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 Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 1:18 pm
It hadn't been long since she had arrived at the Clan reserve in this strange land. The ground and air were cold to her dark skin. She missed the warmth of her previous desert home. But that was gone. All of it was gone. When she had made haste to return all she had found was ash and darkness. Anyone who had survived had long since moved on. For a long time the Alchemist thought she was really the lone survivor of her people. It was a horrible fate to think might befall her. That she might vanish into obscurity with the rest. Thankfully she had found her way though. Following a scavenging party back to this realm, Falair was relieved that she was not the last. And so she merely wandered through out the encampment. Lost and misplaced. But at least she wasn't alone. Though Reject had made it through with her, the misshapen and simple minipet was not the same as having the companionship she once did. The family she once had. Mother, father, Na'ima....she had not seen them upon arrival. They themselves perhaps dead or lost. It was a reality that cut deep in her heart. Falair sat beneath one of the odd trees inside the camp, twirling a bit of greenery between her fingers. Staring idly at it as Reject puttered about, moving oddly through the air as he hmmmm and hawwed.
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 4:18 pm
Na'ima had more or less come to terms with the fact that she would never see her biological family ever again. She had no choice. At the very least she had Salbei, and Mmur, and even Faiyum. She did not want to think about what life would be like without the handful of Famine horsemen that did manage to survive. There was no point in it, such a thing would not be happening. Normally she kept to the tent Salbei was allowing her to borrow. Yes. Borrow. Salbei knew better than that. She had already started to plan how to redecorate the tent to be more aesthetically pleasing to herself. Normally the Sage kept to the tent to work but today she found herself in need of a walk, leaving a trail of soft lavender smoke in her wake as she held her pipe to her lips and watched the sky. What did she need? Perhaps she could go in search of Miss Amarus and get some of those wonderful lotus flowers from her. Over the jingling and general noise of the jewelry and ornaments she wore she heard a strange humming sound. Na'ima stopped, looking around until she spotted the..strange...pink minipet. What in the hell was that? There was someone sitting beside it. Na'ima raised her brow and eyed the minipet's companion with curiosity. Was this someone new? ...No.. Her eyes widened and her heart stopped. Falair. The Sage closed her eyes tightly, held them that way for ten seconds, and then finally reopened them. Falair was still sitting there. "Sister..?" Na'ima called out cautiously as if afraid that acknowledging the other Famine mare would destroy some kind of illusion her heart had created. First Salbei and now Falair? This was too good to be true.
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 5:29 pm
The plant she twirled between her fingers had most of her attention at the moment. So much so that the faint smell of lavender hadn't even registered in her mind. There were so many smells, familiar and foreign here. They all tended to blend together. But it was the familiar voice that broke through. Her twirling stopped, the thin twig's stalk snapping between her fingers. It had caught her off guard. A voice that she had never thought to never hear again. For a brief second she thought she was just hearing things. A broken heart drumming up hallucinations to comfort her. When she lifted her gaze in the direction it came from she thought a mirage. How cruel it was! All the sound around her faded away and silence fell upon her. She covered her eyes with her hands, digging her fingers into her temples and tried to rub the illusion away with the palms of her hands. But when she drew them away her sister was still there. A choked sob as she sprang to her feet and ran towards her sister. She wrapped her arms around her. "Na'ima! You're alive!" Falair clung tight, afraid that if she let go her sister would disappear.
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 5:50 pm
The Sage was still in shock when her sister threw herself at her, causing Na'ima to stumble back a single step before she caught herself and her little sister. Instinctively her arms held Falair, one hand holding the back of her head and the other arm wrapping around her lower back. Na'ima's eyes were wide, her jaw dropped behind the veil that covered the lower half of her face. She was holding Falair. Her sister. Family. Family she had assumed was dead. Perhaps there was hope for mother and father. It had been a very long time since Na'ima had allowed herself to cry over anything. The last time had been with joy after having received the news she was being inducted as a Sage, and even then it was something she had done privately; not even Salbei knew of her tears that day. And so it was for that reason she was startled by the few tears that did fall. She held Falair tighter, crushing the alchemist to her chest. "Falair," she whispered, terrified that if she spoke too loudly that her sister would disappear. This had to be a hallucination caused by her smoking. It had to be. There was no way. Except she could feel her sister, hear her sister, see her sister. Na'ima couldn't think of words yet. Nothing that made any sense.
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 6:04 pm
She choked back another sob. Fighting as best she could to keep the tears from flowing down her cheeks. It was a hard fight to say the least. Falair was just overcome by the fact that here sister was here and she was alive! Did that mean mother and father were here too....? Fingers grasped at Na'ima's robes. The familiar smell of her, the warmth of her body and the sound of her voice speaking her name. It was almost too much. Falair took a deep breath, trying to bring calm to herself once more. Pulling back just a bit, she wiped at her eyes lightly with one hand while the other still clung to Na'ima. "I thought I had lost you and mother and father. I'm so relieved to see that you are still alive. It was horrible when I tried to return to the isles."
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Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 2:04 am
Na'ima made soft shushing sounds in her sister's ear, swaying gently with the younger alchemist and pressing her face into her hair. Her sister was alive and well, and she was in one piece. All of this was spectacular news. She would let her little sister cry if she desired, but attempting to comfort someone in distress..well...distressed Na'ima. She never quite knew what to do. She allowed Falair to lean back but did not let her go, her hands grasping her sister's upper arms. Like Falair, Na'ima refused to release her in fear of losing her again. Her eyes still glistened with tears she had not shed, her smile faltering slightly behind her veil at the mention of mother and father. So Falair had not seen them either. But perhaps there was still a shred of hope in there somewhere. Perhaps..they had just...not returned. Except Na'ima was quite certain they had been on the isle when she had left before..all of that mess. "Yes, it..." Na'ima finally frowned. "It is despicable what happened to our beautiful home. I will explain that to you later. Now is not the time for mourning and looking back, now is a time for celebration, my dearest sister! Oh, Salbei will be so delighted to see you! And Faiyum as well, I am sure! I have not yet come across him but Salbei has mentioned he is here. Him, and Mahir, and Mmur was kind enough to escort me to an event the students in the nearby academy held...oh, Falair. I thought I had lost you.." Na'ima raised her hands to cup her sister's cheeks, looking fondly upon the younger Famine. She had family, real family. Real flesh, blood, and bones family. "Dry your tears," Na'ima urged gently, rubbing at Falair's cheeks with her thumbs. She smiled behind her veil again, a smile that reached her eyes. "I am here, and I will not be leaving you. But...I do have one question.." Her eyes turned to the strange pink.. thing floating near them. "What is that?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 6:51 am
The lack of acknowledgement of their parents in her older sister's reply spoke volumes to Falair. But she was not about to give up home on them. Surely others who were on the island were able to escape in time and survive. Their parents would not idly stand by and let themselves be swallowed by the darkness. Falair had to have hope. Part of her was curious as to what had happened in the end. But Na'ima was right. Now wasn't the time to dwell on such things. A smile wormed its way to her lips beneath her face mask, though it shone through her eyes as well. She was glad to hear of familiar faces that had survived too. "I am glad to hear that they all made it through as well." In time she would seek the others out, but for now she was more focused on her older sister than anyone else. The Alchemist truly knew the meaning of not taking anything for granted now. Her sisters affirmation that she would not be leaving her again was soothing. A great relief to her. Though she knew in her heart that Na'ima would indeed never leave her again there was that small voice in the back of her mind. But not time to dwell on such things. Caught up in the moment, Falair had completely forgotten about Reject. That is until her sister brought his presence to her attention once again. Falair tended to forget he was even there half the time. Her head turned slowly to look at the abomination of a minipet who was hovering in the air. The instant she looked at it it smiled at her. "I got....bored." She had a lot of time to herself. Reject wasn't the first but he was the first to survive. And survive he did. "He did not always look that way nor was he so simple minded but I tried to put him out of his misery but he just won't die. I've tried fire, poison, electrocution, smashing him. Nothing works." He was a shame filled project and yet something to be a little proud of. "Sadly, I have not been able to replicate the results so I am afraid he will be the only one."Perhaps Falair's failings as an Alchemist were a good thing for the minipet. "He's helpful...sometimes." Reject sputtered and flopped through the air towards the two. As he drew close his body convulsed, eyes popping out one after the other in a rhythmic pattern. A few pops, hisses and clicks before he seemed to return to normal. "I think he's saying hi I do not know half the time." Sigh.
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Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 6:36 pm
From what could be seen of Na'ima's face it could be determined she was possibly amused by Falair's answer. She was bored. "Would you like one of my poisons? They are more subtle, and not as merciful, but they usually work.." On humans. Even while they discussed the minipet she refused to release her sister, golden eyes turning back to the face of her beloved little sister while the younger mare spoke. Na'ima's smile grew fond. Falair was here, she was safe. She would not be letting her go again. The Sage reached out to gently cup Falair's chin, leaning forward to rest her forehead against the Alchemist's until she heard the sputtering. Wow that was..something. "He is certainly unique," was all Na'ima could politely tell her. Instead she simply hugged her sister again, kissing the mare's temple through her own veil and simply staying where she was. Words could not describe how overjoyed she was to have her sister in her arms again.
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Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 6:49 pm
Glancing at the minipet once more, a tight lipped frown pulled at the corners of Falair's lips. It was hard to admit that she had become just a little bit fond of Reject, he had been there with her. And even though he could be annoying and useless doing the most simplest of tasks, he tried his hardest to please her. She could not fault him for that. "No, he is my responsibility and I made him this way. Perhaps some day I will discover how to reverse his state. Or perhaps he will just simply wander off." It would remain to be seen in the end. Indeed he was unique. Fala closed her eyes with a smile when Na'ima kissed her temple. The gesture tugged at her heart strings. "Are you staying with Salbei in this place then?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 6:55 pm
"As you wish," Na'ima murmured, her eyes closed and her veiled lips still pressed to her sister's temple. She was so elated to be reunited with her that honestly Falair could say anything and she would just accept it. She gave a nod to Falair's question. "He has allowed me use of his tent until I acquire my own." There was amusement in her tone. It always made Na'ima laugh whenever she remembered that little piece of information. Anyone who knew Na'ima should know better than to simply allow her to stay in their home without making an active effort to force her out. It was like taking in a stray cat, once she was fed she was never leaving. "Would you like me to ask if you may stay as well? Or should we find someone else to take you in? You will not be sleeping out in the woods or out from under the protection of some kind of structure, I will not allow it." There was a firmness in Na'ima's tone that said she was not to be argued with. Falair would be given a roof over her head in some way or another.
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Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 7:08 pm
The firmness in her sister's voice made created much amusement for the younger Mare. While she was not one to be overly coddled, she could appreciate the fact that her sister cared enough to not let her be stuck out in the cold. And this place was colder than their home. It unnerved Falair just a bit. She was so used to the warmth, the heat, the light. And it made her wonder about the inhabitants on this Halloween. But curiosities about them could be sated later. "Perhaps I could just stay for a little while. Until I find something more permanent. I would not want to stay longer than was necessary." While she enjoyed her sister's company, Fala did not wish to be under foot. Though she would not stray far the Alchemist would prefer more of a space to call her own. A place to stretch out.
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Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 3:41 pm
"Of course, my dear, of course. I will ask him as soon as he returns, I have no doubt he will be overjoyed to see you have returned to us safe and sound." How could he not be? How could anyone not be? Finally she released her sister, or at least released her enough to simply hold her hand instead. "You must have questions. I will answer them, and I will show you around." Na'ima was not leaving her sister's side.
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Posted: Sun Jul 07, 2013 5:10 pm
Falair laced her fingers with Na'ima's, allowing her sister to lead her about when she was ready. They must've looked a bit odd standing here hugging each other to any of the random passer bys. Reject sputtered behind them. Hmmming and hawwwing at random things. "I have many but some can wait till another time." There was a lot she did not know about what happened to their previous home. And someday she would like to know more but for now she needed to focus on their current place of residency. "I see all the Clans are now living together in one big community it seems?" She watched as a couple of Death Clan members strolled on by. "Who all is leading us now?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 1:36 pm
"That is correct, all of the clans now live together. From what I have been told we are referred to as the 'Lost Clans' now. Some seem to accept this new merger of the four clans a bit easier than others, however." She shrugged. "I have stuck to our own clan mostly, but I did meet a lovely Conquest stallion. Very polite, conquest. Always so formal and respectful."At the question of leadership she frowned. "Death, at the moment. Just Death." She continued down the path hand in hand with her sister, the sounds of her jewelry and adornments being enough to drown out the strange noises the minipet made. For her ears, at least.
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Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 6:29 pm
She listened as her sister spoke. Soaking it all in. It really all did seem a bit crazy to her, but perhaps with time Falair would adjust. No, she would adjust. The Alchemist had to. Just as before. Falair chuckled lightly. "AaaAAAaaa does Na'ima have a fancy for her lovely Conquest stallion?" She teased. The young Horsewoman always found the Conquest Clan to be a bunch of stuffed shirts honestly. Always so prim and proper. But she was a child of the dirt. While she did enjoy pretty robes and clothing, nothing felt better than trekking through brush or digging in the soil. Tilting her head, she gave her sister a curious look. Did she mean the Death Clan lead them? Falair did not quite understand. "Death?"
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