20th winter, 521
The Tenday celebration was winding down to something much more subdued as the evening drew in over Syka. Oralie was sat down on the beach below the Commons, where people had seemed to drift to when the main gathering had come to a close. She had a cup in her hands, the liquid within a deep berry pink. She had no idea what ingredients made it up, but it was deliciously fruity without being too sweet.
She was sat alone, Tazrae having quietly let her know she was leaving Syka for the night before slipping away. The Inn had no overnight guests for once, save the more permanent residents, so neither of them had to worry about looking after anybody. She swirled the juice in her cup and then drained it before rolling the empty vessel between her palms.
The sea lapped at the shore a little ways in front of her, reflecting the muted orange of a burning sunset. The Kelvic sighed, setting the cup down on the sand, feeling totally at peace. It was a feeling still new to her, and while there was a little voice in the back of her head wondering if she was missing anything, she was trying her best to lean into it. The Sykan way of life was everything she had dreamed of and more, though she was under no illusion that it would be as easy as this forever. She imagined she was in some sort of grace period, where she was allowed a little time to find her balance before the tougher lessons really began.
After a short while someone approached from behind and sat themselves down next to her, not too close, but close enough that they would be able to hold a conversation. Oralie looked sidelong at them to see it was Randal Zor, the founder she had interacted with the least since her arrival. He was much younger than the other two founders, his hair long and dark and curling around his temples. Oralie had always thought he looked quite stern, but perhaps that was just his ‘founder face’ for now, after the celebration, his features seemed softer and more relaxed.
He turned his head to smile at her when he noticed that he had caught her attention. “Good evening Oralie. How did you like the celebration?” She tilted her head just a fraction as she considered her answer. “It was fun.” “Even though you did not join in the dancing again?” She nodded, a little sheepish. Mathias had tried to coax her to dance a little after she had avoided it at the first Tenday. While she hadn’t danced again this time, she had at least tried not to hide in the shadows near the back of the groups of people. Baby steps and all that.
“Did you work out what your trinket does yet?” Oralie shook her head. “No, not yet. Maybe I got one that doesn’t do anything.” Randal smiled. “Oh it will do something, don’t you worry. They seem to be very specific abilities though. You have probably not been in a situation where it would be useful yet.” Oralie reached up to twist the gold cuff that she wore just above her left elbow. Even if it turned out not to actually do anything, she had grown attached to the item – the first piece of jewellery she had even owned.
Randal’s gaze dropped to her arm, lingering on the cuff for a moment before his brows drew together ever so slightly. “You are cold?” Oralie, surprised, met his gaze. “No?” “You have goosebumps. The breezes can be chilly when the sun goes down. But that’s why we make fires. Shall we?” She didn’t feel particularly cold, though it was true that the evening air was cooling. She noticed a couple of small fires dotted around the beach where small groups of people had congregated to wind down the evening together.
+658
She was sat alone, Tazrae having quietly let her know she was leaving Syka for the night before slipping away. The Inn had no overnight guests for once, save the more permanent residents, so neither of them had to worry about looking after anybody. She swirled the juice in her cup and then drained it before rolling the empty vessel between her palms.
The sea lapped at the shore a little ways in front of her, reflecting the muted orange of a burning sunset. The Kelvic sighed, setting the cup down on the sand, feeling totally at peace. It was a feeling still new to her, and while there was a little voice in the back of her head wondering if she was missing anything, she was trying her best to lean into it. The Sykan way of life was everything she had dreamed of and more, though she was under no illusion that it would be as easy as this forever. She imagined she was in some sort of grace period, where she was allowed a little time to find her balance before the tougher lessons really began.
After a short while someone approached from behind and sat themselves down next to her, not too close, but close enough that they would be able to hold a conversation. Oralie looked sidelong at them to see it was Randal Zor, the founder she had interacted with the least since her arrival. He was much younger than the other two founders, his hair long and dark and curling around his temples. Oralie had always thought he looked quite stern, but perhaps that was just his ‘founder face’ for now, after the celebration, his features seemed softer and more relaxed.
He turned his head to smile at her when he noticed that he had caught her attention. “Good evening Oralie. How did you like the celebration?” She tilted her head just a fraction as she considered her answer. “It was fun.” “Even though you did not join in the dancing again?” She nodded, a little sheepish. Mathias had tried to coax her to dance a little after she had avoided it at the first Tenday. While she hadn’t danced again this time, she had at least tried not to hide in the shadows near the back of the groups of people. Baby steps and all that.
“Did you work out what your trinket does yet?” Oralie shook her head. “No, not yet. Maybe I got one that doesn’t do anything.” Randal smiled. “Oh it will do something, don’t you worry. They seem to be very specific abilities though. You have probably not been in a situation where it would be useful yet.” Oralie reached up to twist the gold cuff that she wore just above her left elbow. Even if it turned out not to actually do anything, she had grown attached to the item – the first piece of jewellery she had even owned.
Randal’s gaze dropped to her arm, lingering on the cuff for a moment before his brows drew together ever so slightly. “You are cold?” Oralie, surprised, met his gaze. “No?” “You have goosebumps. The breezes can be chilly when the sun goes down. But that’s why we make fires. Shall we?” She didn’t feel particularly cold, though it was true that the evening air was cooling. She noticed a couple of small fires dotted around the beach where small groups of people had congregated to wind down the evening together.
+658
