Directions

[Lin]

Jehan wasn't entirely sure what he was even doing in Haven, partly because he didn't know many people there and partly because nearly every instinct in his immortal soul- save those ones that compelled him to recklessness- rebelled against a city like this. He was, after all, a Haraesvelyr. But being one of those was trouble, more often than not, especially in Haven, where it seemed like there was nothing in the world to defend Good against.

His arms- wings- ached as he slipped out of his true form into his human one, landing neatly on his knees on the stone pavement. Not too far away from him, he could see people bustling around, talking, laughing, walking. Jehan sorely hoped none of them knew his name; 'Jehan Trousseau' was an appellation that was regrettably hard to forget. That, plus his annoying propensity to drop out of his skin made conversations with past acquaintances awkward.

He put his hand over his chest absently, feeling where his heart beat softly under two layers of fabric. His feet itched to walk, as he had been flying for a while previously, and it made him rub his chin tiredly as he looked around. Today looked like most every day: sunshine, blue skies- and not a even the slightest hint of Evil anywhere near him.

He slipped out of his bright white jacket, feeling conspicuous as the polished copper buttons clicked against each other, and he draped it elegantly over one arm. With his other hand he adjusted the collar of his pale green shirt and pulled at a strand of long hair that had drifted away from the others, going through the routine he performed when he was thinking.

He liked Haven. He liked the fact that there was little Evil to disrupt the peace. In fact, Jehan enjoyed that very much.

But sometimes he hated Haven with all his heart for being so quiet.

He had just returned from Sol, and he could still feel his heart beating fast from the trip. When in Sol, he felt like he had a purpose. He had had places to go, laws to uphold, things to do. Now he was already bored.

"Oh, Lords help me," he muttered, glaring at his feet. "I can't believe-" He shut his mouth tightly, not finishing the sentence. He had begun to say that he couldn't believe he had left Sol looking for peace and quiet, but now that he was in Haven, he couldn't get the idea out of his head that he wasn't needed there.

Jehan stared ahead unblinkingly, as was per habit for him, ignoring the dull feeling growing inside of him. Though he never would have said it aloud, Haven bored him. As a defender of the Right, he had to have something to defend it against. In Haven there just wasn't all that much unlawfulness or Evil.

The heels of his boots clicked on the pavement as he began to walk, eyes on the stone in front of him, arms crossed, with his chin supported by one hand. Then he looked up and around him, searching for someone to ask directions from. The last time he had been in Haven was over two years ago for a one day visit, and he didn't remember much of the geography of the place. One woman seemed- approachable, if it was possible for anyone to seem approachable in Jehan's mind. He walked over to her slowly, not wanting to seem rude.

"Excuse me," he said quietly, "but I haven't got much of an idea of where I am in Haven- or where I could find somewhere to stay. Could you possibly tell me?" Jehan hated talking to people of his own accord, he really did, but he had to find somewhere to stay before the sun went down. That night was the new moon and Jehan did not want to be stuck outside to witness it.

[elle]

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[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/mtqyde.png] Haven was indeed quite different than Sol, though it was far too soon for Vera to decide if that was for better or for worse. Still, after having remained in Sol for the majority of her time on the island so far, she finally decided to try visiting the other town on the opposite end of the island. Not only was it an attempt to sate her curiosity for what different occurrences could happen in this town, but it was an attempt to find where she would fit in better. After having spent more than one year in this world, it became increasingly obvious to Vera that she needed to better assimilate herself and begin looking for a more permanent home. And perhaps a purpose. First came the question of what region should she assimilate into? The more human-friendly town of Sol or the mythical sanctuary of Haven. She found that "human" culture was often much stranger and much more confusing than other cultures, with vast amounts of unspoken rules and regulations. It was very easy to unknowingly do the "wrong" thing, and despite repeatedly being told to stop caring about what people thought, she found that she did care, if only a little, and it unnerved her. However, perhaps this meant that she was becoming more human-like. Meanwhile, in Haven, the culture was much different. Every race had their own culture, and yet the managed to live together in relative harmony. It made sense to think that she'd be better off in such a place, however, standing at the edge of the stone pathway, looking down upon the village hundreds of feet below her while in her mostly human-shaped true form, she could tell that things weren't quite that simple. Supernatural creature though she was, she still looked very much like other creatures did in their human forms, and she felt more of a kinship with them when they appeared as such. Standing amidst the crowds of enormous, magical birds or small, fleet-footed squirrels, it was very easy for her to feel isolated, even when amidst the small population of humanoid creatures. They seemed to be looking out for their best interests first and foremost. Of course, she wasn't really that different. Leaning against a tree, she looked around, unsure of where to go next. She hadn't really planned out her trip to Haven, and when she came to a new place on a whim her days usually consisted of wandering the streets and staring at people, the latter of which didn't seem to be socially acceptable by any race. Still, she managed to find one enjoyable thing to do in Haven: fly. It had been awhile since she'd flown purely for the sake of flying, and she had gladly allowed herself to be sidetracked by it. Now that she had landed in one of the topmost levels of the tree town, she tucked her wings in close to her body and turned away from the edge, stepping back onto the stone path. As she did so, a soft voice rose to her ears. She glanced down at the man who had been speaking, quickly gathering that he was asking for directions. She blinked, realizing that she didn't have much of an idea about where she was either. "I'm sorry," She said, shaking her head, "I'm unfamiliar with this place myself." She thought for a moment about how towns seemed to be set up and attempted to find the information he required through thought alone. "Perhaps you would have better luck on the ground level?" Not very helpful, but it was a start. As she said this, she walked past him absently, looking to where the path ended and the horizon began. Even though they were high within the tree tops, she could see that the day was quickly approaching its end. "I usually still wander about at night," She continued, as if she were talking to herself, "It's not so bad." It sounded like a strange attempt to comfort him, though she doubted he needed comfort. As if to show that she still knew he was there, she turned to face him, an act which would have been normal enough had it not been for the strange, blank stare upon her face. The art of smiling politely was something she had yet to learn.

[Lin]

"I'm sorry," She said, shaking her head, "I'm unfamiliar with this place myself."

Silently, Jehan said a word that he usually refused to say aloud. He already felt dull, grey, useless, though peaceful. But wandering around the town in his true form- his human form would be dropped as soon as night fell- would not give him the purpose he needed as a Haraesvelyr.

He shifted his coat from one arm to the other, then did the same for his weight, which he shifted between legs. As unhelpful as the girl was being, however, he at least knew instinctively that she was- well, that she wasn't Evil. Where she ranked on a scale of Good and Lawful, however, he could not tell; his abilities did not go that far in his human skin.

He watched her think for a moment before she spoke again.

"Perhaps you would have better luck on the ground level?"

"I tried," he said flatly, "and I found out two things. First, that one is bound to run into someone as they attempt to land." His hand to his shoulder where he had bruised it. Someone had knocked him off his perch in the moment before he changed into his human skin.

"Second, that it is hard to get anyone's attention on the lower levels. Besides, I prefer," he said, pausing a little, "being higher in the tree branches." It was the bird in him, he supposed, but he had absolutely no desire to sleep on the ground levels. He had been near enough to the ground in Sol; now that he had the chance to be up higher, he was determined to take it.

As she turned and walked past him, he followed her with his eyes, but moved his shoulders only enough to keep her in his line of sight.

"I usually still wander about at night," She continued, as if she were talking to herself, "It's not so bad."

She turned and faced him again, staring blankly ahead at him. It registered somewhere in Jehan's mind that this might appear strange to other people, but he did that himself- and, in fact, he supposed he must have been doing it earlier, when he first met her. It was a habit he had developed after years of automatically appraising people on a relative scale of Good and Evil. Many commented that it made him seem crass, but, truthfully, he would not have minded if they did the same to him.

In his own smooth, almost expressionless tone, Jehan replied, "The night does not bother me. The dark, however, does, and I would prefer to be inside." It was embarrassing, really, that a grown man had to be inside at the new moon; that he had to sleep with a light on to avoid unknowingly dropping out of his skin at night. But this girl did not need to know that. "Where, may I ask, are you staying, then?"

[elle]

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[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/mtqyde.png] She placed a finger against her lips as she looked down past the tree branches, toward the bottom level. He must have been a rather large creature to be running into things when he went to land. This may have been an important piece of information to another, but to her, it was a simple fact. After all, she'd never had any trouble landing, and she wasn't very big. Very human shaped for the most part. She was unable to understand his second statement either, as she had never had any trouble getting someone's attention. Although, she hadn't really tried either. Though now that he said something, many creatures here seemed to be preoccupied with other business, and they would simply wander about in a stupor of... happiness maybe? Meanwhile, creatures in the higher levels must need to be conscious of their surroundings so that they didn't fall from the sky. Her gaze wandered, though it flitted back to him at the mention of the night and the dark. People did not like the dark? She was unable to understand this concept. Before she had come here, she rarely saw the dark, and even rarer still did she exist within it. It was still so very foreign to her, but she did enjoy it. She'd seen other creatures who seemed to enjoy it as well, but most of them would return to their homes when it began to get dark out. She supposed a dislike of the dark was strangely common here. Or maybe fear. That was what Argus called it: fear, He said it was a very rational fear too. Then he said that people like him didn't need to fear the dark, and then he would disappear. She never did see him often after it got dark outside. Speaking of Argus... "Where, may I ask, are you staying, then?" She blinked, uncertain of what was meant by that. Eventually, she responded with a place that she frequented and occasionally rested at. "With... A friend?" She was unsure of what she should call him, but friend seemed close enough. "He lives further out. In the outlands. Many others may stay there as well." Though Argus himself wasn't always there, there were at least several others living within the mansion at any given time. It sometimes made her wonder who exactly owned the house. She supposed he might just like having guests. "You could always go there if you find nothing else."