[PRP] Kites and Inns .::. [Rasslyre & Safiyah] (C)

[Shizuka Hoshimura]

It seems as if the talk of how windy Neim is was no exaggeration, unlike many of the other things that Rasslyre remembered the affable and chatty minstrel she had traveled with mentioning to her.
The youngest son had an easy smile and an easy going nature, and seemed to have taken it upon himself right from the get go to talk Rasslyre's ear off. She got antsy and distracted during most of their conversations while on the road, but once he started describing all of the different regions that his family had performed in, her interest was snagged.
Seemingly encouraged by her sudden piqued interest, he launched into describing all of the regions of the Sanctum.
She had only joined up with the small and close knit minstrel family because she had originally intended on heading further North, to the dry and warm area filled with sand.

Omach she mentally corrected herself, still attempting to accustom herself to the varying and numerous names of different areas in this new place. She was getting better, in the beginning she could barely pronounce any of the names.

Rasslyre decided to break off from the family and head towards the place called Neim instead after hearing tales of flying machines and buildings that seemed to live amongst the clouds. Perhaps not the most intelligent of choices going to a land of; wind, clouds, and cliffs, especially for someone such as Rasslyre who suffers from a vision impairment.
Nonplussed at any logic however, Rasslyre was nothing if not stubborn.
She would address any issue when it arose, so there was nothing really to be done than continue forward.

Actually arriving in the area just shy of twilight, Rasslyre had enough foresight to know from experience that she would need to find either an inn or just a place a bit aways from the main road to stay overnight.
Preferably the former given that she was not too keen on stumbling off a sheer cliff because she was trying to find a place to sleep off of the road.
The wind was strong as well, whipping her long skirts around her legs, the hair around her face, and making her eyes squint.
Luckily she seemed to be walking with the wind rather than against it, a small stroke of luck it would seem.

Though she would have happily traded walking against the wind if it meant finding an inn within the next 15 minutes so she could actually sleep in a bed tonight.  

[Furesiya]

Safiyah ambled along the main road, an already lit lantern in one hand and a large folded kite tucked under her other.

Her gaze drifted about her as freely as her steps seemed to wander. She did in fact have a particular destination in mind, but anyone that may have taken a moment to observe the somber girl would have thought otherwise. For no more than a few feet at a time was she able to keep her path straight. This was mainly due to her habit of being completely elsewhere mentally. Only managing to shake herself back to the present when she noticed she was about to run into someone or something, though quickly slipping back to her thoughts after the obstacle was cleared.

She wrinkled her nose as a particularly ticklish strand of hair blew across her face in the stiff wind. Which was wonderful really. She had been meaning to try out her new kite design, and if things stayed as they were, her favorite test sight would be perfect for at least the next hour or so.

As she neared the edge of town, on her way out, the wind began to pick up even more, gusting over her harshly.

A particularly heavy one caught her by surprise, yanking the kite from under her arm and tossing it about. With a distressed gasp and perplexed expression she set down her lit lantern in the middle of the road and started chasing after the contraption of wood and paper.

It blew behind her and off to the side, threatening to get caught in some scraggly bushes.  

[Shizuka Hoshimura]

Rasslyre's limited vision was failing her. Fast.

She knew that traveling alone despite her visual impediment put her at risk of having to spend the night in far from safe places, but it was usually rare that she was actually truly alone that she never really dwelled too much upon it.
That and frankly, her mind was constantly shifting from one thing to another, travel arrangements were much too dull of a subject to keep her focused for very long.
There were a handful of times where Rasslyre would pause and mentally berate herself for her impulsiveness and overall lack of forethought. This was most definitely one of them.

Although it would hardly be her first time continuing to walk even after the sun had set, Rasslyre was hesitant on what exactly she should do. The sun was already slipping down beyond the horizon, and already she was quite literally walking blind with only her walking stick to guide her.
She paused and shifted to the far right of the well traveled road, stilling only when the fabric of her skirt snagged lightly in the scraggly bushes that were indigenous to the area. Using her walking stick as a guide, she made sure to keep to the far right side of the road and slowly progressed forward.

Turning a sharp corner in the road, Rasslyre was puzzled to see a flickering light several feet ahead of her, and three or four steps towards the middle of the path. Curious, she approached it with little thought for caution, not stopping until the source of light was just at her feet.
The four thin braids that she always kept down lashed out around her face as she crouched down to get a better look at what appeared to be something akin to a lamp.
Normally she would have tried to hear anything around her with her fine tuned hearing, but knew better than to try with the howling of the winds already drowning out anything that could have possibly given any clue to the owner of the object.

She considered taking the lantern and continuing on, possibly running into the owner along the way, but then cut that line of reasoning short.
This belonged to someone, and in these conditions a lamp was necessary for even people without night blindness. As such, there was no way that Rasslyre was going to just steal it and leave… though that left her with few options.

So she waited. Kneeling by the lantern in the middle of the road.  

[Furesiya]

"muuuu~~~" Safiyah breathed, irritated.

One wing of the kite had popped open as it went flying deep into the bushes and had now snagged on some rather sharp looking branches.

Safiyah reached for it, but found herself rather barred by the wall of almost bramble like growth that separated her from her creation.

Sighing she closed her eyes and shoved. Thick spines tore through her heavy sleeves, poking and scraping her flesh underneath. Gasping sharply she gritted her teeth and continued pushing until her fingers felt the soft but tight paper that made up the tail of the kite. Pinching it fiercely she pulled up and practically tossed it over the bushes and back out into the street.

Quickly, so it didn't have a chance to try and get away again, Safiyah bounded out of the bushes after it. Though she skidded to a halt, pale eyes wide in surprise, when she saw a figure bent near her lantern.

Her kite, blown by the wind, tumbled over to the person and bumped into the side of her crouched legs.  

[Shizuka Hoshimura]

Rasslyre was, for lack of a better word, very much startled when something suddenly bumped against the side of her leg from the darkness. Her entire body tensed and the natural fight or flight, or in her usual case lashing out then fleeing, response kicked in.
She may have been impulsive and very much as much of a whirlwind as the literal force around her, however she was surprisingly easy to startle.
When she looked down and was able to make out the silhouette of it more or less, she relaxed a bit a light and nervous chuckle bubbling forth from her lips.
The sound was swiftly swept up by the winds that continued to race and roar around her.

The object by her leg was odd shaped, with a single side jutting out awkwardly making the object appear off balance. Frowning, she reached down and untangles it from the folds of her long skirt, carefully lifting it up to face level to examine more clearly.
Running her fingertips over the surface of it lightly, she discovered that a large portion of the jutting part was actually something very soft and taunt.
Something very thin actually as well.

Blinking, she glanced up in the direction that the object had come from, initially seeing nothing but darkness. She scanned the area beyond her limited line of sight carefully, pausing when she thought she saw a flash of something long and light colored.
Because the person, well she thought it was another person at least, was outside of her small radius of sight, she was unsure of how to proceed.
Rasslyre strained to try to make out any further details, but all she could see was the muted and very faint outline of something light colored in the same direction as the object that had hit her leg.

Deciding that maybe introducing herself would lure the other closer, she straightened up and attempted to call out to the other before realizing that the winds were drowning out her voice.
Shifting nervously, she decided that even if she was trying to speak and interact with someone or thing that may or may not actually be there, it could not hurt to try.
She lifted a slim hand and made a beckoning gesture towards herself, inviting the other to approach.  

[Furesiya]

For a few moments Safiyah stood there and watched the figure of the young woman, cringing when she picked up her kite and cocking her head to the side when it looked as if she had tried to speak words.

Finally, when the other beckoned her over did she hesitantly approach.

Hands clasped behind her back, mainly to hide her ripped sleeves, she just stared at the other woman. Looking her up and down, taking her in, and trying to read her as best she could.

Obviously she was from out of town, as her clothing style was quite different than what most Neim natives wore. Vaguely Safiyah wondered if she was just passing through or if she had come here with a purpose.

Glancing at the kite and lantern she wondered the best, and quickest way to get them both back so she could be on her way.

In the end she settled for a slight nod of greeting and a quiet.


"uuuum..."  

[Shizuka Hoshimura]

When the other figure moved forward hesitantly into the small ring of illumination thrown off from the lantern that still remained on the ground, Rasslyre waited while fighting the urge to fidget and fell back upon the mannerisms that had been drilled into her by her mother for years.
The other came closer and stopped a slightly further distance than was necessary, and remained staring at Rasslyre mutely.
Rasslyre was used to the weight of eyes upon her, whether it be her clothing, her clouded eyes, or her musical performances, she was no stranger to scrutiny.

She could still hardly make out anything besides the general outline and muted colors of the other in front of her. She was pretty sure the other was a woman as well considering the sheer length of the hair, but she had been surprised and proven wrong in past instances.
A mixture of the darkness and her deteriorated sight made picking out any details of the other much more difficult, but it was simple enough to read the other's body language.

Rasslyre relaxed a bit, releasing tension she had not realized that she had been harboring until that moment, and shifted on her feet, tilting her head out of curiosity.
The other female's clothing could only be described as loose, almost billowing, though it seemed almost as if the other was trying to hide something behind her.
That notion of course jump started her curiosity and she felt the impulse to just plainly ask everything she was wondering. Though that would never do, there hadn't even been any introductions yet.

In fact the other seemed to be almost uncomfortable, another thing to file away and investigate at a later time.
The other was the first to speak between them, though speaking may be a bit of a loose term considering it seemed much more as if the other was at a loss of what to say.

Rasslyre, allowed her lips to pull up in a easy, if not a bit hesitant, smile, "Good evening, are these yours?"

She gestured to the object she still had in her hand and the lamp on the ground.  

[Furesiya]

Safiyah hesitated a moment then replied with a short,
"They are." to the other woman's question.

Figuring she was just lucky the newcomer hadn't snatched her lantern and ran off with it, she stuck her hands out hoping to receive her kite back. Though she twitched a bit when she realized she had just exposed her shredded sleeves.

Not only was the sight a bit distasteful to her but the angry red marks left behind by the bramble could also be seen. All she could do was hope it was too dark for the other person to notice. She really did not enjoy being fussed over.  

[Shizuka Hoshimura]

Rasslyre detected movement from the young woman in front of her, and strained her already exhausted eyes to bring things into clearer focus. After the curt affirmative that was given from the other, a silence fell between the two women once more until the other thrust out her hands in a very clear request.
Glancing down at the object she held in front of her, using her own body as a shield against the wind, she saw no reason to not return this… thing back to it's owner.

As she began to extend the thing back towards the other, she was oblivious to the subtle twitch of the other, completely unable to make out the current damaged state of the woman's sleeves and arms.
While close to the light given off by the lantern, she was able to make out that the thing in her hands seemed to have another side that was capable of jutting out like the one opposite of it. The thin and taunt material stretched over it's surface was reminiscent of the simple kites from her childhood.
"What is this? It reminds me of something from my home, though… much larger." she asked curiously.

As she stood with the thing extended in front of her, she silently mused that thanks to this, darkness had completely fallen.
Rasslyre bit back an exasperated sigh at that, from the way things were looking, she would be spending the night out in the open again. Wind, scraggly bushes, and the very real threat of cliffs.
Just... perfect.
 

[Furesiya]

Carefully taking her kite from the other, she immediately began to run her hands over the various surfaces and structures, checking for tears, rips, or snaps.

Safiyah's sigh came at the same time as the other's, however her own was obviously far more relieved. Save for one frayed edge and a single poked hole in the already extended wing, and easy fix, her creation seemed to be fine.

"It is called a Kite." She wasn't sure if the other girl would even know what that was, however that really didn't matter much to Safiyah.

Luckily for her, she found the close darkness a bit of a comfort. Had it been broad daylight, she probably would have been red faced and flustered at the interaction she had been forced into. As it was, she was only slightly nervous.

Tucking the kite's wing back in and then jamming it under her arm (as firmly as possible this time) she bent to pick up the lantern. Holding it in front of her a bit, she stared at the other girl, now wondering why she had stopped at the light source in the first place.  

[Shizuka Hoshimura]

The abrupt and largely detectable movements of the girl in front of her seemed almost incongruous to the gentle and careful manner in which she reached out and took the object.
The object which turned out to be a kite like she had guessed from the material that was stretched over it's surface.
She nodded in understanding before commenting, "I had thought so. The overall design may be different, but I remember smaller kites being flown from the rooftops of the city I was born in."

It was at times like this when she wished her vision would make a damn decision already. Her rapidly narrowing vision during the day and complete blindness at night put a serious damper on her passion for traveling.
She had only recently made it to the place the locals called "The Sanctum", and had yet to really visit a town or city. As such, she also had no source of light to travel by, be it a simple torch, or a lantern like this woman had.

Her musings were cut short as the lantern, which had previously been situated on the ground, was picked up by the other.
This girl was likely a native and would probably know the area around here much better than Rasslyre herself.
(Who was more or less stumbling along, quite literally, blind.)

With little to lose, she asked, "Is there by chance a town or village nearby? Preferably someplace with an Inn?" she hesitated for a moment before adding on, "Considering how I am pretty much quite literally blind at the moment, I wish to know if it would be better to just stop on the side of the road and wait until first light to continue on again."
 

[Furesiya]

Safiyah was quiet for a moment, piecing together the other girl's mannerisms and actions. They all -did- seem to point that she was quite blind.

In normal circumstances she rather lacked manners, whether on purpose or simple carelessness, she didn't really care.
However this particular problem was a rather logical one. Would she be ok with herself if she just left a blind person on a dark road in unfamiliar lands?

Lips pouting a bit, she murmured "The town is not far from here. Only a few minutes. I will lead you." Stepping past the foreign girl, Safiyah immediately began to walk back the way she had come.

She pouted even more fiercely to herself when she fully realized there would be no kite testing this night.  

[Shizuka Hoshimura]

Relief was very much felt at the other's words, perhaps she still had a bit of luck that hadn't been used up convincing her mother and landlady that moving to a far away land to help raise a seed was absolutely necessary.
As the other stepped past her and continued down the road, Rasslyre adjusted the grip on her walking stick that had been resting in the crook of her elbow while she had held the kite in her hands.
The lantern illuminated a small radius and made it much simpler for her to follow the other girl as they headed towards the town.

Like the other had stated, the town was quite literally just a few minutes up the road, the light spilling from windows of homes and the streetlights brightened the space around her.
While some details would already be permanently lost to her even in full daylight, she was now able to make out various buildings and such around her.
Seeming to remember for the first time that she had merely followed the other with absolutely no words of thanks, she quickly stammered out an apology and thanks.

"Ah- I'm sorry, where are my manners. Thank you for leading me back here."

They seemed to have approached a decently sized, multi level building as she had spoken, if the brightly illuminated sign above the entrance was any indication, this appeared to be the town Inn.
Glancing inside, she could make out a fair haired figure leaning against a front desk, and a scattering of tables and chairs that were places in small clusters.

As they stepped past the threshold of the building the figure still hadn't moved at all.
Tilting her head to the side in a mixture of curiosity and annoyance at the lack of attentiveness, she was about to make their presence known when a bored voice cut through the air.

"Sorry, no vacancy at the moment."  

[Furesiya]

Safiyah had intended to wait only a moment to make sure the woman made it inside well enough, and had started to turn to leave. However she stopped short when the fact that there were no rooms was declared.

Her eyes clamped shut for a moment as she thought.

"Yeah! Yer shoulda gotten hear sooner!" One of the men enjoying a drink at a nearby table rumbled. "Lantern Festival is termarrow. Lots o people commin in." He took a long swig of his drink then went back to talking with his companions.

Safiyah's eyebrows drew together, adding to her expression of annoyance.

She had forgotten about that, or rather chosen not to notice. Festivals meant even more people to deal with, meaning she probably would just stay inside her house for the next couple days until things quieted down.

Now, the decision.
Leave the blind girl to sort out her own problems. Or finish what she had started and successfully help her...
As much as it flustered her to think about, the answer was obvious.

"Follow me."
It was only one night right? As long as this girl didn't end up being some strange murderer or molester, Safiyah figured she should be fine enough. Though, she could only hope the woman wasn't a conversationalist...

She exited the Inn and began down the main street, in the direction of her house that was on the opposite edge of town.  

[Shizuka Hoshimura]

Rasslyre's attention was caught by the drunken slur of a man at a nearby table. Instead of turning to look in the direction of the speaker, she merely tilted her head, concentrating on picking out his words from the the various other conversations that were taking place in the main lobby of the Inn.
She hadn't been aware of any upcoming festivities and such, though she could remember earlier in the day that there were quite a few swiftly traveling people heading in the same direction as she had been.

Though that still did nothing to help resolve her currently impending predicament however.

With no vacancy in the Inn, that left her with few options for room and board. While the idea of a Lantern Festival sounded intriguing, her largest priority was finding some way to get adequate traveling supplies.
Oh, and find herself one of these fabled flying machines. That did happen to pretty much be the reason that she had diverted course from her originally intended location of Omach.

She had heard the shifting and quiet retreat of the other woman behind her before the man at the table began to speak, so she was rather surprised to hear her voice again instructing her to follow.
"Okay…" she trailed off, turning her back to the Inn and began to follow the other back out onto the wide main street.

Normally she wasn't such a quiet person.
In fact under normal circumstances she likely would have been asking a multitude of questions to the other young woman, however she was very much still in a bit of shock considering her abrupt relocation into this foreign land.
As she trailed behind the other, she couldn't help but wonder.

Was there another Inn in this town?