The Vasta's Bounties [Æros]

[Hilana Chenzira]

47 Ash, Year 122

[Closed - Æros]

As cold as it got at night compared to the day, sometimes it was the best time to go foraging. While even more critters came out once the sun went down and the moon was high, there were certain plants that were more susceptible to harvesting, including tonight’s target. While wildlife usually didn’t concern her unduly, what the girl needed tonight was something that was truly fraught with danger. She needed to go into the water, and the water, well… that was full of crocodiles.

There was always plenty of kelp and seaweed and plants like that that grew in the riverbed, and sometimes it was easy to get at as it washed up and botanists could sort it into what each type was. On the other hand, some of it was very firmly stuck to the riverbed, and tonight’s target was one of them. Further, she had to go at night because that was when the kelp she wanted was reacting to the light of the moon, and that would make it glow. The glow made it easier to recognize, and the plant’s poisonous properties were strongest.

While Hilana was many things, and sometimes made decisions that didn’t always lend to self-preservation, she was not suicidal. That was why she and Hayima’el were waiting by the lift that brought denizens of the Umbrium to the surface city of the Luxium. She had already packed the saddlebags, including a towel and a cloak for the ride back, along with some dry clothes. She had food and hibiscus iced tea for the trip - she had no idea if Æros had eaten a proper dinner but she had one packed for him anyway under the excuse of he would need it because he was going to be using a great deal of Mesmer and she wanted to make sure he had everything to recover. But she also had a cinnamon loaf cake for him to have after as thanks, which would go along nicely with the tea. She knew the Starborn Fae would never let her pay him for this; so food and tea it was.

The sun had already set, so the temperature was getting considerably cooler, and the girl stood by the enormous piebald camel that was already laying down in the sand, his colourful saddle pads, reins, and tack as colourful as the girl’s long skirts usually were. She had taken the canvas sunshade off so that Æros could enjoy the view of the stars and moon, and there was zero chance of his horns getting caught on it. Hilana’s hair was bound in two braids, which was not her usual style that Æros was accustomed to seeing her with, but when her hair got wet, her curls got crazier than she was, so this was at least one way of trying to contain them until she got home… and while her long, toned legs were usually covered from hip to toes with those tiered skirts, tonight’s two-tiered skirt ended well above her knees. She had picked one that was swirling tye-dyed purples for the Fae. Purple was his favourite colour, after all, and while Hilana didn’t dress to please anyone but herself, why not? She had the shorter skirts and going into the water with her long ones was an exercise in stupidity. She had a longer one to put on after with a dry shirt, after all.

“Hello, Dominus, good evening,” Hilana greeted Æros cheerfully with a bow. There was hardly enough fabric to her skirts to curtsy. “Ready to go? This is Hayima’el,” she introduced her camel, one hand scratching his ears. The Mesmer would certainly be able to zen out the camel’s Symphony if he had a mind to; but the behemoth resting in the sands was just protective of his mother. Perhaps surprisingly, she hadn’t brought Tiaz out tonight, but all things considered, perhaps for the best. He would have the camel and a riverful of crocodiles to contend with, and it was definitely much, much cooler now than it was during the day with the sun shining. The python would surely be more comfortable in Hilana’s apartment. But she was excited to see him and to show him a bit of life outside the city in a way that wouldn’t have him suffering from the heat. Perhaps she could help awaken a bit more of that zest for life he said he wanted. They may not have been planning on going too far, but anything was possible. Atraxia took and gave what She would, but where there was a will, there was a way.

[Aeros]

TIMESTAMP: -
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In the recent past, it was rare for Æros to leave the Umbrium at all, much less venture out into the Atraxian sands. While possessing an Elementalist's crystal that did help to keep him cool were he to go above ground during the day, he still struggled to deal with heat. It was a shame, too, because the Luxium was beautiful in its majesty in daylight; it was just so hard for him to be outside while the sun was out.

With these considerations in mind, one might consider it out of character for him to agree to a favor that involved wandering out along the edges of the river Vasta. However, the one who'd made the request was a close friend and the compromise was that the brief sojourn would be made at night. Honestly, he needed better ways to occupy his free time and he was well aware of that fact. Plus, Hilana was not equipped to deal with the river crocodiles or any other of the desert predators by herself. Child of the sands, yes, but the Vastii rarely wandered alone. Even if she had just asked him to come along for companionship's sake, he likely would've still agreed, but keeping animals at bay without harming them was remarkably easy for a sufficiently skilled Mesmer.

All that being said, Æros did not intend to get in the water. So long as he opened himself up to the æther of those around him, the distance for which he could detect another creature's Symphony was fairly broad. He wouldn't need to be anywhere near a crocodile to send it away and, well, he had no idea the proper way of handling whatever plants Hilana wanted. The elf was no botanist, but he was well aware of the fact that the useful parts of plants varied greatly and he didn't want to ruin any particular specimen. Therefore, his role would be to keep watch on the shore, and, consequently, he did not need to dress with the idea of water in mind.

Æros wore what was standard fare for a man of his station on the surface– a toga layered over a sleeveless tunic, both of fine linen, and fastened at the waist with a darkened leather belt. For the sake of contrast against his skin and the night itself, the tunic he wore was a golden color, finished in a way that was shiny, giving it a nearly metallic look. His outer layer was more of a warm cream color, pale and matte to let the gold stand out. However, he was both vain and unconcerned with the night's cooler temperatures, so the length of the robes was shorter than what one would usually expect and he let the fabric fall from both of his shoulders. Usually, he'd wear sandals but since he was actually living the city proper, he wore something more akin to leather boots.

Æros always wore things that were simple in components as he favored letting his body, accessories, or Masquerade illusions shine over the outfit itself. In this case, he wore a variety of gold jewelry from ear cuffs to other piercings to bracelets and armbands and the like– one might think it fairly excessive, but the man was an opulent sort. On top of that, the lighter fabric he wore faded into a gradient of purple, from faded lavender to an abyssal night color at the bottom hem of his robes while the lighter fabric nearer to his torso would appear to glow a soft gold. Maybe excessive for what he was doing, but this was what he considered to be minimal and he didn't plan on changing that.

While it was rare for him to go topside, walking through the Umbrium was a thoughtless task. At this point he'd memorized most of the primary roads and paths along with many of the lesser ones and a variety of shortcuts. And given that it was even rarer for him to leave the city itself, he traveled with nothing in terms of supplies or the like. Shortsighted, yes, but he was at least lucky that the person he was accompanying knew him enough to realize he'd probably not think about anything regarding preparation.

As he emerged into the Luxium, Æros spotted Hilana immediately. The camel that sat at her side was brightly decorated and she was always hard to miss, what with how vibrant she herself tended to look. Tonight, though, she wore a lot less than usual. She was more muscular than he would have guessed, though this was because most people he met lacked tone due to laziness or the fact that their jobs didn't involve a lot of heavy lifting. For her? It actually made sense given how active she was.

She waved him over, greeting him and introducing the camel as Hayima'el. The large animal was a rather cute thing, though it eyed the Færie wearily. Æros smiled at it, reading that it was merely a tad defensive of Hilana in front of strangers. That being the case, the Mesmer shifted the rhythm of that weariness such that the camel would regard him as safe, friendly.

"I've nothing else I need to accomplish, so I suppose I'm ready. You look lovely, purple really is a good color for you– and good choice of outfit; I can't imagine wading through water in the skirts you usually wear. That would be so…heavy." He'd actually thought about that on his way up here. The way his friend usually dressed would be rather ill fitting for this particular excursion. "How far away does this plant tend to grow, exactly?" It was normal for him to be awake late into the night so he wasn't concerned, it was more out of curiosity than anything else.

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

Without Mesmer, the big bull of a camel was an utter menace to anyone he considered a threat to Hilana, and even to those who might not have been. His colouring was unique amongst the quadrupeds in that he seemed to have a mixture of much lighter hair and much darker patches that Æros could see underneath the bright saddle pads and the upholstered, polished wooden saddle. But with the Fae helping to reassure him, his attitude became substantially more relaxed as he stretched out his head towards Æros, checking out his four-fingered hand with interest. The decided surliness towards him was gone, replaced with something much more affable. “We’re not choosing violence today, Hayima’el,” Hilana warned her camel. “This is Dominus Æros, and you’re going to be nice with him, because he’s coming to help us,” she nodded, apparently satisfied with the way the camel’s body language was towards her friend. “You can pet him if you like, he’s going to behave himself now.” He had been relaxed with Finn, Arvaelyn, and Raithen, and two of them had been Mesmers... so she expected that he would be with the horned hybrid, even if he was very different to look at.

“Thank you,” she was pleased with the compliment. It was certainly far less clothing than she usually wore around the cities; though she’d worn much like it before she had been recalled to Tertium years ago. Her skirts had been longer then, though not quite as long as the tiered garments that she had become accustomed to wearing and now enjoyed as part of her style. But the short linen halter did little more than conceal her chest, leaving most of her torso bare as well. With the way the girl was always moving, it made sense for her to have the tone that she did. Running, climbing, lifting, hauling, riding, swimming... this was someone who considered a 26-mile walk into the sands all in a night's work. “You as well,” Hilana sounded admiring as she saw his attire. For a number of others, she might have had concerns about her companion being overdressed, but considering Æros’ abilities, she was not at all concerned. His adornments went well with the way he had enchanted his clothing, and the way his skin shone like the skies above them.

“You’re quite right about that, they do get extremely heavy when they’re wet,” she admitted. “When I was wrestling the aoudads, I did end up in the water and it took quite a bit of wringing water out of the cotton to keep my skirt on. If I’m going swimming, less is more.” Hilana laughed. “Come, I’ll help you get on,” she encouraged him once he and Hayima’el had made their acquaintances. While she wasn’t sure how much experience the noble had with riding on a camel, the Vastiana would walk him through the process. Getting onto the saddle, which was easy enough, just meant climbing over and then getting comfortable. The padded saddle was meant for longer rides, so despite the wooden frame, it was rather pleasant once he was seated and settled. But the next step was the tricky part, and that was their ride getting up. The girl had climbed on in front of him, and encouraged him to hold onto the front bar of the saddle, and to keep his weight centered because the beast was going to get up one end at a time. The girl wasn’t about to let her friend fall in the process, either, as she kept her attention on Æros while her big boy stood up, and at last, he had evened out. It was quite a distance down, all things considered - Hilana had a large beast of a camel, but those long legs were meant for distance, too.

That ordeal over, they were soon on their way. “We’re going about an hour’s walk outside the city. That gets us away from the barges and most of the traffic, and the kelp won’t be too far down like it is here. I could swim down for it in the harbour, if there were no barges, but the problem with that is just how far down it is. I’m a good swimmer, but I’m not that good,” she admitted, and they were soon on their way out of the city. The gait did take a bit of getting used to, but once he was relaxed, he could let go of the wooden bar at the front of the saddle and just get comfortable against the back bar. Hilana had added a little cushion to it for him so that he could lean back against it and enjoy the ride. “Did you have dinner already?” Hilana wanted to know when they had left behind the bustle of the city, and the magical lights and fires were being replaced with the stars and the moons overhead. With the sun gone, the temperature was much, much more friendly to him and his needs, and the stars overhead were doing their utmost to shine like he was down below.

[Aeros]

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Hayima'el was a formidable beast, and yet, the big dopey eyes and softness to his features made him incredibly cute at the same time. That being the case, it was nearly impossible for Æros to not reach out and pet the piebald camel after he'd calmed it with a bit of magic. This was a large reason as to why he immediately cheated a bit with his Craft; he really wanted to touch the big guy without making him angry. So while Hilana introduced the two to one another, the Færie reached out to rest a hand on Hayima'el's forehead to give him some scritches behind the ears. This was immensely satisfying as the large animal was quite soft.

"Does he often choose violence?" Æros asked with a soft laugh; the camel didn't seem like a violent thing but, well…many a demure creature would shift to violence when cornered. "He is very cute."

"And thank you– I figured I wouldn't have to dress down since I am merely a magical guard. No wading through water for me," he replied with a smile. "...and unlike a standard guard, I needn't choose violence, either."

The only reason he would have to is if they came across something immunized to magic. Provided they weren't going very far from the city and they didn't come across another person that was hostile out of nowhere, he very much doubted that would be the case. Eventually, he wanted to be more flexible with his defenses but for now? Mesmer was all he could reliably use for protection.

Æros barely left the city and as such, he wasn't one used to actually using animals for transport. He had in the past, both camels and wyverns, but it had definitely been awhile. Most nobility preferred portals and since Traversion was not that uncommon, it was easy enough to either poke around one's social circles or simply pay somebody for their service. Nevertheless, he didn't have trouble getting onto the camel because while the animal was sitting and stationary, there was little to pose a challenge to him. The camel standing up was unsteady, though it was easy enough to hold onto the saddle's handles for balance in order to stay on.

Hilana answered his question and commented on the depth of water at the harbor. "I imagine you'd have to hold your breath for an extended period of time attempting to do that, too. Would also be hard to see…so traveling for shallower waters definitely sounds like the best option." There was that, and then there was also the fact that some folks working at the docks might not appreciate somebody swimming around near the boats in the middle of the night completely unannounced.

As the camel began to move and the two journeyed out of the city, the desert really did have a solemn sort of beauty to it at night. Historically, Æros avoided going out into the sands for pretty much any reason. Nobody he grew up with really saw the appeal and he wasn't really about to wander out alone. Even though he'd been potent with his magic for nearly a decade, he had the navigational skills that one would expect of a sheltered noble and therefore if he ever got far enough so as not to see the city on the horizon he'd likely end up stranding himself.

Once they'd been wandering beneath gentle starlight for a bit, Hilana inquired as to if he'd bothered to eat anything. "Ah…no. Fæ-ethalan need to eat less and as a result I often find myself, um…forgetting? Becoming distracted and blowing it off? For extended periods of time." There was also the fact that his frequent substance abuse made it easier to ignore.

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

“Well, he’s protective,” Hilana explained. “It’s not so much that he’s aggressive, he doesn’t just lash out for no reason, but if he feels that someone has bad intentions and he’s not familiar with them, he does what he can to protect me. There are some areas in the city that are...less smart to venture alone through at night, especially since I don’t have any Runes,” the girl admitted. “So in that case, Hayima’el is very good at discouraging people who might want to try something. Camels actually have canine teeth... like dogs... and unlike horses that kick straight back, they can kick at a full range. There’s a reason camels usually wear muzzles in the city, but Hayima’el never does,” she smiled wryly. “But no, where we’re going, you won’t have any issues beyond Mesmer. I can’t imagine crocodiles suddenly being resistant to it, so you’re good to stay dry,” she chuckled.

Hayima’el was off to a good pace once they were free of the city, and Hilana let the reins settle over the saddle bar at the front, relaxing. “That’s true. Vasilei gave me a piece of illumite for help with seeing in the water, but the further you go, the less help it’s going to be, obviously… it’s not a huge piece, but it’s enough for what I need to do as long as I’m not going for the bottom of the harbour. Fortunately, the kelp I’m harvesting tonight actually glows in the dark, so that does make it easier to find it and identify it, but also with seeing down there. But in the harbour, there’s a lot more down there that doesn’t glow, and that’s when it gets dangerous... it’s really easy to get tangled, and then when you’re that far down...” the Vastiana shook her head. She wasn’t inclined towards drowning. Schedules had yet to align, and even then trying to make herself have air underwater while trying to do other things, Hilana thought that was probably a long way off.

The skies overhead made Hilana smile, closing her eyes briefly and open them wide, inhaling the freshness, the natural scents of the desert. The air was cool and crisp, and surely far more pleasant to Æros than the heat of the day. They were getting away from the lights of the city now, traveling along the sands above the banks of the Vasta, where each dune looked like another dune to someone who wasn’t familiar and didn’t have the experience that they needed to navigate and guide themselves. Her energy and her Symphony was even more relaxed out here than it had been in the greenhouses, but for someone who had grown up in the Expanse, this was what she loved. Hayima’el also seemed far more relaxed, and there was a harmony between him and his mistress, the duet of a strong team. Out here, camels were a necessity if you wanted to go distances by land, though judging by Hilana’s conditioning, she could probably manage alright on her own. But she certainly knew the benefits of the beasts, especially one like the piebald behemoth that was carrying them. Just like Tiaz, the Vastiana clearly loved the camel.

She listened to him as he spoke about not having had food, and she had a feeling that that tracked what with the cabinet and the opium jar she had seen when she had been helping Æros deal with his threshold sickness. Still, he was her friend, and she wanted to see him with some healthier habits. Good food would only help him further along that path. “I didn’t think so, so I brought you something,” Hilana leaned easily on the saddle, twisting herself a bit to open one of the saddlebags and retrieving a waterskin, passing him that first, and then something that felt like a fairly substantial cylinder wrapped up in colourful waxed cloth. “This is hibiscus-passion fruit iced tea, and kofta kebab with a pita,” she straightened back up, smiling brightly at him. The wrap was a good size, loaded with the kebabs made of ground beef and lamb, along with seasoned rice, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and a creamy sauce - tzatziki, it seemed. “I wanted to make sure you had something to eat, because surely if you’ve got food in your system it will help lessen any chances of overgiving.” It was an oversimplification, really - she knew full well that Æros likely had very considerable aether reserves, and what he was going to be doing wouldn’t be too taxing... but it was also an excuse to get him to have food. Hilana had had the same earlier for dinner, and she made plenty - it made for easier dinners over the next few nights, too, what with everything else going on with the upcoming ball at the Aurisian Embassy, and this way, she could make sure the starborn Fae had something good in his belly, too.

Besides, Hilana enjoyed feeding people, and thus far, he had enjoyed her confectionery. Hopefully, he would enjoy the savoury side of her cooking habits as well.

[Aeros]

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Truthfully, Æros was not actually that familiar with camels and their anatomy. Most of his sojourns were made on foot because, typically, he didn't actually have to go anywhere far from home. If he did, he'd usually use teleportation as opposed to animal travel, even over the use of wyverns. So when it came to things like the sharpness of a camel's teeth or the range of motion regarding their joints? He actually had no idea.

"Huh…fascinating. I'd always thought camels weren't that useful for defense. They always look so sleepy…" and there was something about that which made them come across as harmless to him.

The elven Færie's brow furrowed at the idea of Hilana being tangled in the reeds beneath the water's surface. "I…am not sure if I could really help you if that happened? I can swim, but…I'm not very good at it. I mean, I'd try but I'm probably useless. So do try and avoid that, yes?" It had been some years since he'd bothered to swim properly and the lack of confidence in his tone served to indicate that.

For Æros, most of his time was spent in the Umbrium as he had a tendency to seek shelter from the world's open air. Though if he were to be honest, he did enjoy the desert's nights and early mornings. During the silent moments of their trip, he found himself gazing up at the night sky above, listening to the Symphonies of both his human companion and her beloved animal friend. He quickly gleaned that the camel had been a steady facet of her life for a long time and that the two of them looked out to the sands and both saw home. On his end, open desert would be daunting were he to be left to his own devices. The wellspring of their combined calm, however, helped even him to feel at ease.

When Hilana spoke about food, he admitted that he hadn't eaten anything– hadn't thought about it, really. It was…easy for him to forget. "You really are so thoughtful, hm? Looking after my wellbeing better than I do myself, and all that…" There was ample appreciation in his voice, though it was evident as his words trailed off that he was somewhat bashful about his lack of self care.

He looked with interest at the food she then conferred into his possession a bit before actually eating it, as the preparation thereof was actually quite nice. With a soft smile, he spoke again, "I thank you." And with that, he began eating– the kebabs tasted as nice as they looked, as did everything else she had thus far brought him.

To a degree, her excuse to bring food made sense, because mages did use some of their physical energy in the channeling of æther. If they had little in that regard, æther channeling was then more expensive, so to speak. In this specific scenario, the worry was misplaced and, he assumed, to be an excuse. Æros naturally possessed a large pool of æther on top of the fact that using his Craft felt as natural to him as breathing, but who was he to question the logic behind so kind a gesture?

- - -

'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

“You needn’t worry,” she turned in the saddle to smile at him to reassure the Fae as they rode out along the sands. “Where we’re going, the kelp isn’t so dangerous, and I’ve got the proper tools to cut it. It’s in the harbour where the weeds are a lot longer and more troublesome…and if I was going down there it would be as a properly trained Elementalist,” she was cheerful enough to admit it. “I’ll have to take you to some of the oases around the city some evenings, maybe in frost when it’s cooler, and go swimming there. It’s always a good skill to have… even in the desert.” And surely there had to be those amongst his caste that had pools on their estates. Hilana’s father had a sizable one, and to be fair to him, it was quite well done. Even if she preferred nature over styled luxury.

“You’re quite welcome,” Hilana smiled at him. She wasn’t surprised that he hadn’t had dinner; but she also wasn’t going to judge him for it. Some people considered food to be just for sustenance, not pleasure, though the girl definitely wasn’t one of them. In the sands she was quite utilitarian; food was food and you could go without if necessary for quite some time… but knowing as much as she did about their home meant that she would find something -some-how if it was needed. Her interest in flavours came from her love of teas and flowers, of herbs and spices. It was another way to utilize the nature around her that she was so enamoured of. But he was right in that it was an excuse; but she was certainly concerned for him all the same.

The further away from the city they got, the more the light of the moons and stars illuminated their way. There were so few clouds in Atraxia that the celestial beings shone often with nothing to block them. The Vasta was calmer out here, but there were a great many symphonies to be found. They were less complex than what was in the great city; but they were rich all the same. They stayed along the river, but Hilana knew what she was looking for, and they were almost there. Sure enough, Hilana guided the large camel off of the dune and down towards the banks. In the water, the crocodiles were getting interested. But Hayima’el trusted Hilana, and if Hilana wanted to go down to the banks, then they were going down to the bank.

“Is this close enough for you to be able to keep them off?” the girl wanted to know, and when the positioning was worked out to best suit Æros... “Hold on,” she advised him as she guided the piebald beast to lay down once more, settling in the sands. While she could have dismounted and left the camel standing, she had a feeling it would be easier on her friend for the beast to be stationary and in a position where he didn’t seem likely to be going anywhere. This way, he didn’t even have to get off of the camel if he didn’t want to. Hilana, though, opened a saddle bag and started retrieving items - gloves, sharp shears and a knife, and multiple fabric drawstring bags. The illumite crystal on the necklace was removed from the silk pouch and she fastened the clasp around her neck before leaving her sandals by Hayima’el and heading to the water. She was still calm, still confident, because she trusted Æros implicitly as she headed for the water, the purple skirt hanging off her hips, the belt pouch with her tools secured.

The water was cool with the sun down, but at the same time, it wasn’t a bad feeling. The Vastiana made her way into the water, going deeper and deeper with each step until she could duck under and submerge. The light of the crystal helped her vision as her eyes became accentuated with the water, and she sank herself down, looking face-to-face with one of the crocodiles that called the Vasta home. Just had to stay calm, not touch, and be very thankful that there were no purussaurs in this direction....

[Aeros]

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The idea of swimming in the harbor made the elven Faerie grimace over stifled laughter. "Ah, yes…I would not recommend swimming there without some sort of assistance, magical or otherwise."

Then, his face shifted to something more ponderous at the idea of learning to swim. He'd never bothered because he didn't really see a point. Any time the man was in water it hadn't gone up high enough to matter. "I suppose it would be a good skill to acquire if you intend on taking me along on your adventures…I've not a clue where such things will lead," he teased.

The rest of their ride was spent in relative silence as Æros had not realized how hungry he really was. After awhile, he almost becomes blind to the gnaw of it, but the second he starts to eat something? It all comes back– and it is quite difficult to speak when one is eating.

While the half-elf squinted at her choice of location, he didn't question it. Nearby, he heard the primitive songs of several different types of animals, the most notable of which were crocodiles. And while these local fauna could prove dangerous, if they were close enough to be heard, they were close enough to be manipulated.

"Yes-..." Æros attempted to respond to her query, thought the jostling movement of Hayima'el as he sat down cut him off. His grip on the saddle tightened to steady himself, though there was ultimately little to worry about given the man had spent a great deal of effort honing the ability to balance his body. "Yes, ah…I can. If I can hear the Symphony, I can manipulate it– whether I can see the creature properly or not." The water and flora could obscure the animals, though the Fae half of him had granted him sight in darkness, giving him an advantage in that regard over a fair majority of mortals.

Nonetheless, he didn't bother looking around. Each animal sang song similar to those of the same species, so it was easy enough to pick out the Symphonies of the nearby crocodiles and then weave disinterest into their rhythms. There was no need to cause the animals any undue distress, after all.

Æros kept his gaze on his friend as she waded into the water, and though he could not see the crocodile who had caught her eye, it would blink lazily at her, expression entirely uninterested. It did not move, no, but it would not pursue or snap at her– it knew she was there, but it couldn't will itself to care at all and, soon enough, movement in the distance caught its attention. After one last languid blink, the beast slunk away into the depths.

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

With the crocodile moving away and disappearing, Hilana popped up and gave Æros the thumbs up. “Clear,” she assured him, the first of the bags opened and ready, the shears uncovered and the safety mechanism unlocked. She took another breath before going back down once more. Her eyes were ready, and there was some movement at the top when she dove down, her bare foot waving reassuringly at him before she made her way back towards the riverbed. There was no distress, no concern in her symphony for him to worry about, just confidence and reassurance. There was pleasure; so she was finding what she was looking for, it seemed.

Hayima’el was calm where he laid in the sands under him, watching the water. It was perhaps funny that the big beast wasn’t too worried about the crocodiles, but he trusted his mistress and her friend, and his symphony was perfectly calm and confident. The moons and stars overhead made the water seem lighter than it was, and it was unusually quiet when one was so used to the city. Even Hilana’s nonstop song was more at ease out here; but perhaps that was that Wildness of hers knowing it was precisely where it was supposed to be. In the sands of the Atraxian Expanse. They may not have headed so far from the great Sacred City, but they were far enough that the only sounds were those of the camel chewing his cud, and the movement of the water of the River Vasta.

Hilana was able to see the curly, glowing weeds that helped light up the bottom of the river. It wasn’t so deep here that the moonlight and starlight completely failed to penetrate, which with the illumite also helped with. The gloves kept her hands dry, and Hilana was able to cut off multiple strands before resurfacing, treading water and checking on Æros and Hayima’el. The poisonous weed went into the drawstring bags, and the girl was soon going back down. It was a steady process - but after a few trips, the first of the drawstring bags was left on the sandy bank of the Vasta, and she could start filling the second one.

Hayima’el lifted his head, though, his ears going back as he seemed to sense something. He didn’t get up, but he was apparently looking at the sky. Æros would feel it coming into range before much longer - it was an adult wyvern, and it was hungry. And the camel and the Faeborn were just the right size of snack.

[Aeros]

TIMESTAMP: -
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► Show Spoiler

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Though Æros could see through the darkness, such vision did not extend into the depths of the river Vasta. He could only see his friend if she were near the surface and the movement of the water, but once he sent away the crocodiles in the vicinity, she reappeared and affirmed the all clear. From what he could tell, she was having fun at least. That, and she was finding that which she sought. Good that such a trip was not pointless, then. He couldn’t actually remember what she needed the plant for, though, so he figured he ought to ask on their way back at some point.

His camel companion, too, was content with his current state of being. Everything felt so much slower out here than the noise of the city, both in a literal sense and relative to that of mortal Symphonies. They tended to be louder than that of animals, for one thing, and Solunarium’s capital held a great many people both above and below ground. The relative quietude of the night was unnerving, in a way. Æros was unused to the silence, and in some ways, it made him feel oddly exposed.

However, that relative peace was penetrated by a new voice added to the night’s soft chorus. Animal in nature, but more advanced than anything else they’d encountered. The Mesmer didn’t have to think long on the identity of the beast, however, because the overhead beat of wings gave it away: a wyvern. For a moment, he felt the same dread that overtook him back in the beginning of the season when been attacked by wyverns– though this wasn’t quite the same, and of that, he quickly reminded himself. For one, there were three that time, and for two, he was so fatigued and sick that he couldn’t adequately use his magic. This time? That was luckily not the case.

Being of presently sound mind, if a bit high, there was actually little risk. With his nerves settled, he focused on the wyvern’s Symphony over the rest in the vicinity. Within it, he heard a primal rhythm that was all too familiar: hunger. Of course, one cannot take away the physical need of a beast to heat, but what he can do is change the tune just a bit such that instead of he and Hayima’el looking like tasty morsels, the wyvern would now regard them as entirely inedible. He wove in confusion and disgust, and the beast left in short order. It was kind of funny how easily he could send away such a mighty predator, but such is the nature of a master.

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"