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 Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 11:59 am
There were rare instances (though increasing in frequency at an alarming rate) where Nivalis felt something akin to jealousy for her older sisters. Several of them were old enough that they could traipse through the wilds of Yael unattended and far beyond the bounds Niva had to stick to. They were years ahead of her in terms of strength and training and had earned the right to travel from camp at their leisure, unlike her. That didn't do much to keep her from being just the tiniest bit bitter.
Niva had to remind herself on numerous occasions that with age would come freedom. She would get there, in time. She wasn't so special that the dangers of Yael would pose no threat to her (as much as she'd like to believe it), so until then, she would have to exercise patience and work to do as well as her sisters.
Patience was difficult.
More so when her world seemed so small, when compared with the trials her cousins had faced and burdened with a desperate eagerness to show the world the wonders that Elzira could create. Surely there were still so few of the mainlanders that knew what lurked out on the large Yaeli island. One day they would know. One day they would fear.
But not today. Today it was still a blessing to know of anything that transpired a handful of paces outside of camp, and that was why, Nivalis sought out one of her eldest sisters. Ku was among the first-born. Surely she had many wonderful stories of the outside to tell, and just as surely, she'd be eager to share them with the young mystic (because everyone ought to be eager to share everything with her). She knocked on the hardwood plank of Ku's abode and waited patiently.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 9:10 am
Fluffesu sorry that took a while! ow o had a whole bunch of other pre-meta rps to get started.  Ku’s house wasn’t much to look at -- a little hut much like all the others, although she’d decorated the door with a painting of a multi-colored curling keldari just to stand apart. The elaria prentice didn’t do very well at conforming, although truth be told she wasn’t very much unlike her sisters. She loved a good fight, always tried her hardest to win at everything (even things that weren’t competitions) and seemed to think that they were all destined for something far greater than this little settlement with all it’s little huts.
Maybe she was just a little more fanciful than the others. Not in looks, and not even in her thinking, but maybe in her imagination. Or maybe she wasn’t all that different at all, just more willing to let it be known.
She had finished her lunch and was just lying on her blankets, staring at the dark ceiling when the knock came. She got up eagerly and grinned at the other elaria who stood outside.
“Hey, little Niva. Well, you aren’t really so little anymore. You wanna go poke around some caves? I was thinking I’d go to the beach ‘cause it’s supposed to be windy, and I like fooling around with the waves… but I figure since you’re here we can do something else. Some of the caves, when it’s windy like this, they whistle. Sounds creepy, like strange voices. You ever heard them like that? It’s neat, I’ll show you if you want. I’ll bring a blanket so we can keep warm if it gets chilly, or maybe sleep out there. You ain’t afraid of the dark, are you?”
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Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 9:04 am
If just this initial welcome was any indication, Ku was one of her more exuberant sisters. Cheerful, perky, friendly, a good companion for the day. Niva's face lit up the instant the older girl offered to take her anywhere. Though many of her elder sisters offered to look after her and train with her, it seemed like so few of them wanted to just... explore and be companionable. Niva didn't mind that, of course, as any time spent with Elzira's other children was a gift and blessing, but sometimes it was nice to do things with a little less structure.
The Matron would likely disagree, but what she didn't know wouldn't get anyone in trouble.
Besides, Nivalis still had yet to venture to whistling ocean caves. She'd expected (and informed her guardian) that she'd only be visiting Ku's home and engaging her sister in the safety it provided. But this sounded much more exciting. And if Ku, one of the oldest, thought it a good, safe idea, than it surely must be. The older girl would know how to handle any situation that arose. Niva trusted her.
"I am not afraid of the dark," she informed the other girl. How could she be, when so much of the forest was shielded from the sun's rays, anyway. "And I am happy that you would think to let me join you. I've never been," Nivalis piped with a broad grin, "And I'd really like for my big sister to show me! When can we go? Now?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 9:21 am
It wasn’t that Ku didn’t think that training and all that sort of stuff wasn’t important -- but she figured that it was a lot more fun if it was actually fun. Sure, you could do some drills and jump obstacles and all that… or you could go to the caves. Down there they’d get plenty of chances to climb and jump and maybe even swim, and it could be as good a workout as anything done back at the settlement. Or it could be a good time to sit and make a fire and stay out of sight of the grown-ups, too. That was the good thing about exploring around. You had the time to yourself and no one around to judge you.
“Good! We should go now if we’re to have enough time to see anything cool before someone gets to missing you. They’re all so careful around you all the time.”
She rolled her eyes and darted back into her little dwelling to pick up a length of rope, a staff she used as her training weapon, and a square piece of maroon-coloured cloth that she tied diagonally across her torso. She filled the fold at her back with a fire-starter, some fruit and a tuber for roasting. Once it was full it looked a lot like a simple bag, except one with the added advantage of being able to turn into a blanket, a tablecloth or even a scarf if it got chilly.
“Let’s go.” She announced as she exited, offering her hand to the younger Elaria and leading her down to one of the trails that lead out of the camp. “I packed some snacks in case we get hungry. Anyway, that way no one will say I’m not taking good care of you!”
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2016 11:01 am
Nivalis beamed, but the expression quickly turned to a more sheepish of a grin, and she tucked her chin ever so slightly. They were careful of her, when it suited them, but she fancied it was more because of her tender age, than anything else. And while not all of the Elaria's Alkidike guardians treated their younglings with utmost care and concern, enough of them did that it didn't seem especially out of place to Niva. And she decided she preferred that to the more hardened, battle-ready approach to childcare.
"Were they not very careful of you, when you were younger?" She questioned as Ku returned from her home, packed and ready. She accepted the older girl's hand and trailed after her dutifully.
In all honesty, she was quite curious about anything Ku could tell her from the birth of their species. Being of the first blooms, she would surely have a wide array of information. Niva had of course spoken to both the Matron and Naqenni about it, is as much detail as possible, but a different perspective never hurt, and Ku had such a lively personality that it would be impossible for her to not bring something new to the table.
"Who took care of you, when you were my age? Were they nice to you? The Matron said some Alkidike don't like Elaria. What did they say, when you were born? You're carrying a staff. Are you going to use a spear, when you get older?" She rattled off in a list, as she peered up at the older girl through large mint-colored eyes.
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Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2016 6:24 am
“Naw, not really.” Ku shrugged as she took the younger girl’s hand. They passed by the last few houses at the edge of the village. In moments they had disappeared down a narrow path that Ku knew would lead them part of the way to the caves. This route was not trod as often as the one to the shore or to the best hunting-grounds, but she knew it well enough to walk confidently.
“One of the Alks told me that it was because, well, the only Alks who came here were the most… uh…” She licked her lips as she tried to recall the word. “Militant of the lot. She said that back in that Chibale place the Alks were all different. Some were caring and gentle and… some even liked Earthlings enough to have babies with them, did you know that? It’s super gross, ask Naqenni about it. Anyway, so since the ones who came here weren’t the soft kind, they sort of figured there was no good reason to coddle the young, you know? Not that they all agreed, but… you know. Honestly it was probably just easier just to let us run around.”
She laughed and twirled her staff.
“Yeah, some didn’t like us. They thought maybe Elzira was poisoned by the soil and the water here, see, so that the lotuses that came from her were spoiled. But that’s all garbage. If they were spoiled or poisoned, wouldn’t all the Elaria be sickly and weak? I think when it got to be obvious that we would grow up to be as strong as the Alks, most of them changed their mind and helped bring us up right, with training and all that. And yeah, I think I’d like a spear. It just seems handy… and between me and you, I’m not that great with a bow. I just don’t have the patience for all that aiming!”
“What do you think you’ll do when you get older?”
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Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2016 6:37 am
During their walk and throughout their conversation, Nivalis took the time to appreciate her surroundings. She was not so young or so well guarded that she'd never traversed some of the more main paths out of camp, but this backway was as new to her as the destination. And she couldn't help but think it might be beneficial for her to commit the path to memory, just in case she liked where the ended up.
"Ah, yes, I've heard that," she admitted with a partially disgusted, partially confused crinkle of her nose and brow. Because really, Alkidike having children with Earthlings didn't make all that much sense to her. Earthlings didn't have a mother goddess, and they were all so small, and some of them were not female. How did they make their babies if they didn't bloom from their goddess' branches? And furthermore why would any Alkidike want to. Having a weak, small Earthling child was surely worse than having none at all.
But she supposed that wasn't much her problem. No one here would stand for it, anyway.
Hopefully including the ones who 'didn't like them.' Niva's lips puckered. "Were they mean to you? I'm not very nice to things I don't like, and if they don't like you- us," she amended quickly, "It doesn't sound like there's much reason for them to be here. They should go back to their island and live with the Earthlings."
At least her sister had much to say on whatever topic Niva approached. Ku was a very personable girl. But Nivalis still had yet to decide on a weapon path for herself, being that she hadn't had much opportunity to practice with her options, in her young age. "I'm... not sure," she admitted with a slow roll of her shoulders. "I think aiming sounds hard too, but I also think being in the back, shooting from the sidelines, is probably where most of my sisters would want me..."
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 9:01 am
“Mean? I dunno, I guess a little. But I was kinda mean too, same as you’d be. No reason to play nice when you’re not in the mood, right? That’s just like lying.” She stuck out her tongue. That was her logic, at least. If lying was bad, then pretending to like someone when you didn’t was bad too. “Better to be honest, and then the people you don’t like will stop bugging you. There’s always better people to hang around with. I mean, the elder alks could have played nice with all the people back in that other land, but they didn’t. That’s why they’re here. And if they hadn’t come here, neither you or me would be around, right?”
That was a good way to look at the Alkidikes loss to the alliance of earthlings (and traitorous alks). It wasn’t a shortcoming of her mothers’ race -- it was just brave defiance, and it was justly rewarded.
“Well, I guess you’re right about that.” She pursed her lips when they got to discussing Niva’s future weapon choice, and how the others would feel about it. “But you should do what you’re good at. I mean, you won’t do anyone any help if you accidentally shoot them from the sidelines, instead of the enemies.”
She giggled at that, not feeling particularly bad about the taunt because… well, no doubt she would be just as awful with a bow.
“All this stuff about doing what you’re ‘supposed’ to be doing, instead of what you’re good at doing, is nonsense. You’re the most useful to everybody if you do what you’re clearly born to do. I mean, there’s a reason why Elzira made each one of us as she did, don’t you think?”
The path grew narrower, winding often between thick roots and forcing them to clamber up rocks several times. Ku moved without hesitation, using her staff to help herself and Nivalis through the tricky parts.
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Posted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 12:20 pm
She didn't care if Ku was mean to the older Alkidike. Niva didn't doubt that they were difficult to like and didn't think it was her sister's job to pretend she did, not when she was so much younger than them and couldn't really be expected to temper her tongue. But Nivalis did expect that the elders would have just a touch more control over themselves. Enough to not be mean to a little girl just learning who and what she was. And it was that part that made her huff. "I just don't think those that don't like us should be here," she muttered.
It was fine that they'd come and good of the Alkidike extremists to have done so, but there really wasn't much reason for those that weren't interested in being a part of the Elarian future to hang around. But it felt like if the mainland tribe could banish her cousins for doing something they didn't like, then surely she could banish those who disliked her. Maybe not now, but one day, if morale didn't improve.
Her pink-tinged lips quirked up in a small smile. "I hope that if that is the path I decide on, that by the time I'm ready to fight alongside you, I'll be capable enough to keep from hitting anyone I don't want to hit, even if it isn't my favorite weapon choice." She would train to be of use, no matter whether it was her born-calling, or not.
"I'm... not so sure," Niva admitted with a shrug as she stepped after the older girl through a path of branches. "Maybe I was not born to be the best at doing... what I will someday do, but if it is a necessary role that's missing in our tribe, and no one else is suited to take the task, it seems I have no choice."
"I don't think I'm bad at it, though," she added quickly. "Or don't think I will be..."
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 7:22 pm
“Well, I guess when you grow up, you can tell them all to go away. We can all keep exiling each other ‘till we all just live alone on little islands!” She giggled… then realised that maybe Nivalis was a little too young to understand the joke.
“I don’t mean to make fun of you.” Ku explained, helping the smaller Elaria up a particularly large and slippery rock. “Hold here and stick your foot on that root-knot, that way you can lift yourself up. You can shimmy up on your belly if it’s easier. You’re doing pretty good for a little one. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll know what’s best when the time comes for it. Maybe they’ll all change their minds by then. We’re getting older, after all, and Elzira is getting stronger. Maybe they’ll come around to it… especially since you’re here. This way!”
At the top of the rock, Ku took a sharp turn. The terrain was practically made up of crumbling boulders here, and her path of choice took them through a crack between two sheer walls of rock. It seemed fairly likely that this crack would not be wide enough to accommodate a larger adult, but the smaller girls had little trouble with it. At the end of the crack they came across a deep fissure in the earth. It was dark inside, but not pitch-black -- other fissures, elsewhere on the cavern roof, lit up the subterranean chamber.
“I’ve been here before, it’s not that scary. You just got to remember that all the sounds is just the wind singing. Anyway, if no one else is suited to the task, then you’ve got to be the best one at doing it, don’t you? It’s probably just hard. That doesn’t mean you aren’t good.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 5:39 am
Nivalis didn't expect that Ku was making fun of her. She didn't feel especially offended, and her sister giggled as if she was happy, besides. It couldn't be all bad. "I wouldn't mind living-" She cut off into a grunt as she followed the other girl's directions, notching her foot against the rock and shimmying forward with a propelling kick of her legs to shove her up the rest of the way. She dusted herself, then clambered back to Ku's side. "I wouldn't mind living on an island with just my sisters," she admitted plainly. She couldn't think of any Elaria she didn't get along with or who didn't get along with her. It was just their older cousins that were an issue. "But I guess we will soon enough. Before I'm gone, surely." The Alkidike couldn't live forever, after all. And Nivalis was already eager for that day.
The landscape had shifted from their usual jungle home during the trek, morphing into a craggy wasteland of rock and earth. Even though they were within walking distance of their camp, it was still farther than Niva had ever ventured. And a peculiar area, besides. She narrowed her eyes and squinted between the narrow gap in the rocks that her sister was trying to coax her through. "How did you even find this place?" She questioned curiously. It was the type of locale she couldn't imagine finding if you didn't know what you were looking for.
But she followed all the same, because even if it was dark, dangerous-feeling, and ominous-sounding, she trusted Ku not to get them into any trouble she couldn't get them out of. And she had said she'd been here before.
Besides, Niva wasn't afraid of the dark.
She peered around inquisitively, scoping out the strange rock formations and wondering how such a place would've come to be. She likely couldn't credit Elzira for this, as their mother hadn't been around at the beginning of the world to make every wondrous place... "I will get better," she mumbled quietly. "I'm just not sure when that'll be. Hopefully not too long."
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2017 7:13 pm
"You mean just us, no alks and no earthlings either?" Ku asked, taking all this relatively lightly. Although some of the other girls (and, well, several of the adult alks too) often talked about wiping the island clear for their own occupation, she hadn't ever put much weight on that promise. It seemed an awful lot of work for a whole load of boring afterwards. What were they going to do when all was said and done, puff up and walk around like a bunch of mother hens?
"I dunno if I care much for getting rid of everybody. But I'd like it if Zinris looked a bit more... impressive, I guess. Like with big tall walls or something. And guard towers. And those mean-looking beasts standing all about. And a big gate. And inside, lots of tall houses and bridges and things. You know, lots of sisters, everybody training together. Just something more worthy of Elzira than a bunch of little huts and fires. You could even have the biggest house, with all sorts of trophies and decorations. All the elders could go there to talk to you. Or I dunno, something.
Inside the crack, the world went black. Well, for a moment. Ku's teal eyes quickly adjusted, and she took Niva's hand as she lead the way inside. The ground quickly turned to soft sand, where subterranean streams had once broken apart the rock.
"I like exploring." She shrugged. "I'm not scared of new places and things like that. Besides, if this is going to be our land, we should know all about it. Especially these secret ways. Just think about it! Here, we can sit on the sand here, it's soft and dry."
She settled down with the younger elaria, and gave a moment for the darkness to sink in around them. There was some light from the gap where they had entered, and by it you could see the texture of the rock overhead.
"Think about it." She resumed. "We could use these to hide out in and travel around if there's a war. They go all over the place!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 6:48 am
Nivalis blinked and shot her older sister a look full of large-eyed confusion. No earthlings? She'd meant no Alkidike in her camp, but she couldn't rightly say she'd mind if the earthlings vanished from the island, as well. Most of her other sisters (maybe not Ku, but she seemed the type to often be in the minority) spoke like they would prefer to own this land for themselves, and Niva had never questioned that.
Though she'd also never given much thought to what would come afterwards. The goal was such a faraway one that what happened after seemed irrelevant at this point. Maybe it would just mean safety. Safety for her and her sisters to bloom and flourish in whatever way their goddess chose for them. Sure, that sounded nice. An edge of hesitance entered her tone, and her expression took a downward turn. "You want to live within a bunch of walls?" If that wasn't the most absurd thing she'd ever heard. "That doesn't sound very good to me, at all. I don't want walls blocking me view or some guard watching out for me. And animals are disgusting. If you can't eat them, they're no good."
"But... it would be nice to have more than a little camp, someday, and if there are very many of us, then all the better. I... Well, I don't know if we should banish all the Alkidike and all the earthlings, but I do know that I want us to have our own future, someday. A good future. One that doesn't involve either of those two." Maybe someday, a long way off.
For now, there was this place, with only two young Elaria to traverse it. Niva wasn't afraid of the dark, and though she hadn't much been permitted a great deal of leeway to do any exploring on her own, she decided she enjoyed that too. She glanced about curiously as Ku led them inside and sat when instructed.
"We should know all about it," she agreed with a quick nod. "And I am sure there's much to learn." Not that she'd seen much of it herself, yet, and she was starting to wonder if she ever would. "Maybe... Maybe you could be my official land explorer. You like to adventure, so you could go out all the time, and find all the most amazing places, and then when you come back, you'll have to tell me all about them."
She paused, then added quickly, "And you have to bring me something from there, too."
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Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2017 4:07 pm
"Walls are impressive!" Ku spread her hands, giggling at Niva's low opinion at walls. "Not like little dinky boring walls. Big ones out of thick logs, sharpened at the top so everyone knows you mean business. And there's be big houses inside the walls, anyway, so you could see overtop. See everybody all around. Nobody could get sneaky on you, and they'd see you from every direction. And besides, walls aren't for watching you, they're for reminding other people to mind their damn business. It's not like I wouldn't go out and explore. It'd just be nice to a castle to come home to. Or just something cool, something that those Alks won't snub their nose at. Show them we're not just the poor reject cousins, hmph!"
Ku burrowed her toes in the sand and scooped up handfuls of it to play with. She felt it run through her fingers. It was nice here -- quiet, but spooky enough to be interesting. You couldn't quite relax, but you didn't feel compelled to worry about things. She had good ideas when she came here.
And hey -- maybe Nivalis did too. Ku perked up at the whole 'official explorer' matter.
"That sounds important. I could pull that off, I think. A bold warrior-explorer. I'll go anywhere I please! Nobody'll stop me. I'll come back and tell you about all the best places. Maybe we could expand the settlement, anyway, if we don't build walls. We could leave all the Alks here and go live somewhere better."
At the mention of souvenirs, she leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner. "Oooh. What kinds of things do you want? Treasures, or trophies?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 7:13 am
Walls were not impressive. Nivalis crinkled her nose at the thought of being surrounded by them. On the one hand, she was pleased her sister sounded so excited about anything. Her sisters' excitement was always worth something. But on the other, she could hardly imagine living in something like that. Even if she could see over top of them, "Wouldn't it feel confining, though?" Her tent beneath Elzira's branches didn't even have 'walls' so much as it had little scraps of fabric all stitched together.
And that was something she was perfectly content with. A hut with real walls just lent itself to feeling... unavailable. While Niva didn't like the idea of being spied on or watched, she had a stronger dislike for the idea of seeming unavailable to her sisters or her goddess. Even if she wasn't much use to them now, she would be in the future, and it was best to start those positive relationships early. "Maybe you could have walls around your hut. Or even a whole section of the village could have them, so they'd be there for anyone who wanted them. I'll probably stand by not wanting to be blocked off, though."
She sat cross-legged, with her fingers curled about her ankle, and allowed her eyes to wander throughout their conversation. Ku was obviously very good at finding places and things. Weird things, like this. "It could be real important," she agreed. "I'm not allowed to go very many places, so I can't learn nothing about no where unless I have someone to tell me about them."
She cocked her head, her minty eyes growing wide. "Do you really think there's somewhere better? I do like better, but... I couldn't live anywhere else. Elzira is here. You wouldn't move away, would you? I would like to hear about all of your adventures, a whole lot of them, I hope, but..." She pinched her fingers tighter around her ankle and shifted uncomfortably. "I like all my sisters living with me. I wouldn't want you to move away."
"It would be harder for you to bring me stuff if you didn't live here," she piped. "I want all kinds of things. Pretty rocks, or weird-looking leaves, and Earthling teeth! And jewelry."
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