Light snows, Long words. Pt. II. (Irathia)

[Alexander Faircroft]

Description "Alex Common" Alex thoughts "Myrian" "Fratava" "Others"

Alex leant a little closer to the hearth fire, the flames licking the edges of the hearth as it blazed on. The oranges dancing with yellows and reds. A small smile across his face as he listened to Irathia speak. It sounded like they were priests? Though as she continues on his smile slowly faded as he stared into the fires.
“Just remember, when darkness is everywhere and your faith starts to ebb. Take solace in the light of hope. For there will always be a chance. No matter how small.” Though s she continued she made it apparent that she had no clue about their names or who governed what. Taking the loop of sigils in his hands he started to go through them one by one. Saying who they were and what they were in charge of. The process of this took almost a full bell. Only after which did he really notice that she still had her cloak on…Wasn’t she boiling in that given the thickness of the cloak?

Then she spoke up again after his tirade of naming and describing the gods. Saying that even the Zith might be watched over by them. Alex simply smirked a little at that comment. “Irathia, I’m of the strong belief that, the gods aren’t prejudice. They care about everything we do and everything we don’t. And it’s to this end that personally I try and do right by as many of the gods that I believe in as I can. Patience, faith, discipline, hope, valour, perseverance, and knowledge. All things that I pursue. Or at least try to have.” The small smile which had spread across his face died as his eyes looked into the fire. Gripping the loop’s leather tighter. A small look of dark deep seeded anger replaced it. Before fading once again into the cold stillness of his face. It was trying to hold onto purity, but he had hope of finding and faith that he would be given his chance to set things right.

“Sorry I kind of spaced out there for a second…And it’s kinda been on my mind, why are you still in that thick cloak? You’ve got to be sweltering under it.” An innocent enough remark he was genuinely concerned about just how long she’d had it on.

[Irathia]

Irathia stared at Alex as he asked why she wears a cloak all the time. Sure it was hot, but it was protecting her... In a way. It was a shield that covers her past. She opened it slightly to reveal a blue tinted arm. She took the bottom of shirt and lifted it to reveal a scar on her side, right below the rib cage, the ends of scar lines are revealed on the curve of her back. "I wear this cloak because my Zith master, is a cruel, cruel person." Said Irathia. "He is the only Zith that I believe can not be redeemed. Though I am probably saying it because he was my master and seemed to treat me the worst." Irathia spat slightly, a bitter taste entered her mouth as she spoke. It was completely revolting. "Everyone has scars, it might be in the mind or the body, but mine is both." Irathia said, a frown forming on her face, "Across my back are scars, this one," she pointed at the small one bellow her rib cage. "Is just when he is in a good mood." Irathia said, she felt rage burning inside as she thought. "That is why I wear my cloak." Irathia said, she shut her cloak like it was a curtain closing on a theater stage. Slow and steady until there was just a fine line revealing her clothes once more. "It's... Comforting." Irathia said, trying to calm her self down as she talked. She hated her slave master with a passion she has never felt now that she thought about it.

[Alexander Faircroft]

Description "Alex Common" Alex thoughts "Myrian" "Fratava" "Others"

Her reaction to his comment about the cloak was odd. She didn’t do much with it except slide it open a little and reveal her arm and a little of her torso. It was only then that Alex caught the blue tint to her arm. Odd. Still he paid it no mind until he began to hear her speak and saw the long scar moving around her torso. Immediately his face hardened. A look of abject outrage on it but one that steadily began to face as he tried to keep himself calm. She wore the cloak because she couldn’t take it off. He listened closely to what she had to say. As she spoke his hand tightened into a fist at his side. Just out of her line of vision.
She was right though, everyone did have scars, two of his were physical and a few mental ones but still he couldn’t even begin to imagine what she’d been through. He tried to keep himself calm. Who would do that to someone? Why? Alex shook his head again. That was the reason she wore her cloak. It was her shield. Her armour about her past.

“Then forgive my rudeness.” He spoke calmly with an apologetic look in his face. “I am sorry for asking and dredging up things I’m sure you’d probably rather forget.” He paused a moment before pointing to the scar on his face. “Though I’m not sure this quite measures up I got this from a nykan monk. Back in the days of my travelling. I seemed to have annoyed him somewhat and he took a dagger to my face. The only reason I got away with just this is because my father paid him off so he’d just leave me be.” He paused looking back into the fire again.

“There are some people in this world who need to be punished. And there are some who need to be saved. It’s not for me to decide which is which. I can only follow the guidance that my path takes me down.” He paused a moment feeling the weight of his decision to join the knights finally sinking in. And he’d realized that he’d made the best choice he possibly could have.

[Irathia]

Irathia nodded, as Alex talked about the Nykan monk. What was a Nykan Monk? She heard about them when she was just a little girl but she never has seen them. They sounded bad, or at least needing of help. But she was just a small squire, not actually strong enough to make a difference yet... Though she will soon. "You travelled?" Irathia looked at him, her eyes seemed to have gone alight with wonder. "I have never been out of the area of Xy and Syrilas..." Irathia said, smiling. "I want to travel, but I am not strong enough yet, to be honest." Irathia thought a tiny bit, "Can you tell me about your travels?" Irathia said, grinning at Alex, while at the same time she wanted to change the mood of this conversation. "Also what is a Nykan Monk." Irathia said... "They sound like... I don't know... Punks? They sound like they might need to have a talking to or something like that... Maybe we should go once we are knights." Irathia said, smiling more as she did so.

[Alexander Faircroft]

Description "Alex Common" Alex thoughts "Myrian" "Fratava" "Others"

She sounded a little shocked at the fact he’d done some travelling in his years. Then again as he thought back on what she’d told him…It was kind of apparent that she was shocked. She’d spent a lot of her life as a slave, so the chances that she’d travelled around the cities was very low. He sighed slowly still gazing into the fires. She wasn’t strong enough yet to travel. Alex hung his head a little before responding. “I’m still not strong. I used to travel with my father and he was the one who put all of the effort in. I joined the knights to get stronger and eventually find out what happened to my family…” Alex’s words wert winged with a tint of anger.

And now she wanted to hear about his travels. He held his head low. “Not much to say really. I’ve been through Nyka, Sunberth, Zeltiva, and here.” He carefully chose to leave out the city of his birth. Ravok. Not sure how the knights would react to someone born in the city of Rhysol. Taking a psued moment to run through the events of his past he listened to Irathia’s summation of what a monk was like. Which she wasn’t too far off of.
“The think with Nyka is that their monks are the police. They have the backing of some pretty powerful people form what I understood during my time there. As such it’s kind of hard to go in and “give them a talking too” as you put it.” Alex finished with a smirk.

“Besides the monks the city has a giant crack running through it’s centre it’s a large and strange place filled with very powerful and ruthless people. Still it has a law unlike sunberth which is ruled by criminals.” He shuffled forwards in his seat a little. “That place is quite literally lawless, but not chaotic. It’s organized chaos with a figurehead of crime.” He sat back leaning against the wall now. “Other than zeltiva the port city, the only other place I’ve been is here.”

[Irathia]

Irathia's eyes seemed to widen as Alex talked about the places he has been. "How could there be a town around a crack? Why would people even live in a place like that? I mean do people fall down?" Irathia asked. How could such monks be police? Irathia thought... Then again, a entire town is ran by criminals. "How are the citizens fine with people that are criminals running there town? It sounds almost as bad as having a town around a huge crack!" Irathia said, she smiled as she did so as he imagined gangs running around and a town that has a endless crack. "Wow... So every place is odd then..." Irathia made that conclusion, "Then again... I did grow up under a castle full of winged people that at out lawed in a lot of towns." Irathia said, laughing slightly as she did so. "Port towns sound interesting to... I only heard of them though, from other slaves that I had the fortune to encounter." Irathia said. "Aren't they the places where big ships go to trade? Sort of like here... Now that I think about it." Irathia asked.

[Alexander Faircroft]

Description "Alex Common" Alex thoughts "Myrian" "Fratava" "Others"

Alex leant against the far wall eyes closed and listening to Irathia speak. It was like dealing with a small child and as such he just decided to sit back and just dealing with the questions as they rolled out. “I don’t know. I’m not really an architect. So my best guess is that the city was there before the crack appeared.” She began to focus on his sword techniques in his head following through the basic motions running over the weeks of teaching he’d endured within his mind’s eye almost absent-mindedly.

“The people of sunberth don’t really have much of a choice. When there is no form of law other than criminals you tend to follow the law of those who are willing and have killed over very little.” Sighing he followed through the motions of the teaching he’d received, step counter, step strike. Step block, step strike. Almost dragging him out of his focus he listened to her. “Yes, every place is strange and unique in it’s own way. Once I’m a fully-fledged knight I intend to travel." Pausing a moment. He chose his next words carefully not wanting to reveal his true intent. “It’s mostly as I want to try and learn as much as I can about the world.”

“And yes Ira Zeltia is a massive port city which is where most of the ships are built.” A slow nod of his head followed as he continued the simple motions over and over again in his head. “You should travel when you become a knight. Perhaps you’ll expand your horizons and find others who could use your guidance.” He smirked a little. “Sounds like not many people have been through what you have and could use a little hope that there a light at the end of the tunnel.”

[Irathia]

"I would love to travel... Once I am a knight I don't intend on staying in Syliras for a long time, I most likely will go around... Doing... Knightly things." Irathia said, not completely sure what a travelling knight does entirely. I guess for one attempting to keep order? Irathia thought. "Though I am not sure where exactly, I have only heard of these places. Mainly from other slaves and... Well you." Irathia said with a small shrug. Irathia thought for a bit at what Alex said... Would other people listen to me? I mean... I guess people could. "Would people listen to me though? You are pretty much the first person I ever truly talked to... I mean most of the time when I am around strangers I talk the way I talked to you when we first met. I am not much of a talker..." Irathia thought about the whole talking to people thing. "I mean... I am only just a single person." Irathia shrugged as she talked.

[Alexander Faircroft]

Description "Alex Common" Alex thoughts "Myrian" "Fratava" "Others"

Alex leant further against the wall sunk deep into thought replaying the steps again and again, the beatings he’d received from other quires and knights simply making him sore as he thought. And then she continued the ever rolling conversation. A small smirk rested now almost as a permanent fixture on his face. What exactly was a knightly thing? A small falling thought occurred to him. He’d learnt a lot about the knights and how they were within a militaristic sense but he hadn’t learnt too much about their theological views. He sighed and listened to Ira continue to keep up the conversation. He sighed and simply said. “Pick a direction. Once you’re a knight I’m sure you’ll be able to find a caravan that’s willing to take you to anywhere you need to go after all being under the protection of a knight is a powerful thing.”

Going back to his quiet place in his mind he heard Irathia speak again of other things that could be, and whether or not people would listen. He paused a moment before answering her. And that she was only a single person. Alex paused a moment. “It’s part of our teachings to become knights to learn how to inspire and lead people. What good is it being a symbol of good will and peace if you can’t spread the message? What good are we if we can’t spread the hope of a better tomorrow?”

He paused a moment now snapping his eyes open again and spoke in a much firmer voice. “When it comes to this world and bringing hope to those who have none. There are some who need hope, some who need a shield and some who need a sword. I intend to be able to provide all three. To smite the wicked, protect the weak, and inspire the lost.”

[Irathia]

Irathia sat there, digesting the information given to her. She had a certain knot in her stomach as she processed everything. I Intend on being all three as well... Irathia ran a hand through her hair. "In Xy... My master always called me Monster... Or beast..." Irathia said, a small smile stuck on her face. "He... Called me that because I am a mixed blood, that should not exist... According to my master..." Irathia felt a tear well up as she talked, her scars seemed burn under her cloak. "My mother, was an Isur." She said, holding up her blue hand. "My father, a Zith." Irathia said... "I have no clue why I am telling you this... Maybe because I should, maybe something else, a god or something is making me tell you..." Irathia felt a tear roll down as more thoughts of her mother and her abuse as a slave entered her mind. Irathia took her palm and whipped the tear off. She was a squire! She was not supposed to cry! "I want to be the sword, the shield, the hope, and... I guess a bridge." Irathia said. "A bridge that links the most unlikely of people to the most important people, the nobles to the lowest of people, the slaves, the poor." Irathia said. "I want to inspire... I want to be a symbol to the lower in society." Irathia frowned slightly as she talked. "I think becoming a knight, like I said, is a way to do that." Irathia said.At that point Irathia shrugged as a thick silence fell upon her. She just stared at the fire and listened to the crackling fire.