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Lenore Silme-Natenhar Crew
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 Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 9:32 pm
So far, upon his return to the Haven, the only blood family he had seen was his uncle, Rinion. Nyoka, Mum Lenore, Mum Eirnae (not that he was expecting her, anyway), and everyone else had disappeared. He didn't know what to do around the place, it seemed like a museum without the energy of all the life that used to be there.
So, he sought comfort in the only thing he really could: books. Tinania had pointed him the direction of a lesser-known book store, she claimed that it had books on subjects that he was interested in. Well, Nani had yet to really steer him wrong, so he thought it was worth a look.
Besides, what trouble could possibly come from just looking through the shelves in a bookstore? He doubted it could be any more dangerous than what he had been going through the last two and a half years....
He ran one of his long fingers over the spine of a particularly ancient looking book, pondering the title.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 9:55 pm
The morning had been a productive one, like always. She had woken up before the crack of dawn, trained and worked out, and after a quick shower and breakfast, the Jivvin found herself running more pleasurable errands. One of which had brought her to one of her favorite bookstores, in search of something new to study.
Usually Stazja went to the the library at the Jivvin House, but lately she had been itching to learn something different. Something... Outside of the scope of Jivvins. The access that her sister Zanna had given her in Greece had created a monster. Not only did she now have an even higher set of standards, but she realized just how little she knew of the world.
So little by little, she began dedicating herself to discovering such lost and important bits and bobbles.
Today, the teen found herself scanning the tiny section on Mesoamerican mythologies, and more specifically, the shelf dedicated to Mayans and Aztecs. Not that she could read any of the titles, but ever since she had been living with her mother again, her curiosity had gnarled its way in the direction of her 'brother'.
Muttering to herself, she pulled out a well worn Nahuatl translation book that she borrowed from her mother. Her brow knit in thought, she silently consulted between the borrowed book and the ancient ones, with little luck. Needless to say, the Jivvin quickly became frustrated. Nahuatl was nothing like any language she had studied or spoke.
Her tail thwacked dangerously against a bookshelf behind her as a sort of low growl rumbled from her throat. She, however, would not give up once she had applied herself to a task, and thus kept searching.
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Lenore Silme-Natenhar Crew
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 10:18 pm
The store was like a library in its silence (funny how bookstores were like that), so it didn't take his heightened senses to hear a low growl, or the thwacking of something decidedly solid hitting the shelves. Damien paused in the act of pulling a book off of the shelf, one whose title had seemed promising, and he turned his head slowly to look over his shoulder. The sound was coming from a few shelves behind him, and he wondered if he should investigate or not.
His experience with the Teu'Tel'Quessir had made him just a little more outgoing, and that coupled with his natural curiosity made it almost impossible for him not to investigate. So, he took the book off of the shelf and turned slowly. Quietly, he moved down the bookshelves, pretending to look at the labels on the ends of them that told him what subjects the shelves were holding.
He glanced at the label when he got closer to the sound, and quirked his brow. This was a subject he didn't have much interest in, or knowledge. He wondered if he could be convincing enough in his feigned interest if chose to look over the titles. He decided that he'd better not chance it. Instead, he opened the book in his hand and looked down at the words. He passed the gap in the shelves, observing the disturber of the peace in his peripherals as he made his slow progress toward more familiar territory.
Huh.... That was new.
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 10:46 pm
Her ear cocked ever so slightly toward the sound of footsteps, which she immediately noted were much quieter and lighter than normal. This fact alone alerted her senses and she instantly evaluated the situation as she had been trained to do.
The only indication that the teen's full attention was directed towards the stranger consisted of the slight inclination of her ear and the rate of her breathing, which had slowed. Each breath was focused and controlled.
When Stazja determined that the stranger was not a threat, she took half of her attention away from him and returned it to her search.
"You know, it's rude to spy on others..." She finally said simply and hypocritically (as she very much enjoyed to people watch herself). Not bothering to turn and look at him directly, Stazja instead glanced at him with her own peripherals while trying to decipher what the spine of a particularly worn book actually meant.
Pausing thoughtfully, she straightened to her full height and smoothly turned to face the snooper. "Unless you know Nahuatl, that is..." An eyebrow cocked in question and the corner of her mouth twitched upwards. Oh, and she definitely didn't bother to whisper. She spent a good deal of money there, and thus didn't feel bad about being 'disruptive'.
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Lenore Silme-Natenhar Crew
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 11:11 pm
The corner of his lips twitched with the smile he was doing his best to conceal. He snapped the book shut and slipped it under his arm as he turned to look upon the girl who'd spoken to him. "I'm aware that it's rude," he said, his tone hushed - for he had never spent a dime here, and he had a slight reverence for books and any place holding a great many of them. "And, I'm afriad that I do not know Nahuatl," he added.
He tilted his head to the side and regarded her thoughtfully. He was mindful not to stare, however, since he had already been accused of being rude. And, with that in mind, he kept the question of just what in the worlds she was to himself, as well. He'd never come across anyone that looked quite like her before - not even when he was out on his own for that long stretch. "I do hope you can forgive me, though. I was merely curious about who was making all that noise, and about what they could have been frustrated enough over to growl...."
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 11:43 pm
Since he stared, so did she. The first thing that caught her attention were the scales that peppered his visible skin in patches of sorts. Before this, she had only heard of one person having such a trait, the Amazonian queen that aided her own sister in claiming her throne as well. The former, if she remembered correctly, also was a Fa'e. She tucked that possible connection in the back of her mind for later.
"Me either," she admitted. "But my brother speaks it fluently, so I want to learn." Yes, that sounded much better than 'I'm suspicious of my Fa'e brother and want to research him in case I need to protect myself and/or my family.' "I'm rather good at learning languages, among other things."
Modesty had never been one of her strong suites, unfortunately.
His next statement caused her to chuff slightly with her throat in an animalistic, yet entirely dignified manner. "I am having... Issues with this language..." She struggled with the words, not wanting to admit that she found herself failing at something that usually came quite naturally to her.
To cover up her pride, she reverted to the topic of forgiveness. Pretending to consider him thoroughly, Stazja finally nodded stoically while keeping a smile at bay. "I guess I could forgive you... Maybe."
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Lenore Silme-Natenhar Crew
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 11:56 pm
Amusement twinkling in his sea green, serpentine eyes, he ventured a step into the aisle, but didn't dare take another just yet. Personal space was sacred to some, and he was keenly aware of this fact. "Since you've decided to maybe forgive my rudeness, for now, why don't I introduce myself?" he started. "My name is Damien Silme-Natenhar," he said, having adopted his Mum Lenore's elven name instead of her more human name. He would have offered his hand to her to shake, but he thought again of personal space.
"And, I'm pretty good with languages, as well," he said. Since it would be considered boasting if he listed off the languages he did speak fluently, he kept them to himself. Instead, he glanced at the spines of the books on the shelves. "Perhaps the reason you're having so much trouble is because not very many people speak the language anymore? I can't say I know much about it, but is the language a dead one?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:18 am
She nodded her approval ever so slightly at the introduction. "And mine is Anastazja," she replied, a hint of her Polish accent slipping out when she spoke her name. "But I end up going by Stazja, for short." The Jivvin offered no last name, nor did she give an explanation for the lack of one. Clearly, the teen did hold personal information sacred.
At his comment on languages, Stazja made a mental note to possibly find out which languages he knew. The competitive edge of her made itself known at the very idea.
"That's the problem," she agreed, silently giving him points for picking up on that. "It's the language that the Aztecs spoke before they were exterminated. I'm interested in that language especially, not really the modern permutations of the original dialect. However, the Aztecs were, as you may know, wiped out by the Spanish..." Trailing off, she gave him a moment to feel inferior in case he -didn't- know the Aztec tidbits.
Add boasting to her list of Vices.
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Lenore Silme-Natenhar Crew
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:28 am
Damien was a modest sort of intellect, he didn't like to boast too much about what he knew. So, when Stazja inferred that he was horribly uninformed on the subject of Aztecs, he let it go. He'd come across them in his readings, but he was by no means an expert on the subject. Besides, there were others that were of more interest to me. In the past, it had been Nyoka's past, Eirnae's people, and magic. He had since broadened his horizons, but only slightly. "No, I didn't know that," he said, hiding his amusement over her implied insult the best he could. Being the mental giant between the two of them seemed to be important to her, so he let her have her way ... for now.
But, he decided to offer suggestions, in any case. "Have you tried just asking your brother to teach you? It has to be easier than looking in bookstores on the off chance that there might be something of use.... Or, have you tried looking up a professor who might specialize in the language? I mean, there has to be one out there somewhere...."
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 12:47 am
The idea of asking Naolin seemed entirely out of the question and laughable. Even if he were in town and back in her mother's house, she highly doubted that he'd take kindly to teaching his guardian's blood daughter. "He's out of town for an extended, unknown amount of time," she answered smoothly, tail swishing carefully behind her. "As for professors, there seems to be a lacking of such linguistic experts in Gaia... If they're here, they do not want to be found."
She paused for a moment and glanced at the spines on the bookshelf, swimming in her thoughts as she absently traced her fingertips along the silver chains of her necklace.
When her attention returned to Damien, Stazja raised her eyebrow and peered curiously at the book tucked under his arm. "I assume your quarry is much less growl-worthy, then?" Again, no sexual undertones here.
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Lenore Silme-Natenhar Crew
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 1:03 am
He nodded in understanding at her predicament with the professors. It was a shot in the dark, but surely there had to be someone out there that studied the language. The ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs had been deciphered, after all, and so many other ancient languages. Someone, somewhere, was studying it, and could probably even speak it.
He made a note to maybe look into that himself. It would be another welcome distraction, now that he had all this time on his hands.
He was pulled from his thoughts when she posed her question at him. Lucky for Stazja, he was not the sort whose mind seemed to have taken residence in the gutter. In fact, he looked a little shocked to have been spoken to again. He quickly recovered, and glanced down at the book under his arm. He slipped it, absently, into his hand before he deftly flipped it so the cover was facing her. The book was one that seemed to be on dryads. Thus far, he had not looked into that tiny part of his bloodline, the part that Eirnae had passed onto him. But, having run into some when he was traveling, he decided that it might be best to learn what he could of them. Just in case he decided to leave again. "No, my 'quarry' was decidedly easier to corner than yours seems to be. A bit of leisure reading," he added. He raised a scaled hand to brush a few strands of dark blonde and dark green hair out of his face.
"What exactly are you looking for? A dictionary of sorts, or some sort of grammar book?" he asked, slipping the book under his arm once more. "While I am just standing around here, I could help you look for something, at least..."
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:45 am
Her eyes scanned the title and then closed as she mentally went through her own knowledge on the subject. She remembered reading a little bit about the topic while pouring through the library available in Greece. When her eyes opened again, she nodded and allowed a small smile to escape. "I remember reading something on dryads when I lived in Greece a year or so ago, but the book was written in Ancient Greek. At the time, my grasp of the language had been only marginal." She explained, making sure to imply that now she most definitely grasped that particular language. "It looks like an interesting read," the teen finally agreed.
His next question put her on a bit of a defensive edge mentally, but her face betrayed none of her internal worries. "I have a dictionary." The worn book in her hand made an appearance between them to provide evidence. "I have a grammar book on order from another bookstore, but it won't be in till next week. So, I'm just looking for one to read now... It's the best way I learn, aside from hearing and actively using the language."
Just as he had appeared shocked at the continued interaction, she too seemed startled at his offer to help. "Uh well... Maybe something on mythology and their magic?" A pause. "My brother's a Fa'e," she finally explained while trying to hide her contempt. Naolin constantly complained about the bad blood he had been given, or at least, that's what Stazja's mother had told her on the subject.
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Lenore Silme-Natenhar Crew
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 4:56 pm
Damien's brow quirked at the mention of Greece, and her ability to speak the language now. Nyoka had taught him it, as well. He didn't say that aloud, though, mostly due to her previous observations of Stazja. His eyes glanced at the dictionary as it was shown, and he continued to listen to her as she explained the situation.
His eyebrows rose once more as his eyes snapped back up to Stazja again. At length, he finally spoke, "You know, I've gone through this before ... what you're doing, I mean. My sister is a Fa'e, as well. Though, honestly, I think I had it a lot easier than you do, seeing as how the mythology genre is saturated with the Greeks." That was all he said on the matter, though, as he turned back to looking at the shelves. "So, we're looking for mythology and magic now, correct? Any specific myth in mind?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 5:17 pm
He had a Fa'e for a relative too? How very interesting. While her face was passive, she tucked that bit of information into her mind for later use, if necessary. "I guarantee that you did," she agreed, eyes twinkling with a shadow of amusement.
The question posed caused her to sigh and return to her pensive state of mind. "He is their sun and war god," Stazja paused, preparing herself before attempting to carefully pronounce the name she had been told by her mother. "Huitzilopochtli. I am curious as to who or what his enemies would have been, and well... Just anything in general. I like knowing as much as I can about a subject, which is probably why this topic is frustrating me so much."
Blinking in surprise at how much information she had volunteered, a slight frown appeared on her usually calm features. Damnit.
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Lenore Silme-Natenhar Crew
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 5:43 pm
So, she did know the myth, and who her brother had been reborn as. It made the search a little easier ... and just as difficult. Pinpointing a specific myth, he had found while looking into Nyoka's past, was sometimes harder than just looking through all of the books and hoping to stumble upon it.
Though, her specifically saying that she wanted to know about his enemies intrigued Damien. He was careful not to pry, though, as he noted the frown on her face. He didn't know what had brought that on, he assumed that it had to do with her frustration at her inability to find all of the information that she desired.
He took a deep breath, and said, "Huitzilopochtli, it is." He had tried his best to mimic the way that Stazja had pronounced the name, but he was sure he hadn't. The language was a foreign one, and one he couldn't really use any of the languages in his own arsenal for a reference. It didn't bother him too much, though, as he tapped the spine of one of the books in front of him. "So, you're best bet would be stumbling upon one of those books that has a collection of a sampling of myths from the culture, and then hope that some include Huitzilopochtli..." he continued in a softer voice, as though he was talking to himself. And, he might've been, such was his way when he was on one of his little quests. He forgot about the outside world for a time, unless there was someone there to shake him awake again.
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