Closed An Unwelcome Following (Neive)

[Azira]

9th Spring 516AV
These clothes were strange.

Azira tugged absently at the material of the forest green blouse, scowling at its restrictiveness but also how much it covered. She was used to having more skin exposed--not when she was outside obviously--and this costume was strange. The black trousers she had purchased a few days before in an effort to integrate in to the city also felt wrong. They clung to her legs, the material seeming to tight and when she walked around she found that she moved quite woodenly. She was getting better though; she'd been practising. It'd had given her a chance to break in her new boots as well, pacing back and forth in her room in the unfamiliar clothing, vowing to change back into her vinati and bryda if she was planning to stay indoors. This garb was purely for outside, for outward appearances. In theory, she could just wear it all the time and eventually become used to it but she honestly didn't want to do it. It felt too wrong for her. She couldn't ever see herself taking a liking to them.

The young woman strode back and forth across the room once more before she decided that she was ready to brave Lhavit and the gaze of its natives. Slipping on her new cloak in an effort to keep herself warm while fitting in, she left her little apartment in Solar Winds, showing no curiosity for the other people who stayed in the same complex. She knew that she had all manner of different folks as her neighbours, different races, natives to the city, visitors and all sorts. The Inarta wasn't inclined to mix though, or at least not yet. She had had... interesting experiences thus far, finding both old and new faces on the city's peaks, but those had been accidental, chance encounters that she hadn't instigated or sought out. Herself and Alses had literally bumped in to one another and Bran... She shook her head at the memory. She didn't want to think of that irritating bastard right now, it'd spoil her mood. Instead, she turned her thoughts to where she might explore today.

Zintia, the peak where the Solar Wind Apartments were situated, was becoming more and more familiar to her with each passing day. There were sights and landmarks known to her now, even if she couldn't put a name to them, and there were even faces she passed that held a sense of déjà vu for her, hinting that she had seen them before but the where and when were lost to her. The peak where she had met Alses and bumped into Bran was called Tenten, she'd learned but Azira was inclined to avoid it, especially as it seemed to lead to people talking to her. Today, she'd like to spend some time in peace as she absorbed the sights. She didn't need another person talking to her who she couldn't fully understand. Her Common was worse than she had ever realised and each encounter showed her her limits with the language, her weakness and inability to understand others or convey her own thoughts. She deeply missed the thrills of Nari and had actually begun to talk to herself in her own tongue just so she could allow the melodic tones to reach her ears once more. No Inarta had crossed her path although she knew there must be some, no doubt just as homesick as herself, but she had no way of seeking them and wasn't even sure that she wanted to do so. Here, class was different. People who wouldn't be worth attention in Wind Reach, those who would be Dek, could conceivably do well here, in the same way that she seemed to have fallen in this new world. No one seemed able to recognise her true worth and her superiority to so many of the chicks that she walked past each day.

Indecision held her in its grasp for ticks stretching into moments and then a whole chime as thoughts of home and the past clouded those of the here and now. The traffic of city life streamed past her, people trickling past her from the apartments she had just left to join the flood of humanity. The Inarta shrugged to herself, stepping into the flow of citizenry to see where it might carry her. She moved with the tide, the activity leading her onwards along the path of least resistance. Others moved around her as she seemed to move too slowly for them in her unfamiliar garb, the activity trickling around her as if she was a stone that they had to flow around, barely noticing her presence as anything more than a nuisance and an obstacle to their progress. Azira moved through them, a flame amidst the blacks and blondes and brunettes that surrounded her, many of them towering above her small stature who looked at her as a curiosity as she moved amongst them.

Growing tired of the hustle and bustle, she moved sideways, cutting a path for herself with difficulty, sometimes having to employ a sharp elbow to ensure her passage until she broke free and was able to wander down a smaller, quieter street than the one she had left. The girl didn't know where she was or how to get home again but she was sure that a bit of wandering would bring her to a landmark she knew and allow her to find her way. For now, she could simply explore and take it all in so as to make a map in her mind.

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara

[Neive]

　

　　“I wouldn’t put that line there… or there. This looks too, smudgy,” Adrian launched over Neive’s shoulder, his long spindly finger pointing to a slight smear from a defining line in the young Inarta’s sketch.

　　Resting cross-legged on the sheened, smooth stone floor of the Solar Winds Apartments reception area, Neive shot a hot glare upon the relatively, recently deceased ghost sprawled practically over the top of her small frame, her jaw flexing, “Adrian!”

　　The young Inarta had been taking advantage of Syna’s glorious, Spring gleam as it shone majestically over the early blooming, potted plant in the far corner next to the tower’s main doors. Her weathered drawing book spread over one knee, a stick of charcoal resting comfortably in her forefinger and thumb.

　　Unlike most of her Kin, Neive was considered calm, well-tempered and patient. However, the constant hounding and interruption from her roommate, who seemed incapable of pestering anyone else, was swiftly pushing the young Inarta to bursting point.

　　Frustrated, Neive elbowed the Ghost behind her to create some space for her to work as she brought her piece of charcoal back to paper. Of course, as Adrian was incorporeal, her elbow simply slipped through air, though the Ghost caught her intended meaning behind the gesture. Groaning, Adrian slumped against the wall with his legs outstretched and his gaze wandering restlessly around the open area. “C’mon, this is boring!”

　　Sucking in a deep breath to enhance her calm, the young Inarta reminded herself to think as if in his shoes. Although her tone came strained, she succeeded in keeping most of her irritation from leaking out, “Well, go see, fun, yourself. Somewhere, not here.”

　　Expecting that to be the end of the conversation Neive returned to her drawing. With a slightly shaking hand she flicked light, curved lines within the middle of her leaves to add texture, to endeavour to add life to her still drawing.

　　As she struggled to blend the smear, Adrian so infuriatingly pointed out, into the grey background of her work, her arm was suddenly jerked from side to side. A sudden, frosty chill seared through her nerves as in an excited outburst, Adrian shook the young Inarta’s elbow and flapped his hand wildly, “Hey! Hey!”

　　As her face scrunched in pain, her complexion tinging into the colour of rose, the young Inarta angrily ripped her arm from the Ghost’s grasp as she spun around to face him, “What?!”

　　With a broad, sly grin spread across his face, Adrian indicated to a young woman swiftly making her way across the foyer. “You still feeling homesick 'little bird'?"

　　Shaking her head in bafflement, Neive followed Adrian’s nodding head to the direction of the woman in question, the icy touch of the Ghost slowly dwindling from her elbow. Adorned in the customary Lhavitian style of dress, there appeared to nothing out of the ordinary about the woman as she made her way towards the main doors of the apartment tower. Cerulean gaze trailing the woman’s movements, Neive shrugged as she drawled, “Yes, what about?”

　　Rudely pointing with his index finger and shaking it excitedly in front of Neive’s face, Adrian laughed, “She’s totally one of yours 'little bird'. Look at her hair, it’s as hot and fiery as your Kin are known for.”

　　The Ghost wasn’t wrong. The woman did indeed have the beautiful blazing mane like all of her Kin were born with back in Wind Reach, though maybe a little shorter than the norm.

　　A whole season spent away from home, the young Inarta was struggling to integrate herself into the foreign culture of Lhavit. Their customs were strange, different in nearly every aspect of life. Every day Neive found herself gesturing with hand signs in a wild and draining manner, all in attempts to communicate simple words in conversation. She was very far from the only home she had ever known. Even with the companionship of Adrian, Neive had never felt so alone. She felt isolated, suffocated by the unfamiliar.

　　The only thing the young Inarta found some element of comfort within, was the absence of Caste. Here in Lhavit, everyone was treated as an equal, no one was forced to carry the mantle of Dek and no one was labelled outright as Drudge. Yet, despite Neive’s loves and hates of her own culture, she couldn’t deny that she still missed it, that it was all still considered ‘home’ to her.

　　As her cerulean gaze shadowed the red-headed woman, Neive watched her disappear through the tower’s main doors and into the bustle of the streets. The hair did speak to the young Inarta that the woman could be from Wind Reach, but her dress, it was as outlandish as all the other Lhavitians.

　　Of all her time spent in the celestial city, Neive had not once encountered another Inarta. Of one of her greatest fears of living in Lhavit for so long, Neive was scared that it would be possible that she would forget her mother tongue, forget her own culture. It would be nice to be able to converse in her own language, to be able to express herself fully and to be completely understood.
Adrian leapt to his feet as he exclaimed, his arm shooting towards the door, “Let us give chase!”

　　Affronted, Neive gasped, “What? Why?”

　　Adrian tisked and planted both fists upon his slender hips as he grinned down at the young Inarta, “Because, I’m bored and you constantly go on about how you miss home. If you go after her, introduce yourself, then you get an Inarta friend that you get to complain to about ‘home’ to, instead of me and I get to come with and maybe get some amusement to pass my day. Win, win.”

　　Neive only understood a fraction of what the Ghost had rambled on about, but as she considered his rationale, he wasn’t entirely wrong. It would be nice to be able to make a friend from home. Though, doubts quickly settled in, clouding her courage, “What if not Inarta hmm?” A secondary thought suddenly struck her. What if the woman was Inarta but was of a higher rank? Neive would be risking impertinence by giving chase and introducing herself.

　　With a furrowed brow and an irritated frown Adrian huffed, “You say you’re adventurous, that you want to explore and experience new things, but all I’ve seen you do since you’ve been here, is lock yourself up in your apartment. Time to grab life while you have it. Take it from me, it’s better to do while you can, than to wish you had went you can’t.” The Ghost tenderly offered his open hand to haul the young Inarta to her feet, should she choose to take it.

　　Searching the young Ghost’s eyes, his soulmist obscuring the finer details of his face every now and then, Neive smirked, “Let’s do it!” Not wanting to experience the touch of death by gripping Adrian’s offered hand, Neive instead flipped her sketch book shut and pushed herself to her feet.

　　Bursting out the main doors of the Solar Winds Apartments, her stomach aflutter as apprehension fired through her every fibre, the young Inarta swiftly scanned the vast throng of Lhavitian people all around her. She only hoped she wasn’t too late to catch the young woman.

　　As the mysterious lady blended into the crowd, Neive suddenly caught a glimpse of that distinctive red hair as she weaved her way effortlessly through the tide of citizens. In an almost mad rush, the young Inarta blundered on after her. Unlike the elegant woman she hurtled after, Neive bumped, stumbled and rolled her way through the strong traffic of denizens.

　　Uttering broken apologies in common as she went, the young Inarta was able to gain distance upon the woman, though no doubt heralded her coming in the process from the string of outcries and grumbles following in her wake.

　　As she neared the lady that was within her sights, Neive slowed to match her pace. Adrian seemed to have all but disappeared from company as she weaved through the throng of Lhavitians. Keeping close, the young Inarta struggled to implement at least some stealth as she stalked the woman towards a nearby corner, veering away from the main walkway of the Zinita Peak.

　　Bidding to blend into the flow of traffic, although, almost certainly sticking out like the Inarta she was in her native katinu, Neive made sure to remain at least two people behind the woman.

　　Maybe she should follow her until an opportunity to make introductions presented itself. With that decided, the young Inarta turned onto the quieter street, her cerulean gaze momentarily scanning the faces around her in search of her vanished roommate.

　　Without keeping her eyes upon her target the young Inarta had suddenly come up behind the mysterious redhead. Before she had time to miss a step, Neive accidently tripped over the back of the woman’s shoes! Stumbling forward, the young Inarta yelped as she fell into the other. So much for stealthily stalking her until the time was right.
　

[Azira]

Everything seemed to be so carefully planned in this city and it was a good thing too, because it was exceptionally busy. There was activity no matter where she turned her head, a fact that was unsurprising given that Zintia was the largest peak and was literally at the centre of things in the city. Everyone had somewhere to go but they flowed around one another, taking the time to greet people they knew as they passed or offer an apology if they bumped in to someone. The denizens were more friendly than the Inarta and Azira wasn't sure if it was because of the lack of a caste system or the fact that friendliness didn't come as readily to the fiery redheads if someone bumped off them. If she'd elbowed her way through someone in Wind Reach then she would have been sure to get an elbow back, even if it was from someone of lower rank taking advantage of something that could be passed off as an "accident".

The light snowfall that had marked the city's Spring weather thus far was starting up again, the small, icy flakes spiralling to the ground as they had done on and off in the preceding bells. This strange weather was part of the reason she had been wary of hunting today, still unsure of herself in the nearby unfamiliar terrain of the Unforgiving. Not that she was complaining, it gave her more opportunity to look around her and do a bit of people watching too.

That being said, her choice of people to watch was beginning to shrink as people pulled cloaks and coats tighter around them, covering their heads to keep a damp chill from settling in their hair. The different hair colours that were so strange and new to her were replaced with a whole wealth of coloured and patterned hoods instead. There were plenty of people trying to inject some colour in to the dull landscape that still pervaded in this hangover from winter. It was a veritable rainbow but she found herself attracted to the more exotic colours, the ones that took more money to have dyed, as well as colours that she found didn't look good on her, purple for instance.

A flash of red caught in the corner of her eye and she turned her head quickly, certain that it was a head of hair that belonged on one of her own kin rather than clothing but she could see nothing. Wishful thinking.

She continued along the skyglass paths, the bustling crowds thinning a bit as people headed for the shelter, warmth and companionship that could be found in various establishments. The young woman considered entering one herself as she made her way across the large plaza that Zintia's activity centred on. She was considering finding a little hideaway on one of the other peaks, maybe somewhere that she could get something nice to eat, when someone hit in to the back of her shoes causing her to stagger a little. Before she had a chance to regain her balance properly and turn to snap out a complaint, something slammed into her back. She careened forward to land hard on her knees and managed to save her face from being flattened on the pathway by covering it with her forearms. It was the second time in the last few days that she had ended up on the ground in this city, except this time the fault was not her own and she may well have taken someone else with her again too.

Her arms ached, her knees ached and it felt as if she might have scraped one, or both of them through the material of her trousers. Other parts of her body flagged minor aches and bruises, including in her back where the impact had taken place. Groaning and wincing, she placed her palms on the pathway and levered herself up slowly and with care, cursing and muttering as she did so. Some Lhavitians made moves to help her but she waved them off, an abrupt snap of "no" in her native Nari sending them scuttling away at her tone. It was clear that her rudeness was unexpected but Azira didn't care, she was furious to have ended up making such a fool of herself in public again. At least this time, she wouldn't have to abase herself to anyone.

"Stupid, clumsy chick! How did you even make it out of the nest?" she spat, the words meant for the person who knocked her over. It was Nari though and she didn't expect them to understand in this city of Common. It was the only language that she could vent freely in though, and it had the advantage that most people weren't able to understand all the insults she threw at them.

"Do you even have eyes? How do you walk in to the back of someone so hard if you can see? This kind of thing would never happen at home! I was never knocked over in the Warrens, never, and then I come to this city and this happens! Again!" As she spoke she dusted herself off, assessing the damage done by her fall. She couldn't be sure about her knees because the material over both of them was intact but one definitely stung when she rubbed at it, her arms would probably be massively bruised which would make shooting extremely uncomfortable and her clothes were dirty and wet where they had made contact with the ground. The Inarta was majorly pissed off by the time, she finally turned sharp gold eyes on the accused.

The anger in her gaze died a bit as her eyes widened in surprise. It was an Inarta. A real Inarta, one of her own race here in this godawful place. She regarded them silently as she took in their appearance, trying to make sure that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her. This girl should be able to speak Nari unless she was a native who bore a startling close resemblance to the fiery race of Wind Reach. The fury came back, not quite as hot as before as there was excitement rising within her now. She regarded the girl coolly.

"Do you have something to say for yourself, chick?

Nari | Common

Template courtesy of Khara