Testing the Waters (Open)

[Anonymous]

Nia gazed at the wide expanse of water with no little amazement. It was unlike anything she had ever seen with her own eyes- paintings could try to convey how big it was, and her imagination could try to fill in the gaps, but for all that... A grin split her face. It was wonderful, and she loved it! Nia couldn't help glancing to her right, where the docks and city were visible, and to her left where the shipbuilding yards were. Right now, Nia herself was on a small expanse of beach where nothing in particular was happening except the playing of children.

It really hadn't been her intention to end up here alone, but the field trip wasn't really that interesting anyway. So somehow, she'd made her way here, someplace she had wanted to visit for a long time. And in anycase, Nia was pretty sure she knew her way back to the inn that the students were staying at.

Right now, her little trip was more important than thinking about that. She stepped forward, her favorite white robes catching in the wind, and let her bare feet sink into the water-soaked sand. The next tide rolled in, and her feet were covered in the cool, salty water. A giggle escaped at the newness and novelty of it. She took a few steps farther out, hitching her robes up so they wouldn't get ruined, andleaned down to dip her finger in the water. Would her magic work in a similar way here? It was worth trying! Light appeared at her fingertip and spread out until she had a fist-sized ball. The light went farther out than the source by a few feet.

Nia loved how light played in the water, but it was past noon, and she really should be getting back to the inn to wait for the other students- and her punishment for wandering off. So with a sigh, she let the light dissipate, and stepped back out of the sea, rather disappointed that she would have to leave so soon.

[Anonymous]

It was highly unusual for Ardemi to be out and about during the daytime.  However, he'd always enjoyed the beach.  And there were usually more people about in the daytime.  Besides, the water got blasted cold at night, and while the cold wouldn't hurt him, he much preferred warmth.

It'd taken him a while to arrange his hood and robe just right, so he could actually loosen the blindfold enough to see without blinding himself.  His sketchpad out in front of him, he worked rapidly, filling the page with little drawings of the children playing in the water.  The sound of their laughter made the man smile as he worked.

He watched curiously as a slightly older looking girl showed up and started playing in the waves.  Flipping to a new page, he started quickly sketching again.  Focusing on his work, Ardemi failed to notice she was stepping out of the water rather close to where he sat, his satchel on the sand next to him, and the loose ends of his blindfold hanging out of his hood and moving in the slight breeze.

[Anonymous]

Nia soon noticed the blindfolded male that was sitting on the sand, sketching away. She paused for a moment, wondering whether he would mind if she came up and bothered him a bit. She noted that he was Tarrin- the reason he was wearing the blindfold. It was a bit of a relief to know that he wasn't someone who'd been abandoned here, blind and alone. She knew he'd be able to see her perfectly well through his blindfold.

With that, Nia decided she would go ahead and take a peek at what he was sketching. With any luck, he wouldn't mind too much - he was in a public area! After thinking it over, she decided it would be okay. After all, he would let her know if he didn't like it, wouldn't he? She put on a bright grin and wandered closer, stepping so that she was over his shoulder.

A quick look at the paper in his hands revealed that he had sketched someone pretty similar to... Oh! Oh, that was her! She couldn't help but let out a laugh of delight and sat down at his side. "Hey, that's not too bad! I've never seen a picture of myself before, but it looks like what I see in the mirror!" Nia was impressed.

Her parent's hadn't had the money to have pictures made of the family, and it wasn't necessary or required for the school that she now attended. The only glimpses she had of herself were in the occasional mirror that graced the school, or her reflection in the waters of the bath or river. But that had to be her- she was the only one with that style of robe here, and with that hairstyle! Her face scrunched a bit seeing herself from a different perspective. Perhaps it was time to nag the school supplier for a different style. "You're pretty good! Do you do this for a living?"

[Anonymous]

He hadn't really noticed when she wandered over to him, since Ardemi was rather focused on the drawing, trying to get that look of delight she'd had on her face earlier just right.  When she laughed and sat next to him, he glanced up suddenly, lifting one hand to shade his eyes.  "Ah, thanks."  Ardemi smiled happily, glad she liked it.

"You could say that."  It was true, he sold drawings on occasion to get some money, but most of his stuff, he kept.  He had entire books filled with sketches...eventually he'd take them all back home, but for now, Ardemi couldn't stand the idea of returning.  Not yet.  Remembering human customs, he held out his hand for a shake.  "My name is Ardemi.  You are?"

[Anonymous]

She took his hand and gave it a firm shake, "Nia Fletcher. I'm a student mage... This is my first time seeing the ocean, so I must have looked a little silly, didn't I?" She gave a small laugh, a little embarassed that he had seen her acting so un-self-conciously. And to have caught it on paper! At the same time, it was so amazing to be able to see herself as another person saw her that Nia just couldn't really feel too badly about it. Maybe if she asked nicely, he would draw her portrait. She had a little coin on her, though Nia wondered if it would be enough to buy one of that quality.

On to other things for the moment, though! "I don't see many Tarrins. Do you live her in town, or are you just passing through?" Indeed, though she had heard about them in class and read about them occasionally, Ardemi was the first of his kind that she had met. What could have brought him to the surface?

[Anonymous]

He chuckled with her, already enjoying her company.  "Silly?  Not really, you looked like you were rather enjoying yourself.  Just like the children are."  He glanced over at the group of kids, noting that a pair of them had come out of the water and started trying to build a sand castle.  He itched to draw them, but pulled his attention back to Nia.  It'd be rude to start sketching while they were talking.

Ardemi gave her a surprised look when she mentioned his kind, not expecting her to know what he was.  "Passing through, really.  Cerenis attracts odd types, so it's always interesting to return here every so often."

[Anonymous]

It was relieving to hear him be so honest that she didn't look silly. Nia grinned happily, looking out at the children that he had mentioned. They all looked carefree and joyful, and it was nice to know that she hadn't looked to different. Well, perhaps a bit. Nia felt awkward, at the stage between childhood and adulthood. It made her wonder how others saw her, whether they saw her as a child still, or not.

Ah, well. No matter how he saw her, he was still quite nice, and she was enjoying his company.

"So you've been here before? Where else have you been? Do you sketch things from your travels in there?" She pointed to his sketchbook, and then realized that she had baraged him with an embarrassing amount of questions. She pulled back with a shy smile, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm sorry for being so nosy. You don't have to answer those if you don't have to."

[Anonymous]

He chuckled, not at all bothered by her questions.  "Yes, quite a few times.  I actually wouldn't mind settling down here, Cerenis is quite nice."  He shifted his grip on the sketch pad, and started slowly flipping through the pages, letting her see the scenery and people he'd sketched.  Most of the pages were covered in dozens of sketches and hastily jotted notes, but some had a single drawing dominating the surface.  "This is just what I've done in the past few days that I've been here.  Everything else is back in my room at the inn."  

"I haven't done a lot of traveling yet, but I plan to.  There's a lot up here I'd like to see before returning."  And Ardemi really wasn't in any hurry to return home, he was too fascinated by everything he'd seen.  Really, the only part he objected to was how careful he had to be in the daylight.

[Anonymous]

"You've done all that in just the last few days?" Nia asked, her eyes wide. What she saw was prolific, and quite good. "That's amazing! Why do you sketch it all? What will you do with them when you have too many to carry? Do you have some sort of 'artistic vision' or something that you're trying to capture?" Ah! She'd done it again. But then again, she had never really talked to an artist before, and it was new and fascinating. It was nice to meet someone who had such skill in their craft- goodness knew, Nia wasn't quite as powerful as she should (and could) be. Suddenly, she felt like she had been slacking off in her magic studies. The only skill she had was magic, and that should be cultivated. At least, that was how she felt at the moment.

She brought her knees up under her chin and tilted her head. "Travel, huh?" Nia knew a lot of people did it. She just had a hard time understanding why. Strange and interesting people came to you if you settled in the right town.

While she was thinking on it, her fingers started absently playing with a shadow that was created by the folds of her robes, twisting and twirling it like string. Her lips pursed a bit. "Why? I mean, I know Tarrins are rare topside- I only recognized you because I read about them in a history book, and the blue skin was a dead giveaway. Why did you come out here traveling?"

[Anonymous]

Ardemi grinned proudly.  "Yes.  I just really enjoy drawing."  Her questions didn't bother him in the slightest and he was quite enjoying her company.  "I suppose once I've filled the sketchbooks, I'll have to find somewhere safe to leave them."  She went quiet and for a moment, he wondered if he'd done something to make her uncomfortable.  Hopefully not.

She spoke up again, with another question, and he shrugged in response.  "I feel compelled to explore.  When I was much younger, I explored the tunnels and caverns around home, and went a little too far from home.  I disturbed a behemoth, and probably would have been eaten if I hadn't fled down a tunnel that went straight to the surface."  He blushed slightly.  He'd been phenomenally stupid that day, and still remembered quite clearly all the lectures he'd gotten from his parents and older siblings.

"I was really lucky it decided not to chase me any further, and that it was night time then.  One of my brothers found me much later, still in the clearing, and took me home.  I've been fascinated with the surface since."

[Anonymous]

Nia laughed a bit when he told his story- she could imagine ending up in such a situation! And at the same time, she was thankful that she wasn't. "Glad to know that it gave you anew place to explore, then!" She stood up and stretched a bit. "Speaking of exploring..."

She glanced around looking towards the town and a little of the surrounding area. "Uh, I might have gotten seperated from my class. We're on a field trip, you see, and..." Nia grinned in embarassment. "I've never seen the ocean before. Took the first opportunity I had to sneak away. I am a little lost now, though. Would you mind helping me find my way back to the inn we were staying at?" She felt bad about asking him for a favor like this, but getting lost in a strange city didn't exactly sound appealing. Besides, who knew what trouble a young girl on her own could get into?

[Anonymous]

He couldn't help but chuckle at her story.  "Not at all, Nia."  He placed his things back in the satchel at his side, and quickly retied his blindfold, tugging his hood down over his face a bit.  Tossing his satchel over his shoulder, he stood and shook the sand out of the green tuft of fur at the end of his tail.  "The sun's getting to be a bit much for me anyways."

He turned and faced her, his vision quite blurred due to the blindfold, and shifted the satchel strap a bit on his shoulder.  "Which inn are you and your classmates staying at?"

((OOC:  blarg, shortness))

[Anonymous]

Nia smiled gratefully as he agreed to help her find her classmates and inn. "The Mended Drum," she said. "It isn't too bad, really, considering the school can't afford much. I think it's more on the north side of town." Nia gently clasped his sleeve as they started towards town. Well, farther in, since technically this area was still town... just on the very edge of it. "Do you have problems finding places to stay, here? Or anywhere you travel?"

While the streets weren't necessarily bustling, there was some traffic. One person was selling fresh vegetables, another baked sweets. She paused for a moment, thinking about how much money she had on her, and made a decision. "One moment!" She darted off towards the seller, and bought two warm buns with a honey glaze. She was back at Ardemi's side in a minute, and held one out to him. "Can you eat these, or..." she asked curiously. If he couldn't or didn't like them, Nia would have it down in a second- they looked delicious!

[Anonymous]

The Tarrin couldn't help grinning a bit.  "What a coincidence, that's where I'm staying.  Not the best inn around here, but the beds are comfortable."  He chuckled a little, but stopped when she asked him another question.  "Not here, but in the smaller villages, I've had problems at times."  He spoke quietly, a little embarrassed for admitting so.  "I've been accused of being a demon.  It's just as well that I have no horns, it'd only make it worse."

He blinked in mild confusion as she darted off, and decided against following her.  Ardemi waited patiently, his tufted tail flicking back and forth.  Nia hurried back, and he could smell some sort of baked sweet.  Peering at it through his blindfold as she held it out to him, he sniffed delicately, and asked, "It's a sweet bun, right?  No meat?"

[Anonymous]

Nia was thrilled to hear that he was also staying at the same place- he'd definitely know the way back, then! The idea of possibly getting lost in the bad side of town had put her on edge a bit, though Ardemi seemed big and unusual enough to scare away some of the potential troublemakers. She did fel bad when he said that sometimes he had trouble finding lodging, though again, his looks were unusual. Nia didn't know whether she knew where the villagers were coming from or not, so she didn't comment.

"Yep, just honey and dough," she said cheerfully, waiting for him to take it. "It's one of my favorite treats. I don't usually have a lot to spare for it- student allowance and all." That had been part of the tuition her parents had scraped together, to be doled out until she was 16. At that point, she would be turned out on the streets to make her living.

[Anonymous]

Ardemi reached out to take it, and paused, looking slightly guilty as she mentioned her low funds.  "Ah...I'd have paid for it myself if I knew you didn't have that much."  He gently took the sweet bun, and took a bite, savoring the taste of honey.  "Where is your school, Nia?"

((OOC:  ajkdlsjfkls HATE RP'ING EATING OMG.  I can never make it sound right and will stare at the screen for hours going "duurrrrrrrrr".  *flails*  not at all mad/irritated with you, just frustrated with my own retardation while writing eating.  erffghlh.

also this post sucks holy crap, but i have to get this moving again, and I'll never do so if I sit here and waste the rest of the night staring at the screen and trying to improve it.))

[Anonymous]

She felt guilty for mentioning how low her cash was, now. "Don't worry about it. I never get to share with people, and I feel guilty about mooching off of my classmates that are getter off. This is a nice change!" Nia chewed on the bread slowly, knowing it was the only treat she'd be able to afford for a while. When he asked her where her school was, Nia quickly swallowed so she could answer. "Up to the North. Darken Vei, to be specific." She paused for a moment. "I'll be graduating in two years, more or less. That's when my inheritence runs out. I'm excited. I'm hoping to start travelling and learn other types of magic when I do!" She gave him a bright smile.

"I've never been anyplace outside of Serendipity, so I'm studying up on all sorts of people and places I can go when I get out!" She started in on the sweet treat again, loving how the bun seemed less like bread and more like honeyed sugar. This was nice- she hadn't had the time or inclination to talk to the students at school, so having someone to talk to that was friendly was very special.

(n/p- I kind of suck at it, too, so don't worry! I just write it and move on)