Gray
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 124
Registered: Jul 2, 2021 10:00:37 GMT -5
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Post by Gray on Jun 3, 2023 0:50:13 GMT -5
The Azure Coast is a tiny nation on the rocky shore about half an hour's away from Port Argentium, consisting of a shore, a Clocktower without a clock, a cave carved in the limestone cliffs at the shore edge, and less than a handful of people.
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Jun 3, 2023 0:54:30 GMT -5
Nina made twine.
It was her go-to task whenever she found a moment to breathe between more urgent chores. Find a sunny rock on the shore, grab some of the nettle fibres she'd left to dry the week before, and start twisting each string between her fingers, left, right, until the two halves hugged on their own. Everyone needed cordage, you see. From a length of woven bark to hold up one's trousers, to the lines of ships and the fine thread used in the Infirmary, it held up their world. Which meant that Nina often had something to trade. Badly – Gray said. Alas. Nina ran her toes along the already-considerable length of twine, holding it up for inspection. She nodded. This piece was not for barter. Already making good use of the fishing line she'd crafted, the girl was now considering working on a net. Something small – a fish trap, perhaps, something to set up on the edge of the Tower's roof to take advantage of the tides battering it twice a day. Now, if only she could rely on the octopus not to investigate it...
Nina smiled. Small hope. The creature was curious, and though skittish around her and Piper, it seemed to like Gray. She supposed it might be because it had had time to investigate the man while he'd lain catatonic. Gray liked the octopus too. He always spoke of the spices with which to cook it. With the assassin's flat voice, it took practice to realize... Last night, Nina had woken up to see, outside the Tower's windows, standing in the film of moonlight left behind at low tide, Gray, reaching out his little finger to meet the octopus's tentacle. And everything had felt right with the world.
Everything was all right with the world, she thought. True, she was often tired, and weary of having to plan everything ahead – even now, she was pondering over the bits and bobs she'd found while diving at the mouth of the Silver River, and whether now she had enough to pay the carpenter to make her a rope baton. True, Theodosia was still swindling people, and Piper's magical heart had needed some extra adjustments, and Gray was still as chaotic as ever, one day bringing enough food to feed a small army and the next two weeks focusing obsessively on making intricate, painfully inedible floor tiles. But...
Nina looked up at the clear, green sea. She looked down at her hands. Clenched her fists. Had the last time she'd used her magic left her more weakened than she expected? It was already late – the tide had gone way low, revealing the rocky shore – yet she had made so little twine. She curled up. When had the time gone? Something felt wrong. She shook her head.
Everything was all right.
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Qori
New
Roleplay posts: 9
Age: 20
Appearance: A lithe young Duralai of the Zal'Dura people, with long, luscious hair, rich tan skin, and wide eyes that shine the color of gold. A pair of deep emerald wings, flecked with gold patterning, sprout from their back, and feathers of similar color sprout from various places on their body.
They are garbed in simple, flowy clothes that would befit someone accustomed to a hot jungle climate.
Equipment: They wear an ornate rapier with a silver basket hilt at their side - the blade has been used to spar, but has seen no real combat.
They also have a woven bag containing their personal effects - a handwoven blanket, a pair of dance ribbons, a small token depicting a sun, a set of gaming dice, a few bottles of Brandy, and a bundle of dried leaves.
Skills and Abilities: Qori has been educated in matters of Zal'Dura nobility and diplomacy, and retained at least a portion of their studies. They fancy themselves a jack of all trades, having baseline proficiency in dance, diplomacy, weaving, dueling, and a smattering of other skills.
Registered: Jan 18, 2023 19:06:35 GMT -5
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Post by Qori on Jun 3, 2023 2:45:31 GMT -5
Everything was terrible.
Qori had never flown so fast in all their life - they simply had never needed to before this moment. Believe it or not, the threat of a colossal wave - one that towered several thousand feet in the air, no less - was not something that a Zal’Dura groomed for nobility was typically made to prepare for. The closest Qori had ever come to this level of exertion had occurred while racing home to cover their tracks after a night of... we'll just say "ill-advised revelry" - which, upon reflection, they decided held significantly lower stakes than their current situation.
The tsunami roared with all the rage and fury of the open sea, the sound of the surf crashing violently against itself and echoing across the horizon like splitting trees and gnashing bones. Qori no longer knew what the wave looked like, and did not care to check - not until they could no longer hear the hellish riptide following them like a funeral dirge. It is perhaps better that Qori was not made aware of the shape of the monster that pursued them. Since its conception, it had risen to even more dizzying heights, fanning out far and wide to become a moving wall of destruction. For the tsunami to catch them in that moment, the pressure and force of the wave would be strong enough to snap their spine in two.
Qori was almost upon the island now. No matter that this was the first piece of land they had seen in weeks - in this moment, the only thing that mattered is that it was a chunk of rock upon which the wave might break. They spied a tower amidst the chaos, just off the coastline. There were people here. Perhaps more Duralai had found their way to this place? They furrowed their brow. It was so difficult to think straight with their blood pounding in their ears.
They soared fast through the air, like a bullet loosed from a sling. They could feel the muscles in their back strain and tear at the movement of their wings, but the adrenaline had long overridden their usual tolerance for pain. If they managed by some miracle to survive this ordeal, Qori would be rewarded by feeling sore for weeks to come. They came upon the coast, continuing to fly along it without a thought towards breaking their momentum - the only thought on their mind was that of putting as much distance as possible between themself, and the wave.
Qori operated with such incredible focus that they did not notice the lone woman gazing out towards the sea - at least, not before colliding with her at full speed. The impact sent the two parties tumbling backward, falling hard against the ground and garnering a cacophony of surprised squawking. The two rolled along the coastline for some distance, before finally coming to a stop in a haphazard pile.
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Jun 5, 2023 12:54:39 GMT -5
What Qori may not have realized, in their prodigious haste, was that the shore they were flying over, wasn't.
The shadows! Nina's eyes went wide, as her instinct finally had a word to cling to. The shadows were too short. Then she looked up again, and noticed the colours. All the pretty rainbow splashes, scattered all over the seabed like marbles. Strange. To see so many sea creatures out in the open – normally the starfish'd retreat to the deeper pools once the tide-
The tide was retreating too fast. She could see hundreds of paces beyond the lowest tideline.
Nina stood up, her gut sinking. If she looked just over the horizon-
THWACCK!
The world spun around her. Part of it was cold, hard, and and rocky. Part of it was foreign and feathery and warm and with limbs that felt like too many as they tangled with hers. Cold water struck her, as they rolled through the edge of a puddle and then out again.
As Nina pushed up a leg out of her way (she wasn't sure whose), her eyes fell once more on the sea, at the edge where a cloud was not a cloud – almost as if a knife had skimmed the foam across the entire sea, and was sending it her way. It was still far enough that most people wouldn't know what was coming. And then the sound hit her. She felt the cold, wet breeze on her face.
“Not again.” She whispered.
She stood up. She had not been stabbed yet, which led her to believe that the stranger might not in fact intend to do her harm (or if she just hadn't noticed being stabbed, a cheerful disposition might impress enough to prevent them from doing it again).
“We must go up! Up!” Nina shouted, gesturing behind her.
The sharp-peaked, algae-tipped sea bottom that Qori had flown over had given way, around here, to saltwater pools and fissured, smooth rocks, carved by the tides. In one of the shallower gaps, lay the Tower, upon closer inspection a mere one-story construction, though with a beautiful glass roof. A stone's throw higher, where they currently stood, the tide barely reached and the rocks were warm and comfortable. Further up still, in the direction that Nina was pointing, the ground became largely flat, like grey, molten steps. About ten paces of it or so. Further still...
There was a cliff of limestone, stretching up to the sky*. From the distance, at midday, its white would be nearly blinding. From close by, it was nearly vertical. Only a smattering of gnarly trees and freshly-planted bamboo dotted its surface.
“Can you walk?” Nina pulled the stranger up, feeling their exhaustion, the tension in their muscles. It almost felt like if she let go, they'd faceplant on the ground. “Fly?” This woman, she thought in a daze, she has wings. If this was a messenger of the local divinity, here to end her for bringing the Clocktower, they'd sure gone to some trouble to do it.
If Quori had said that, then Nina would have stood there. But she hadn't, at lest not yet, so Nina dragged her, leaping in a zigzag across and over tide puddles, towards the cliff, unless the foreign woman looked capable of moving on her own. The girl in blue clothes only stopped for a breath before what looked like a cave, pulling aside the heavy linen cloth that covered it. The breeze was making the beads in her hair clink.
“Gray, run! Wave! Now! Run!” She shouted. Strong enough to hear her echo.
Five words, for the man who had broken his soul asunder so that she could live. This was all Nina could spare right now. She ran.**
The Staircase up the cliff never had the same number of steps. It wasn't proper stairs – merely a set of footholds virtually invisible from below, of root and stone, of earth and air, quite lavish actually if you happened to be a goat. They were hell each time that Nina climbed them to check on her garden, harder still when she'd climbed down with buckets of water before they redirected the tiny creek, the Silverlight, but back then she was not trying to cross them at breakneck speed. The stranger, had she not found her wings yet, would find herself verbally and often physically dragged up this limestone tightrope, as pebbles and bits of plant rolled down from under their feet.
Until Nina let go and, together with the rock that was currently under her feet, started slipping.
In the distance, the wave grew bigger.
*Slightly more than 30 paces, or 50 meters.
**Gray had left that morning with Piper, to show his new student the children's books in the infirmary. However, the assassin's manner of slipping past unnoticed meant that the probability of any place in the world of containing Gray was never quite zero.
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Qori
New
Roleplay posts: 9
Age: 20
Appearance: A lithe young Duralai of the Zal'Dura people, with long, luscious hair, rich tan skin, and wide eyes that shine the color of gold. A pair of deep emerald wings, flecked with gold patterning, sprout from their back, and feathers of similar color sprout from various places on their body.
They are garbed in simple, flowy clothes that would befit someone accustomed to a hot jungle climate.
Equipment: They wear an ornate rapier with a silver basket hilt at their side - the blade has been used to spar, but has seen no real combat.
They also have a woven bag containing their personal effects - a handwoven blanket, a pair of dance ribbons, a small token depicting a sun, a set of gaming dice, a few bottles of Brandy, and a bundle of dried leaves.
Skills and Abilities: Qori has been educated in matters of Zal'Dura nobility and diplomacy, and retained at least a portion of their studies. They fancy themselves a jack of all trades, having baseline proficiency in dance, diplomacy, weaving, dueling, and a smattering of other skills.
Registered: Jan 18, 2023 19:06:35 GMT -5
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Post by Qori on Jun 8, 2023 15:22:38 GMT -5
It took Qori a long moment to react. The first part of that moment was spent realizing that they had, in fact, stopped flying. Their head was spinning something awful - a discomfort they were well accustomed to, though typically one that was accompanied by the soft pillow of being blind-drunk. The feeling was indeed much worse without intoxication waiting in the wings to soften the blow. When Qori did finally open their eyes, they found themself facing not a single panicked woman, but three, all standing side by side with their outlines blurring into one another. They squinted, headache spiking as their mind attempted to reconcile the physics at play.
Qori tried to better parse the person standing in front of them as she coalesced back into a single figure. Nobody they recognized... human, by the look of it. No weapons that they could see. But the aspect Qori found themself most drawn to in their dazed state...
"Ah... such pretty eyes."
Qori squinted, still terribly dizzy, rubbing their temple in a futile attempt to banish the nausea. "Up!" They echoed back at the woman. "Yes! Yes, up - of course. Remind me, which way is up again? The wave - oh, gods above, the wave!" That was enough to snap them out of it. They forced themself back on their feet, shakily holding themself upright with legs of jelly, talons seeking purchase by scraping and sliding against the rocky shore below. Qori faltered, steadying themself by gripping the woman's shoulders with each hand, holding themself up by using her as a makeshift crutch. "Why still do we stand here talking - we must make haste! It will be upon us any moment!"
Qori's eyes followed the woman's finger to the cliffside - and was, as expected, blinded almost immediately. "Oh, but why is that rock so... so, loud?" They squinted again, their headache throbbing anew. They slid their hand from the human's shoulder down to take her hand in theirs, leading them forward in the cliff's direction. "Come, lets - augh!"
The command was cut short with a cry of sharp pain as Qori attempted to open their wings. They doubled over in pain, the muscles in their back screaming in pain. They looked back through doubled vision - oh. Oh, dear. No, that definitely wasn't supposed to bend at that angle. They gritted their teeth. There was no way they could fly them out of there in this state. The cliff loomed what felt impossibly high above them. It seemed the collision would doom them both.
Still. No sense in just waiting to drown, was there? No good story ever ended with 'And then they gave up. The end.' The least they could do was spice up this disaster with some drama, even in the face of imminent demise. Nay - especially in the face of imminent demise.
"I can walk." Qori managed through still-gritted teeth. Such a harrowed tone didn't suit them, truly. Instead, they forced a smile. "Lead on, stranger. If we make it out of this, I'll see you granted your weight in gold."
They ran. Across tidepools and past the cavern - Gray? That drab color again. It would haunt them to the end, it would seem - and up against the cliff face. The woman moved with an urgency that Qori had scarce seen before. Surely, they imagined, this was a person who had seen her fair share of hardship - perhaps she was a local of this strange place? If this manner of spectacle was commonplace here, then it would stand to reason that its inhabitants would be justly hardened to match the island's fury.
But why, then, did Qori spy a dappled ring of paint around the sleeves of this woman's clothes?
She led them up the cliff, scaling the rock with that same dexterous urgency. At this point, Qori had fully shaken the haze from their mind. Between the rapidly shortening distance between themself and the wave, and the pain that shot through Qori's wings whenever they landed too hard on one foot, it was difficult not to be fully present in this terrible moment. They followed as best they could, but the process was... clumsy. Without full control of their wings - wings that Qori would typically have utilized to balance themself - the appendages instead became an unwieldly obstacle, working awkwardly and painfully against them. They imagined this is how those silly human bags must feel - what was it that they called the things? Backpacks. Qori couldn't imagine wearing a garment that would hamper a being's center of gravity just so.
The ill-timed contemplation was interrupted by the horrible sound of the woman's foot slipping. Qori's heart caught in their throat, birdlike eyes darting reflexively towards the sound. Humans were heavier than Duralai, and as cuch Qori couldn't be sure that the woman would survive the fall. Even if she did, she certainly would not survive the wave that would come after. That was that, then - time to be a hero.
They needed speed to position themself to catch this woman - this would hurt. They fanned out their wings, crying out in agony, gusting their body away from the cliff face so that they faced outward towards the sea. Don't look at the wave, don't look at the wave. Gripping the cliff face with one hand, Qori flexed their calves to dig their talons deep, deep into the soft limestone wall to root themself in place, snatching up the human's wrist in their hand before she could fall to the coast far below.
"Hey - look at me." Qori cooed, their voice impossibly soft given the chaos of the moment. "I'm with you. We're almost at the top, now"
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Jun 14, 2023 14:07:50 GMT -5
Nina's eyes pleaded. 'Let me go.'
She looked up. Tense to the wingtips, somehow holding on to the bare rock wall by sheer will, the stranger had caught her. Yet there was no time to save them both. Still, the next moment when Nina struck the rock wall face-on, she found herself scrambling for purchase. A rock under her toes – a tuft of grass between her clenched fingers. The taste of blood in her mouth. Over all that, the stranger's voice lingered on the brain. Nina somehow pushed her own weight up a rocky ledge, and yet the hollow between her feet felt ever deeper. And it all happened before the last pebbles she'd dislodged hit the ground.
They never quite did.
The travelling painter turned around. Her hands were shaking. The ledge she'd scampered to was wide, and so with one hand she grabbed a tree branch, and the other reached back to help. She saw the stranger outlined in a rainbow, her feathers gleaming, the markings on her face shining like the sun. It was lightly drizzling. She grabbed the other's hand.
Then it got dark all of a sudden.
Then the water came. The cliff dropped from under their feet, as tons of water struck the limestone with a thunderous roar. There was pain at first. Nina had the air knocked out of her. Then it was all water and white1.
Nina's soul felt drawn up towards the sky, weightlessly, past the edge of the cliff they had failed to reach, past the forest she had grown to know, somehow still holding on to the stranger, holding hands and spinning around each other, floating, higher, until she could just about guess the traces of her garden and the ribbon of the Silverlight through the trees and cloud, until she opened her eyes fully and realized that she was still attached to her body.
And that, more importantly, they were just about starting to fall.
The wind started to rush past her ears, slowly at first, then increasingly faster. Something slipped from around her waist – the rope she had been making, loosely tied to keep it out of the way. She caught it from reflex. Nina heard ticking in her ears, a sure-fire sign that she was about to die and the Clocktower hadn't realized how impossible her situation was.
She wished she'd had a plan to prevent them from pummelling to the death. She wished she'd had the strength. But no. What actually happened is, when they rushed past the ledge, Nina hooked the rope without thinking onto a tree overlooking it just out of reach. Then her arms felt stretched to the breaking, and suddenly they were heading up again, and underneath the echo of the wave grumbled, and her palm painted the rope red before reaching the end and letting go.
Still flying, for a moment. And still a step further from the ledge that Nina could possibly reach.
“Go!” Nina begged.
1It was merely spray – they had climbed past the breaking point of the wave – but that didn't matter in the moment.
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Qori
New
Roleplay posts: 9
Age: 20
Appearance: A lithe young Duralai of the Zal'Dura people, with long, luscious hair, rich tan skin, and wide eyes that shine the color of gold. A pair of deep emerald wings, flecked with gold patterning, sprout from their back, and feathers of similar color sprout from various places on their body.
They are garbed in simple, flowy clothes that would befit someone accustomed to a hot jungle climate.
Equipment: They wear an ornate rapier with a silver basket hilt at their side - the blade has been used to spar, but has seen no real combat.
They also have a woven bag containing their personal effects - a handwoven blanket, a pair of dance ribbons, a small token depicting a sun, a set of gaming dice, a few bottles of Brandy, and a bundle of dried leaves.
Skills and Abilities: Qori has been educated in matters of Zal'Dura nobility and diplomacy, and retained at least a portion of their studies. They fancy themselves a jack of all trades, having baseline proficiency in dance, diplomacy, weaving, dueling, and a smattering of other skills.
Registered: Jan 18, 2023 19:06:35 GMT -5
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Post by Qori on Jul 6, 2023 1:44:43 GMT -5
Qori met Nina’s eyes - oh, but what overwhelming sorrow they saw there. Their expression softened, confused at the shape of what stared back at them. Such… futility. Where had they seen such eyes before? Never in someone so young, of that they were certain. At least, she looked young.
They had only just opened their mouth to speak when the water met the cliff.
The pair cascaded up, up into the air above along the trajectory of the woman’s rope. Never before had such dizzying heights been so unwelcome to the Duralai, who glimpsed the view of what lay beneath with the unfamiliar fear of a bird with a broken wing.
And then, the fall - still clutching the woman tightly, the two began to nosedive, falling back to earth. All their collective hard work evading the wrath of the sea, only for that work to be the very thing that spelled their doom? Qori thought not. The gods as their witness - They were the heir apparent of the Zal’Dura, chosen prince of sun and sky. They refused to be brought to their final rest by the likes of gravity.
So Qori did what any bird would do - they opened their wings. It hurt - gods, it hurt - but thanks to the adrenaline coursing through their veins, the pain had numbed significantly, at least for now. Survival instinct had kicked in, and they could deal with the aftermath once they had brought themself and this woman safely home to roost.
The exertion to keep their wings steady was the hardest part. The angle, the flight itself? That was second nature. Qori didn’t even have to flap their wings. All they had to do was guide the wind beneath them and coast forward. A sheaf of paper, folded just right, sailing in a perfect curve until it found that it wasn’t falling down anymore - it was sailing forward.
“I can’t say I’ve ever met someone so - hrkk - so insistent on dying before.” Qori grunted, doing anything they could to keep their mind off the pain. “We’ll have to work on that. After I save your life.”
This woman… she was a curious one, wasn’t she? Any other person in her position would be singing a tune closer to the cadence of, ‘Oh Gods, above and below - please, please save me!’ But this level of pointless self-sacrifice was another thing entirely. Her ability to make the call on instinct alone - how easily this one weighed life and death. How grimly pragmatic. It would have been rare enough to see even a seasoned warrior acting in such a way.
So who, then, was this… painter? What had she possibly had suffered to burden her with the belief that her life was worth less than that of a total stranger?
Granted, Qori was a very, very important stranger. So… good instincts, they supposed. But still!
Such curiosities flitted through their mind for only a fraction of a second. There was much Qori wanted to convey to the woman in that moment - sentiments of comfort, questions to the nature of her being, an apology for failing to do more… but as it happened, they were out of time. The ground was fast approaching, Qori hadn’t nearly enough strength left to pull up from the ground and slow down.
“Rough landing, dear - I'll do what I can. Brace yourself.”
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Jul 9, 2023 4:44:59 GMT -5
Their hands, intertwined, were the only solid thing left in the world. That, and the winged woman's words. Nina felt like if she reached out through the salt and foam, she could grasp the sounds. Something changed in the air – they stopped falling – and the girl reached out to cover her face with an arm. Then they struck ground.
Thick forest soil softened their fall. Yet for a moment Nina didn't even register it, as she rolled through a maze of roots, coarse bushes and hardy perennials that inhabited the clifftop. All elbows and knees, her mother had once described Nina, and now the painter could definitely feel too many of them. Suddenly, she stopped.
It was all silent.
There was a warm sunspot on her face. She cracked her eyes open. A hum went through her spine, that she would later recognize as an echo of the great wave striking the cliff once more. Under her shoulders there was soft moss, and one inconveniently placed twig. Her legs were leaning up a tree trunk. Above, there were patches of blue sky. For some reason that brought tears to her eyes.
“I flew.” Nina gasped.
She slid her legs down to the forest floor, and she was shaking. A small sound escaped her throat, like the cry of a small bird, before Nina burst into laughter. She looked around until she could see a mass of iridescent, peacock-green feathers to the side.
“We're alive.” She burst out.
She shuffled closer. Knelt. Prodded the mass in the shoulder. Then twitched, for her hand hurt.
“Are we? If we're not, and you're an angel, you have to tell me, dek?” Nina whispered. Her hand which had held the rope was bleeding, and burned. It had left a red spot on the stranger's shoulder, and Nina felt compelled to draw her nail through it and shape it into a wave, a cliff, and two flying dots. “You did it!”
A pause.
“What is your name?”
The feverish energy that had animated Nina's run for her life was dying down, leaving behind chills. She struggled to put her thoughts in order. Medic. The stranger would need a medic. Was Port Argentium still standing? Theodosia. Gray. Piper. Had they-? Nina breathed. She breathed long, deep breaths, as Gray had taught her, because she needed to keep going.
“You look so worn out.” She quietly told the stranger: “Wait. I'll get you some water, and then we can have a look at your wings, all right?” Nina disappeared through the trees.
In a large wooden mug, moments later, the water of the Silverlight shined sweet and cold.
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Qori
New
Roleplay posts: 9
Age: 20
Appearance: A lithe young Duralai of the Zal'Dura people, with long, luscious hair, rich tan skin, and wide eyes that shine the color of gold. A pair of deep emerald wings, flecked with gold patterning, sprout from their back, and feathers of similar color sprout from various places on their body.
They are garbed in simple, flowy clothes that would befit someone accustomed to a hot jungle climate.
Equipment: They wear an ornate rapier with a silver basket hilt at their side - the blade has been used to spar, but has seen no real combat.
They also have a woven bag containing their personal effects - a handwoven blanket, a pair of dance ribbons, a small token depicting a sun, a set of gaming dice, a few bottles of Brandy, and a bundle of dried leaves.
Skills and Abilities: Qori has been educated in matters of Zal'Dura nobility and diplomacy, and retained at least a portion of their studies. They fancy themselves a jack of all trades, having baseline proficiency in dance, diplomacy, weaving, dueling, and a smattering of other skills.
Registered: Jan 18, 2023 19:06:35 GMT -5
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Post by Qori on Aug 18, 2023 16:55:53 GMT -5
For better or worse, the landing did not hurt worse than the strain of flight. Or at least, if it did, Qori didn't notice. They weren't particularly certain of anything at this point - all the pain and confusion and effort had long since bled into one another.
Qori regained consciousness without having realized they had lost it in the first place. They awoke on their back, blinking up at the soft beams of sunlight that floated down on the broken forms that lay beneath. It was... nice. Peaceful, even. They could faintly hear chime-like laughter some distance away, but it was hard to make out over the thrum of blood pumping in their ears.
They didn't speak right away. No, not didn't - couldn't. Qori found that when they made the attempt, they could only manage a hoarse, thin exhale in lieu of actual speech. The half-hearted attempt to sit up that followed was met with a sharp pain at the base of their back at their lungs, at which they squeaked out some pitiful noise before falling back into the soil.
That was ok. They were no longer in any rush. Qori began to close their eyes. Perhaps they would treat themself to a nice, long nap.
Then, the finger prodding their shoulder. Right. Her.
Qori's long eyelashes fluttered open, vision slowly focusing on the face suspended above them. "Wh - an angel, did you say?" They managed with some effort. "I'm afraid I'm not sure what that is. No doubt something... hrngh." Qori winced. "You know. Attractive, charming. What have you."
Immense pain, it seemed, did little to tarnish the Duralai's reputation as a shameless flirt. They couldn't help but chuckle at the woman's cry of celebration, though the act cost them another sharp twist of pain from their lower back.
"My name, yes. Right. You now address..." They sighed, decidedly too bruised to bother with the due formalities. "Qori. I'm called Qori. And what of yours, little trouble-maker?"
They opened their mouth in protest as she turned to leave, but she had already gone. They stared back at the sky while they waited, reflecting. They realized they hadn't been still, truly still, in weeks. They had grown so used to the proceeding chaos that the stillness had become the more disorienting of the two. How very strange.
Have a look at your wings, she had said. Oh dear. Qori could still feel the same numbing pain at their shoulder blades, so at least they were still... attached. Qori shuddered. They very much hoped they hadn't suffered a break. They would be hesitant to trust anyone outside of another Duralai to tend to something so vulnerable.
They drank greedily from the mug upon the woman's return, propping themself against the trunk of a nearby tree with her aid. "Ah... thank you, dear." Qori adjusted to the new position, attempting the harrowing task of not breathing too deeply with mixed success. "Tell me - how bad is it?"
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Aug 25, 2023 12:39:45 GMT -5
“I'm not sure...” Nina pondered over the nature of angels. Full of awe and splendour, vague memories said, but 'attractive' was not quite...She blinked. “They have wings! If you go to the Twin Cities, people might worship you.”
Who would they worship? Qori. “Qori,” she repeated. The sound felt warm.
“I'm Nina.” The girl pressed a hand on her damp chest. “Travelling painter, rope-maker, and part-time wizard.” Then she was gone.
With the water collected, she swayed for a moment by the side of the cliff. A sense of vertigo, that the girl had never had, engulfed her as she assessed the aftermath. The waves were choppy as if after a storm. She could not tell, from up there, how many of the items scattered on the shore had been dredged from the depths of the sea, and how many were the winter stores that she had so uselessly stored in the cave. Nina narrowed her eyes. Her hands clenched against a tree. None of the forms looked like Gray's lanky body, or Piper's small one. Neither could the girl see the octopus, yet the translucent body of the friend she had abandoned to the wave would be too faint to catch from afar. She cried of guilt and relief.
Wiping her tears, Nina returned to the stranger. She knelt by their side. Her touch on their wings was lighter than a doctor's – though clumsy at times – for she needed no hands or eyes to see. Her soul reached out like a voice seeking an echo. She followed a scaffolding of bone, entwined with vines of blood, nerves and things she was not learned enough to know. Such was the detail of her sense, within a vastly altered landscape of scale, that at times the smallest motion felt like she would be flung off the cliff.
“Try to hold your breath for a bit...” Nina whispered, in the space between wings and nape of the neck. “Enough.”
The effort made the world flicker darkly in her eyes. She settled to the side, legs crossed, head resting on her left hand, and elbow on the knee. Breathing. Moments later, the girl could lift her head:
“The good news is that the worst of it seems t' 'ave solved itself. This side of the wing...” Nina gestured. “It got twisted the wrong way, but somehow it's popped back into its socket.” Her voice rang bright with disbelief. “Everything I can see seems to be in place. Congratulations.” The girl struggled to temper her joy. “It's still hot to the touch and might swell, but that should just need time.”
Yet tempering was needed, for reality sometimes quenched life into forms that either strengthened or broke it.
“The bad news is...This bone here.” Nina's fingertips barely brushed the feathers at the very edge. “Can you feel it? Cracked, though not broken. I fear that if you put more stress on it, it will just shatter.” Nina stared at the ground. “I am sorry. You may be grounded until it binds together again.”
Would this have happened, Nina wondered, had Qori not struggled to carry her elephantine form?
“Of course, I will take care of you!” Nina protested, to no one in particular. She waved her hand to point alongside the shoreline. “There is a medic, about a watch over that way, who put my wrist back together from a jigsaw of bone.” Slowly holding up her arm revealed a small patch of skin of velvety blue, shaped like a diamond. Her fingers clenched. “I would wait, though.” Her eyes pointed towards the shore. “Though I trust that the wave did not strike Argentium head-on, even a glancing blow would give the infirmary plenty of work.” Nina struggled to put on a smile. “Also, I can't carry you.” She said. “Might be easier to wait for my mentor.”
She fiddled with something sewn into the edge of her lapels, right where they crossed over her chest. Small marbles, some wrapped in waxed paper, dropped into her palm. Some just looked like wax. Nina spun one of the latter between her palms until she felt it soften.
“Here.” She handed it to Qori. “Chew on this for a bit before you swallow it. Beeswax, mixed with poppy juice. Should help with the pain.” She carefully unwrapped the paper from the other kind of marble. This one was bright purple. It would taste like crystallized honey. “And this...Just good for energy.”
Nina tilted her head. Her eyes were intently fixed on the one who'd called her 'little troublemaker'.
“Qori. When have you last eaten?” She asked.
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Qori
New
Roleplay posts: 9
Age: 20
Appearance: A lithe young Duralai of the Zal'Dura people, with long, luscious hair, rich tan skin, and wide eyes that shine the color of gold. A pair of deep emerald wings, flecked with gold patterning, sprout from their back, and feathers of similar color sprout from various places on their body.
They are garbed in simple, flowy clothes that would befit someone accustomed to a hot jungle climate.
Equipment: They wear an ornate rapier with a silver basket hilt at their side - the blade has been used to spar, but has seen no real combat.
They also have a woven bag containing their personal effects - a handwoven blanket, a pair of dance ribbons, a small token depicting a sun, a set of gaming dice, a few bottles of Brandy, and a bundle of dried leaves.
Skills and Abilities: Qori has been educated in matters of Zal'Dura nobility and diplomacy, and retained at least a portion of their studies. They fancy themselves a jack of all trades, having baseline proficiency in dance, diplomacy, weaving, dueling, and a smattering of other skills.
Registered: Jan 18, 2023 19:06:35 GMT -5
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Post by Qori on Sept 15, 2023 17:37:02 GMT -5
“Nina.” Qori repeated, tasting the word on their tongue. It was sweet. “A lovely name.”
They did just as Nina bid them; breathing when she asked them to, following her attention as it moved from place to place across their body. They allowed themself a sigh of relief at her diagnosis, though it pained them as they knew it would. But if it truly was only a hairline fracture as she said… how could Nina have determined such a thing by sight alone? She must have been one of the most gifted healers of her homeworld. As well as a painter, and… whatever else.
“I’d say that’s just about the best news I could have hoped for. Especially if I have your company to look forward to in recovery.” Half of Qori’s mouth perked up in a coy smile, the Duralai finally having recovered enough energy for a spark of mischief to dance in their eyes. “Fortunately for both of us, I'm in no rush at all. Even better, really - given the manner of dreadful nonsense I've suffered of late, a few weeks of rest is just about the kindest gift I could have been given.”
Qori took the herbs Nina offered them. They were actually quite familiar with the first set of plants she placed in their hands, (they would even go as far as to say they were intimately familiar with the medicinal effects of poppy), but not the purple berries that followed. Unconcerned, they took both anyway. The berries, as it turned out, were lovely - they felt their eyes perk open just a bit even as their teeth broke through the soft flesh.
Very sweet, as well - though decidedly not as sweet as Nina’s name at their lips.
Qori rubbed the berry juice between their fingers for a moment before suckling it between their lips. “Eaten? Some time ago, I suppose. But you need not waste your worry on me, darling. I am Zal’Dura, after all - we know how to fish, in a pinch. The only thing I'm starved of is proper seasoning."
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Sept 17, 2023 8:58:35 GMT -5
There was something about Qori's speech patterns that made Nina lose her footing in the conversation, as if she couldn't be quite sure if she was being mocked.
“Feeling strong enough to move? Just a few steps away...” Nina softly attempted. “There's more sun in the garden. We could dry a bit.” Her blood was still pumping in her ears, but soon she would grow cold, and that was dangerous.
If agreed, she would help Qori up on their non-injured side, and guide them. She wondered what she should make of the mentions of fishing. No line or net to be seen on this person. “Do you mean, you fished from the air?!” Nina's eyes were wide.
Behind a hazel shrub, the forest opened, and Nina soaked in sunlight. The 'garden' was a crowded, colourful place that barely deserved the epithet. Wild things, hazel, nettles and yarrow, grew among the more obviously domesticated inhabitants. Only a trellis set up there, some signs of weeding here, marked it as cared-for, together with its winding paths. Had Qori mentioned seasoning?
“The peppers grew quite well. All from kitchen scraps, really.” Amazement rung in Nina's voice. She had not grown anything herself since leaving home to travel the world. “The long twirly ones, I call them wizards' hats, they're smoky and spicy.” She tilted to head to point at a bush with fruit that as they ripened went yellow, then red and blue-tinged. Another step, another variety. “The tiny rounded ones, uhm...They burn.” Nina paused. “Through my gloves. Very good when boiled in tisanes, though. Keeps the insects away from the other plants.” Gray kept them as pocket snacks. Gray also ate poison when she wasn't looking.
'Don't think of him in past tense.'
In the middle of the open space, was the reason for it existing in the first place - the stump of a massive tree, its roots separating the garden beds like the spokes of a giant wheel. Back when the tree stood, little could have grown under its thick crown. Nina guessed it must have fallen just around her arrival in the New World. Its trunk crossed the entire garden like the hand of a stopped clock. Hollow near the base and covered in mushrooms, it nevertheless retained enough life to have saplings sprouting up from it. Nina helped Qori to an area where the roots and the trunk met to form a soft, moss-covered sofa. As soon as the other was comfortable, she untied her rope-belt and threw her top and trousers onto the saplings. Her shoes had already been lost far below.
“Need help with...?” She turned to Qori. Suddenly she felt awkward, and looked down. “Uhm. Sorry. Just thought that we'd dry faster this way. I can look away if you'd like?” Under her clothes, Nina's skin was a touch paler than the deep tan she otherwise sported. She wore a demure loincloth of plain linen, and a breast band that lay nearly flat. “Actually I am not sure if you're a woman or a man. Not that I mind.” She rubbed the nape of her neck.
There were more important questions looming around in her mind.
“I talked enough about myself. Why don't you tell me how you got here?” The girl eventually asked.
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Qori
New
Roleplay posts: 9
Age: 20
Appearance: A lithe young Duralai of the Zal'Dura people, with long, luscious hair, rich tan skin, and wide eyes that shine the color of gold. A pair of deep emerald wings, flecked with gold patterning, sprout from their back, and feathers of similar color sprout from various places on their body.
They are garbed in simple, flowy clothes that would befit someone accustomed to a hot jungle climate.
Equipment: They wear an ornate rapier with a silver basket hilt at their side - the blade has been used to spar, but has seen no real combat.
They also have a woven bag containing their personal effects - a handwoven blanket, a pair of dance ribbons, a small token depicting a sun, a set of gaming dice, a few bottles of Brandy, and a bundle of dried leaves.
Skills and Abilities: Qori has been educated in matters of Zal'Dura nobility and diplomacy, and retained at least a portion of their studies. They fancy themselves a jack of all trades, having baseline proficiency in dance, diplomacy, weaving, dueling, and a smattering of other skills.
Registered: Jan 18, 2023 19:06:35 GMT -5
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Post by Qori on Oct 21, 2023 16:21:53 GMT -5
Qori readily allowed Nina to help them get back on their talons, leaning on her side to stay upright. They chuckled again when they noticed how wide her eyes had become. They forgot how adorable humans could be, let alone this particular one.
“You must stop making me laugh, devil. Yes, from the air. Fear not, damsels all - the trout of these infernal lands are simply no match for yours truly.”
Qori’s frivolity was cut short as they laid eyes upon Nina’s garden. Gods, how they had missed colors! It was the closest they had come to feeling like home since the floods took them. They led themself along the trellises with curiosity in their eyes, following along as Nina described each in turn. At the mention of the burning fruit, Qori couldn’t help themself. They gave one a cautious poke, sizzling at the tip of their finger before they flinched back at the burn.
“Oh, how delightful.” Qori carefully sat themself against the soft wood of the stump, closing their eyes and taking in the warmth of the sun’s rays. “You’ve certainly done well for yourself here. How is it that you came by - oh, well hello!”
The Duralai had opened their eyes at just the moment that Nina had removed her clothes. Their brow shot up above one eye, tongue pressed against their teeth with a playful smile. Their whole posture had shifted, from that of a weak refugee to something altogether more… mischievous.
“Dearheart, I must say - if you so desperately wanted to thank me for your rescue, rest assured that all you had to do was ask.” Qori teased, golden eyes lingering a bit too long at certain points on the way to her own. “But I suppose I can appreciate a touch of subtlety. I’ll play along. By all means - do help me out of these wet clothes, won’t you?”
Her hesitation at the notion of Qori’s sex did give them brief pause, but the comment was far from unfamiliar - especially from the lips of an Adaqurei. “All the better that you do not mind, seeing as I am neither.” They watched pointedly, gauging her reaction. “It is not uncommon for nobility of the Zal’dura to refuse the titles of man and woman. You are in the presence of one such Zal’dura.”
They paused then, giving Nina the opportunity to bow, or perhaps to grovel at them in the event that she felt it appropriate.
“Haven’t much idea how I came to be here, I'm afraid. Seemed a normal enough evening until the waters came, did it not? Yours was simply the first patch of land I've come across since.” They shrugged, unconcerned. “A tragedy, truly. But I've no doubt that the rest of my kin will come around sooner than later. Hardly interesting anyway, all that - I’d much rather hear more about you."
Qori flashed another look, not unlike a cat toying with its food. “Whatever… aspects of yourself you might see fit to share.”
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Nina
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 289
Registered: Apr 4, 2021 10:46:08 GMT -5
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Post by Nina on Oct 29, 2023 10:27:33 GMT -5
Nina appeared distraught as she gazed upon the stranger speaking of thanks.
“I am so sorry!” The girl bowed so fast she seemed to be attacking. “I forgot to thank you for saving my life. Qori, you have my gratitude!” She clenched her hands together at her chest. Twitched, and looked down.
Common courtesy was not the only thing the girl had forgotten. Her hand was still bleeding. Clench. Release. The cord had sliced her palm, but it had not gone deep enough to do real damage. Nina put some dry moss over it, and tied it with stems of grass, pulling them tight with her teeth, before turning to help Qori with her clothes.
Not her. Not him, either. Neither?
“...huh.” Nina finally uttered. “I didn't realize that was an option.” The girl seemed more confused than anything. “That's smart.”
Nina thought of how in her travels she sometimes would disguise as a man for her safety, and that it might all have been easier had people cared less about such things. She grinned.
“Well, uhm. I'm Nina.” She distractedly spoke to Qori's back while figuring out the ties and clasps of their – their sounded right – their garment. Chuckled. “Already mentioned that, haven't I?” Thankfully, having wings seemed to have disinclined her rescuer from overly complex, hundred-buttoned, twelve-layered garments. The fabric felt subtly sticky to the touch – salt-soaked – yet finely woven. Maybe Qori spoke the truth about having been nobility. “So, are the Zal'dura winged people?” Nina asked. Ah, but she had been asked about herself, hadn't she?
“Me...” The girl pondered. She put Qori's clothes on the living drying rack, then lay down on the moss with an arm behind her head. Gestured to the sky. “Travelling painter. General adventurer, and a bit of a wizard. Oh, and I'm responsible for this place.” Her arm moved to encompass it. “The Azure Coast. You'll later get to meet my mentor, who is scary, and Piper, who is not. And the octopus-” Nina gulped. “The octopus who lives under the Tower.”
Her eyes followed a wisp of cloud in the sky.
“Funny thing, my mentor and I got here because of a giant wave.” Nina said.
“Well. Everyone who is here got here because of waters.” She expanded after a pause. “Wave, floods and, or unending rain. Apart for the fiends, but they're a special case. Everyone else sailed through the Mist.” Tired as she was, Nina still put all of herself into being impressed. “You're the only one I know who flew through it, though.”
Each ending was, in some way, a beginning. Each beginning was, in some way, an end.
“Is there anything you'd like to try out in this new land?” Nina asked. “Any craft or skill you are good at, or would like to try? The place is very much wild outside settlements,” Nina explained, “with dangerous beasts roaming, but Isra has a blacksmith and a paper-maker, and I guess the Twins too...” Nina shrugged. “To be fair. I think that with your wings, you'll have people lining up all the way to Isra” - gesture - “with messages to send or scouting to be done,” - and there was the slightest hesitation. Did she fear that the newcomer would become embroiled in Isra's espionage? - “but I didn't want to assume that's what you'd enjoy.” She paused, trying to be graceful about her words. “Flying is rare.” And what they meant. “The bee people seem to keep close to their meadows, and Isra's griffins...well, even trained handlers fear for their fingers.” Nina stuck out a corner of her tongue. “But I don't think you bite.”
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Qori
New
Roleplay posts: 9
Age: 20
Appearance: A lithe young Duralai of the Zal'Dura people, with long, luscious hair, rich tan skin, and wide eyes that shine the color of gold. A pair of deep emerald wings, flecked with gold patterning, sprout from their back, and feathers of similar color sprout from various places on their body.
They are garbed in simple, flowy clothes that would befit someone accustomed to a hot jungle climate.
Equipment: They wear an ornate rapier with a silver basket hilt at their side - the blade has been used to spar, but has seen no real combat.
They also have a woven bag containing their personal effects - a handwoven blanket, a pair of dance ribbons, a small token depicting a sun, a set of gaming dice, a few bottles of Brandy, and a bundle of dried leaves.
Skills and Abilities: Qori has been educated in matters of Zal'Dura nobility and diplomacy, and retained at least a portion of their studies. They fancy themselves a jack of all trades, having baseline proficiency in dance, diplomacy, weaving, dueling, and a smattering of other skills.
Registered: Jan 18, 2023 19:06:35 GMT -5
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Post by Qori on Dec 18, 2023 0:17:40 GMT -5
Qori blinked a few times in surprise at Nina’s abrupt bow, lips pursed with stifled glee at the display. As absurd as it was, they couldn’t help basking in it a little bit. Finally, some good, old-fashioned groveling! They sighed, tickled. Alright, this girl might actually just be oblivious. Fine - Qori would behave.Qori pulled themself up a bit to allow Nina to pull their wet clothes from their body. They savored her touch on their skin, and the gentle but deliberate cadence of her movement. The flowy robe slipped easily off their torso to reveal their chest - bare and flat, a thin outline of lean muscle disappearing under the simple cloth undergarments at their waist. Even if Qori themself did not lead a lifestyle fraught with physical labor, there was a certain athleticism demanded simply by being a creature that spends its life soaring through the sky. Nina talked faster than Qori could manage to answer her first bout of questions. They allowed her to ramble instead, enjoying the timbre of her voice as it cascaded over them. Finally, an opportunity. The duralai chuckled a bit at the menagerie Nina listed off one by one. “Scary, hm? If he counts little old you among his company, I can’t imagine him to be all that frightening. No, I'm sure they all sound lovely. Even the…” Qori trailed off. Did she say ‘octopus’?Qori brushed the thought aside as Nina continued, each new statement more befuddling than the last. Their mind was only allowed to consider the mention of fiends for a short moment before it was replaced by the equally concerning thought of dangerous roaming beasts, and griffons, and - sorry. Bee People? Qori listened quietly, patiently. It seemed evident that there was much to learn about this strange island. Answers would come, with time. They wouldn’t make a fool out of themself by poking questions at every little thing they didn't understand. But gods above, what a fresh hell this place was proving to be. Qori smiled placidly, a dull terror beginning to gnaw at the backs of their eyes. They began to reel a bit at the state of things, but they thankfully were beckoned back to reality by their metaphorical oasis: The telltale sound of an innuendo suspended in the air, waiting to be spoken into being. “But I don't think you bite.” “No? I wouldn’t be so sure.” Qori smirked, unable to resist. “I’d keep watch where I stick that tongue if I were you.” Again, Qori brushed aside the thoughts that threatened to overwhelm them. Nina had asked them a question, yes? Let's focus on that for now. “Believe it or not, I'm not in much of a hurry to become some stranger’s personal messenger pigeon. No offense meant - I like flying, but I much less enjoy work. Least of all when my wings are bent at the wrong angle.” “No - at the moment, I'd like to take things one step at a time. Stop and smell the roses, as it were.” Qori cast a glance at the stains on Nina’s discarded robe with a glint in their eye. “Now, what’s really piqued my interest is my standing humbly in the presence of Nina - mysterious traveling painter extraordinaire! You must tell me more - perhaps you have some pieces you might show me? I’m positively itching to see your creation at work.”
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