Private Tales A whole new world

[Caliane Ruinë]

It had been a long two weeks for the winged elf.

It had taken her a further three days before she was strong enough to leave the Monster Hunter's Guild. Her wounds would rip whenever she used her wings for more than just a small take off or landing, and her broken ribs had caused her relentless torment. Annie had asked her to stay longer, but she hadn't been able to put off going home any earlier. There was something telling her that people knew where she was and her dawdling was being frowned upon. With her wings still weak she had made most of the journey on foot with Willis, who had stuck to his word and seen her home. At the edge of her territory she had regretfully had to leave him behind and continue the rest of her journey on foot to the towering city she was from. The only way to access it was with wings, the foot passages long ago sealed up.

What had followed, she still hadn't told Willis in full detail. It was personal, and the feelings it had stirred up had left scars on her heart. The conclusion had been the one she had wanted, but it was a bittersweet victory when she thought of the looks on her loved ones faces. It had been decided by the Elders that Caliane was to venture into the outside world and make reports back to her city. Then, they as a people would decide whether the Avariel's should return to the world once more. Cali had rejoined Willis a day after she had left him. She had actually been surprised to find him still waiting for her - she wouldn't have blamed him if he had left. When she had returned she had led one of the strange mountain ponies with her packs; she had a feeling it was going to be hard to find clothes with wing slits in them wherever they wandered. Willis had been sweet, not pried too hard, even though she could tell he had a million and one questions. Instead, as they made their way through the Spine, Cali taught him what she knew of the landscape there, showed him her tracking methods for Ogres, the tell-tale signs for Griffin hunting grounds, the subtle traps that goblins set for rabbits. It had been a pleasant journey, filled with laughter by the campfire and whispered confessions under the stars. Willis had taken the reigns when they left the Spines and Cali stepped into a whole new world. He began filling her in on the history of the land, and in particular of the Monster Hunters, of which she was now a member.

Their journey had led them to Alliria. Outside of which Cali now stood gawking.

"It's huge."

No, huge was an understatement. A Griffin was huge. This was... this was.... She didn't have the word in her own tongue or the Common one. As they had travelled further south and the climate had improved, and the further they had got from her home, Cali had changed into a more informal version of her normal Hunting attire. She still wore her trusty bucket boots, though instead of thick leggings she now wore a pair of short jerkins which came to her mid thigh. Over the top of that she wore a longer tunic with slits up the sides of the skirt in order to allow ease of movement if necessary. It was cinched in at the waist with corset brace, which was still acting to keep her tender ribs in the right position whilst they healed. Her arms were bare put for the vanbraces she wore, again to hide the bandages she still had to wear around her wrists. Slung from her hip was her quiver and bow - her most prized possessions. She had thought them lost when she had been taken but Zandeer had found them when he returned to the site of her abduction. She wore her hair loose but for two braids which pulled some of her mane off of her face.

And over the top of it all, including over her wings, was a bloody cloak.

"I can't believe you're making me wear this," the winged elf grumbled as they walked towards the gates, wriggling under the uncomfortable weight against her wings.

 

[Smiling One]

Over the past fortnight Caliane has recovered nicely according to her while the chains stopped hindering her powers, it was still going to be a long time before Caliane can get her fully recover. Gea was kind enough to have Caliane rest in the Gilded Vale. The Ravenfolk was one of the friendlier caretakers in the Monster Hunter safehouses if not the friendliest. It was good that Caliane's group found Gea instead of someone like Maleous the Monstrous who runs The Twin Snakes safehouse in the Gold Road. Knowing him, Maleous would probably assist the men in carving Caliane up.

During her recovery, Willis learned many tips and tricks from the Winged Elf on how to trap Ogre's and how to properly look for Griffins. The latter was very useful since Griffins are cunning monsters who often plan their attacks and are notorious opportunists striking when they see a sign of weakness. Due to Caliane's wings still not being fit for long term flight, Willis had to escort Caliane to her home but he was still forbidden to know the exact location of her home. Who knows how many Avariel were there, where they a Kingdom? When will they reveal themselves.

Part of the young man wanted to leave, since Caliane was home but as soon as he turned on his heel he was unable to leave. Caliane expressed a desire to explore the world and to see new horizons, mirroring that same dream he had when he was a child. If Willis had to predict, Caliane would come back eager to explore more. If anything, Willis surmised the best way for Caliane to adapt was to become a Monster Hunter she'd shown great aptitude and if anything he might as well register her at Wveryn's Rock.

Caliane came back and explained to Willis that her people wanted her to explore and report back. Maybe it was time for her people to leave, but Caliane was eager to leave and explore. "Well I fucking called it," Willis thought as he traveled with the red head.

The young man provided Caliane with some clothing and forced her to wear a cloak. She'll draw too much attention with the common folk. She protested, but Willis insisted as he dragged her from the Gilded Vale and went to Allria to do a contract. A few days passed and they arrived in Willis' childhood home. "Why yes I did," Willis said walking with her. "You don't want some common folk trying to pluck your feathers or try to chop them off. Here in Alliria although we're a melting pot, we're superstitious."

Willis went through the docks and sighed. "Welcome to Alliria," he said. "One of the oldest and grandest cities in all of Arethril. It was said that architects behind this beautiful city are the Oracles. Multi eyed creatures who the inhabitants love and acceptance. This is why you'll find Alliria the most inclusive city in the world unlike say Vel Anir."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

I dare anyone to try and pluck my feathers, Caliane mentally grumbled to herself, patting her thigh and the dagger that was sheathed there. The cloak itched against the wounds in her back and she kept fidgeting with it as they walked. The story was an interesting one, her people had quite a few records on the race of the Oracles, but nothing about a city such as this. She stopped playing with the cloak as they stepped under the large arched doorway, gaping up at it. She would have had to have flown up a fair distance to touch the top of it. Who did they let into this city that its doors needed to be so big? She had stopped to gawk, whilst Willis had strode on and she quickly skipped to catch up, slowing down to step in time with him before he could tell her off for falling behind again.

"Oh..." a blissful sigh escaped her lips as she finally looked out at the docks and to the ocean. The ocean. The mass of water was something she had only ever read about in books, had never thought she would see it was her own eyes. It stretched out like a jewelled blue carpet. Gently she pushed off with a little movement of her wings, that would be missed entirely by most people, and landed on the shoulder of a crumbling statue to get a better look.

"Have you ever been out there?" she called down, gesturing to the wide expanse of the unknown.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis sighed as at the vast ocean which stretched out far from the Allirian docks. The sea glittered against the Sun's rays. Willis remembered going to the docks everyday as a childhood and looked at the sunset watching the ships and hoping to leave Alliria to explore. He wanted to escape his abusive mother, escape begging on the docks and never be hungry again. Willis wanted to leave his old self behind and take on a new identity. Every time he would escape his mother's beatings, he would limp on to the docks and watch the ships drift off to the sea filled with hope.

"All the time," a sad smile spread across Willis' lips motioning the Winged Elf to sit with him on the docks. "Every day I used to sit here," he said. "And watch the ships go by and sun set. It was incredible."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Cali noticed the motion and she jumped from the 10ft perch she had been stood on, her wings slowing her descent so it looked like she floated to the ground. She landed lightly on her feet before taking a seat next to Willis on the rough wooden dock. After a moment she crossed her legs, a motion she hadn't done since she was a child that sat on the tutors mats in class. The sun felt wonderful on her skin and she turned her face up towards it, eyes half closing in a lazy gesture similar to that of her cat. As she eased her wings to spread out around them both, she was careful to keep them within the confines of the cloak. Even so, the little heat they got from the sun inside the cloak was enough.

"I used to do the same," Cali confided after a while of peaceful, companionable silence. "Our city is built off the ground, and there was this one spot in our garden where you could see across The Spine, but it was always beyond it that was more interesting, to me at least," she smiled faintly at the memory. "So were you in the navy?" she raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis hoped no one saw Caliane glide down from the perch. The young man looked around seeing sailors and dock workers carrying barrels and packages from the anchored ships. Too focused on their job to notice anything strange the life of a sailor. The Winged Elf gazed at the Sun her expression wearing the same wonder and awe that Willis possessed as a child. Her cloak shifted a bit indicating that Caliane was probably stretching her wings a bit.

"Yeah," Willis said. "Instead of the sea you guys get to see the mountains in the comfort and safety of your family." The young man sighed. He had no family his mother was a monster and Willis never knew his father. Though he liked to live life alone, a small part of him wondered what it was like to have an actual family.

"Yeah you can say that," Willis smiled sheepishly in response to Caliane's question about Willis in the Navy. He supposed it would be bad form to say that he served as a Pirate. Though a life of Piracy helped shaped Willis to be the person he is today, he was still a career criminal and occasionally does it. "I love sailing the seas it is absolutely breathtaking."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Cali glanced at Willis out of the corner of her eye as he spoke. She could sense there was more to both of his comments but who was she to pry when she held her own cards close to her chest? The topic of family sounded particularly sore and painful so she didn't push that any further, but the topic of his time in the navy... He looked almost ashamed. She couldn't imagine what would make a sailor ashamed to talk about his time in service? She bit her lower lip gently and returned her gaze to the ocean; let him keep his past.

It didn't remain there for much longer, as the bustling market suddenly caught her attention.

"Is that a market?!" She was on her feet with a catlike grace in a flash, grabbing Willis'hand and pulling him after her. She was practically skipping. Markets were not a common thing in her hometown, as they were a sheltered and small population there was never really a need for it. People had their jobs, and you knew who to go to directly if you wanted clothes, or food, or wares of other kinds. Nobody stood around and bartered over costs. But she had read stories about the markets the Groundlings held. Oh, it was like something out of a story. Men shouting, people shoving each other this way and that, the smell of spices making her eyes water.

She stopped by what had originally caught her attention: a puppet show. She promptly sat down with the other children to watch, her eyes wide.

 

[Smiling One]

Before Willis could say anything, Caliane pulled his hand practically dragging him away from the docks. For a woman with a lithe figure she was surprisingly strong. "What?" Willis smiled though his voice was strained from having to prevent shoulder being ripped off from his socket. "Yeah that is a market! In fact it's called Thrash to Treasure. It's where sailors and travelers come in and try trade their trinkets for coin."

The person who runs the place is a Halfling named Elmond Rubberbeard. Willis has exchanged some items with him from time to time. Elmond was a little eccentric but was fair which was surprising given the shady dealings on the docks. Smugglers, Pirates and other scoundrel would often get together on the docks and trade illegal items that they found or go to The Shallows to conduct business. It wouldn't be a good idea to take Caliane there.

Just then Caliane sat down to see a Mummer Toupe conducting a play with puppets:

If there was one thing that Willis enjoyed as a child it was puppet shows. Listening to stories always fueled his imagination and puppet shows were know different, it helped that the woman who was doing the play looked cute. "This is the story of the man finding his Unicorn," he whispered in Calianes ear as he sat down next to her. "It's a pretty tragic tale."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane looked up at Willis and watched him sit down with her, giving him a bright smile when he did so - she really was like a small child in her excitement. Though, given her age, she was still pretty young even by elvish standards, not yet even into her second century. Leaning her head conspiratorially close to his, she listened as he whispered in her ear, filling her in on the story. For most of the children, going by their reactions ahead of the tale itself, it was a common one they had heard before. The woman was indeed beautiful, and her voice was easy to listen to, but it was the curious artistry of the puppets that was really gripping the elf's full attention. Some true craftsmanship had gone into creating them - the unicorn looked like a miniature of the real thing.

"We have nothing like this back home," Cali murmured, her wing lightly brushing against Willis' back as she tried to keep them from touching anyone else, yet trying to keep them under cover without causing them to cramp. What a marvel this was!

 

[Smiling One]

"Really?" Willis said as from the corner of his eye he saw the iconic scene of the Unicorn opening magically opening the portal to leave the world. In this part of the story, the boy sacrifices his life for the Unicorn holding off a horde of Ice Elves. "Your people never had puppets for entertainment?" There was a lot about the Averiel that Willis did not know. If Caliane passed the trials to become a Monster Hunter, then she'll be the first Avariel Monster Hunter in history. Of course that means going through Elbion leaving her vulnerable to cultists who probably want to sacrifice her due to be an angelic being.

The Winged Elf may not like it, but the cloak was for her own good. No need for Caliane to draw unnecessary attention. "What do you guys do to keep yourselves entertained?" Willis asked ignoring the tears of the children around them. He's seen this story a hundred times, and he already finished his water work a long time ago.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

The story was a beautiful one.

Caliane was entranced as she listened to the woman weave a story of the love between the boy and the unicorn, the close bond that tied their fates together. It made her heart swell, for surely everyone had had that kind of bond with someone or something in their lives - a pet, a family member, even a toy perhaps. And then the tone shifted, and the storyteller crushed all of the joy and love she had been building up in the audience by telling of their unavoidable separation. But the story didn't stop with just the two friends having to part ways - it ended with the boy sacrificing himself to save his friends life. Cali was startled to find tears rolling down her own cheeks as the puppet of the boy lay crumpled, forever reaching out towards his unicorn. The woman bowed and Cali clapped along with the others, as she wiped away the tears.

"It is very rare for an Avariel to get pregnant," she explained as she stood up, dusting off her cloak and bum where she had been sat on the dusty ground. "So our community is not really geared towards children. They are more interested in playing and learning to fly anyway, you would struggle to get one of them to sit still to listen to a play like that. For adults, music is the biggest form of entertainment. We like to sing with one another, but we also have performers who will sing stories from our histories." The little girl who had been sat with her was still in tears, and it didn't look as though she had an obvious guardian. Crouching down in front of the little girl, she carefully wiped her tears making gentle soothing noises.

"Do not cry little one, the storyteller missed out the very important ending to the story." The little girl hiccuped, but the sobbing stopped as her interest was piqued. Carefully, Cali opened the girls palms and a small image of the boy and unicorn appeared made of flames. The little girl gasped. "Whilst in this life the boy could not be with his friend, they were reunited when the unicorn passed from this world when he was old and tired. The boy welcomed him with open arms, and now the ride the Aether fields together," as she spoke the two fiery figures moved, dancing across the child's palms without causing any harm. The girl squealed in delight when they finally vanished in a small shower of sparks. Helping the girl to her feet she watched her run off to tell the older children, then turned her attention back to Willis.

"So! Shopping?" Cali clapped her hands together in excitement.

 

[Smiling One]

"No different from other Elves then," Willis surmised as he got with Caliane. "There's a 1/20 chance that an female Elf can get pregnant after their first coupling," he said. "And that chance gets lower with every century, the elven race spent ages trying to increase their fertility rate but to no avail. Some scholars theorized that it was a trade off from their long lifespan. If there was one major advantage that Humans had over Elves was that they can breed at a faster rate than all other races. A major reason why humans are the most plentiful species in Arethril.

"Ah you focus on singing?" Willis said. "More in tune with the arts just like your ancestors? There are many different species of Elves but on thing they all have in common is that they love song making and being one with nature."

Willis smiled at the sobbing girl while Caliane entertained her with a fire magic show. She was amazed and the young man tossed the little girl a piece of silver before she went to tell her friends. Based on her hand me down clothing, the little girl lived in the orphanage located in the outer city of Alliria. "Yeah!" Willis smiled at Caliane. "Let's head deeper into the city, there's plenty that you might like."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

"I have to admit, you probably know more about my fellow elves than I do," Caliane gave him a half smile and began to walk as she elaborated. "When our Ancestors decided to close the gates to our city to the outside world, they did it to all races. From what I understand, humans were not actually the main problem when it came to the jealousy of our wings," it had been their cousins who had turned on them first and conducted the most ruthless of experiments, according to most chronicles. "It is only the sky elves our kind have any dealings with now, they shut themselves off for similar reasons - to protect themselves. They are our strongest allies."

She stopped talking as they walked past a stall selling a variety of trinkets. They were probably the sort you would see on every kind of tourist stall, but the simplicity was a curiosity for her. Her people would never think to make miniature versions of their landmarks, or painted pots, for strangers to buy and take home as a momento. She glanced up at Willis before straightening up and letting him lead them on.

"You probably have a lot of questions about my people, no?" Cali's lips twitched slightly. It was probably the same amount of questions she had for him about this rest of the world, but unlike Cali he wouldn't be able to walk her streets. Not yet at least. "I shall make you a deal, for every three question of yours I answer, you owe me another story, like the boy and the unicorn." Stories carried a powerful weight for the Avariel, who believed that within the lines of every tale, a small piece of history or truth could be uncovered.

 

[Smiling One]

"It's unknown why the Avariel disappeared," Willis said while they approached the Inner City. It was the pride and joy of Alliria said to be the foundation in which the city built on. Alliria made a fortune off trade and shipment, and it continues to be one of the strongest if not the strongest trading post in Arethril with only Elbion as its main competitor for trade goods. Willis would always gawk at the fancy trinkets as a child and even stealing some of them to sell to the people at the Black Market in the Shallows.

"I'm glad you're enjoying the market," Willis said watching Caliane analyze the market stalls next to the gate. The Inner City was heavily guarded by the famed Allirian Guard, they were one of the best guardsmen in Arethril with their skillset rivaling a Knight. It was also famed for its diversity: Men, women, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings any race was accepted and given a fair chance to climb up the ranks.

"I do," Willis said to Caliane. "And we have a deal, so I guess first thing is that why did the Averail disappear? Were they in a war against the Dwarves like most of the stories said?"

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

"I love the market," Caliane acknowledge with a heavenly sigh as she ran her fingers over some fabric on another stall they walked past. It was just so full of life. There had been an ache in her heart all her life that she had not known about, but it found peace here. In the hustle and bustle, amongst the noise and the dirt and the smells of people being people. She was growing more and more assured that this was the right path for her, to go into the world and to be the olive branch between her people and the world. She just hoped her reports would be heeded and the Elders would agree.

"The world thinks we left because of a war with dwarfs?" Caliane couldn't keep the surprise from her voice, her eyesbrows raised. She shook her head in disbelief. "We were at war with the dwarfs shortly before the Closing, but it is not the reason. We closed our doors to the world because our children were being taken for their wings. As I mentioned, children are precious to us and rare. During the war with the dwarfs, whilst our attention was away from our young, three of our babies were stolen. We appealed to the other elves for help to catch who had committed such an evil against our people. It was only the Sky Elves who responded," Cali took a deep breath. It was a sorrowful period of history, to have three of their young murdered so brutally. It had caused a wound in her people that still oozed today. "The children's bodies were discovered a month after their abduction, one in the land of the elves, one in Elbion, and one with the dwarfs. It was impossible to determine who had committed the crime, and the others stood against any investigation into the matter. The grief of losing not one but three of our children sent the population into mourning. They decided, to stop anyone else being taken again, that they would shut the gates to the city."

Cali paused by a flower market and bent her face to smell the rich array of flora she had never seen, delighted by the delicate summer buds that would not have survived in The Spines.

 

[Smiling One]

"It was the end of the Age of Urogosh," Willis pointed out while they continued to walk through the marketplace. He hasn't seen Caliane been this happy since she realized that she was free from her captors. He didn't tell her this, but in many ways she did remind Willis as himself as a child. Walking around the marketplace exploring the origins of the items from the merchants. "The Dwarves with their airships waged war against the Avariel because they were interested their lands. Many of the large Steam Cities in which the Dwarves construct their airships were built upon Avariel cities."

The young man continued to listen about how the Avariel closed their doors due their children being abducted for their wings. Shit, it was the same reason why Caliane was captured Ages later. He guessed it was the nail in the coffin for the Avariel to disappear while the Dwarven Kings nearly erase their species and culture from history. "I see why the Sky Elves admired the Avariel," Willis said. "It was said that they tought them how to fly."

Smiling at Caliane sniffing flowers, Willis took out some coins from his coin purse and bought stark white flower. The smiling Elf handed Willis the flower as he placed it in Caliane's hair. "It's called the Friendly Ghost," he said. "It is said that this Flower protects you from the evil spirts that prowl the lands. It's proven to work as we Monster Hunters use these flowers to ward off low level Ghosts. Besides it looks pretty on you."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

It was interesting to hear what Willis knew of her peoples history. They always say, the version of history you learn depends on the person who wrote it, and it felt very much true about this in particular. Momentarily she was sidetracked as Willis placed a flower in her hair. A faint blush crossed her cheeks as he placed the white flower amongst her hair. With a quick side skip to the stall next door, a jewellery stand by the looks of it, she used their mirror to examine how it looked, before turning back to Willis.

"Thank you, it is beautiful. But, the story doesn't count as the one you owe me in exchange for your next two questions, - and do not think to trick me into answering one of your questions by stating a legend and hoping I will correct it" she winked. Like most elves, Cali stuck to the terms of agreements to the letter, and their agreement had been three questions and then a story. Perhaps, some elves who had walked the world of man for longer had relaxed that viewpoint, but it was still a core principle to Caliane. "Next question," she motioned with a flourish of her hands.

 

[Smiling One]

"Hey!" Willis said shrugging his shoulders. "I like telling stories! It's kinda of my thing!" Willis learned the art of storytelling during his years as a Pirate. The former storyteller, Damian Seasnake was shot dead by a Crossbow bolt during a raid the men's morale worsened. Many people loved Damian for his detailed and epic storytelling. Given that he recently learned to read, Willis took it upon himself to learn to how to tell stories. He wanted to practice reading anyway and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

After going through many books, Willis began to speak about stories about lands far and wide, the tales of Davy Jones fighting against King Gretchen during the Age of Expansion. The men were mesmerized and soon Willis was always thinking in stories. They tend to unite people as they listen intently like Caliane was doing. "It's a force of habit," Willis said as he tossed a gold coin to the Dwarven salesman. It was a silver necklace with faint Elven engravings. Willis suspected that this was stolen and gaunt scarred face of the Dwarf didn't as well but he wasn't one to question things when it's convenient.

"Take this," Willis smiled placing the necklace around her neck. "It's Elvish anyway what kind of wars did the Avariel waged while they were in hiding?"

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane was trying to fight the smile from her lips as Willis explained his love of story-telling. Well, she definitely couldn't let him visit her home if that were the case, he probably would not be allowed to leave. the winged elves loved their epic stories and Willis told them well. She blinked when he held up a necklace to her and she gathered her red hair in one hand and held it away from her neck so that he might place it around her throat. It was an elegant piece but something about it.... She examined the glyphs, they were faint, but that wasn't the problem.

"This is ancient," Cali murmured, glancing to the dwarf and then back to Willis. "I do not know what it says, perhaps my mother might," Aleanor was one of their greatest scholars and spoke languages that were otherwise dead. She would write and ask, but it looked to her like some kind of key. Letting her hair drop she tugged at the cloak pinned to her tunic and waved it a little bit. It was too warm really for a cloak and she was looking forward to them reaching their destination so she could take it off.

"You are very sweet for buying me things, but you do not have to," her voice was gentle, but it was easy to hear the guilt. "I owe you my life as it is." It was a debt she was already struggling to figure out how she could repay. The question, however, caught her off guard and she laughed.

"You want to know about my father," Cali summarised with a musical laugh that had a few people nearby stopping to smile and see what such a lovely voice found so amusing. She had mentioned weeks ago to him that was the General of their army, of course he would want to know more. "We closed our doors but that doesn't mean we have been absent from the great wars that have wrecked this land. Just... a low profile. Our soldiers wear enchanted armour which distorts their image so they just appear as a wingless elf, then they pose as a small civilisation that lives at the base of The Spine. We have fought mainly with creatures you would call monsters - giants, goblins, trolls," she shrugged. "The Spine is a world of politics unto itself and it would not be right for one of the powerhouses to remain absent from the struggles there."

 

[Smiling One]

Willis nodded. "It's just trinkets that you can take back to your people," he said smiling. "Show that we aren't all savages." If there was one thing that it took time for Willis to understand was that there was beauty in the world. People can be creative, imaginative and are capable to have empathy for one another. Unfortunately it is usually covered up by a sea of selfishness and indifference but to Willis it just makes those qualities stand out more. People doing good things in a fucked up world.

The young man wasn't exactly a saint, but he did have his code of morals that he learned from Captain Davis. He supposed that was enough. "Hey Caliane," Willis whispered as they continued to walk through the inner city. Guards and residents walked by to praise Caline's sing song voice which made Willis chuckle a bit. "Well Caliane," the young man said. "You were in danger and I wanted to help you. You being free and getting a chance to see the world is good enough for me."

It was interesting though that the Araviel fought monsters as well. Willis did hear of stories of Goblin Tribes mysteriously massacred around the Spine. When the tribes in the surrounding area investigated, they found nary a trace except a few fancy feathers scattered all over the area. It lead to the residents believing that it was divine intervention by Angels sent by the Gods but now it turned out to be Caliane's people.

"I was wondering," Willis asked. "Why don't you wear that armor Caliane? You wouldn't have to wear that cloak if that was the case."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane tried to smother her giggling as it caught the attention of the guards: probably not the people Willis would appreciate her attracting to them. Deciding to change the direction sharply, she ducked under a hanging sprig of herbs and lead Willis deeper into the market. There was a double method to her madness: she was starving. The healing her body was undergoing meant she was having to eat more regularly and the smells that were coming off of the stalls smelt divine.

"When Avariel's are educated, they start with a broad range of classes. But, when they hit maturity, they tend to pick a Discipline. It's only those who decide to enter the Warrior discipline who get the armour - it is extremely expensive, and it takes someone with the skill to enchant mental to make it effective, which is also rare. Besides, the wings to an Avariel is like..." she scrunched up her nose, again struggling for that Common word. Frustrated she couldn't think of it and cursing herself for not keeping up her studies in the Common Tongue, she continued down another path. "To hide our wings would be like asking you to cover your face. Wings are what we use to identify each other - I could tell you who an Avariel was by a single feather and be right 9/10 times. To hide them... makes you feel ashamed and not who-"

"What. Is. That?!" Her attention snapped to the melted chocolate a woman was pouring into a mould on one of the stands. The smell, was pure heaven. Before Willis could answer, she made a beeline for it, leaving him to keep up or get left behind.

"You've never seen chocolate, sweetie?" Cali shook her head, biting her lower lip to stop herself from drooling. Now she was closer, she watched with eyes as round as saucers as the woman put the the mould into some kind of dark box, she assumed to cool it. The woman whispered a spell and yes, the box definitely got cooler. Mage magic. Tilting her head she watched in wonder as the woman then popped it out of the mould, into the shape of a fish, which she wrapped tenderly and then placed on the counter. Cali had brought her own supply of coins from her home and she happily handed over a silver piece for two chocolate fishes, passing one to Willis.

"So, now it's my turn. What's my story going to be?"

 

[Smiling One]

Willis sighed as he handed the lady another gold coin buying Caliane a chocolate bar, when the Winged Elf gave him some of her candy, Willis have her the chocolate bar. "With that look in your eyes," he smiled. "Something tells me that you're going to be a chocoholic."

Willis loved chocolate as well, it was sweet and lovely to the point where every now and then Willis would buy a bag of chocolate for himself to eat until his heart's desire. "So Caline," Willis said turning on his heel. "About that story," the young man lead Calaine to an alley way there was a ladder on the wall and Willis began to climb up motioning Caliane to follow him.

As soon as Willis reached the top, the Sun's rays touched his eyes forcing him to shield them. He stood at the edge of the build sat down his legs dangling below. "Once the taste chocolate gets a hold of you," Willis said. "You cannot escape it's addiction, it said that chocolate is the sweetest drug to ever get hooked on."

The young man smiled taking another bite of chocolate. "Have you've heard of the origins of where chocolate comes from?" he asked.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Thank you, Caliane mouthed to the lady before she turned and followed after Willis before she lost him the crowds. The woman smiled and offered a wave. Now she had two of the bars: excellent. She couldn't wait to get to their destination to take a bite, so she did it as they walked, and listened to Willis explain how many people thought it was a drug. Well, if it was a drug she was definitely addicted. The first bite was an explosion of taste in her mouth that had her eyes closing in pure ecstasy, and she couldn't help the little moan that escaped her. As well as tasting rich and sweet, there was a little hint of spice in it which seemed to only compliment the heavy chocolate taste.

"This is my most favourite thing about Groundlings so far," Cali whispered to herself, carefully wrapping the bars up and tucked them into her belt. Then she looked at the ladder. What on earth was this? For a race of people with wings, nobody ever had a need for a ladder. What were you meant to do with it? Tilting her head, she watched Willis climb. It was a completely befuddling motion. After watching Willis do it she glanced at the mouth of the alleyway, and then all around her. Nobody was looking...

With a single powerful motion with her wings, she was airborne, and it only took another beat of the large wings to get her to the edge of the building Willis was stood on. She landed with a whisper of wind and promptly crossed her legs and sat down to carry on eating the chocolate, giving him a completely innocent smile.

"Never even heard of chocolate before."

 

[Smiling One]

Looks like Caliane's people never heard of ladders, Wills should've guessed as much considering how airborne her people are. When the Winged Elf briefly flew to the top Willis quickly looked around to see if anyone spotted her. Thankfully the people were too busy attending their day to day business to notice the young woman flying to the rooftop. Willis made sure that the cloak hiding Calaine's wings was hidden before continuing his story.

"It is said," Willis explained. "That chocolate came from a mysterious people called the Easterlings, a pink blob appeared in a village during the Age of Urogosh claiming that he was a lost Easterling. The villagefolk tended his wounds and as a sign of thanks, he began turning their dying plants into chocolate."

Willis sighed. "You see," he continued. "The village was in the midst of a famine and the people were starving, the pink Easterling felt bad for them and fed them with the substance that he called chocolate."

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

It was so hot.

The winged elf sighed as Willis absentmindedly covered her wings when she landed. She wanted nothing more than to stretch them out in the sun, or to just go for a quick fly across the city - it was probably beautiful from up there. Maybe at night she could risk it, if there was enough cloud cover and the moon was not too bright.

Shaking her head, caliane slowly nibbled on the chocolate, savouring every mouthful as she listened intently to the story. Her eyebrows slowly pulled together as she thought about it - maybe it was getting lost in translation but she had one pressing questions.

"What's an Easterling?"