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 Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 9:12 pm
Jelanii sat nervously in the small dining area in the upscale inn. He shifted nervously in his chair. He was out of place in the Inn. It was probably one of the best in Oba and seemed to be filled with mostly Obans. There were a few travelers from other races, but it was clear it catered to the Oban rich, ones who were stopping on the way from their on cities to either visit family and friends, or resting on their way to do business. To the point, Jelanii didn’t belong there. This was made clearer by the looks he was getting.
Jelanii would have usually looked back, not giving a damn about any of them, except he was too busy looking around. His dark orange gaze darting around in search for a glimpse of hope. Somewhere in this place was his sister. He had went to the dining hall in hopes she might work there, but just in case, he got a seat that would give him a good view of the front desk.
My sister is here!
The thought seemed so impossible, but the leaf woman who specialized in helping those whose families had been taken away by the Oban had assured him his sister worked here. Jelanii didn’t understand it. Why was his sister still in Oba? Why wouldn’t she return hom? Was she too angry to? But even if she was, why stay in Oba? A thousand questions went through his mind. He clenched his fingers in the table cloth.
My sister…what will she be like?
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Posted: Tue May 12, 2015 9:47 pm
Cerith felt more nervous reentering an Oban controlled territory than she had on the entire trek through Matori. For the past two weeks she had struggled her way through the humid landscape, her silken clothes torn and ruined, and had only made it a few settlements deep into what was her homeland before her mind caught up with her, and urged her back towards 'home'. Matori was beautiful - idyllic and peaceful in its own way... and there was peace to be found sitting by the shore, cheeks raw from cool winds that blew her hair and kissed her sun-burnt skin. But when she thought of her birth-town, the water-woman didn't think of home - she only felt a sense of anxiety, a discomfort she didn't care to think about. Her only concern about returning to Oba, meanwhile, was the paranoid fear that the news she'd heard that led her to flee in the night like a common criminal had been false, and that returning home would result in punishment. Her fingers briefly darted up to the shell on her forehead, swallowing thickly at the idea.
But no - as she walked the familiar path in Oba (well marked as any civilized society WOULD keep their roads), Cerith wasn't recognized - far from it. She was another strange Matori to look at on the road. At times she paused to walk alongside other groups, to reduce the risk of attack on the roads- but eventually she made her way to Sulburi. The capital - large, bustling, and populated - was as good a place as any to settle and find work. And beyond that, many Matori remained here - some seeking jobs, others sticking by their owners (as she should have been wise enough to do in the first place).
Cerith dare not return to her old inn - so instead she sought a new one. And why not start at one of the shining stars as far as inns went, now that she had the freedom to choose her own place of work?
With the vast majority of slaves leaving their work in droves, an inn that refused to resort to making Obans serve was seen as the pinnacle of luxury - employing only non-Oban workers to ensure their guests felt some semblance of the previous era, under the old king - respected, feared even. Because of this decision, however, the inn had been forced to pay its wages - and this meant the inn was understaffed and overworked. So a Matori woman, quite fetching in fact, who could prove that they'd been owned by a rather renowned inn in her own time, and was willing to work the first few months on room and board alone was a godsend to the inn owner, whether or not the place of establishment was famous or not.
This being said, it had been years since Cerith had done the menial work - her own specialty was entertaining the customers with music or conversation. Now, she was relegated to dirty work - her torn clothes replaced with new ones that were still far from modest, but less expensive in material - more rough than her silks, but a far cry from the chafed, ruined clothing she'd traveled in. For now her long wavy hair was drawn back, for her work, and her skin - the main reason she could not entertain tonight - was sunburnt and flushed from her travel. Blowing a stray strand of hair from her face, and briefly adjusting the shell at her forehead to make sure it remained in place, Cerith took a deep breath then let her 'waitressing' smile rise to her lips. Hefting a decanter of the finest wine, Cerith stepped out from the kitchen, where she had been assisting in cleaning the cups, and stepped first to a table of loud Obans. Most cheered at the arrival of more wine, while a few others whined at the disappearance of the previous, very beautiful foreigner (an ice earthling, very expensive from what Cerith could tell) waitress only to be replaced by such a boring, 'crisped fish'!
Ignoring the comments, Cerith leaned over the table to pour wine, easily picking out by sight alone the highest ranking and filling theirs first - then continuing as respect dictates so no one at the table was left unhappy with their treatment. Once the guests were satiated, she turned to the next table - only to pause, her eyebrows furrowing in obvious disdain. A Matori - sitting here, plain as day, and so close to the Obans! A better hostess would have shooed him off, or insisted he sit further away - as it was, the mortification of seeing him here made her mask of cheeriness drop into one of quiet annoyance. After a moment though, her expression returned and she did the only thing she knew she could, without insulting her important Oba guests: she ignored the Matori man, despite his lack of a drink, and instead walked right past him to attend to another Oban's drink, pleased by the laughter that erupted from the table behind her in apparent approval of her reaction.
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Posted: Thu May 14, 2015 4:55 pm
Jelanii barely heard the comments made by the Obans, too focused on his own thoughts. Besides, their opinions didn't matter to him. They were all gutless thugs anyway, and no matter how much they dressed themselves up in the stolen silks and satins that his own people or people like the Matori had created, they would be nothing but barbarians. As if to confirm his words he heard a nearby Oban table calling their waitress a 'crisped fish,' he looked up at the woman, a Matori woman. The woman was sun burnt and her hair drawn back and a fake smile on her lips. She looked nothing like the Cerith he remembered, but the sight of her made all the breath leave his body. She was turned away from him, so he couldn't se her face, so there was no indication that the woman could be Cerith, none at all, but his entire body was tense and he could barely hear anything, but his own breathing as he watched her. Maybe he was being too quick, just because she was Matori and worked at the inn he was told Cerith worked, but it didn't stop his heart from racing. The Matori waitress straightened and turned, the wine pitcher in her hand as she moved to the next table, bypassing his own. All the breath left his body. On her forehead was an orange shell, identical to the same one that hung from a leather strap around his own neck. It was her. It was Cerith, and suddenly he was shoving forward from his sit, completely unaware of the laughter coming from the Obans. Instead he was moving fast, moving to her side, uncaring of those around him. Not caring that he was interrupting her duties, he blocked her from pouring from her next guest. "You..." His tongue suddenly felt heavy and he could only stare at her. His sister was here. He finally found her. "Cerith," he said, and the words came out in awe.
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Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 6:15 pm
She really should have expected this - to be interrupted by the Matori. After slavery was deemed illegal by the new king, one of the concessions of war, most of her kind had fled back home (as she herself had done), while others felt this freedom gave them a license to be treated equally in all aspects of life. Cerith didn't disagree, per se - she wanted equality for her people as much as anyone. But that didn't mean a Matori walking into a loyalist inn and bar, and demanding equal treatment was going to end without violence! She didn't realize when he stood - after all, she had given her guests her undivided attention - so when he suddenly interjected himself between Cerith and her Oban guest, she leaned back and finally looked at him.
At first, the expression was one of indignance and growing frustration - but her own concern for her countryman betrayed itself as a pinch of her eyebrows, and a shift of her eyes quickly towards the table of soldiers across the bar. The laughter had stopped, but for now the other guests didn't seem overly concerned - other than the woman she'd been trying to pour wine for, who cleared her throat and leaned to glare over the man's shoulder at her.
"You..."
"Who do you think you are! Move aside, immediately, or --"
"Cerith."
She paused in her speech, her attempt to usher him away and threaten to fetch the proprietor of the inn, attention stolen by her name. No one here could possibly know it, or CARE to know it. Even then, she had guessed that any Matori she knew (which would only be other workers at places she'd been at) would have high-tailed it home by now, out of Oban lands - and she certainly didn't recognize this stranger! Except... he looked so familiar to her, for some reason... "How do you know my name?" She asked, staring at him in confusion.
Whatever realizations she may have come to after looking him over were interrupted as the proprietor of the bar - an stout, middle-aged Oban woman - finally emerged from the kitchen, having been fetched by another Matori worker. "My apologies, ma'am!" The woman gushed, easily shoving both Cerith and the stranger aside, and gesturing quickly for the harried ice earthling waitress, who had been dragged back out to attend to guests. As she poured wine for the annoyed guest, the owner dragged Cerith by the arm away from the man (although not as roughly as Cerith felt such insolence would have normally deserved), tugging the half-empty pitcher from her hands. "You assured me you were familiar with this work, girl. I won't have you inviting your little friends to my establishment, and ignoring customers! Now make him leave!"
Cerith opened her mouth to assure the woman she didn't know this person, but instead took a deep breath and nodded, stepping back towards the man, her lips pressed together firmly. Whoever he was, she didn't have the luxury of figuring it out - not without risking her position here. She was already on unsteady ground because of his interruption - if she actually engaged in conversation with him, it would be worse! "This isn't the place for you - I'm going to ask you to leave."
It really shouldn't have smarted to ask a stranger to go - but for some reason, as she turned her face towards the door, and resolutely refused to look at him again, she felt a strange feeling like she was doing something wrong. Which was foolish - anyone with a brain knew Matori shouldn't venture here unless they were workers! It was his own fault!! And yet it didn't convince her, deep down.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2015 8:34 pm
"How do you know my name?"It was a simple question. A question Jelanii should have been expecting, but the words crashed on him like a tsunami, leaving him cold and gasping. She didn't recognize him. He reached up, grabbing for the shell around his neck, clutching it tightly so that the edge nearly cut into his palm. His sister, his precious sister didn't recognize him. He took a deep shuddering breath, unaware and uncaring of the frustrated Oban woman behind him, waiting for her drink. It's okay. It had to be, because even if she didn't recognize him, it didn't change the fact that Cerith was standing before him. He felt a budding joy at just that thought rise in his chest, but it was quickly wiped away as a middle-aged Oban woman rushed forward and dragged Cerith away, scolding her. He frowned in the direction of the woman. A old familiar streak of protectiveness rose inside of him. Cerith was better than this. What was she even doing here, serving these disgusting monsters. She should be in Matori, living the life she was meant to, instead of suffering through the vile antics of these so-called customers. He was just about to step forward when instead his sister was back at his side. He looked at her in wonder. She was older now, sun burned as well, but she was still the most beautiful girl in all the country, possibly the world. He just stared at her, drinking in the site for a while, so it took him a while to really comprehend the words she was saying to him When they finally came he gaped at her, unmoving. She even turned away from him to emphasis her point. "You want me to leave?" His voice grew louder and he wasn't sure how to feel. In the end anger won out, but not so much angry at her, but at the society that had made her this way. "Do you even realize you're not a slave anymore? You don't have to do anything for these beasts," he said, his dark orange eyes cutting towards the room of Obans and then back to his sister's back. "Or do these Obans mean more to you than your brother?"
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Posted: Fri May 22, 2015 7:33 pm
In that strained moment, if it had stretched on infinitely and she had had time to truly look at the man, she may have put two and two together on her own. She may have looked at that narrow, stern face and seen the brother she used to adore and look up to - she may recognize the shell that he seemed to be fidgeting with as identical to her own. Once, the shell had been worn around her neck as well - but over time she'd found more reason to wear it over her forehead. Less risk of it being taken by a slave who was held in higher regard and took a fancy to it when it was hiding her shame, and not simply a pretty necklace.
But she didn't recognize him - and her attention was stolen by her mistress too soon for her to look down and recognize his shell. Instead, she was swept up in the needs and desires of the Obans around her. It was hard enough as it was, getting used to the fact that she was no longer the favorite at an establishment - that she wasn't Pretty Cerith here, but the Burnt Fish that the Obans laughed at. And here this man was, making it harder for her! And why wouldn't he stop looking at her with such awe?! It made it worse - which was strange, because she felt it had been a long time since she'd felt perturbed by snubbing one of her kind.
As a slave, there were two schools of thought you fell into - helping your fellow slave, becoming a band of brothers and sisters so you could survive this hell - and those who accepted their lot in life and did what they could to get through comfortably. She had done much worse to other Matori in her time - so why was simply shooing one away so horrible now?
"Yes - I want- I need you to go." She hissed back, voice trying to hush him from his raised tone, casting an eye at her mistress, who was tossing her impatient, alarmed looks as she spoke with the snubbed guest. Turning back to face the man, the unsaid 'please' died on her lips, because now she could see that his face had contorted into an expression radiant rage, features darkening in such a way that she felt her eyes widen in awe, even as she worried her lower lip with her teeth as she thought over how to deal with this.
Cerith knew it was over the moment he continued speaking. It didn't matter if she shooed him away now, he was speaking so loudly and in such disrespectful tones - he called them MONSTERS- her speaking with him would be enough. Even free labor wouldn't make up for it in such an establishment. Her reaction would have been to storm upstairs to get what small amount of goods she had, leaving him to deal with whatever the now furious looking Obans would do to him - but then he kept talking.
Brother. He could mean 'Matori brother' - the general feeling of family that some Matori seemed to feel, as if their homeland was enough to tie them together despite all that they'd been through. But even if she didn't know what to think of it, the fact he knew her name and was now calling himself her flesh and blood was enough to sway her feelings of self preservation. Just as the Oban soldiers from the original table stood with a scrape of chairs, Cerith forced a bright smile and reached to grab him by the arm, hard, and swing him around to face the door, tugging him out after her.
Once outside in the hustle and bustle of twilight, Cerith continued to walk, quickly, moving at something of a jog while tugging the foolish Matori man behind her until they reached a small alley, which she ducked into with a wrinkle of her nose in distaste. The alleyway curved under the expanse of some sort of establishment, and she could hear merry laughter from inside - another inn or place of some sort of repute, perhaps, but her first concern was moving until they stood next to leaning, old wall that cast them in some sort of shadow, unseen from the mouth of the alleyway, in case the Obans really cared enough to chase them.
Once they'd stopped, Cerith turned on her heel and used the momentum of her movement to slap him on the cheek, eyes flaring in outrage. The slap was so hard her hand instantly tugged back, smarting, and she rubbed at it with her other hand as she stepped back a few paces. "You really must be from the homeland, if you think your freedom is going to save you from that foolish mouth of yours!"
Was he truly her brother? She didn't know - and for the moment, she couldn't even wrap her mind around what that might mean. But he was clearly going to get himself killed, brother or not, if he had no qualms in talking so openly that way infront of a room full of angry Obans! Taking a deep breath that left her nostrils flaring, Cerith exhaled slowly, then closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down.
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Posted: Thu May 28, 2015 4:13 pm
Jelanii didn't know what to expect when he said those things to Cerith, but he didn't expect her to grab his arm and drag him out of the inn. He barely gave the Oban soldiers a glance as he was tugged out of the inn. He expected her to release her grip on him after that, but instead she kept moving, her pace quick. The quick anger that had rose up in the inn melted away into confusion. His brow furrowed. "Cerith."She didn't answer, instead intent on her path until she finally settled in an alleyway. Jelanii opened his mouth to question her when before he could react, she had slapped him across the face. His head snapped to the side at the force of the slap. His cheek smarted with pain, but over the pain was pure shock. Cerith had slapped him. Slowly his mind began to comprehend what she was saying to him, but he was still reeling from the slap. His sister, his twin sister, who he hadn't seen for half a lifetime, the one he had been searching for and finally found, had slapped him. When he had imagined reunions between the two of them, this had never been one of the scenarios. He stood there, his mouth slightly opened in shock. He struggled past that thought, instead trying to think of the words his sister was saying. Had he been foolish? Perhaps. There had been guards there, soldiers. He could fight, but he was like Illian who could knock out several people with just a wave of his staff. He could hold his own, but him against a band of soldiers. He sighed, knowing she was right. He had been foolish His shoulders drooped. "Sorry," he said softly and a hint of pout crossed his lips as he rubbed his cheek. "But did you really have to slap me? That hurt."He looked at his sister as a more demanding thought took precedence. "Do you recognize me at all, Cerith?" Just saying her name made a swell of joy go through him. He had found his sister, and despite her slapping him and calling him foolish, he was still happy to se her. He just hoped the feeling was mutual.
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Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 11:20 pm
Vy in my head I just keep hearing Gandalf "Fool of a Took!" XDD!
She had been young when she'd been sent away, but she recognized him now, when she had the time to really look and not just notice. Once she'd looked at him with such reverence, playing games with him but also keeping herself pulled back. She'd been told, in secret, that her brother was going to do a very brave thing for their family - he would be their tithe. As a girl, she'd thought that he would go off to be some noble Oban's faithful servant - caught up in the romance of a life taken care of and protected by your master, with food and bed and clothes provided.
It had taken a few years before she realized that Jelanii was just as likely to have become the kind of slave that was thrown into a ring with a Janarim.
But of all the places to be, with the Matori free, WHY was he here, of all places?
The apology broke Cerith from her thoughts, her expression harsh for a moment, as if doubting that the words were sincere. But his pout won her over - she softened and finally huffed a sigh, waving the apology off with a dainty wave of her fingers. "Maybe not - but it was a nice inn - I was really hoping I could make it work there." With her reputation scarred at such a place, she'd have to find other work - work from the bottom somewhere. Hope word hadn't gone around of her being a Matori sympathizer. Given how fresh their freedom was, she doubted such a reputation would go well, now that she had decided to remain in Oba.
His gaze caught her, and Cerith rose her eyes, once again wondering. "Yes - I see you, Jelanii." She sighed out, lips quirking up in a fond smile, even if she held herself in a somewhat guarded way. Pulled back from him, looking him over with the smallest bit of suspicion. "I never thought I'd see you again - and ... not in an Oban tavern, of all places! ...Why ARE you here?"
The question was how did she FEEL seeing him. Happy - happy to see her family, but then guilty for that happiness. Confused was probably the better term for it.
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Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2015 5:02 pm
He looked at her in bewilderment. Her question made no sense to him. "Why am I here?" he asked. His voice was tainted with confusion " Why else? I came to find you. Now that the war is over and I'm old enough to go after you, I did. What our parents did..." He balled up his fists at his side as the rush of anger overcame him, but quickly that anger turned into guilt. "What I let happened...It is unforgivable. But not one day has gone by where you haven't been in my thoughts."He met her eyes. "Forgive me, Cerith, for not being strong enough to stop what happened to you. I can't imagine what it must have been like living underneath the Oban, but you are no longer required to be part of that life. You can come home, see Matori again, or," he quickly said, remembering how the Matorian girl, Kani, had said his sister had been in Matori only to go back to Oba. "If Matori holds too many memories for you, then we can go somewhere else. Explore, see what else this world has to offer. There is no point in staying here with these...these Beasts!"Just recalling what they had called his sister, the way they treated her, he wishes the Shifter brothers he had met had been there with him. Maybe they could have taught the lot of them some respect. Mentally he shook away such thoughts. Valid they might be, but right now, what was important was his sister. His sister who stood in front of him like she was unsure about him. He understand logically why she might, but it made his heart ache to see it, though he kept that hidden. His distress was a small thing in contrast to what she must have suffered all this time. "We can leave the city tonight. There are some people we can travel with. They too are siblings that have been separated and recently reunited. Until then, maybe we could catch up. There is so much I want to know about you."
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Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2015 4:51 pm
Jelanii's words hit Cerith in a way she ... hadn't really expected. She'd hoped, a long time ago, that someone would come to get her - or try and contact her. But they'd never come - years ago she'd concluded that her family had forgotten her, in just the way she knew she would have tried to forget Jelanii, if he'd been in her shoes. There was bitterness there, but the smallest bit of understanding - she was an Oban Matori now, not free - so why spend their time thinking about her?
Now, she felt pleased, but also horrified by his words. All this time he'd been thinking of her - what had he been DOING at home? He was 'old enough' to go after her... had he wanted to before, when he was younger? The girl she once was felt such a rush of love, that same adoration she'd felt so long ago, but the woman she'd turned into felt concerned for the young Jelanii - gods, if only he realized what SHE would have done if things had gone according to plan. What would he think of her?
Cerith wanted to be mature - she wanted to look at her brother and forgive him for something he'd had no chance of stopping, to admit that she understood. But you can understand, and you can realize that if he'd come to get her, he'd be killed or enslaved himself. But still that bitterness welled up inside of her - a bitterness she'd love to unleash on their parents, even if she understood why they'd done it. She wanted to unleash it in all its ugly glory on Jelanii - on the brother she loved but also despised for taking her place back home - and yet something tempered her, probably the fact he'd come all this way to bring her home anyway. Being this close to him and knowing that he'd suffered felt wonderful, even if she felt horrified by those dark feelings. Part of her guiltily wanted to hurt him, to tell him it HAD been his fault, that he SHOULD have done more - but she bit her tongue to stop the undeserved, hateful words.
Taking a step back from Jelanii, as if that distance would lessen the torrent of hateful thoughts, Cerith dropped her hands to fold them, almost protectively, across her chest, turning her eyes away from him. They snapped back when he continued, though, a strangled sound escaping her at the offer to return home. And then he kept speaking - he understood, somehow, even if he didn't realize just why she didn't return. Part of her wanted to scream at him to go away - to return home and forget about her. The other wanted to never let him go, the idea of being alone again too much to take - even if she feared what she might say to him when her self control and logical thoughts failed.
She snorted at the words, but also felt a well of gratefulness at them. What memories of home ? She remembered fuzzy things as a child - her brother, her mother - the younger siblings she'd never had much to do with. All that time she'd wanted to be connected at the hip to Jelanii, knowing that he'd leave and she'd never see him again - and yet here he was. Beyond that, the hole in her heart where her home had been wrenched from her had been roughly cauterized, and now the memory held little more than bitter thoughts and emptiness. She had realized this when she met Kani - realized that going home would put her with people she didn't understand. That she felt more in common with Obans than her own people now? That she felt protective of them?
Then the implications of what he was saying hit her. She asked. Given the state of her thoughts, Cerith should be feeling powerful - that she could force him away from a home he seemed to love. Instead, she felt a well of gratefulness and love for her brother, a feeling she embraced wholly after the dark thoughts of before. "You've really thought this through... Jelanii, you'd really leave Matori behind, for me? Aren't you going to miss it?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 9:09 am
Jelanii felt his words trail off as Cerith took a step back from him. Her hands raised to her chest almost defensively. He didn't understand the movement, almost like she needed to be protect from him, but why? No matter the time that has passed they were not strangers and he would never hurt her. He felt his heart crack just a little bit more at this. What had happened to his sister to make her feel like this about him? Did she distrust him? He wanted to ask, but he wasn't sure how he would deal with the answer, not right now, when he had just met her again and seeing her was liking having a drink of water after being stranded in the desert. He just wanted to immerse himself in her presence and even if that meant pain lashed against him like a barbed whip, then he would bear it. He nodded at her question. "Matori is my home. For many years, and perhaps even now, I have always thought it had it's own flawed perfection. Yes I will miss it, but it is simply a place. It could never compare to having you back in my life. When you were gone..." He trailed off trying to figure out the words for how he felt. He didn't think anything could really describe how he felt when she was gone. The hollowness, the moments when he turned to share something with her and she was gone. The ache that never left him, tearing at him until it left deep grooves where only anger and guilt could feel. Then there had been the nightmares... He pushed the thought out of his head. " If there is a choice between Matori and you, it will always be you." He met her eyes. "I know this might be overwhelming for you. I'm sorry. I hadn't thought, I was just so determined to find you again. "Should we go somewhere? Somewhere that might be more comfortable for you?" He looked at her hopeful.
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Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 7:05 pm
Cerith watched her brother guardedly, teeth tugging at her bottom lip in thought, drawn into his words despite herself.
Cerith's feelings for her brother were still very muddled... but there was ONE thing she was sure of. She didn't want those guys back at that bar getting their hands on him. He trailed off, briefly, his face shuttering, turning retrospective and quiet for a moment before he once again continued to speak. But that silence was enough to somehow impart the gravity of his feelings - that her disappearance had truly had an affect, and this wasn't just Jelanii suddenly realizing 'oh, I have a sister out there - now that she's free I should fetch her!'
No, he meant it. ... So he had been in Matori, with his freedom, and had been spending all this time with his tail tucked between his legs MOPING?! Somehow that made the girl feel even MORE livid - that her life had been traded away, and no one had prospered from it. Whatever valiant fantasies of being a sacrifice for her family's prosperity and happiness (even if the thought of them happy made her hate them more for it) disappeared. She either wanted to hate Jelanii or resent him. Instead, she just kept thinking of how she didn't want those brutes in the bar getting their hands on him - or any other Oban here, for that matter.
Taking a deep breath to center herself, Cerith nodded sharply at the suggestion, and launched herself into distraction mode - if she fell into action, Jelanii may not have the luxury to talk more, or to ask her how she felt - to pry her for more information. To demand an actual response to him pouring out his heart to her. She didn't want that - not now. Maybe not even soon.
"I don't quite trust you around any Oban company, dear brother - the farther from here the better." Cerith sighed instead, giving a roll of her eyes that was almost fond.
Ever practical, Cerith turned from her brother and led him around the curve of the alleyway and hesitated at its mouth, peering out into the throng of people. There were plenty here that she could lift a purse from - and it might be what they needed. Before, when she'd been dressed to impress - done up in silks with clear skin she had been a feast to behold, and could slide her hands into all sorts of places under the guise of being alluring. But dressed in lower quality clothes, even if they hugged her frame in a way meant to be pleasing, and with sunburnt skin she could blend in with the crowd with better ease. Clicking her tongue against her teeth in thought, eyes lingering on a few tittering Oban women at one display, giggling at a crude sculpture', Cerith spoke to her brother. "Do your friends have supplies? Food... clothes? Even weapons, Jelanii?" Her tone was exasperated - as if doubtful of her brother's ability to logically plan something.
Although that wasn't fair, was it? What did she really know about her brother - they had been seperated more than half their lives!!
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Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 7:25 pm
Before Jelanii could respond, he was lead around the alley and towards the street with this sister. His sister was staring out intently to the crowd. He wondered what she was doing, but found himself distracted by her next words. He bristled, feeling underestimated, though he admit that when he first set out to travel he had brought all the wrong things and soon found himself selling his useless equipment for more useful ones. Yet, he had learned a lot after traveling from Matori to Oba on his own. "I have supplies and equipment and my friends are restocking their own. Yes, both my friends have weapons and one especially is very good." He smiled a little at that thought, but turned back to focus on what was important, namely his sister. "As to weapons myself, I plan to buy my own before I leave Oba. I already know what I'll be getting." He frowned a little. He wondered why is sister thought he was so defenseless. He could take care of himself. Besides, wasn't he supposed to be the older twin? He shook that thought away and instead focused on something else. He reached out, gently, but firmly taking Cerith's hand. "But, as much as I'm happy you are making planning, my friends won't be meeting us until later tonight. Until then we should talk. There are places here that cater to Non-Obans if you're worried about that. I know of one close by the place I'm staying at." He had thought of suggesting they simply talk in the privacy of his inn room, but his sister already seemed skittish and he wasn't sure how she would take the suggestion, so a tavern was probably the best idea.
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Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 7:45 pm
As if Cerith was one to talk. Soon, if she and Jelanii stayed together, he'd realize that she'd gone off on her own, woefully underprepared, just weeks ago - she was no more practiced in traveling than he was. Honestly, he was probably more adept at it than she was! No, what she was good at was darting through alleys, entertaining at dinner parties - knowing just what to say (or what NOT to say) to receive a desired response. She knew how to twirl scarves in her hands into a beautiful, improvised spectacle - she knew how to sew patterns and mend garments.
None of this was useful out in the real world, outside of the control of Oba. Soon all the practical lessons she's learn would be useless. So with each task Jelanii listed as accounted for, completed, taken care of, Cerith felt more and more alarmed, fingers twitching at the want to do something. To make herself busy. Because without something to occupy her mind, she already had an inkling as to where her thoughts would take her.
The warm touch of her brother's hand resulted in a jolt from her arm, purely instinctual, before she forced herself to relax, nodding mutely at his suggestion. She recognized the path he was leading her down - to a smaller, older area where slaves, who didn't live under a slavers roof, had once lived. Now these veritable slums had been seized as a neighborhood - repaired with income that Matori had never had access to before. Looking around, having just now realized the many changes being made, Cerith continued following Jelanii until he'd taken her where he wanted to go - a tavern. Here, they would be around other Matori - not entirely private, but also a place they could talk unhindered.
Once they'd found their own places to sit, Cerith set her hands in her lap and tugged her gaze back up to Jelanii, thankful for the table between them. Once here - with Jelanii's expectant face peering at her, a dam seemed to break. A sardonic smile eroded the neutral expression from her face, as she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "Ok - we're here. What is it you wanted to talk about so badly?" She shot out, coldly. Was he simply wanting to catch up? Did he want a pat on the back for coming so far to see her? Now that Jelanii was here, and didn't seem to be leaving, Cerith was finding it harder and harder to reign in her desire to just let loose on him - though she was sure that if she did so, he really would leave. And this strange reunion that felt like a ghost appearing in thin air would be over, for good.
Gods, why couldn't she just be happy he was here and leave it at that? The more logical part of her longed for this - badly. So, taking another calming breath, Cerith started with a distant, "... How are our parents? The kids?" It had the disconcerned tone to it of 'oh, you got a new Janarim? That sounds lovely' - but her eyes had a certain hungry gleam to them that she would vehemently deny having.
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Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2015 8:31 pm
Jelanii wondered if he would ever get used to the cold responses coming form his sister. It always jerked him out of it. It was just so different from the warm, hero-worshipping sister he had before. And he knew he was foolish for expecting that, in all honesty he didn't expect it at all, but it had been such a n ingrained part of their relationship that now he found himself shocked by the sharp voice, the suspicion, the coldness. He tried to take it in stride, but he wasn't sure if he was doing a good job. He frowned a little at his sister's words. How were his parents? The kids? This wasn't some random visit over tea and cookies. Why...? He shook his head. "Is that what you really want to talk about?" He paused and then chewed on his lips. Maybe she did want to know, but it brought up another question. "I'm sorry. Yes, it might be something I would want to know as well if I hadn't been able to see them for so long."He took a deep breath. "The triplets have grown. They're vibrant and strong and seem to be better able to cope with the knowledge that one of them are no longer required to be a tithe. Father is...father. We have a strained relationship, so I don't think I would be a good judge of him. He's healthy and his work on the field has been good to him and out family. Mother..." He turned that over. Speaking with his mother had opened his eyes to the knowledge that it hadn't only been him that had been suffering due to Cerith's absence. "She misses you. More than I knew, but she tries to hold us together. Something I never noticed until now. But, all these things you could have discovered on your own. I met someone who met you while you were in Matori, but you turned back. Why?"
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