Issimir Role-Play

Two People of the Sky stand before the Council table, before the sides that do not bear any stools to sit upon. They look uncomfortable, and the smaller girl is wrapped into the arms of her father, his wings also providing solace in a matching embrace with them. Of course, their discomfort is of no surprise, considering they are underground. Those of the sky never did enjoy this feeling of limitation in the absence of the sky.

The small, protected Avari is named Serra and her black and brown plumage is the only dark area about her. In contrast to the dark feathers, her clothes are of a pretty creme color, lined with a bit of gold here and there for decoration in the form of a dress. Her hair is a soft pink and her eyes are a vibrant yellow.

The Helion behind her, wrapping her so tenderly, is clearly an Eaglari. He introduced himself as Aeros. His hair is a darker shade of a cherry red, and his eyes are also a bright yellow. His lean figure and the large staff on his back suggests an ability to fight, though the dark area and the tight hold to his daughter does make the analysis of his skills rather impossible.

Regardless, his skill is irrelevant at this time. Amalthea regrets the level of enclosure that the two Helions are currently suffering, as she knows all too well how they feel. She feels the same levels of dread an misery every time she is forced to fly and she always hates every second of it. The two aren't even too far from the base of the stairs and she is sure they are eagerly awaiting the moment when they are able to travel back up to the surface.

Council Hall:

As each of the eight Council Members sit quietly before the two Helions that are clearly out of place, Amalthea finds it in herself to break the awkward silence. It is a struggle, because she knows that the Helion family will not be happy with what she has to say. She puts on a smile.

"The Council is sorry to hear about your loss." Amalthea says with sincerity, "Do you have any evidence that your wife was murdered by a Person of the Land?"

Aeros replies, "Evidence? What do you mean evidence? My wife, daughter, and I have been staying in the Talbot City and we're practically the only Helion that resides there. I already told you that I saw the one that killed her--I watched him from afar, but could not get there in time."

Regis, the Dismissive clears his throat. "We cannot go by your word alone. Where is her body?"

"It is already being examined by your Cutter." Aeros replies with distaste, "Though I would have it returned to me so that she can be with the wind as soon as possible."

Amalthea smiles sadly at him with understanding. "Very well, we shall end today's meeting and continue tomorrow after the results have been examined."

The other Council members concur with a sound of agreement as Aeros makes an expression of disapproval. She stands, then, moving swiftly towards them as the other Council members begin to convene with each other. Though they have other meetings scheduled for today, she knows that the will have a few minutes to take care of these two. She walks up the stairs and gestures for them to follow.

"Aren't you a Truth Sayer?" Aeros asks, clearly frustrated, "Can we not use our word with your approval for evidence enough?"

"A Truth Sayer's word is a valued contributor to any case," Amalthea, the Thorn replies with certainty, "But we need as much evidence as possible to be sure that the killer is brought to justice and is who you say it is. We have no room for doubt in the Council Hall."

Aeros looks displeased with this information, but this only dominates his countenance briefly as they exit the building and go outside and relief falls onto all of his features. Even Serra relaxes and Amalthea wonders why he felt the need to bring the young girl into the Hall with him.

"I have made arrangements for your stay in Council City. You'll have a nice place to stay and I guarantee that you will be comfortable."

"Thank you," Aeros and Serra say together. They both look sad and unsatisfied.

A young Assana woman broke the surface of the water near the entrance of the temple and looked about furtively. Good. Everyone else was gone. The temple was theirs again.

She reached behind her for the edge and pulled herself on one of the above-water walks. The temple had two sections - above water and below water - and some of the underwater catacombs opened straight into the main hall of the temple.

Spoiler:

She leaned back on the temple floor and stretched out. She wasn't senior enough to help with public prayers - the Sisters usually held their own prayers in private. And now, after her shift with Doria guarding the Sightstone, she had some free time for her metalwork.

Fa rolled over on her back and got to her feet, her tailfins splitting apart to form her landlegs. She turned, starting back towards their rooms until her stomach rumbled.

Right. Hadn't eaten since her shift started. And with only six of them old enough to stand guard, that made shifts eight freaking hours long. Maybe she should start there and then get back to metalwork...

After a long day's worth of case after case of Council Meetings, Amalthea is tired. Her countenance falls into an expression of neutrality, her muscles finally able to relax after all of that smiling. Her bright and sweet behavior is as it always has been: false. Of course, those that know her well enough are able to see through it, she is sure, but as of yet, there has been no comment, which is good.

Exiting the Council Hall building above ground, she makes her way to the Riverton. It's a small area within the Council Hall that is reserved for housing, only. Riddled with rivers, hills, and lakes, houses are spread out and the nature of the earth is preserved here. She finds her way home, stepping down the stairs from the grassy hill into the small crevice of her entry way where the water meets the covered walkway before her house.

Amalthea's House:

The sound of rushing water reaches her ears, the small waterfall just to the side of her home singing and welcoming her home. She smiles at the pleasant greeting as she moves to the door, looking out at the small pond to her right. Sometimes, a mermaid or two is passing by here, waving greetings of their own. This evening, however, the pond is empty.

Her smile falters. Home is beautiful and serene, but home is lonely. Opening the door near the waterfall, she walks into her familiar abode only to feel a sharp pain on the side of her head before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

She had reached the doors and was starting to open them when the huge steel structures began to move on their own. She stepped back to let the doors open as a young Assana man stepped through. So distracted was he that he nearly walked straight into her, starting as he realized what he was doing.

Spoiler:

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" he said, stepping back and nearly running into the doors as they shut behind him.

She didn't need the royal gem on his head to recognize the Heir. He looked uncomfortable - from what she'd seen of him, this was unusual. He was the sort of man who seemed unfazed by anything, so to see him nervous was...

"No, it's fine," Fa said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "May I help you with something?" Technically, they were of the same rank socially - neither of them the head of anything quite yet - but it was still weird speaking to him like this. Had she ever talked to him alone?

"Actually, yes," he said, straightening. "I need to speak to the Voice, if you may guide me to her."

Shouldn't he have been at the service? Why not speak to her then? Did something happen? Why do I have to be on guard duty when everything exciting happens? "Of course," she said. She stepped back inside, beckoning for him to follow. Her stomach, it seemed, would have to wait.

As Amalthea comes to full consciousness, she is laying in her bed. Blinking and unmoving, she looks up at her ceiling and tries to remember how she got here. She doesn't remember coming to bed...what time is it? Sitting up, her shoulders slump as she realizes why she was asleep.

The Leveler of Scales is seated with proper posture in one of her kitchen chairs, though it is moved far from the table in the dining room and now rests in the center of her bedroom. He is just staring at her. Her father always has the tendency to just "pop in" when he wishes to visit, usually from attacking her and knocking her unconscious.

Draelan insists that, as her father, he must be sure that she is always vigilant. His random attacks are done out of his concern and love for her, as well as his persistence in training her into improvement. This is not only highly irritating and frustrating for Amalthea, it is also quite painful. As of yet, she has never once expected his attack, nor prevented it.

"You know I'll never see you coming," Amalthea says, as she rubs the sore spot on her head. "Stop wasting your time--and my time, for that matter. You are a terrible teacher."

Draelan replies with his usual response. It is a sound that has always irritated Amalthea, as well, due to its noncommittal tone. "Mmmm."

Rising into a full stand, Amalthea instantly feels lightheaded and slightly dizzy and has to steady herself. Returning to a seated position on her bed, she realizes that she may have to take movement a little more slowly than she'd like. She scowls.

"What do you want?"

The Leveler of Scales smiles, "Is that any way to greet your father?"

Amalthea's scowl deepens at this. Of course it is, when you attack me with a greeting. At least I talk to you when I want to say hello. She doesn't reply for a few minutes and then slowly attempts to stand for a second time. This time, she is much better on her feet. She walks past her father and leaves the room. She can feel the vibrations of his movement through the ground as he follows her from the room.

Moving into the kitchen, she pulls out a glass and fills it with water. She takes a drink as her father finally breaks the irritable silence with his casual, nonchalant tone of voice. This only serves to irritate her more.

He says, "I have been communicating with several leaders of both the People of the Water and the People of the Sky. A serious issue has come to light, something that effects each of us. I cannot give the details here, but they came to me out of the desires to discuss Judgement possibilities, as well as the risk of war."

Amalthea is surprised. "War? We've not had a war in--"

"Please listen." Her father continues, "We are being wronged--each of our peoples. Monarch Sylleria and Ascendant Leander are both livid and wish for an investigation to begin so that we can determine if war will be necessary--"

"Dad, we can't just--"

The Leveler of Scales raises his voice, "Silence, child! And listen."

Chastised, she bows her head slightly in submission. She does not like to be called a child...and he knows this. However, she is quite concerned and confused and sometimes tends to get to hasty in conversations like this and she knows that. With a frown, she sits silently until he finally continues.

"Each of the councils and multiple monarchies have all decided that we will send one representative for each of our people to investigate. If this issue cannot be solved via diplomacy or any other matter, war will commence. My daughter, the Judges of the Land have chosen you."

Amalthea looks confused, her head shaking slightly. What did anyone do to them to make them want a war? What could possibly cause such anger that even her father would come here, himself, to give her a new task? He is so angry in his tone, as well as sad, and Amalthea can already guess without asking that she was chosen for her Truth Sayer abilities.

"...Thorn, I would have your acceptance of this mission." Her father says with a stern, commanding tone. She flinches. When he uses her title, he means what he says. She will have no choice.

"Well, what did these people do?" She asks, "What exactly am I investigating and--"

Her father cuts her off with a movement of his hand. She waits as he inhales deeply after a big a sigh. "This information is confidential and cannot be discussed here. I have set up a map for a location where you are to be debriefed and meet with your other investigative comrades."

"...I see." Amalthea says, disturbed. "...and who are they?"

Daelan replies, "The two who have taken the most offense in this particular conflict, Monarch Sylleria and Ascendant Leander, have both decided to send their heirs. They are Heir Iolleras and Heir Merathion."

"Okay." Amalthea says, sounding quite overwhelmed. "I understand. Leave the map and I'll prepare my things."

Fa led Iolleras into the sanctuary. The other Sisters were at the altar still, finishing clean up from that day's service. Among them was the Voice, standing at the altar with her head bowed in contemplation. The aging Assana woman's hair had long since faded to white, but she still carried with her the grace of her youth, moving as if she were still but a young woman.

One of the elder Sisters, Allyra, noticed them and grabbed the attention of the Voice. She turned and smiled as she saw Fa and Iolleras.

Iolleras stepped in front of Fa and dropped to one knee. "Zadinia Assana, Voice of the Sea," he said, head bowed. "I have a humble favor to ask of you."

"Stand up, Io," she said. "None of this nonsense." Fa covered her smile with a hand as he seemed to start as she called him by that name. I'm sure the mighty Heir isn't used to people calling him by that. "What is your request?"

Iolleras stood up uncomfortably, pulling himself back together and folding his hands in front of him. He still looked oddly nervous. "I wish to consult the Sightstone."

She could Allyra face turn to a scowl. It was unusual to ask for a private reading - the Voice conducted readings on her own and passed what she found along in sermons. Private viewings were almost unheard of - save for, well, people like the Monarch. Or maybe now the Heir. "For what purpose?" Zadinia asked.

Io hesitated again. "My aunt has ordered me on a mission on the mainland. I am to meet up with a representative of the Sky and the Earth, and I am... uncertain of these supposed companions of mine." He took in a breath. "If I knew anything of our mission... but all I have is rumors. I would appreciate some information on who I may meet, if only to ease my mind."

Zadinia's smile slowly faded as Iolleras spoke, and she finally nodded gravely. "I understand," she said. "Please. Follow me. Farina," she said, looking behind Iolleras at her, "please gather Doria and Taerynna."

Farina nearly jumped and bowed, backing away as Zadinia turned to the other Sisters around the altar. All Sisters were required for a viewing, even little Taerynna, and so when she'd placed enough distance between herself and the Heir she turned and ran to find the others.

Thankfully, the two were easy enough to find, and with her Sisters in tow Farina found her spear and dove into the water just inside the entrance of the temple. Her landlegs locked back together, and she and her sisters swam down to the gate just below the entrance that led into the catacombs.

The catacombs below the temple were accessible only to Maidens, and to make sure no one unauthorized went through them they were built into a literal maze. Farina could remember the Sisters guiding her by hand through the maze until she knew the place as well as her own room, but anyone not familiar with the place was doomed to be hopelessly confused. Behind her, Doria held the hand of little Tae, guiding her like Farina had been guided long ago.

The tunnels went on and on, going farther and farther down until at last they opened up on a chamber on the sea floor, vast and undecorated save for the small shrine at the center of the chamber. Sitting in a circular indentation on the tiny square shrine was an enormous pearl-like stone, so smooth it let off it's own glow.

Everyone else was already there, Iolleras standing behind Zadinia nervously as she waited in front of the Sightstone. Zadinia nodded as the three of them entered and took up their positions encircling the shrine. "Excellent," she said. "Then we will begin."

One of the Sisters gently grabbed the Heir by the shoulder, pulling him away from Zadinia and placing herself in between them. The six Sisters encircled their leader, facing outwards as behind them Zadinia placed her hand on the Sightstone. The stone lit up tenfold, the light from it reaching the far walls of the chamber as Fa heard a small gasp from Zadinia. She chanced a look behind her - the Voice had her head thrown back, her palm on the Sightstone and her eyes blank and unseeing.

Farina looked back around, gripping her spear tightly as she stood guard around the now-helpless leader as she did her reading. Iolleras looked stunned as he watched outside the circle, and while he stood still as he waited his face went through a number of gymnastics. I don't think we'll ever see so much expression on the Heir's face ever again.

Finally, Zadinia gasped behind her and pulled her hand back, and the light dimmed dramatically. Allyria was quick to grab her as she pulled back unsteadily, blinking, as her eyes settled on Farina.

"Your mission... it is a dangerous one," she said, "though your danger will not come from your companions. But you will not be the only one of our kind on this mission."

She kept her eyes locked on Farina. "Farina Assana. You are vital to this mission. I have seen you in Heir Iolleras' future as much as any of his other companions."

Farina's eyes widened, and she swam back a step. "The future is alive," Zadinia continued, "so know that you have a choice. But know also, if you refuse, I know the future will change dramatically, and I cannot tell how. Farina Assana. It is an unusual request, but will you leave your duty in your temple for your duty to your kingdom?"

Farina looked around at the other sisters and the Heir. They were all looking at her. Me? I'm almost the youngest here! It was clear she wasn't the only one overwhelmed - Allyria looked disapproving. Not like that was unusual.

She swallowed hard. When the Voice put her request like that... "I... I accept your request, my lady."

A week has passed since Amalthea's task was given to her by her father. Though the packing for her visit took little time, the arguments with her father's "guards" and other paperwork matters regarding her Council responsibilities took a full day to work out before her trip had even begun. Just after the one day, she had been exhausted.

Still, her journey began and she traveled southeast, closer to the River of the Blind. The river is the greatest visible boundary between the land of her people and that of the humans. Due to that fact alone, she was happy to know that it was there--the river flows so swiftly and violently that one could die upon one slip into its treacherous movement as it flows into the ocean that is south of the 'Lar.

Stopping on a hilltop, she gazes out into the sun just as it is rising up for the day from the East. Inhaling deeply from her short break, she enjoys the beauty of the land before her. She could have traveled by Centaur--they have always offered to do this for her, but she always refuses. Amalthea does not like to be blind to the senses through the Earth any more than a Helion would wish to be deprived from the wind or a Person of the Water lose their ability of echolocation from under the water's surface.

However, to get to the meeting place on time, she knows she will have to do something that she hates--fly. With a scowl after a quick drink of water, her hands rise up and her eyes close as a green light envelopes her. After a short few seconds, wings form onto her back, like those of a dragon's wings. Small, glowing rings begin to float and spin around her horns and dragon like scales with a green hue appear in patches over various areas of her body.

With a look of dread and trepidation, she sighs before lifting up into the sky, her eyes trying to focus on the horizon towards her destination, rather than the ground or of how far it is from her. She instantly misses the touch of the Earth.

As she flies on towards the spot marked on her map, she wonders what she will find there. There is no village or town in this spot, but rather a vague grassland near the river's edge with absolutely nothing even remotely nearby, save for a few animal and farm fields. The Thorn's mind rambles over every detail that her father had given her, but still, she cannot find anything in this situation that could possibly make sense.

After six hours of flight, she lands, her wings finally fading away into nothingness. Her spell's duration has reached its limit and she is low on energy. Regardless, much travel time has been saved and she has almost made it to her destination as the day nears its shift into nightfall. Happily walking along, her mood improves greatly as she can feel the graces of the dirt beneath her. It is a wonderful, solid feeling.

In the distances of the nearly-flat ground, she can see a small hut with a hay-roof. It looks...old and rather poorly made. As the sun sets nearly behind her, the blues and purples dominate the sky before her and the stars begin to make their presence known. The only light ahead of her now is that of the light coming from the windows. This must be her destination.

Walking up towards the small building, she sees that there is an archway for a door, open for all to enter. From afar, the old hobble of a home looked closed off from the world, as any home would be. From this close, however, it is so open and inviting with no doors or windows that can be closed. She is mildly surprised by its appearance, mainly due to the mildly extravagant decorations within, despite how poor and ancient it appears to be on the outside.

Stepping up and into the small room, the torches on the walls flicker from a slight shift in the wind. It blows on by, pushing Amalthea's hair to the side and into her eyes as the wind slides through the open windows with a peaceful stride of its own. When her hair falls once again, after the wind has faltered, a beautiful man is standing before--a Person of the Water.

He stands there as if he had been there the entire time, looking quite neutral and nonchalant while leaning against the back wall of the tiny, single-roomed hut with his arms crossed over his chest. His long, silver hair falls over his shoulder in a braid and reaches down to his knees. Amalthea wonders how long this hair would be if it weren't braided at all. With webbed ears and fingers, purple and blue tinted skin, and brilliant golden eyes, there is no doubt that this creature is a swimmer. There are dark blue markings all over his arms and neck, though she is uncertain as to what they mean, if they mean anything at all.

The Water man's metallic gaze is catching and Amalthea realizes that she has been holding her breath as he stares at her in expectant silence. Wow, the air is suddenly awkward as she blushes deeply and clears her throat. She's never seen a Person of the Water this close before...they are so beautiful. There is even a shiny patch of scales on the back of his hands, dark blue and elegant as they fade into his paler skin.

"I--I am Amalthea, the Thorn." Amalthea says, somewhat nervously. "I am looking for..."

Her voice trails off. She doesn't know what she's looking for. Her father told her to come here, but he didn't say what to expect or even whom she was to find. Her eyes dart about the room as she searches for a way out of her uncertainty, but the man finally finds some grace within him to save her from it, himself.

He says, "Please, step forward. You are in the right place."

Amalthea is relieved as she walks towards him. He reaches out a single arm while still leaning up against the wall and turns his hand to place the tips of his webbed fingers upon its surface. Suddenly, the wall ripples as if it had been the surface of water disturbed, and it trickles away to reveal a hidden opening that moves downwards underground. She smiles, still nervous, but thanks him, anyway. Now, another mystery is to be revealed, it would seem.

"When all of the guests have arrived, I shall come down and introduce myself properly." The Water man says with his soft, velvety voice. Amalthea nods her head and walks down, realizing that she is still...awed at the creature. She likes him--probably way more than she should. She doesn't really understand what it is that she's feeling. He's a stranger, so it must be nothing...right?

Heading down the short flight of stairs, she finds herself within a small sitting room that rounded has booths before a small table that already has a few pitchers of drinks within it, as well as a few empty glasses. To the side, is the entrance to a water tank--massive in size, obviously, as it lines the entire back wall with a sheet of glass for all to see, and visibly sinks even lower than the room's floor. A small fish or two can be seen moving around.

She walks up to the tank and places her hand on the glass, ignoring her slight reflection as she gazes into the deep water and wonders how deep and how wide it really goes. However, she has no intention of finding out--she can swim, but she's can't swim that well. As she waits, her thoughts begin to wander.

They spent that whole day and the next preparing. Zadinia went to the Monarch to discuss sending Farina with Iolleras, and she came back to the temple carrying a metalwork statue from the Palace - an apology from the Monarch for not speaking to the Temple of this sooner. The Monarchy and the Temple were co-rulers, after all - the temple had as much of a right to send a representative as the Monarchy did.

Farina barely saw the Heir leading up to her departure, and indeed her days until her departure felt bitter. She'd never left the Sea and never wanted to - yet now the Sea called her away. Was she being punished, or rewarded?

The two of the finally set out from the temple, without fanfare or celebration. Farina wasn't even sure if the people had been notified they would be absent. Surely they would have to explain the Heir's absence, but at least she would go largely unnoticed, as the second youngest Sister.

They were told their meeting place was on a river, bordering the territory of the Earthfolk and the humans. Farina had yet to encounter either, though the Voice gave them both a description from her visions of what their Earthfolk and Skyfolk companions would look like. The Earthfolk woman certainly sounded fierce.

The meeting point wasn't far from their sea, but it was on the opposite side of it, which meant they had to cross the depths to get there quickly. Assana settlements were all nearer the shore than the depths of the sea - as good as their engineers were, none were good enough to make a building with foundations that deep - so all that they found while swimming out in the depths were fish. She wondered how many Assana graves they swam over as they passed by - this was where they buried their dead, after all.

Iolleras was very quiet as they swam towards the meeting point, and so she found herself following him and thinking most of the journey. She wasn't comfortable starting any conversation, as poorly as she knew the man destined to lead the government, and any conversation never lasted long anyway.

Thankfully, most of their travel was by water - they did have to wander on land a little bit until they found the river they wanted, however. The river was rough, but they'd both seen the Assana just as rough and just wanted to get back in the water where they both belonged.

As the time of the meeting approached, they could see a small house on the shore of the river approaching them. "I think that's it," Iolleras said to her, and he swam forward with renewed fervor. Farina followed behind, reaching comfortingly for her spear slung across her back. Zadinia reassured her their companions would be trustworthy... but she was still anxious.

The house grew in size as they approached, and suddenly another Person of the Water was in front of them. He looked similar to Assana, but on closer examination it was clear his scaling was different enough to be from somewhere else. Iolleras came to a quick halt as they saw him.

The Person of the Water nodded to them, and gestured for them to follow him. Definitely from another region. Common couldn't be spoken well underwater, and different regions had different dialects and languages. Farina exchanged looks with Iolleras, who nodded and began to follow after him. This was the meeting spot, after all - but Farina reached back for her spear, wary.

The Person of the Water stopped in the water near the house, reaching towards the river wall and hitting something that opened up a door in the side of the river. Farina exchanged looks with the Heir again.

"Me first," Farina said, in their language. "In case..."

He nodded. Fighting was her duty more than his. Farina swam in front of him and inside the door, and after a moments hesitation Iolleras followed after her.

The passage led up, and she swam until she found herself inside a tank, looking through glass into another, dry room. She broke the surface with a splash, shaking her hair and squinting around the room. An Earthfolk woman was there already, and she seemed to match the description Zadinia gave them.

Iolleras broke the surface next to her, and upon seeing the woman he nodded politely. "Excuse us," he said, reaching up to the side of the tank to pull himself out.

Amalthea is enjoying the view of the smaller fish--that is, until they swim away. Had she scared them? Her thoughts are disrupted as their escape brings her to full focus of her surroundings, and she instantly jumps back as two People of the Water appear before her in the water, swimming up from below.

The first to arrive is a female with the skin of pale pink and purple hues and dark, shimmering hair. Dark splotches decorate her tail and the side of her face and the fins that she moves with are so much larger than she had ever imagined a person of the water to have. Her dark eyes and lips are so gothic and inviting, elegant in their own way and her eyes are near impossible to read.

She surfaces from the tank's entrance and she backs away to give the woman room. There is small little tray with white, thin clothes that are similar to what the man that was outside of the door was wearing, so she assumes that these two will also probably be wearing them.

The second creature, whom by all accounts appears entirely different from the woman, almost seems like a person of the sky from the waist up--save for his brilliantly teal hair and his pointed ears. Even the fins on his back appear similar to wings. Of course, his adornment of oddly shaped jewelry gives tales of his difference in race, as well, but his similarity in skin tone to that of the people of the sky is somewhat odd. Not only that, but the scales on his arms are so...

The man excuses their entrance as they step from the water's touch and enter into the world of air. Her eyes widen even further as their tails shift into that of legs--this part is normal to her, due to her transmutation magic, but this is the only thing about this couple that seems remotely normal or familiar to her.

As their nakedness is revealed, her eyes sink to the ground and her head bows from embarrassment as her mind instantly begins to ramble. This is the third Person of the Water she has ever met and each of them seems entirely alien to each of the others. They are all so vastly different and it confuses and fascinates her. Most of what she learned of the People of the Water were in books and stories, and little was told to her. And they are so beautiful!! She wants to stare intently and appreciate their colors, their shimmer! ...but she also wants to look away while they dress themselves, and she also doesn't want to seem ignorant or foolish.

She is to meet the Heir--Heir Iollarus--but which one is it?? Is it a gender-specific name in their culture? Should she know that? Is she expected to know, as a Judge or as a Councilwoman?

Is the man a lesser of the two due to his skin tone being closer to that of a land dwellers or did the crown-thing upon his head demonstrate just what it would in the land of the humans--royalty? Or, since the Assana were ruled by a Queen, did only women rule? Yet, the woman has a spear, which would indicate that she is more of a bodyguard--right?

All of these questions buzz through her mind relentlessly as she tries to remain respectful of two beings that she knows nothing about and she silently curses her father for placing her here in such an uncomfortable position. Still, she knows that she cannot simply remain silent--that would imply she is not interested in them or that she is ignoring them, neither of which is forgivable.

"Hello, I'm Amalthea, the Thorn. It is a pleasure to meet you." Amalthea says, her hands rising up into an "x" before her chest with the palms of her hands facing upward and inward towards her face. Her head bows as she looks down into the hands and then her head raises once more as her hands then open up to her sides while her palms continue to greet the ceiling before falling down at her sides. This is the traditional greeting for a Person of the Land--particularly that of a Judge. It has a lot of meaning, though Amalthea doubts that anyone that is not a Judge truly understands its representation.

At this point, Amalthea can only hope that these two people will introduce themselves so that she will not have to guess which is the Heir. And no one mentioned a second person of the water arriving--so is the other person important? Are they both bodyguards and then the Heir hasn't arrived yet? Perhaps they will hate her right away--what if they hate horns? What if they hate just her because...because of her face, or something?

Fa followed Iolleras out as he stepped onto the ground outside the tank. Her tail split apart into her landlegs, and as she looked over at the Earthfolk woman she was surprised to see her looking down, seemingly uncomfortable. The way Zadinia described her, she seemed she would be more intimidating than this...

Iolleras stepped around her to the tray with the clothes on it, and Fa grimaced. Duh. That was probably why she looked so uncomfortable. Clothing was a landdweller thing - something to help keep them warm and make them feel secure, or something. Assana were comfortable enough without the extra layer, and all clothes did was weigh you down while swimming, so no one really bothered. In her history lessons, she'd learned of a Monarch who attempted to make it law to be dressed when not under water in the hopes of fostering trade with landdwellers, but that law was abolished as soon as the next Monarch took over.

Iolleras passed her a set of clothes and she reluctantly took them, unslinging her spear from her back and setting it on the ground behind her. She watched as Iolleras put his clothes on effortlessly, and she struggled to follow what he was doing. This is just embarrassing... Well, it wasn't her fault she didn't have to deal with landdwellers as much as he did, politics wasn't her area. And it was the landdwellers fault for needing these stupid things...

As she tried to fumble into the clothes as elegantly as she could, Iolleras turned to the Earthfolk woman introducing herself. Iolleras placed both hands over his heart and bowed low. "The pleasure is mine," he said. "I am Heir Iolleras Tyrsana Rinsano. My companion is Sea Sister Farina Assana. We come together as representatives of the People of the Assana."

By the time he finished his introduction of her, Farina had the clothing mostly figured out and was in the process of slinging her spear back across her back. She mentally thanked him for covering introductions and covering her while she made a fool of herself. She also placed her hands over her heart and bowed. "It is a pleasure," she said.

The travel had been easy, except for the day before last when a nasty storm had brought some serious headwinds. He'd taken his time about the travel. After all, the world was so much easier to traverse via the skies. Now, seeing a Helion flying over the lands was nothing new, but he still preferred to fly under cover of stealth.

He would fly for a number of hours each day, then rest at a local village disguised as an Earthener. Keeping his movements difficult to track or predict had become second nature after almost a decade of doing it.

When he got close to the meeting site, he decided there was only one proper way to greet the new guests, but first he'd need to scope out the scene. There were trees and a rundown hut. Very clever.

He landed, hiding behind a tree and assuming the form he'd chosen. To the world, he now appeared as a middle aged, overweight human farmer with blackened teeth, wearing dirty overalls and nothing else with a serious body hair problem. He stepped around the tree and proceeded to enter the place.

"Howdy, pard!" he said to the man. "You from round these parts?"

The Man of the Water stares at the human with no expression looking him up and down. After a few more seconds of silence, the man finally speaks softly.

"Heir Merathion, Welcome." The man says politely, "Let me show you the way in."

With that, the man's fingers touch the wall and the illusion trickles away to reveal the secret passage.

"You are the last to arrive. I shall be down shortly to properly introduce myself." He says.

Aldrich blinked in surprise. The man was obviously one who dealt with illusions often enough. He was both impressed and disappointed.

"Aww, shucks," he said, continuing the charade. "Ya plumb figgered me out. Well, let's keep it 'tween us for now, eh?" He gave the man a sly wink as he sauntered down the stairs.

There were some very attractive women here--sadly, he arrived when the Sea girl had finished putting on clothing. He had simply adored his time in the Sea lands.

"Well, land sakes!" he exclaimed in a hick voice. "You must be them People what I heard about!" He peered at the Earth girl. "But wait. I heard your kind don't wear clothes." He eyed the females and gave a lopsided grin. "I must say that's a right disappointment." He rubbed his eyes and looked at her again. "Oh wait. Those ain't sea anemone, those are dem antlers. You're one a dem Earth types. Apologies, miss, though I still stand by my earlier statement..."

He turned his attention to the Sea people. "Okay...no horns...y'all must be the Sea folk! When y'all eat a fish, do y'all feel like cannibals...? But y'all are clothed, too! I knew ol' Flem was havin' me on!

Happily, both introduce themselves--and of course, they are both important figures. The woman is a Sea Sister...and the Sisters are rarely sent out any sort of representative. Then again, maybe war is an important enough of a matter for them. Either way, major respect for both will definitely be required and that is great to know now, rather than later.

She smiles at their greetings, recognizing the greeting gestures from a few of her fellow council members' demonstrations. She is about to say more when an old human comes out of nowhere. He looks...he looks...what is an old codger like that doing down here? She doesn't even have the time to question his presence when he starts speaking.

That is when she detects that almost everything, aside from his attraction towards the women and the disappointment of their lack of nakedness, is a lie. She can most certainly tell that this is all false and wrong--of course, then she realizes that there is no way some idiot human could have gotten down here past the Person of the Water upstairs.

As the Helion is the only guest that had yet to arrive and the Water man is coming down the stairs slowly from behind him with a calm expression upon his face, she knows that nothing has gone wrong and that this is, in fact, the Helion. Her irritation gets the better of her.

The Thorn's eyes narrow as her eyes glow slightly brighter. "Is there a purpose to maintaining this sort of facade upon our first meeting over an issue that threatens of war?"

As the human came down the stairs, Fa and Io both stiffened. How the hell did one of them get down here? Zadinia hadn't mentioned a human in her reading...

Fa took a breath and reached for her spear. She didn't like how he looked at the Earthfolk woman and herself, and she was about to draw her spear and chase this lunatic out when Amalthea spoke. She was confused for a moment, and let out a hiss as she realized who this had to be.

Iolleras realized at the same time as she did, and his expression immediately relaxed. "Indeed. I have heard your people were mischievous, not tactless," he said, straight faced, his words expressing his own irritation even if his voice did not.

"*'Poor form to give falsehoods', says the man under illusion,*" Farina grumbled as she released her hold on her spear and crossed her arms over her chest. As the Helion bowed to her, she kept her arms crossed, unwilling to forgive him for his little game just yet.

And she was right, it seemed, not to forgive him yet, as he then had the gall to proceed to psychoanalyze their perfectly reasonable irritation. Fa looked over to see Iolleras as calm as ever. How did he even do it?

"I see," Iolleras said. "Well, is your experiment finished yet? Or have your wings truly darkened since last I saw you?"

((Note: dialogue between *s is not in Common))

As he rambles on with his explanation, Amalthea's hands clench into fists of rage, but her face goes to an empty calm. Her eye color shifts to that of a deep, emerald green, glowing brilliantly as their host makes his way into the room and keeps to the side, to allow for them to finish their greetings.

This man not only came in as a liar and as a human, but explained it with nonsense. He insulted her father, insulted her kind, and made ridiculous assumptions on reactions that were made due to his ridiculous behavior. The woman grabbed a pole-arm...but this does not mean racism. It means a human had walked in on their meeting that was reserved for high-class individuals and began speaking gibberish and insults.

And how had he expected to gauge her 'racism?' Surely, he should have known she would see through his guise, via his verbal lies alone. Anyone knows that she is the Truth Sayer--not only that, but Judges are forbidden to be racists...and the processes that they must go through to obtain the title of a Judge, let alone keep it? This is just insulting.

With her magic now active, she sees what the Helion truly looks like--despite his disguise. The emerald in her eyes fades away after she has gotten a good look of what he truly looks like and is relieved to at least be able to see through his trickery rather than just hear it.

"I did not react to your race or appearance at all, but to your lies." Amalthea, the Thorn says with an edge to her voice. "Now that we are met, why don't we continue on with this meeting? I believe our host is waiting."

With that, she takes a seat. She really wants to hit the helion, but she knows that he is a prince. That, and Judges are praised for the ability to be stoic, even in non-negotiation situations.

She looks up at the man and nods to him, as a way to tell him that it is okay to proceed. Really, all has been said that should like to be, by this point. She must push her anger away. The woman doesn't seem pleased, though she could recognize a word here or there in their language that she knew. It has been a while since she studied any water languages. Heir Iolleras doesn't seem to care at all. Good on him.

The Person of the Water steps forward and bows with a greeting similar to that of Iolleras and Farina. With a brief smile, he introduces himself before his face returns to that of neutrality. It is with this neutrality that she looks from him to Iolleras and then wonders if it is a Person of the Water kind of thing...they both look so...blank.

"I am Reingatis." The man says when introducing himself, "It is a pleasure to host each of you. I shall begin by saying that yes, we are dealing with humans. As you each know, they hate us, as a majority, and we are forbidden from our lands. Their verbal hostilities have been the only known threat to us, in the past, so we have done little to interact with them."

Reingatis moves to the corner, near where the entrance where they had come in is located. His eyes look saddened as he speaks more, "Unfortunately, their hostilities have expanded far beyond just words and we have evidence to prove this to be so. However, we do not know if this makes the entire species responsible for these recent actions, or if it is just a few. That is what you are here to investigate."

With this, he touches the wall, and another secret door is revealed. Amalthea's mind has now completely shifted from her new companions and is now focused on what he has said, thus far. So...they have done something against them. But what? And how are they to investigate if they aren't allowed to go upon human lands--is this being done in her territory, instead?

"The humans responsible have claimed that they have cured our people. I am now going to show you a cured Person of the Water, Sky, and Land." Reingatis says. He gestures from the doorway and a person slowly hobbles out.

This figure is that of a young man, with the skin tones of a person of the Land of the Sky, but the appearance overall of a human. His hair is blond, like that of a human's or a Person of the Land's--and she actually did think it was a human, at first. Upon closer inspection, however, when the man has limped close enough with Reingatis' assistance, she can tell that the actual roots of his hair do not match that of the rest of his unkempt hair. Rather, his roots are hues of bright orange and pink, and this is most likely his natural hair color and suggests hair colors of a person of the Sky or Water.

His eyes, which are a brilliant violet, are also uncharacteristic for a human, but all of these clashes just seem to be so confusing--what is he? What is his species? Amalthea is saddened--he looks depressed and he looks unnatural. He lacks the physical physical features of either of their races, as well as those of a human's--so what is he and where does he belong and what was he originally?

The man begins to turn as his eyes become watery from emotion and Reingatis assists him with the turning motion. All of the color fades from the Thorn's face as she sees the protrusions--the tattered, exposed bones that used to be attached to wings are jaggedly cut and sawed away, with not a feather remaining upon his flesh. It wasn't even a clean cut.

His back is scarred and red with irritated skin, with feathers plucked away and leaving obvious marks upon his skin where they should have been spreading from his wings and onto his now torn flesh and Amalthea pushes away the urge to gasp. Her hands go up to her lips and she tries her damnest not to respond, just yet. It hurts, even as a Person of the Land, she knows what a terrible thing this is.

Farina audibly gasped as she saw the scars on his back, bringing both hands up to her mouth as she tried to control her shock. Even Io seemed shaken for a moment, his eyes growing wide with horror. He pressed his lips together, silent, unable to speak as the Helion Heir rushed to his fallen brethren's side.

Fa couldn't stay angry at the Helion Heir, not with the despair in his voice. "This is unforgivable," she said softly, still stunned.

As the damaged Helion turns once again and Aldrich moved to him, the man began to silently weep as he sat down. Amalthea does not know what to say. She doesn't know how to feel. She's torn, she's depressed.

Another man comes out of the doorway--this one, too, looking quite...odd. He is walking normally, and his hair is an average brown, but his hands are mangled and his ears are very clearly cut. Amalthea doesn't have to wonder what race he belonged to for very long when she realizes that the small stumps on his head were once horns.

She brings her hands up, hugging herself as if she had just suddenly become very cold, her eyes wide with disbelief. How could this be? Why are they mangling her people? This is a nightmare. And what is worse--she cannot help but wonder if they have been damaged even further and if they have been possibly traumatized, as well. Part of her suspicions tell her that this must be so.

"I can't--I can't feel the Wind." The Helion says as tears fall down his cheeks. He looks up at his Heir with a desperation. "She has left me and I am alone."

Amalthea's heart breaks, and as she looks up at the Person of the Land that is seating himself with a silent isolation of dark neutrality, she wonders if he, too, has lost his connection to the Earth. She wants to ask him, but she is afraid to do so. She just cannot bring herself to do it. Finally, a third figure walks into the room.

This one, by far, is the one that fills her with the most dread. It is a lovely, sweet, little girl and she has patches of her skin that are the sheen of a Person of the Water with no doubt. It is a light shade of pink and her eyes match those of Reingatis' eyes. She moves into the room hesitantly and runs up to Reingatis and clings to one of his legs, clearly scared and nervous.

Amalthea cries. Her tears begin to fall at the massive amounts of burn marks that can be seen, obvious barbaric attempts at hiding her skin's colors with the damage. Her gills--which do not go away, but close up when they are in walking form, appear to be sewed shut with some kind of black, thick wire or thread. The Thorn cannot speak, but only cry as this innocent child, mutated and scarred for life, clings to Reingatis.

Reingatis moves down and picks the small girl up, tears in his eyes. He whispers quietly to her in a language that she cannot understand and then carries her over towards the tank. She replies to him in that language again and Amalthea follows her gaze with her tear-filled eyes to see what he is doing. Reingatis is crying.

"*My daughter, this is the last time, I promise.*" Reingatis had said.

"*It's okay, daddy. They have to see. I understand.*" The girl had replied.

The father wept as he placed his daughter into the water, holding her up near the surface as she holds her breath before she is completely submerged. They wait. And wait. No transformation occurs. No tails or fins appear. Just burned up legs. Finally, Reingatis lifts the small, soaked girl from the water tenderly, his shaking increasing and crying just barely audible as he dries her off with some towels and the girl looks over at the representatives with a look of interest and curiosity, probably wondering who they are.

Amalthea struggles to fight her tears away.

Farina didn't know what to say. As the man brought his daughter, his own mangled daughter, to demonstrate what was happening, she began to weep. Voice, why couldn't you have warned us? Did even she see this horror?

She didn't have a prayer for this. She didn't know how to handle this. She wanted to rush forward and embrace Reingatis and his daughter, but she didn't have the strength to. "Sea preserve us," she said softly, looking over to Io in despair and seeing silent tears running down his face as well.

"No need to apologize," Iolleras said quietly to the Helion Heir. "Thank you, in fact, for voicing my thoughts for me." He looked up at the ceiling, trying to stop the tears from flowing.

"This cannot be allowed to happen again," he finally said.

With a few words and whispers, Rein dismisses the cured ones, making sure to give words of comfort and give them the freedom to go get some rest.

They all make their leave after proper farewells, save for his daughter, who eventually takes the place next to him across from the way from their guests. Before seating herself, however, she waves at Fa and Io, looking at them with a bit of a smile, clearly pleased to see them, despite the circumstances. She moves up to hug their legs each of their visitors and kiss their cheeks.

Amalthea accepts the warm, sweet kiss on her cheek with a small bit of joy. The child, although damaged, still seems full of a bit of life. She was nervous and quiet--even despondent, at first, but now she is quickly more comfortable in the room, probably since that the demonstrations are over.

When the girl makes her way next to her father, she lays out on the turned booth and lays her head on one of his legs and he brings his hand down upon her hair and begins to play with it as he looks at the three guests with his usual expression of neutrality. All of the pain that was there before is gone, but Amalthea knows better than to think this man is unfeeling, now.

"We have healers prepared for them; we kept the wounds long enough only to provide you the necessary evidence." Rein says softly. He looks down at his daughter as he continues, "Unfortunately, though their physical wounds are going to be healed, the connections to their element is not. We have tried the best healers we could find, but to no avail."

Amalthea tilts her horned head. "You mean...No tremor sense? Wind sense? Echolocation?"

"Yes," Rein confirms, "I am afraid that this is so. After much questioning of all of the victims, none of them remember how this was done to them. The humans are somehow rendering us all unconscious and then doing these things. We don't even know exactly which human or faction of humans is responsible due to this. We only have a region on their border where our people are going missing."