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 Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:09 pm
[Happens before the Escort Mission...goofed when transferring these over]
Another stormy night. Anahita tightened her shawl around her shoulders as she leaned out over the balcony of her new home. A distant melody of clinking crystals filled the silence in between the howling of the winds, the few crystal trees along the edge of the forest swaying ever so slightly as the storm continued rolling in. It was hard sleeping when she had just recently moved out of her family’s home into a small treehouse nestled along the edge of the village. It was definitely a project to repair the place that had been abandoned for the last decade or so, but the nice vantage point over the village and the closeness to her family gave her motivation to claim the spot as her own. One would think that being on the road had prepared her to spend a night alone out here, but for some reason it just felt too strange on the new bed without the faint noises of at least one person moving down the hallway or something. So Anahita spent some time flopping around from one side to the next before finally caving and coming out here to the upper level where she could peer over the village. “Maybe the rain will help me to relax a bit.” Or she could pick up another mission. The hybrid let out a soft sigh. Why had she decided to move out like this again? Oh yeah. Her sister had already moved out and she didn’t want others to think that she was simply mooching off of her family while trying to move up the ranks again. How frustrating.
[Anahita 1]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:09 pm
“Zephyrus, calm down!” Lautaro tugged at his kinfa as the azure bird twisted through the evening sky. Normally their flight was in the mornings before Lautaro started his tasks for the day, helping his mother with the other kinfa and then training for a bit, but tonight the bird had been even more restless than usual so Lautaro went flying out again despite the cooler winds that hinted of a storm. Eventually though after wrangling with the kinfa, the pair descended into the edge of the village towards a spot that Lautaro did not realize had been recently occupied. The flickering flames of a lit lantern only caught his attention at the last second as they landed along the edge of the building. Oh shoot. Unfortunately it seemed that luck was not on his side as his kinfa settled there and refused to budge even as Lautaro tried to get Zephyrus back into the sky. “Come on buddy, this place looks occupied now.”
[Lautaro 1]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:09 pm
“Lautaro?” Anahita blinked, her brow creasing with confusion. At first she had retreated back a step when she saw a figure flying towards her, but now that she recognized the voice she felt comfortable enough to step forward. “I think you might be a bit lost.” She teased, crossing her arms beneath the fringes of her shawl. What in the world was he actually doing here? Knowing Lautaro though she could only guess that he had mistakenly landed here or simply hadn’t realized that the once abandoned spot was now occupied.
[Anahita 2]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:09 pm
“Right?” Lautaro felt his cheeks warm as Anahita took a step closer. What was she doing here? Had she moved into this place just recently? Shows how much I pay attention to gossip here. “I must have taken the wrong turn on Zephyrus…though this isn’t your family home. Do you live here now?” He stayed perched on Zephyrus as his gaze skimmed over everything but Anahita. This landing platform was basically a balcony for the top floor of the house, the rooftop intertwined with the upper tree branches, and beyond that he could see that there were several candles glowing softly through the wide window of the upstairs room where Ana must have been before coming out here. At one point he had contemplated applying for the abandoned property, but had hesitated since he didn’t feel quite so confident in leaving home just yet. Now he supposed it all worked out since it looked like Anahita had taken the spot in between their family homes.
[Lautaro 2]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:09 pm
Really, a wrong turn? Anahita raised a brow without saying the words since the question was obvious in her expression. That was at least if Lautaro would look her way instead of letting his gaze dart all over the place like some sort of frantic bunny. “I do.” She acknowledged after a moment. “Sorry if it surprised you. Do you normally hang out here? I didn’t take you for the type to venture into abandoned places since they could be spooky.” What a great maneuver to tease him when she had been the one too nervous to sleep here! Ana nearly rolled her eyes at her own words. How silly…
[Anahita 3]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:09 pm
A laugh actually left Lautaro’s lips. “Spooky?” He questioned without thinking. “I mean…I suppose so.” The young ranger surveyed the area one last time before daring to look at Anahita. She scared him more than any ghosts. Well, not so much Ana but more so the knot of feelings that seeing her brought him. “I thought it was more of a peaceful spot than anything creepy, honestly. It was nice coming here whenever I had a rough day so that I could just enjoy the breeze and relax.” He dared to raise a brow in return towards Anahita. “Do you find it spooky here? Is that why you’re outside now?” In this weather he was surprised that anyone would be out if they could be tucked inside instead. Between the humidity and the wind it definitely felt like a storm was brewing, after all. Lautaro had learned his lesson since the first time when he had been trapped in a cave with Anahita to wait out that horrible storm last year. He had actually grown from that to read the signs better, something that he could do especially now that he wasn’t hanging from a trap.
[Lautaro 3]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:09 pm
“Hah!” Anahita forced a laugh as she looked at Lautaro. “Me spooked?” She raised her chin defiantly even though the warmth spreading across the back of her neck spoke otherwise. “No way. It is a bit too quiet though…that’s all.” She at least admitted that much. “It’s just strange adjusting to being alone out here and not hearing at least one person walking through the place.” It definitely made the howling of the wind eerier when there was no one to talk over it. Others worried that her family’s home was haunted because of the ancient architecture of the building that was once abandoned, none daring to move into that space until her parents took the chance, but Anahita felt at peace within the stone manor with her family there. Out here though? She was completely alone…a strange sensation indeed.
[Anahita 4]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:10 pm
“Is that so?” Lautaro didn’t press any further despite the small grin that crossed his lips at her reaction. “I personally enjoy the quiet so it never bothered me to relax out here.” He paused as he looked around once more. She had really set up quite a bit of things since he was last up here, but knowing Ana she probably burned herself out to rush moving in since she hated taking her time with things. There were even little potted plants sitting around the balcony, Zephyrus looking at one flowering vine and inching closer towards it as they spoke. “I suppose I’ll have to find a new spot now though. I’m really sorry if I startled you.” He offered as he tugged the kinfa away from the plant. “You were probably trying to sleep soon so I should head out before the storm hits.”
[Lautaro 4]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:10 pm
“I guess I prefer being around others more than I thought.” Admitted Anahita. The hybrid rubbed her arms under the shawl, warming her skin against the colder breeze as they continued speaking. Perhaps it would be best if she just went inside to try to sleep again. But as she glanced back at the house behind her, the open doorway revealing an empty room where she would be alone again, the ranger found herself reaching out for Lautaro instead. “Zephyrus seems antsy. Are you sure it’s safe to go back out there? The upper landing has a roost too.” A weak excuse, but creaking of the trees in the approaching darkness of night had her spooked more than expected. Bandits and dangerous beasts were things that she could easily fight, but the eerie sensation of the unknown? Not really her forte at all.
[Anahita 5]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:10 pm
“My home is just…” Lautaro’s voice trailed off as he noticed Anahita’s expression. “You know what? Zephyrus is very antsy tonight so maybe it’s best if we just stay here. Is that okay with you? I don’t want to impose, but this looks like quite the nasty storm.” Normally he would shy away from staying overnight with Anahita out of all people, but she seemed so uneasy and it was time for him to get more accustomed to sleeping elsewhere. Eventually he would be flying on his first escort mission, right? Might as well get the experience…even if it was in the same home as the girl who made him feel so flustered all the time.
[Lautaro 5]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:10 pm
“Right? I guess it wouldn’t hurt if you don’t mind sleeping on the floor. I have extra blankets and pillows but no guest bed yet.” She could offer to share a bed but for some reason despite bunking with other rangers before the thought made her sheepish. Probaby because I’m already feeling so silly being this skittish about living alone now. Anahita didn’t want to scare Lautaro away either, not when he had already seemed hesitant around her. “There’s hay and I can bring up some fresh food for Zephyrus.” That much she did have since her family had a couple of kinfa and Anahita wanted to be prepared for whenever she kept one with her, the ranger borrowing Azul for missions at random from her father.
[Anahita 6]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:10 pm
“On the floor?” Lautaro blinked, his cheeks darkening at the realization. “I was just planning on sharing the roost with Zephyrus.” He admitted. “It won’t be my first time and that way you don’t have to worry about me. If anything I’ll just need a blanket.” That much he could do without panicking every five minutes that he was in the same room as Ana. How could he dare to do that?! Even his kinfa seemed to fluff up a bit as he noticed the awkwardness between the pair of earthlings. Even without the tension of the storm then the tension between the two of them was bad enough on its own!
[Lautaro 6]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:10 pm
“Are you sure?” Anahita frowned. Technically that would mean that she wasn’t alone since he would be in the upper level of the home, the rooftop garden and roost right above her own room, but wasn’t that a bit harsh? “Let me go grab everything.” It was already starting to rain as well so there truly wasn’t much time to argue against him. And so she went, the hybrid plucking a spare blanket and pillow from the pile on her bed for Lautaro to use.
[Anahita 7]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:10 pm
“Alright buddy.” Lautaro scratched the kinfa on the right side of his neck, a spot his familiar favored. “Let’s go get you set up.” As Anahita gathered everything, Lautaro climbed up into the roost with Zephyrus fluttering up behind him. She wasn’t wrong about the fresh hay and so it only took him a couple of minutes to prepare a nest for the kinfa. Thankfully there was enough coverage from the branches twisting overhead to keep them from being soaked in the rain as it started to steadily come down around them.
[Lautaro 7]
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2025 4:10 pm
“That was quick.” Anahita pulled herself up the last rung of the ladder and held out the pillow with the blanket wrapped around it towards Lautaro. “Is this truly okay?” She asked as Lautaro took everything from her. At least it was all set up now. Zephyrus already seemed content since he was settled on a pile of hay, his wings all tucked in around his body. The kinfa seemed content enough here now that he realized there weren’t any other birds around to bother him as the rain continued to come down with the storm starting to truly pick up around them. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the one that had trapped her with Lautaro before, but it was still getting pretty loud with thunder rumbling in the distance. What had been left of the rising moon was now gone, even the brightest of the stars invisible as the gray clouds gathered on the horizon.
[Anahita 8]
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