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 Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2017 11:42 am
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"Oh, where?" A muted huff of a dissatisfied groan slipped from Seziah's lips. For a girl usually so bland in expression, even that much was a surprise. In her defense, she felt she deserved a little bit of agitation. Oba was beautiful, warm, and sunny. But it was also hot, crowded, and sandy. In this country, the dirt came by the wind and lodged itself everywhere on her person, and if that wasn't enough to be offended about, she'd been forced to take residence in a nobleman's stables, of all places.
It was nice to have shelter when she couldn't afford much else, but it was still no place for a young woman accustomed to a routine of cleanliness. During her time at the Institute, she'd cherished baths, and they were readily available.
Here, a girl with no coin to her name only had the option of public bathing. She fancied the idea that one day she might live in a noble house, instead of in stables, where she could bath in a large porcelain pool, but today was not that day. And for every day she went without running water, her agitation and fear that she might contract some sort of disease rose. There were supposed to be some sort of springs in Jatine, but she hadn't been around long enough to know where they might be...
Furthermore, most passerby seemed far too busy to pay mind to one Yaelian lost and wandering helplessly through their city.
By the time of high noon, Seziah had wandered far enough from her new 'home' that she thought she might never make it back, and everywhere around her was only unfamiliarity. None of the people, none of the shops, none of the roads... Nothing would help guide her back. Even if it did, she refused to go to bed that night without a bath.
If only someone would spare a moment to direct her properly...
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 7:11 am
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The mingling voices all around her meant that Seziah didn't notice someone trotting in her direction until a Shifter woman was already upon her. She blinked in mild confusion at the woman's question, or rather, at her appearance. It was true that Oba was far more diverse in population than Yael was, but it somehow still struck Seziah as surprising to see so many different races milling about, and even more surprising that anyone would approach her specifically.
But mostly, she just felt uncertain. Shifters were not from Oba. This woman likely couldn't even help her. At least, Seziah believed as much to be true.
Still, her options were few, and no one else had even tried to speak to her so far today. Seziah was already hot, tired, and frustrated, so if the Shifter had any knowledge, it would be better than nothing. "Yes," Seziah quipped, her tone short and obviously exasperated. "I am seeking the springs. They are supposed to be large and open to the public, and near here, if everything I have been told is accurate. But I cannot find them. I have been searching all day."
If she was very lucky, perhaps the Shifter would know an Oban who could direct her. If the woman was also about in this great monster of a city, she must know someone. Or perhaps she hoped to find solidarity in the company of someone as lost as she was. Seziah couldn't speak to the mind of Shifters, but she somehow expected little of this encounter.
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Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 12:56 pm
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Seziah scrutinized the Shifter before her through unblinking, pale irises. She was uncertain, still. Differences in race were few and far between where she came from, and though Sez had expected there to be Obans afoot during her travels, she wasn't so sure she ought to tolerate 'others' just yet. But the woman did not seem to wish ill upon her, and she supposed the actual agent of her transport to the springs didn't really matter.
"I would be grateful if you could," she decided after a drawn-out pause. "These lands and its customs are unfamiliar to me, as are, I suppose, my knowledge on what to expect now that I've arrived... Is it very common for Shifters to travel here from their country, or is there something especially unique about you?"
Though wherever she went, unfamiliar or not, it didn't seem like that ought to be an excuse for forgetting her manners. "My name is Seziah," she told the Shifter. "Though I have been here for a short while, I still find it is very easy to get lost. I have heard that Shifters live in a very dense jungle... How is it that you have come to know your way around here?" And if the practice was an easy and wide-spread one (as it could be, since there were at least a handful of non-Obans milling about), then perhaps she could also partake in it during her stay here...
It couldn't possibly only be Seziah that thought all the building and all the people and all the shops looked so similar that they seemed to blend into each other. |
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Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 7:40 pm
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For a second, Alassiel was sure she would have said no. The Shifter would have been okay with a no too but at the same time, she was glad she was going to get some time to actually speak to the Yael and ask her questions about her home. Though, she had heard that the Yaeli were a bit shy and closed so the girl might not even answer her questions.
“Of course, no trouble at all. Follow me.” Alassiel turned a bit and began to weave through the crowd making sure she didn't go too fast in case she lost the Yaeli.
“Oba's quite different from a lot of places if I was honest. I'm sure you'll get used to it quickly though if you plan on staying here. It's hard not to get caught up in all of its grandeur.” A lot of people got caught up in all the nice and expensive things Oba had to offer. She knew a few who had gotten into debt and now had to work it off. Alassiel gave the Yaeli a glance.
“Nothing special about me,” she said quietly. “I decided I didn't want to follow in my parents' footsteps and decided to travel. I met my husband here in Oba, he's a merchant so we come here often.” Z'ran was the love of her life and she was so happy she had met him. Alassiel played with her wedding band, a smile growing on her lips as she thought of her husband and daughter.
“I'm Alassiel, nice to meet you!” Seziah was asking some interesting questions. “We do live in dense forests. The trick to getting around I'm afraid is time and practice. You learn where not to go because it's not safe and you establish a routine. For me, it was traveling from where I stayed to the marketplace every day. If you stay here, the marketplace is a great reference to get anywhere else. Do you plan on traveling anywhere?” |
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 8:15 am
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As the Shifter set off, Seziah followed suit, sticking close at the older woman's heels and casting her gaze ever around, hoping to make note of any landmarks they may pass. Though, to be truthful, at this point she was uncertain if she would ever make it back to this particular location from her home in Tytus' stables... And if she couldn't make it here, she likely wouldn't make it to the springs again. This was a convoluted city, Seziah decided, though she was grateful for the aid of one Shifter woman.
"I am not unintelligent," Seziah responded softly. "So I suppose it is possible I can learn the routes more easily than some... However, I am very unaccustomed to traveling," she admitted. "Though my homeland is in Yael and the journey was very long, before I left, I was only rarely allowed out of my home. I have never even so much as traversed a Yael market on my own. So this is... It is very daunting. But I do plan on staying, and it is unacceptable that I be incapable of performing simple tasks such as locating a bath without aid. I am very appreciative of your willingness to escort me, Alassiel."
Seziah gave a slow blink at the mention of the woman's husband, and she cocked her head almost imperceptibly to the side. She met her husband, someone she would be bound to for the entirety of her lifetime, somewhere that was not her native land...?
"Your husband... Is he a Shifter that was captured in the war Oba waged against the rest of Tendaji? I have only read about it, and it seems there are many accounts of horror stories, though I have never spoken to a participant firsthand." She could scarcely comprehend any alternatives. There were few hybrids in Yael, and the thought of it... It was almost disgusting, Seziah thought. Two races mingling in such a way, she equated it to mating with an entirely other species. Like an animal.
But they did exist, and many didn't seem so offended by it... It was only peculiar because it was foreign. It wouldn't do to be rude if it was an acceptable custom here.
She shook her head. "No. It is not my intention to travel any farther than I already have. I plan to make my home here, and this is where I would like to stay." |
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Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:50 am
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Alassiel knew the girl was unaccustomed to traveling, most Yaeli were not after all but she was surprised to the extent it went for Seziah. She didn't want to pry into the young woman's past but she was curious as to why her parents might have kept her home so much. Perhaps she had been ill as a child and was now cured from whatever had ailed her. Still, it did make her wonder about Ziel. Alassiel had not let her wonder very far from home when she had been a wee little thing just like the Yaeli. Both were out and traveling now,.. How funny life worked.
"Give yourself some time," Alassiel said softly as she glanced at Seziah. "It is a great learning experience for everyone when they leave home and you did pick the busiest place to make your home." The Shifter chuckled. "If you want I can walk you back home from the baths and give you specific things to look for. I think it would be a good start for you."
She truly felt bad for the Yaeli and slowed her pace a little so she could look around and get a feel for her surroundings. Perhaps she could point out some easy to remember things for her as well, there was a lot to take in so she wanted to give her as much time as she could.
"My husband was a slave in the war yes, he worked for a merchant family. Once he was freed he took up his own merchant activities to help Matori. He's not Shifter, he's Matori." She smiled at the thought of her husband. "I did not participate in that particular war and my husband does not speak much of his time as a slave." Though Ziel had asked him a lot about it and he had given her minimal details.
"Ah that's too bad. Belrea is quite nice and so is the rest of Tendaji really." Though Ally herself had never been to Yael. "I've never been to Yael, kind of wanted to avoid the extremists and their so called new daughters. Perhaps I will visit someday." Debatable but it was on her to do list. "So how come Oba? of all the places to settle, why this one?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 10:40 am
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Seziah might have argued that she had no intention of traveling because she did not want to travel. If anything had gone her way on Yael, she wouldn't have left her home country at all. It was only because things were so terrible over there that she'd needed to journey so far. There hadn't been much of a choice; her gods had hated her, her parents had abandoned her, she'd had no home. She'd needed to leave Yael and start fresh, so that was what she'd done.
Rather than argue, though, she decided just a muted shake of her head would suffice. Instead she murmured, "I would appreciate you taking the time to escort me back to my place of residence." Hopefully, she wasn't any kind of thief or bandit trying to figure out where Seziah lived so she could steal what few belongings she had, but Sez didn't think she was.
Her gaze flitted back to the woman, then down once more, anxious but curious. It was true then. Her husband wasn't a Shifter to match Alassiel herself. Neither was he Oban to represent where they were now. The land of Tendaji was a peculiar place.
It was strange, but this seemed to be an acceptable practice, to breed with foreign outsiders. As far as Seziah knew, any type of hybrid probably wouldn't be especially accepted on Yael, even if the offspring was part Yaeli. Their unnatural appearance could be attributed to a curse. They wouldn't be welcomed anywhere they went... It would be surely as awful as her own life. At least, she imagined as such, not that she could say for sure.
But it must be different here. "No one minds the two of you being together?" She prompted quietly. "On Yael, we consider relationships with outsiders to be disgraceful and insulting to our gods... That is not the case here?" |
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Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 8:24 am
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"Yes I can do so," Alassiel gave a small nod of her head and a smile. Oba had been quite scary for her too when she'd first arrived, so she didn't mind helping Seziah at all. If Z'ran was finished before she got back he would just wait upf or her at the inn they were currently staying at. He'd probably enjoy a bit of freetime alone anyways to roam around the city he had once called home.
"Well," The Shifter chuckeld. "It wasn't exactly love at first sight when my family first met him, but then again they should have known that a regular shifter life would never be for me." After all, she had not followed the same path of her parents or siblings by becoming a fisherman, even if she did a lot of fishing on her spare time now. "Z'ran had no family he could return to in Matori, at least none that he knows of, so it wasn't like there was anyone who really said anything to us. I think Oban's are a bit more critical of hybrids though."
"I think some people do believe that that gods do not look favorbly on such pairings," but Z'ran was not very religious and well she didn' think the Moon really cared otherwise she would not have blessed them with a child. "There must not be many hybrids on Yael then, perhaps opinion would change if that was the case?" She knew that the Yaeli were extremly ridgid in their ways and beliefsm she wondered how Seziah would flourish in such a melting pot of cultures and people.
"There used to be a lot of hatred though, and disgrace, kind of like on Yael. Though as the years moved, things kind of changed. I imagine at some point no one will carem even the gods, about who stays with whom." Alassiel shrugged.
"Now this here," The Shifter pointed to a very prominent deep red building with two spiekd towers. "This is important. If you find yourself here, know that the market is always south of this and that the baths are to the east. So if you wee leaving from the baths to go to shopping, this is where you would turn." She stopped in front of the building itself, it was a small pottery shop, a few people lingered inside. |
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Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:44 am
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'A regular Shifter life...' What a peculiar thing for a woman to say. Seziah couldn't say she knew what a 'regular Shifter life' entailed, but perhaps the vast majority of Shifters lived very similarly. Internally, Sez tried to parcel out what a regular Yaeli life would be... Certainly nothing she had had, and her parents must not have wanted it for her, whatever it was. They'd deemed her a freak and sent her to live a very unregular life trapped in the confines of the Institute, among other 'freaks' like herself. So perhaps she had no concept of what 'regular' could even be. But the word sounded dull. Nothing to covet, surely.
At least she wouldn't have to worry about her family thinking any more ill of her than they had before. Seziah imagined they likely wouldn't think of her at all, ever again. She'd previously been nothing but a financial burden, since her stay in the Institute had needed to be funded by someone, but now she wasn't even that.
She was nothing, her existence inconsequential to anyone.
"There are very, very few hybrids on Yael, I imagine, yes," Seziah agreed with a nod. "I had never seen one before traveling across the sea. I suppose I still may not have seen one... My experience with any race outside of my own is very limited, and I have only had opportunity to read more than see." Visually, everything was unfamiliar. She could pick out Obans, Shifters, and Matori by description and assumption that those would be the most prevalent races here, but the others- Icelings and Leaflets- held some similarities to Matorians and Obans specifically that Seziah wasn't sure she'd be able to pick them out from one another immediately.
Maybe she'd already run into them. She just didn't know. It was difficult to be certain of anything in a place like this.
She could only shake her head at Alassiel's optimism regarding hybrid status. Seziah wasn't so certain. She felt as though she personally had no opinion on hybrids, except to think that they were probably considered as much 'freak' as she was, but she did know that most people did not like freaks, and that probably wouldn't change any time soon.
"Oh," Seziah's gaze wandered in the direction of the other woman's pointing finger. "I see. Thank you. It is a really beautiful building, isn't it?" Nothing was quite so vibrant in Yael. "Red is my favorite color, but there is very little of it where I'm from. A woman I know grew flowers from Oba in her garden. They were red. Such beauty." |
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Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 9:00 am
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"Oh, yes," Seziah stated with a nod. "There are books on everything in Yael." Granny had once said that though their people were fearful and many were unwilling to bring on any type of change (such as journeying far away or inviting foreigners too close to their homes) that may displease their gods, that there were a very small few who believed that Lurin and Dafiel were bringing change to them so that they may expand their knowledge. Some who lived near the forests even thought that expansion may be necessary, considering the proximity of the Extremist Alkidike camp...
But Seziah didn't know much about any of that, and it often seemed like what others thought and wrote contradicted each other. Some of those books had claimed Oba to be the worst nation in all of Tendaji, just across the sea from Yael and full of war-minded conquerors and people to be wary of.
But some praised it for its culture and diversity and thought that among all places, perhaps Obans were the most open-minded and only growing more so. They had only recently done away with slavery after all, so they couldn't be all bad. Seziah had no proof which, if either, was true, but since she'd had no reason to stay in Yael, Oba was the nearest alternative. And it was filled with beautiful red fabrics and jewels and sunsets. As Alassiel had said, Yael was her past now.
"I am still hopeful that this is a place someone like me could be welcomed," she admitted. "Though I would settle for simply 'not shunned,' as well." Her pale gaze flicked to the woman at her side, then back to the dirt. "It is going well so far, I think..."
She would never have expected to meet someone who could be so helpful to her for so little in return. If her experience with Alassiel was any indication of how things could be, it might not be so bad at all.
Oba was still a vastly unfamiliar land though, and Seziah was a girl of routine. There would be many opportunities for her to become less enthralled with the new world set before her. But not now, and hopefully not too soon, if she could do anything about it. But regardless of whether or not Oba became to much for her... Seziah raised her gaze and looked ahead and looked ahead, keeping her attention of the path they took so that she might remember later. "No," she replied firmly. "Yael has no place for me, anymore. I am not sure it ever did. It is... not a place for people who think or look or feel different... Anyone who is not normal is 'cursed,' and those who are cursed are shunned so that it will not spread." |
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 6:04 am
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Books on everything on Yael huh? That was certainly interesting, that meant that the Yaeli weer very well educated... So why did they shelter themselves off so much? Did they perhaps know something the rest of Tendaji and Belrea didn't know? Perhaps they had experienced the power of the Gods first hand. Alassiel never had, but the Gods were the Gods and she would not dare insult them by trying out any type of theory. Especially if such a thing got her cursed, Yaeli gods sounded quite scary. Did Shifter gods curse? Alassiel couldn't really remember a time where such a thing had happened in her community.
"If you were able to leave Yael on your own, you're definitely doing well." Crossing the sea was no easy feat, neither was leaving your whole family or community behind. Then again, it sounded like Seziah had been shunned and the Shifter could see why she would have no choice but to cross the rough sea to come to Tendaji. Her only other option was the extremist Alkidikes and their probably equally crazy daughters the Elaria.
"You'll be better off here anyway." She wouldn't get shunned by the community, no probably they would be extremely curious about her. "No one's going to shun you and many will probably want to speak to you, if they haven't already done that." She chuckled a bit.
"The more you speak about Yael, the less I want to visit." She mused out loud. Maybe it was different for outsiders, or maybe it was worst. Alassiel let the thought drift as she glanced at the buildings. They'd be there soon.
"You see these houses here," Alassiel point to a particular set of homes that were made up of intervals of 3 and four stories in a pal shade of pink brown clay. "You turn here." The Shifter turned and they entered a much quieter street but still somewhat busy. There were a lot of business's here and many people came for the baths. "So far so good?" |
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