PM to join [Syliras Docks] Suvan Sea Sunset

[Dederick Etheridge]

Squire Dederick Etheridge

Sunset, 43rd Day of Winter, 515 AV

Dederick stepped out onto one of the few wooden piers that extend out toward the Suvan Sea, a sturdy length consisting of dozens of oak planks and beams, worn down by the wind and tide and the many boots that walk them from day to day.

The air was crisp and the wind whispered into the ears of anyone who found themselves out at this hour. Though the noise didn't seem to phase Dederick in the slightest as his attention was set elsewhere. Upon the horizon of the Suvan Sea in the distance of the west, The sun was due to set over the continent of Mizahar and the province of Syliras. Dederick soon found himself at the end of the longest pier, eye's closed he took a few moments to take in the warmth of the sun's radiance as it set before opening his eye's again to gaze at the sunset.

A single golden beam traveled down the center of the sea directly towards Dederick, or at least this is how he saw it. The sky was a mix of blue, pink, orange and purple across the horizon, like a ever changing canvas which stretched across the sky.

It wasn't often that Dederick found himself doing something like this, slowing down to enjoy the wonders of the world. It was in fact more often that Dederick would be studying or doing some manner of physical activity with or without the company of his Knight. In fact this isn't really something Dederick would naturally consider to do in his lack of free time, if anything he'd find the time to head to the Soothing Waters Bath House. But why not mix it up whilst you can. Anything could occur with a simple change of pace.

[Naveena Clematis]

Naveena Clematis

43rd Day of Winter 515 AV

Naveena gazed out across the Suvan Sea as the smells of Syliras faded and the essence of the sea washed over her. Since her arrival to Sylrias, Naveena had found herself missing the scents of salt and foam. And while the caverns of Kalinor could have never prepared her for such vast openness, Naveena had slowly fallen in love with the salty sea. It was at these times, when she was free from a night of performing, that she slinked out to the docks and spent her evenings away from the bustle of the city.

Naveena reached up and removed the purple sash from around her head, letting loose waves cascade in silvery form. Her hair was of starlight and pearl, a hue that spoke of her Symenestran heritage. While Syliras was welcoming of all races, Naveena had learned since her ascent from Kalinor that her people were regarded with distrust and fear. And while a young, slim woman with a dancer's form hardly posed a threat, Naveena often covered her hair to avoid any trouble.

Naveena tied the purple sash around her waist, cinching it around the black tunic over crème-colored pants. In her simplest garb with a face bare of cosmetics, she ambled down the abandoned docks towards a pier farthest from the few people occupying this area at sunset. She let her feet carry down the pier, her lavender eyes flitting across the brilliant sunset and churning waves rather than those around her. It was only when she turned her lilac-colored gaze towards the end of the pier that she noticed a lone figure only a few yards ahead of her.

Naveena came to an abrupt stop, her pale hand touching the area below her collarbone in a startled manner.

Oh! I apologize...I wasn't paying attention to where I was going.

Her voice was a collection of silky tones mixed with slight surprise as she gazed at the individual seated at the edge of the pier, bathed in the hues of the Sylirian sunset.

[Dederick Etheridge]

Squire Dederick Etheridge

Sunset, 43rd Day of Winter, 515 AV

Dederick breathed out a heavy relaxed sigh, he looked left and right along the horizon of the sunset and watched as the sky slowly changed colored the lower it got to vanishing to the other side of the world. Deciding to lower himself down and take a seated position on the end of the pier he kicked his feet over the ledge and let them dangle freely over the side. Arms falling backward to hold himself upright. He closed his eye's and enjoyed the final rays of warmth the sun would deliver before the night settled in.

Dederick noticed the light pitter patter of footsteps behind him. Coming from someone much lighter than itself. It wasn't until the footsteps came to a halt just a few yards to his rear that a light, feminine voice echoed through the air, dancing with the sounds of the waves.

Dederick turned to lazily look over his shoulder before spotting the long slender legs of the feminine being. He took it upon himself to quickly rise up off the ledge and turn to face the woman, speaking as he did so.

"Oh no, it's quite alright... There is no need to apologize." He said, words abruptly coming to a halt as he laid eye's on the woman. His tone of voice was rather educated and was light like that of a young mans.

Dederick's eye's glanced quickly over the woman about twice over, taking in his thin form and exquisite facial features. However the feature that stood out more than most was the woman's hair color, a lightning silver which nearly camouflaged with the paleness of her skin. Dederick hesitated unsure of what to say before lowering his head respectfully.

"I can leave if you wish to enjoy the sunset..."

[Naveena Clematis]

Naveena Clematis

43rd Day of Winter 515 AV

Naveena kept her gaze on the young man as he raised himself up from the edge of the pier and addressed her. He spoke in a cultured tone with an eloquent quality that could have only been developed through a proper education. A soft smile threatened to twitch into place on her features as he dipped his head such a respectful manner. During her journey from Kalinor to Syliras, Naveena was met with hostility more than kindness due to her heritage. And while Syliras boasted its acceptance of all races, all cultures...Symenestrans were still secretly regarded with distrust.

Naveena schooled her features into a calm neutrality as her lavender eyes swept over the young man. He could be physically classified as average by most, he had a strong jawline and masculine features that she found rather attractive. And while he physically looked to be somewhere close to her own age, he seemed more mature than that. There such an air of sophistication and honor about him that she found herself intrigued by the human. Naveena's head tilted slightly as she studied him for another moment before speaking.

No, it's quite all right, it's hardly courteous to ask you to leave when you were here first. I had only wanted to enjoy the sunset before I went back to the city.

Naveena let the corners of her mouth tug upward in a half-smile before averting her gaze to the sinking sun. The colors that danced across the sea were spectacular hues of red, orange, purple, and pink. It was a shame she wouldn't be able to enjoy the sunset tonight, but she didn't want it to intrude on the young man's space. And at this time, the other piers were too close to the busy docks to be relaxing.

Naveena chewed her bottom lip slightly, not wanting to return to the city but not wanting to appear rude to a stranger. She turned back to the young man and gestured with one of her black-tipped hands towards a spot on the pier a few feet from where he was sitting.

May I?

Maybe they could share the pier, for just this sunset.

[Dederick Etheridge]

Squire Dederick Etheridge

Sunset, 43rd Day of Winter, 515 AV

Dederick watched intently as the woman's lightly colored lips moved as she spoke, his eye's occasionally drifting to look at her long locks of silvery hair. How beautiful he thought they were, much like the woman herself. Dederick managed to put two and two together and detect that the woman was in fact an Symenestran, her oddly pigmented hair, the light color of her skin and the beautiful shade of her lilac eye's were give away's. But the fact that she was a Symenestran didn't seem to bother him too much. Despite what other might thing.

Dederick parted his lips and was about to speak after the Symenestran did so but she spoke again. 'May I' she asked. As if she wasn't entitled to stand here with him.

"Please by all means... Join me." He turned back around to face the sunset, taking in the changing colors briefly before turning to look over his shoulder. "...It's quite beautiful don't you think?"

As he said that, he had a slight after thought, at how the sunset was just as beautiful as the woman, he wouldn't dare speak the notion aloud. That wouldn't be proper and the two had only just met and were likely to never meet again. Dederick often found himself seeing a couple dozen different faces a day, among the few familiars within the Squire Dormitories and the occasional one on the road.

"I don't usually come down here."

[Naveena Clematis]

Naveena Clematis

43rd Day of Winter 515 AV

Naveena smiled ever so slightly when the young man spoke his kind words and turned back to the sunset.

Thank you.

She let her delicate words and slight nod of her head show her thanks as she studied the young man. Naveena had noticed how his eyes flitted across her, he didn't seem at all bothered or wary of her even though it was quite obvious what she was. A deep appreciation of his acceptance spread throughout her as she lowered herself onto the edge of the pier. Her movements were nimble and heartbreakingly smooth as she settled herself with her legs dangling over the churning waves of the sea.

Naveena looked up at him as he commented on the sunset and turned her own eyes to the west. The bottom edge of the sun was just starting to dip beneath the horizon, the sun rays skipping across the waves in a vibrant dance. Before fleeing Kalinor, she had hardly ever seen the sun or anything that existed above the underground world of silk and darkness. And while the beauty of Kalinor was still something to behold, Naveena loved the sunsets and the rippling sea that almost seemed alive.

Naveena's faint smile twitched out of place for a brief moment as memories of beauty and pain from Kalinor entered her thoughts. Try as she might, a part of her missed the place of her birth. It was a place where she had belonged and been loved once upon a time. Now, it was where her deepest pain and regret was nestled.

Naveena ran a hand through her hair as she banished thoughts of Kalinor and refocused on the young man before her. Luckily, she didn't think he noticed her brief lapse of inattention. He had commented on the beauty of the sunset, a comment that returned the faint smile to her features.

Yes, I had never seen such beautiful sunsets before seeing the Suvan Sea. Do all sunsets look like this along coasts?

Naveena had only seen sunsets this spectacular when she lived in Alvadas and sailed across the Suvan Sea. Her entire journey across Kalea, she had never encountered a sunrise or sunset with this vibrant of colors.

Naveena turned her lavender-colored eyes back on the young man as he spoke again. She repressed the urge to raise her eyebrows at his statement; he seemed so comfortable in this area that she had believed he often frequented the docks. Naveena turned back to the sea, noticing a hint of sea water had splashed her boots. She drew her legs up gracefully back onto the pier, half-way wishing she could dip her black-tipped toes into the cool water. But she was hardly about to take off her shoes in front of a stranger...despite what she desired.

When I'm not training or performing, I always try to sit out here for a least a few moments. The sea is beautiful and peaceful compared to the city.

Naveena truly like Syliras, and while the cramped quarters was something familiar, she was still getting accustomed to the hectic bustle of the city. Being raised in Kalinor and travelling through wilderness, she sometimes needed to escape the constant drone of noise from the city. And the sea was perfect place to escape to.

[Dederick Etheridge]

Squire Dederick Etheridge

Sunset, 43rd Day of Winter, 515 AV

Listened intently as the Symenestran spoke, her words were delicate and sounded as soft as silk, if that was even possible, it was amazing. He had torn his gaze away from the sunset and set his sights on the beauty of the woman instead. Watching with a trained blank expression as she slid her fingers through her hair, the movement was swift and almost fluid like and he smiled because of it, though not with his lips, more so with his eye's.

"Not all sunsets look this way along coastlines... It differs with the changing of the seasons and the conditions of the days I have noticed... Also it depends on where you are in the world I imagine... But here, this time of year... They're like this."

He turned his gaze back toward the sunset, if you could call it that anymore, only the tip of the sun was visible over the horizon and it would vanish entirely any second now, leaving a very limited amount of light out for those to see in. Until the lanterns along the docks were lit of course.

Dederick turned his eye's back onto the Symenestran as she spoke a second time, talking of training and performing. Performing? She must be some kind of dancer, at least that's all Dederick could think of due to her delicate form and her beauty, it's not like there was much else she could perform.

"The city is beautiful, in it's own way."

He said with a hint of biased, due to the fact that this is where he was born and raised and had spent the most part of his life. It probably didn't help that this was the home to the vast majority of his known ancestors either.

"What do you perform if you mind my asking ms?"

He asked, somewhat hinting towards an introduction as well.

[Naveena Clematis]

Naveena Clematis

43rd Day of Winter 515 AV

Naveena tilted her head as she listened to the young man speak on the sunsets in this part of the country. And with his explanation, she could only imagine the beauty of the sunsets in the other seasons or on different shores. She smiled softly, feeling a true burst of optimism spread throughout her.

When Naveena had first arrived Syliras, she had been overwhelmed by the chaos of the city. There was such a variation of food, drink, supplies and people that she had never imagined outside the caverns of Kalinor. The other day, she even saw a man with skin the color of sapphires! She wasn't familiar with that race but Naveena was sure to research it later. And while her brief stay in Alvadas helped her prepare for a city existence, there was much she still didn't understand about this region. But Naveena's smile widened slightly as she truly realized the beauty of this place.

It is. It's quite different from where I was born, but there is a never a dull moment. I've never seen such unique places or people before coming here.

Naveena turned back to look at the vanishing sun as it finally dipped below the horizon. While the remnants of the sunset still lingers, the darkness of night started creeping up on them both. She felt a tinge of disappointment; She was enjoying this light conversation upon a pier. But as Naveena feared the man would leave due to lack of night vision, lanterns began to burst with light up on the docks. Naveena swung her head around to watch the people light the lanterns one by one, illuminating the area.

Naveena turned back as the young man asked her about her performances and she couldn't hide the pleased smile by his question. Her mother had trained her in the art of dance since she was able to walk and Naveena found great joy in her craft. While Naveena had an abundance of natural talent, it was technique and training that had made her a professional dancer.

Naveena gently stood out of her sitting position, her willowy limbs making her seem taller than she naturally was. She faced the young man, with black-tipped hands carefully folded in front of her.

I study and perform as a professional dancer. I specialize in aerial dancing with Ranekissra silk as traditional of my people. I am not a master as of yet, but it's something I'm working towards.

With that explanation, Naveena smiled fully as she face the young man as she tucked a strand of wild silver hair behind her ear. Even though it was a completely non-threatening manner, wide smiles always revealed the small fangs Symenestra's possessed. Luckily, she had eaten earlier today so her fangs were still small tips instead of enlarged with venom barely contained within the venom sacs located in her mouth. Naveena dropped from her broad smile quickly and reformed the faint smile in case the sight of fangs unnerved him.

She heard his open-ended question and thought it only polite to finally give him her name.

My name is Naveena. Naveena Clematis. And you are?

Naveena held one of her delicate hands out as if to be embraced by his hand upon introduction. In Kalinor, light touches of hands between was customary in meeting someone new. Naveena hadn't felt comfortable enough yet to extend her hand in courtesy, but she felt it was right today. She only hoped he wasn't taken back by her long, black nails that more closely resembled claws in strength and texture.

[Dederick Etheridge]

Squire Dederick Etheridge

Sunset, 43rd Day of Winter, 515 AV

Had turned his gaze to look more directly towards the woman now known as Naveena, now he could stop mentally referring to her as the 'Symenestran. He turned his gaze downward, offering a rather blank expression towards the extended hand that was offered onto him. Extending his own arm forth he gripped hers with a rather firm but gentle grip.

Dederick seem to take in much notice to Naveena's elongated black nails, as by the his hand met hers he was already looking back into her eye's.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance Naveena Clematis..." He'd pause, only briefly to take in a breath. "...My name is Dederick Etheridge, I'm a Squire here to the Syliran Knights."

He'd give her just a few moments time to take in that information and perhaps say something in return, meanwhile he'd look off to the rear of the pair. Watching as the last of the lanterns along the docks were being lit. The particular jetty they were on however was only lit to the half way mark it seemed, as it was quite long.

"A professional dancer? Where exactly do you dance in the city? If you don't mind me asking."