[attr="class","anaTextBoxIn"] The song of birds filled the blue skies as swaying branches of lush trees burst with life. A visitor, a visitor, clucked at the end of their small tongues, their beaks snapping in near unison. A visitor. They were completely engrossed by this visitor to their land, and all gave her their undivided attention, singing her songs of joy and beauty. The foreigner herself smiled at these birds and lifted a pale hand gently, holding out a singular finger to stroke the colourful feathers of each individual she could reach. Her light, bare feet travelled over the land slowly and gracefully, her elegance a sight of beauty, yet peace. She held a strong sense of tranquility, as if years had no effect on her and Ardria had never once had a hint of conflict within it. She was at one with herself and the universe.
With a playful attitude, she popped herself up into a light jog and ran through the trees, a grand smile plastered on her shining face. Outstretched arms and tingling fingers, the birds took flight all around her and a lovely laugh broke her lips, her blue eyes dancing like stars in the night. Soft feet trod down upon lush, green grass and small flowers of a beautiful array tickled at her toes. A warm breeze blew through the land, playing with her flowing, white dress and her light brown hair as she stopped to twirl in a circle, laughing all the while. Eventually, she fell back into the grass as it was long enough to nearly hide her features and the faint freckles dotting her smiling cheeks. She threw her hands up and lay them in the turf above her head, sighing to herself and watching the white clouds float by overhead.
Aeni was her name. She has a story, a past, though one that became a legend, which then passed into a myth. She has neglected to tell of her history, and people seem not to remember, so she’s been whoever people want her to be. A merchant, a farmer, a maid, a seamstress, a baker, an entertainer, she can be what they ask of her. After all, she is only here for them. At the moment, though, she hasn’t seen life outside of animals for awhile now. She stands on the edge of the great Kiliteur Falls, the largest waterfall in Ardria, while her companion, a Mekhir by the name Ewil, crawls through the grass toward her to curl up at her side, a purr emitting from its throat. The crystal lake she lays next to is above the waterfall, leading into it. This lake backs up to the marshlands, though at this point in geography, it is surrounded by lush vegetation and is an oasis for anyone who knows about it. Aeni comes here to forget about her past.
It was the perfect day, a day in January though where she stood, it felt more like spring. The Kiliteur Falls stand extremely close to a desert, and the desert heat travels as far as to where Aeni resides before the cool marshlands combat the warmth. The mixing of these airs in the perfect way created a more-than-beautiful climate in this region of the world, an ideal remedy for anyone with the day blues, not that Aeni was experiencing those. She turned her head and fingered a piece of grass, thinking aloud.
”If only Ambrose were here.” Instinctively, she touched the stone around her neck. Today, it swirled an ominous dark red while other days it faded to nearly a light pink or even clear. She wondered what wars her twin brother faced within the stone, as life continued on inside without her. She felt eternally guilty, though it was a thing that had to be done. With a reluctant sigh, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, and Ewil produced quite the annoyed noise. ”Sorry, little friend.”
Aeni picked the small winged mouse up and placed him on her shoulder as she stood, walking to the edge of the water, where she sat down again, her toes in the refreshing chill. He did not sit on her shoulder long. With small wings, he glided to her feet and half submerged himself within the crystal wetness, closing his eyes. ”It’s nice to see you enjoy this,” Aeni mused, scratching his head. Then he flicked an ear, hearing a noise moments before the gentle lady heard it herself. She turned her head, nerves tingling, before calling out a bit timidly, ”Who goes there?” Of course, the meekness was partially an act, if one knew who Aeni was. However, she had made it her goal to be human, and this was one way to achieve it. She enjoyed her shyness, her timidness, but could also show fire and fierceness when it be needed. Today, right now, it was a show of apprehensiveness. She slowly got up, first by jumping to her feet then slowly rising, her blue eyes flicking back and forth along the tree-line. ”I pose no threat.”
[attr="class","anaInfo"]✎ James @dianne, open to all ~ those who were tagged do not have to respond （＾ω＾）
It had been a while since Dianne had been to the falls, though she remembered the path us easily, and she had been there often enough with no threats to not bother concealing her footsteps. She had a week off from teaching, a break from the kids schooling for them to work on a project she had assigned and to go out and practice on their own, so she was on her rounds. She liked to return to the places she’d been, which was virtually everywhere with human population, and so she’d gone to the nearby desert and decided this wasn’t too far away.
Before Dianne had finnished her hike to the top, she heard another voice. Another girl was already up there though she didn’t sound like a threat. It was a bit longer before the girl noticed her, and Dianne offered a small smile as she made it past the tree line. ”Hello,” Dianne greeted, ready to draw one of her hidden blades at a moments notice, though she was sure not to appear tense.
Things were quiet at the moment, and that was bad. Quiet times meant a bored James, which was even worse. A bored James was bad. Very, very bad. But there was nothing to do. No one around to pester, no plans to orchestrate. So, he wandered. And soon, wandering turned into exploring. Then, exploring brought him here.
It wasn't like he'd never been to the Falls before, it was more like he didn't go anywhere often. Whilst the Wetlands may not be home to a lot of people, he much preferred being there amongst the hustle and bustle of daily life to running through the wilderness. Although, the Wetlands were pretty much that.
The air was warmer here. Clouds drifted overhead, white and fluffy and sickly sweet. He didn't like sweet things. Give him bitter and dark any day. That was probably why he loved Kleava so much. It was cool, dark and dangerous, even without him. Although, that kind of hurt. If he was to disappear right now, no one would notice. Perhaps it was time to fix that... but how?
As he wandered and mused, eyes dancing around to take in the environment but not really registering more than the flicker of movement and sound, he plotted. But there was nothing he could pull on yet. No master plans he could pull together to mess with people. No goals he could set for himself.
Booted feet trod lightly through the vegetation, severely disappointed. James had just bee about to make the short journey back to the marshlands when he heard voices. Just one, at first. Curiosity got the better of him, and gripping a short blade in his left hand, he edged closer until he could make out the words spoken. The wetland was a dangerous place, it set people on edge and made you a little apprehensive about being in the wilderness alone.
Who goes there? James paused again, debating for a moment about whether or not he ought to step forward. The voice was female, as was the one that replied.
A smirk pulled at his lips, this time taking over. James relaxed his body, letting his shoulders slump backwards and previously hunched over posture become upright and confident. He didn't put the blade away, but his grip on it was loose and unthreatening as he stepped forward into view, announcing his presence.
Head tipped to the side as he glanced between the two women, one hand running through the messy blonde hair atop his head.
[attr="class","anaTextBoxIn"] As a response, a brown-haired lady stepped from the treeline, her muscles relaxed yet hiding something, and a greeting on her lips. Aeni smiled, her vast knowledge telling her exactly what this fair maiden was up to, yet she decided not to indulge. She took a curious step forward, trying to peer around her form. ”What would you have behind your back?” she asked, before a new form entered the lakeside. A man stepped from the shadows, a hand running through his hair and a dagger in his hand. A greeting left his lips, as well. Aeni straightened, her blue eyes shining and a smile cracking her face. ”Hello, hello. My name is Aeni.” Every part of her beamed, from her posture to her features to even the way she held herself, her air. She seemed a bit overly friendly. ”What brings me company?” she asked them, wondering what had drawn them to the area. Eventually, she bent down and picked Ewil from the grass, holding him in her arms as he stretched his miniature wings. They both awaited responses patiently.
[attr="class","anaInfo"]✎ James @dianne, hmm this is really short. I'll make my next one longer xD
Dianne didn’t move her gaze to inspect the slight noise from the bush, lest she seem paranoid, but she did keep part of her mind on the surroundings. It didn’t look like this other girl would be prepared to fight if someone snuck up on them. Then again, she of all people knew not to judge people by their appearance.
It wasn’t long before the person stepped out, and Dianne positioned her hand casually near the skirt of her dress where a sword was easily accessible. The guy didn’t have a tense hold on his sword though. He probably wasn’t looking for a fight. Dianne gave a smile and nodded in greeting.
At Aeni’s question to Dianne, Lyria poked her head out from her perch on Dianne’s shoulder, having been hidden by the red scarf that matched her rose coloured dress. Dianne didn’t say another word, not having a real reason for being there and allowing the boy to share his name first.
### | @aeni-James | I’m still creating my template.
He glanced between the two women, taking in their appearances. The shorter of the two had red-brown hair, and she seemed to be quite cautious. She had ignored the other woman's question, offering no response to it. She wore a rose dress and a scarf - the scarf he could understand, but dresses? James didn't get why women always seemed to wear them. Sure, they looked pretty but they were impractical. He was glad he wasn't female. James never could understand the world of femininity, and to be honest he didn't want to.
The taller of the two - also wearing a dress, but even worse, a white one - had brown hair too, but it was highlighted with sun-kissed stands. She was positively beaming. Aeni, she called herself, before bending down to pick up one of those Mekhir creatures. Companions, they both had companions. James didn't. There weren't really any companions to be had in the Wetlands, but then again James didn't particularly want one. Something else to look out for, and he had enough to handle just looking out for himself. But hey, whatever floats your boat.
"James," he said nonchalantly, raising his left hand, knife still in it, to hold up his middle and forefinger in the way of a wave, blade pressed up against his thumb.
"Just exploring," he replied, feeling no need to divulge his life story on his two companions, "What about you two?"
No, he was more interested in them. Especially the quiet one, who hadn't said a word so far beyond greeting. He levelled onto her with a smirk and his cool grey gaze. Your turn.
OOC| @aeni @dianne SORRY FOR THE WAIT but it's here now. If you two ever get fed up of waiting for me, feel free to skip me ~
[attr="class","mary5"]Aeni found herself smiling at their responses, though the girl had hardly expressed herself. She had remained strangely quiet, though did not seem overly tense or ready to attack. Aeni watched her move her hand over her skirt. Was she hiding a weapon?
When her companion appeared on her shoulder, Ewil struggled from Aeni’s arms and ran over to the lady’s feet. ”I like your Mekhir,” Aeni commented with a smile, before turning her eyes to the boy who expressed himself as ‘James.’ ”It is nice to meet you, James.” Aeni said this sentence with a small nod of respect and yet another smile. He answered her question with a simple answer, though this did not bother the fair lady. She would eventually figure out where they hailed from, and what their abilities happened to be. These kinds of mysteries were the best part about conversation.
Aeni took the small silence to answer his question. She would’ve waited for the other woman to answer, but Aeni’s answer was short. She would not express her life story, as he did not seem to want to do, either. Aeni let her smile go to her eyes, her white teeth shining in the warm sunlight. ”I simply came here to escape the conflicts of life.” She gestured to the tranquil landscape with a sweep of her pale hand, before turning her eyes back to the woman, her smile remaining. ”Shall we sit?” Aeni suggested, gracefully falling into a criss-crossed position, her dress falling around her legs and created a circle of silk around her. Her interest in her new acquaintances was quite apparent on her face, and she took in all she could about what little they said.
Dianne gave a small smile, pausing for a moment to judge their answers. They seemed pretty innocent. As it was the male, James, seemed to be more the one to look out for. ”I’m Dianne. I used to live in the Great Savanah and I was on my way to visit.” she said. Her statement gave a bit more away, though not the spicific location where she came from. That left her magic unknown so she could still use it in a fight as an element of surprise.
When the other Mekhir approached, Lyria shrunk back for a moment, ever shy around other animals, before tentively crawling to Dianne’s hand where she was gently placed on the cool ground. She could have always flown down, but Lyria often seemed to think it a lesser means of travel and only flew up to Dianne.
Dianne perfered to stay standing and found a tree to lean against at Aeni’s request to sit.
The lack of conversation was positively dull. He felt like screaming at the two, running forward and smashing their heads together to get something out of them. But that would not be very well met, and he was almost certain Dianne - finally she spoke! - had some kind of weapon hidden somewhere behind her.
Maybe Aeni was content with the pace things, but he wasn't. James was not patient, he didn't like playing cat and mouse. Okay, maybe he did but not when one of the game pieces wasn't playing.
He offered a quirk of his lips in return to Aeni's pleasantries, pausing a moment to consider her next words. Avoiding the conflicts of life, ne? He rose one eyebrow, head cocking to the side slightly.
"Oh?" he questioned, prompting her to explain a little more. There was a story there, maybe something he could exploit in the future. Knowledge was power, after all.
Dianne mentioned she was visiting her old home. There was a story there too, perhaps she'd open up a little too with some prompting.
"Feeling homesick, are you?" maybe it was sneered a little. But I never said James was good at conversation and sympathy. He was stuck up and arrogant, and enjoyed nothing more than pulling people's strings to see what wound them up. God forbid he ever struck a nerve - he'd never ever let it go.
Whilst Dianne may be stubborn enough to stay standing, James wasted no time in flopping quite gracefully to the ground. His left knee was pulled into his chest, left arm draped over it whilst his knife was twirled between his fingers like a toy.
[attr="class","mary5"]Aeni expressed a sweet smile when James sat at her suggestion, but had not forgotten his prompting. Nerves twitching, her face contorted slightly in an anxious half-smile, and her eyes traced the lush, green grass, before going to her Mekhir. She watched the small, winged-mouse, her hand going instinctively to the red stone around her neck. Fingering it, she contemplated whether or not to tell these two strangers how much of the past she knew about, and even thought it a bad idea to tell them she had a brother and that she was born on a land by the name Plolis. ”I’d love to hear more about you two,” she stated quickly, before adding, ”But I will add a bit about me, for starters.”
So, she told her half-truth, skipping around in her life story so as to make it sound as if she was below normal, like nothing at all was interesting about her. However, she was never very good about not opening a story without something to hook the audience. ”I do not have a mother, nor father. I was created through magic.” She winced a small bit, and Ewil ran to her arms, curling himself around one hand on her white dress. She had probably already said too much. ”I grew up nearly in solitude, away from the world until my teenage years, when I decided to go exploring. Ever since, my sense of adventure never left me.” What a life story. Well, she wasn’t going to tell them much else, simple creating conversation. Though, she was thoroughly interested in the two she conversed with, and James had also prompted the lady to speak.
”Dianne?” Aeni asked kindly. She’d always been good about remembering names, and loved it when she remembered one from long ago. ”We don’t want to push. You say you lived in the Great Savanna? That’s extremely intriguing!” To express her interest, Aeni sat forward a small bit. ”Does that mean you have Enhanced Intuition? I’ve always found the savanna, and all its inhabitants, beautiful and interesting.” It was meant to be a compliment. She hoped it sounded that way, instead of like she was a scientist studying insects and their behaviours. A smile crossed her face again, and her dancing, blue eyes lingered on Dianne for her response, before turning to James. ”And James, you haven’t said much, either. What about you? Just exploring, you say? Exploring is a wonderful thing. Mind if I ask what lands you’ve been to?”
Dianne bit her tongue at James’ commet and instead listened intently to Aeni’s story and it triggered a memory from her youth. A village story teller had told her about an ancient girl and boy, forged by a great sorcoress. The rest escaped her grasp at that moment, though she’d hold on until the right moment to ask if Aeni had a brother.
Dianne gave a small smile at the promptings and shook her head. ”I was not born in the Great Savanah. My dad lived there for most of his life and when my mum died while I was still quite young, he took me to his home. After I grew up I did some traveling then settled down in the Naltai Amazons. And James,” she turned to face him, ”if I were homesick, I would not stop here on my way. I only have a certain amount of time before I have to get back to my job. I simply look to catch up with a few old friends.”
He watched Aeni intensely as she delved into her own story a little more. James had asked for it, so of course, he would drink in the information. Although, he found it a little tough to believe. But the woman's body language said nothing of lies being told and she did not seem to hesitate. Although, there seemed to be more to her tale.
He had not missed the way her hand seemed to move on its own, reaching to clasp the red stone that hung around her neck. Now that sparked his interest, gaze lingering on the stone for what could be passed off as simple appreciation. His blonde brow furrowed for a moment, hand coming up to press a finger to his bottom lip as he mused over what she said. He glanced towards Dianne, attempting to gauge what she considered of this tale, but he could not judge her expression clearly. So instead, he filed the information away to scrutinize at a later date.
Dianne was next to speak, responding to Aeni's prompting. James turned his head to watch her as she spoke, offering a smirk when she turned to address him. He choked out a snort of laughter at her words to him.
"Looks like someone can't take a joke," he said before continuing more sincerely, "What kind of job do you have?"
James shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly before responding to Aeni's own prompting.
"Eh, I prefer to stick around the Wetlands to be honest, there's usually more than enough excitement to be had. I don't usually stray far unless adventure calls for it."
OOC| @aeni @dianne Okay, now look who's not talking. I swear, playing him can be like drawing blood from a stone. >:I
[attr="class","mary5"]Aeni sat patiently, waiting and listening to all Dianne had to say. Her hands were clasped in her lap and a smile brightened her face, one without presenting teeth. She eventually changed her position, still crisscrossed with her dress all around her, and brought her hands around to the back of her neck, threaded the fingers together, and let her elbows protrude toward the newcomers as she let them hang. She then turned her attention to the sound of gentle lapping water behind her as there was a momentary pause between when Dianne spoke and when James began.
Aeni pondered what Dianne had said as James continued the conversation. Not born in the Great Savanna, but settled in Naltai. Is she originally from Naltai? It was a curious thought, but one Aeni had no need to dwell upon. When James began to speak to the gentle maiden, Aeni listened closely to what he said, but her hands slipped from her neck and she leaned herself to the left, putting her right hands on her knee as her left hand glided smoothly across the grass and plucked a small, pretty blue flower. She brought it back to herself and sniffed it lightly a moment, before pulling a small twig with a curious deep cut seemingly out of nowhere. She pulled back a strand of her hair and clipped it, as well as the flower, over her right ear.
"Ah yes, the Wetlands. A place of endless adventures, curiousities, and danger. I assume you are very brave and talented if you prefer to stay in such a wild place. You never know what lurks in the shadows, behind a corner, or in the water." She gave him a nearly nonexsistant wink.
Dianne narrowed her eyes slightly. She wasn’t blind. No one who was as innocent as Aeni acted would be let so far away from other people. She wasn’t sure what, but the girl had a secret to hide. The childhood story once again tugged at Dianne’s mind, but she pushed it back and turned her thoughts to the boy, James. He was the opposite of Aeni. Where Aeni acted innocent, probably to draw attention away from herself, James seemed to want to draw it to him. He was the one kid that she always had who asked rambunctious questions and made himself look extremely bad just to get more attention than the others. All in all, Dianne felt the need to be careful what she said around Aeni. James, on the other hand, didn’t need as much attention, just the illusion of it. She couldn’t focus all her spoken words towards James though, as Aeni seemed to be rooting for conversation as well.
Dianne broke off her thoughts as James addressed her. ”No, jokes aren’t my thing. Not around strangers who still have their weapons drawn.” she said pointedly. Sure she had her share of weapons on her, but they weren’t drawn. ”I’m a teacher. I teach kids to fight and occasionally show them hunting skills.”
Dianne blinked as Aeni responded to James. She watched the girl’s relaxed body posture and shook her head, her eyes scare my able to detect the monster that lurked in everybody. And the necklace had to do with something. She decided to gently prod, allowing the story to slip back into her mind before saying, ”Aeni, you know I once heard a story. It’s about a girl who shares your name and her plight with her brother. It was one that led her to banish him. I don’t believe a word of it, but it’s a classic type of bed story from someone I once knew. Have you heard it before?” The tale rang through Dianne’s mind, the gentle voice she remembered so many stories from a reminder of her past. The story was old, and much embellished by the time she heard it. The brother supposedly turned into a dragon and the girl could fly and minipulate water, making an epic fight. She remembered imagining this Aeni’s hair to flow golden through the wing as the two siblings fought. The ending of how the brother still stalked the land through nightmares had given her a hard time sleeping for weeks.
Maybe. I mean, Arialya is one of my ooc names. VWW linked its ussually Leesee though. But also maybe not. I’ll decide what I’m the world I’m thinking later.
. Just fyi guys i hope these are all your ooc accounts because... surprises!!
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