Completed [Traveler's Row - Orphanage] Pleasing the Youth

[Elann]

Timestamp 32nd day of Summer 515AV

Days had passed since Elann had made her move to Syliras. The grey stone that surrounded her was far different than the burning sands of the Eyktol deserts she grew up in. Instead of the smell of earth, loose sand, and hints of spices from nearby tents it was the smell of the sea, sweat, waste, and only the gods knew what. The hotter it got, the more she realized it was a bit of a different heat up here than where she lived. She found wool and various cloths too hot and so she bought some cotton dresses and undergarments to sort of fit into the culture up here as best she could. They were long dresses, being modest by nature and always wishing to be covered, but they were very pretty.

She was intending on perhaps going out onto the town today and thought she should fulfill her promise to her acquaintance Noah. She had only met a small number of people since, but Noah lived right down the hall from her. She fancied herself up with calm precision. She had not really ever done this before and was prone to make at least a few mistakes. She was a much different looking woman now than what he had met previously. Instead of drab and common, she was common and pretty. Her dresses weren't made of silk with gems or anything, just a couple folds to indicate design, yet the form fit her nicely. She chose the peach colored dress for today and used what little tools she had on hand to look better. Her hair was clean and in its normal state, but it did take a bit of emergency love to restore it.

With a careful hand she moved to her newly arrived desk and dipped her quill in ink. She wiped off the excess and very delicately she tried her best to write in the foreign language that was common around here. It was an invitation for him to join her pure and simple. It read,

"Dear Noah,
I would enjoy your company if you this day if you are free. Please feel free to stop by my apartment should you receive this note before noon.

Thank you,
Elann"

It was very simple wording, nothing fancy like "cordially invite you"s or "sincerely"s but could easily be seen it was written in a smooth and precise hand. She picked up the placard and waved it in the air slowly whilst blowing on it to dry. With patience she returned the quill to its home and then put the stopper in the ink once more. Elann took in a deep breath and said a prayer to Yahal for her day and then with a smile she walked out the door. The familiar torches and candles lit the hallway and there were some others she had not seen before moving down the path. She kindly nodded to them as she moved past and made it to Noah's doorway. Now she debated how to do this. She ultimately decided to slide the card under the door with a flick, knock, and then make a run for it. She bent down and put the card under the door and flicked it. It was at that moment she realized a flick was faaar too powerful and for all she knew she sent the card skidding across his floor. Without a second's hesitation she meant to knock a few times on the door, but was in such an awkward hurry to leave she only barely graced the door with one knock before she was gone. Her shoes nearly came off her feet as she ran and made it back to her doorway. Without even looking back behind her she bolted inside.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

Noah yawned before his eyes opened Syna’s rays finally waking the sleeping man through pure persistence. He rolled in bed, turning to face the cool stone wall his bed lay beside. He reached out and placed his open palm on the cobble, the cool touch sending a shiver down his forearm to the rest of his body. The hairs on his arms stood to attention as the goosebumps speckled his skin. He rolled again, turning to face the room now with the wall to his back.

Covered by blankets, Noah was warm and comfortable, unable to will himself out of the comfort to face the coming day that Syna so insisted on bringing. He yawned again, harder this time, bringing tears to his eyes. He wiped them before they fell and sat up. His blanket, thin and pale, fell from his chest, leaving it bare at the touch of cool air. Lazily, he ran a hand through his unkempt hair, mussing it further but, at the same time, itching his scalp. The hand ran from the top of his head to the nape of his neck and fell to a rest at his shoulder while he looked across his small room, still neglecting to ask Matilda for an upgrade.

He pivoted his body now, turning off the bed so that his legs dangled off without fully getting up. He scooted further towards the edge, propelled by his arms, until the soles of his feet were greeted with the cold cobble. He raised his arms, stretching as his back arched involuntarily. When he did arise the blanket fell to the floor, revealing his bare and nude body as he moved to the water-well in his room. With steady hands he dipped them into the well where a shock of cold met them. He cupped them, leaned over, and brought the cold water to his face. Instantly he found himself nearly awake. After a few more splashes, he truly was awake.

Just then, skittering across his stone floor was a folded paper. A brow raised as his eyes followed it to a rest in the middle of his floor. Then they bolted to the door as a single, faint knock could be heard. The morning was already starting out in a peculiar manner.

Noah cleared his throat and retrieved the note, failing to dry his hands beforehand. He unfolded the piece of parchment and, through the watermarks, read it, mumbling the words aloud. After a double-take or two he finally understood the note, regarding it as an invitation from a recent acquaintance, Elann. He yawned once more, before setting the note on his nightstand. He travelled to his chest, opened it, and began the search for clothing.

Noah settled for a brown, short sleeved, cotton tunic that possessed a thin chord to tie around his waist and a pair of make-shift cotton shorts fashioned from old trousers. The edges of the shorts were noticeably frayed, revealing the method they were created with. The shorts possessed a similar brown color to that of his tunic. He tightened the chord around his waist and slipped into his shoes, a pair of nondescript things before grabbing his coin purse, backpack, key, and brush. He ran the brush through his hair until he was sure the tangles were out and it shone with a healthy brown. Then he went back to his water-well and dipped his fingers in before coursing them through his freshly brushed hair. Near instantly the curls came in naturally. With some touch ups here and there he determined he looked okay and headed to the door.

Making sure it was locked, he continued down the hall towards Elann’s room, walking passed the staircase and several doors before coming to the woman’s door. With one hand placed on the strap of his backpack, he used the other to rap on the door, sending several knock reverberating through the wooden door into the room within. He leaned against the frame now, waiting for her to answer.

[Elann]

Elann made it through her door and with a spin she turned to close it. She used her body while holding the handle with a hand to both close the door swiftly but yet silently. It wasn't so early in the morning, and he could have likely not even have been home. What if he was working today? Well she determined she was to go to the orphanage after hearing about the little children from a vendor she had met in the bazaar. She still had some things to do in the unknown moments before his potential arrival. She left the grasped door handle and gracefully scooted across the room in an almost dance-like manner. As she made it to her doorway she gave a light little spin through it and nearly lost her balance. She was what you'd call a hopeful dancer, someone who wished they were a graceful fluid-like dancer, but in reality was a bit off. She still tried though and that was what mattered in her mind.

Moving to the desk in her bedroom she pulled at one of the brown wooden drawers, yet it fought her tooth and nail. The desk was of nice design, but was poor in shape. While it was intentional that she purchased it this way, it was something she was paying for as she tugged on the drawer.

"Come on you." She frustratingly grunted out as she jiggled it up and down. Evidently that did the trick as after about twenty short little up and down movements it finally freed itself and opened like a normal drawer. "Why didn't you do that when I closed you before?" she scoffed to herself as she dug into the contents inside. It had her comb, brush, and some other toiletries inside. Eventually her hands found the powder that she wanted and pulled it out. Giving a light dusting on her underarms and neck gave off a faint nice aroma. She had wished she had some perfume though for the sake of the children. She wanted to look her best and smell good for them. In her mind she envisioned treating them to all manner of things as she met them. This wasn't going to be a one time visit for her, so she wanted it to be somewhat memorable for herself she supposed. It wasn't so much that she wanted Noah to go with her and therefore she dressed up, but she thought maybe he'd like to go too. Who really knew his personality after all? It was a good opportunity to get to see how he handled children anyways.

She was a bit of a harsh woman when it came to children and didn't let them have much liberty with her, but to the inexperienced it could be overwhelming. Who knew what Noah would be like? Having finished she moved to put the powder back in its neatly organized place. She was always one to try to keep things as best organized as she could. Stubbornly she closed the drawer, if not only in haste of not knowing when Noah would finally come to her door if at all. With a bit of a frolic she moved back to the kitchen and grabbed her pouch to fill with raisins and some copper and silver Mizas.

Her heart skipped a beat as a few chimes later she heard the knock come at the door. She was already a bit spritely this morning, but she hurried all the more stuffing the raisins into the cloth, wrapping them up, and then stuffing them into her pouch with her coinbag. As she did she called out in a singsong voice "Coming!" With a few bounds she moved across the floor to her table and set down the pouch. She lifted her hands up to her hair and hoped to goodness that there was nothing crazy and wild with it.

She hadn't gotten around to buying a mirror yet and was forced to do her beautification in the reflection of water, her window, and the glass on her hutch. Elann wrapped her weaver's fingers about the handle and pulled the door open. The room was a bit darker than the last time Noah had seen it due to the sun having faded behind a building, and yet it was still bright. It was filled now with candlelight from a candelabra. In front of him to the left he could see her table covered with a slightly tan table cloth, a poorly wooden coffee table in the center of the room, a beautifully elegant new chair, and a bush in the corner that had small green leaves yet made the room look lively and bright. In the far left corner was a hutch that was full of various dishes and cooking supplies. Resting on the floor nearby her hearth and behind where the door opened was a mortar and pestle. Not a dirty dish was seen inside and everything seemed clean to a point. While some of her furniture was of standard quality or lower, she made it look good with covers of fabric and small decorative nicknacks.

She could see him standing there and beaming a beautiful smile to him she welcomed him to come inside and off her door frame. "Come in, come in. You are looking nice." she said in her familiar common with a Benshira accent. "So you received my note?"

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

As Noah waited, his mind wandered from place to place. At the end of the hall he noticed a place where a window could be, if Matilda permitted one. It’d shine light through the hall instead of relying on candles to light the gray interior during the day. He decided to speak to her about it, one day, but knew he’d probably forget. He started to sing a song, rife with a melody that he couldn’t match so it came out in a half raspy, half smooth way so he kept it quiet.

His thoughts trailed to Elann. He wondered what she’d look like today. The last time he saw her was in her travel-worn common wear that Noah thought could use a little care before she presented those clothes again, if she ever did wear them again. He knew he wouldn’t have worn them anymore if the travel had been that arduous. He thought of her hair, at the time of meet it looked as though it had seen a lot, which Noah didn’t doubt. He fought hard to keep his own of decent appearance and wondering if Elann did the same to hers.

At the call of Elann’s voice from behind the door, he snapped to his senses and stood up straighter. He heard her footsteps, quietly padding against the cobble floor, before the mechanisms of the door knob sprung to life at her insistence. The door opened with a small creak and Noah was greeted with the sight and smell of a sprite young woman. Noah’s questions were answered quickly as he looked at her.

Her hair made a notable reappearance in shine this time, drawing the Kelvic to follow the brown locks down to her shoulders where they rested. From there he looked to her dress, a peach color that reminded him of a dress his sister used to wear. On his sister, it was nothing special, but Elann gave it a charm that seemed to match her personality… or what Noah knew of it. When he came to rest upon her face his nose was tickled with the scent she emanated. She smelled good, at least to him, and the scent seemed to complete the look the woman was portraying.

Finally Noah looked to her face, met her eyes, and smiled. “Hello,” he said in a quiet voice before hers, sprite and playful, cut in. Even with the accent, her voice proved to be a sing-song that Noah enjoyed. Her compliment on his appearance made him happy, so he smiled a little more and muttered a thank you.

“Yes, I got your note,” he said, stepping into her home now. He brushed past her, his eyes adjusting to the light that shone from her singular window. The place had improved much since he last saw it and, in truth, he was slightly jealous of Elann’s eye for decorating. “It looks nice,” he said. “Better.” Meaning better since he last saw it. He walked into her sitting room, past the table surrounded by chairs, and stood awkwardly in front of her coffee table. Per habit, he gripped the straps of his drab backpack with both hands and stared around, taking in the decoration even more.

He turned slowly, letting his eyes absorb the entirety of the room before they settled on Elann and her dress. “You look nice,” he muttered. “Pretty,” he continued as if Common wasn’t his mother tongue. There was a butterfly loose in his gut, knocking away at the man’s sense.

[Elann]

Elann had forgotten how tall he was. Now that he stood in her sitting room he seemed much taller than he was down in the lobby or at her door. She seemed to shy a bit at him compliment, the slightest reddish hue came to her cheeks and she subconsciously began to shift on her feet in almost a dance like manner. She brought her hands to her dress at her stomach and played with it a little. Noah could notice how on the bottom of her hand and wrapped about her wrist was a small bandage, indicating some form of injury. The muslin cloth that covered it was fresh, clean, and wrapped tightly. She didn't seem to pay it any mind as she took in his compliment though.

"Thank you," shy shyly spoke. She had a very wide smile now and could not look him in the eye if her life depended on it. A few seconds passed and she tried her best to distract herself by showing him the room.

"I went shopping and got these things." He had said it looked better, so she knew it looked alright. "There is much work to do still hah", she chuckled. Then getting right the point a few moments later she took in a deep breath and said, "I was going to the place where the children are. Orophanage. Just to visit. Would you like to come with me?" she could finally look him in the eye as she asked her question and inquisitively raised an eyebrow, waiting to see what he had to say.

With studying eyes she looked over what he wore. The tunic and shorts seemed to match him a bit, though she could see him just as well in a nice set of dress clothes. He had the frame for nice professional clothing and she in her limited knowledge of sewing considered one of her first projects making him something for winter. Who knew how long it would take her to learn well enough to make even something simple, but she would try, just like with all her other little projects. His curly hair was tempting to her as she just wanted to uncurl it and see if it bounced back. She looked down to his lips where his smile was and her blue eyes searched them, memorizing them subconsciously as she thought if she could remember anything at all, let alone the way to the orphanage.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

Noah watched a curiosity as she seemingly avoided the eye contact that he sought. There was a sparse silence that made the singular butterfly multiply into many. They fluttered about him for an unknown reason, making him feel uncomfortable. He was relieved when Elann broke the silence, explaining her decorations and baubles that were spread about the room, giving it a charm and a glimpse into her personality.

Still he shuffled about, turning so that he remained facing her as she travelled around the room. His eyes went towards the things he gestured and he gave them a little thought before she went on explaining the next. The way she moved, elegant as if dancing on the stone floor, propelled by scooting bounds that were only emphasized by her dress, led to Noah being distracted as the fabric waved behind her, lacking behind slightly.

The more she showed, the more entranced he became by the peach colored cloth. Eventually she came full circle and came to stop. When she did, her dress did too, coming to a slow, yet crashing, wave against her legs. Noah caught himself now, staring at them – her legs – so quickly, he found his way to her face as her laugh died down. With a brief eye contact, he listened to her objectives for the day. He nodded in agreement, seeing it as a fine idea but before he could answer he followed her eyes, noticing they were on his person, but where could not be determined.

“Orphanage,” he said, correcting her. To prevent the correction from seeming as rude he cut into a smile, tilting his head slightly, curls bouncing when he did so. “And sure, I would like to come,” he said, maintaining his dimpled smile. With that said, he took careful, large strides to the door where he waited for her.

[Elann]

Elann wasn't very attentive when it came to him watching her, let alone anyone really staring at her. She lived her life in a capsule essentially with an over-protective father and a coddling mother. What little he could see of her legs under her long shin length dress boasted of the same smooth silky-looking, youthful skin that seemed to be everywhere. Where that led his mind was another matter, for she was dressed in moderation.

In coming about and finding herself watching him talk, she couldn't place why she was looking there at his mouth. She was feeling a bit strange as she stared at the pink bends of his lips and her mind tapered off into distraction to who knew really what; she couldn't recall afterward. She realized this when he corrected her. Her eyes blinked in a brief sense of shock and then acceptance. She grinned a little bit accepting the correct understanding. Some of the bigger words like orphanage that had a contrary sound to the "el", "sh", and "ah" were harder for her. Once he gave his opinion on the matter and showed he wished to go, she delighted in it and moved to his side over to the cloth covered table as he headed for the door. She was facing away from him as she gathered her pouch and brought it to her waist, but once she had it she looked over to him. With spring, her hair tossed as nearly one element to the far side of her and cascading down her front as she did so to rest in the curves of her dress at her neck.

She headed toward the door in tow behind him, "Have you ever been to an or-orphanage?" she stumbled with the word but caught herself as she headed through the doorway behind him. From her little pouch she pulled the key that had already rested in it out. "There is no orphanage where I live. Children come to my father and he gives them a mother and she brings them up. This is how we solve this, but it will be good to show the children some love." It seemed better to her anyways. The children regardless of which family you were from were all kind of raised together in her tribe anyways.
This was good in some ways and bad in others. You could be blessed, celebrated, and lifted up by all the mothers, or scolded, berated, and punished by them all. She would wait for him to close the door and then would do her best to lock the door. It seemed that since her first day she got it down pretty well.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

Noah was amused by Elann’s attempts at correcting her own grammar. A smile came to his face that she could not see. “I have not,” he answered to her. “This is my first time,” he finished. He listened to her continued speech as she walked out of the room. He held the door for her, per his mother’s request, and when it came time to close it he did so – not before taking one final gander of her apartment. The bolt clicked shut before the latch locked at the bidding of Elann’s key. It seemed she had become much more adept at handling the bulky thing. Noah felt a certain pride in that. Progress was progress.

As they walked down the hall Noah saw one of the candles mounted on the walls that needed replacing. It was growing low, in need of a replacement before the flame burned the wax entirely. Perhaps he’d make a note of it to Matilda when they got to the lobby? He led the way at first but fell behind once the stairs neared. The stairway was narrow, granting passage to a single file of people comfortably. Although he was thin, he was taller than his female counterpart and so he allowed her to go first. After all, he didn’t want to intrude in her space again.

He followed behind her closely, planting his steps where she once planted hers. The steps weren’t grand. They were cobble, much like the rest of his surroundings. He attributed the narrowness of the stairway to the apartment complex being built into one of the many walls that formed the perimeter of the castle city. The stairway served as a means for past soldiers to navigate their orderly way from the bottom of the wall to the top in order to defend from a siege or another threat that once would lay beyond the wall.

There was a history in Syliras that the Kelvic knew little about. Perhaps it was time to learn about it? He was, after all, living here for an undetermined amount of time, Zeltiva fast becoming a distant dream.

Suddenly, as the last step was walked over, he realized he hadn’t spoken the entire way down. Was that bizarre of people to do? Not speak. He didn’t know. He felt that Elann was someone who liked to do a lot of it – talking. Did she not enjoy silence like he did? It wasn’t that her talking annoyed him. It did quite the opposite. Her voice, melodic as it was, was nice to listen to and just that. He realized he didn’t want to interrupt her flow with his own bumbling nonsense. Even when she did slip up, he could see how it could become an endearing trait of hers that would slowly fade as she grasped the language.

The lobby appeared now and no one was at the desk. Noah approached the desk and read the note Matilda had left. It informed him that she was resting in her room and if she was needed that a person could pull the string that would ring a bell in her room. He shrugged, resolving to tell her about the nearly burned candle when he returned. Almost automatically the man looked to the tea-table, noticing muffins now in place of the usual cookies. Quickly he traveled there, plucked one of the muffins and bit into it. With a second hand he grasped two more. He held his muffin in his mouth as he swung his pack around front in a fluid motion. Noah opened the flap of the pack and placed two of the muffins inside before closing it. He reserved them for the children and was sure Matilda wouldn’t mind if she knew the cause.

In another motion he picked up a fourth muffin and returned to Elann’s side where he, with an outreached arm, offered it to her with a grunt for his mouth was occupied with holding his own pastry.

[Elann]

Quickly Elann moved forward down the hall once finding the door to be secure. She moved off to his side and slightly behind in tow. She naturally was a very fast walker and because of that she had to mentally slow herself, much like in the crowded streets of the city. He let her pass him as they approached the stairs and seemed to be acting quite gentlemanly. So in her limited attentions to Noah behind her she realized she was out distancing him swiftly so she slowed her pace to match his as she talked about her people. As they came to the stairs her eyes briefly flashed to the door that was his room and she recalled how she miserably failed in her plans this morning. At the very least she didn't fall and scrape her knee or some such catastrophe. Things seemed to be going quite smoothly.

She nodded to him saying it was his first time after her inquiry. Commenting in a happy tone she said, "This is good."

She moved down the cobblestone stairwell with light bounding steps, causing her hair to release little puffs of scent, the fragrance slightly different now as she had cleaned herself so proficiently and brushed her hair to tame once the wild beast. It was more like the wet damp smell of her hair combined with her own faint unique scent on it. There were of course the hints of the powder that she used to coat herself with, an old remnant of coconut oil and henna, even the sea smell; but her scent was stronger and the others almost fading from detection. She reached the bottom step and the faint smell of muffins was in the room. Had she not had her breakfast much earlier in the morning after her prayers it would have tempted her. She moved for the door, not noticing he had stopped yet. She placed her hands on the door handle and could almost detect something was missing. Perhaps it was that she heard him moving about still over at the counter, but something told her not to open the door yet.

She looked over her shoulder with a curious look to see if he was still there. He was seeming to be reading a note on the countertop briefly. She smiled at him to show she was patient. Now that she was done telling him about her family she didn't really have much more to say. She turned the handle as he moved to gather up some muffins and then she swung it open as he put them into his pack. The hustle and bustle of the streets outside filled the previously silent room and now she had to mentally focus on dealing with the crowd. While it wasn't so bad right now it seemed, it could change dependent on the district or level in the castle they had to go to. Suddenly it popped back into her mind where she was going and tried to retrace the route in her mind. He offered her a muffin and she shook her head no.

"No thanks." she chuckled as his mouth was full of muffin, it's not as though he could argue with her. To her it seemed like either he was really in love with Matilda's baking and didn't ever eat anything except it, or he was saving them for some purpose. She wasn't really sure. She added, "You eat it. I had breakfast this morning a few hours ago." This indicated she was probably awake long before the sun was up, but why be up so early? She was finding that using her injured hand to open the doors was slightly painful so she now clutched it with her other hand, subduing the pain without making it seem like it was an issue. Now that the door was open though, when he was ready she would move out onto the streets with him, letting him chew on his muffin before even bothering to continue in conversation.

"Did you grow up here Noah?" she was curious because she wanted to ask him a connecting question about whether he had orphanages where he lived and grew up. It was a novel idea to her in this culture that was nothing like hers. A person could be found without support and love quite easily here. Elann walked at his pace, but if he was by nature a fast walker, he would notice she was extremely so with great comfort.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

Noah’s brows furrowed in sadness as she rejected his offer to her. Who wouldn’t want one of Matilda’s muffins, he wondered. Her pastries, always well made, offered him a snack before he went about his days errands. It was awfully convenient for the man who rarely ate outside of hunting his own raw meals. As much as he loved the taste of a freshly killed rabbit, hare, or squirrel, the occasional – or in this case frequent – treat of sweetness wasn’t opposed.

He followed Elann out into the hustling and bustling city of Syliras. This morning had proved to be unusually not busy. There were fewer people in the streets, less than what Noah would usually see when he left home. Perhaps it was the time of day seeing as Noah would often leave home at high noon, after lunch, when he’d finally awake from his slumber. Then again, Noah, more often than not, fell asleep late bothered by the recent and disturbing thoughts of home.

Once well into the street, the Row being left behind as the two of them blended into the crowds, he brought his pack around front again, placing the rejected muffin into it before stuffing the one he claimed into his mouth. With a full mouth he chewed slowly, the muffin, all bread, seemingly drying his mouth completely. The sugar he tasted made it worth it though. When he finally swallowed they were a ways away from the Row now. That was when he heard Elann’s voice chirp up from his side.

“No,” he answered honestly, licking his lips now. The remaining sugar pleased his pallet. “I was born in Zeltiva,” he continued. “I moved here when I was – I moved here two years ago,” he stammered, recovering what he assumed would be a mistake. He studied the girl from his height advantage, wondering how she would react when she found out he was a Kelvic. Along with that, how she would react if they compared their ages. He considered her face and mannerisms. She came off as quite young, someone trailing off into young adulthood, blooming slowly like a flower after frost.

He swung his pack around back now as they turned down another one of Syliras’ lanes. He hoped that she knew the way for he did not.