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 Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:53 pm
The autumn foliage around Chiume was always one of Briallen’s favorite sights. Truly, she preferred the changing of the seasons with their vibrant colors to the constant warmth of the jungle. That was partly why she had lingered in Belrea this last year instead of going all the way overseas again just yet. And while she had been roaming around the Belrean continent, the Alkidike found herself bringing back more stories and gifts for her family whenever she visited home. Today was no different as she left a pile of presents on the table in the larger tree house that they shared on the isle, the great walls holding so many memories for her as she took her time lingering around the main family room with its scattering of pillows and crafting materials to occupy the cooler evenings. “Looks like everyone is out and about already.” Briallen let out a soft sigh, the Alkdike giving a slight shrug as she glanced about the room one final time. Even her mama and mima weren’t around at the moment. At least she had left some presents for them to discover, the thought bringing a smile back to her lips as she especially looked forward to how they took to the gemstone bracelets she had included this time. Those gemstones had been uncovered in a mountain stream, Briallen taking the time to polish and thread them together herself for the gifts.
[Briallen 1]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
Odina wiped the sweat from her brow, as usual the Vandrea had been working out at the training area shared by the others closer to the community. It had become a morning routine for her ever since sparring with another, the young warrior being hopeful that she could actually learn something more from a sparring partner instead of simply beating up the dummies littered about her own yard. The wooden figures were nice since she didn’t have to hold back, but they could only take so much of a beating before splintering and cracking in half. Though it didn’t stop her from having some afternoon training sessions near home with them, she simply spent a bit more time away from them than before now since going into the other training area. Now though it was almost noon, Odina having spent her morning working out with the others, and the Vandrea had ventured back towards home so that she could find something to eat.
What she had not expected though was to see her older Alkidike sister just wandering the main room when she entered. “Briallen?” Odina frowned with surprise, “I wasn’t expecting you to show up today.” Not that her sisters had any sense of scheduling, they seemingly wandered wherever they pleased and popped in on occasion like this. Odina seemingly was the only one who wanted to live and thrive in Chiume where she could guard Azehra. At least that was her opinion, the Vandrea feeling very strongly about her duties and wanting to be the toughest warrior on the isle. Not that she loved her family any less, she simply didn’t seem to connect with them when it came to their wanderlust.
[Odina 1]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
“Ah.” Briallen smiled as Odina spoke up, the Alkidike quickly dropping a pillow onto the floor so that she could swing around and greet her sibling. “I was in the area so I thought it would be a nice surprise. Is everyone else out for the day?” She tried to peer over Odina’s shoulders, amused that her sister was so muscular that it was hard to see past that broad frame. Odina truly dedicated a lot of time to training, didn’t she? Maybe Briallen would have felt strongly towards such matters if not for…well the past was the past, wasn’t it? The Alkidike shoved the thought aside and gestured towards the table with all of the packages. “I brought gifts.” Good job, Briallen. Just distract her with gifts. Odina was the sister that she did feel the most distant from, their encounters always leaving the older Alkidike feeling as if she had somehow messed up on her own life decisions to wander. It was terrifying to see how dedicated Odina could be to her duties, the very thought making Briallen feel almost sheepish whenever the topic was discussed.
[Briallen 2]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
“They are.” Odina replied after a moment, her gaze narrowing as she looked over Briallen. She was wearing more Belrean clothing again, the shiny brass buttons and such almost distracting with how the sunlight gleamed through the arched windows of their tree home. Was that some sort of ruffled skirt over her leggings? And those boots, so many buckles! Would her sister get rid of her locks next? Odina’s frown grew before she glanced over at the table, the distraction of gifts somewhat a success. “What did you find this time?” Of course there wouldn’t be a weapon on the table. How could she expect Briallen to lug a battle axe or the like across the mountains? That was where she had mentioned going last time she had been home, that was.
[Odina 2]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
Ah, the never changing frown. Briallen glanced down at her outfit, her lips pressing tightly together as she recognized her sibling’s disapproval of her attire. The last time she had shown up in Belrean dress the Vandrea had questioned her immediately, this time at least she held her tongue. Well, Briallen thought the Belrean style was interesting. Why not try it out? Still, Briallen forced another smile on her face and started towards the table. Surely she had snagged something that could make Odina less grumpy! “First thing first. Give me your arm.” She looked back towards Odina and jerked her head to motion her sister closer.
[Briallen 3]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
Odina took a moment, closing her eyes for a second as she gathered her resolve. She had at least gotten her morning training out of the way so surely a bit of family time wouldn’t be too harmful to her schedule, right? “Alright.” She moved forward, slowly raising her arm as she waited to see what Briallen would do next. If it was some ridiculous earthling contraption again like that other time….well, she would probably not be lingering here for much longer. Training was more important than some of that nonsense!
[Odina 3]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
Okay, so that was a good sign since Odina stayed. Sometimes you never knew with her, after all. A few times she had just turned around and walked away, especially after that one incident where Briallen had thought some earthling contraption would be a nifty idea to share with her sister. Needless to say a bunch of smoke and curses later had gotten that thing tossed out into the woods. “Here.” This one wouldn’t cause a small fire, that was for certain! Briallen smiled at the thought, her fingers moving swiftly as she tied the woven bands of a bracelet together so that the accessory was firmly secured around Odina’s wrist. “I thought this fit you.” Several gemstones were woven into the bracelet, the gleaming crystals orange and golden in color with what looked like darker stripes spreading throughout them. “It’s supposedly a gemstone for warding off evil and inspiring courage.”
[Briallen 4]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
“You know I’m not one for accessories.” Replied Odina at first, the Vandrea baffled by the gift. She broke things so easily that many avoided giving her gifts with delicate chains and the like. This though…well it was woven from sturdy leather strands, wasn’t it? So it did look like her older sister had indeed thought about Odina’s reckless habits. She held up her arm, twisting it back and forth so that she could truly see how the gemstones gleamed in the sunlight. “This though…it’s not bad.” Perhaps she would keep this one, after all. Odina glanced towards Briallen and gave a nod of approval. “Thank you.”
[Odina 4]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
“You’re welcome.” Briallen’s smile was more relaxed, the approval meaning a lot more to her than she had wanted to admit to herself. Even though there were several differences between them she still cared about her younger siblings and wanted to find some sort of connection there. It was harder with Odina, especially with how she distanced herself when she disapproved of Briallen’s roaming tendencies. “You know gemstones can be found in streams, especially by the mountains. Maybe one day you could consider visiting with me?” Okay, maybe she was pushing it there. Still, Briallen at least wanted to offer just on the off chance that the gemstones could be appealing enough to bring Odina out and about.
[Briallen 5]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
Odina’s arm stilled at the suggestion from her sister. “It’s quite a trip, isn’t it?” She mused after a moment, her mouth curving downwards into that frown once more. Couldn’t she just accept a gift without there being some sort of underlying plan connected to it? Was that what Briallen wanted? To drag her into the mountains for a few weeks to go chase some treasure? Odina didn’t even understand the point of finding such things. You could trade it for weapons, certainly, but other things found locally could be traded too. They could just focus on training, crafting rare herbs into potions and the like for trade like others did, or even just hunt and live on what they had while getting weapons from the local Aishan blacksmiths. One trip would potentially be alright with her, but this was her elder sister’s life. Going on such a trip…did that mean that Briallen would interpret it as Odina’s acceptance of her decision to leave behind her duties for such frivolous trinkets?
[Odina 5]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
Briallen suppressed a sigh, her own smile fading at the reappearance of that frown. “It’s not an awfully long trip. Maybe a couple of weeks if we’re lucky enough to find gemstones quickly.” It was just a day’s journey by ship to the middle region, then hiking for a few days to get there with the actual time spent gathering the gemstones and returning. She mused over the timing, her fingers skimming over other presents thoughtfully. “I bought scarves as well for everyone, they have a really interesting way to dye and twist wool in Belrea. I thought it would be nice for facing the chilly mountains or just to wear around here in the cooler evenings.” The Alkidike pulled out one of the scarves while she was speaking, the deep chocolate color highlighted by swirling ambers and golds. “This one looks like vines with little flowers even.” Briallen swished it around, the material moving through the air and towards Odina as she showed it off.
[Briallen 6]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
“More gifts to help with your trip idea, got it.” Odina replied coolly, her hand only reaching up to smack the scarf away with the impact actually ripping it from Briallen’s fingertips. Just like her own lips curved downwards more the scarf slowly drifted towards the floor, landing in a heap at her sister’s feet. “Do you have to try this every time?” Her gaze shifted towards the bracelet burning on her wrist, the Vandrea tempted to rip it off and leave it on the table too. She should have known the gifts would come with some sort of request attached to them. Scarves perfect for mountain weather, really? A bracelet to show her what type of treasurers waited for them on foreign lands as well. Hah! Why would she go? She only left Chiume for brief trips into the nearby town for supplies, not to journey off into the wilderness for weeks for some fun!
[Odina 6]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
Oh. Briallen stood still, confusion and pain twisting in her chest after a moment as she watched the scarf drop to the floor. “What do you mean?” She asked, bending down to retrieve the discarded gift. “I simply saw these and thought they were fitting for the upcoming season.” The wool was soft, the colors were pleasant to look at and more natural in range, so what was wrong? Ah, the trip idea aspect. Briallen let out a soft sigh as she stood and shook the scarf to free it of any potential dirt. “It was just an idea, Odina. I wasn’t trying to tempt you on a trip with just a scarf.” Briallen shot her sister a disappointed look. “Is it such an awful idea to take a trip on occasion? You act as if just touching the earthling territories will burn you.” Seriously, how did she even manage to do trips into the nearby town? If not for the necessity of supplies and appeal of weapons then it would be more likely that her Vandrea sister would never leave this isle.
[Briallen 7]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:54 pm
“But it is! What if every sister acted like you? Who would be left to defend our home?” Odina retorted, her temper rising in response. “One trip becomes more and then everyone is just traveling across the world without a care in the world. We have a duty to our home, Briallen!” It was a very sensitive topic within their household but Odina didn’t care at the moment, not when she was already heated. Even if the past was the past there was the future to look towards! If Briallen didn’t want to be in Chibale then why not stay in Chiume with her and help guard their tree here? Odina had been somewhat confused by Briallen’s wanderlust, not feeling as angry at first, but then their other sisters started roaming around and that left her here to do her best to make up for everything on her own. “Some nice trinkets and shiny gemstones aren’t worth risking the security of our homes, our futures.” She added after a moment, her fists clenched in frustration even as she tried to lower her voice and calm her breathing.
[Odina 7]
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Posted: Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:55 pm
“But not every sister acts like me. Call me a problem or whatever but there are others to guard this place!” Briallen let out a sigh of frustration, running a hand through her twisted locks as she tried to find the best way to express herself. “I just worry about you, Odina. You train all day long, never thinking about anything else. Aren’t you going to burn out?” She studied her younger sister, tempted to reach out towards her but not moving since she didn’t dare do such a thing at that moment. “It’s a time of peace. We have plenty of warriors guarding the isle, there’s nothing wrong with taking one small vacation here and there. And those trinkets? They are important to me, they’re pieces of the world that we’ve been missing because we’re so absorbed in our own things! We’ve been blind to so much for so long and that’s part of the reason our world suffered in the first place.” Being so stuck up about Aishan pride and this and that! The Extremists had been born as a result, causing strife and even pitting sister against sister in the past! Couldn’t Odina just let things go and try to embrace the world as a whole instead of spitting at the lesser races? If they were truly even lesser than Aishans! Briallen hated that outlook, truly she did. She thrived on the stories of the other countries as a child, had embraced the ideas that they could all get along like her mother hoped, and seeing how everything else played out had given her this wanderlust in the first place. It felt so restrictive on these isles, so much so that she couldn’t breathe until she finally went on her own way to explore. Maybe it was selfish, Briallen knew that, but she couldn’t imagine living like this on the isles forever.
[Briallen 8]
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