Ramla had been on the road for a week now, luckily she managed to cut it short with the occasional friendly face offering her a spot in their cart. Like now per example. Dressed in her favorite black and red saree outfit, a heavy bag in her lap with some personal belongings, and a small pouch of coins around her belt. Watching the farmland scenery, as herbs and hops are grown for the infamous local brew. As the last rays of sunlight fade from the horizon she lowered her scarf from her head. Smiling up at the darkened sky, inhaling the fresh hops scented air and then sighing. 

Nihr had suddenly decided to become a mercenary. He grew bored of the floating city now that things have gotten quiet again. Both of them actually craved some action. They even began to take out their frustration on each other with constant fighting and whatnot. So she understood why he left, but she was still pissy at the fact that he didn't take her with him. So, what? She was supposed to just stay at the Inn, play housewife while he goes out adventuring? Ramla wasn't the housewife type, never was and never will be. So she packed her bag and with lots of effort and prayer, took the first airship to the mainland. 

When the cart stood still, the driver announced their arrival by the lake. A small fisher's town was their stop. Well his at least. Ramla still had a long ways to go but some rest was needed. So she followed the sounds of music and cheer, entering the tavern. It was filled with fisher's and farmers mostly, and the usually travelers who wished to see the beauty of the Jasumin lake in perpetual autumn. There were dancing girls entertaining the patrons, waitresses busy with taking orders for the thirsty. Pretty loud to be honest. 

Ramla ran a hand through her dark, curly locks and glanced around to find an empty seat. Pushing through the crowd she sat down down at a small table and ordered some drink and a warm meal. While waiting for the order she watched the dancers sway their hips and shimmy their bosoms to the sounds of rhythmic drums and snares. One such dancer was particularly talented, she certainly got the most attention in the tavern. Including Ramla's. Thanking the waitress she took her drink and took a couple of much needed swigs. "Refreshing." She said to herself in the Common Tongue as she licked her lips before resuming the spectacle. She clapped along with the crowd as the girl danced, and a sunflower sung.

"A singing flower. Interesting." 

The Rosenite still had not found a troupe to travel with. It was a hard thing to do when rumors spread fast through song and dance. She had, after all, rejected the crude approach of the last man in her troupe. Well ex troupe. She told him to leave and barely had any strength, only to realize all the time she had wasted on Noata had wasted precious life. Even if she had seen their children, he said he didn’t want any with her. So be it. She danced and she sang across Canelux until she could take the first damn boat out of there.

So there she was, dancing to music of the oriental kind. She raised her lute of tranquility and let everyone feel its loving embrace. Watch her dance, hear her sing. That’s all that made her happy. Her long brown hair curled around her in a mass of curls. Those silver eyes determined. Holly was still wearing her red crop halter and slit red skirt. It was beautiful and etched in gold. Her sash hung off her hip and the strum of her lute matched the jingle of the coins on her sash.

Sunny was besides her singing along with the notes. She was singing of the Canelux spring. Typically over on Parvpora she avoided singing about the gods since that was still a tough cookie to crumble but they enjoyed the songs of warriors the most. She sang them more songs of the fey from Feeorin and the mermaids at the  bottom of the lake.

When she finally got tired, long after the other dancers, she came over to a woman’s table. “May I sit?” Her chest rose and fell heavily as she laughed. “I am afraid I might have over done myself.” Sunny followed behind her and Holly patted the sunflower softly. “You did really well tonight.”

Ramla was really enjoying her time away from Nihr. Away from the madness and the dangerous experiments. She continued to watch the entertaining dance until a waitress blocked her view to bring her her food. Thanking the woman she inhaled the inviting scent of a hearty stew. This world was so refreshing to her, so many new things to explore and  to learn from. Like the cuisine per example, the foods were similar to the ones on Earth. Same textures and flavors although quite a few ingredients had an interesting combination of both. 

She took several bites from her plate as she watched the dancing girl and her flower-companion. Whereas Holly had brown curls and silver eyes, hers were almost a deep green, emerald some would say. And her thick mass of curls were long, reaching mid-waist and black in color. Her ethnicity gave away her Egyptian-Sumerian heritage. However her skin was now pale due to her mutation; it was once a rich coffee color.

 Looking around the tavern, she smiled to herself. She could get used to this lifestyle. Being on the road again, never knowing what kind of people you'll meet, never knowing what kind of adventures you'd get yourself into. Her language had gotten better, she still bore that thick Eastern accent of course but at least she wasn't speaking in broken sentences anymore. So she was able to enjoy the songs about Parvpora, about faeries and mermaids. She clapped and cheered for the girl when she was done dancing. Ramla paused for a bit as it seems that the girl was heading her way. She listened to her request and nodded at her, scooting her chair over so she'd have more room."Of course, sit. Rest." She said as she moved her plate and drink aside. Waving her hand in the air to call the attention of the waitress again. "Two more drinks please!" Ordering one for Holly as well.

"You dance well." Ramla said to her before looking down at the sunflower. "And you, sing well." She paused for a bit as she stared at the flower…"How is it that plants can talk? And move on their own?" Ramla was curious to know this.On Earth plants didn't behave that way, not even if they used magic. The biggest glimpse of sentient life that they showed was the flesh-eating plant. And it only ever moved if fed. She looked back up at Holly, smiling before she chastised herself for being rude. "I'm sorry, we haven't introduced. I am Ram-La. What is your name?" She asked before accepting the drinks that arrived. Handing one cup to Holly and taking a sip from her own.

Her Arriese accent stuck out when not singing. It was heavy and she found it refreshing to be talking to another foreigner. “Why thank you! We do try our very best on every occasion to show off our talents.” Holly laughed a bit before looking down to Sunny. “They are beasts found on Apoy Island near the other continent. My mother got him for me to keep me company. His name is Sunny, I let my youngest sister name him.” She reached down and scratched one of Sunny’s petals. “He is a good boy.”

Sitting down finally she let out a breath before taking the drink in her hands. “Thank you so much Ram-La. My name is Holly, named after the plants like most of my people. Well we are mostly named after natural things.” Unless there was a good reason not to such as a tradition or naming a child after a person. That happened a lot as well.

Holly lifted the drink up to her lips and drank it in. After taking a moment to let her vocal chords calm down she called for a bowl of water for her dear Sunny. “He would like a bowl of water to soak in if that is alright?” The waitress nodded to him and Holly reached back over to scratch his petals once more. He was much more like a cat then she had expected.

“You are not from Parvpora, your accent isn’t familiar to me.” She gave the woman a smile.

Ramla nodded at Holly as she explained where the Sunflower came from. Apoy Island. So plants have a significant sentient life. She began to think about how it lives and what it needs to stay alive. And since it's a plant they most likely need sunlight and water. "Sunny." She said as she repeated the name with a smile. Gently reaching over to caress one of its petals, "It suits you." She said to him with a chuckle before turning to Holly again as she introduced herself.

Ramla was pleased that the girl enjoyed the drink. Figuring that since she asked to be seated here meant she hadn't ordered anything yet for herself. She was named after a plant, now where did Ramla hear this before. In Tarishitar she remembered hearing a conversation about humanoids called… What was it again. She lifted a finger and tried to remember their race name. "Oh, ehm…Rosenites? Is it not?" She should write it down before she forgets again. Yes, now she remembers. The Rosenites tend to be closer to the natural world than regular humans.

While the women waited for Sunny's bowl of water the attention of the conversation was turned onto her this time. She smiled after she finished taking a sip from her drink. Shaking her head at Holly, "No, it wouldn't be familiar. We are not from this planet." She quickly corrected herself when she realized that 'we' might be confusing. "With 'we' I mean Me and my companion, Nihr who is off enjoying his own adventures." She said with a slight irritation in her voice. "We come from another world named Earth, a … dire situation forced us to flee through a portal that led us near the farmlands of Tarishitar." She pointed towards the direction where the Floating City might be, give or take.

"My accent comes from a dead language that is no longer spoken." The Earth scholars who had expertise in Ancient Mesopotamia might have disagreed with her, but not all of mankind's history was known to man. There was a time where their race was meddled by outer forces. It's all in the past now, however. This was a new chapter in their lives now. "My name doesn't hold much meaning though. Half of it refers to rank, or chaste." She paused for a moment, observing the girl's reactions before mentioning. "La means Slave. My short name at least, the long one is Ra-Mh'ri-La. Which mean Ra, the Slave-Queen." It made her chuckle. The journey she made to earn that title and rank.

She cleared her throat, "So what brings you here in this Fishermen's village?"

 “The Pact has been made. The Archfey now has his Warlock. I grant you powers in return for your servitude, Aisling Melianme. Only when the bargain has been fulfilled will you be freed…”


The road was bumpy as the farmer's cart bounced and jostled around, pulled by a large graying plow horse. The autumn night was chilly, and there was the hint of being able to see one's breath on the air. The lantern swung back and forth as the cart moved along, casting almost eerie shadows across the ground.  In the back of the cart, huddled up against the chill in the air, the girl snoozed restlessly, her mind tormented by the words that had been spoken to her some days before. Ever since she had visited the Hanging Gardens she had felt like there was a presence in the back of her mind; a shadow following her every step. It was not a sensation she particularly liked. Having admirer's was one thing, but having a stalker was something entirely different. 

The horse whinnied as the cart came to a lurching stop. The sudden lack of momentum forced Aisling into wakefullness and she pushed her golden blonde bangs out of her eyes to look around. 

"Last stop, young Miss. This is as far as I go," the cart driver told her. Aisling looked about again at the quaint little inn they had stopped at on the edge of Lake Jasumin and climbed down from the cart. 

"Thank you very much sir, for the ride," she said gratefully and grabbed her bag from the back of the wagon. 

"Only glad to be of service, Young Miss. I do wish you luck on your journey."

Aisling thanked him again and shouldered her bag and ventured into the inn. It was bright and cheerful, slightly crowded, and she couldn't help but grin as the exotic music met her slightly pointed ears. If there was anything she loved, it was good music, and this place was full of it. There were dancers too, and Aisling found herself looking on in envy. While she did enjoy the dance and liked to try her hand at it, she was far more adepts with her fingers upon strings an holes, and her tongue far more fluent in the language of song and story telling than her body was at the way of dance. She pushed further into the inn, looking to find a decent place to sit where she would have a good view of the dancers. 

The most ideal table was one that was already partially occupied by two young women, one of them strange and foreign looking, and the other dressed as a dancer with a large sunflower sitting in a bowl of water beside her. Aisling took great interest in the instrument that the dancer had on her. She had heard of the Lutes of Tranquility that had been bestowed upon those found worthy by the lost Goddess of Love, and her fingers itched to give it a strum.  Shaking her head, Aisling pushed her hood off her head and lightly tugged her long golden blonde braid out from under her cloak before she carefully moved to speak with the two women. 

"Excuse me… I do hope I am not interrupting…" she said politely with a pretty smile, her grey eyes bright and cheerful. "I was wondering if I might join you?"

[Character development update = Ramla's eyes are Amethyst colored instead of green due to giving her night vision based on the movie Riddick, for his eyesight. I had to tweak her and Nihr so their eyesight made more sense.][/font]

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[font=Georgia]Before Ramla could hear Holly's reason for visiting the Jasumin Lake a young woman approached them. She glanced at Holly briefly before smiling at the girl. "Take a seat." She said to her. Scooting over to make room for her to sit. "You have coin to order yourself food or drink? I'd offer some but I already bought her drinks and I need to keep some for a room soon." Ramla reminded herself to actually find an Inn for the night. She let the girl answer, listening to her. She noticed how the girl had an interest in Holly's lute. Wondering if she was as musically talented as her new friend was. "Do you dance as well? Or sing?"

Offering a smile and a nod at the mention of her race Holly was proud to hear it from someone else’s mouth. “Yes, we’re desert dwellers, well most of us.” For a moment the bard thought and she chuckled. “You sound like a lot of people we have been meeting lately. After Timedeath happened the portals led lots of people to the lands of Revaliir.” There was a gentle smile to Holly’s face as she thought about it. “Even my mother had her counterpart merge with her. Sort of exciting in a way. Though the situation in Sularia was dreadful.”

Listening to the woman’s story she nodded a bit and tried to draw connections to the rules of the Rosen.  “Most of us have names of the natural sort. Holly, Foxglove, Thyme, and I have a brother named after an ash tree. Some of our siblings are named after figures prominent to our parents lives. Aaryona, Nathaniel, Gissa. These names come from people who have influenced our lives. My mother’s name is Angela, named after someone who had been there during the delivery.”

Thinking on her other siblings she chuckled. “Then there are those born into the noble families of others. Like my twin siblings Nerezza and Lucian. Their names mean Darkness and Light.” After all the explanation she watched as the flower splashed about in his bowl.

“Mostly? I’m looking for a troupe to travel with. A bard is only as good as the company she keeps… Or so my sister Calanthe tells me.” It must sound weird hearing all about her siblings like that.

When their new friend appeared Holly laughed and patted the seat next to them just as Ramla answered. “We don’t bought.”  Seeing the girl look at the lute by her side the Rosenite lifted it up and offered it to the girl. “You can give it a whirl. I also have the Mother’s Harp, but that doesn’t really shock me much.” She had features of Angela and anyone who had met the Mother would have known who she was. “My name is Holly and this is Ramla!” The Sunflower made a noise and Holly laughed. “This is Sunny. I’m also curious if you play and sing!”

The warm greeting from the two women and the invitation to sit made Aisling relax a little bit as she carefully hung her pack across the back of the chair that had been made available for her to sit in before she sat down and began swaying slightly to the music. When she was questioned about coin, Aisling waved her hand quickly. 

"Oh, please don't trouble yourself about me. I didn't set out on this little venture empty-handed," she reassured the strange foreign woman pleasantly, giving her a sweet smile. She did, however, wave down one of the servers and asked for a drink and something to eat. Her stomach was growling loud enough that she was certain that everyone in the entire tavern could hear it. Once the server had gone, Aisling found her eyes straying to the Lute that sat beside the dancer, and her fingers itched to touch its strings again. Her desire to touch the instrument must have been apparent, because in the next moment the lute was being offered to her, and the dancer was mentioning that she had a Harp of the Mother herself. Aisling glanced at the rose themed harp that protruded slightly from her backpack, and she smiled before accepting the Lute delicately. She marveled at the craftsmanship and the magic that wafted from the instrument, before looking back at the dancer as she introduced herself and the strange looking woman across from them. 

"Holly, Ramla, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said, her stormy gray eyes sparkling. "My name is Aisling," she said introducing herself. When the sunflower made its noise of indignation at being ignored and was subsequently introduce Aisling blinked in surprise. She had never seen a moving/talking flower before. She took it in stride, however, and greeted the flower warmly. 

The question arose if she was musically inclined, and Aisling couldn't help the slight smirk that came to her lips. Instead of answering verbally, she twisted the lute on her lap so that she was holding it in the proper position for playing and satisfied her fingers' need to strum the instrument. It was just a brief little riff on the strings, but it was still expertly done, and she deftly returned the Lute to Holly when she was done. 

"I absolutely love playing and singing. I grew up in a troupe that my father lead," she explained before she reached around and pulled her harp from her backpack. "He made this from me on the Isle of Seasons when I got accepted into the Bard College in Tarishtar," she explained and stroked the harp fondly. "I sing, I play multiple instruments, and I tell stories. I do enjoy dancing, but I am not very good at it," she added. "Thank you for letting me play your lute. It is a beautiful piece, and I would love to get my hands on my own someday," she said appreciatively. She replaced her harp in her backpack and turned back to the table and rested her arms upon it. Her heavy sleeves slipped down to about halfway down her forearms, leaving bare a intricately carved bracelet of opal and gold that she seemed to fidget with. 

"I'm going to take a shot in the dark here, Holly, that you too are a bard like I am?" she asked curiously. "What about you, Ramla?"

Timedeath…She heard mentions of that event before but never in full detail. Something about a war that ended badly with a result of portals opening up all around the world? Was their own portal the result of this event? Some kind of aftershock? It made her smile though, new knowledge. It's been forever since she learned something new. This world has so much to offer to them and it is a nice change to the Realm of Umbra. Ramla listened to Holly as she explained the meanings of their names in the Rosenite culture. She was surprised to hear the many siblings this woman had? Her mother sure gets a lot of male attention, it made her wonder what kind of woman she was…

Ramla smiled at both women, resting her chin in her hand watching them talk about instruments. Now that it was night time it was getting easier for her to see and it was only now that she noticed how beautiful both girls were. And how much Holly reminded her of someone. And it seems that Aisling also has musical talent. Ramla enjoyed the little tune she played on the lute.  The woman nodded at her when she introduced herself to them, another one that strayed from her troupe. Hmm…She supposed she could ask the girls if they wanted to accompany her on her travels. Her purple gaze drew to the bracelet. It was very pretty, pretty enough that Ramla wanted one of her own. Jewelry was a weakness, back in the day she would be covered in jewels and spend fortunes on them. She listened to Holly explaining again that she too was a dancer searching for a troupe. But when it was Ramla's turn to answer she lifted her chin from her palm and reached for her bag by the chair. 

Rummaging through it in search of a scroll which she took out and unrolled. "I am currently traveling across Parvpora. I seek to explore this land and learn from it." The scroll was a hand drawn map of the continent Parvpora. As she pointed on the map she explained where she started her explorations and where she aimed to end it. "I started from the Floating City, Tarishitar. I used to work as a cook there to finance this trip. I traveled by foot and by cart all the way to Jasumin Plains. My next move is to go across the Haza Savannah then to Ataiyo. I heard Ataiyo is a beautiful place to visit." She said with a smile, hoping for some touristic sightseeing when she reached that place. From the descriptions of her kitchen maids back in Tarishitar it sounded similar to the Asian cultures in her home-planet. "Then through the Menomori forest and over the Arazan Mountains making my way to Eldingarheim. And then Wyllmochvar and then Abed." She sighed contently, looking forward to her adventures. How she missed traveling like this, returning to her roots. "Well, that is if everything goes well of course. And who knows, maybe there might be detours." She looked at both girls, watching their reactions and listening to their questions. "Say, if you girls still need a troupe…How about joining me? I don't have many skills to offer to help finance all this other than sword skill and cooking though. But…perhaps with your musical talents to aid in this?" She asked trying to persuade them into joining her. Of course it was still their choice and they could also go their own way whenever they'd like. But it'd be nice to have some company and people to refer questions about Revaliir.