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 Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 6:21 pm
The nomadic tribes of Sauti were a hearty people. The land itself was an expansive, mountainous region that could swallow them whole before any would notice, and yet, the wind people thrived. His papa had grown up here; he'd known the cool touch of the air against his flesh, and the feel of dense, craggy earth under his bare feet.
When a caravan passed through Sol had bartered for passage with them to Jauhar. The group was heading to Yael, and though they planned on returning home, all felt that a little adventure was called for. They were far braver than himself; just coming this close to the border to Tale after so many years was leaving him tense, and mournful for the snowy north. And yet, something about traveling with the charismatic nomads calmed him.
For the night they were camped out near a body of water no larger than a puddle, but one with a relatively flat stretch of land; large enough for a group to stay the night. It wasn't much, but once the sun began to set and the fires came to life the group came to life.
Evidently this group loved music.
He'd prepared for an early night, but clearly, that wasn't going to happen here. Several members of the caravan were already popping out a tune on instruments they hid in their packs, while the rest passed around a wineskin and more danced by firelight.
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Posted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 7:30 pm
Koril was thriving! Perhaps a little on the dry side, but thriving nonetheless. With so many new people to talk with on this leg of the journey, there were so many stories to hear and tell. He would still poke at Sol from time to time, but was able to find other distractions for the most part. Surely Sol appreciated that!
Setting up camp for the night, Koril was delighted when the music started up. Being with this group during the day had been nice, but in the late evening it was even better! Flana was off chasing some of the nocturnal critters, leaving Koril free to interact. He watched a pair of swift-footed dancers with wide eyes and a smile. He often found himself envious of dancers. He was too clumsy to actually dance with or in front of others. He couldn't relax. It was one of the few things Koril was self-conscious about. So, instead, he watched others dance, took sips here and there from the drinks passed around, and clapped his hands in time with the music playing. This would probably be his last night in Sauti for a while, depending on how close Tale's border was, so time to make the best of it! His parents wanted him to have good memories of Sauti like they did, and he wanted it, too. So far, so good!
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 12:45 pm
It was weird, having a distraction for Koril, but also relieving at the same time. The time in between being prodded gave him time to think and occasionally, practice, though those times were usually bothered more often than not. Even if it wasn't Koril directly interacting with him the nomads wanted to speak with him directly, and that meant more talking than Sol was used to.
Honestly, as strange as it was, things had been quieter when it was just the two of them.
"Why ya wearing a hood, boy? S'not that cold today-"
"-I bet he's got a big scar! And that's why you're hiding it, huh? Let's see-"
After one snappy comment they had pulled away enough for him to have relative 'peace' at the campsite, though now there was this music business and Sol was just over it all. Maybe that's why he was taking longer drags from the wineskin than he should have, even if he was sure this wasn't wine at all. It tasted more like fermented goats milk...
Whatever it was, it was strong enough to calm his nerves and allow Sol to actually relax by the fireside. He nursed a skin all his own, without passing it around like the others, and watched the dancers, much in the same way Koril was, though he did notice the way the other hybrid looked...almost envious of them.
"I'm sure if you asked them they'd let you dance with them."
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Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2017 2:39 pm
Koril looked over at Sol with warm cheeks and shook his head. When had Sol come over? "I bet they would.. but my mama's the dancer, not me." He looked back at the fun the dancers were having with a whimsical smile. "I love dancing.. but I can't do it with everyone around. I trip and step on toes." Having had his own share of the stabilizing drink, Koril was able to laugh at himself rather than be embarrassed. "Don't wanna break their toes on the first night!"
Cocking his head slightly, he gave that same smile to Sol. "You look like you'd be a lovely dancer~" he cooed, "even if you left your hood on. Why don't you go join them?" A silly question perhaps, but Koril wasn't one to hold back such suggestions.
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Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 8:51 pm
Sol took a long drink from the wineskin and held it out, tapping Koril's knee with the sack. "It'll fight the cold." When had he actually acquired a taste for that piss? It was strong, strong enough to put hair on his chest, but it also helped to give Sol an easy sort of look.
He tapped his fingers against his leg, keeping up with the jaunty rhythm as his eyes followed the dancers. With his limited sight being muddled by alcohol the dancer's seemed to fade in an out of his vision, blending in with the flames themselves. At times it was an intimidating thing to see, coupled with their laughter and the crescendo of sound, and at others it was almost like magic.
You look like you'd be a lovely dancer. Would he? He knew he was limbs these days, and it wasn't as if he hadn't enjoyed it as a boy, but would he really be something to watch these days?
"My papa's a sword dancer. The way he moves you wouldn't think he had a bone in him." He mused, nursing his memories while watching the display, "I'm happy just watch-"
A hang clasped on his shoulder from the back, causing him to tense, but when he saw one clapped on Koril's shoulder as well he calmed somewhat. A peppy little nomad, a girl no older than twelve, leaned forward and nudged them towards the bonfire. "Sounds like there's a lot of nay saying here! Come on, just trrrryyyy!"
Sol snatched up the wineskin again and took a much larger, longer drought from it, bringing it precariously close to empty. "Pass."
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Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 9:34 pm
Looking at the skin, Koril accepted it and took a gulp before coughing sharply. This stuff was much stronger than what he'd been drinking before! Sol seemed to be downing it without a problem though... Koril took a deep breath and a few more swallows, his whole body giving a tremble as the heat rushed through him.
Well, he wasn't cold at all now. Had he been cold before?
"A sword dancer!" he gasped with awe. How wonderful would that be to see? The hand on his shoulder made him jump a little, but then he looked back at the girl with a smile. She was adorable! Oh... Sol was passing, but Koril found himself clambering up. With the recent gulps on top of what he had already ingested, the hybrid found himself feeling a little braver. "You're not gonna be angry if I step on your toes?" he asked the girl warily, though the question was tinged with excitement. After all, he really did love dancing.
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 4:31 pm
Had he been that excited to see his father perform when he was younger? Sol supposed he must have been, because he saw a lot of his papa's performances, even going so far as to help him practice from time to time. He contemplated it all as the teenager lured Koril over to the fire, urging him onward with little tugs and smiles. Maybe when he'd been that young he would have been more excited by it, but even though there wasn't much of an age gap between them he'd seen enough to get a little...bitter.
"Nah, my brother does it all the time! He's awful." She looked happy enough to have Koril's attention, and the way she was acting....Sol had to smirk. Seems like the little windling had a little crush. He tried not to make his grin visible, and instead ducked his head, hiding his expression behind his lowered hood.
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Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 8:38 pm
Koril's steps were hesitant as he was pulled along, looking over his shoulder a couple times at Sol. Oh well. Turning his attention back to the young girl, Koril smiled bravely. "Okay. If you're sure."
At first, there were indeed a couple toe stubbings. He was looking around at those surrounding them, watching them as they danced. That buffer of the increasingly influential drink was enough for him to slowly turn his focus more on having fun than on how clumsy he looked. He laughed and spun and bounced contently, delighted by the girl's returned laughter. "You dance really good!" he praised her.
For himself, well, he was still no Shadiya, but at least he wasn't stepping on the windling's toes anymore, and there was a semblance of rhythm in his moves.
"Come on, Sooool!" he shouted encouragingly as they twirled on by the cloaked figure of his travel companion.
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Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2017 10:35 am
Sol waved Koril off. It was nice enough to just watch his friend dance and have...fun...When had he begun to think of Koril as a friend? He held the wineskin loosely, bouncing the near empty sack against his knee. It hadn't been that long ago that he thought of Koril as nothing more than a nuisance, and while he still thought of him that it way it was in a little nicer light.
The way he twisted and moved without so much as a care....Sol was envious of it. He'd been that way once, and while he knew that his fading eyesight didn't help matters, somewhere deep down he knew that wasn't the reason for the change. Sol just couldn't figure out what it was.
"Up up up!"
He barely had time to think before his hands were snatched by another windling, one not too far from him in age. The shawl around her neck spoke of innocence, but the hip 'subtly' brushing against his own was anything but.
"If I had legs like yours I'd be dancing all the time! So come on stranger, cut loose~"
There was no going back from this. She wasn't going to let him sit back down, that much he could tell and he'd honestly had a little too much drink in his blood to allow it anyway. Now that he was up, Sol drained the wineskin, tossed it to the ground and bravely unclasped his cloak. For anyone else such an act wouldn't amount to much, but for him, it was monumental. He hadn't even shown Koril more than he'd needed to see, but if it could get him out of dancing...
In a flurry, he pulled it off his shoulders and tossed it to the ground. His antennae, free from being held back by the hood, popped up before smoothing out into a nice, fine arch. He ruffled his hair a bit, and rotated his shoulders, waiting for the inevitable gasp, which wasn't as far off as he'd thought.
"I knew you were taller, but I just thought....Sorry, uh...excuse me...." While he couldn't see the finer lines on her face, he knew just by her tone that the girl was put off. It didn't really surprise him, but it did make him a little bitter. What had she expected, honestly? He'd been cloaked; most do that for a reason.
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Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:07 am
Koril felt free. It had been a while since he had been comfortable enough to dance like this with others. The girl he was dancing with kept dancing closer and further and closer and further, dancing with a subtle flirt of one too young to really know what they were doing.
Of course, Koril was oblivious to it. Especially when he saw Sol stand up.
Unlike others, Koril gasped with excitement rather than concern. Sol had removed the cloak! Why was the girl leaving without dancing? "Excuse me! My friend is finally up!" he chirped, spinning away from his now-pouting dance partner.
"Dance with me!" he called happily, reaching to grab Sol's hands without waiting for an answer. "I like being able to see ya! Why'd ya take the cloak off for her an' not me?" His own lips formed a tiny pout, but he was still more focused on pulling Sol in to dance.
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Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 9:42 pm
[6/10]
Sol caught glimpses of Koril and the little windling girl, but mostly he just 'sensed' the presence of others nearby. It was a handy little trick; one made possible thanks to his antennae and the little bit of magic filtering through them. It didn't help him to make the situation any less awkward, but at least it helped him to move away from a passing pair as they hustled away from him.
He was so focused on them that he didn't even notice when Koril had come back, let alone when he snatched up Sol's hands. The hybrid snorted indignantly, feeling his legs being pulled along without his consent once again. "I was trying to scare her off, and it worked!" He found himself having to raise his voice just to be heard over the music that was quickly building up around them. The musicians were either really getting into it, or the alcohol had finally gone to their heads.
"...You aren't bothered by all of this, are you?" He motioned vaguely to himself. Maybe Koril was too far gone to see properly; that's the only thing Sol could think of. It hadn't bothered him so much as a kid, but now he found his appearance a little...off putting.
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Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 7:39 pm
Trying to scare the girl? What a goof! Koril chuckled lightly, giving Sol's hands a squeeze. "Silly! Can't dance if you're scaring them!" He started a small spin, paying no mind to those avoiding them now.
With Sol's question, Koril giggled at first. "Should I be?" he asked playfully. After a moment, Koril paused to stare. Bothered..? He gave Sol a closer look, since this really was his first time seeing the guy without the cloak fully covering him. Despite being happily loopy, his expression suddenly became quite serious. All those years of being teased for being a hybrid, the name calling and the harassing... What had Sol gone through?
Without another thought, he reached to pull Sol down into a tight hug and nuzzled against the other hybrid's cheek. "It doesn't bother me at all," he assured.
A second later, a portion of the seriousness lifted and he pressed a kiss to the gray cheek with a smirk. "I told you before that you're cute. Ya think I was lyin'?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 11:00 am
Should I be? It was an innocent enough question, and one that Sol hadn't yet considered. No, he really shouldn't, none of them should be, and yet they were, so he had assumed Koril would be too. It was...a little unsettling, maybe more so because he'd had so much to drink. At the moment his inner demons really didn't seem so scary, and Sol wasn't quite sure how to handle it. His mind was left clearer, a little brighter and the whole thing left him stunned-
-More so now that Koril had pulled him so close. It was like the world had jerked him forward, ripping him from his mind into a lazy sort of dance with the sky burning behind them. It was easier to see Koril this close, and yet, the other hybrid wasn't at an angle to be seen; just one to be touched. He felt the nuzzling against his skin and subconsciously moved closer.
It doesn't bother me at all.
Sober Sol might have called him ignorant, and pushed him away.
Inebriated Sol didn't give a damn.
For a moment he was reaching his hands up, closer to Koril, and then with a light kiss the moment was lifted just enough for him not to. "I was hoping so." Instead, Sol went in for a bolder move; he placed his hand squarely on Koril's hip, took the other in his open palm, and stepped backward, falling into a jaunty dance. "When you're cute people want to pet you and give you things. Men are not cute. " It was an old dance; one he'd practiced a thousand times as a child, and even now, with his limited sight, it was something he could easily perform. At times he would pull himself closer to Koril, as the dance called for, and in one of those times he leaned closer, "Follow my lead; the steps are going to be more intense after this."
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Posted: Sun Dec 24, 2017 11:02 pm
Brow rising with surprise, Koril shuffled a little to make up for the sudden movement. At first, he felt as though he was jelly, just flailing as his mind tried to catch up. Soon enough though, the gel took a more stable form. He didn't know the dance, but he was relaxed enough to allow himself to be guided along.
"Don't wanna be cute," he mused, grinning up at Sol. "I guess handsome works for ya, too~" Sol sure did seem different than usual though. Cloak off, movements smooth and fun rather than tense and short... Yes.. 'Handsome' fit Sol quite well. His cheeks flushed with excitement at the warning, his hold on Sol soft but secure as he'd been taught to when being the follower.
Dancing with others hadn't been like this. His heart was racing with delight, and he felt as though he was almost as graceful as his mother. Somewhere between the drink and Sol's encouraging hold, he felt like he could do anything! "Ready," he whispered, partly to Sol and partly to himself. He wanted to see what Sol could do! He wanted to be part of that.
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Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2018 7:36 pm
[8/10]
Sol was comfortable enough leading that any misstep on Koril's part was simply worked around as if it were a natural part of the dance. It wasn't the easiest in the world, but in his inebriated mind they made a lovely pair; when in reality they were doing a fair, albeit messy, job of things. He swung Koril around the flames, carefully navigating around the other dancing windlings, some of which passed a few smiles their way.
He didn't need to see Koril's expression to know it. It was the same one he currently wore on his face. Tonight was the first time in so long that he'd let go of the tension that claimed his bones, and really just allowed himself to be close to someone else. It felt so damn good that he wondered why he ever wore that stupid cloak to begin with.
When he looked back at Koril, his heart stammered in his chest. This was all thanks to him, and Sol knew that no matter what happened, no matter where life took them, he would be forever thankful to this man for what he'd done. "Ready," he echoed with a breathy whisper, and leaned down to capture Koril's lips with his own.
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