Fantasy Skyheart - Little Feathers

[Naberius]

Cal smiled even brighter when she sat next to him, and he still couldn't tell why. Perhaps it was simply being near a friend, though he couldn't help but occasionally think she seemed sort of... Cute? He hadn't seen her face and may never, but the way her smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, the laugh he had heard on occasion, even seeing her blush...

He frowned, confused at the sudden turn of his thoughts, but quickly chased that look away as he looked back to her.

"Yeah, I think we could all go for a real break. Today was supposed to be our day off and look how that turned out. Hopefully once classes start things will calm down a bit, and we'll start to remember things better."

He paused for a moment, watching the stars dance in the night sky.

"So uh... Aside from that... How uh, how are you?"

explosiveKitten

#1ABC9C

 

[explosiveKitten]

Oh, dear, classes. I almost forgot about that part of this arrangement. She thought, looking up at the sky. What will they even teach me? What do I even have the capacity to learn?

“Me? Oh, I’m... I mean I was walking on air before the attack. Having finally met the family I never knew, never had a chance to know... this place is where my dad grew up. And I can’t believe he would leave it behind.”

She blinked before flailing her arms and starting to stammer.
“N-NOT that I’m not grateful for the whole “being alive” thing, because if he hadn’t left then I wouldn’t exist and then I wouldn’t be here and uhhh... Several of us would probably be dead if I wasn’t here, or... yeah. Hehe... how are you?”

Naberius

 

[Naberius]

He listened to her explanation with a grin, understanding on a certain level that sometimes in order to protect someone you care for, you might need to abandon something else for a time. Then, he fixed her with a different sort of smile. One he thought was for a close friend.

"I'm glad you got a chance to meet your family, and see what life could have been life. But... I'm also.. Really glad you are here...ya know?"

He looked back to the night sky, feeling a calm breeze stir up the rapidly cooling air, and thought yet again on how odd their lives had become so suddenly. But he wore a new kind of look. He was actually starting to get a little excited for the prospect of the future.

"I'm doing well, considering the circumstances. Kind of tired, but honestly? Also sort of looking forward to the classes we might take."


explosiveKitten


#1ABC9C

 

[Elenion Aura]

Location: Westeros
Time: A week after classes began
Interaction: Marylka, Serik, Matthias, Aldaf, Open

Matthias considered their words as Raina handed him something. It was a hammer. At first glance, Matthias thought that it was not unlike one he'd use in his father's forge. But then he looked harder. This was no tool. It was a weapon of war. The feel of it in his hand was familiar. "This is Northarian steel."

Raina nodded. "Right hard to come by, that." Matthias could imagine why. His father's forge was the finest, if not the largest, in Northaria. And he did not trade readily with outsiders, if at all. Matthias considered for a moment, hefting the weapon back and forth in his hands.

”The creatures have begun to hide their weak points behind armor-plating.” The vision of it came together in his head. "Let us see them try to weather a blow from this." Matthias seemed pleased, if a bit hesitant to accept such a gift. Raina waved him off before he had the chance to bring it up. "... You honor me with this."



Saturn_moon
AncientBird
kase9187
F37934

 

[AncientBird]

Location: Westeros academy
Time: The third day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Gerel, Aldaf (Open)

As the group's discussion continued, someone arrived at the scene. "So... You are the new falconer I have been hearing about?" A woman sound called Serik's attention. He turned toward the new comer and found himself towered by a large, athletic built Westerosian woman, easily as tall as Aldaf. She carried a load of hunting gears on her back and her face grinned at them like a trapper that finally found her prey. "Ye...Yes?" Serik replied. Suddenly, as he looked closer at the woman, something came to his mind. "Wait, I think I have seen you before. You are the stable maid that prepared the stall for my skybeast the day I arrived!" He said.

The woman seemed surprised by Serik's remembrance of her. "Wow... Normally, I am the one that get to know people first... Anyway, sorry for my interruption. I am Shivali Damalli, head stable hand and leader of falconry association of To'bai academy, nice to meet you." Said the woman.

"Nice to meet you too, I am Serik Tagaev, from Estendor and these are my friends, Aldaf and Gerel." Serik introduced himself and his companions. Looking up close for the first time, Serik could tell that Shivali was indeed an intimidating person and was very confident and bold in front of strangers. However, so far she seemed to be friendly and that eased up him a bit. Her mentioning to be a leader of falconry association indeed was catching his attention.

"I heard about Headmaster Candour accepting a group of new students into the academy several days ago, is it you guys?" Asked Shivali. "Yes, that's us, and some other people not showing right here as well." Replied Serik.

Suddenly, a large bird appeared from behind Shivali and barged in the middle of conversation. It has a bill of a hawk, but has long, lanky legs like stork. Its plumage is black a white, with beautiful reddish orange mask over its face. Its bears feathery crest atop its head which seem to be able to fan in or out like a peacock's tail, depending on its mood. The bird went straight toward Serik and his friends and started sniffing them like a dog. "Hey, hey! Back off, you! Have some manner!" Shivali scolded the bird which goofily stepped back behind her, yet continued to pop its head out to look at the group. "That's Geb. Sorry, he can be a bit curious toward stranger..." Shivali said. She then continued on her matter. "Anyway, I come bearing an offer. Would you like to join our association? We train our birds together, sometimes taking them out to do quests, earning some sweet coins and we also arranging hunting trip now and then." Said the woman. "Interesting, but first of all... Could you help me to know more about falconry and how to train my bird here to hunt?" Serik replied.

Shivali seemed confused about Serik's question. "Wait... Are you a novice??? But you have a beautiful mature Westerosian buzzard right there! Surely, he can't possibly still be unable to hunt, right?" Asked the woman. "Well, long story short... I kind of lose my memory in an 'accident' and got separated from my bird... We just reunited yesterday and he's what you can see right now..." Serik said and showed the woman Shrill who was still constantly begging to be fed. "I see... Wow, that's going to be a lot of work... But to answer you plainly, yes, I can help you." Said Shivali. She then turned toward the others. "Are there any more bird trainers here? What about you, big shot? Nice scar by the way." Said the woman, directing at Aldaf.

Featuring: kase9187 YumenoTsukishiro
#2969B0

 

[explosiveKitten]

Katja stares at him as he smiled and talked, gods he was so cute, how could someone be so damn cute, it should be illegal for one person to contain that much cute within them.

“...But... I'm also.. Really glad you are here...ya know?"

Her heart soared up into her throat at those words. She wasn’t sure why, but she could just suddenly feel it. Her face suddenly burned bright red as the words sunk into her head.

“Hehe... you don’t mean that, I-I mean someone else could have easily taken my place- hehe... heh...”

She watched as he looked up into the sky, and couldn’t help but to admire how the stars sparkled in his eyes...

AGH! Gods, what the hell is wrong with me! I’m acting like a little girl with a crush! I don’t do crushes! Especially not on somebody I only met a little more than a week ago!

“OH, UH, yeah! I have no idea what they’ll teach us here. It’ll certainly be interesting to see what’s coming next for us...”

Naberius

 

[Naberius]

"Of course I mean it. There's no one who could ever replace you.."

The way he said it confused him, as it didn't precisely come out with the ton he intended. He meant to sound sincere as a friend, a comrade. But it held just a hint of something... More.

He coughed a little, clearing his throat with just the smallest hint of a blush to his cheeks.

"I mean, you're our friend and all. You're part of the team. So, you're just as important as everyone else. And I'm not sure what exactly we'll be learning. But some of us will probably have an affinity for magic, and we'll probably learn to fight better. Or at least start remembering what we already knew before...this whole memory loss thing can be a bit confusing sometimes..."

explosiveKitten

#1ABC9C

 

[Saturn_moon]

Location: Westeros
Time: A week after classes have begun
Interaction: Marylka, Aldaf, Serik, Matthias,

With their new weapons in tow, the group bade Raina goodbye and headed out onto the streets once more. It was close to noon by this point and the midday heat had forced a number of people to retreat into the shade clearing the streets a little. Marylka, with a foolish smile on her face, held her boomerang close and admired the way the gold etched waves shimmered under the sunlight. With her attention occupied, she almost didn't hear the voice calling out to her.

"Aidana!" Marylka stopped in her tracks and turned around, confused. Pushing his way through the crowd towards them was a man in his early forties with tanned skin and black hair pulled back into a bun. However, as he drew close, the excitement on his face faded and was replaced by an expression that mimicked Marylka's own. "Oh, I could have sworn..." The man muttered, barely audible above the noise in the market. "I'm sorry. Excuse me, I just thought you were someone else." He scratched the back of his neck with embarrassment before giving her a quick nod of the head and returning to where he came from.

Marylka stood up on her tip toes and curiously watched as the man darted into a little shop on the corner. A part of her felt inclined to follow him, but seeing her friends waiting for her a little ahead she thought it was best not to. Probably just a coincidence anyway. She thought to herself. Still, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was more to the encounter than it had seemed.

AncientBird Elenion Aura kase9187

 

[kase9187]

Location: Westeros Academy
Time: The third day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Gerel, Aldaf (Open)

Aldaf chuckled as Geb barged into the conversation, listening somewhat to their conversation. Any parts he missed he could fill in himself. Then Shivali turned to him.
"What about you, big shot? Nice scar, by the way." She'd directed a question to him.
"I don't really have a bird of my own, never bothered to get one down south. And thanks!" He smiled warmly as his head tilted slightly.

YumenoTsukishiro AncientBird

2969B0

_~_~_~_~_~_~_

Location: Westeros
Time: A week after classes have begun
Interaction: Marylka, Aldaf, Matthias, Serik, (open)

Aldaf walked back with the others with his new sword in tow, half of his plan completed. He just needed to see what Targus could do to help his idea some. He felt a presence leave his back and turned to see Marylka had stopped at someone's call for someone named Aidana. He waited and watched as Marylka rejoined the group.

"So... what was that?" He asked Marylka.

Elenion Aura Saturn_moon AncientBird

F37934

 

[AncientBird]

Location: Westeros academy
Time: The third day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Gerel, Aldaf (Open)

Shivali lowered her brow to Aldalf's reply. "Well, that's unfortunate... We could use a lot more members in the association." Said the woman. Serik was still rather surprised by the sudden offer to join the association by this woman, yet he was quite curious about it. "So, Shivali... How is the association? Do you have a lot of members?" Asked Serik. "Well, unfortunately we only have 5 at the current, excluding me and other old member, the other 3 are just young academy students that also recently joined... They don't have their own bird yet, so we couldn't do anything much other than training them with something small and harmless like some small falcons I raised for education purpose. It would be nice to have someone that could work with bigger raptor like you in our group." Replied the woman.

"Well, I think those children would have more knowledge about these birds than me... I absolutely have no idea of what to do. I'm afraid I might not match your expectation." Serik replied, slowly shook his head. "Oh that's ridiculous! You already got a bonded bird! At least he will not try to peck your eyes out and that's the most important part in training a raptor, trust between owner and bird! Your knowledge can be easily learnt and with some more experience, you should be good to go." Shivali said and made a massive slap on Serik's shoulder, making his entire body shook. "Ouch!" The young man cried. "Sorry, I often forget about my strength." Shivali made an apology pat on Serik's.

Serik's attention was then drawn to Geb who began to move closure and inspect him and his friends again. "So... Is that your bird?" Serik asked. "Oh, Geb? Well, not in the sense as a raptor... He's more of a dog than a bird. His main task is to flush prey out of the hiding so the actual raptor can hawk them from the sky." Shivali replied. "What kind of bird is he? Looking like a long-legged hawk..." Asked Serik again. "He's a secretary bird, a 'hound bird' to be precise. His kind differs from normal secretary bird that they are far larger and have very good sense of smell." Shivali said and pointed to Geb's head which if closely inspected, has very large nostrils that both sides were connected together, enable one to see through to the other side of his head.

Shivali then whistled loudly and raised one of her arm that wore thick leather grove up high. "This... is my actual raptor." She said and grinned with an excitement. In a few seconds, a large eagle descended from the sky. Its huge wingspan beat loudly as it landed on its partner's arm. Shivali didn't seem to be moved by the sheer size of the bird at all, while Serik thought that he would have fall over for sure if a bird than size landed on his arm.

It was a jet black eagle with patch of white color on its rump. It was a huge bird, slightly larger than Gerel's Talon, probably the largest of the 'lesser' eagle Serik had ever seen. It looked around with its vicious gaze while Shivali couldn't stop smiling at it. "Everyone, this is Mesa, my canyon eagle, the largest, most powerful species of lesser eagle in Westeros!" Shivali announced, seemed to be really proud of her bird. Geb seemed excited and happy to see this new arrival, yet he himself kept some distance from Mesa.

Featuring: kase9187 YumenoTsukishiro
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Location: Westeros
Time: A week after classes have begun
Interaction: Marylka, Aldaf, Serik, Matthias, Open

"Thank you, Aldaf." Said Serik with a smile as the Sudentarian accepted his request. "So, if you want something in return, don't be afraid to ask. I could do some stone carving for you if you want." Serik added, chuckled bashfully.

Matthias eventually was handed a hammer from Raina, which was unexpectedly made with Northarian material. He seemed content of what he got and the group finally departed from the weaponsmith. On their way back to the academy, Serik and the other heard someone called for the name 'Aidana' and Marylka immediately responded to it. Serik waited with the group until Marylka returned. "Someone mistook you as someone else?" Serik asked. However, something inside of him felt there was something more as Marylka seemed to almost follow the person who called her away. However he remained silent about the latter feeling.

Feathering: Saturn_moon kase9187 Elenion Aura
#F37934

 

[Saturn_moon]

Location: Westeros
Time: A week after classes have begun
Interaction: Marylka, Aldaf, Serik, Matthias

Marylka rejoined the group feeling a little dazed and distracted. Her earlier joy and excitement was gone now. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Just a case of mistaken identity, that's all." She replied absent-mindedly to Aldaf and Serik's questions. The encounter left behind a strange sense of deja vu and there was also that name the man had called to her with. Aidana. It was more than what she wanted to process now. Looking over her shoulder, she offered the little shop on the corner one last glance.

"Anyway," Marylka continued, fixing a smile to her face once more. "We should go. I don't know about you guys but this heat is starting to get to me."

AncientBird Elenion Aura kase9187

 

[AncientBird]

Location: Westeros academy
Time: The third day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Gerel, Aldaf (Open)

Serik watched silently as he gazed at Mesa. She was indeed a beautiful bird, but her jet black plumage and unfriendly eyes as the eagle looked around made him too intimidated to want to be any closer to the bird, especially when Mesa took a glance at Shrill longer than she should... Shivali did however noticed it and pulle her bird away from Serik. "Well, Canyon eagles do occasionally eat smaller birds of prey in the wild... But don't worry! Mesa was trained to cooperate with other birds, she will not attack anything unless I say so!"

It didn't really help Serik feeling any less concern, at it was well shown on his face.

Shivali seemed disappointed that she didn't receive the reaction she expected from showing off Mesa and so she dismissed the eagle and sent it flying off into the sky. Geb the houndbird looked after the eagle, seemed to always be interested in her. Shivali then turned to Serik again. "So, you still want to join, right?" Serik replied with a slow nod. "Alright then, what I want you to do is practice this with your bird everyday, every time you are going to feed him." Shivali said as she pull out a fluffy ball made of fur that tied to a long string. "What is that?" Serik asked. "It's a fake prey, you strap food item on it and drag it around, your bird will start to associate moving object with food and soon learn to catch it. Once your bird begin to chase and try to subdue the fake prey, you are going to play harder and harder for him. When he start attacking it from flight, then you can join us in the other lessons." Explained Shivali.

Shivali looked at the sky briefly and turned back again. "Well, I will have to go training the children now. Remember we train everyday in either the morning or afternoon but joining every time is not required, just make up you schedule first, alright? Also, about other stuff you should know, go to the academy library, find Kassadin, he will help you with all the basic knowledge about falconry." Said Shivali. She then put her hand forward. "I'm glad you decide to join us!" Serik put his hand out as well and shook hers. "Well, thank you for your help, Shivali... I will do as you say."

Shivali and Geb then walked off with Serik looking after them. He then turned to Shrill who sat comfortably on his shoulder. "Well, at least you still have hope, Shrill. I can't wait to see you turn into a real bird of prey!" Serik said and stroked the buzzard head who replied to sharp squeal.

Featuring: kase9187 YumenoTsukishiro
#2969B0

 

[kase9187]

Location: Westeros Academy
Time: After class
Interaction: Open

Aldaf was out in the field, training both his fighting form and his magic. While he was practicing alone, the sound and sight of his practicing wasn't very hidden.

After a few minutes of practicing, Aldaf took a break and sat down by the stream.

SilverFlight explosiveKitten Elenion Aura YumenoTsukishiro Naberius Lioness075 Saturn_moon AncientBird SleepyCreamy

 

[explosiveKitten]

Location: In a garden at the school.
Time: Post Deathborn fight.
Interaction: Katjiban.

Katja’s face lit up bright red as Cal talked. He sounded so sincere in his compliments, and he was turning pink and ooOOHHHHH GODS HE’S ADORABLE.

She blinks at him and looks down at the ground, attempting to hide her bright red, blushing face.

“Y-Yes this whole memory debacle is quite stressful, indeed... I trust the gods have their plans but I must admit, I do rather dislike this gap in my memory. It’s very difficult to think that we have a whole year taken from us.”

She looked up at the stars again. “Who knows what happened, what we did, what relationships we might’ve had... amongst the group. In general. Who knows who we could have met during that time. Everything feels like it’s all up in the air right now.”

Naberius

 

[Naberius]

Location: School Garden
Time: Post Deathborn fight
Interaction: Katja, Caliban

He saw the red in her cheeks and was a little worried that she might be sick, and made a mental note to ask if she needed to go see the medical staff. Rhyne... Then he felt a touch of something else, though he didn't know what. But it felt... Bad? Something about having her near him? But that didn't make sense, he was a teacher and the on hand medical professional. He shook his head again, smiling over at her instead.

"Well, do know one thing. We certainly all know each other. How well is the mystery I'm interested in. Maybe some of us are like, best friends. Or maybe like you said back in the cave, some of the group could be couples and just not remember. Just think of how odd it will be to start remembering those kinds of things, huh?"

He crossed his arms, taking in the darkening landscape around them. The academy was so peaceful and quiet at night. Soon it would be a little chilly outside, though he personally could never really understand how a place that's so hot in the day could be so cold at night. It was weird.

"We'll remember everything eventually. And we'll know why we lost those memories to begin with. Maybe it was some kind of shared trauma, or some odd kind of magic we've never heard of before. But I know this for certain, I won't let anything happen to you... Err... I mean...like, the group won't. We have each other's backs and stuff, you know..."

explosiveKitten

 

[AncientBird]

Location: Westeros academy
Time: The 6th day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Marylka

It was the afternoon when Serik was finally done with all his class and finally got to spend some free time. He was about to go getting Shrill and head over to Valkyrie’s stall when he suddenly remembered about what Shivali told him to do, to go find a person names Kassadin at the library. Serik hasn’t seen Shivali since the day she came to offer him place in her association. Serik heard from other stable maids that she was hired to do a quest and left her shift to someone else. She should be back by today and if Serik wanted to at least show her some dedication to become a falconer, this would be the best time to do so.

With the change of plan, Serik headed for the library instead. He hasn’t been inside the place yet as the days earlier, he had been occupied with other matters... This would be the first time he witnesss the place told to be the biggest library in the entire skyland.

The library was conveniently located next to the dormitory he and his team resided so he already saw its exterior. It is a very large buidling, bigger than the library Serik used to visit a few times in his life at Ocris, and just like any building here in To’bai, it was beautifully built and decorated with all the pillars and statues, as well as live plants.

As Serik stood by its entrance, he noticed someone coming from behind. The young man turned around and found Marylka heading straight for the library as well. “Marylka!” Serik called to the girl. “I didn’t know you are coming here as well!” The young man said as he approached the girl with both surprised and joyful expression. This was the first time he was going to be in library, so a companion would be welcomed, especially if said companion is Marylka...

Featuring: Saturn_moon
#F7DA64

 

[explosiveKitten]

Location: School Garden
Time: Post Deathborn fight
Interaction: Katja, Caliban

Katja looked up when Cal started to talk, and her blush crept further up her face. He was so eloquent and cute and AHHH STOP THINKING THESE THINGS.

“Oh... I-I see... well I want to help everyone too! That’s why I was going to talk to... RHYNE!”

She suddenly shot up to her feet in surprise, suddenly remembering her purpose. She had gotten so distracted by Caliban that she had completely forgotten her reason for being out here.

“I was going to see Rhyne!” She claps her hands to her head. “I needed to tell him my answer to his question from the other day! Oh! Oh, I’m sorry Caliban, but I must go before it gets any later!” She looks about ready to run, but skids to a stop, turning to Cal.

“If... If you ever want to talk to someone, I’m always around, Caliban.... Good night!”

And with that, she was gone, off to find her new teacher and get set for the schooling ahead.

Naberius

 

[Saturn_moon]

Location: Academy Library
Time: The 6th day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Marylka

In the short time she had been at the academy, Marylka had already formed some sort of a daily routine. It provided a semblance of normalcy in a time where everything felt imbalanced. Everyday after class she would make her way to the library and spend the next few hours there doing her homework and browsing the vast selection of books covering everything from alchemy to public records. She once got so engrossed in a book, she had lost track of time and later found herself sprinting through the hallways so as to not miss the evening meal.

Tomes in the thousands stacked in orderly rows on the floor to ceiling bookcases which lined the walls, all neatly arranged and aligned back-to-back where their insides could not be judged by their covers. Each book held it's own world of wonders and answers to short and lifelong questions about nature, humanity, and magic that went far beyond the beginnings of this library. People often spoke with reverence of the impressiveness of each clan's temple to the gods and the sense of enlightenment they received when within it. To Marylka, there was perhaps no where more magical and enlightening than this library.

Books were a rarity in Estendor. The only library was located in Ocris but it was tiny in comparison to the academy's. Every month, when her father made the trip to the capital she would have him pick up one book for her which she would devour within a couple of days. As a nomadic family, books were not the most practical thing to carry around. At night, as they settled down to rest, she would recount these stories to her siblings as a way to relive them, occasionally adding her own flair to it.

On this day, as she approached the familiar mahogany doors of the library with her arms wrapped around a large, weighty tome, she noticed another figure standing in the doorway. "Oh! Hello Serik. What are you doing here?"

AncientBird

#F7DA64

 

[AncientBird]

Location: Westeros academy
Time: The 6th day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Marylka

Since the day Serik first known Marylka, she always had something to surprise him, her personality, her charm, her magic and here that Serik noticed she was carrying a big pile of books in her arms. “Wow, you have been here and borrowing books already?” He said. Serik didn’t remember Marylka talking about the library or mentioning it to him or someone else. He did vaguely remembered that he saw her reading some books during the night when they and the others in their band returned for bed time, however he had been either tired or distracted by other matters to actually paid any real attention to it.

“Anyway, I was recommended by my falconry trainer to see someone names Kassadin here. Do you have any idea who he is?” Serik stated his business asked Marylka, in case she may knew the person.

Serik also gestured at the book pile to let Marylka know if she wanted him to help carrying some for her or not.

Featuring: Saturn_moon
#F7DA64

 

[Saturn_moon]

Location: Academy Library
Time: The 6th day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Marylka

"I might have gotten a little excited when I found the library, but just look at this place Serik! There are more books here than one could read in a lifetime!" Marylka's eyes lit up as she gestured to all the books surrounding them with huge grin spread across her face. Then, feeling self-conscious of her outburst, she quickly pulled her hands back and recomposed herself. Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she gently waved away Serik's offer to help with her book. It was only one and she was about to return it anyway.

"You're looking for Kassadin? He's the head librarian here. He's been great at helping me find books to read. He actually recommended me this one." She held up the tome in her arms to show Serik the title: The Rise of Westeros. Marylka had wanted to learn more about the history of her new clan and the book was a beautifully written piece of literature combining prose and poetry. "Come on, I'll introduce you." She started towards the centre of the room where the librarian's desk was located expecting Serik to follow, before suddenly stopping in her tracks. "Wait a minute. When did you get a falconry trainer?"

AncientBird

#F7DA64

 

[AncientBird]

Location: Westeros academy
Time: The 6th day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Marylka

"Oh my falconry trainer? We met like 3 days ago. She is actually the head of stablemaid here and she has this falconry association that people could join. Well, she actually sought me out after hearing that I have a buzzard, which coincidentally, I am also in need of some expert to help me train Shrill to hunt... So, I decided to join her association. She could handle a huge, scary looking eagle so I guess I can trust her with this task." Serik told marylka about Shivali's offering and he joining the association. "Shivali said that Kassadin could help me with the basic knowledge, so I take it that he could recommend some useful books, perhaps?"

Marylka's reaction to the mention of Kassadin made Serik felt more at ease. If she was so positive about this man then perhaps this Kassadin wouldn't be that much of a problem to get to know. He sounded really nice and literate. Perhaps Serik too could learn many things from him.

"Anyway, let's get inside together. You totally made me want to see this man now." Serik cheerfully spoke to Marylka as both of them headed for the entrance. Suddenly, a fluttering noise came from above and a beautiful tan colored owl with black specks flew pass them just to land on the statue at the side of the door way. It was a short-eared owl, a common species of owl found in Estendor. "Look! Marylka! It's the type of owl found in the plain of our homeland!" Serik said and pointed at the bird. The owl looked curiously at both of them, it adorably tilted its head then made a sharp barking noise. One of its legs bore a leather strip just like one Shrill has. "It's a falconry bird, I wonder what it is doing here..." Serik said.

Then the owl took off and flew right inside the library. Serik watched after it, confused. The bird landed on a counter inside. There sat a person, a Westerosian man. He petted the bird gently on its head. As Serik stood awkwardly at the door way, the person spoke. "Come in, come in, What can I do for you today?" Said the person.

Featuring: Saturn_moon
#F7DA64

 

[Saturn_moon]

Location: Academy Library
Time: The 6th day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Marylka

Marylka didn't know much about birds. She could tell when she was looking at an eagle versus a sparrow but that was about the extent of her knowledge. Her family primarily relied on the animals they raised for food so there was little need for falconry of any kind. Still, seeing Serik get excited over the little owl that had suddenly appeared she was curious as to whether that was how others perceived her own excitement for books.

Kassadin was young man, well-kempt with short dark hair, and a kind face. His most distinguishing feature was perhaps the large, round spectacles resting on the bridge of his nose which gave him a look of perpetual wide-eyed wonderment. It might have been an odd, possibly comical, image to some but Marylka thought it suited him quite well. "Hello Kassadin, I'm here to return this." She dropped the book on the counter with a heavy thump at the same time taking out a bit of dried meat from her pocket and feeding it to the owl comfortably perched beside him who accepted the treat with little hesitation.

"You're spoiling her. She's already learnt to expect you at this time everyday." Kassadin jokingly chided before pulling the book closer to him to inspect it for any damages. "Did you like my recommendation?"

"Very much so. I might borrow the other one you mentioned today. By the way, this is my friend Serik. He's looking for some books on... training birds? If anyone can help him I'm guessing you can."

AncientBird

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[AncientBird]

Location: Westeros academy
Time: The 6th day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Marylka

Kassadin looked over to Serik with an excited eyes. “Ah, you must be the new falconer Shivali told me about. I was expecting you. Anyway, welcome to our association. My name is Kassadin Muraad, head librarian and also a member of falconry association of To'bai academy.”

“I am Serik Tagaev, nice to finally meet you.” Serik replied. Just as he thought, Kassadin seemed really friendly and gentle. He spoke calmly, yet with so much joy in each of his word. Serik however noted that he was a very small person, especially in Westerosian standard and is barely taller than Serik himself. “You have a beautiful owl there.” Serik continued on.

Kassadin looked at his owl and smile “Estendorian short-eared owl. You would probably have seen one before. Her name is Asio. Shivali rescued her from a poacher several years ago. She was badly injured and hadn’t yet fully recovered from it, so she couldn’t be returned to the wild in her native habitat. I have been training her since. She couldn’t do much out in the field, mainly just help flushing prey along with dogs or houndbirds and help pulling attention when Mesa or other hunting birds get mobbed by wild birds. You have seen Mesa and Geb, right?” Kassadin explained about his owl and Serik nodded to his question.

“How do you get her to stay in library without messing things up anyway?” Serik asked, remember that they are in a place mormally not support any pets. “Oh, she doesn’t go anywhere other than around here and outside, I wouldn’t allow her to mess up these precious books. She has her corner to stay in until our job is done.” Kassadin said and pointed to a small bird house nearby. “The former librarian has a pygmy gryphon, I think and he used to keep his pet in that bird house. So, now Asio takes over it.”

Serik eyes widened as he heard the mention of a certain team member of his. Knowing him, Serik wonder how Ezekiel would react if he ever know about this... Still he kept being slilent about it. “Anyway, do you have any thing recommended for me?” Asked Serik. “Sure! I heard you barely had any knowledge about raising and training birds of prey. So here is the list of books I want you to read.” Kassadin said and turned to picked up his pen and a sheet of paper before writing the name of the books down. As he finished he passed it to Serik who took a look. “Ten books! That’s alot!” Serik exclaimed. “Yes, you will have to learn a lot of basic knowledge from birds of prey’s information, to history of falconry, to laws and regulations about it. Do you think you can manage?” Kassadin asked.

Serik had never read that many books in his life. A normadic lifestyle couldn’t effort to take extra weight like books and whenever he visit Ocris, he’s always busy helping out at the fur stall without much time to visit something like library. Serik glanced over to Marylka briefly. If she could read so much like thar, he probably could too. “I will try my best.” Serik said to the man. “Ha ha, take your time. Don’t overly push yourself. You could pick a corner in there and start from something you like first if you want. Your friend Marylka here comes everyday to read, perhaps if you aren’t busy with other thing, you could join her.” Kassadin said.

Now that’s something Serik would like to do... “Alright, so where could I find all these books?” Asked the young man. Kassadin looked at Marylka. “Marylka, could you help taking him to the section please? The location and code of the books are already in this paper. I would love to help your friend myself but I will have to deal with a lot of returned books over here.” Kassadin said and pointed to a pile of books behind the counter.

Featuring: Saturn_moon
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[Saturn_moon]

Location: Academy Library
Time: The 6th day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Marylka

While Kassadin spoke with Serik, Marylka drifted away to a nearby shelf and started browsing its titles. This section in particular was on herbology. It wasn't until she heard the librarian call out for her to help Serik that she returned, a small stack of books already gathered in her hands. Taking the piece of paper from Serik she scanned the titles scribbled on it and nodded. "Come on, it's this way." She said, walking towards the shelves at the back.

Methodically, she made her way down the aisle Kassadin indicated, taking out each book Serik needed, handing it over to him, and crossing it off the list. Occasionally, when a book was too high up on the shelf for her to reach she would run back, pull up the ladder and climb up to get it. "Huh, maybe I should ask Kassadin about getting a job as a librarian here when this thing with the deathborn is over." Marylka mused as she placed the last book on top of the pile in Serik's arms. It took maybe less than five minutes for her to finish the task. "Anyway, the loan period is two weeks. Even if they aren't very thick I don't know if you would be able to get through all ten in time. You could drop some of them off with Kassadin and have him reserve them for you though."

AncientBird

 

[AncientBird]

Location: Westeros academy
Time: The 6th day after arrival in To'bai
Interaction: Serik, Marylka

Following Marylka deep into the library, Serik looked around in wonder at the giant book shelves that were placed around the hall, lining in rows as if they were giant labyrinth. How one manage to keep these amount of books in check amazed Serik to no end.

They finally reached to the shelf that contained all the book Serik needed. Marylka swiftly climbed the shelf up and down to gather the books in the list, and one by one handed over to Serik. A big pile started to form and Serik could feel the weight of it. Each books weren’t that large or thick but it would still be a load of work to read them all. "Anyway, the loan period is two weeks. Even if they aren't very thick I don't know if you would be able to get through all ten in time. You could drop some of them off with Kassadin and have him reserve them for you though." Said Marylka.

Serik looked at his book pile again. “Yes, I’d totally have to do that... There is no way I can finish all of these in two weeks.” He said, intimidated by the sheer amount of work he would have to pass through. He then looked back at Marylka. “Anyway, I think I’d better start reading these books... Would you like to join me with your books? We can read them in the corner over there.” Serik said and pointed to a peaceful corner which stood a table with plenty of light reflected from the glass window above it.

Featuring: Saturn_moon
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