Once an isolated and dying township, an influx of academics, adventurers and thrill seekers have made Scalvoris Town their home. From scholars' tea shops to a new satellite campus for Viden Academy, this is an exciting place to visit or make your home!
For a few bits, all that they could hear was the thundering of their own heart reverberating through their veins. The organ worked overtime, beat quickened by their nervousness. Perhaps it would have been better to do this alone. No, that would not guarantee they'd be any less anxious about joining the Order of the Adunih. Much of what they had heard or read about it had all been positive, but this did not stop the negative thoughts that lived within them in that moment. There would be something for them to mess up, to screw up in some way when they went in with Faith. They awaited the arrival of the woman as patiently as they could, hands wringing the hem of their shirt. They had dressed simply in a clean, though worn shirt that had previously been tucked into their pants. Their fidgeting had made quick work of undoing that neatness and thus had given up on it.
Amaris had the good sense to have lifted their hair from their face, pulled easily into two braids that rested against their shoulders. Poppy had fussed with the ends when they had stooped over to pick something up earlier in the morning. The dog had clearly decided they were to be a toy of sorts whenever in reach. Removing the hair from the dog's mouth had also caused them to arrive a little later than the set meeting time, though they had mentally pushed it forward as to not be late. So, rather than being late, they were horribly on time and thus had very little to fully prepare themself mentally.
Swallowing thickly, they looked around once more for the dark haired woman. They were sure that they would be easy to spot, given they were at least a head taller than everyone that moved around them.
Faith was never late. Never. She was, in fact, always early. It was her way of doing things and she prided herself in making sure that she was there before she was due to meet someone. As she had been this trial, but there seemed to be a lot of people and Faith felt more than a little lost in the crowd. Unlike Amaris, Faith was a short person standing at only five foot four and so she looked around trying to find Amaris, but not seeing her.
Then, as the crowd parted and the momentary rush of folks milling around stopped, Faith spotted the person she was here to meet. Amaris was not a friend, not yet, but she could be. Of course, to be such in Faith's eyes was to be something incredibly important to the earnest young woman. The simple fact of the matter was that people like Lady Elyna, Kura, Aeon and Nir'wei were people she simply could not ever ignore in her life.
Faith made her way over to Amaris and she smiled to the very tall individual she had met a few times now. "Amaris. How are you?" Faith asked and she gave her new friend a smile. Faith was wearing a striped dress and she too had her hair pulled back from her face. "Is there anything you want to ask before we go in?" Faith got the impression that Amaris was nervous and so she wanted to make sure that it was as easy for the newest, potential recruit as possible.
On top of her black and grey striped dress, Faith was wearing her blue cloak, symbolising her rank in the Order of the Adunih. She had a medical kit hanging on her hip in a bag. "Galena is the head of the order. She's expecting me to bring you in. She'll want to know if you've treated people before, how you've done that, what you've treated, that kind of thing." Faith gave a smile and she checked how Amaris was feeling. It was unnerving being new anywhere, Faith knew and she wanted to make sure that she was as supportive as she could be.
Upon hearing their name, they turned to see Faith walking towards them. A smile lit up their expression for the moment, though their enthusiasm was tempered by their anxiety. "I'm well, and you?" For just a trill, their gaze landed enviously on Faith's cloak. They'd already seen a host of colors coming and going from the building that housed the Order since they had arrived. When not searching for Faith, they would trail the myriad of colorful cloaks with their eyes. That would be them, soon enough. Impatience scratched at them the way a cat would a tree, slowly dragging its claws through their form.
Of course, they would not voice this to Faith. Amaris did not wish to seem overly eager or imposing--something already done by just their height. They had questions, so many. But none would pass their lips. Nerves jumbled their words as they formed them mentally, until they gave up entirely on speech and merely shook their head in response. Perhaps the hybrid would have their questions answered without having to voice them when things were explained. Anxiety flitted through them once more, fingers moving from the hem of their shirt to the ends of their hair. They nodded as Faith spoke, following her direction.
The line of questioning they would be going through was simple and straightforward. There was minimal chance for them to ruin something. Galena, Galena. Best to put the name to memory, lest they forget it in their nervousness. They held on to the name like a guiding mantra, though it was likely to be forgotten despite the aforementioned efforts to avoid such a thing. Amaris was no longer sure if the anxiety stemmed from the possibility of rejection or of them getting cold feet and spoiling their own chances.
Again, their hands found something else to busy themselves with. Their digits slipped down to the metal tags on the chain around their neck, tucked partly into their shirt. They could feel the press of the cool metal against their skin as their fingers slid over the shapes of the tags.
Even though she and Amaris had met a good few times now, Faith always forgot just how tall Amaris was. Or, maybe, just how short she herself was, Faith thought with a smile. Either way, the height differential probable made them look a little odd together, but if it did then Faith did not notice or care.
Amaris looked more than a little nervous and Faith smiled gently to her new friend. "It's nerve wracking, isn't it? I was very nervous the first time I came here. Galena is lovely, though and soon you'll be wearing a cloak of your own, if that's what you want." Not one to push, Faith had no intention of assuming that Amaris would decide that the Order was what she wanted. It might not be, although Faith very much hoped that it was. She didn't tell Amaris not to be nervous, that would not be appropriate and would be beyond patronizing.
So, instead, she smiled up to her friend and walked in. The Order of the Adunih in Scalvoris was always busy and nothing was different this trial. It was clean and neat and Faith smiled in greeting to the people there. She was at home here, one of them there was no doubt. "Come on, I'll take you through to Galena's office. Then, I'll wait outside for you when you speak to her."
Faith took Amaris upstairs, pointing out the library on the first floor. "Once you're a member, you can live here if you want to. That's something you might want to talk about, if that's what you want to do. A lot of the members live here." Faith, in fact, was the only one who didn't, she told Amaris. There was a garden outside, the top two floors were living quarters and offices. It was to Galena's office there that Faith led Amaris.
"Here we go." Faith knocked the door and Galena called out for them to come in. Faith opened the door and smiled. "Galena. This is Amaris, who I told you about? Amaris, this is Galena." Faith then fell silent and let Galena take over. She would excuse herself and step outside the door, then wait out there for Amaris.
Soon you'll be wearing a cloak of your own. How brilliant a thought that was. Amaris had no doubt that their frame would somehow find a way for the cloak to look awkward, but it would their cloak no less. It only proved to make picturing themselves in a cloak a little more difficult, the main obstacle being if they managed to not fumble through the questioning. And if they came across as presentable to the lovely Galena. Perhaps their greatest concern, Amaris was not sure what sort of reception awaited them. Even with all the friendly greetings they'd received in passing, they could not be sure.
There had been times when greeting someone was a necessity. It could be a way to scope the person out quickly and gauge their standing. Just that thought was enough to make Amaris struggle to choose between slouching further or standing straight. "You won't be coming in with me?" The moment the question had left their lips, they wanted to kick themselves. Of course, she wouldn't come in. This alone--guiding the hybrid through the Order--was taking up Faith's time. What with her venture at Cally's going on, the woman surely had quite a bit on her plate. That, and it would seem like she was guiding a small child in to see Galena.
The tour itself was short. The library and mentions of living with the Order were made. Amaris did not spare a moment to consider it; where would all their furry companions go? It would inconvenience both patients and faction members to have untrained animals gallivanting throughout the premises with no supervision, and that was essentially the case at their apartment currently. Posey had gone, and in came a small crow. It's screeching song was much like an alarm of sorts to wake the hybrid at odd hours of the night and early in the trial. Certainly not a suitable creature to be in the confines of faction housing.
Everything leading up to door opening and introduction was a blur. Amaris blinked and suddenly they stood before a brown-haired woman with a fair complexion. For just a trill, nerves made off with their words and left them open-mouthed. "Pleasure to meet you," they finally managed, stiffly sticking out their hand for a handshake. Was that what they were supposed to do in this instant? The appendage lingered in the air for a moment, and would likely fall back to their side should Galena not shake it.
Faith smiled at Amaris and patted her arm. "No, I won't. I'll introduce you and then you and Galena will chat. But I will be right outside here." She pointed to the door and she gave Amaris' arm a squeeze. "I promise you, I won't leave, I'll be right here and if you need anything, just give me a call." She well remembered her own nerves at meeting Galena and she couldn't fault her tall friend for them.
Whilst she waited outside and Amaris was put at ease by Galena, Faith considered something with a slight frown on her face. Friend. Was that what Amaris was? Faith didn't quite know, in truth, but she certainly thought that they were becoming friends, if they weren't already. That idea delighted her, Faith missed her friends and that was really the only negative to Scalvoris for the young human. Kura, Lady Elyna, Nir'wei and Aeon, they had become more than people she knew and she missed them. She wondered, too, about people like Rafael Warrick and what had become of him. It was very different here than Andaris and she noticed that difference each trial.
Still, it was home for her, here. More than that, it was the first home she had ever had that was theirs, entirely hers and Padraigs. Paid for equally and no doubts. Not that there were any between them, but Faith knew that people could be strange. More than that, though, in Andaris people looked at her in a certain way, or maybe she expected them to. Here Faith felt that she was able to just be herself and not be judged. It was, ironically, liberating.
After a while, how long Faith wasn't sure due to being wrapped up in her own ruminations, Amaris came out in with a long green cloak and as she stood up from the floor where she had sat, Faith could not help but smile. "Congratulations, Amaris. Welcome to the Order." She was pleased, more pleased than she could say and it showed in the delight on her face. "I was wondering if you'd like to come over to our house one evening? I could cook something for us and I know Padraig would be pleased to see you again. If you'd like?"
After all, Faith reasoned, she understood the value of friends. She looked up at Amaris and gave a smile, delighted to know that her friend had done what she had set out to do. "What would you like to do now? I can take you and get your first aid kit sorted?"
Off Topic
I know I've linked you before but the Order of the Adunih information is here = you need to post there to join and pay the joining fee in your ledger.
Being left to the metaphorical wolves was never fun, but it was also not fun to be left alone with people they were not well acquainted with. Perhaps Faith's introduction would have been enough, but still their nerves made them stiff and more awkward than they had wanted to be. But, it had somehow ended with them in a green cloak. It was likely shock that the situation had not dissolved into a mess that kept them quieter than they usually were.
They were greeted in the hall by Faith's voice congratulating them. It was this that shook them from their stupor, a grin breaking out over their face as their expression brightened. Another bout of shock hit them at the shorter woman's offer. It wasn't a simple thing to be invited to someone else's home. "Yes!" Maybe they sounded a little too eager. They didn't want to think that this might be a surreal dream that they would wake up from, but it was seeming more likely by the minute. And if it was, they hoped it would last a little while longer. “I would be delighted!”
The trial was turning out to be a good one, perhaps the best they would have in a while. The weight of the cloak around them was an accomplishment. Yes, it had been no more than a few questions, but there was plenty of room for them to mess it up. Especially with the hybrid involved. The nervousness had faded, though it lingered in the back of their mind at the latest development of their plans.
“I already have a first aid kit at home,” they stated. It would be best not to take from resources provided if they already had the necessary supplies. “Perhaps we could go out to eat?”
When Amaris said yes to coming for a meal, Faith's expression was one of delight. "Oh I'm glad. We'd be delighted too." She gave a grin to Amaris and reached out to touch the cloak. "It's a beginning, this. Like studying at the University, or starting a job. A beginning." The young human was very much of the opinion that, what people did with the opportunities they had was up to them and, at the end of the trial as long as Amaris was happy with the choices made, that was the only measure which was important.
"Galena is a good mentor. She'll teach you a lot." Faith did not doubt that for a moment. "As your medical skill and knowledge increases, you'll take on more responsibility but she's very good at helping people discover their strengths." Galena and her army of green cloaks, Faith considered. The folks here in Scalvoris were an interesting bunch but no doubt Amaris would find that out in their own time; it wasn't Faith's place to cloud judgements, after all.
"Well, you can restock them here, any time. The stores are just down there." Faith pointed to the store rooms on the first floor. "I tend to carry mine with me most of the time. It's come in handy." And there was a truth in that which she cold not deny. However, the prospect of going out and having lunch with a friend was a surprise to Faith, but a very pleasant one. "Now? I'd love that! We can arrange when you're going to come over, if you'd like?" The young human looked up at the mixed race and she smiled. "And I can share my news with you. I didn't want to say anything before, because you had this on your mind. But Padraig and I are going to be getting married in Vhalar."
It felt strange saying it even, but she couldn't hide the smile of pleasure as she did. "We'd both be pleased if you could come as our guest." They'd had some time to talk about it, after all and so they'd discussed who they'd be inviting. Amaris was very much on that list for them both. Either way, the prospect of lunch with a friend was a very welcome one, so Faith would be more than happy to go along.
A beginning. Since Cylus, there had been a number of beginnings for them. Work, independence, discovery. The sheltered life under the canopies had come to an end, but as Faith had said, it had truly been a beginning. The smile already on their face widened--if that were even possible.
Galena had come across as a lovely woman, as Faith had described her as before they'd even met. They were sure it would translate into her position as a mentor. They had only been given a brief preview of the green cloaks they would be learning with, though. Not much else had been revealed about them aside from their names and how long they'd been here. Amaris hoped that they would be able to find what their strength was. Most trials they had any aside from being thoroughly awkward.
They made a mental note to carry their kit on their person, as well. If you're not busy, that is -- it was right there on the tip of their tongue, held back by Faith's response. They were stuck in a surprised moment of silence as the woman announced she and Padraig would be married. And they were invited. "I would be--" What was the word they were looking for? Honored? No; too formal, could come across wrong. Delighted? Too weak an adjective to describe how they felt. "I would be thrilled to come as your guest."
They'd never been invited to a wedding before. It dawned on them once more that there were a whole slew of firsts they'd experienced as of late. The giddiness left them with a heady feeling that would not leave them, they were sure, for quite some time. That, and in a way, Faith's wedding might be like a gift considering it was scheduled for their birth season.
Faith watched Amaris' face after she had invited the new green cloak to her wedding and she had to admit, Faith felt a sense of enormous relief. "I'm so pleased you said yes." Faith's words were heartfelt and honest. Her demeanor was, as always, fairly calm but equally, she let out a breath of relief. "I've written to people, people who live where we came from, but you're the first person who has responded. I was worried you'd say no." Faith was a calm, collected and disciplined individual who did not show her emotions to most people. Yet, Amaris was becoming a friend and she could not hide her relief.
"It will be on the 122nd, in the Temple here. I'm afraid I don't know more details than that, at the moment, but I will be sure to send you a formal invitation once we have all the details worked out." Faith could not describe how she felt at the fact that she, she was inviting someone to her wedding. It was bizarre and she wondered sometimes if it was a dream.
Looking up at Amaris, Faith considered. It was good to have friends to talk to, someone who could share her excitement about the future. Yet they knew very little of each other and each other's past. That was no bad thing as far as Faith was concerned; too often she had seen people change how they responded to her when they knew what she was. What she had been, she corrected herself internally and she gave Amaris a grin.
"Let's go get something to eat, celebrate your good news and mine." With that, she was quite happy to accompany her friend to do just that.
