Blood on my Hands (Kellan Lucia)

[Silwyn]

13 Winter, 510 AV

Silwyn's stomach rumbled, she hadn't gotten up to eat for awhile. Deciding that now was as good a time as any, she got up and off her knees, and left her sopping-wet, newly-dyed, red cloth slung over the side of the bucket to start drying. She dried her hands on a dirty cloth, and wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. Silwyn looked down at her hands, they were dark red, and appeared as though she had been bleeding for some time. Silwyn sighed, she hoped that no one would ask her any strange, and discomforting questions.

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, more out of habit than anything else, Silwyn left her apartment, and strode down the corridors, pushing her way through a large throng of people before she reached the kitchens. Silwyn's mouth started to salivate as she eyed the food that was lain out before her.

Quickly grabbing a plate before her stomach had more time to howl at her, she strode over to the short line of people, and display of food, trying desperately to determine what it was that she wanted. It was lunch time, and the assortment of food seemed meager, perhaps everyone had gotten to everything before her, or the mountain was running a little short this time of year. Silwyn couldn't be sure.

Silwyn's stomach lurched as she stepped on someone's toes, accidently, and she apologized profusely, her cheeks turning red, as she grabbed a roll, cutting it in half with a knife, and slathering it with jam, before putting a slice of mystery meat on her plate. She wasn't sure what it was, exactly, the meat, but she didn't care, it smelled ok, and protein was protein. After that, she grabbed a small orange, and went to sit down at an empty bench.

Slowly, meticulously, she started to cut her meat, little drops of blood seeping out the sides. Silwyn ignored it, knowing that it was only natural, and sure to make the food taste better. When she had finished cutting it, she put a bite in her mouth, it was cold, and a little dry. Oh well, she thought to herself, that's what you get for taking so long, as her teacher used to say, "he who hesitates starves."

[Kellan Lucia]

”Okay Al, good flight. I’m going to head off for some food. You want anything?” Kellan looked up at the large bird he had just dismounted and smiled. Alwin stretched out a wing and started to preen his stunning red underfeathers. ”Just bring me a slab of meat if you don’t mind. I’m not terribly hungry.” Kellan nodded and then patted the great eagle’s back. ”Will do my feathered friend.” Kellan tended to treat the Giant Wind Eagle less like a mount and more like a brother. Whether that was good or bad was still a grey area. With the connection of a rider and a mount there was not a huge fraternal connection, which made it easier to separate flying and work from everyday life. With a closer bond the two were a more dynamic duo but it also would make it harder when one died. These thoughts were far too morbid to dwell on though, especially for this early in the winter. Kellan, one would think you would stop thinking about girls once in a while. It is a wonder you can focus on hunting and flying at all!” Kellan stuck his tongue out as he walked. ”Alwin, you better not find a pretty she-bird ever or I will harass you to no end!” Kellan could visualize the eagle ruffling his feathers in annoyance all the way in the tunnels. The thought made him laugh. Then next thought on his mind was lunch though. He wondered what he was going to eat. ”Hmmmm…, meat, maybe some bread. I’m sure whatever they are serving will be delicious.” He licked his lips and headed to the commons. He was starving. The moment the Endal stepped through the doors he searched the people gathered for girls he could attempt to charm. His eyes skimmed over a sea of red hair as he made his way to the kitchen. ”Just give me whatever you got.” For a man who had just been dreaming about eating he was not being very picky. With food in tow Kellan walked over to the Endal area of the commons. He ate his food with a few passing comments from his peers and then attempted to seek a girl to charm from the spaces between his companions. Then he spotted her. Usually when one made a proclamation like that it was life changing but every look at a beautiful woman was like that for Kellan. He was just very apt to attraction. He looked over at the Avora sitting on the other side of the commons. He would talk to her after he ate. When there was a clean plate sitting in front of Kellan he began his quest to talk to the Avora. He could not eat with her. Endal did not sit with Avora. There was no reason he could not talk to her though. He strolled over to her side and flashed her a smile. ”Hello Miss. I am Kellan and who may you be?” He sat down next to her and adjusted his scarf. ”If I may be so bold, what is your craft? I am an Endal and I can see you are an Avora judging on the company you keep.” He smiled at her sweetly and silently hoped that she did not think he was odd for approaching her so randomly.

[Silwyn]

Silwyn had just finished her mystery meat, and had moved onto her bread. As she chewed, a drop of jelly dripped onto the table, and she turned a little red. She hoped the other avora didn't notice. But they didn't seem too, they seemed too engrossed in their own conversations to pay her any mind.

As Silwyn was finishing the last bite of her bread, she noticed someone approaching her out of the corner of her eye. A few moments later, the mysterious figure was standing over her, flashing a radiant, and slightly cocky smile. "Hello Miss. I am Kellan and who may you be?” he said. Silwyn finished chewing her last bite, slowly, methodically, wondering who Kellan was exactly and why he was speaking to her.

When Silwyn had finished chewing, she looked up at Kellan, and got her first good look of him. Kellan was of an average height- maybe 5'5 or so, she guessed. He had red hair, (like every other inarta it seemed), and his eyes were golden. Kellan looked a little younger than she- maybe 20, but Silwyn couldn't tell for sure. "Silwyn," she replied simply, as she started peeling her orange, squirting herself a bit as her nail pierced the fruit's flesh. She started to smell distinctly of citrus.

Kellan then took a seat next to her, and adjusted his scarf. Was he hot? she wondered, as her hands trembled a bit, she never really did feel warm this time of year. Well, at least her hands and her feet didn't, and the fact that her hands were always dried out from her dyes, sometimes even raw, didn't help the matter. But today, they weren't too dry, just a very deep, and slightly disturbing red. She just couldn't get over the fact that it looked like her hands had been caked in blood at some point.

"If I may be so bold, what is your craft?" Kellan continued, not really waiting for a response, it seemed. "I am an Endal and I can see you are an Avora judging on the company you keep.” Silwyn finished peeling her orange, and plopped a slice in her mouth. The fruit was tangy and refreshing. "I'm a dyer," she replied simply, thinking that the way in which Kellan spoke, was rather formal, if not peculiar, seeming almost out of place. After all, who was he trying to impress? she wondered, certainly not she.

Silwyn ripped off another piece of the orange, and tilted her red palms to Kellan, just for an instant, so that he could get a look for himself. Then she plopped another slice in her mouth, wondering if she should offer him some, but deciding against it, when her stomach rumbled again, and the notion that he may have already eaten slipped into her mind.

[Kellan Lucia]

The woman seemed to be analyzing Kellan as he spoke. He was not used to that. Normally people would either speak or ignore him. She seemed to be calculating every small thing he did though. On top of that she seemed more interested in her fruit than him which did not anger him but made him more driven to get her attention. There was no fun in getting a girl easy. Half the fun of romantics was the harmless flirting and the coy additudes. Kellan was not sensing that either was present though. It was not for the fact that Silwyn was coy that she was so quiet. Kellan could tell that. Kellan could play coy if needed though. Although it was not a face he wore often he had no problem playing hard to get.  With two elbows on the table Kellan looked out across the commons and tuned to look at Silwyn cooly. "Nice to meet you Silwyn." The girl was still intent on devouring of her fruit though. She did stop for a moment to show Kellan her palms. They were not the palms of a fine lady. Not that Silwyn was not fine of course. It just showed that she worked and Kellan appreciated that. He wondered how it would feel with cracked and dyed palms. He did not want it to ever happen to him though. He was one of thr lucky ones. He did not have to mess with artisian issues. "The hands of a hard worker I see. It's good to see a lady who works for what she wants. I find that very beautiful." he held out his palms to her in return to show his own rough hands. "I am not a dyer like you but I am a hunter. A bow his much more graceful that most weapons but it does take a toll on one's fingers." He held out the pointer and middle finger of his right hand to show the lines of scars on his fingers. Luckly they had healed from earlier. A few bells ago they had been bleeding profusely due to too much archery.  Kellan gave a small scowl to the fruit. How dare it take up all of this woman's time! Of course, this was all in jest. "How about after you are done eating we take a walk togather. You know, to get to know each other. As friends of course. It's always great to make new friends, especially ones a beautiful as yourself." It was always a gamble to start off strong flirtation-wise. One could find the flirt to be dashing for an attempt at wooing the other person involved. On the other hand the flirt could come off as a total creep. It all depended on what Silwyn thought and how she reacted. In Kellan's mind though, the act of being nonchalant was getting her nowhere fast.

[Silwyn]

"Nice to meet you Silwyn," Kellan said. Silwyn plopped another slice of orange in her mouth, and chewed before she responded, her tone even, without emotion, "you too."

When Silwyn allowed him to catch a glimpse of her palms, he seemed surprised to her. "The hands of a hard worker I see. It's good to see a lady who works for what she wants. I find that very beautiful," Kellan continued, before he showed her his own palms. Silwyn was trying hard not to laugh at his comments, you couldn't just laugh at an eagle rider, well you, could, but it probably wasn't a good idea if you were of a lower class, which she was.

Silwyn hardly looked up from her food at Kellan's hands. She only allowed herself a second-long glance. That was all she needed to notice the scars that were etched in with the natural lines of Kellan's palms and fingertips.

"I am not a dyer like you but I am a hunter. A bow his much more graceful that most weapons but it does take a toll on one's fingers," Kellan continued. Well, no kidding, Silwyn thought to herself. You're an eagle rider... eagle riders get chauffeured about by giant eagles and hunt stuff so the rest of us can eat. Quite a monumental task... her mind continued, before sarcastically adding, of course he's not a dyer... his hand's aren't black... yet.

Silwyn nodded, "I do remember... even though its been some time since I shot a bow." Silwyn placed another slice of orange in her mouth, and then another, she was more than halfway done with the orange. The juice piling up in the tiny crevices between her nails and her fingertips.

"How about after you are done eating we take a walk together? You know, to get to know each other. As friends of course. It's always great to make new friends, especially ones a beautiful as yourself," Kellan continued. Silwyn felt her face getting hot, and then red. She hoped it wasn't as bright as her hair. HE WAS FLIRTING WITH HER. Perfect, she thought to herself, just what she needed right now, another distraction.

Silwyn took another bite of her orange, and another and another, chewing quickly, scrunching her eyes closed, wishing she could just make him vanish whenever she shut her eyes and the world turned black. But of course, life didn't work like that, and she could sense, no FEEL his golden eyes boring into her flesh.

Just go away, just go away, ignore him and he'll go away, her mind kept whispering, racing. This was embarrassing. She was the older one, acting like an idiot, he the younger, and of a higher class, which made her not want to piss him off much, considering she had no idea if he was the kind of guy who would run off to the authorities and abuse his power should she do something he didn't like. She'd heard of eagle riders doing that at times, although, not recently, and she'd never seen it personally. Even so, Silwyn didn't want to risk it, but then again, she found him a little creepy. But she didn't want to just say that.

So Silwyn finished her orange, scooted away from the table, and didn't say a word to Kellan as she got up. Her hair splayed across her face, hiding the lower half of it, mainly her mouth. When she was standing, she gave a quick glance all around her, looking for the best escape route. Not finding one, she walked as quickly as she could, away, hoping her actions wouldn't cause too much of a scene, or offend Kellan too too much, and she silently prayed he wouldn't follow her.... or worse... try to physically keep her from escaping.

[Silwyn]

OOCHey guys, thought I'd inform you that I can't stand this pc, and am going to ask to have it retired, sorry if this complicates things. But have fun posting ok! Cheers =)