Closed Snow, the Gift that Keeps on Giving!

Ayszel and Saej meet over some hard work and pipe smoking

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The Diamond of Kalea is located on Kalea's extreme west coast and called as such because its completely made of a crystalline substance called Skyglass. Home of the Alvina of the Stars, cultural mecca of knowledge seekers, and rife with Ethaefal, this remote city shimmers with its own unique light.

Snow, the Gift that Keeps on Giving!

Postby Saej on December 3rd, 2015, 8:59 pm

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¤ Winter 28 515AV ¤


Snow, snow, and more terrible, awful, fluff from the heavens. Recently it never seemed to let up. Due to these depressing turn of events Saej had bought, early this morning,a pair of dyed cotton trousers. (-1.5 Kina) This morning’s visit to the market was pleasant and in stark contrast to where she was now. Just as she arrived home she found herself practically unable to make it back up the hill to Sharai peak, the snow was sticking so densely. Not as bad as previously, in earlier days it had been completely impossible to travel either off of or to the peak due to the amount of snow falling. The only thing Miss Solla had Saej doing today, against Saej’s better wishes, was digging out people’s walkways. Saej would daresay they needed it, but she didn’t want to be the one to have to do it.

This was the second to last of the lot and also happened to be one of the worst as well. The old man inside was a recluse and so he never bothered to shovel his own path and left that up to the groundskeepers. The snow was piled unhumanly high, nearly knee-deep, and the man was likely trapped insidef for god’s know how long. Silently, as she neared the small house, she hoped the man was counting his blessings. She stood outside of the house for a few moments, mentally preparing herself for the work. The bitter wind made her cloak stick sling to her body and she raised her face to the sky, it was completely overcast and gray. It was probably going to snow soon again. ‘Oh great.’
Finally she began her arduous task of unearthing his doorstep from the snow. After all this work she could say, at least, her new trousers had proven their mettle against the cold and were keeping her rather warm, warmer than she would be without them in this weather. She mentally kicked herself in the arse for not buying them sooner.

At twenty chimes in she was only a fourth of the way finished with the work. This house had proven to be the hardest one yet, with each shovel she felt her spirit deflating. All she wanted was to have her partially frozen feet propped up against the fire and to be smoking from her pipe.
She was dying for some tobacco and took a moment to catch her breath, leaning up against the shovel and hoping for a miracle. The only miracle that came was the snow started assaulting her in droves. It seemed like this was never going to end. Heaving a sigh she stuck the shovel back in the ground and got to work, cursing the skies out loud, “To petching home with ya!”



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Snow, the gift that keeps on giving!

Postby Ayszel on December 4th, 2015, 9:58 pm

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Ayszel was trudging home from work through the loathsome snow. It covered the tops of her bound boots, and as she neared the outskirts of Lhavit into the Sharai mountain she was soon shin and then knee deep in the cold. Her thick dress was covered with the classic brown winter coat of the Lhavitian people and her long thick socks and boots kept her legs fairly dry. But despite her human form, whether it was physiological or psychological, she ached from the cold. Ayszel could imagine Keesha’s curled up form before the withering fireplace that would just be beginning to die. She’ll just be starting to get uncomfortable with the diminishing warmth now, glaring at the door for me to come home. Perhaps beginning to scratch at it when I’m just outside of it, but as soon as I light it again she’ll want nothing to do with me and everything to do with the fire.

Ayszels back was exposed, forced to by the sharp shards of translucent stone forming out of her shoulderblade that made clothes so ill fitting. While her hand was kept warm by the long elbow length gloves the snow stung wherever it touched her bare skin.

As she entered the Okomo Estates and walked along what was previously a stone pathway into the Villa she passed Solla’s hut, carefully shoveled out. The pathway was uneven and awkward to tread and she was grateful to be so close to home. However, as she was about the make the left hand turn to her cottage she saw a slight toothpick of a girl trying to heave piles of snow, practically as large as herself, out of the way. She almost turned away, ignoring the woman who so evidently needed her help, but something stalled her footsteps.

I wouldn’t even think of leaving a dhani that needed help alone….while they are only a part of us, a mere shadow of a dhani and will always be inferior, they are part of my new community…my new world. Ayszel thought to herself remembering the beginning of the season and her time at the Red Lantern. Turning within herself Ayszel gazed at the pool of golden res that immediately opened before her; she had finally been able to accept this new human form as a part of her identity. The presence of the golden res warmed her slightly before she slipped back into the reality of the snow and sleet.

After much hesitation Ayszel finally turned away from home, and the likely unhappy Keesha, and toward the pick of the girl. Her feet sank into the light hardly trodden snow of the elderly occupant’s pathway. “Hey,” she called out as the wind sped up and a gust of snow was swept down and up her dress making her gasp and shiver.

“Think you could use help…a hand…right, so to speak?” she asked, tripping over the common her tongue slipping over the letters like they were coated in molasses. Without waiting for a reply she grabbed the extra shovel lying against a mound of snow and began throwing snow forward and out of the way. Her broad shoulders swelled and shrank with each heave.
Last edited by Ayszel on December 8th, 2015, 6:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Snow, the Gift that Keeps on Giving!

Postby Saej on December 5th, 2015, 12:19 am

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‘This is why I stayed INSIDE Skyinarta during the winter. Why does this shyke even exist!?’ Saej shoveled half-heartedly, leaving the snow in ragged piles where her shovel had just been. Everything was so uneven. Anyone walking could see that she started off strong but towards just these past three houses she was beginning to give up and left the walkway in an extremely uneven state.The snow was so high she had many digs into its depths before she even hit the ground making this work take her ages, her arms burned from the exertion. She was made for art, not labor. Her face was pinched, if looks could kill surely the snow would melt beneath the Inarta’s piercing gaze. ‘I swear, I’ll quit’,
“I’ll quit”, the Inarta mumbled heaving from the strenuous work, continuing the thought in her head, ‘if she has me doing this shyke next year; I swear to Zintila I will.’ In all honesty the snow coupled by her new work in the snow was enough to make her want to just up and leave next time an Endal came to the city. But, she couldn’t leave Thak behind and the ride on the bird would be too much for him. Not to mention the city was beautiful, especially in fall which, now that she thought of it, was almost like the calm before the storm. She had been in the city for a year now but this was the first time she had REALLY been out in the snow, tending to shuffle from one indoor place to the next indoor place in earlier years; never giving the snow long enough to really bother her other than just with its presence. ‘Not just the fall, either. Yarr, I could never leave the glass this city has. Mark my words, dammit, I will have a gnosis mark by Zintila herself before I leave this city.’ Still the shoveling went on and despite only prolonging her time outdoors she was resting after nearly every dumped out shovel full of snow. There were no regrets to the shoddy work, surely the onslaught of snow that fell would be enough to cover her handiwork by morning.

She had carved out a small portion into the quarter of the way mark and promptly stabbed her shovel into the snow, wrapping her slender artisan hands around the pole and resting her head on her arms, staring out to the road behind her. A rather, well, giant of a woman was making her way through the snow. She seemed as happy as Saej to be out in the cold. Saej sent a small prayer to Zintila begging her to have this woman help her, she met her eyes for a moment silently pleading, but it seemed all hope was lost as the woman looked away from Saej as soon as their eyes met. The woman’s “hey” was lost to the wind. She sighed and took the shovel from the snow, it released from the depths with a slight “SHUCK” noise. Just as she was about to begin shovelling a shadow darkened the snow where Saej was about to put her shovel. “What-- OH!” She laughed as the woman gripped the backup shovel Saej had brought in case her own proved faulty. She spread her arms out wide in greeting to the excotic looking woman. “Thank the star’s you’re here. Oh my petching God’s”, She both praised and cursed the heavens in the same breath, it seemed Zintila heard her plea. The woman’s poor turn of phrase went over Saej’s head, she was too thankful and caught up in her own fortune to notice. “Thank you so much, this is awful. Ye can start--” The woman didn’t wait for Saej’s words and began shovelling all on her own. ‘Aye, that’s nice.’ Saej thought with a smile, at least she was competent, ‘And if her size is any testament to her strength hopefully this will be done in a HOT minute.’ She chirped a chuckled to herself. Saej didn’t speak another word until they were halfway through with the walkway, which was accomplished in a mere 7 chimes, once again she struck the shovel into an upright position in the snow and leaned heavily on it. For the third time she thanked the woman.
“I’m so glad you showed up,” She stuck her hand out for the woman to grab and shake.
“My name’s Saej, I’m supposed to be a gardener here but well, this is a poor season for a gardener’s work.” She thumbed to the snow beside her, “I’ve gotten stuck doing this. Aye, do ye live here?” She wondered out loud the last bit, musing to herself that she’d never seen her around the Estates before now.
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Snow, the gift that keeps on giving!

Postby Ayszel on December 8th, 2015, 7:28 pm

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The snow was surprisingly heavy and after only a bell Ayszels arms and back began to ache. Her neighbour had had an incredibly beautiful garden, something she had noted when she had first moved in and gazed at covetously every time she passed it on her way to work. I wonder why he wouldn’t care for his lot as carefully in the winter as the summer… she pondered. Though he had looked quite elderly it held no importance or significance to Ayszel who had grown up in a nest filled with elderly dhani who showed no signs of slowing down or incompetence. Perhaps he is hurt in there… She started to worry, her protectiveness and feelings of loyalty slowly being displaced onto the people of the Okomo Villa despite herself.

Though she had promised the three golden goddesses she would never use her magic to serve another city, none of her strength to serve another city, and none of her loyalty, her sense of self demanded it. Despite the belief that Dhani were a vicious uncaring lot she could attest to their sensitivity and tremendous loyalty. While she could not overcome the bias of her childhood, the belief that humans and all things were inferior to Dhani, she had accepted that those that were inferior, like the animals of the earth, deserved their protection all the more. They were creatures, as prone to weakness as any other be it; rabbit, bear, or bat. And so she dug with renewed vigour toward the door that may contain the trapped frightened body of an elderly human man.

Unlike Saej, Ayszel was made for labour. Every muscle in her body was tightened and toned over years of breeding to be fit and ready. The Dhani lived off their muscle more than anything else, not their minds or creative talents. The only fortunate part of this whole mess is no one has been treading on it, packing down the snow. Ayszel cursed Morwen. She had learned about the wintery goddess from the locals and since then had been cursing her for her wickedness. The dhani hated the cold, hated the snow, and hated the ice. Everything about getting to work and back made her miserable. In that vein, she attacked the snow with the sharpened end of the shovel with a fury.

Ayszel was happy to take a break when the stick woman signaled it by sticking her shovel into the snow. Leaning against the top of her own Ayszel stopped to catch a breath. “I’m so glad you showed up.” She thanked, offering a hand. Ayszel stared at the hand uncomprehending, Is this a new hello? Is she foreign? Everyone here has bowed to each other. What am I supposed to do with a hand? Ayszel bowed slightly instead to the woman, leaving the hand untouched.

She looked Lhavitian, excepting the bright red hair, it was in the traditional tangles and dreadlocks that Lhavitians seemed to favour and besotted with an assortment of beads and crafts. Her eyes were as warm and pale as her skin, though Ayszel assumed the latter was leached of colour by the cold as even her own deep myrian-like skin was somewhat paler because of the penetrating cold. I wonder where she’s come from…to look so Lhavitian and yet know fewer of the customs than even I do…

“My name’s Saej. I’m supposed to be a gardener here but well, this is a poor season for a gardener’s work. I’ve gotten stuck doing this. Aye, do ye live here?” She inquired, warming the air before her with her words. A billow of steam spread outward from her lips like the curling fingers of the smoke from a pipe.

“My name is Litka, Litka of the Blooded Fangs,” Ayszel offered in return, the name still sounded funny on her lips. To speak a name that still haunted her dreams as fondly as she spoke her Dhani name. But since that night at the Red Lantern she had united her sense of self with this new form and this new name. While she still felt at moments as if she were stuck in a body that was too small and limited for who she really was, a tender glancing touch of the gold res in her center quickly reminded her.

“Oh? Well this is certainly not the right season for your kind, though I must say you and your own have down a wonderful job with the sundial square. What a beautiful way to landscape when there are no flowers or trees to use. Do you plan on doing anything like that here in the Estates?” Ayszel inquired politely, hoping she was getting better at the polite small talk that seemed to infuse itself into every part of Lhavitian culture.

“I do, I came here mid-autumn of this year. So I haven’t yet seen what you gardeners can manifest in the more bountiful seasons. I look forward to it though.” She smiled genuinely, “Sollas home was already astonishing in the fall, I can only imagine what she does with the greener seasons.”

As they moved back to their work silence descended upon the two again, with only the shush shush shink of the blades cutting through snow to disrupt them. Though cold, Ayszel began to appreciate the monochromatic stillness of the evening and when finally the door lay bare of snow and Ayszel leaned back against it heaving it open with monstrous effort she was almost sad to slip out of the funnel that was the outdoors and step into the luminous and brightly clothed furnishings of the interior.

“What are you kids doing?! Tramping that awful stuff in! Close the door would you!” The elderly man scolded. He sat perfectly plump and content upon a clothed rocking chair with a cup of tea at his side and an orange tom stretched happily upon his lap caught in dreams of mice and summer.

“He could be a little more appreciative couldn’t he…” Ayszel whispered to Saej, chuckling to herself. She found the permanently grumpiness of the neighbour delightfully charming and a nice change from the perkiness of many of the other Estate occupants. Knocking off her boots and, with considerable effort, closing the door Ayszel removed her coat and boots. Her crimson dress was open in the back and bound by a golden rope at her side to hold it closed and from her wrists and arms dangled a jingling chaos of copper jewelry.

“I suppose you’d like some tea, and maybe a cigar, after all your trouble,” He moaned, making no gesture to rise from his plump bottom.

“I think that would do us just fine Mr. Durk,” Ayszel accepted, “Let me get it for you,” She picked up the tea pot at his side and ushered herself into the kitchen where a stove was awaiting her attentions.

“Why don’t you have a seat pipsqueak,” He gestured to the lounge chair on his right, near enough to the fire to thaw any frozen toes or fingers. The tom peeked open his eyes to watch the girls move about his territory before leaping off to join Ayszel in the kitchen. Ayszel gazed down at the warm golden eyes and felt desire and hunger wash over her.

“Is it okay if I give him some milk Mr.Durk?” Ayszel asked, already fetching a bowl and heating the milk beside the water on the stove before her could answer.

“Oh, you spoil him rotten you do Litka. No wonder he adores you so,” He acquiesced, chuckling for the first time since they had entered and belaying his good natured humour. Turning toward the Inartan, his milky white eyes met hers. “Thank you for digging me out miss, it’s very hard to fetch my groceries in seasons like this.”

“Oh don’t go making her feel guilty Mr.Durk,” Ayszel scolded, “We both know Solla would never let you fetch your groceries alone. I imagine she sent Saej here to dig you out so she could deliver another weeks worth of food herself you pampered fool,” Ayszel replied as she walked back into the room with three cups of tea and a very affectionate tom at her heels.

OOCHey, I moved the story along so we could avoid polite chit chat :) I hope that's okay. If I skipped too far ahead or assumed too much about what you would do just let me know and I'll fix my post.

Last edited by Ayszel on December 19th, 2015, 3:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Snow, the Gift that Keeps on Giving!

Postby Saej on December 10th, 2015, 7:55 pm

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OOCNo way! That’s totally fine. I’m glad you did honestly, small talk is rather difficult, and gross, in RP’s. You’re a great writer! I hope I’m up to snuff.

She didn’t accept the hand, but instead bowed. A movement that placed her heights almost to Saej’s head. The shorter woman thought the movement a bit odd, although Lhavit’s custom was to bow she prefered to shake hands, finding the touch to be more meaningful with gauging a person’s openness by how gently or firm they squeezed the hand, but thought perhaps she didn’t want to touch a sweaty hand and wiped her own on her pant’s leg. When the other woman introduced herself. Litka of the Bloodied Fangs, her name was strange, and mildly intimidating, to Saej. Certainly foreign.

The woman was large, rightly so, but still feminine in stature, not burly. Saej took in Litka’s form with a happy demeanor. Zintila was most definitely listening, sending someone so fit for work to help. What struck Saej the most though, was her face. Her face was the most foreign thing about her, very round, with almost catlike features. They gave the impression to Saej of someone who was used to being beautiful but also someone who knew their worth. From her pinched expression it would seem she disliked the cold nearly, NEARLY, as much as Saej. ‘Perhaps she’s also from the desert, like the merchant Talom. No.. I don’t know. Her face is much different from him and her skin is so pale… Hmm..’
“Oh? Well this is certainly not the right season for your kind, though I must say you and your own have down a wonderful job with the sundial square. What a beautiful way to landscape when there are no flowers or trees to use. Do you plan on doing anything like that here in the Estates?”
Still swept up in thoughts of the desert she didn’t know, at first, what she meant by “your kind”, and the phrasing added to the fact pointing that she’s foreign. It only took a moment for Saej to reclaim herself, deciding she meant a gardener, and she replied. “Oh Zintilla, are you kidding me? I’M certainly not doing anything more than what I have to. I can’t stand this blasted stuff. I’m a gardener by trade and at heart and not only that I belong in the heart of the mountains, too, ye ken? Where it’s warm.”

Saej was happy to know that she lived around here and Saej held back prodding her with questions of her origins. She’d been here for a year, doing little more than getting by, monetarily, and socializing with a cat; it was time she made her way meeting new people and forging friendships. Most of the people she was friends with were little more than acquaintances, not really someone she knew well but merely knew of. Perhaps this woman, being that they lived in the same housing estate, would want to see more of her? She seemed rather interesting, someone worth knowing, and was relatively new to the city as she said she’d only been here since fall. Saej said nothing to the woman’s observation and small peek of information into her personal life, she merely grunted as the last of the snow was being dutifully shoveled out of the way. Her back ached from the physical labor and she looked to the final house with a grimace. Just as she returned her face back to the work to be done Litka was muscling her way into the door and a mound of snow fell in with her. Saej laughed at the sight, thinking the way the woman held herself was silly within its awkwardness.

“What are you kids doing?! Tramping that awful stuff in! Close the door would you!”
The crass words snapped Saej back to reality and she gripped the shovel as if she were going to bop him with it. Fortunately the man was well inside, nestled with a cat similar in fluff to Thak, and Saej resumed laughing as Litka snickered her word’s into Saej’s ear.
“Aye”, she giggled back and piled inside after the woman.

With her shovel she took care of the rest of the snow as Litka made herself at home. The walkway was carved out nicely, the snow piling on both sides in heaps and mounds. She was glad for the woman’s house and shook off her own boots before closing the door, still giggling at the awkward way Litka held herself, she found it endearing. ‘If I were so big I would lumber too, I bet.’ She thought to herself as the old man and Litka had their conversation. Despite first glance, and the reclusive nature, the old man seemed to be a At the prospects of a cigar, though her ears perked and she sat down as she was bid when the old man called her pipsqueak, it would be nice to have a smoke, warm up, before getting back to work on the snow.
“I’m a pipsqueak, that’s for sure. No doubt, I say. Ye would’ve been in here for another bell if not for Litka’s help!”
The man laughed and patted the arm of his chair out of the joy of it. He passed her the unlit cigar and she got up and knelt next to the fire, not minding how close she was as she stuck the cigar in the flames and puffed.
“HOY! You might want to keep your face away from that, it’s been blazing all day.” Mr. Durk, as he was called, warned.
“Oh no, it’s fine.” She waved him away with an arm and brought her face away, the cigar lit and smoking. “We do this all the time back at home. I like the heat.” With the word “heat” she shrugged her shoulders and tugged on her cloak, mentioning the fact she hadn’t taken it off.
“Well, it works. You’ve lit it all the same.” He said, turning his milky eyes on her warily.
“Litka”, Saej turned to look at her while taking a last puff before passing the cigar to Mr. Durk, “You said you’ve been here since Fall. Where do you come from? Bloodied Fangs is a very interesting surname.” She wanted to prod more but didn’t want to seem rude. Mr. Durk took two cursory puffs and held the cigar out to Litka.
“This goes to you, Miss Thing!” They definitely knew each other by the way they addressed each other and the way she was quick to help him out with his cat. Funny how she hadn’t seen her until now, being that they lived in the Okomo Estates with each other. Saej was outside nearly every day. But the incredulity passed and she watched as Litka got milk ready for the cat.

Saej was holding back, taking in Litka for what she was. And what she was was rather grand. She was impressed by all of the bangles and the extravagant red dress Litka was wearing.
“Are those real gold?” She allowed herself to ask, motioning to her own unjeweled arm. “They’re very pretty. And I really like your dress.” She found Litka to be beautiful, in an un-lesbian way. It was always interesting living in this melting pot of a city, the types of people it called on where almost like living in a masquerade. Very different from seeing the same, red haired freckled faces of the Inarta of her home. She loved it. It may have been one of her favorite things about the city.
“Yarr, I come from Wind Reach, we lived inside the hollowed city of a volcano. I can’t stand this snow.” She was glad to be warming up inside this man’s house.
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Snow, the gift that keeps on giving!

Postby Ayszel on December 19th, 2015, 4:21 am

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OOCAw that's so sweet of you to say! I really enjoyed your post as well. :) I am very much enjoying threading with you. You take the time to respond to all I have posted AND advance the thread as well. I really appreciate that. I hope you like this post.

“Oh Zintila, are you kidding me? I’M certainly not doing anything more than what I have to. I can’t stand this blasted stuff.” She replied, her cadence distinctly unlhavitian, though Ayszel held such little knowledge of other cultures she could only identify the woman as “other” and couldn’t fathom where the girl was from. While her striking red hair resembled the Inartans she had briefly met much earlier that season they were twisted into the typical and casual dreads of traditional Lhavitians and so the unusually bright and vibrant hair triggered no cascade of memories from that earlier time, leaving Ayszel entirely in the dark.

“Zintila?” She queried, not understanding the reference to the Lhavitian goddess and thinking it a foreign word she had not yet learned. Not doing anymore than I have to? The thought made Ayszels nose wrinkle in distaste, Where is her sense of loyalty and respect for Lhavit?! The people here; Ben, this woman, and so many others I have met already have no respect for their city or their people. They work hard only for themselves and service appears to be completely beyond them. I swore to never serve another city and to serve only my patron goddesses, I am marked so by the gashes on my ribs, a reminder, and yet I do more service for this city than even its denizens. Perhaps this is a result of the corruption I have heard so much talk about…perhaps this has spoiled the people’s faith in the city and in each other…it’s pathetic. The matriarchs and queens were right…these humans are fickle, untrustworthy, insubordinate beings. No wonder we are so much greater than they.

“I’m a gardener by trade and at heart and not only that I belong in the heart of the mountains, too, ye ken? Where it’s warm.” She continued, unaware of Ayszels growing disdain. “Ah, I agree with warmth. I too am a lover of Syna’s gift. But not of the mountains…their barrenness and foreignness is still raw on my personage…I prefer the cuddle of greenery to the cold stateliness of the mountains.” She echoed, the natural poetry of her being slipping through into the common as she became more familiar with the language.

_______________________


The womans giggle sounded eerily like the chickadee’s that trotted and tittered on the bare lengths of the deciduous trees about lhavit and picked at the seeds Ayszel threw out to the critters on her way home from work each night when she passed the springwater square and took a quiet moment to herself, a moment where she needn’t think and could simply laugh at the amusing antics animals were wont to do.

The two seemed to be getting along just fine while Ayszel stoked the brimming fire within the square chambered belly of the stove that helped heat the abode. Placing the warmed milk on top of the table the tom leaped up to lap happily, his jaws soaked with the thick white liquid, giving him an amusing moustache and beard.

Ayszel watched the cat for several ticks before taking the cigar and lifting it to her lips. Mr. Durks was the only place she smoked. Though she had done so from time to time in Zinrah, cigars were a human commodity rarely seen or found and so as she inhaled, her deep lungs drawing the warm fragrant herbs into her chest, her throat clenched slightly making her cough and betraying her novice chest.

“You’d think big strong lungs like yours would be able to take a little abuse,” He teased as Ayszel took her seat, creating a semi circle around the fireplace and handing off the thick smoking cylinder back to Saej.

“Mm,” was all Ayszel replied to Saej at first as she caught her breath, “From the jungle. It is not so much a….surname? You call it?...it is my clan. We are many families in one.” She tried to explain, the concept very foreign to the single generation households Lhavit possessed. “But, I truly am belonging to Caiyha now,” She explained, demonstrating the gnosis with a gentle shrug of her right arm. That should be sufficiently distracting… While she preferred not to share much about herself, for fear of discovery, she found that sharing this tidbit distracted people from her past with the desire to hear and know about Caiyha and her gnosis, which in the name of her goddess was the one detail about herself she felt free to discuss. To proclaim and sing praise to her goddess was something she never balked at.

Though Litka had never been particularly adorned or esteemed in Zinrah, being such a young dhani as she was and only newly a full fledged adult, she enjoyed the respect she commandeered among the people of Lhavit simply by being large and imposing, foreign and grandly dressed. And so, once she had begun the process of shopping she had slipped into the vision of an elegant, stately and wealthy woman as easily as she did into snake skin, an inaccurate reflection of her true limited wealth as a researcher’s assistant.
“Are those real gold? They’re very pretty. And I really like your dress.” Saej complimented, making Ayszel smile proudly. Her hubris was certainly her weakness and the compliments made her flounce and preen slightly under the attention.

“Thank you Saej,” She murmured, the ‘s’ slithered over her tongue easily, “They are not, they are copper. I like the burnished colour they have as opposed to gold,” She excused, not wanting to admit her limited finances, she would most certainly have preferred them to be gold. “I have a fondness for the warm colours of yellow and oranges, and the brighter tints your seamstresses and dyers seem to be able to recreate,” She complimented, while Lhavitian seemed to not respect each other and their city by Ayszels estimation, they responded just as Lhavit would to compliments of their city, pride and a bursting chest. She pet the bangles and rope at her waist affectionately, “This however, is gold,” She took the clip that pulled her hair back out of her face, letting the soft black curls fall about her round face and handed it to Saej.

It was a tube that locked in place by two swiveling notches, it was dulled slightly by the patterning and swiveling burnishing of the gold so that it didn’t glow with the same illumination a smooth golden piece would have. Carved upon its surface were the images of several Lhavitian plants and a recreation of the disrupted soil layers that had accompanied the Zintia landslide last season. “It’s in honour of those plants and animals whose homes were destroyed in the slide last season,” Ayszel explained. From the piece dangled several short chains of copper onto which small statues of animals carved in bone dangled; salamanders, snakes, spiders, centipedes, and other animals.

The compliments and attention from the little red haired began to endear her to Ayszel, despite the inferiority and disdain she had felt earlier for the little thing. Like a little newborn kitten or calf Ayszel glanced at her face while she looked at the jewelry with the same amused condescension she held for all lesser beings, but with the same respect she granted all life.

Wind Reach? Ayszel finally recalled, the red head from earlier in the season, the two rude foreigners who had flown in on the giant eagles to stay in Lhavit. Well, she’s certainly more dignified than they, but it certainly explains her selfishness. They were perhaps the most selfish of all humans I have thus far met besides Kystrel.
“Volcano?” Ayszel asked, tilting her head, a lack of comprehension freely displaced on her round cheeks and thick lips.

“Litka, Litka,” Mr. Durk scolded, as he inhaled deeply from the cigarette and passed it to Ayszel who listened as she sucked in the warm heady smoke with more delight the second time. The tom crawled into her lap and promptly fell asleep as Ayszels fingers combed through his hair passively.

“A volcano is a giant mountain filled with liquid stone and fire. It is home to Ivak, the god of the Inartans. Do correct me if I speak wrongly little miss, it has been a long time since I’ve been outside Lhavit.” He explained.

Ayszels eyes widened as he explained her memory rushing back to her first few days in Lhavit when Ben had recreated the beginning of the world, recreated Semele in the form of lava itself, something Ayszel was only now beginning to learn to do. [i]An entire mountain of it…Ivak and Semele must have worked together to create the world like that…a lovers dance or quarrel perhaps?
she wondered, the story endearing itself to her poetically inclined mind.

“Tell me more about this…volcano…this must certainly be very cold! How do you live near such danger and heat? Have you been born on the wings of those eagles from earlier this season?” She asked, careful not to rush as she asked, and took a sip of her tea, not wanting to seem overly eager but merely delighted and intrigued.


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Snow, the Gift that Keeps on Giving!

Postby Saej on January 12th, 2016, 11:11 pm

¤


The cat made Saej laugh, he was eerily similar to Thak with his fluffiness. She thought to herself ‘it would be nice to be able to buy him some milk to drink, once in awhile.' Her poorness was gettign to her, she hated it. But as she smoked she pushed the thoughts aside, leaving them to brood about another day and focused on her company at hand. Inside Mr. Durk’s house the room was beginning to have a sheen of smoke floating at eye level. This was enjoyable. Although they were strangers Saej was having fun with interesting enough company. The old man was certainly quirky and when Litka flashed her gnosis mark Saej couldn’t help but gasp at the sight.
“That’s real?” She asked redundantly. “I’ve never seen one before. Caiyha you said? Wow. How was it earned?” The woman was impressed by the other much so, this woman was obviously from a very different land and Saej wished to know more about her. Truth be told Saej, at one point, wished for a gnosis mark from Zintila.
“I came here hoping to gain Zintila’s favor, in fact. To be able to get her smile on me and use her precious skyglass... “ She trailed off for a moment, “It would be truly a gift.” It had been a long time since Saej thought of skyglass, although she was around it everyday she had all but given up on the dream which led her to these peaks, instead favoring the thought of working for her livelihood. It would take a long time to earn Zintila’s mark ((OOC: not to mention it needs to be fleshed out lol)) but if she could even one day make a simple trinket out of skyglass her life would be complete.

Litka flowed around the room gracefully. She had coughed due to the cigar earlier but while usually this would send Saej in stitches, teasing the cougher, this time she kept her comments to herself out of respect for this foreigner from jungle lands. Even her telling Saej she was from the jungle in and of itself made her imagination go wild with the woman fighting off tigers or lions or something. It was likely she never fought a tiger, but Saej could almost see the woman in a loincloth brandishing a club and whacking a tiger on the head. Or perhaps riding one. The last imagery made her sputter and she coughed as her lungs sharply filled with the smoke that hung around the room.
“That one git ya?” Asked Mr. Durk as he puffed from the cigar.
“Must’ve.” Came Saej’s simple reply making him laugh. A wheezing sound, but not unpleasant.
The cat was finished with his snack and had settled down in his lap for a nap and although he looked asleep a loud purr rumbled from the creature.

The conversation stayed on Litka as she explained her bangles were copper, not gold. ‘Trick of the light’, Saej decided. When she undid her hair and the curls fell around her visage, softly bouncing and waving, then showed Saej her trinket. Saej thought it was dainty and reached out to take it but pulled her hand back, knowing better than to touch other people’s gold. The animals that trailed off of it in little chains made Saej smile, it was cute. It was good someone made this in tribute to the landslide, not often to people take the animal’s, and in Litka’s case even the plant’s, point of view in things.
“Your clip is very nice. Did you buy it or have it specially made? Good of you to keep it, I think more people should honor our animal companions.” Saej had never owned anything made from gold, nor did she really have a desire to. Once again she put out her hand in an effort to touch it but retreated it, chastising herself. She wouldn’t touch it without being offered.

At her question of the volcano she was going to explain it’s the heart of the mountains, a vat of liquid fire which swelled up inside the rock. But Mr. Durk cut her off. The cat got down from his lap and onto Litka’s.
“He’s right, ye said it well. Ye’ve been to Wind Reach?” Saej asked, curious. His milky eyes once again turned their gaze on her as she took the cigar from Litka, puffing and filling her lungs with the hot smoke. She exhaled a large billow, to her it was reminiscent of the smoke that came from the top of her mountain and she internally smiled, missing her home. The young intarta loved speaking about her home.
“I used to travel, back in my younger days. Fancied I’d see the world. Never got that far though.”
“It’s been over a year since I’ve been home. This is the farthest I’ve been in Mizahar, away from Wind Reach I mean.”

“Tell me more about this.. .volcano...this certainly must be cold! How do you live near such danger and heat? Have you been born on the wings of those eagles from earlier this season?”
Despite her holding back the questions hit Saej like a flurry. Grinning at the inquisitive woman she began to answer her questions:
“We live under it, so there’s not any that will get to us. ‘Danger’, as ya ken, is our middle name.”She tipped her a wink, “I know people that would rock climb as high as possible and leap from the whatever ledge just to jump into the Twin Lakes. As to being born on an eagle, I was born in my house-- well where I used to live as a chick. If you’re asking if I’ve ridden on one no, I haven’t. Though my brother flies one, her name is Lucy. His is Hip. He’s a good man as is his bird, well she’s a good bird not a man.” With that she puffed again on the cigar and passed it back to Mr. Durk. It was about a quarter gone at this time.

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