Welcome to Gaia! ::

Changes

Cyrus had finally gone on an escort mission, the young ranger lingering at the ports in Sauti where another airship was preparing for departure. While he wasn't intending on taking the airship for himself, the ranger was at least going to venture through the nearby town and gather supplies for his journey back to the forest. It was also to give him a chance to adjust to some recent changes, the ranger not knowing exactly how to react to things. There had been some strange pollen the other day that delayed the voyage of the ships, earthlings dealing with the aftermath, and even he appeared to not be completely immune to things. "That's unfortunate." He let out a frustrated huff as he peered in a puddle, last night's rain having washed away the lingering pollen but not the effect of the stuff on earthlings. His reflection lacked that pink shimmer, his crystals almost faded in color and more like parchment or slightly tinted glass. Just the sight brought another frown to his face, Cyrus scratching at the area around the crystals where the skin still felt irritated from the pollen's lingering touch.

“I think a mirror is the least of my concerns.” Cyrus frowned as he tried to wipe the muck from his leggings, the ranger having stumbled into the puddle thanks to the push from the stranger. Spots decorated the soft leather, some mud mixed in with the fresh rain water that had pooled on the ground. “The puddle served me well until you disrupted its surface.” He added as he took a step back towards the more solid ground, his hands still rubbing against his thighs as if they could magically wipe away the mess. At least he wasn’t in the middle of a mission now and was simply preparing to return home. As annoyed as he was with the strange changes from the pollen and having been shoved into a puddle only having furthered that annoyance it would have been a very tense situation for anyone traveling with the already prickly hybrid. Unfortunately, that didn’t spare the girl who had bumped into him since she had decided to linger instead of apologizing and moving on with her life. So as Cyrus tried to regain his bearings, his gaze bright with frustration, it was Lutana who took the brunt of his stare as he finally turned to face her.

[Cyrus 2]

Cyrus let out a sigh, the hybrid closing his eyes for a moment to pray for patience at the confirmation. “Yes. I do not need the mirror.” He replied as he looked over the strange girl once more. What was she even doing? His frown only deepened as she removed the scarf from her hair, the sudden offer making him pause. It was truly baffling to just have someone offer their scarf without any remorse, especially something that looked like nice material at that. Though she had knocked him into the puddle…Cyrus reached out for the scarf, the silk buttery soft against his calloused fingers, and then promptly closed the girl’s fingers back around the material instead. “My leggings are already ruined, ruining your scarf won’t solve anything. Take it back.” As frustrated as he was, even the grump couldn’t fathom ruining something so nice just to get back at someone for an accident. It was petty and far beneath him to do such a thing.

[Cyrus 3]

“You don’t…” Cyrus started before shaking his head. “Whatever, if you want then I suppose I could use a drink.” He was technically stuck here until the ships left as it was since his contract said until they departed for Belrea. Not that it kept him with the group, other rangers had lingered while Cyrus had been trying for some peace of mind until this impromptu meeting. His attempt at some quiet had already failed and the town was going to be abuzz probably for the rest of the day because of the ship’s departure and now these damn changes too. So why not take a drink? And he couldn’t blame her completely, not when he realized that there were a bunch of earthlings running about now because of the pollen. Speaking of which…Cyrus didn’t hesitate to grab the stranger, pulling her against him so that she didn’t splash into the puddle and ruin her own attire. “It would be ridiculous if we both fell into the same trap.” He offered, holding onto her until the crowd had settled and then finally stepping back. “Where’s that tavern?”

[Cyrus 4]

How someone could just drop a compliment like that without flinching was beyond Cyrus. His cheeks heated as he simply pressed his lips together, ignoring the comment to the best of his ability to avoid further embarrassment. He knew it was true since he had that type of blessing but it did nothing to make him feel calmer whenever some strange hybrid woman whispered it to him as he held onto her like this. All he could do was clear his throat, Cyrus trying to not look like he was bolting as he took another step or two to keep space between them before going towards the tavern. “You were looking in that mirror. I’m assuming you changed then.” He commented, trying to shove past the embarrassment by focusing on something else as they took the path through the crowd towards the busy establishment. Any hope for peace and quiet was definitely forfeit now, that much Cyrus knew as he pushed the doors open and was guided towards a table with the woman trailing behind him.

[Cyrus 5]

“Is that so? I suppose that might explain it.” Cyrus studied her for a moment more before looking at the barmaid. “I’ll have the same, thanks.” Even if other rangers teased him for it, Cyrus preferred wines to heavy ales. It was something he had developed a fondness for since his own mother often indulged in a glass in the evenings, her palette from Oba and Matori often mixing in with their meals and drinks. Not that the rangers didn’t have some good fruit wines, but they much preferred bringing in ale thanks to all the grains grown nearby in Sauti. Jahaur though…that was a country he hadn’t touched yet. Even in all of his readings, he rarely saw anything about the deeper jungles or the Aishans and the earthlings living there. “Still, others think it may be permanent. Isn’t it unsettling that something unexpectedly changed like that?”

[Cyrus 6]

“You are…interesting. And sure, they’re not a bad color.” Cyrus finally managed as he tried to keep focused even as she kept looking over at him. Thankfully their order arrived in time and he wasted no time in curling his fingers around the wooden goblet so that he could take a drink. “Only my crystals changed, they’re pale now instead of pink as before.” It made him wonder though if anyone else in his family had changed. Would he recognize all of his siblings or even his parents when he returned? Cyrus could only imagine the chaos that would be waiting in the village, the rangers so wary of strangers that any drastic changes could cause a bit of trouble for those who were away during this time.

“As it is, you should stop staring at me so intently and focus on eating. If you’re heading towards Belrea then the ship should be boarding shortly.” Cyrus added after another moment, picking at his food as he tried to appear unbothered despite the embarrassment from the compliment. He could ignore teasing from the other rangers, but from a strange hybrid who was quite attractive herself? It was definitely something he was not accustomed to dealing with so all he could do was hope that the rest of the meal would pass quickly enough so that he could get back on the road once the ship for Belrea departed.

[Cyrus 7]