Welcome to the Illusions -- 52nd Fall, 515 AV

by **Shadyn** on September 18th, 2015, 1:59 am

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Walking through the Gaping Maw was fascinating, to say the least. Shadyn was rarely awed, but this place was certainly getting him pretty close to that. When he came out the other side, the city that law before him was unlike any he had ever seen. Parts of it seemed to be shifting, while others seemed disconnected entirely. Even the wizened Xarrt, who was walking along side him, was clearly taken aback.

After several moments of merely gazing at the scene before him, Shadyn began strolling down the road before him. Shadows of people who were not there passed before him, and as he walked through an intersection, the street he had just left was replaced by an entirely different row of buildings. If was bewildering to say the least. He decided to take to the air to be able to navigate properly, but before he could, he noticed a face that looked like it belonged to...another Inarta? The person was busy looking at something else, so he raised a hand in an Endal salutation and shouted in Nari, "Hail, brother!"

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by **Phobius** on September 18th, 2015, 10:17 pm

It had taken some time—a few days, to be exact—for Phobius to realize that the city had split itself in two, with one side being stuck in daytime while the other was stuck in night. And he liked to think that he was used to Alvadas' shenanigans, by now, having spent the last few seasons of his life roaming its ever-changing streets, but this had surprised him—confused him, even.

The mind-boggling part was that there didn't seem to be a way to tell where one side ended and the other began. One could simply be out walking, only to look up and see a sun perched in the sky where a moon should have been, or a bunch of white, fluffy clouds in place of a cluster of twinkling stars. The change was often quick and, depending on how distracted one was, unnoticeable, which bothered Phobius more than anything, but he supposed that he would get used to it, after a while. And even if he didn't, it would have to stop at some point; Alvadas still felt sick to him, but that didn't mean that it would keep up any of its illusions for longer than normal. Hopefully. Whatever "normal" meant.

In the meantime, the boy focused on keeping himself in the Daytime side; being in the Night one made him sleepy, no matter what time it was supposed to be, and he didn't like taking naps in the middle of the day because he ended up feeling even sleepier. Mindlessly swinging his arms back and forth at his sides, Phobius let his feet take him wherever they wanted, not really caring where he was going. Today was probably a good day to go and visit Araphos, though he could only hope that the horse wouldn't be too angry with him. Maybe if he brought him some oats...

All of a sudden, a voice using a tongue that he hadn't heard in forever reached his ears, coming from somewhere behind him.

"Hail, brother!"

The young Inarta immediately twisted around, and had he moved any faster he might have broken his own neck, his amber eyes widening as they set themselves on the head of crimson-streaked hair that was a short distance away. And he was still for a moment, unsure of what to do but knowing that yes, he had heard what he thought he'd heard and no, he probably wasn't dreaming because he hadn't slept (or napped) since this morning.

Without warning Phobius broke into a sprint, letting out an excited squeal as he closed the distance between them within a matter of ticks and practically threw himself at the stranger, wrapping his arms around them in a tight, merciless hug.

"Brother! Brother, brother, BROTHER!!" the boy shouted, looking for all the world as though he had been reunited with a long-lost relative as he bounced on his toes and squeezed the other Inarta. "Hi! Oh wow, oh WOW, I haven't seen another Inarta in forever, I thought they didn't leave Wind Reach, anymore, I thought I'd NEVER get to talk to one, but you're here...! And so am I! What's your name? Mine's Phobius! I haven't seen you around so you must've just gotten here, right? Right? Do you like Alvadas, yet? Have you met any other people? The ones here are really, really nice!"

It was like a dam had burst, leaving a torrent of words to come rushing out of Phobius' mouth, but he was much too happy to try and slow down for the stranger's sake.

by **Shadyn** on September 21st, 2015, 12:53 am

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Shadyn laughingly hugged Phobius back then stepped back. This was drastically different from his welcome to Endrykas....

"My name is Shadyn (Xarrt). Yes, I did just get here, and, truth be told, I do like what I have seen of this city so far. A lot of Inarta don't leave much anymore, but, hey, I'm a bit of a rogue so I decided to take a trip on Xarrt here." He gestured to Xarrt, he looked over upon hearing his name.

The young man was clearly excited to see him, and what he said me Shadyn begin to think. Apparently we Inarta have dropped off our trade drastically in the last few years. I noticed that we were becoming more insular, but I never realize that it had come this far...I wonder if I could fix this...and help myself in the process.... Shadyn began to grin broadly.

"You know, Pho -- you don't mind if I call you Pho, do you? -- I think you and I will get along quite well. In fact, I think this might become a lasting and mutually beneficial friendship. You see, like I said, I'm new here, but I am beginning to lay some plans for my future...big plans. If you want, you could easily play a part in those...and reap the rewards of doing so."

If the Inarta were so isolated these days, Shadyn knew that he could easily become the new face of the Inarta trade system throughout Mizahar. After all, it didn't take all that much to get started. A few friends in the right places, willing to work hard for a good cause...

Yes indeed...plans...

And they just might work.

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by **Karin** on September 21st, 2015, 2:22 pm

It was another confusing day and/or night in Alvadas. Karin was near the Gaping Maw, her feet having wandered to somewhere 'secure' in the city: the Sanity Centre. She'd spent some time there, something which she did every once in a while, as sometimes the city was just a little too much for her. The forever sunlight shone down on her as she left the Centre, breathing a small sigh of relaxation, stretching her arms above her head as she prepared herself mentally to re-enter the area that was life in the city of illusions.

The city was bustling, something which wasn't unusual in itself, but a burst of bright red caught her eye. The scarlet head belonged to someone, a lad of maybe her own age diving onto a tall, muscled man with dark, almost ruby-black hair. They didn't look related, but you could never tell. A brother maybe? Friend? Cousin? The girl didn't know, but what she did know was that the taller, older looking man had a petching giant eagle.

She squinted her eyes, and looked closer. Yes, that's definitely an eagle. What the..? Karin was intrigued. What kind of person has a giant eagle I wonder? Almost without fully deciding, she started idly drifting and wandering closer, knowing that she didn't quite have the guts to go up and introduce herself to the pair, but equally realising that her curious mind wanted to know what was going on.

As she got closer, she realised that they were talking in a language entirely unfamiliar to her, a language of clicks and whistles which sounded extraordinarily animal, like a bird or something else entirely, a hybrid of human and bird. The mystery deepens. She tried to make herself blend into the crowds. She was curious, but she didn't want to actively show that she was being nosy. In truth, she was terrible at blending in, not only because of her still manner in the moving bodies of people, but the way she stared.

But of course, she didn't realise that. She was too intent on the interaction the two were having, focussing on the language, the mannerisms, the smiles on their faces. She felt a twinge of unhappiness deep down, not fully registering it. Something about the excitement and friendliness the younger looking lad showed to the elder one made her think about her own loneliness. Something which she pushed aside, not wanting to think about it on such a nice day as this. Save wallowing for some other time, Karin.

So with a smile, the girl sat down on a step, her chin in her hand, her pale hair glinting in the sun, and her feet tapping abstractedly. She would enjoy this day, Alvadas and friendless be damned. She would soak up these glorious rays of Syna, dream about the future, and enjoy the interactions of two red-headed friends- from a distance.

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by **Phobius** on September 23rd, 2015, 12:56 am

With a hearty laugh, the man returned the hug and took a few steps back, pulling Phobius—who didn't look as though he planned on letting go of him anytime soon—right along. It was if the young Inarta thought that he'd lose him if he so much as loosened his grip. So he clung to him for a little while longer, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around the man's stomach until he managed to peel himself off of him.

Once a reasonable—albeit short—distance was between them, the man began to speak, and Phobius listened; his name was Shadyn, and he was indeed a newcomer to the City of Illusions, having been brought by someone named "Xarrt." Curious, the boy opened his mouth, wanting to ask if they were a friend of his, but held his tongue when the man gestured to something off to his side. Amber eyes eagerly followed the movement, only to widen when they spotted who it was he had meant; Xarrt was actually a Wind Eagle.

Phobius gaped at it, his mouth curving to form a near-perfect "o" shape. He had only seen a handful of Wind Eagles, back home, and had never been this close to one, before. Unable to help himself, he took a few steps toward the feathered creature and then stopped; unless he was wrong, Wind Eagles didn't tend to like people that weren't their riders, and he didn't want to make it nervous or uncomfortable.

"He's so...big," the boy said, still staring at him. Or her. He wasn't really sure how to tell.

When Shadyn spoke, again, Phobius found that he was only half-hearing him, a majority of his focus now on the man's winged companion, but he turned his head at the mention of a "friendship." They'd only known each other for a chime or two; did he really consider him a friend, already?

Gradually, the cheerful smile returned to the boy's face. "Nope, I don't mind. You can call me whatever you want," he said, meaning it. Then the rest of the older Inarta's words settled into his mind, and he titled his head a little. "What do you mean by 'plans'...?"

It was an honest question, and Phobius wanted an answer, but he turned away from the man after a moment, unable to get rid of the feeling that someone was nearby, watching them. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a young blonde woman who was sitting a few feet away, something akin to a dreamy look on her face.

The boy blinked at her, then smiled. "Hi!" he called, reverting back to Common and waving at her with one of his arms.

by **Shadyn** on September 23rd, 2015, 10:40 pm

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Shadyn was about to answer the young man and explain a bit more about his hopes for a trading business, and how he needed someone trustworthy to get the word out. He did indeed expect to become friends with Phobius. Pho seemed like a generally likeable and kind person, and even besides that, Shadyn had long since determined that anyone whom he let into his life was only going to be a friend.

Before he could answer, however, the boy had began to show an interest in Xarrt, who responded in his usually proud way by standing taller, puffing out his chest, and making the feathers of his neck and head ruffled. Shadyn prepared to volunteer a bit more information about Xarrt, but before he could to that, the boy shifted his attention to a young woman who was staring at them. Shadyn was, by now, used to being stared at by strangers, since Inarta Endals were not exactly a common nor subtle sight by any means.

She was reasonably attractive, though clearly a hard worker. Judging from her garb and overall appearance, he suspected that she worked at the docks. He had made several trips to the fishing villages dotting the coast of Thunder Bay, and all of the women there had possessed something of the same look, although this young lady clearly benefitted from the much more hospitable climate of Alvadas. He smiled politely and walked up to her, addressing her in common.

"It seems that you have caught the interest of my new little friend here. My name is Shadyn (Xarrt)...this young man is Phobius. Is there...any way that I can assist you, or perhaps satisfy any curiosity on your part?"

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by **Karin** on September 24th, 2015, 12:48 pm

Oh gods, they noticed me watchi− "Hullo". The first words out of Karin's mouth were a simple greeting, a small stutter betraying the slight anxiety she felt at being noticed by the people she had only recently been staring at in a slightly stalkerish manner. She raised a hand to wave back at the lad, but the elder red-haired man had noticed too, and they were both approaching her, the older one introducing the both of them.

Her brain was skittering around like a fish in a net; she hadn't prepared herself to talk to strangers yet today, so her tongue felt heavy in her mouth as she introduced herself, "I'm... Karin. Hello Phobius, Shadyn." She felt herself stumbling over the pronunciation of Shadyn's name, and promised to herself she would remember it.

Feeling that she should probably account for herself in some way, she blurted out, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude and stare at you, it's just... the eagle! And your hair, I apologise. Assistance, I don't know, but well... where are you from?" She was babbling. She bit down on her lip to stop herself, and decided that she probably looked a bit stupid, still sitting down on the steps, so she stood, so that the three of them were in a loose, informal circle.

Her face had lost its dream-like quality, shifting instead to a look of confusion and a slight hint of nerves showing in the lowering of her brow and the tense profile of her jaw. Karin, there's entirely no need to be like this. Just... relax. She didn't mean to shut herself off, but she had a hard time accepting strangers, at least until she knew them a little better. It wasn't because she didn't trust them, it was more to do with her lack of comfort in social situations.

But, despite that, she tried to reserve judgement. The younger one seemed friendly enough, and the older one seemed friendly too, but... Well, she'd presumably find out more of his character, the both of their characters, in the future. She was lost in her musings for a few, brief moments, until she realised that she had another question that had been bugging her.

She posed it to the two in general, not entirely sure who to address, despite being primarily addressed by the older one- Shadyn, she reminded herself. "What language were you speaking? I've never heard any tongue like that." And with that, she stood awkwardly waiting for the answer, or perhaps an outing out of this (what she thought) embarrassing social situation.

by **Phobius** on September 26th, 2015, 12:08 am

Looking a bit stunned, the woman tentatively raised a hand and waved back. Then Shadyn walked over to her, and Phobius didn't hesitate to follow, placing himself beside the older, taller Inarta as he began to speak, his face brightening at the mention of his own name. He would have just as quickly introduced himself—as he'd learned to do whenever he met someone new, which was often—but someone else doing it made him feel...well, special, really.

The woman then said hers before repeating theirs, as if to test how they felt on her tongue, and Phobius tucked it away in a little spot in his head, wanting to be sure that he remembered it—Karin, Karin, Karin.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude and stare at you, it's just... the eagle! And your hair, I apologise. Assistance, I don't know, but well... where are you from?"

Rude...? The boy tilted his head at her, his smile fading the slightest bit. She hadn't been rude at all. Sure, some people didn't like being stared at because it made them feel uncomfortable, but he hadn't been bothered by it, and neither had Shadyn, as far as he could tell. So there was no real reason for her to feel sorry.

Her interest in the older Inarta's feathered friend and their hair was funny, though; outside of Wind Reach, it was hard to find a Wind Eagle and their red-headed riders, especially with how much the Inarta seemed to enjoy keeping to themselves, lately. The boy had been shocked to see another one of his kin, but probably not as much as Karin had.

"It's okay; I stare at things when I like them, too," Phobius said, still smiling his cheerful little smile. "And Shadyn's from Wind Reach! I am, too, but I don't live there, anymore. There's lots of eagles, there, and everyone's got hair that's really red. But it can be other colors, too."

He then glanced over at his new friend, wondering if he had anything that he would add in before the blonde-haired woman asked what language they had been speaking, prompting him to shift his attention back to her. "Nari!" the boy replied, more than happy to answer.

by **Shadyn** on September 26th, 2015, 1:55 am

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Shadyn could tell that they the young woman was clearly not intending to converse with them...but he decided to overlook that. It being an Inarta meant anything, it meant that any and every stranger was a friend until they gave you reason to think otherwise. He waited until Phobius was finished answering her questions, then decided to pose a question.

"Normally I would be asleep right now, to be quite honest. Either that, or hunting for food, since I travel at night. How would you like to...say, lead me to the nearest place to get some good food? I'll pay. I have a feeling that navigating in this city is something that should either be done from the air, or by a local, so the exact location is up to you. Both of you are invited to stay for the meal, by the way. I can answer your questions there, and then ask any of my own, and Xarrt -- that is my Wind Eagle's name -- can rest outside or on the roof."

He was certain that the Inarta boy would accept, but Karin was another matter. She was shy...or at least reserved. He caught himself on the verge of smiling, but stopped in case it would come across wrong. If she had wanted to spend the day alone, she should never had focused on two Inarta, of all the people..., he thought to himself. He sighed and ran a hair through his ruby-black hair, then looked back at her waiting for an answer.

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by **Karin** on September 26th, 2015, 10:31 am

Oh! Phobius was nice, she thought to herself. Shadyn, too. She felt at ease by their friendly manner, and she soon put the fact that she'd been staring at them to the back of her mind, saving that private embarrassment for another time. "Wind Reach, huh?"

She didn't know much about places other than Alvadas, and she felt a little like a country bumpkin for a little bit, before realising something as Shadyn asked for directions for somewhere to eat, that she was in fact knowledgeable to some extent when it came to Alvadas.

Nari, Wind Reach, eagles, red hair... So many new things! The girl pondered a little, thinking of the best place to go. "Well... Welcome to Alvadas. As for food, there are a few options available. I believe the Cubacious Inn serves food. We could go there?" Karin was hesitant, mostly because she didn't often eat out, as it were. But she was fairly confident that the Cubacious Inn would serve the traveller well.

"If you'd like a tip for travelling through Alvadas. I find that... visualising where you want to go, and then letting Ionu guide you is, most of the time, an effective way of getting around." She laughed slightly under her breath. "But I'm sure you'll figure out your own way of getting around whilst you're here." With that, she took a step away from Shadyn and Phobius, throwing back a questioning glance as if to say, 'Follow me?'

In her mind she imagined the square, pastel buildings of the Inn, getting them fixed in her imagination. She hadn't taken but two steps forward before she turned back again, suddenly realising something. "Phobius, have I seen you somewhere before?" She narrowed her eyes in concentration, because there was something about the Inn, and Phobius' red hair, that seemed to click together. She just wasn't sure what...

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