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 Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2022 6:29 pm
The reception Doesina received when she arrived here was mixed. Some seemed unhappy to have her kind in their city. Which she didn't blame them for feeling that way. They wanted to keep their distance from the Alkidike and she was no different from one. Still, it did hurt to be looked at with such scorn, throw brows constantly furrowed at her as if they expected her to disrupt their peaceful way of life with her heathen ways. She would be one of the first to agree that her Elaria sisters were a bit....Extreme in what they believed in. But just like not every Shifter was made from the same cloth, nor was she.
Fortunately, for every older Earthling grumbling at her, there were the younger, more influential ones who looked at her with curiosity. Some kids even tried to approach her with questions, only to be pulled back by upset parents when she bent down to better communicate with them. Though she was rather short by Aishan standards, she still towered over these smaller lifeforms. It was odd, to say the least, to be the tallest one here.
After a while she found herself easily talking to some Wind and Shifter teenagers not much older than herself, when she remembered the mission she had been sent out on. Offering a quick goodbye to them, she headed straight out into the rainforest, knowing full well that her cousin would not be found out amongst all these people.
1/10
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2022 7:37 pm
It was a routine day for Maia. She still hadn't moved into the town, yet, but she had taken a look at the house that would be hers a bit more. It wasn't very big, only having three rooms. Bedroom and toilet had their own spaces behind closed doors. The kitchen and living room was combined into one big space at the front, taking up the whole length of the house. It had been all she could afford. Besides, she hadn't wanted a large home to begin with. Not when it was just her and her few belongings. The house would feel even more empty if it had been larger. This size was perfect for her while she got her start.
One last, big exertion and than she would pack up and move residence. It was a perfect day for it. Her bag was almost full of random goodies. She had been heading in the direction of Neued for a while, now, as she had felt her bag fill more. Most of it she expected was just trash, though a few looked promising. Like this pretty rock she had found. It glittered in all kinds of colors. She still was too inexperienced to know what was what. Chiro was a saint to deal with her, returning to him every month or two with a bag full of whatever she had found that, at least to her, looked like it was something but ended up being worthless. She'd tried going further and further into the rainforest, as far from civilization as possible to avoid finding garbage thrown away.
It was a hard profession. Regardless, she was determined, or downright too stubborn, to give up. One day, all her hard work would turn into profit. And than that old Shifter would be sorry for all the times she threw Maia out of her shop.
1/10
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 6:35 pm
Once the bustle and noise of the city died down, Doesina breathed out deeply. Though she wouldn't consider herself an introvert, a large city like that was still overwhelming, with so many staring at her. She'd never been allowed into the Earthling towns back home. Couldn't speak to even just one. So having so much attention, being around so many Earthlings, had been a bit stressful after a while. At first it had been fun. Exhilarating. She was doing something that had been forbidden to her for so long. But than she got lost, wandering for hours and failing to follow the instructions of those who did try to help her out. Now she felt quite exhausted.
Closing her eyes, the Elaria teenager breathed in once more, letting it out slowly. That made her feel a bit better. She opened them, freezing in her tracks. A bob of blue hair was coming towards her? Had it been this easy? None of the races who lived here had blue hair!
Waving an arm in the air, Doesina rushed forward, yelling "Heike!" at the top of her lungs. It wasn't until she was far too close to admit it that she saw the dark skin and the height. No, this wasn't her cousin. This wasn't even an Aishan. This was an Earthling? But the blue hair!
"Oh...I'm sorry. I mistook you for someone."
2/10
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 7:03 pm
Maia had found the road leading towards Neued. She would drop her things off at Chiro's business, backpack and all. Let him sift through what she'd found while she returned to the permanent campsite that had been home for the last few years. As she drew nearer, she could see in the distance someone else walking this way. From this far out, she could tell this person was very tall and had dark hair. Maybe a Shifter or Oban who had reached the maximum height for the race. Perhaps even going beyond that.
Either way, she paid this other person no mind, until they started frantically waving her way. Stopping, Maia looked in confusion around her. She could hear a name being called, now, not one she recognized. As she looked back, a grip of fear snared her heart. Not a Shifter or an Oban. An Aishan, barreling towards her much like the other one had not so long ago. And, just like before, Maia stood rooted to the spot, unable to get her feet to move. Oh, what trouble was this one going to get her into?
None. Up close, Maia saw the dark grey skin and dark reddish hair of another species she had never seen before. Other than the Alkidike, which she had glimpsed at a distance, the only other one she knew about had pale skin and blue hair.
Craning her neck up, the Shifter forced a smile on her face, realizing there was much less danger to this one than the other one. "That's...Okay." Who was she looking for, anyway? Maia had never heard of an Aishan of this coloring nearby. Not that she'd heard of the other one, etiher. "I hope you find who you are looking for," she added politely, moving to go around the girl and continue down the road.
2/10
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 7:16 pm
Disappointing. Doesina had hoped her search would have been that easy. Just step outside the city and there was her cousin, practically waiting for her on the road. But of course it would be more difficult than that. Heike would want to be as far away from others as she could be, especially Earthlings. Of which there were plenty around here. Or, back there. Here there was just one.
Mm. Just one.
"Excuse me," the Elaria started, turning around as the Shifter went around her towards the city. "If I'm not bothering you, I, uh...Maybe you could help me?"
3/10
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Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2022 7:53 pm
Filled with curiosity, Maia stopped. Sure, she had time to help and she couldn't stop trying to wonder what an Aishan would want with her. They've never approached her while she was out on work before, the times she'd gone much deeper into the rainforest. They always kept their distance, giving her and themselves space from each other.
Than again, this wasn't an Alkidike. Maybe what she was was different, more open to the possibilities of talking to a small Earthling like her. She, admittedly, didn't know much about them. Other than how well they were at slinking through basement windows.
"If I can, sure. I have nowhere pressing to be." Chiro never gave her a set deadline to have something for him to look at.
3/10
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Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2022 8:16 pm
A large smile spread across the Elaria's face. Doesina clapped her hands once in joy, realizing how childish the action would make her seem. And not caring.
"Yes, thank you! The person I am looking for, maybe you have seen her. She'd stand out. She, um..." Well, she didn't know exactly what Heike looked like. From the time of her blooming to the moment she ran away from Kiros, no one but the other Elidae might have even known who she was. The family didn't even know anything of Kioko's activities, other than she had been living off by herself in a cabin in the wilderness. According to her mother, Kioko had always been a bit different, even for one so like her own Tribe. No one had seemed surprised to learn she wasn't as involved with the community over there as most Aishans were with their Sisters.
"She has blue hair likes yours, is tall like me, and has sort of greyish skin. Oh, and eyes like me!" Through her explanation, she noticed the Shifter's expression changing, the smile turning down into a frown, her pale eyes looked more and more angry. "Uh...Something wrong with what I said?"
4/10
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Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2022 9:16 am
The world was having a good laugh at her, wasn't it? The one person she most did not want to meet, again, she was being asked about. Was this a prank? Was she hiding somewhere, ready to pounce out when Maia answered? But no. That would be unfair. This one didn't have the same kind of attitude as the other. This one was being nothing but cordial to her. Maia could afford to be friendly, as well.
"If...This person is who I think, yes. I've met her once." The Shifter stopped, shifting her feet uncomfortably. She really didn't want to lie. To say something nice about the paler Aishan. She hoped this one didn't ask more straightforward questions, like the last time Maia had seen her. Than the whole adventure with the stealing and the capture would have to be told. She was horrible at lying. It made her feel so gross.
"It was in the city, though, so I can't tell you where she went."
4/10
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Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2022 1:52 pm
Doesina sighed. Very audibly. Of course it wouldn't have been that easy. How naïve was she to have thought it that easy. It wasn't that she was lazy or uninterested in seeing the rainforests of Jauhar, but...She already missed her family. She really wanted the satisfaction of bringing Heike back with her to Yael, to meet her aunt and grandmother.
"Thanks for taking the time to answer me, anyway," the Elaria said, her shoulders slumping in defeat. She bit her lip, looking at the Shifter. Now that her mind had, in a way, been cleared of its objective, she registered something for the first time.
"I hope it's not rude to ask, but....Your hair is blue. I haven't seen one before with blue hair who wasn't a...." She clamped her teeth down on the word 'hybrid.' To her, not a taboo. Hybrids were formed when two people managed to bridge their differences and fall in love. It was something she always thought very sweet, including Aishan with Earthling mixes. Earthlings seemed to accept them much more readily than her own people did. She could barely associate with a purebred Earthling.
5/10
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Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2022 6:37 pm
"Hybrid?" Maia finished with little emotion in her voice. Yes, she'd gotten that before. Many times, actually. Blue hair wasn't a common trait among Shifters, no, but she had known one or two back at her village with blue hair. Possibly distant relations so distant they weren't aware they were related. Her own father had pale hair, as had her mother. Pand had a tiny portrait of her that he carried on his person in a small locket around his neck.
"No, I am not." She tried to put a bit more light into her voice. She wasn't against the mixing of races. Neutral, really. People could love who they wanted, it wasn't like it hurt anything. Except for the sensibilities of the older folks who could do with a douse of humility to learn to keep their noses out of other's business.
"It's a rare color that pops out sometimes. Maybe it's a trait of my village. I've yet to see it outside it." Not that she spent much time in Neued to see if it also was among the population there. Once she officially moved in, maybe she would. It was no bother to her either way. Maia had never felt special or outcast by her hair color. It was just blue. Nothing more.
5/10
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Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2022 9:36 am
Oh, no. Had she said something she shouldn't? That was expected. She always seemed to be doing that. Sometimes she wished she had been born into the Elidae tribe, at least they'd have been more accepting of her open ways. She got into so much trouble with her mother and grandmother back on Yael. This Shifter seemed so friendly, Doesina hadn't expected that blank look to appear on her face. Was she against hybrids, too? She looked kinda mad.
But than the smile was back. Not that it was convincing much to the Elaria. How could you be against hybrids? Some of the mixed children she'd seen were so cute!
"Oh," she answered, her own voice taking on a less enthusiastic tone. "I didn't know that." Earthlings had so much diversity to them.
6/10
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Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2022 9:46 am
"Yeah." Well, this got awkward fast. Now would be a good time to continue on towards the city, but Maia didn't want to leave this interaction on a sour note. Especially for herself. The only other conversation she'd had with these tall women was the blue-haired one that had gotten her into trouble. Had that Ice girl not come around and bailed her out, things would be much different. It made her a little more wary of Aishans and she didn't want that.
'I'm not against it. I just...Get a lot of questions about my hair from everyone. Being so uncommon." It seemed this girl was fine with them, too. She didn't know much about her people, but she had seen a hybrid or two that was a mix of Alkidike and Shifter around. Though this grey-skinned girl was not an Alkidike. Earthlings differed from tribe to tribe, it was only logical Aishans did, too.
Curious.
6/10
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Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2022 6:09 pm
"I'm glad to hear that." Doesina nodded her head, happy to hear more people with some sense in the world. It was as if some thought the mixing would produce bad blood. Quite literally. Like it'd make some kind of monster or abomination when it really didn't. For a time, though, when she was really young, she had believed that was the reason why it was a taboo thing to do. That it made the children weaker or deformed them. Her mother and grandmother hadn't tried to dissuade her, trying their best to stay under the radar of the Elaria elders in the community. Until she had met some hybrids when she had wandered far from home. There was nothing wrong with them. Quite the opposite, really. They had so much more potential for uniqueness.
"It's a pretty color," she offered at the end, thrilled to see the smile from the shorter woman at the compliment.
7/10
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Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2022 6:55 pm
A boldness overtook Maia, as she stood there in the middle of the road with this strange woman. It was such a pleasant, easy conversation. Neither of them expecting much more from this than a distraction from their every day, a brief moment of connection with someone else. She realized they were still standing in the middle of the road and shuffled to the side. The girl followed, seemingly just as curious about the other as Maia was of her. Alkidike were not a thing spoken about in her household. Nor did she hear of them much when she went into town. This felt almost forbidden, despite it was not. Nothing had been preventing her from interacting with the tall race of women. Nothing at all.
A passing merchant gave them a strange look, but kept his mouth shut, continuing past them down the road towards the city. It hardly phased Maia. Seemed to hardly phase the other.
"Since you have learned something about me," she began, casually holding one strap of her bag while the other arm lay limp at her side," what about you? Maybe I was very sheltered and still don't pay attention, but I didn't know you also...Came in different colors."
7/10
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Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2022 4:14 pm
Some Elaria would be offended by the implication that they were just off-colors. Okay, maybe a large portion of the entire species would be offended by that. Doesina, however, didn't feel the least bit so. It wasn't far off from the truth, really. Earthlings were all diverse from each other. But, despite all living in different environments, her Sisters and Cousins didn't seem so. They all strived for the same futures, they all took up weapons to protect their trees, and they all treated each other like family, whether they be direct or not. Earthlings didn't seem to feel that kind of closeness to each other unless they were real family or friends. The merchant who had passed them by was just another Shifter to this one.
It was quite fascinating to Doesina. Such a strange world from her own.
"I am an Elaria," she answered, pride entering her voice. Also a common trait among her people that didn't seem as shared among the Earthlings. "The one I am looking for is my Elidae cousin. We are not really....Born the same way you are. I would be a bit of a longer explanation why we are not hybrids despite sharing the same grandmother." She watched the merchant's wagon clearing the entrance to the city. The appearance of it had snapped her out of her thoughts, reminding her that this Shifter clearly had somewhere to be. "I wouldn't mind talking about it another time, if you're interested. I think all of us should learn more about each other, don't you think?"
8/10
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