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 Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2024 5:35 pm
Doesina 1 The trip up here had been rather uneventful. Not that Doesina was complaining about that fact, but she thought the last real journey she'd take with her cousin would be a bit more....Something. Instead, they had barely spoken to each other the whole walk to ZInris, even when she herself tried to initiate something. Heike would only respond when really prompted to, sounding so annoyed that the Elaria had eventually just given up by day two. She hoped Heike wasn't mad at her for bringing someone extra over with them from Jauhar. It had been mighty awkward ever since. What was she supposed to do? Not offer her skills as a bodyguard to someone who wanted to see more of the world and leave her behind? That'd be beyond rude. And Doesina wasn't about being rude.
This last trip was bittersweet. On one hand, she was excited about her own potential traveling she was about to do. She'd always wanted to see more of the Earthling countries. As soon as she dropped Heike off at their grandmother's, she could focus all her attention on preparing for that. Doing so, however, would mean parting ways with her cousin who, despite the lack of a connection they seemed to share with each other, she would still miss. So many years of her life had been spent with her that Doesina found it hard to imagine life without her. If only she felt the same.
Any moment now, the homes on the outskirts of Zinris would appear through the trees. She would stay long enough to have a small visit with her grandmother, than return to Rens. When would she see her cousin, again? She knew Heike wanted to go back to her own tree. Maybe they would meet at least once more in the future.
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2024 5:51 pm
Heike 1 The silence suited Heike. It made little difference to her who it was, quiet was always something she preferred. Of course, her companion being Doesina did make it all the sweeter. The Elaria could be such a talker. If you gave her one response to anything she said, she would run away with it for the next hour. She didn't desire to speak very much, least of all to this woman. They simply had nothing at all in common. How they both could have come from the same family was boggling. It was as if one of their mothers had been adopted. Maybe that was true. After meeting with Chrysa just a few days past, Heike understood the range of personalities in her newfound family even less. The two sisters, her mother and aunt, were like two halves of one person, they were such opposite. Not far off from herself and Doesina.
She would be glad to finally part ways with the energetic Elaria. Once they reached Zinris, Doesina would return back to Rens. To continue playing around with that hybrid. Well, whatever. It had nothing to do with her anymore.
Heike picked her way carefully through the forest, her every senses alert to anything that might be hiding in the mist or around her feet. The threat of a keldari was enough to distract her, as was the difficult to her breathing. The air here felt so....Heavy. It would certainly be an extra challenge to train in this environment. She was looking forward to it.
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Posted: Mon Aug 05, 2024 6:49 pm
Doesina 2 At least she had Arie. Half of Doesina's time over in Jauhar had been so lonely. She had never spent so much time on her own before. In Yael, she always had her mother. Or, when she left to explore the forests, usually in the pursuit of food or flowers-mostly flowers-she had Arie. Many a time, Doesina had wished she had taken him over with her. What a help he would have been. Though she was no stranger to carrying everything around on her back, it was still odd to have to do that all the time. It had occurred to her to get a Radaku. At least for the time being. But the thought of leaving it behind made her sad, so she never did. She didn't want to take a Radaku back home, either. Not to her Quristine. Arie was pretty laid back as was. The forests of Yael never seemed to bother him very much. He was always more focused on food. Still, he had never seen a Radaku before and she wasn't sure how he'd react. Suppose he bolted and the Radaku chased after him? She couldn't bare something happening to him or the non-existent Jauhar creature. Her grandmother would have called her soft-hearted. Doesina didn't think that was a bad thing. She also suspected, were anything to happen to Mayella's keldari, she would be saying differently. Her grandmother loved those two, no matter how little the older Elaria tried to mask it.
The sounds of metal hitting metal reached Doesina's ears. She looked away from pulling Arie away from a tree to glance to her right until a pair of Elaria sparring could be barely seen through the mists. That must mean they were close. She turned towards Heike, opening her mouth to say so, but stopped. It wasn't until the side of the first building came into view, with the clear sounds of many women talking, did she finally speak.
"Welcome to Zinris." She put her usual enthusiasm into it, giving Arie a pat on the neck, more for her own comfort than praise for him. "Grandma's house is more to the middle this way. If she's home. If not, I guess she could be out helping someone train."
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2024 6:58 pm
Heike 2 The sight of so many women in one place was enough to make Heike hesitate slightly near the border. Though she had stayed in Emeka for a long time, at her core she still wasn't used to a lot of crowds. Back in Kiros, her and her mother had lived on the outskirts of it. Close enough to engage in the Sisterhood there, but far enough away to warrant themselves a lot of peace from it when they wished it. Which she found she did often. Heike had never been one to enjoy companionship. At least not a lot of it. When she finally finished of this adventure, she was going back home and remaining inside for a good long week. She would need it to recuperate. Not to mention to deal with the grief she had left behind.
But that was a difficult thing to think about with everyone staring at her as she passed them in the street. She was very keenly aware that her coloration afforded her much less of a chance to blend in here than it did with the Alkidike, who still could be seen mingling with the Zinris women.
Suddenly, one came forward, addressing her cousin with a smile and touching her shoulder, as if to make sure she was real.
"My eyes must deceive me. It has been a long time since I seen Chrysa's little girl."
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Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2024 3:04 pm
Doesina 3 It was no surprise to Doesina when she received no answer to her question. It had been like this the entire time here. She couldn't tell if Heike was mad at her for something or just overwhelmed by the place. Even for her, coming back to Yael nearly took her breath away. Literally. Her body had been much too used to Jauhar. How would it be when she started her journey for real and returned to Yael for visits? Would it only get worse? She hoped not.
That thought was cut short by the approach of someone, a very short and stocky woman with a wide smile on her face. Doesina returned it with affection, giving the other Elaria a gentle prod of her own.
"You are far from home, Silke," she responded. "Still making your deliveries?"
"Of course. Keeps the muscles busy and mama's memory alive. Of course, when I'm ready to retire, I'll have to teach someone else how to make them." Her eyes glanced once at Heike, reminding Doesina that she wasn't here by herself for a pleasure trip.
"Oh, I am sorry. Silke, this is Heike. She's my cousin." The Elaria turned towards the Elidae, gesturing with her hands between the two of them. "Silke is an old family friend. She makes these delicious little buns."
"Old family secret. Full of good things to help a training sister. You recently come to Yael? You're from the tree down in Kiros, right?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2024 3:57 pm
Heike 3 Over the course of the exchange, Heike remained silent, watching the two with little interest. This older Elaria who had just joined them sounded just as energetic as Doesina was, which the Elidae didn't consider a good thing. Dealing with one was enough for her poor mind to handle. Why didn't anyone seem to understand the joys that silence could bring? Even during the introductions, she remained quiet, only giving a slight dip of her head. Than she was asked questions, forcing her out of her quiet mood for the time being.
At least her grandmother wouldn't be like this, according to what she had been told so far. She sounded like quite the stern woman, someone her own mother clearly took after.
"Yes. To both those questions. I am visiting." She looked between the two, barely moving her head, hoping this exchange would be over with quickly.
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Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2024 9:46 am
Doesina 4 "Ah, wonderful!" the shorter Elaria replied, clapping her hands together. "That seems to be happening a lot more lately. I like it. All the Trees should be more connected like this."
Doesina nodded her head, adding in her own two cents about it. She noted that Heike remained rather quiet, but that wasn't very unusual. Her cousin never seemed to view talking as anything but purposeful. She would have loved to have seen how she had interacted with the Sisters in Emeka if she barely did with herself or anyone here. Hopefully after she was here for a while, she would open up and talk more. Or maybe their grandmother would be the only one she spoke to. It wouldn't surprise Doesina. Mayella and Heike were so much alike, it was impossible for them not to get along.
Silke rubbed at a spot on her cheek, looking further into town for a moment before turning her eyes back on them. "As nice as this is, I need to get back to work. Cara wanted a basket and I have yet to do that."
"Of course! I know how impatient she can get if anything keeps her waiting." Doesina let out a little laugh, remembering all the times she had dealt with the older Elaria herself. It wasn't her fault, though. Most of the time she had simply gotten lost. She didn't like to leave people waiting for anything, if she could help it.
"Very," Silke answered with a laugh of her own, raising a hand to wave goodbye. "It was nice meeting you, Heike." Than she was off running down the street, a bag bouncing on her hip that Doesina hadn't noticed before.
"Okay!" she said with more enthusiasm than before once the other Elaria was out of sight behind a building. "Grandma's house is in the other direction. Maybe she got an order of buns, too, so you can try one. They are divine."
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Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2024 3:37 pm
Heike 4 In response to everything and everyone else around her, Heike remained still, both her hands hanging at the sides of her legs. She never knew how to act around Sisters with any kind of energy. Having grown up mostly away from the town where the Elaria had set up to plant their seed, the Elidae wasn't used to dealing with anyone else. And, though she had spent many years in Emeka living with the twins and talking to the Elaria living there, she hadn't quite learned how to socialize well. Nor did she have a desire to. She thought all this chatter pointless. A waste of time.
At least making buns seemed to have some use. Food was important when you were training. For that reason alone, she would have accepted one if offered.
"If it helps me train," was her emotionless answer, flexing her fingers and wishing they could get moving.
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Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2024 7:03 pm
Doesina 5 Just the kind of answer she expected to hear. It was just normal food, Heike probably wouldn't have cared as much about it. But if it gave her extra energy for training, of course she would be all for it. Some Sisters really didn't think there was anything else to life but hardening their bodies and skills. Was that what she had done in Emeka, as well? Trained all day. Talked about battle with the Alkidike. Avoided the Aishan who were more like her. Who tried to fill their days with more than swinging spears around and hitting targets. If only Doesina could get through to her cousin. It seemed impossible that the Elidae would think any other way. Their grandmother wouldn't encourage it, either.
The Elaria sighed, trying to keep it light. It really was pointless. Nor did she have the time to try anymore. She wanted to get back to Rens, to spend more time with her mother and continue showing Sini everything she knew about Yael before they, too, would continue on their own way. She assumed Heike would eventually return to Kiros alone. She hoped her cousin had something else there to go back to. Or at least would be able to make a home there.
Blinking, Doesina let her thoughts trail away. "Apparently it does." Not that I would know. She never used them as fuel to keep her going. The few times she had eaten any was just for the sheer pleasure of their taste. It's an old family tradition of hers to eat them before a training session. Anyway, this way."
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Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2024 8:21 pm
Heike 5 Though she hid her inner thoughts from Doesina well, Heike couldn't hide them from herself. A food she never would have expected helped with training energy? She was intrigued. Very much so, and really desired to try one for herself. If they worked, it will be a shame when she left for Kiros. Anything that would help her get stronger and last longer was very welcome. Perhaps someone on Kiros had discovered something else similar. She should ask around when she got back. Now that the thought of interacting with other Aishan wasn't as intimidating as it once seemed.
To her cousin, she said not a word as she followed her down the street. They were stopped many more times by other Elaria, sometimes Alkidike, who knew Doesina. Heike found these interruptions increasingly frustrating, but kept her cool in a way she never would have before. These were her Sisters just as much as the Elidae were, the daughters of the Tree her own sprang from. She would show them the respect deserving of them. Still, she was growing impatient to reach this grandmother she had never met. It must have started to show on her face, because Doesina would greet each new woman with a more hurried introduction and a promise to talk later.
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Posted: Sat Sep 28, 2024 6:03 pm
Doesina 6 At first, Doesina didn't really notice how quiet Heike was getting with each new interaction. It wasn't like her being quiet was anything new. The walk to Zinris had mostly been quiet. No matter how many times she tried to engage her cousin in conversation, Heike just didn't want to talk to her at all. Not even a little bit. It stung a bit, but Doesina was finding it was lessoning more over time. There was no point in forcing someone to be around her if they really didn't want to. It was fine. It only hurt for the fact this was her direct family. She had left her own home to search for Heike, remaining there for years. All that for a lackluster outcome. She had expected to become friends with her cousin, the only one she had. It had been so exciting to learn that she had more family besides her mother and grandmother.
Eventually, the Elaria did notice the look on Heike's face and started to shorten each interaction as much as she could without being too rude. Once she introduced the Elidea to their grandmother, she could always return to look for everyone she had met to catch up with them. That put a smile on her face. It had been so long since she had seen some of these women. So much could change in just a few years.
Stopping before a house that looked no different from all the others, Doesina planted her feet triumphly on the step. She leaned in, listening for movement inside before opening the door, calling in. No answer. Probably outside somewhere. Not even a broken leg could stop Mayella from being active. And, sure enough, following the sounds of something hard smacking against wood, they found her behind the house, beating up a poor training dummy who had seen much, much better days.
"Grandma!" she yelled, opening her arms wide, though she knew she wouldn't receive a hug. "I have returned and I brought someone." With a flourish, she waved her hands towards Heike. "Your lost granddaughter."
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Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2024 6:39 pm
Heike 6 Heike had never once wondered what it might be like to finally meet this infamous grandmother. She had been able to judge from what Doesina had told her that Mayella was not a woman to be messed with. That she was the very vision of an Elaria that her cousin was not. Part of her did wonder if this was over-exaggerated. Doesina was so soft that most people she met would seem strict to her, right? Meeting Chrysa had been just as she'd expected, an older double of the daughter. How much different could her grandmother be?
But when Mayella turned around, a scowl already on her face, her head tilting around as she studied the Elidae before her, Heike realized she had misunderstood. She had always thought her own mother was just an outcast in her own family. That she, as well, was an outcast. Yet here was the proof of where her own behavior came from. Passed down from daughter to daughter, Mayella had an aura that wasn't too different from Kioko. It brought back memories so suddenly that she nearly took a step backward. Nearly. To show weakness would be her downfall for a first meeting. Heike squared her shoulders and stood up taller, facing her grandmother with an equally stony expression.
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2024 5:15 pm
Doesina 7 Doesina stood off to the side, watching their first meeting with trepidation. From what she knew about both women's personalities, this could go in equal parts good or bad. Neither really enjoyed company all that much. There were many times Doesina wondered if her grandmother even enjoyed her company. All she ever seemed to do was something wrong, earning her a scolding or a lecture over how to do it properly. If the older Elaria looked this way, she'd notice how flappy her arms had gotten in her time away, where there was no one to force her to do exercises with her dagger or bow.
But as the seconds rolled by and nothing happened, she started to feel more annoyed than anything. Why didn't they do anything but scowl at each other? Was this a sign that they would never get along or some form of bonding as the two showed a similar attitude to each other? Doesina just couldn't tell and it was starting to hurt her brain trying.
Or had Mayella's hearing started to go in the time since she had been away? Maybe she didn't even understand why a strange Elidae was staring her down. "Grandma, I---"
"I heard what you said," came the gruff response. "My senses haven't quite left me, yet." She turned her gaze onto the younger Elaria, than, the scowl never changing. "To think I doubted you for this, but I guess all my teachings have eventually sunk in. Even if the important one about training did not." Doesina colored, hiding her hands behind her back so her biceps were forced against her body. "I am glad to see you, Doesina. You have done well." She colored more, pride swelling her chest at the high praise she so rarely heard from Mayella. A small smile crept onto her face, as much as she tried to stop it.
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Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2024 6:58 pm
Heike 7 It was somewhat fascinating to see Doesina interacting with her grandmother. Their grandmother. Heike had never seen the Elaria be anything but cheerful before. It was like anything the world threw at her could not budge her good faith in it. Could not shake her own confidence. But as she watched the short interaction, Heike could see the change in her cousin's face and eyes. Maybe others couldn't, unless they had spent as much time with the other Aishan as she had. The changes to her expression were very subtle.
Finished with one granddaughter, Mayella turned that gaze back onto Heike, once more taking her time in studying the Elidae. Heike had to force herself not to say something about it. She disliked being stared at like that.
"So, girl," Mayella finally said. "If I had any doubts in Doesina getting the right one, they were instantly beaten. You look exactly like your mother."
Against her will, Heike's eyes widened a litttle, emotions fighting each other in her chest, making it feel tight. Her mother was still a rough topic for her. Probably always would.
Mayella didn't seem to notice. Or maybe she didn't care. She continued talking. "And clearly you value your training. That is good. Every Aishan should." She darted a glare at Doesina's direction. Heike refused to break eye contact to see the Elaria's reaction. Doesina was already forgotten.
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Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2024 3:37 pm
Doesina 8 Keeping your mouth shut was a difficult task. Especially if you were a chatty, energetic Elaria who despised sitting or standing still for too long with nothing to do. Or no one to talk to. But this was an important moment for Heike. Not so much for her. She'd met Mayella plenty of times. She didn't want to interrupt Heike's first impression of the older Elaria. And, though she didn't like admitting it, she also liked having Mayella's attention off her. That stare could be so intimidating.
She looked back and forth between them, pale blue eyes widening in interest at the "look just like your mother" comment. Everyone said she looked like her own mother. More so when she smiled, as her eyes crinkled in the same way Chrysa's did. She squinted her eyes at Heike, trying to imagine her a little bit older, to better picture the aunt she had never, and would never, meet.
Finally, she could hold her silence no longer, when Mayella shot that intimidating glare back on her. "I'm sorry, grandmother! I do try my best..." Why was she always so hard on her? She really did. She couldn't help it if she found training too hard. And boring. She'd never had a taste for sharp things. It was all too violent.
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