• Closed • Of Snake and Symbri (Symbri)

[Atashi]

50th Zi'da 716

Suddenly struck with Déjà vu, Atashi continued to scour the streets of Andaris. How many times had he gotten himself lost in this blasted city? Lash followed behind, seeming to radiate a smug aura. He could tell that she got a kick from watching him suffer, but didn't know why. Was it because he had given her a masculine name? Was it because he'd forgotten to feed her some forty trials ago? Maybe she just hated his guts? Regardless of her reasoning, she was a horse and this was probably his imagination. He sighed, it had been an exhausting season and it wasn't even half over. He looked about, to his right he saw snowy streets, to his left - more snowy streets. Ahead of him and to the rear, Ethelynda behold - snowy streets! He did not look forward to riding back to Venora in these conditions.

The last time he was in Andaris, he had three objectives: find an Inn, find the docks, find a clothing store. He had completed perhaps two and a half of those, he said two and a half because the store he'd found before didn't make any clothing his size... or race... As annoying as it was to have to search so intently for clothing, he recognised that he hadn't seen another Ithecal since moving to Rynmere, to stock pile on clothing suitable for a race that was rarely seen seemed to be a waste of money to most. Even so, he doubted that he could survive a three-day journey back to Venora in these weather conditions without appropriate clothing.

For now, he wore his black leather armour with his shield and hammer resting on his back underneath a green cloak. His armour was in surprisingly good condition considering the constant abuse it had been put through in the expedition to Welles. Out of nowhere, Lash stomped on his tail near the tip. He yelped in pain briefly before covering his mouth and turning to face the idiot horse. She stared him in his watery eyes without budging her hoof. As he continued to hold back his whimpers of pain, his expression shifted from anguish to anger. He raised his hand, ready to give the horse a slap. Seeing this, lash immediately lifted her hoof. Atashi then reeled in the length of his tail and inspected it - just a scrape with a few tiny cuts from the horse shoe. It hadn't swollen or the like so he presumed it to not be broken. He glared at Lash, seething with anger as he let down his tail.

Turning from Lash, he looked about the area once more, where to now? There were plenty of civilians about he could ask directions to an appropriate shop from, though it was a strange question to ask someone he didn't know. "Bastard horse." He spoke before pushing forward, Lash followed.

[Symbri]

Zida, 716

Perhaps it is unwise to wander as a hobby, but for lack of wanting to work or play wandering aimlessly tends to create opportunities that would be missed if you didn't wander, then again perhaps she was also missing opportunities that only presented themselves to those who waited around? Gently bopping herself on the head Symbri shook her head to clear out the roundabout thoughts that so liked to intrude into her head when she was idle, Symbri decided didn't want to be Idle when it was avoidable it was a slow death to her psyche to endlessly think redundant thoughts. Looking for anything else to distract her mind Symbri began an even more daunting task to keep her mind quiet, the observation of snowflakes.

Snow, was decidedly nice, sue it was cold but the way it collected and danced on the wind was romantic, unlike rain you could watch snow twirl and arc. Looking around Symbri searched for signs of motion and finding none on the small street she was on she grinned, mimicking the swirling movements of a snowflake Symbri twirled down the street, hardly stopping each time her feet touched the ground she kicked off higher and higher, in the air she spun and whirled arms out wide kicking high into the air, her path meandering and random just like the paths of the snowflakes she was moving with, if only there was music, she could create a new dance, the path of the snowflake. Dropping low she spun once in a crouch before rising back up into a full leap completing a full spin the air then... Left spin... then right spin a, a figure eight, then stand in place, stop, Arms out as you sink into the ground, and just as you are about to touch down, A gust of the wind, another leap another twirl, this wild snowflake knows not when to stop. Elated she meandered thusly down the street until she was brought pause when she looked up to see a serpentine man looking at her, and a horse, and she looking at him frozen mid-pirouette, wind whistled and snowflakes blew, How long had he been there? How much had he seen?

Slowly melting out of her pose Symbri let her foot fall to the earth as she looked at the man, he looked flustered, though perhaps she'd be flustered too if she'd seen someone dance wildly down a street, or maybe he had just rounded a corner and hardly seen anything, either way, it was a tad embarrassing.

"Uhm ser? Are you alright Ser?"

[Atashi]

Continuing to to follow his nose, Atashi slithered deeper into the labyrinth more commonly known as Andaris. Whether his own clueless-ness was to blame or the architect that had designed the city had not made his decisions on behalf of the people that would have to walk these streets, he was unsure. All he knew was that he'd have to keep moving or he'd surely freeze to death, so keep moving he did. As he navigated the intricate streets, the last thing he would have guessed to find on the streets of Andaris would have been what he was suddenly faced with - A small, dancing, human child. Granted, three of those words were something you'd expect to see on a day-to-day basis, but dancing? Why was she dancing? Was he overreacting? Probably!

He hadn't realised he was staring at the girl until she looked at him mid-dance, he immediately averted his gaze, pretending not to have seen the girl and continued to walk in that direction, acting ever so naturally. That is until she called him out on his bull. He stopped, turning to face the girl "Err, me? Whatever do you mean? I am fine, yes." he spoke, sounding rather unsure of himself. He waited in silence for a moment, a gust of cool Zi'da wind blew over the back of his head. He eventually settled on the fact that he wasn't going to bluff his way out of this and instead spoke "Okay okay, so I was looking at you, I'm sorry." he spoke, a confessing tone. Then he saw a way to dig himself out "...I just hadn't expected to see such a good dancer out in Andaris today!" Nailed it. Lash whinnied behind him, as if also trying to call him out on his bull. He paid no attention to the bastard horse, being mindful of his tail.

He looked to the girl, he couldn't help but be reminded of Carl back in Venora, they were roughly the same age after all. This girl was what, fifteen - sixteen arcs of age? A bit younger than Carl in fact. Was this girl even old enough to be playing out in the snow by herself? Not a clue. Regardless, he looked to her. Was she buying it?

[Symbri]

Zi'da

Putting on a false frown while she looked at the serpentine man Symbri scratched her chin thoughtfully before finally smiling. If anything he looked even more flustered than he previously had which only served to amuse Symbri further. Thinking about it Symbri decided that the man was decidedly more embarrassed than she was.

"Hrrmm, Well as long as you're fine I suppose"

Bowing deeply to the man's compliment Symbri finally grinned. It was always nice to get a compliment, forced or not. Especially considering that she had just been experimenting for a new dance. Sidling up to the man Symbri came to bear before him and his horse.

"Well I'm not doin nothin too special, I just... Well I was so enchanted by the way snowflakes fall that I wanted to try and move like one, that might seem a bit silly, but It's been hard finding inspiration since I moved to the city. So I gotta look wherever i can for new dance moves or people will get bored with me."

Walking next to him and matching his pace Symbri arched an eyebrow at him.

"You must be pretty tough though, I have an Ithecal friend and she almost never goes outside, course you're dressed up in armor, Are you in the military?"

Walking along taking big strides to not drag the snow Symbri walked beside the snake swinging her arms in overly dramatic arcs as she walked. In part because she just liked moving thusly but it also kept her blood flowing which kept her warm.

"Oh, By the way I'm Symbri, Andaris's newest dancer and..."

Looking around conspicuously Symbri glanced around before whispering to the man

"I'm gonna be a Hero too, or at least I'm gonna try, oh, and who are you?"

Unconcernedly carrying on next to the man Symbri decided that he seemed interesting enough to pester for a little while considering she didn't have anything better to be doing.

[Atashi]

The kids smile was contagious - Perhaps he was just glad to have made someone happy? Even so, she had him grinning with her. Thinking that was the end of that encounter, he continued with Lash through the blanketed streets - he only managed a few feet of travel before the kid had decided to join him in walking. 'What? Why?' Echoed his thoughts in his head, a little confused by her actions. Perhaps she needed help? He was wearing his uniform after all.

The girl explained herself and made a lot of sense, looking around the immediate area, he didn't see much that would inspire a dancer. The falling snow may have just been the most entertaining non-living thing in Andaris.

The way the girl spoke however made him raise an eyebrow - people got bored with her? 'What? Is she some sort of wind-up toy?' He sincerely hoped that people wouldn't treat anyone, let alone a kid, like that. Perhaps this was just her self-esteem showing? If that were the case, why is it so low to begin with? Perhaps he shouldn't be delving into the psyche of this random girl. Pushing his thoughts into the back of his head he replied as they walked "Yes, I suppose that makes sense." he started, then an idea hit him. "Say, I might be in Andaris for a while. I'd love to come and see one of your shows if you're performing soon." Did it sound weird to say that to a kid you don't know? Probably. "I-I mean if you don't mind." he added after some consideration, 'Nice save.' he congratulated himself.

His ears perked at the mention of another Ithecal. Eyes wide, he looked to the girl. He hadn't seen another Ithecal since leaving home so many arcs ago and now he was hearing that there was another one In Rynmere? The thought got him a little excited. Regardless though, the girl had asked him a question. He turned his gaze frontwards, assuming a more natural expression before speaking "I am, yes." with a calm voice, he'd contain his excitement for now. "A knight of the Iron Hand in fact." he spoke, sounding quite authoritative unintentionally. He took a glance to the girl, she was swinging her arms with exaggeration as you would expect a two-legged child to. He grinned, shaking his head a little "And I am Atashi, a pleasure to meet you Symbri." He spoke replying to her introduction.

Listening to the second part though, he considered her aspirations, what could she have meant by a hero? Was she also looking to join the military? Glancing about in the same manner she had, Atashi spoke in a hushed tone "I wish you luck, Symbri. Let me know if you need any help!" This kid was adorable, no doubt about it. As weirded out as he should have felt, she made him happy. Suddenly realising that he hadn't been paying attention to where they'd been walking, he was now even more lost than before. He sighed as he looked around, particularly unimpressed with the lack of clothing shops. He did however spot something that looked somewhat familiar in the distance. As the two closed in on it, his suspicions were confirmed - An animal handler's store, he'd spent enough time and nel in his local store and recognised the equipment lying around the outside.

He'd normally have passed it by and continued his search, but he was with company. Looking to the girl he'd been walking with, he felt it only polite to ask "What do you say? Wanna take a look inside?" in a calm tone. Feeling that the girl might not know what sort of shop it was, he explained, looking through the window just to be sure "They sell animals and such here, by the looks of things only small ones though. The one in Venora has a barn and everything for the animals – It’s quite a lot bigger..." He looked to her, anticipating her response.

[Symbri]

Zi'da, 716

Walking with the snake Symbri took note of the way his lower halved moved through the snow leaving a winding trail, she'd have to try ad get him to let her look at it in detail later, the thought of a snakey dance sounded amusing. But as it was she tried to focus on the man's words and not let her mind wander too far as it often did. listening to him she grinned in nodded in response to him asking if he could come see a show, she did like to show off when she got the chance to do so.

“I wouldn’t mind if you came to one of my shows, I perform most nights.”

Walking along she listened to him talk about his being in the Iron hand, so he was local military, she wondered if he was on duty, the last time she’d met an on duty guard it had been a tad unpleasant and she didn’t want to create a repeat incident.

“Being in the military must be hard, Is today a day off for you? And it’s nice too meet you too.”

Nodding at his offer of help Symbri smiled wanly, if he could help her he’d be a miracle worker she thought, but she’d keep that to herself, she wasn’t sure herself what kind of hero she wanted to be. Following him Symbri nodded when he offered to go into the animal store with her she hadn’t ever been in one before, still new to cities in general most animals sold at the farm had come from markets and been sold at markets so a store dedicated to animals was quite intriguing.

“Oh I wonder what kind of animals they have?”

Not bothering to contain excitement Symbri bolted into the pet shop grinning at the various animals held within. Walking about the shop excitedly Symbri found one display with several puppies advertised as growing up into excellent companions. Picking one up and holding in the air Symbri touched noses with the little furry beast which licked her in response. Laughing Symbri Held the small puppy out the Atashi grinning.

“Look at her atashi isn’t she pretty?”

Holding the puppy out Symbri was elated, she’d never had her own pet before, there’d been barn cats and hunting dogs about the farm but never one of her own, the desire to have one was real but having the time to keep one and take care of it was a real responsibility.

[Atashi]

Grateful that the girl would allow him to see one of her shows, he nodded and spoke "Thank you, I'll be sure to keep an eye out then." while smiling warmly. Continuing their walk and talk, she asked him a question regarding his profession - He'd been trying his best to take his mind off things. He cleared his throat before speaking "Yes, It's my day off." deliberately ignoring the part about the military being hard as to not bother the human child with tales of a certain crook. Why would he? She was a civilian, young at that too. As such it isn't his place to bother her with sad stories, it's unprofessional.

Whilst keeping himself composed, they approached the pet shop. Symbri barely contained her excitement, charging the store at full speed. He grinned, rolling his slitted eyes. She was the most adorable kid he'd ever met, saying that though he didn't meet too many children and they certainly don't often follow him around big snowy cities thankfully. However, Symbri's company was nice, she helped keep his mind occupied with things that weren't to make him ill. He looked to Lash sternly "Stay here." He spoke, throwing off a bout of anger to the bastard horse. Once satisfied that lash wouldn't run off and leave him to freeze to death in the cold, he entered the store. The store was somewhat busy to his surprise, now, where would Symbri be? He looked about the room, searching for the fiercest animals on sale, he figured he'd probably find the girl near enough to them. To his surprise, he hadn’t found Symbri. 'Why wouldn't the child want a ferocious beast for a pet?' he pondered, then decided to look about the room for cute animals instead, perhaps they'd more be her thing.

Once he'd scanned the room, he sure enough found her at a puppy display. He sighed before approaching the girl. Once he'd arrived it was already too late - the girl was completely enthralled by the furred fiend "Pretty? Err, yes." he spoke uncertain. He refrained from touching it - as admittedly cute as the creature was, he'd had many a canine chase, bark and bite at his tail and had grown to be rather unfond of them. Looking the creature in the eyes, he squinted before turning his gaze to the elated child.

Despite being unfond of the creatures himself, they clearly made Symbri very happy - a look that suited her well. She probably hadn't intended it, but it felt as though she was begging him with her eyes. "You know, owning a dog is a big responsibility." he spoke, sounding very informative despite not knowing anything about owning pets. Perhaps owning one would be a good life lesson for the girl though? She was now so completely attached to the mutt meant that if she couldn't have it she'd be heartbroken for sure. He sighed. "Wait here a second, Symbri." He spoke, smiling before turning to the desk attendant and approaching. "How much for the beast?" Atashi asked with enthusiasm "I beg your pardon!?" replied the desk attendant sounding most offended. "The dog."Atashi specified
"Oh, the malamute pups?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
"75 gold nels sir." The man spoke sceptically, Atashi's eyes widened. Seventy-five gold nels? That's almost as expensive as Lash! He looked to the girl once more, the joy on her face as she played with the creature warmed his heart just enough to cough up the nels, turning to the man once more he opened his gold pouch and took 75 gold coins from the bag and handed them over to the man.

Looking almost surprised for a second, he appropriated the coins before speaking "Thank you, she's all yours." with a grateful smile on his face. He turned to Symbri and slithered to his previous standing "Alright, the pup's all yours, Symbri." he smiled, feeling proud of himself for having done something nice for a stranger.

OOC:

Deducted 75gn from ledger for 1x Large untrained dog.

[Symbri]

Zida, 716

She enjoyed the man's company, as much as she enjoyed the puppies, it was a cute little beasty, with soft little eyes and a fluffy little body. Though when the snake mentioned the responsibility it took to raise such an animal Symbri nodded understandingly, animals of all sizes had different needs and personalities from horses to mice, and learning to control and deal with them took all manner of time and patience. She did understand that, but how much trouble could one little furball cause?

Going back to nuzzling the little animal Symbri wondered how anyone could resist the charm of these small animal, even when they got big they were still just as lovable. getting ready to put the dog down and see what her current companion had come into the store to see she was interrupted by Atashi's announcement that the puppy was now hers, she wasn't prepared for such a thing and her jaw dropped as she tried to wrap her brain about such a thing. Finally Deciding on a course of action Symbri tucked the puppy under an arm and gave Atashi the tightest hug she could manage with her free arm.

"Thank you thank you thaaaaank yooouuu. You didn't have to do that at all Atashi, I mean I mean... I hardly deserve such a gift ooh, is there anything I can do to repay you? Oh, and you've gotta help me name her, ooh thanks so much Atashi~♪"

Not letting go for a good few Moments Symbri finally backed up a tad embarrassed by her own outburst mildly embarrassed. Holding the puppy to her chest she and the puppy looked up at Atashi giving him not one but two puppy dog stares.

"I mean.. I really appreciate it Atashi, so if there is anything I can do to repay you anything at all, please do ask ok, I don't really have any friends in this city so.. I'm definitely naming you my best friend, so you get all the perks and benefits that come with it, like invitations to any of my dances or.. even lessons and fashion advice. And If I ever get famous I'll totally make sure that you get a room in any mansions I get"

Grinning at Atashi Symbri was pleased beyond belief and she hoped that he'd give her some way to repay him or at least make good on her promise to him, though she was happy to just spend the rest of the evening with him and her new found puppy companion. Hugging the puppy to her, Symbri cuddled the little beasty to her chest relishing in it's warmth.

[Atashi]

At first he grinned, seeing the look of sheer joy and shock on the girls face warmed his heart. He was glad to have been able to make the girl happy, all was good in the world. Then she hugged him. His expression dropped immediately, turning to that of discomfort. He hadn't anticipated this, sure it was probably deserved but he really didn't wan't or expect any praise for gifting Symbri the creature. 'Oh, man up Atashi. You can go to war against the Qe'dreki and break bones with a single swing, but can't take a hug from an excited little girl?' - Good point. Dropping his pout, he returned her hug with one arm as to not crush the canine.

"It's fine, seriously! You shouldn't thank me yet though, I doubt that puppy has been trained..." He spoke with concern. Had he perhaps dumped too much responsibility on the girl? He hadn't taken much notice of her offer to repay him - he hadn't done this for thanks or to get something in return, that's not how giving gifts works. He smiled once more, Symbri was so adorable. Eventually letting go of him she looked to him with the beast, both giving puppy dog eyes to the poor Ithecal. Nearly dying inside, he asked why Ethelynda was punishing him. 'Man. Up. Atashi.' - Fine, he would have groaned but Symbri would have been without context. Instead he smiled with patience, hoping that the cuteness would come to pass - it didn't. It wasn't a case that cute things put him off, but being the big, tough, scary knight he was he didn't like to admit to such things. 'Big, tough and scary huh? Someone's modest.' - shut up.

Symbri then clarified after she'd calmed down a little, again with wanting to repay him. Then, she dubbed him her best friend. What? How could she not have any friends in the city? The pity he'd felt for the girl prior just kept growing as she threw logs to the fire. Perhaps he was being too much of an Ithecal, too militant or serious. He really shouldn't take what the other races say or do to heart all the time. "It really is no problem, Symbri. I'm -" He was cut off by a howl of the wind, looking to shop window all he could see was the winds carrying copious amounts of snow - a blizzard. Oh, Ethelynda please no. Not only that, but the sky had started to darken. He looked back to Symbri, "Sorry. I really do appreciate the gesture, Sym, but we should probably get you home." He pondered for a moment, Lash is probably loving the weather out there. A sinister grin spread across his face as he thought of the bastard horse.

He shook his head, ‘not the time for horse vendettas. His thoughts strayed for a moment, the girl had clearly wanted to return the favour somehow. He would try and think of a way she could do so without spending Nel. "Have you ever rode a horse before?" He asked from the blue. He'd walk with her to Lash when she was ready.

[Symbri]

716

Grinning at him still, Symbri shook her head to abolish the thought that she wouldn’t repay him somehow but didn’t say any more, trained or not the puppy was a welcome gift that Symbri was more than grateful for but she’d drop the subject and just find a way to repay him of her own method .

“Well trained or not I’m happy to have her.”

Joining him in gazing out the window Symbri shuddered inwardly at the now gusting snow creating a maelstrom outdoors, such was the spontaneity of winter weather, not she minded too much, she lived on the main thoroughfare in Ye Old Inn, but the Blizzard would certainly halter progress towards home.

“Hrmm, lousy weather, but it is pretty eh?”

Listening to Atashi Symbri shook her head in the negative that she’d never ridden a horse, though it wasn’t something she’d ever really planned on doing, horse were in her opinion a tad intimidating and having never had a reason to ride one she’d never sought out lessons.

“I’ve never ridden a horse… but I’ve never really needed to ya know… like they’re such big animals and all, plus you know.. I’m pretty happy walking everywhere, can’t miss what you haven’t tried ehehhehe… right?”


Looking at her puppy and then her feet she avoided Atashi’s eyes hoping her wouldn’t pursue the subject, horses were a tad scary of you asked her. But then again she didn’t mind walking with him even if he rode his horse.

“What about you Atashi? Will you be able to get home fine in this weather? I’m currently staying at Ye Olde Inn, so it’s not too hard for me to find my way.”

Symbri pulled a face at the name of the establishment, Ye Old Inn was in her mind one of the most boringly named places ever, but who was she to complain.