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Arayna

Character Info
Name: Arayna
Age: Unsure
Alignment: CG
Race: Fairy
Gender: Female
Class:
Silver: 441
Arayna studied the unfocused images she could see through the portal she had created. It certainly looked like a bustling market in a human city by a water source. Arayna was happy to see that it seemed to be a normal day. The fairy still could not believe what happened and that she had ended up a part of. Hopefully, this was home, Arayna rather missed home.

Stepping through her portal she found herself standing on a lion statue. Surveying her surroundings the fey decided that she had found a city. But unless Iria had moved to a mountain, consolidated all of the canals to a central river and traded its willow trees for an army of lion statues this was not home. Arayna had not realized how fond she had grown of Iria.

Sighing the fey pouted, it would be a while before she could open another portal and try again. Maybe next time she should focus on the willow trees, the library or maybe even someone she knew lived in the city. Upon reflecting the fey realized looking for a market near a water source was probably the equivalent of just looking for a human trade city.

Having decided what to try next the fairy realized she needed to figure out what to do while she regained strength. Absently twirling one of her blonde braids, the fairy watched the market. The fey was excited to see that a lot of chocolate seemed to be peddled. The fairy had learned better than to try to steal from the market vendors, they had keen eyes and at times even enchantments to protect their wears. The fey supposed she could try to lift a coin or two from the market goers, but she would need to find someplace to stash the coins.

Deciding that taverns with an inn had always proven useful places to stay, the fey opened her wings and took off, scouting the city for one. Arayna felt allowed to take up residence in such places after all that is what humans had designed them for. Of course, Arayna usually bartered with a mouse or a bird that made its residence there, rather than the innkeeper, but still, the spirit was the same.
Aarek_Lin

Character Info
Name: Aarek Lin
Age: 24
Alignment: TG
Race: Half-elf
Gender: Male
Class: Bard/Single Dad
Silver: 8349
Lately, the days stretched on for longer than they had any right. Boredom wasn't quite the right word for what he felt. It was more like he was lacking something, lacking a purpose. Nowhere was that more apparent than in Mamlak, where he'd spent days trying to scrape together enough silver to last him till the next city. As it turned out, the citizens of the city were less than enthusiastic about watching a travelling musician perform. He'd be lucky to have ten coins at the end of the day. Leaning against a wall and staring at his near-empty hat, Aarek decided he should try looking for work in a tavern.

Hours of scouring and receiving dirty glares almost seemed pointless until he finally found somewhere in need of a musician. It was a small tavern, nestled neatly along the street. He'd nearly missed it when he walked past. When he opened the door, he was immediately taken by the cozy atmosphere of the place. Sure, it wasn't all that busy, but he couldn't complain. The owner was nice enough, though he held the same condescending stare as just about everyone else in the city. The man agreed to let Aarek play for tips, though he was told not to expect any other sort of payment. Of course, he graciously accepted.

Kassia, who had remained perched at his shoulder for most of the day, flew into the rafters to watch him from above, her bright blue feathers easily visible from where he sat. Carefully, he adjusted his glasses and brought his flute to his lips. Notes drifted lithely from the instrument, each one filling the room with a practiced and even tone. His old flute mixed perfectly with the acoustics of the room, albeit a little stuffier than usual. Aarek had to work to not smile and ruin his form. Although the day had been filled with stress, something about the music caused all of his concerns to melt away.

By the time he'd gone to take a break, his hat was full. Normally, he'd have to set out a larger container, but he wouldn't complain. At least he'd made more than he would have on the street. Aarek swiped an arm across his forehead and sat at a small table near the corner of the room. A few people sat around, but most were at the bar, exchanging stories and belting laughter. He felt his anxiety begin to claw back up his throat, but he forcefully shut it out. Not here. Clenching his teeth, he whistled for Kassia, who flew down to his shoulder without hesitation. Her presence always seemed to calm him, if only a little.

Arayna

Character Info
Name: Arayna
Age: Unsure
Alignment: CG
Race: Fairy
Gender: Female
Class:
Silver: 441
Arayna sat in the rafters intently watching and listening to the bard. The fairy would have flown right past the place if not for the melody. The innkeeper had been wise to hire such a person, it was rather easy to miss the place. Absently the fey tapped and hummed with the music, enjoying the man’s craft.

The fey’s admiration for the man increased when she noticed that other patrons would approach and deposited silver for the man. This interaction fascinated the fairy, who began wondering if she could learn a craft that would allow her to freely gain silver. Maybe she would have to look to see if there where fairy size instruments whenever she was able to make it to the forest. Of course, she would have to get home first.

Arayna’s inner musing of whether she would ever be brave enough to play an instrument where interrupted by the sound of a coin dropping. The only creature Arayna had seen so far was a songbird. The bird had proven interesting as it almost appeared as if she was watching the bard. Arayna had never seen tavern animals show interest in the people, just the spaces that offered shelter and food that might be dropped. Arayna debated whether she needed to approach the bird about collecting coins. Crows could be territorial about her collecting shiny things, but the fairy had never encountered such issues with other birds. The fairy would simply refrain from collecting crumbs until she was able to barter with the bird.

Wrapping her magic around her the fairy descended from the rafters hoping to retrieve the coin, humans that could partake in this type of merriment would usually give up looking for a coin or two. If no coins dropped, or even she could not find where it had gone to, a charm spell made it difficult to remember how many coins was in the purse. The fairy had to remind herself that her spell only let her hide, it did not make her silent, so humming was not a good idea.

By the time the bard ended his songs the fey had managed to collect quite a few coins in the rafters. Arayna now realized a flaw in her plan, she had no real way to buy the chocolate. Usually, she would stash the coins somewhere until her friend would pick them up, tell her if she had enough and go purchase things for her. Leandra was not in this city. Sitting in the rafter pouting the fey’s thoughts of just dumping the coins from the rafters to see what happened where interrupted by a whistle, and the movement of the songbird.

The whistle had not seemed magic, had the human formed a bond with the bird? That was interesting. Arayna was more familiar than she would like with humans keeping pets, and even training pets to do tricks. But the bird being in the tavern and going of its own free will seemed more like companionship than the fey was used to seeing. Especially as the bird likely was not bound like she was to honor deals, which was the way she had been a “cage-free” pet.

Attention caught, the fairy took time to look at the man, recognizing him as the bard from before. Deciding that his demeanor and ability made him more approachable than Leandra was on a good day, the fairy decided to risk the chance at making a new friend. Maybe if the discussion went well, he would even agree to buy her chocolate, he could keep the rest of the coins it was not like the fey could carry them anywhere without more effort than they were worth to her. Letting him keep excess should make it a fair deal, too.

Course decided, the fairy clumsily grabbed a few coins as tribute; hoping she could carry them all over. The man had even been kind enough to sit near a corner. Carefully flying over with her bounty, the fey approached the booth, but then found herself stuck as what to do. She had stayed invisible to get there, but just popping into existence might frighten the man. It would certainly frighten her. Ah, hello. I would like to offer these to you as I enjoyed your music and this seems to be the custom to show appreciation, the fey said having decided to stand on the floor the roughly his arms distance away while slowly manipulating her spell so she could be seen.

Aarek_Lin

Character Info
Name: Aarek Lin
Age: 24
Alignment: TG
Race: Half-elf
Gender: Male
Class: Bard/Single Dad
Silver: 8349
To say he was surprised by the sudden greeting would be an understatement. Even though the voice was light and non-threatening, he jumped, and his heart missed a beat in his confusion. Kassia crooned softly, rubbing her head gently against his cheek. It took a few moments for Aarek to slow his breathing. Truthfully, the situation didn't warrant that bad of a reaction, but his nerves were so on edge that he hadn't even thought about seeing who'd spoken.

His eyes drifted down to the table, where a small fey stood, struggling to hold a few silver coins. As his mind began to process what he was looking at, he felt a flush of embarrassment creep up his neck when he realized that they must be for him. That little revelation did nothing to ease his anxiety, but he managed a smile. The bird at his shoulder hopped onto the table, searching for loose crumbs or other food. Aarek grimaced, realizing she must not have eaten on her own that day.

"Hello, miss–" A pang of guilt hit him, and he severely hoped that she hadn't given him her name. Knowing her species, it would have been unusual if she had, but still… "Ah, tha–thank you." Nervously, he adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. The cracked left lens made the room appear to shift, though he paid it little mind. Something about the damage had become a part of his daily life, and part of him knew that the second it was gone would call for a major readjustment of his mindset. He held a shaky hand out to the fey, but he wouldn't put it past her if his actions caused her to rethink the offer. At this point, he'd almost be willing to die from embarrassment.

"My name is Aarek," he gave, aware of the danger of giving up his name. But Kassia hadn't bristled at the girl's introduction, so he trusted her well enough. The songbird usually had fairly good intuition about people, and the half-elf relied on her more than he'd like to admit. With a sigh, he used his free hand to push back a loose strand of black hair behind his ear. It wasn't as pointy as most elves' (they might even pass for human, at a glance), but if someone looked carefully enough, they could see his race. 

His mind trailed off while he awaited her answer, vaguely noting in his head how the lone waitress was fairly pretty, or the candle near the door was burning out, or basically anything to keep his mind off of the pit in his stomach.

Arayna

Character Info
Name: Arayna
Age: Unsure
Alignment: CG
Race: Fairy
Gender: Female
Class:
Silver: 441
Frowning the fey observed the strangers shaking hands. Arayna had really hoped she had found a way not to scare the man. The fairy was not in the habit of approaching people, really up until this point, everyone she had talked to had found her first.

The man offering his name made her sigh, the fairy had complex feelings about names, knowing they were important but having no idea why. Well if he trusted her enough to offer his name, she would have to try to live up to it. Taking the exchange as an invitation, the fey moved to deposit the coins. Once free of their weight she fluttered to the top of the table, joining the songbird, still trying to maintain an arms-length distance between herself and the man.

The fairy smiled at the bird, who was clearly searching for scraps. So the relationship had not been based on food and trick training, Arayna was happy to have been right in her assessment. Biting her lip the fey briefly debating if she wanted to delay her ability to attempt to gait travel elsewhere. Studying the man she noticed that a shifting of his hair had revealed his ears. Recognizing a point the fairies mood lifted, they were kin, very distantly, but still kin. Maybe his relationship with the bird made more sense, she had heard elves had a better relationship with nature than mankind.

Deciding it would be fun to spend time with someone even vaguely related to her species her debate was settled. Focusing her magic she summoned sunflower hearts, bits of fruit and cubes of worms for the bird. ”I’ll offer you this so I can collect the crumbs, she explained softly to the bird. Living on this is how I got too skinny, but it will be very nourishing for you! she explained to the bird. The food she summoned would allow her to sustain herself when desperate, but did not have the same nourishment or restoring power as unsummoned food. The bird would be better with the conjured food, and Arayna better with the crumbs.

Wondering if it was rude to address the bird instead of the man the fey tried to refocus her attention. “It is nice to meet you bard of my kin,” she said giving a curtsey and then pointing to her own pointed ears. I will try to be worthy of the honor of you trusting me with your name, I will not use the name for any sort of malice or mischief. As we are kin, you can address me as Raya if you wish. the fairy finished, smiling brightly at Aarek.
Aarek_Lin

Character Info
Name: Aarek Lin
Age: 24
Alignment: TG
Race: Half-elf
Gender: Male
Class: Bard/Single Dad
Silver: 8349
Aarek closed his fist around the coins and dropped them into his backpack with a satisfying clink. He nodded a brief thanks, before turning his attention to the pile of food now offered to Kassia. The bird cooed happily. Thank you, she chirped to the fey (though her companion couldn't understand the words), and she began gleefully pecking at her dinner. Raising an eyebrow, the half-elf rested his chin on his hand.

"Hm, Raya," he mused, studying her a bit more closely now. "Unusual name, but I like it. It suits one of your kind." Once the words slipped out, he winced slightly. "Of course, I only mean that as a compliment!" Perhaps the hasty correction wasn't necessary, but he was relieved none-the-less. Rather than linger too long on whether or not he might offend this being with power over his name, he tried to relax. Then again, she had said that she wouldn't use his name, so maybe she wasn't as mischievous in her nature? Ah, he was thinking too hard about it. He shook his head, replacing his doubt with positive thoughts.

Cautiously, he extended his hand back out to her, this time as an offer for her to shake it. "It's nice to meet you, miss." A soft smile played at his lips while he pondered what to discuss. There were so many things he wanted to ask. Fae usually weren't keen on offering answers, and the nicer ones were few and far between. Raya appeared to be such an exception. Oh, but what was she doing in a huge city like Mamlak? Didn't fae live near forests or nature? Aarek couldn't stifle the excited giggle that bubbled from his throat.

"Ah, uhm. Aren't you hungry? You must want more than scraps." Drat. He was really bad at this. What if she left without answering any questions?! That would surely be a waste, not only because of his lack of knowledge, but also due to the lost potential friendship. "Yes, yep, everything her will be too big, surely, but, uh…" Gears turned in his mind, but the solution was obvious. He raised a finger in triumph. "The market, of course!"

Apparently, he'd said that a bit louder than he had meant to. A few heads from the bar turned, and the bartender shot him a warning glare. Aarek sank down in his chair with an embarrassed groan. Kassia raised her head and eyed him mournfully, fluttering back to his shoulder. Gets so nervous. Makes him sick. And she wasn't wrong, but Aarek was good at pushing the feeling away. Twirling a strand of black hair around his finger, he gave Raya a smaller smile. "Er… would you like to go to the market? I can buy you some food, or something."

Arayna

Character Info
Name: Arayna
Age: Unsure
Alignment: CG
Race: Fairy
Gender: Female
Class:
Silver: 441
Arayna watched the bard with interest. The fey found it impossible not to smile and had to fight laughter. She had never been the one someone was nervous to meet, normally she was the nervous one. So, her nickname fit with those of her kind. Well, that made sense; after all, it was just a part of her name. Maybe it was too close to her actual name to give to other fey. The fairy decided to worry about that, when and if, it became a problem.

She smiled kindly when the bard giggled and seemed nervous to speak with her. A little giggle of her own escaped. It was quite the entertaining meeting, she was not sure which one of them was more nervous about the other. The fey felt closer to the man when he began to twirl his hair, so they had that it common. Smiling warmly and having decided that the bard meant her no harm, Arayna moved to shake a finger on his outreached hand. Gently, the fairy extended her magic towards the man through her contact with his hand, she would not fight him if he resisted it. Arayna offered the warmth of her magic to lessen some of the anxiety. Arayna was not sure if healing magic could cure one of such status afflictions, but if nothing else the warmth might be a comfort.

"It is nice to meet you, too," she said kindly, with a soft smile. "I would almost think you a mind reader mentioning the market, I was hoping to get chocolate from there, but have difficulty interacting with big folks and markets." Her smile changed, possibly betraying some of her sadness as memories of being good at the market came to her. "If our friendly diplomat here would not mind some company, a shoulder ride through the market would be lovely, I have some coin up there, you can keep any left over. I can move it while you perform if that task is not yet complete," as she spoke the fair added gesturing first to the bird, then vaguely to the rafters. In her mind, Arayna was already planning on how she could move the money in the rafters over to this table to give to the bard.
Aarek_Lin

Character Info
Name: Aarek Lin
Age: 24
Alignment: TG
Race: Half-elf
Gender: Male
Class: Bard/Single Dad
Silver: 8349
He listened intently to everything she said, if only because he wouldn't likely get the chance to speak with a fairy again anytime soon. Warmth seemed to emanate from her touch, and he wondered whether that was due to her magic or just the sense of physical contact. Aarek nodded when she mentioned the chocolate, the tiniest of smiles playing at his lips. The words reminded him much of a child. In that sense, he supposed, the fey was similar to Kassia. His songbird often acted more like a daughter to him than a pet– but she was a bird, and saying such things out loud was silly.

"I'd be honored to take you into the market," he assured her, glancing around the bar. There were no windows, but the lack of customers alerted Aarek that it must have been early afternoon. Luckily, he'd still have some time for his break, before the night crowds began to emerge. "Don't worry. We'll have plenty of time to go out and purchase your chocolate, miss."

Smiling warmly, he stood from his chair and lifted his pack onto his back With one finger, he poked Kassia so she'd make room for the fey on his shoulder. He gestured for Raya to sit there. Aarek had noticed her slight unease when she mentioned her difficulty interacting with larger people, and he wanted to make her feel safe. "We don't have to stay out any longer than that, if you don't want to." Kass chirped in agreement, cocking her head in a sort of invitation. She was not particularly used to having a companion her own size, but she thought that the fairy was good.

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