", however hasty and unwatched as it had been. She noted the wink, thought on it, and responded in kind. The meaning was lost on her, aside from the idea that it was something conspirators might do when planning activities.

She finished the second glass and then pushed it away from her.

[Tydus Tempest]

The speaking of Fratava was, at the very least, encouraging. Tydus reveled in the listening of the language, so rarely spoken nowadays. Yra was obviously unpracticed in it, but it was a miracle that she knew the language at all, considering she was unaware of what she even was. It was a rather interesting scale of learning and the Ethaefal continued to hold Tydus' interest. Her comment regarding the casinor was amusing, however. Tydus chuckled aloud for a moment before taking a sip of his wine, reveling in the absurdity of it all. How many casinor could she have possibly seen?

The Tempest had no idea how often his brethren docked in the city, but he'd not seen more than his, Kel's, the remaining Tempests' and perhaps one or two extraneous casinor in all of the city, each of them docking and leaving in separate intervals. It amused the Tempest, though he could add at least one for the Svefra that 'kept' her.

"Well then, I'll gladly give you a tour, Yra."

First, the Tempest needed to finish his drink. He tipped the wine glass against his lips, tilting his head back. The liquid poured down his throat, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips after he had spoken. It was amusing to hear her speak Fratava, the man curious as to how she picked up such a formal tone from both her Common and Fratava. But, it was, for the moment, irrelevant. Tydus had been drinking, his mind aswirl with the influence of wine and a mug of ale he had consumed earlier (Gods awful... he'd never buy another barrel after this one passed). Of course, it did not show in his gaze, focused and vibrant upon Yra's face.

"What would you like to learn, Yra? I could tell ye stories, if yeh want. Some of the tales told tah me as a child were enlightening. The culture of the Svefra is a gem that ye shouldn't miss out on. I could even tell yeh about the rum. A wonderful, precious elixir that turns the darkest of nights and teh most unpleasan' company into festivity."

The Tempest did not take Yra's response to his wink as understanding of what it meant. She seemed much like a very polite and beautiful child, lost in the world and unsure about what was. Tydus would happily teach her to an extent, though of course the payment was in kind. The Tempest scion's gaze flickered along her form once again, an appreciation for the untampered beauty of the Svefra form she held visible in his gaze for just a moment before he asked,

"Would ye like ta go, then? Teh casinor's just down the way. At the dock, of course. By a lovely tavern called the Alements."

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani