Re: [Closed] Gravesong
Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 10:46 pm
vks household, kzecka
dawn on the 26th of Achtus, 2719
Tuhir's comfortably deadpan expression didn't falter while he watched Lilanee and his child while he began to eat, but his dark eyes warmed noticeably at their private, unspoken conversation put on public display. As Hexxos, as committed and willing spouse to a raen, there was little margin for actual commentary from the older man on the spiritual practices of Gioran galdori and their passive population. Death in all its forms, natural or unnatural, willing or unwilling—Tuhir wasn't ignorant. His jaw clenched briefly, on the edge of offering more of an explanation, though it was not a Hoxian's nature to feel any need to apologize.
"I would not expect you two to see the world in the same way. I am sure that you both struggle with finding footing on what little stable ground you share between you, Brunnhold studies notwithstanding."
Ezre's eyes widened and any color that had already graced his delicate cheeks deepened, even if he kept himself from revealing all that bubbled and writhed within him at his father's words from playing out across his face. He stared at Tuhir for a moment, quite aware of all he'd talked with his father about in Roalis, in all they'd shared further quiet, early morning conversation with while performing their duties together, side by side since he'd arrived.
The young Guide could have said more, could have found reason to continue this conversation, enjoyable and familial, strange and clearly leaving more to be explored, but even though the sun wasn't meant to rise this time of year, he knew they had travel to get started on before any more snow decided to fall. He enjoyed—perhaps too much, really—how his parents and extended family members had thus far chosen to interact with his foreign guests with the kind of quiet respect that he'd hoped they would, aware that there were plenty of his people here in Kzecka who most likely didn't approve of their intrusion, even if one of them was a raen.
Slowly, reluctantly, Ezre steered the conversation away from evolutionary theory and natural selection of whatever species trickled into the russet brunette's mind at this moment toward their leaving instead, but the thought of travel dragged his own thoughts to their safety, which in turn reminded him of his favorite feral, furry friend. He did let a brief flash of a smile crease its way into his still-warm face,
"Very large, zjai. Adja is one of the larger females in the pack—perhaps taller at the shoulders than if you were to to ride on mine." Tuhir chuckled at that, and both Hexxos endured the Hessean's thoughts and animal facts,
"I have heard there were once sub-species of huthah in both Mugroba and the Northern Tors of Anaxas. Perhaps even in the mountains of Gior or even in the kingdoms lost in the West, but they are all extinct as far as we know. Rare, even here."
Ezre nodded, stacking their empty soup bowls and plates onto one of the trays he'd served them on. For a moment, it looked as though he had every intention of cleaning up before he left, but his otsur shook his head at his child's lingering fingers on the tray, letting him know he was dismissed from such a duty. The younger Vks did take a cloth napkin from the table and stack two pieces of grilled fish from the pile of pieces he'd broiled for their breakfast, folding it up and tucking it into the thick layers of his clothes meant to endure the frigid weather outside,
"Let us go, then." The young Guide stood, making sure to bow with obvious affection toward Tuhir, tilting his head in the direction of the large entranceway where their travel gear and more warm layers were waiting to be put on, "I will not let us be gone more than two days, otsur. If we are not home by the third and I have not contacted you or the weather is not foul, then please come looking."
"Two days, Ez'ia. Do not worry." The older Hoxian assured both of them, waving them off with a nod and an expression that was almost a smile. Almost.
Ezre paused long enough to better distribute all he'd packed for them both to carry, making sure to glance up at Lilanee mischievously as he did so, as if attempting to tease her with how he'd listened. He'd then help her dress in a heavier coat, even offering to tie the boots she'd been leant that had special treads for the snow, treads that also allowed for the tying on of snowshoes. Making sure she was well-bundled but still mobile in the well-made, carefully lined layers, he'd then dress himself with practiced ease before hefting her pack on her shoulders.
Lifting his and making some final adjustments, he tossed two pairs of snowshoes over his pack and handed her a pair of poles he'd explained would most likely be needed for climbing. Scarves, gloves, and wool-knit hats later, they were both as ready as one could be for the Hoxian winter below-freezing weather outside in the dark.
Pausing in the threshold, the dark-haired student brought his hands together and bowed his head, first facing the interior of his warm home, praying a very clear, simple blessing on their journey and their weather in Deftung, addressing familiar gods by name. Then he shouted loudly, almost as if it was another ritual in itself,
"We will return soon!"
To which he heard his father's voice from the cozy dining room,
"We will be waiting!"
Ezre flashed a grin from behind his scarf and shoved open the thick, heavy doors, one set and then another, to lead the pair into the housing compound's courtyard, deep cold immediately clawing at their faces, trying to rip through their layers. It stung their eyes. It burned their lungs. It wasn't unbearable for the Hoxian, who'd been raised in the northernmost kingdom, tucked away in these mountains, but he knew it must've been such a shock to Lilanee every time,
"It is a little hike outside of Kzecka proper before we will find the huthah. This way." He led them from the housing complex, tucked as it was against a dark stone cliffside, carved against its surface to provide a windbreak. He trudged down steps that meandered through the high, snow-coated walls of the communal living neighborhood, leaving a trail of steamy breath and hearing another series of chimes ring out in the frigid air, marking the time.
Above them, the clear skies were so heavy with stars, the perfect, unobstructed view made that much more amazing by a continued lack of daylight. The streets were lit by phosphor, littered with little shrines with candles and lanterns kept lit all day by various acolytes. He led them both through part of the artisan district, catching glances from glassblowers and metalworkers, gaining them a small following of red-cheeked children who were too young for school or work. Three bundled, giggling shadows trailed them as far as the large stone archway that marked one of the gates.
There were no Karmine in the city of temples and bells. There wasn't a contingent of people who were trained to serve as protectors—everyone was expected to know some form of self- and communal defense, everyone shouldered the burden on a rotating basis. Even then, the two young women huddled around a crackling fire at the gate, playing a game with dice and a small lacquered box glanced up and nodded instead of asked questions, their gentle caprises the only formalities exchanged because this place was so isolated, so remote, that they'd not faced any real threat in hundreds of years.
A path had been hewn into the thick snow that almost towered over their heads, leading upward from the gate in a tunnel until they crunched their way to the surface of it, standing amid a starlit landscape that was full of harsh contrast: black rocks, white snow, towering mountains and lofty temples carved into their spires. The wind whipped snow into sprays, strong and so very cold,
"This way," Ezre paused to get his bearings, to align himself by memory and landmarks. The snow was packed here, thick enough to walk on safely—it'd been falling for months, after all. Perhaps he'd overpacked, the dark-haired student considered, feeling the weight of everything now settled on his shoulders, but he wanted to be prepared both for their hike, their exploration, and, most importantly, their return trip home, "toward those foothills. The pack keeps a den there, though they must venture down into the valleys south of here to even hunt."
They crunched away from Kzecka, the temple-city bustling with prayer and study in the winter darkness, and across smooth, windswept curves of ice and snow. Theirs were the only noticeable footprints in this direction, and while the foothills seemed far away at first glance, some trick of the curve of Vita this far north made it a surprisingly shorter distance than expected.
As they drew closer, the young Guide stopped again, fumbling through too many layers with a hiss, forced to tug a glove off with his teeth so his fingers could reach for the fish he'd shoved into his clothing before leaving,
"You are a stranger to them. We will have to be careful. If we are lucky, vre'ia, only Adja will come. If there are too many, hopefully they will accept you. I brought some bribery for their friendship." Ezre smiled, struggling to get his glove back on once he passed the wrapped parcel to Lilanee. Then he cupped the cold leather to his cheeks, scarf down, and called out a series of sounds that weren't quite like the howls of a banderwolf. They were deeper, perhaps difficult for someone who hadn't learned them alongside Deftung, who hadn't learned them when young, and the rumbling song-like notes drifted on the wind, disappearing into it.
Waiting for a few moments, just long enough to think they weren't to be answered, Ezre stepped a little closer to the russet brunette, brushing shoulders with the young woman, huddling against the wind together.
From somewhere in the rocks, a cry answered. It was a deep bass noise, gravely but not quite a bark, followed by a series of yips and baritone whines from different places. Loping from somewhere in the half-buried rocks came a single creature—thankfully—apparently summoned by the dark-haired student's voice. The Hoxian was grinning despite the fact that the spinewolf was at least six feet tall at it's shoulder, long and lithe, pure white in the winter darkness. Almost like a mane in fan-like rows were large ivory spines, and thankfully, they were currently not bristling in a threatening manner. If they had been, the longest spines would have been almost ten inches, sharp and thin but just as dangerous as her teeth,
"Adja!" He shouted, raising his hand and holding it out, stepping between the large creature and the Hessean, "She has smelled you before. In Roalis, I—well. Perhaps you noticed you were missing a uniform blouse."
The huthah was rushing, moving so fast, but then it slowed to a more cautious gait, stopping to snort and sniff the air, bright blue eyes shifting to the russet brunette while its breath drifted in clouds,
"That fish will perhaps be a little motivation."
"I would not expect you two to see the world in the same way. I am sure that you both struggle with finding footing on what little stable ground you share between you, Brunnhold studies notwithstanding."
Ezre's eyes widened and any color that had already graced his delicate cheeks deepened, even if he kept himself from revealing all that bubbled and writhed within him at his father's words from playing out across his face. He stared at Tuhir for a moment, quite aware of all he'd talked with his father about in Roalis, in all they'd shared further quiet, early morning conversation with while performing their duties together, side by side since he'd arrived.
The young Guide could have said more, could have found reason to continue this conversation, enjoyable and familial, strange and clearly leaving more to be explored, but even though the sun wasn't meant to rise this time of year, he knew they had travel to get started on before any more snow decided to fall. He enjoyed—perhaps too much, really—how his parents and extended family members had thus far chosen to interact with his foreign guests with the kind of quiet respect that he'd hoped they would, aware that there were plenty of his people here in Kzecka who most likely didn't approve of their intrusion, even if one of them was a raen.
Slowly, reluctantly, Ezre steered the conversation away from evolutionary theory and natural selection of whatever species trickled into the russet brunette's mind at this moment toward their leaving instead, but the thought of travel dragged his own thoughts to their safety, which in turn reminded him of his favorite feral, furry friend. He did let a brief flash of a smile crease its way into his still-warm face,
"Very large, zjai. Adja is one of the larger females in the pack—perhaps taller at the shoulders than if you were to to ride on mine." Tuhir chuckled at that, and both Hexxos endured the Hessean's thoughts and animal facts,
"I have heard there were once sub-species of huthah in both Mugroba and the Northern Tors of Anaxas. Perhaps even in the mountains of Gior or even in the kingdoms lost in the West, but they are all extinct as far as we know. Rare, even here."
Ezre nodded, stacking their empty soup bowls and plates onto one of the trays he'd served them on. For a moment, it looked as though he had every intention of cleaning up before he left, but his otsur shook his head at his child's lingering fingers on the tray, letting him know he was dismissed from such a duty. The younger Vks did take a cloth napkin from the table and stack two pieces of grilled fish from the pile of pieces he'd broiled for their breakfast, folding it up and tucking it into the thick layers of his clothes meant to endure the frigid weather outside,
"Let us go, then." The young Guide stood, making sure to bow with obvious affection toward Tuhir, tilting his head in the direction of the large entranceway where their travel gear and more warm layers were waiting to be put on, "I will not let us be gone more than two days, otsur. If we are not home by the third and I have not contacted you or the weather is not foul, then please come looking."
"Two days, Ez'ia. Do not worry." The older Hoxian assured both of them, waving them off with a nod and an expression that was almost a smile. Almost.
Ezre paused long enough to better distribute all he'd packed for them both to carry, making sure to glance up at Lilanee mischievously as he did so, as if attempting to tease her with how he'd listened. He'd then help her dress in a heavier coat, even offering to tie the boots she'd been leant that had special treads for the snow, treads that also allowed for the tying on of snowshoes. Making sure she was well-bundled but still mobile in the well-made, carefully lined layers, he'd then dress himself with practiced ease before hefting her pack on her shoulders.
Lifting his and making some final adjustments, he tossed two pairs of snowshoes over his pack and handed her a pair of poles he'd explained would most likely be needed for climbing. Scarves, gloves, and wool-knit hats later, they were both as ready as one could be for the Hoxian winter below-freezing weather outside in the dark.
Pausing in the threshold, the dark-haired student brought his hands together and bowed his head, first facing the interior of his warm home, praying a very clear, simple blessing on their journey and their weather in Deftung, addressing familiar gods by name. Then he shouted loudly, almost as if it was another ritual in itself,
"We will return soon!"
To which he heard his father's voice from the cozy dining room,
"We will be waiting!"
Ezre flashed a grin from behind his scarf and shoved open the thick, heavy doors, one set and then another, to lead the pair into the housing compound's courtyard, deep cold immediately clawing at their faces, trying to rip through their layers. It stung their eyes. It burned their lungs. It wasn't unbearable for the Hoxian, who'd been raised in the northernmost kingdom, tucked away in these mountains, but he knew it must've been such a shock to Lilanee every time,
"It is a little hike outside of Kzecka proper before we will find the huthah. This way." He led them from the housing complex, tucked as it was against a dark stone cliffside, carved against its surface to provide a windbreak. He trudged down steps that meandered through the high, snow-coated walls of the communal living neighborhood, leaving a trail of steamy breath and hearing another series of chimes ring out in the frigid air, marking the time.
Above them, the clear skies were so heavy with stars, the perfect, unobstructed view made that much more amazing by a continued lack of daylight. The streets were lit by phosphor, littered with little shrines with candles and lanterns kept lit all day by various acolytes. He led them both through part of the artisan district, catching glances from glassblowers and metalworkers, gaining them a small following of red-cheeked children who were too young for school or work. Three bundled, giggling shadows trailed them as far as the large stone archway that marked one of the gates.
There were no Karmine in the city of temples and bells. There wasn't a contingent of people who were trained to serve as protectors—everyone was expected to know some form of self- and communal defense, everyone shouldered the burden on a rotating basis. Even then, the two young women huddled around a crackling fire at the gate, playing a game with dice and a small lacquered box glanced up and nodded instead of asked questions, their gentle caprises the only formalities exchanged because this place was so isolated, so remote, that they'd not faced any real threat in hundreds of years.
A path had been hewn into the thick snow that almost towered over their heads, leading upward from the gate in a tunnel until they crunched their way to the surface of it, standing amid a starlit landscape that was full of harsh contrast: black rocks, white snow, towering mountains and lofty temples carved into their spires. The wind whipped snow into sprays, strong and so very cold,
"This way," Ezre paused to get his bearings, to align himself by memory and landmarks. The snow was packed here, thick enough to walk on safely—it'd been falling for months, after all. Perhaps he'd overpacked, the dark-haired student considered, feeling the weight of everything now settled on his shoulders, but he wanted to be prepared both for their hike, their exploration, and, most importantly, their return trip home, "toward those foothills. The pack keeps a den there, though they must venture down into the valleys south of here to even hunt."
They crunched away from Kzecka, the temple-city bustling with prayer and study in the winter darkness, and across smooth, windswept curves of ice and snow. Theirs were the only noticeable footprints in this direction, and while the foothills seemed far away at first glance, some trick of the curve of Vita this far north made it a surprisingly shorter distance than expected.
As they drew closer, the young Guide stopped again, fumbling through too many layers with a hiss, forced to tug a glove off with his teeth so his fingers could reach for the fish he'd shoved into his clothing before leaving,
"You are a stranger to them. We will have to be careful. If we are lucky, vre'ia, only Adja will come. If there are too many, hopefully they will accept you. I brought some bribery for their friendship." Ezre smiled, struggling to get his glove back on once he passed the wrapped parcel to Lilanee. Then he cupped the cold leather to his cheeks, scarf down, and called out a series of sounds that weren't quite like the howls of a banderwolf. They were deeper, perhaps difficult for someone who hadn't learned them alongside Deftung, who hadn't learned them when young, and the rumbling song-like notes drifted on the wind, disappearing into it.
Waiting for a few moments, just long enough to think they weren't to be answered, Ezre stepped a little closer to the russet brunette, brushing shoulders with the young woman, huddling against the wind together.
From somewhere in the rocks, a cry answered. It was a deep bass noise, gravely but not quite a bark, followed by a series of yips and baritone whines from different places. Loping from somewhere in the half-buried rocks came a single creature—thankfully—apparently summoned by the dark-haired student's voice. The Hoxian was grinning despite the fact that the spinewolf was at least six feet tall at it's shoulder, long and lithe, pure white in the winter darkness. Almost like a mane in fan-like rows were large ivory spines, and thankfully, they were currently not bristling in a threatening manner. If they had been, the longest spines would have been almost ten inches, sharp and thin but just as dangerous as her teeth,
"Adja!" He shouted, raising his hand and holding it out, stepping between the large creature and the Hessean, "She has smelled you before. In Roalis, I—well. Perhaps you noticed you were missing a uniform blouse."
The huthah was rushing, moving so fast, but then it slowed to a more cautious gait, stopping to snort and sniff the air, bright blue eyes shifting to the russet brunette while its breath drifted in clouds,
"That fish will perhaps be a little motivation."