Young Writers Society

Béyta

I felt my cheeks heat up slightly and gave the hem of my shirt a quick tug. "That's perfect, thank you." Not many travelers had the courtesy to treat a lady like a lady. He seemed slightly nervous... which was sort of amusing. "My apologies, for going off on you like that. It's been a rather tiring day as one could imagine."

He just nodded and continued staring at me. I let out a low giggle, it was almost as if he hadn't seen something this odd happen before. In Flangiá, almost anything is possible. If I recollected correctly, I remembered having once seen a girl who was following a giant spider. If that wasn't odd, I don't know what was.

"I suppose I should leave now. I apologize for the inconvenience." I mumbled quietly as I gazed towards the door.

Scarlet:
I passed the wreckage that was the library. It was still raining. I looked disgustedly at the ground. The mud was everywhere. I was lost and alone in a city I wasn't familiar with and the only things I knew how to do were sew and fight. I thought again that I should have stayed in the mountains. I was completely lost in thought so its no surprise that I was startled when a boy suddenly appeared next to me. He was covered in tattoos.
"It's not the most logical option to be saying "Find me" in a city of cutthroats" he said.
"Probably not the most 'logical option' to be talking to random strangers in a city of cutthroats, either. Now is it?"
I looked him over. He was certainly taller than me but then again who isn't? I stood up straight,then on my tiptoes to size him up.
"Which tells me,Sir, that you too are ignoring logic." That was it for me being bold,my shyness set in and I shrunk. Turning my face away from him and crossing my arms. I wasn't good at making new friends,or meeting people at all for that matter. For all I knew this tattooed boy could be a cutthroat as well. But, for now, he was the only person I was going to know in this town. The volume of my voice significantly lowered,
"So,whats your name?"

Ristel

Ristel shook his head, managing to shake off his shock- and a hint of nostelgia; something that he could honestly do without right now. "You-" he paused to clear his throat, blushing at the way his voice cracked. "Stay until it's done raining, at least." It took him a moment to pry his eyes from her- to look at something else.

Good Eidonias, she looked like Eynella... with Eraiy's hair. It felt like a hand was around his throat, squeezing until he felt moisture in his eyes. Even then, it didn't let up.

Breathe, Ristel!

"Thank you..."

There may have been more, but if there had been, Ristel wasn't listening. He had turned quickly, nearly smacking Béyta with his remaining wing. Thank his God that he had missed. "It isn't the largest room, I know, but... make yourself at home." His voice cracked- how ironic that it would choose to do so on home. It almost seemed cliche to him- not that he could control when his emotions made his voice weak.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to make the tears go away. All it did, though, was make his hands come away wet. He muttered an Azzian swear under his breath, trying to push away unwanted images. If they were more than images... they'd be far more welcome. But they weren't- they'd never be more than memories, and the only thing that those did were torment him.

He wobbled over to the bed, flopping down on the edge. And to think that a few minutes ago, he had been totally fine. A few more tears leaked out, and his hands flew up to cover his face. It was far louder than he had intended it to be.

Bay

I kicked my foot back and forth gently on the wooden floor and grasped my hands behind my back in an attempt to stay out of his way, but curiosity and a hint of compassion overcame my respect and I slowly approached him. His body shook gently with restrained sobs, part of me wanted to roll my eyes. Such a boy thing, trying not to cry.

"I'm sorry, if I did something wrong or have upset you in some way. If I can be so bold as to ask, why are you crying?" my hand came to a gentle stop on his shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. His breathing became heavy as he tried to calm himself down. His arms shot up and for a moment my heart stopped beating.

He pulled my close and my breath flew from my chest, a rush of panic flew through me and my entire being went numb. When I finally regained motor control I let out a small, terrified squeak and squirmed, "Please don't kill me, oh my good Gaia don't kill me."

His grip tightened and he let out a shuddery breath, he was still crying. "I-I'm not going to kill you. I'm hugging you. T-that's alright, right?"

"A-Alright just... Don't s-scare me like that." I studdered as I brought my arms up and wrapped them around him.

Seal-

"So what's your name?"

The girl's mood was afflictively fickle, abruptly hopping from golden courage to a shyness grey as the sky. Her bravado and sass had failed to provoke any anger in me, lucky for her. What could she know of logic? In fact, Logic was telling me right now to leave her be. Yet, some part of her was..... Inexplicable. i decided to stay around, at least for a while more.

'I'm Seal Talis, of the Otizachi. And what of you?"

"Scarlet D'Akari. I'm from Marian Pass"

"Interesting... so what brings you to the city?'

She looked down for a second. Making a "" when she saw mud on her dress. "Quilts mostly. I' ma seamstress, and you?"
tsk
"A tattoo artist," I ran my finger over my facial markings "Same equipment, different canvas"

The rare attempt at humor invoked a small laugh from Scarlet. I didn't know what to think of that. The silence stretched on to a point where some sort of awkward lump began to froth in the depths of my stomach, when a nearby door creaked open and several drunk men poured outwards.

'Oh great...." Scarlet muttered as one of the ugliest Goblins I've ever seen grabbed her arm and stuttered "Hey babe... lemme get in you"

She tugged her arm away and stoutly snapped "No thank you sir, you best be on your way" A flare of gold emerged in her mind, warming away the creaky gray.

The goblin laughed and turned to his friends. "You best be on your way" He imitated, followed by a chorus of sinking laughter. He turned and grabbed Scarlet again. She curled her lips and ferociously backhanded the drunkard. He fell to the muddy streets with a groan, and then leapt back up with a snarl.

'You gonna pay for dat!" he said before leaping towards Scarlet. I acted faster than I thought I could in intercepting him and throwing him against the nearest wall. There was a sickening crack, and his body stayed motionless face down.

"Are you alright?" I asked Scarlet.

"You just..killed him" she murmured.

I shrugged. "It was the logical option"

She looked at me with a mix of anger, incomprehension and a slight bit of wonder.

"Hey yous!" We turned to face the eight or so pals of the Goblins. "you dun killed Glak! Now we dun killed yous!"

I rolled my eyes. "Scarlet, get away from here" She shook her head and stood almost... protectively beside me. Ah well, if she died it might actually be for the best.

The biggest of the gang was a hideous troll-human Halfling with a club in one of his paws. the rest was a mix of goblins and men, one or two armed with swords.

The one who ad spoken charged, and was sent sprawling by my fist. Scarlet gave him a kick before tackling another one. A goblin wit ha sword swung at my side, but I grabbed his wrist and disarmed him. It was a crude blade, so it was well suited to slaying drunkards in the street.

The rest of the battle was short. The ale had numbed their senses, so that even I, a inexperienced swordsman, could fell them with ease.

Soon Scarlet and I stood in a pool muddy blood. With a small crowd of onlookers who tried to ignore the massacre. No one would have your back in this city.

"Are you alright?" I asked her.

Scarlet:
'I'm Seal Talis, of the Otizachi. And what of you?"
He seemed cold and formal.
"Scarlet D'Akari. I'm from the Marian Pass"
"Interesting... so what brings you to the city?" he said, still cold and still formal,I wondered why he was still here. I was too shy to ask so I looked down.
"Making quilts mostly...I'm a seamstress.You?"
"A tattoo artist." I looked at him, studying his markings. "Same equipment, different canvas."
I laughed quietly. It was obvious that humour was rare for him and he didn't know what to do with my reaction. The silence was awful, I had no idea what to say.
A door screeched open and a drunken lot of men fell out. I was disgusted, one, a goblin, headed right for me and grabbed my arm.
"Hey babe... lemme get in you" I nearly vomited. Fight brewing inside me I became bold yet again,
"No thank you sir, you best be on your way" I snapped. The goblin mocked me. my body now commanded my mind and I backhanded him. He threatened me and ran at me. Seal jumped in front of me before I could even think. He grabbed my attacker and threw him against a wall. The crack made me flinch.
"Are you alright" Seal asked me.
"You just...", I hesitated, "Killed him." I could hardly speak.
"It was the logical option" The logical option...The LOGICAL option?
I looked at him confused and furious, but I couldn't help staring in wonder at his tattoos.
The rest of the goblin troup had caught on to what happened to their friend and they weren't happy.
"you dun killed Glak! Now we dun killed yous!" Seal rolled his eyes and told me to go away. I stood my ground. I wasn't going to have another man tell me what to do in this hellhole. I left my senses and let anger take me over. I fought hard along side Seal until all the goblins were dead.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Alright? Your'e asking me if I'm alright?!" I stared at him,shocked. When he didnt say anything I continued.
"I just killed...KILLED!! A bunch of drunks with a boy covered in tattoos named Seal! Oh my...I killed someone. Oh my..." I sunk into the puddle and began to sob.

Ristel

Not the same. Not even relatively close to the same. No feathery Nestrofoe wings, no Nestrofoe accent or content sighs. Ristel released Béyta, muttering a few dozen apologies under his breath. He took a moment to rub vigorously at his eyes, which only made them hurt. And all that did was make them water more- wonderful.

And what was more than that was the fact that he was humiliating himself. Having an emotional breakdown in front of a rabbit-girl he didn't even know, save for her name. And that wasn't a whole lot.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again, swallowing hard. "You just..." look like my wife, with my daughter's hair. Forgive the emotional breakdown. "Remind me of... people."

People... his family. Ristel leaned back against the head-board, trying to gain his composure. It wasn't working; then again, why bother trying? Eight months wasn't enough time to mourn, especially not for a Lidor'ky'ses. It had always been said that aside from the Adrais'i'oen, Ristel's race had the closest family bonds. Even if one of those bonds was made with a woman of another race and a half-blood daughter.

He moved a hand to massage his aching chest, trying to recall why he had ever gone off to fight. He wasn't a fighter- had he been, once upon a time?

"I... can still leave, if you want."

Ristel looked up, abrubtly moving his gaze elsewhere, and shook his head. "I told you that you were allowed to stay until the rain stops," he whispered, forcing himself to stand up. "You just... look a lot like a mixture of my wife and daughter." A half-smile that didn't get anywhere near his eyes was mustered. "My race feels bonds with their loved ones for a long, long time is all. When we're reminded of a deceased family member, it's like somebody quite literally ripped our chests to shreds and burned what was left... and then some."

A Liddie thing. Ristel shook his head, blinking away more tears. "It's only been eight months." The words came so quietly, trembling so badly, that he wasn't sure Béyta had even heard. "Of course, you don't have brightly colored feathery wings like the Nestrofoe, but the resemblence... it's there."

Stop talking.

Ristel agreed with himself, crossing the room to sit down at the desk. What he planned to do once he was there was unknown, but there was something less... feeble about sitting on a wooden chair than there was about being slumped over on a bed, sobbing.

Some host he was turning out to be.

Bay

Perhaps I had changed back too soon, I had made the man miserable by simply being alive. For all I knew he could snap at any moment and fix that little problem. I wasn't familiar with his species, and therefore had no idea how he reacted to situations like these.

Maybe I'd luck out and this one wouldn't know how to cast curses, or want to kill me. I sat on the bed and ran my hand over the smooth fabric before letting my hand rest on my lap. If only I had my satchel with me, perhaps some elven magic would cheer him up.

I let my hand glide over to my necklace and thought of home, and what it would be like if Mom and Dad had died. The thought was unpleasant enough to let a chill run down my spine and into the pits of my being. I ran my hand over the scratchy material that held the little pebble, a small token from home that I kept in the little bag. Naturally, it was enchanted to always give one a sense of warmth and hope.

The man still avoided so much as looking in my direction as the atmosphere grew more and more uncomfortable by the second. My hands worked swiftly to unhook the small necklace from my neck, pulling out a few stray hairs that had gotten tangled in the clip. I brushed them away and quickly slid it around the man's neck.

"What's this?" he inquired when I pulled away.

"A little something that elves use to keep up their spirits, I'm not sure if it'll work for your kind but it was worth a shot."

He smiled, the kind of smile that you give a grandmother who gives you an itchy sweater but you don't want to be mean so you just smile kind of look. My feet returned to their shuffling back and forth on the ground in a shy manor, almost as if they were moving themselves.

It seemed no matter what I could have tried, nothing would have cheered him up. Another rush of vertigo flew through me before I found myself looking up at him.

Ristel

Béyta's shadow moved drastically- Ristel couldn't help but bite back a smile. It was brief and weak, but by Ristel's standards, it still counted. He twisted around in the chair, scooping the rabbit up in one hand. The fact that she practically fit in his palm now was... somewhat amusing. Or something along those lines, anyways. He set her down on the desk before hesitating a moment, eyes wandering to the desk drawer.

A moment later, the drawer was open, and a large, folded brown satchel was being pulled out. He set this next to Béyta, unfolded it and flipped it open, gingerly pulling out three feathers, each about three quarters the length of his arm- all vibrantly colored, bright purple splashed with yellows and blues. With that came half a dozen strings of smaller feathers, each individually colored in darker hues. Two thin braids of dark hair was the last object in the bag, each of the four ends tied with a purple ribbon.

He ran a trembling finger over each, feeling his throat lock. The mourning customs of his wife's people weren't anything that he had assumed he'd ever practice... but now? After eight months, he was finally feeling the need. He turned for a moment to smile softly at the rabbit-Béyta, reaching out a hand to stroke her back a couple of times before turning back to his work.

Of course, he had shaved his head- to follow a Liddie custom of mourning... he couldn't tie the feathers and the braides into his hair, which meant that he needed something that he could use as a head band. He eyed the satchel's handle for a moment before reaching to take a knife from the back corner of the desk. He sliced a few thin strips from the bag while he was at it, and set to work making his new head piece. There was something almost disturbing about wearing his wife's feathers and a few locks of his daughter's hair on his head, but there was still that... need. A need to do something after eight months of hiding.

He fingered the finished look, shooting a last look at Béyta. "My wife's and daughter's," he whispered, tieing his new accessory around his head. The feathers and the hair each hung in a bunch over his shoulder, the longer of the feathers trailing down to just above his elbow. He managed a stronger smile, staring at himself in the small wall mirror.

Bay

I stared at the strange man as he tied the feathers and hair around his head. Strange people, those Azzrins were. Azzin? Azzian. It was Azzian. I felt my nose twitch with slight humor as he explained that they were his wife's and daughter's. He then went on to explain it was a mourning custom of his wife's people as he smiled at himself in the mirror. We elves burned our dead and wore all black for a month, and during that time did no physical work.

Another hiccup escaped my throat and I felt the daze again, then another, and another. Back and forth until I found myself back in my elven form with one extremely horrible headache. I groaned and rubbed my temples with my index fingers. A hand met my shoulder and I looked up at the man. Damn I didn't even have his name yet.

"Are, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, that was just... very disorienting."

I sat back on the bed and tried to grasp myself, the whole room seemed to be spinning. Wonderful, more vertigo would trigger another switch. I was actually kind of happy he hadn't brought up the fact that it isn't normal for a girl to be turning into rabbit, or vice versa.

"So," I breathed "Did you marry a bird?"

Ristel

"So, did you marry a bird?"

Ristel stopped fingering one of the feathers, unable to bite back a genuine smile. The smile induced a short laugh, one that was purely amused. He was still smiling as he shook his head, absorbing every ounce of joy from that he could from the question before storing some away.

"No, I didn't marry a bird." He turned back to the elf, head cocked to the side, eyebrow arched. The fact that he could look at her without have an emotional breakdown was nice. "I married a Nestrofoe, and they just so happen to have feathers. Feathered wings, feathers rather than hair, feather bands about their wrists and ankles..." he trailed off. The amused smile softened and his gaze dropped to the floor.

"They're a beautiful race, Nessa Béyta." He cleared his throat, hoping that the saddness had remained well hidden. It was so easy to slip back into depression... why was working his way up to feeling happy so difficult? Maintaining it was almost worse. He stood up slowly, glancing around the room for something to do- anything that would distract him. His hand went back to the feathers, fingering them gingerly. The tears came next, though they didn't make it past his eyelids. The two arms that were suddenly around him stopped them there.

Ristel looked down, a bit surprised at the elfen girl. She was hugging him now? He managed a slight smile, bringing her arms around her. Too bad she wasn't saying anything, or he would have absorbed the comfort.

Her hand came across the nub on his back, withdrawing almost immediately. "What... what happened to your other wing, anyways?"

Ristel blinked, releasing Béyta as softly as he could. Great- one more story that was hard to tell. "Have you ever been to war, Nessa Béyta?"

She shook her head no.

"Good, because it's terrible." He sighed, racking a hand over his shaved head. He wished he hadn't cut it all of. "My kingdom went to war with another land after the slaughtered the children of one of our races. Teival had been itching for bloodshed, and he was willing to do whatever it took to convince our Empress to retaliate. I went to fight, leaving my two year old daughter and my wife behind. My mother was killed in an ambush not long after the battles started, and I was captured by year two. Torture's an ugly thing, Nessa. I can't even remember what they wanted from me, but if they were willing to take a Liddie's wing from his back, it must have been something large."

Ristel banished the memory immediately. The slight burning sensation in the nub was growing stronger- and that was never a welcome feeling. Bloody Liddie "abilites."

Bay

I stared, that's all I could do was stare. I suddenly wished I hadn't asked. What had happened to common courtesy? Breath, Bay, Breath Thank you, head voices. Breathing was a good idea. Those necklaces were meant for more than just keeping one happy, they kept elve's emotions in wack.

"T-that's horrible. How could anyone be so cruel?"

Without them, we tended to over react to everything. I felt the sting in my eyes, but not before the tears started. My arms instinctively wrapped around him again. He sighed and wrapped his arms around me, muttering a reassuring "It's okay, It's in the past."

We elves often avoided war until a last resort. In fact, for as long as I had been alive I had never heard of an elf going to war, we kept to ourselves most of the time. With another hiccup from the crying, I changed back into a rabbit. This was getting more annoying than anything.

*blah, crappy post*

Lilura Nazzalin | Inn - Upstairs Hallway:

I eyed the pair through the partially open door. The girl had changed forms several times now, but she was clearly not a Sorceress. (Besides, what self-respecting sorcerer ever had a rabbit as another form?) I had been watching for a little while now. It was....making me curious. And my being curious tended not to be a good thing. It was like telling Lujayn about the latest nightmare you had. The Prophecies leader tended to use anything she could get her hands on against you. Especially if it was something you told her. She liked to blackmail people.

"It's okay, it's in the past."

I blinked and focused my drifting attention back on the odd pair inside the room. He seemed to have stopped his panicking, but the girl was crying now. From the shadows in the hallway, I could observe them silently for quite some time. I shifted slightly, tugging my hood back over my head when it fell down. I hoped I could dye my hair, but for some stupid reason, the magic in my blood wouldn't let me. It was...frustrating, to say the least.

Suddenly, the man looked up and gazed out into the hall. "Who is there?" he called, and then added something in a low voice in a language I could not understand. It didn't sound like something nice. I froze, shifted back a step only to make the floorboards protest--loudly. I muffled my groan and half-turned my head away, watching the pair from the corner of my eyes. Beyond the edge of my cloak's hood, the girl had turned her attention towards me. Her ear was pointed when I glimpsed it between ringlets of hair. I swore lowly in Myrddian and shifted again, careful to avoid any more loose floorboards. "Show yourself," said the man with one wing.

I froze again, thinking swiftly. There wasn't much choice here. Leave and let my curiousity kill me (not literally, just figuratively) or stay and reveal myself. I chose to stay.

Ristel

Ristel frowned at Béyta, mind shifting for a brief second. He probably had a cure for those hiccups... he watched her hiccup again, shrinking back down to rabbit size. Poor elf was probably going to have a stroke if she kept that up. Ristel scooped her up, resting another hand protectively on her back before turning back to the door.

Not another sound.

His eyes narrowed, and Béyta was set on the bed behind him before he made his way over to the door, fists clenched. Eidonias knew that he wouldn't be able to strike anybody at the moment, but an act probably wouldn't hurt. He pulled the knife off of the desk on his way out, stopping cold when he saw the cloaked figure. She had been that close the entire time?

Bloody hell, he felt violated right about now. As if the elf-rabbit seeing him cry hadn't been bad enough...

"Any particular reason you're standing there... miss?"

Lilura | Inn - Upstairs Hallway:

I flinched. I actually flinched. He'd moved so fast and now I could see him clearer. He really was tall, and handsome. I smiled beneath my hood. I shifted away a little more, watching the man with one wing closely. "None so far," I replied, keeping my voice soft and musical; a distraction from what I could truly be. "I'm...lost, to be honest, and need a place to stay."

The walls are down, I thought, remembering the rumours. And there's supposed to be a way out, since we can't climb over the rubble. We were, to put it bluntly, screwed. I banished those thoughts from my mind and focused my attention on the man before me. He speaking, saying something and I wasn't listening. I forced myself to focus on the words.

"...are you doing, just standing there?"

I glanced past him to see the girl-rabbit sitting on the bed, watching us. Frowning, I recalled how she had pointed ears earlier. Elf, my mind supplied. But that was impossible. Back in Curuwen, Elves were extinct. The Melnarian Emperor had made sure of that. I watched her, and she watched me back.