~TheBloodFallsDown~(The Roc)

[Anonymous]

Miri was walking through the streets of the city her hood pulled up so none could see her. Although among such fine nobles they didn't really pay any attention anyways.

Every once in awhile, though, she would 'accidently' run into a noble. The noble would be so busy cursing and yelling that they would walk away without realizing their burden had been lifted slightly......a changepurse to be exact.

Soon though Miri had had enough of listening to nobles and went to a dark end of the city. There she pulled down her hood revieling red-orange hair and blue eyes. She leaned up against a wall and started counting the money she had.

You should really stop doing this

but it's fun Keira...so shut up.

I'll bite you you troublesome little brat

That made Miri laughed and she patted the small bag at her waist that keira was in.

[Anonymous]

She soared above the puny earthlings, wings spread wide as she caught a thermal. Ah, the joys of flying. The joys of rising above, of looking over the proud city of Arca. They knew nothing of truth or beauty, Neiryn mused. Truth is the ground seen from the eyes of a falcon above; beauty is the sky itself. The rest was false, a dream. Here, high above Arca, she was not a penniless scholar with bizarre ideas; here she was the mistress of the sky, a bird or insect's worst fear and many's last sight.

She had eaten well off a couple of small birds, so she needed not worry about food if she returned to her humanoid form. When she returned to her humanoid form, Neiryn corrected herself. Night was falling, and the night sky belonged to others.

With a falcon equivalent of a sigh, she returned to the ground, knowing that in but a few minutes she would have the puny sight of a human again. Landing in the darker part of the city(no use alarming anyone with her transformation), the aplomado falcon snapped up an insect, looked around, and saw no one. Her form blurred a bit, then stretched, until she was not a falcon, a smaller cousin to a peregrine, but an ordinarily looking woman-well, an ordinary woman with the wings of an aplomado and golden eyes who was busy chewing the remains of an insect.

Neiryn Ariancaled swallowed her meal, and started to head home, only to stop as she saw a redhead leaning against the wall. "Well...hello." she greeted the redhead a bit hesitantly, wondering exactly how she hadn't seen her earlier. She didn't usually make so many mistakes.

[Anonymous]

Miri looked up when she heard something drop close by. Seeing the falcon she was about to turn away when it started to transform. When it had turned fully human.....into a woman no less, she rolled her eyes and looked away.

But when the girl said hello she turned back and pushed off the wall. Coming within a few feet of the other she stopped her arms crossing her chest. Blue eyes studied the other for a moment before giving a slight nod of the head. "Hello......" she was sure of this other person but might as well be nice....if she really didn't like the girl she could always rob them. "You really should watch out where you land....some parts of this city aren't so nice."

[Anonymous]

Neiryn shrugged. "I can fight. And I can fly." she said nonchalantly, as if she didn't think or care that someone might mug, murder, or rape her here. Which was definitely not true. But, Neiryn had thought when she first chose this spot, no use in worrying about what might occur. "I'm Neiryn Ariancaled. You are..." she asked, though she was more interested in knowing whether this girl...woman...person was going to come here regularly. She preferred to think that this place was hers.

She studied the girl carefully. Red hair, blue eyes, barely older than a nestling. Still a fledgeling, she thought. What in the world was a fledgeling doing so close to her territory?

Well, it wasn't really her territory; she hadn't exactly claimed it. But it was hers, because she hunted here and there were no other falcons to challenge her.

Her instincts twinged a bit when she saw the pouch. Something was probably in there. Something bad. "What's in your pouch?" she asked the girl casually, as if she didn't really care. Which she did. Her instincts were rarely wrong.

[Anonymous]

Miri smirked slightly then shrugged.  "I'm Miriam." she said simply her mind already wandering soon though her eyes came back to the woman's face and she studied it for a moment. That look was there, that look that most men had when they crossed her. the What is she doing all alone, look. How pathetic....

Still at the woman's last words she looked down at the pouch. "Something poisonous....I would stay away from it if I was you." Her eyes came up and connected with that of Neiryn's. Her blue eyes had darkened and narrowed warning the girl. Neiryn was a shifter....to a falcon no less....so Miri knew it would be predtor's inticnt to attack Keira. And no way in hell was she gonna let that happen.

You and me both

[Anonymous]

Neiryn's eyes narrowed. Something poisonous...a scorpion, perhaps, or a snake. She restrained the urge to call out a distress signal. That would just be silly, making her out to be a lunatic and besides, there were no nests near by and no hatchlings to protect. Or feed, and anyways, she had already eaten.That didn't stop her from eyeing the pouch a bit hungrily, though. If it was a scorpion or even a spider, of course she wouldn't want to eat it, but if it was a snake...she hadn't had snake for years., since Mother last brought one back to the nest.

Of course, if it was poisonous, which it was according to Miriam, then it was hardly good prey. Good prey didn't fight back and didn't try to kill the predator, or at last had trouble doing so. Poisonous snakes had no trouble killing an opportunistic predator. Thus, snakes were not good prey. Which meant her reasonable, human mind was supposed to overrule her instincts by not attacking the predator. Neiryn really did sigh now. Pity it was a snake and not an insect; Snakes tasted so good... "Uh..." she said after an awkward pause, tearing her eyes away from the pouch, "How are you today?" It was a dumb question, but she just couldn't concentrate!

[Anonymous]

Miri watched the young woman as she eyed the bag and sighed slightly as she pulled her cloak to cover the bag and more of herself. She hated when others got attached to things that were on her body.....weather it be the snake, the money.....or other things.

At the girl's question she raised an eyebrow. "I was having a good day." she decided to help Neiryn and not be mean and tease the woman. No matter how much she wanted to.

[Anonymous]

"Uh huh." Neiryn replied, a bit disappointed that she couldn't see all of the bag anymore. Get a grip on yourself, Nei! she lectured herself. It's just a snake! Just look at whatever her name is...er...Miriam, talk like the educated person you are, and don't stare at a bag full of snake like the savage you aren't! She looked up into Miriam's blue eyes and asked, "Good business?" Not that she was particularly interested in what kind of business this girl had. A thirteen-year-old girl alone could only be one of three things: a beggar, a thief, or a whore. Company she was not particularly interested in acquiring.

Nei, after eying her snake for a minute or so as a potential meal, you're just going to back a way without so much an apology? She scolded herself. And you pride yourself on your social skills! By the Sky, why was things so complicated? Not only did she meet a dubious girl with a snake, but she was talking to herself. And she couldn't think of anything to say. Heavens above, why hadn't she just stayed in the sky?[/i]

[Anonymous]

Miri rolled her eyes at the girl then striaghtened a bit. "Listen it is clear that you don't really care about what I am saying. Which I don't mind....it comes with being a thief. But if you aren't going to pay attention and are instead going to just stare at Keira then you are wasting my time." Yes Miri coulld be pretty blunt at times but she was still healing from some wounds and that put her in a short temper.

You should be kinder

KEIRA! She wants to EAT you

But you wont let her so calm down

Miri sighed then shook her head. "Sorry didn't mean for the outburst." she muttered under her breathe.

[Anonymous]

Neiryn looked offended. She was offended. She hadn't been staring at Keira(the snake?) for a while. And it hurt a bit to be accused. "Sorry," she mumbled, too proud to say it loudly but too polite to not say it. Well, at least she'd found someone interesting, even if "interesting" in this case, meant "blunt". "I'm sorry." she repeated. "Well...a bit." Neiryn had to admit. She sat down, resisting the temptation to lean against the wall. Crumpled wing feathers were hardly attractive. She wondered exactly what they could talk about about from idle pleasantries. Scholars didn't talk; scholars debated on why the Connlaothian guns worked and exactly why the Earth destroyed itself and whether or not there were Gods: subjects that most would find unnattractive. And Neiryn had been a scholar too long.

[Anonymous]

Miri grinned at the girl. "Don't apologize...makes me feel bad." She sank to her butt and leaned against the wall. "I've been of short temper lately so I tend to snap....I guess you could say it's in my blood. Anyways you know what I do....what do you do?"

[Anonymous]

Neiryn grinned back. Peace, apparently. As long as she made no mention of the snake, everything would go fine. Hopefully. "I'm a scholar. A linguist and a folklorist, to be exact. I was going to go and study among the tribes there." She shrugged, a bit sadly. "I was younger then, and I wasn't thinking about money at all. And no one is interested in the tribes, anyways." she shook her head slightly. Feeling sorry for herself didn't help, as tempting as it was. "Nowadays I mostly hunt and feed myself that way. I can't steal, I won't beg, and I won't demean myself with prostitution." She said the last part a bit sharply. Begging and prostitution were offensive to her fierce falcon pride. Her people were not scavengers, like the jackals of the grasslands, but hunters, and even if she preferred to think of herself as a scholar, Neiryn was of the Aderyni and had inherited the substantial pride.

[Anonymous]

Miri watched as the girl spoke and slowly she gained respect for Neiryn....a rare thing for her. "A scholar eh? I barely meet any of thoses now-a-days." if there was one thing that Miri truely did miss from her homeland it was the abundance of scholars. "Even if I do meet one here they usually looked down on me because of my...ahh...buisness." she grinned wickedly at that thought. She was a thief and assasin she just couldn't help it.

At the girl's next words she nodded slowly gaining even more respect. "I agree with you. I could never bring myself to the last two. I would kill myself first...but the first one.....as you know I do it for a living." She shrugged, "It makes life interesting and I only steal from thoses that have enough money that they won't mind or care....unless of course they see me."

"But it doesn't really matter to me much. I've never fitted in so it doesn't really bother me when I steal. I guess I just have different morals for you....or I was brought up different."

or both

[Anonymous]

The aplomado approved. It was wise of Miriam to take her prey from among those who were rich. After all, a complacent, plump pet bird made a better meal than a wisem, scrawny bird of the wild. They were easier to catch, too.


Neiryn nodded. "Probably the second. My people have interesting ways of bringing up a child." There was a spark of mischief in her eyes. "We are taught to be proud and to have no mercy." She added "A hunter who pities her prey is a dead hunter." Grinning, the aplomado concluded, "I doubt the morals are good a reason."

Changing the subject, the falcon-woman inquired curiously, "And what of your people?" She had her speculations that Miriam was well...not exactly human. Which, of course, made her interesting. Neiryn knew that she couldn't learn a whole new language in a sitting, no matter how eager to she was, but at least she could investigate a new culture!

[Anonymous]

Miri shrugged at the woman's words. "Then we really weren't brought up different."

At the woman's question she looked up. "My people?" she shrugged, "A bunch of idiots in my opinons. We are called the Clayr...or Elementals depending on which side you talk to. Cause you see my lands are in a war right now. Which is why I am here and not there. The last time I showed up there...I came back here half dead." She shrugged again. "There isn't much to tell of my people besides the war.."

OOC: Sucky I know but Im tired.........>_^ :D

[Anonymous]

"The Clayr..." she tried the word out on her tongue. It was a good name, she decided. Meaningful, too, even if she did not know what it meant.

Neiryn decided not to inquire much further about Miriam's past. Everyone had secrets, especially predators. Secrets to the best way to hunt, secrets about the past...she even had a few herself. Instead she thought a bit on what the Clayr or Elemental had told her. There were so many questions left unanswered. Was it a tribal war or a racial war? She decided to try and make some more inquiries. "What of the customs? The food? The clothing?" she leaned forward eagerly.

[Anonymous]

Miri had to laugh at the woman's eagerness. "Lets see..." she leaned back thinking. "Custom depend on where you live. If you live with the Clayr then it is like most kingdoms. Men were brought up for fighting and leading in polotics. Women were left in the shadows...although there are a few that broke free of that idea."

"If you lived among the elementals then everyone was prised as important. It didn't matter what sex you were everyone helped.There is so few of them that they can't really hold out on power."

"I guess the Clayr can be smiliar to most nobles here. They unite together on the surface but underneath they are all fighting for power. Like I said pretty pathetic."
"The elementals have great pride in not being like the Clayr so they get kind of itchy when it comes to cross breeding between the two groups. In other words no loving your enemy....although they won't kill you you will become an outcast."

"Food? You really are curious. The Clayr eat like many of the people here. But the elementals eat unusual things."

"Most elementals go based off what they control. For example if one was an earth elemental then they would lean towards more of fruits and veggies. They wouldn't really eat meat.
Air and water elementals don't really have any preferences although Water doesn't really like eating ocean animals and Air doesn't really like eating birds. Make sense?"

"Things are really simple to certian points..." She studied Neiryn for a moment. "The war is over species but not only that but because of other things as well..." Miri's hand was at her neck holding onto the small bag that was there without even realizing she was doing so.
"The Clayr found out that the Elementals have a unique bond to their powers. At the last moment of death....with the elementals last breathe a stone is formed that holds all the powers of that elemental. It can be used by anyone. Only thing is that the elemental dies. Although the clayr don't really care. Nerver did...never will." Miri knew she had given more information than the woman had wanted but she figured it would've gotten asked anyways.

[Anonymous]

Neiryn stared at the girl intently. Even as she tried to memorize as much information as she could, she was already speculating on the similarities and differences between those cultures and her own.

Her eyebrows knitted together at the part about the wars. Interesting. Still, it seemed hardly worth it to risk both your life and your country for the sake of a stone, even if it did contain powers. A songbird with the claws of a falcon was still a songbird, and still good eating. She wondered just why the Clayr, and indeed, many others, had never learned that. She said nothing for a while, respectfully silent. "Are they drafted?" she asked after a while. "The Clayr, I mean. It hardly seems worth it to die for a stone, even a stone with powers, that will probably just go to your superiors and you will see only once." Still, wars had been fought for worse reasons...She shivered.

[Anonymous]

Miri nodded in agreement with the woman. "It really doesn't seem smart to fight over a stone...but I have seen one. They truely are amazin...and" at this point she swallowed and her face became strained. "I know for a fact that they have found ways to bring Elementals back from the edge of death. If you can do that over and over mutliply times then you can keep getting stones. It's still stupid. But if you can imagine the worth of the stone..."
She shrugged. "The Clayr only care about money...those they destroy in the process mean nothing to them." Her hand was curling into a fist and her eyes were becoming darker as she got more angry.

Miri calm down....no sense in getting angry.

Startled Miri did calm down and she smiled slightly, "It's amazing how different people can be even when they live mere miles away from eachother."

"As for only going to your supiors that isn't always true.Basically if you are strong enough to kill an elemental you get the stone.....as a reward. Trust me they aren't the eassiest things to kill. Even if they do look completely normal."

[Anonymous]

Neiryn frowned again. It hardly seemed a civilized practice, and rather cruel. A hunter never abused her prey. Well, cats did it, but the Aderyn were falcons, not cats.

Sensing that it was a bit of a sore topic for Miriam, she tried to change the subject. “What about the Elementals? What is their religion, folklore, tradition?� Well, maybe it wasn’t that subtle, but she just couldn’t think of much right now.
(OOC:Sorry for the length)