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 Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 5:49 pm
As they approached the settlement Niadra began to get antsy. She was playing with her hair, straightening out her clothing, and other little things that gave away just how nervous she was. No, nervous wasn't the right word. Yes she was a little nervous, that was true, but she was more excited then anything. They would be staying in the leaf settlement for a few nights, allowing everyone to see their family as well as get all the supplies they needed before heading off again. There would even be a performance that night to celebrate them being back. But even the excitement of preforming wasn't what had her so antsy, no it was the fact that she would get to see Nyiim again. Although it honestly hadn't been that long since she saw him it felt like forever.
When the caravan stopped Niadra jumped out right away. Her mother said something about dinner but she just nodded and gave her father a kiss on the check before dancing off to find her one true love.
She greeted everyone in the settlement with a smile as she danced around looking for him. As she did they all returned the greeting and rolled their eyes, for most knew where she was going. Her crush on Nyiim had been obvious since they were children. Well, to everyone but him. But all in due time, or at least she hoped.
Finally she spotted the leaf boy. "Nyiim!" she called with a smiled as she danced over and gave him a hug. "Hey! We've come to stay for a few nights, there will even be a performance later tonight." she said excitedly. Hopefully he would come to see her dance and sing, maybe then he would see how much they were meant to be.
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Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 6:29 pm
He had heard that a portion of the tribe was returning, but it hadn't particularly worried him. While Nyiim was glad to see those who traveled more than lingered, it wasn't so very long that they were apart in the bigger scheme of things. Still, he had friends there and friends of the family and it was nice to see familiar faces on even the worst of days.
Today wasn't one of those days, really. He had awoken early and simply decided to kill time by running errands for various neighbors. He had carried wood, lashed roofs, delivered food and briefly watched a group of children trip over each other in a game of tag. The man was only walking home when he felt a sudden smash and a great pressure. He might have panicked were it not for the voice that accompanied the action. It was a bit of a task to disengage and turn around, but he was smiling ever so slightly as he did. Bosede, several feet ahead, turned and canted his head to the side before rushing at Niadra and happily licking her hands.
"Welcome back," Nyiim offered, giving his friend's shoulder a little squeeze before homeostasis reigned. At the very least, the smile he sported might have seemed much larger for the crystals upon his cheeks. "I hadn't heard about a performance. One you're taking part in, no doubt? We'll have to come."
Bosede ceased his slobbering to stand unusually close to the girl, apparently glad for her company as well as his partner in crime.
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Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 6:47 pm
Niadra laughed as Bosede's tongue tickled her fingers. "I've missed you too." she said happily as she scratched behind his ears. "I've even brought you a treat!" she said before reaching into the bag she had with her and pulling out a piece of meat to give to him. She could still remember when Nyiim brought the Raptrix home. She had heard about them in her travels but that was the first time she had seen one up close. He was friendly, and seemed to take a deep liking towards Nyiim. Then again who wouldn't, he was wonderful.
She turned her attention back to Nyiim with a smile. She saw the small one on his face and beamed even more, if that was even possible. He rarely showed emotions, or rather rarely that Niadra saw, so when she got the chance to see him smile it made her happy. It was even better considering that the smile was for her.
"Yes, my mother has taught me a few new dance moves, so I'm eager to show them off." her dancing had progressed over the years, but she still had a lot to learn. Every time they came home she had something new to show him, and every time she hoped he would see her feelings for him in her movement. Or maybe realize that the songs she sang were for him. But he didn't, not yet. Possibly this would be the night however. "So, what have you been up to while I've been away?" she said happily as she linked one arm with his.
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Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 10:53 am
Bosede happily accepted the treat, tail waving thoughtfully as he wandered off to chomp on it properly. The faces he made were just a bit ridiculous, lacking thumbs to hold it with.
"Oh? That's good," Nyiim nodded. It was the same thing every time. He respected her desire to be a performer and her determination to learn new skills. He may never understand the draw of dancing and singing in front of an entire tribe, but that was why it was her dream and not his, right? While they talked, the leaf boy continued toward his home out of habit. Niadra had been there a few times before, and certainly there was nothing inappropriate about it. Were they still alive, they simply would have been going to his parents' home. What was the difference when one lived alone? Granted, they always got strange looks when they climbed back into the foliage, but people were... presumptuous.
"Oh, the usual. Working. I've been trying to find my 'calling', but no luck yet. I guess I just have to keep on trying. No weapon feels particularly comfortable in my hands, but I'm sure my father felt the same way when he was my age. Did you have any wild adventures while you were away this time? Any vicious sail scale battles?
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Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2013 12:27 pm
Niadra watched as Bosede ate the meat happily. It was pretty amusing to watch him try to eat with without thumbs. He was such a cutie, more then once she had wished for a pet of her own. Maybe one day.
As they walked towards his home she could see the eyes on them. If she didn't already know better she would also be a little shocked. But she knew better. They had been to his house a few times, just the two of them, but it didn't mean anything. They didn't do anything in the house that they wouldn't have done in front of everyone. Mostly just talk. The first time she was a little excited, she had to admit, but she had just hoped that they were going to take a step towards their currently nonexistent relationship, but no. They were just going there to talk.
She frowned. It was hard for her. Niadra had always known what she wanted to do. She had always wanted to preform, it was in her blood. However Nyiim had yet to find his own weapon. "Maybe you are handling the wrong weapons? Have you tried using a hammer or gauntlets?" she asked curiously. Sure they were more defense, and for some reason she saw Nyiim as an offense kind of guy, but it didn't hurt to try. When he said he was sure his father felt the same way she wanted to frown for a second, but didn't. She couldn't imagine being without her parents. He was strong for that, stronger then her. When he asked her about any adventures she laughed. "That sail scale was vicious! But no, nothing as exciting really. I almost caught a aldabuk, but failed." she said as she remembered falling on her face. No, a weapon wasn't something that should ever be in her hands.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 9:51 am
"Well, Bosede just kind of fell into my lap. It could just as easily happen to you," Nyiim nodded. He had never really considered having a pet before one had come tumbling into his arms. They were another mouth to feed and another being to care for, not to mention that the carnivores needed some extra work. Still, he had fallen for the lost raptrix.
"...and I've tried the hammer, but not gauntlets. I feel like they're the furthest from ideal, but I had might as well try. I can't be much use to the tribe if I don't find my calling."
He began climbing the ladder to his particular plot, scaling it like a monkey, while Bosede had to turn toward a spiral staircase. Even if he had been able to fly, the trees were in too close of quarters to actually lift him anywhere useful. It was after pulling himself up and swinging into the platform he called home before something particularly important struck Nyiim. He leaned over the edge, looking down toward Niadra.
"...do you have rehearsal? Am I keeping you?" At the same time, he offered the girl an arm to pull her up.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 11:08 am
Niadra nodded as he spoke. She remembered Nyiim's story about how Bosede came to be hers. She only hoped she would be as lucky. Then again she wasn't sure if she wanted such a large companion. Since they traveled a lot and food wasn't always easy to come by maybe something smaller would be better? As long as it wasn't a sail scales she would be fine.
He was right, she didn't really see him using gauntlets. For some reason a sword was what what she pictured him with, or maybe a crossbow...? But that was with her. She was sure whatever he picked he would be amazing with. Maybe he could even travel with her family as a sort of guard or protector?! That could be fun!
Niadra climbed up after him. She wasn't as skilled, she spent most of her time walking on the ground rather then climbing up the trees, but she still could manage to do it. Just not as gracefully as she would have wished it. When he offered his arm she smiled and took it. "Oh no, we've been rehearsing the last few days while we traveled home. Today is just for those who were slow to learn it." she said with a shrug. She was a fast learn when it came to dances and songs so she didn't need the extra practice like some others.
Looking around she smiled. This was his home, but in her head it was kind of hers too. Well the closest she would get to a home. Other then her caravan, which wasn't much of a house, Nyiim's house was the house she was in the most. "Oh before I forgot I brought you a gift from Jahaur!" she said pulling out a little bag she had tied to her waist and holding it out for him. It was a cuff bracelet, nothing all that intricate but she liked it and hoped that he would also.
(just to help you I picture it looking something like this but with green string.)
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 11:16 am
"Ah, well we know that wouldn't be you, would it?" Nyiim asked, and a smile fleetingly appeared again. He wondered idly if any of the other tribeswomen ( or men? ) were the butt of any resentment for not quite learning the steps. Everyone was entitled to their own hobbies, though. He knew for a fact that Niadra didn't consider it a hobby so much as a way of life. Had she known that she felt this was her home, he would have reassured her that it was. Her family might have been from here, but he had never seen a permanent structure to speak of. She could share his home, humble though it was. He made it for the three of them, in hindsight.
Bosede moved to rest in the corner, used to listening to their long conversations and preferring his bed of hides to the plain wooden slats. He was tall enough to rest his chin upon the lowest railing, watching the goings-on beneath the canopy.
"You went to Jahuar...? was his first reaction as he took the bracelet in his hand and looked it over. Who had she visited? He learned as much as he could of the other lands to which he had never traveled, and they all seemed so faraway and exotic. There was only so much information written down or lent to travel by word of mouth, and then one could never know how the information had been altered over time or in transfer. Niadra was able to see the world whereas he only knew the reaches of Tale and even their particular copse of forest. Maybe some day he would take up her offer for him to travel with them, just for a while. Certainly he could be useful for scavenging and building temporary structures, and he had a strong back. Bosede was breezy enough for the heat of Tale, but had a warm undercoat potentially even meant for the mountains... they could certainly find a role. What of his family then, or at least those who he called his family? Then of course there were those adults in Niadra's family that had known his parents, and that always made for awkward conversations...
"Thank you," he nodded, no remarkable stretch of time having passed with his thoughts, "What's it like? Jahuar, I mean."
He perched himself upon the second railing, leaving the covered straw that he called a bed free for Niadra if she wasn't feeling the open air. he was a mite worried for her balance outside of dance, too. He'd rather she not fall and have to nurse a couple broken limbs.
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 9:52 am
Niadra smiled, a smiled brighter then normal since she was gifted by one of Nyiim's rare smiles as well. "You know me. I was born ready to preform from what my mom says. Others... Aren't so gifted." she said with a smile. Moving around Niadra moved towards his bed and took a seat. Although she loved being out on the open, it was a little unsettling for her and sitting was much prefered. Plus then she got to look up at him.
"It was fun. All the shifters I met were really nice people, and they were in awe of our shows. Some of them had never seen anything like them before." she said shaking her head. It was sad really. Sure dancing and singing weren't something that people needed to live. They needed bakers, warriors to protect them, but still. A life without any performances seemed to be such a dull one to her. Then again, she did grow up with performers so her view was a little skewed. "The scenery is nice as well. One of our painters has a beautiful picture he made of the forest. I could should you before or after the show if you'd like." she offered with a smile. "Or you know, you could always come with us next time we go..." she offered a little more quietly then before. Every time she offered him, and so far he hadn't ever left with them. She knew it would be such and adventure. And maybe that was just the thing that they needed to bring them closer.
"Plus, I'm sure Bosede wouldn't mind stretching his legs would ya boy?" she said with a smile towards the raptrix. At once she began fantasizing about all the adventures they would have, all the things she would be able to show him for the first time. "However! The first time I saw a shifter change colors was really surprising! No one warned me or anything. I was kind of jealous." she said with a laugh.
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Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 11:56 am
Nyiim nodded in agreement. He would have believed that she was born to perform. She certainly had always known that she wanted to perform, and she was damn good about it. He listened to the explanations of Jahuar with interested eyes, glad to hear straight from a direct source. The only better way would be to see it himself...
"Well, they are all shifters," he mused, "What colors do they turn, anyway? I've only ever been told." He really would enjoy seeing it first-hand if it was really so shocking.
"Well, how long until you leave again?" he asked, finding himself actually considering leaving with them. Then again, he always did. Something always stopped him in the end. This time, he wasn't sure he should leave his pregnant aunt alone with her hunter husband, just in case... and he was trying so hard to learn a proper trade, Niadra's family could only teach him the arts, as far as he knew. He definitely wasn't an arts guy.
Bosede's head turned toward the pair and his tail thumped against the platform. He couldn't understand what they were saying, of course, but he always liked the tone in which Niadra spoke his name. She was never angry. Neither was Nyiim, even when he'd one something he knew was wrong. He'd follow his companion to the ends of the earth.
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Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 11:36 am
She rolled her eyes when he empathized on their name. Well yes they were called shifters. But it was still not what she expected, plus no one had told her when they were to shift! For all she knew they could have shifter while they slept, or when they were mad. Plus, a lot of things could have shifted about them, maybe at night the boys turned into girls and girls into boys? She smiled at the thought. "Well in the day time they have dark features, both their skin color and their eyes change color, but as soon as the sun sets their skin and eyes turn lighter. I think you would like it." she said nodding.
When he asked how long it was till they left she found herself jumping up and grabbing her hands with his. It was a good thing they had grown up together, it was very possible that someone who didn't know her that well would be startled by the sudden movement, however it was most likely that Nyiim wouldn't be. "It's undecided. However I'm assuming at the very least a week, and max two. We ran low on supplies last time and father doesn't want it to happen again!"
There had to be a way to get him to come this time... "Maybe traveling will help you choose your path? After all we have guards that go with us, and as we travel we meet all kinds of people. Perhaps one of them can help you?" she suggested.
When Bosede thumped his tail she smiled. "See, Bosede thinks that it is a good idea." she said with a laugh.
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Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 12:41 pm
There was no smile this time as Niadra leaped to her feet and took his hands. So the shifters shifted in skin and eyes, did they? How interesting. Perhaps it had something to do with the sun and the moon, or perhaps more practically to warm during the day and remain cool at night. Interesting facts aside, Niadra was at it again. Any mention of possibility had her begging for him to follow, but was it really so easy to leave one's homeland when it was all one had ever known? To Niadra, constant movement was a way of life. Nyiim had never known any other land beyond his exploration and scavenging. He was not so willing to abandon it.
"I will consider it, as I always do," he nodded. There would be plenty of alone-time to process the offer as he went about his chores, ones which Niadra's clan would not be expected to perform, as temporary as they were. He might perhaps be able to sneak out at a whim and do some soul-searching. There were others he felt he must ask for guidance, but getting their attention was more than a little complicated.
"Bosede also thinks that bringing me dead poscuta is a bonding experience," he offered then, trying desperately to lighten the mood and realizing as he spoke just how badly the comparison may go along. "I will consider it, Niadra."
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Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 1:05 pm
"That is all I can ask of you Nyiim." she replied, the same reply she gave him every time he said he would consider it. In the end he never came with them, and it would be weeks and sometimes months before she saw him again. However she had faith. Faith that one day he would tell her yes. That he would consider it, and decide that it was a good idea to come away with her. It wasn't like he couldn't come back. He had a home, somewhere that would always be his home and that he could always come back to. If he didn't like life on the road he could come home, but she would not push him any further. She wanted him to come more then anything, however she wanted him to come because it was also what he wanted and not because she pressured him into it.
When he said that Bosede was bringing dead poscuta was a good idea she laughed. It was a horrible comparison, but she understood what he was doing. Changing the subject. "So long as said poscuta isn't someones pet I don't see why it should be a problem." she said with a smile and a laugh as she returned to her bed to give Nyiim some space. Although she didn't mind being close to him, she didn't want to crowd him.
"So, has anyone new moved in?" she asked curiously. It was always good to know if any new girls had moved in specifically. It was best to know ones competition. The more girls that lived then the more chances that Nyiim would fall in love with someone else while she was away on the road! Yet another reason why she thought it best if he came with her.
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Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 1:44 pm
"I certainly hope he's learned the difference," Nyiim nodded, and then canted his head to one side as he considered Niadra's question. He found it odd that she always wanted to know if anyone new had arrived, and they rarely did outside of an infant's birth. Still, she always asked and he liked to give her an accurate response.
"Oh! Yes, actually," he said suddenly, remembering a new face come the last market day, "There's a whole new family, a mother and a father, two boys and two girls. I think they're from Isd, but I could be wrong. They were trying to get into the ways of the settlement. The elder daughter seemed very shy. They wanted to know who the best weaponsmiths were, apparently they had a rough time feeding their family so far out by Sauti."
Yet another land he may never see.
"They're nice enough. You might meet them at the performance, if you'd like."
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Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 9:56 pm
Niadra laughed. "I hope so too, I know some people really value their poscutas. Having them picking a fight with you because he doesn't know the difference would suck." She could already imagine angry pet owners coming up to Nyiim and yelling at him and at Bosede. She almost felt bad for him, if it hadn't already happened then it would happen sooner or later more likely then not.
She was waiting for the no that he normally told her. For the most part there were never new people where they lived. Sometimes a baby would be born while she was away traveling, but it was very rare for someone to move in. So when he told her that a new family had moved in one eye brow rose. A new family wasn't something she was happy about, especially having two girls in it. However for all they knew the daughters could be very young, or very old. They could also be ugly for all she knew. No, she would decide if she had any competition when she saw these new girls. However by saying elder daughter it made Niadra think that she was around their age. However she couldn't show her anger.
"Yes, I would like to met them. You know I'm always happy to meet new people." she said happily. It was true, she did love to meet new people, she didn't like competition for Nyiim's attention, but she did like to meet new people. You never know what you can learn from someone else. "Have you talked to them? Maybe their father can help you pick your path? Since he has an outsiders view?" she suggested.
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