From Snowy flat to Volcano.

by **Nemori** on December 18th, 2016, 3:55 am

Nemori felt her temporary ferry slow down and speak. He seemed frustrated with the city somewhat and she dared a glance up. The building before them was built with differing cubes, rotating slightly. It was painted with bright yellow and stood out from the other building around it.
“The building is… spinning? strange move? I must be very ill” The slip into her native tongue passed her lips before she could realise and she hoped nobody was close enough to hear. Nemori buried her face once more as he approached the spinning building. She hoped hiding her face would make the sensation of movement go away. It did not occur to her that this might simply be the nature of the building, or that she would have to endure the occasional spinning within the building itself.

As they passed the doorway she tensed slightly, worried that someone inside would stop them. Attempt to approach them or something. She did not know what the building was or how many people would be around. Instead she trusted that the stranger had told the truth, would protect her. She waited for some kind of signal from him that it would be safe to raise her head once more.

She imagined the building outside in her head, tree circles. She stilled them down. It was a strange way for them to be built, the windows placed in unusual locations. She wondered what the architect was thinking when it was built. Regardless of its strange appearance it was large, perhaps the sleeping quarters for the strangers hold? The idea concerned her, if he was some kind of knight like she suspected from the smell of metal, was he leading her into the barracks? Was his intent to hide her under the noses of those aggressive to her? Although the idea made for an interesting story it scared her more. Her life had never been a story before, she was content to hear and not live.

Languages :

by **Alexander Faircroft** on December 18th, 2016, 4:12 am

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

Alex shot her a look over his shoulder as she spoke in her native language. As much as it was something new to his ears. And quite lovely to listen too he still gave her a look that meant she should probably try to keep it under control. Still as he stepped into the building he was met with only the innkeeper herself Miss Delner. Alex smiled towards her and then suddenly realized she wasn’t facing him. Taking this opportunity he slid up the stair case and off to his particular room.

Fiddling with holding her up and getting his key out was a challenge to say the least, though eventually with one hand supporting her he pushed open the door. Again his room was still covered with blades and other bits of equipment including the wrist crossbow which he had lain out on the desk. Undergoing a little bit of maintenance to keep it working in top order. As he stepped in he gently nudged the door closed behind him before turning to settle his new mystery Vantha companion down flat on the bed.

“Right we’ll be safe here. Welcome to my room.” He said knowing it wasn’t much but it was still more than most could get a hold of. “You can relax here.” He left her to do what she would before taking the harness of his weapons off and the leather coat he wore hanging the coat on the door next to another thick fur coat, clearly of feminine dimensions. And the Weapon harness he tucked onto the back of the chair now giving her full view of the five throwing daggers he had attached too it and the dagger he kept hidden beneath his coat. His bow and quiver sat next to the desk in their own respective little spots.

“It dawns on me.” He said with a slight air of curiosity. “I don’t even know your name.” Settling down into the chair he continued on. “I’m Alex. One of the extremely few people friendly towards the vantha. And sympathetic to their plight.”

by **Nemori** on December 18th, 2016, 4:41 am

The room was littered with weapons and for a moment she stared around bewildered. Who could need such an excess of weapons? Who had the funds for such a thing? Swords and bows, even a crossbow that looked in some kind of disrepair, although she had no idea if it would work or not. It felt very much like a trap, but she was too deep now and the idea of a finally acquiring a bed appealed to her.

She shuffled over towards the bed, sitting down with a heavy thud as her exhaustion took over. It was comfortable, more comfortable then she would have found it had she not been travelling for so long and so exhausted. A few moments were spared, carefully removing her short spear and backpack. She made sure to point the spear away from the stranger as she moved it, deliberately trying to not incite violence. Although she suspected they were past that now. Her coat was also removed, and she was relieved to start to cool down slightly from the lack of fur.

Another opportunity was taken to survey the area from her new position. The feminine cloak on the back of the door struck her attention, it felt familiar to her although she could not place it. Her eyes only lingered on it for a few moments before her attention was returned to Alex, was that his name? They was a torrent of complicated words she did not understand but she tried to listen best she could. He said something about Vantha? Her eyes twisted into a steel grey.

“My name is Nemori. I don’t….” She gestured towards herself, a sweeping motion with her hand inward. “The other words wrong” She lay forwards, now that they was no weigh on her back and she was not being carried. Her arms wrapped to form a sort of rest for her head and she watched Alex from across the room. She finally started to actually pay attention to his features. He was slightly unkempt, long hair and slight beard. Slowly layers of weaponry about his person were revealed, tiny daggers she could not imagine using for food as well as a more ordinary dagger. Despite the chaos and number of weapons he seemed to have a place for the things he was using, slotting the bow and quiver into gaps without looking for a free location. His clothes were differing shades of brown, weaved together to create his complete outfit. She wondered as to the purpose of this, did he just like the color? It seemed a strange choice to her. “Could you please….” She hesitated. The sentence felt wrong but she could not correct it. “a drink?”

Languages :

by **Alexander Faircroft** on December 18th, 2016, 5:10 am

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

“Sorry.” Was the first word out of his mouth as she explained, in her roundabout fashion that she didn’t understand. In much simpler common he said plainly. “I’m a friend. And I want to help the vantha.” He offered a small smirk of reassurance and a slight shift in body posture as he began to un-belt the armour over his chest. Pulling free the hooded leather armour that he wore. Now showing his frame beneath. And since infillia’s arrival he’d moved all of the blades and armour he owned to nearer the door and the desk to allow her some space away from his mess.

He caught the shift of her eyes from that pallid and fragile green into a much sturdier grey colour. That must have been her trying to figure out what he’d said. Or at least it was what made sense to him. He watched as she disrobed her coat the heavy furred beast of a thing falling to the floor her choice of attire beneath it was a pair of black pants and a blue shirt with long sleeves. And then removed her bag and weapon. An odd choice of equipment to him but an understandable one. She folded her arms before her and let her head rest. Her call for a drink of some sort was met with Alex reaching into his bag which he kept at the edge of the desk and pulling free a wine-skin filled to the brim with water.

Not wanting her to get up he rose walking it over too her and in the same motion picking her coat up. Leaving her with the wine skin and a small word. “It’s water. Best I’ve got sadly.” As he spoke he flattened out her coat and hung it on the back of the door. The third and final peg on the back if it now under use as well. “I caught that word earlier. Was that in your language?” He asked allowing her enough time to have taken a drink prior. At the same time he moved his armour beneath the desk and out of the way entirely.

He paused a moment before looking back towards Nemori. At least he finally had her name. “Nemori. I hope you don’t mind. I’m hiding another vantha here too.” He spoke with a tone that was more of a question without being a question. He wanted her opinion on the matter but wasn’t going to really change his stance on the subject. After all he was trying to protect at least part of an entire race of people from going flat extinct.

by **Nemori** on December 18th, 2016, 5:36 am

The skin of water was offered to her and she thanked him, sitting up as she took it from his hands. She had merely wanted water, not wanting to risk anything liekly to get her intoxicated but she remained quiet on the issue, unsure if it would cause some kind of offence. A few cautious sips were taken, slowly.

“Yes, I messed up. Is that right? Messed? Mussed? Common is new. I speak Vani” The same gesture towards herself when she talked about her own actions. She puzzled over the word still, uncertain about its use. It rolled weirdly on her tongue. She watched Alex move her coat onto the back of the door and then as he started to pack away the leather armour. “Another? Not belongs to wife” She gestured towards the other cloak on the door. “I am glad they will not be mad” It had been something that crossed her mind, a wife might not be as willing to allow a strange Vantha into their accommodation as Alex had. For a moment she wondered what the punishment would be for his hiding of Vantha, but the thought was unpleasant and she tried to push it from her mind. “What is name? Of another Vantha”

Nemori gave the room another glance, it was small. She wondered how long she would be allowed to rest for, she could not imagine having three people crammed into the very small bed. Perhaps the other Vantha slept on the floor? She could not imagine anywhere else that would be comfortable to sleep.

Languages :

by **Alexander Faircroft** on December 18th, 2016, 5:52 am

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

“Messed is right. And no you didn’t. Everyone makes small slips.” Her spoke with an air of reassurance a posture of calming. And when she pointed to the coat on the door and spoke about a wife. “No. I’m not married.” He shifted a little to glance towards the coat. “ It belongs to the other vantha. Like you said.” He considered the options of what could befall him and frankly he didn’t give a damn. This was the right thing to do and he’d damned well do it. Though when she asked the name of the other vantha Alex paused a moment. Recalling her full name.

“Infilia Snowsong.” Alex sighed leaning back into the chair and rolling around a few ideas in his head. “You’re welcome to stay here.” He eventually broke the awkward terse silence with. “Stay as long as you need too. I said I’d help and I will.” He offered a calm smile and stretched out his arms feeling a sore spot building in his back from where his dagger had been pressing into his back. That and a slight stiffness in his arms from carrying her. And now he found himself sinking back into that awkwardness once again.

“Nemori.” He eventually broke the silence with a call of her name. “Could I ask you to do something?” He was asking something very important. “Can you teach me, how to say. “I’m here to help” In your language?” He was asking something very important. If he could say those words in their own language it might help set any future vantha he came across at a much greater ease. Perhaps it would have been a particularly smart idea to ask Infilia this beforehand but he hadn’t quite thought that far ahead in the past.

Then again he didn’t think he’d be harbouring two young vantha women for the duration of winter in a small room. Still though he’d made his bed and he’d have to sleep in it so to speak.

by **Nemori** on December 18th, 2016, 6:08 am

Infilia Snowsong. She found herself staring at the cloak. Someone else had left when she did? The redhead was far less likely to get spotted around the city so long as her music did not draw attention to her. The fact that Infilia was here with Alex was good, it meant that she had someone to protect her, and they both had a familiar face to talk to, a drop of home. In honesty she had only spoken to the other girl a handful of times, their holds being separate, but now that felt so far away that it would not matter.

The offer to let them both stay was very sweet and she considered it for a moment, it was a huge imposition on her part. Under normal circumstances it would have felt normal, but with the looming threats? She wondered if she would feel comfortable taking up so much of the small room for long. However she had nothing better she could do in the meantime. Somewhere to rest until she could start to navigate the streets, get her own money. Find somewhere safe.

Her name broke her from her silence, she had completely missed the fact she had absorbed herself into her thoughts. She was accustomed to being left to her own devises in Avanthal, it was something she was going to have to adjust to and fast. “Vani is a song. Like Nari, but not birdsound” Her explanation of her own language started. She recalled the way that Nari had been explained to her, drawing strongly on the memory. “I’m here to help” She paused before repeating the phrase once more. Her own language flowed much better, and she enjoyed the familiarity of it. Fear had kept her from using it too often on her travel. She repeated it back into common and waiting on Alex to try and copy it. It felt strange to start with such a phrase, although she could see his reasoning for it. The nuances of the language itself would take too long to explain, but if he could get that one bit correct? Almost every Vantha she had met spoke Common to some degree. She suspected he could manage as he had with her, but the inclination was kind and would hopefully endear others towards his kindness.

Languages :

by **Alexander Faircroft** on December 18th, 2016, 6:27 am

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

Given by how deeply Nemori had sunken into thought Alex assumed partially that the two knew each other, given how she stared at the cloak earlier. A fair assessment but whether it was correct or not remained to be seen. Alex shifted his seating once again and watched as the sunlight broke through the small window at the rear of the room. The gentle rays catching the light on Nem’s hair and in his eyes he caught flashes of a deep viridian green.

When she began to speak he listened closely. And one thing occurred to him as he listened. What in the heck was Nari? But he understood that Vani was probably the name of her language. Though when she spoke in her own language ebbed with her own accentuation. It flowed like it’s own brand of music. It’s own particular blend of sounds and syllables. He replayed the sounds over and over in his head. A soft sheen to the words. And he found himself saying it once.

The tones and sounds garbled as heck. Not even really coherent He immediately apologized thinking he might have said something offensive by accident. He took a deep slow breath and tried it again. It came through a little clearer this time but still warped and changed. Learning another language…Wasn’t a piece of cake, even when it was simply four words. He tried a third time the sounds becoming clear and stronger. And then finally.
“I’m here to help” It was shakey and a little wobbly in places but he at least could speak the phrase.

“How was that?” He spoke in common with a small grimace unsure of just how well his words would come across. Awaiting her appraisal he swallowed and let her say what she would before asking.
“Do you Know infilia then?” In common once again. He wasn’t even going to risk the simplest attempt at trying to convert words into a language he knew less than nothing about. But still that didn’t change the way he asked the question. It was an honest and open question that would make things a lot easier if it was the case.

by **Nemori** on December 18th, 2016, 6:43 am

Nemori found herself giggling at his attempts at the unusual language, her eyes dancing with a deep blue. She attempted to stifle it so as not to be off-putting, he was clearly trying and it seemed mean to be laughing at his attempts.

“It is… listenable? Knowable? If you can say it again without me to say first. Softer on the here is better” The sentence got away from her, it was likely they was an easier way of relaying the message but she had to rely on the few things she already knew, piecing them into the wider sentence. The Vani language was very different to Common, her ability to remember a few lines of the Nari stories were mostly founded in the similarities between the ways the words were formed. Common had no such similarities, it almost felt like using different vocal chords.

“Infilia is Snowsong. I am FrostFawn. We met only some. She played” Nemori mimicked a flute, although in truth her understanding of the instrument was rudimentary and she waved her fingers to mimic the notes with blind movements. “She teach…. No…. not teach… That which is teach from. When new.” The words for learn slipped from her grasp “I teach, you as her” She gestured between them and the cloak on the door, hoping that he would understand her message. “I like song, a different story. Though I can’t tell song well”

Languages :

by **Alexander Faircroft** on December 18th, 2016, 6:12 pm

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

Given the giggles and the new colour in her eyes he assumed that he’d said something wrong but it wasn’t insulting more just plain gibberish. And it was settling her down a little. He didn’t mind being a laughing stock if it gave a moment of respite in the current climate of strangeness and uncertainty. However her words of encouragement and advice got the point across. He lessened the harsh start on the “here” remnants of common sneaking into it. He coughed to clear his throat and with the much more elegant and sharper ravokian accent, without trying to cover it up as well in the process spoke again.

“I’m here to help.” He spoke again the words a little easier flowing now that he didn’t have to cover up his own shortcomings. Though when the conversation turned to whether or not she knew Infilia. He started getting a little lost but eventually caught back up. Apparantly different last names meant different areas. And Alex already knew of Infilia’s flue playing. So he caught that easily enough. But what was messing with him was her words about teaching. “So…You’re saying she taught you the flute?” He questioned oddly before glancing between her and the cloak on the door.

Understanding like this had its challenges but it was enough for him to get a handle upon it. “Oh you’re saying you like listening to music but can’t sing well?” He at least thought that was what she said. From how he was putting the broken fragments of her words together. Still though he couldn’t quite hold back another comment. “You’re eyes. They’re blue… Is that good?” He didn’t know if he was asking the right thing or the wrong thing it was just something that was plaguing him. He’d seen it with Infilia in similar circumstances but the colours were all different. He had an inkling of an idea but he had to be certain.

Completed From Snowy flat to Volcano.