Soroital Progress

Log Info

• Title: Soroital Progress
• Emitter: Aya
• Characters: Aya, Aryia
• Place: Fernwood Pub
• Time: September 15th, 2021
• Summary: Aya is in a rough mood. Aryia is in a GREAT mood. The two forces collide to undergo a battle of which mood is better! Nah, Aya is at the Fernwood, mulling over recent events, which Aryia joins her soon after in a fantastic mood. Aryia tells her what happened, and how Aya was right about the advice she was given towards a particular mysterious figure. They embrace, Aya letting her guard down for just a moment. And after that moment, Aya lets Aryia know that there was always family for her in Alexandria. This somehow makes Aryia's joy grow twofold. After some tears, (on both of their part) and crying (all on Aryia's part), the mute mul'neissa shows off that she finally was able to get a handle on making small lights that all mul'neissa can do. Aya gives a demonstration of what was next to do, and heads off after ribbing Aryia mercilessly.

Nearing mid-day means that the breakfast crowds are absent and those patrons comprising the mid meal have not yet arrived en masse. A few early eaters, perhaps, but the establishment is relatively sparsely populated; only those very early risers, rather late risers, or those with nowhere else to be.

Aya likely belongs to the latter group, if not the last two. She is seated at a table with a plate of bread and cheese before her and a wineglass within reach. Both are roughly two-third full, yet, and may have been so for some time if her absent picking at the tray is any indication.

Despite the near drone of inactivity the establishment was plagued by via the lull hours, there's some noise from upstairs. A door shutting, locking. Footfalls down a hallway. They begin to pick up pace, growing louder, unabated as they near the threshold of the stairwell. They abruptly stop. And a grey blur clears the entire case of stairs.

Popping up from the landing was a familiar scarred mul'neissa. Hair an unkempt mess, none of her personal affects on her, save for a broad smile on her face and her arms akimbo on her hips. A can-do attitude to tackle the day. Even the turning faces of those that were there had no bars on her exuberance.

Aryia's gaze does settle on a familiar figure, and she perks up, waves enthusiastically, and all but skips on over.

Unawares.

Somewhere between the wave and the skipping arrival, Aya catches note of the movement and looks up. Her expression is firmly neutral (not terribly unusual), though it softens some at the exuberant arrival. "Good morning." A pause before one brow lifts slightly. "Perhaps unusually so?" She doesn't seem to recall Aryia bounding quite so, expect perhaps when attacking walls.

Aryia grins, her skidding to a stop and falling into a seat beside Aya. She skips past pleasantries, and gestures a brisk and energy filled, "You were RIGHT!", fists audibly clacking together. <Handspeech>

Aya blinks at the emphatic shout, so to not speak, and both her brows lift. "Right? About what?" While she responds verbally, Aryia now has her full attention. Her platter is no longer picked at an her hands shift to rest near her upon the table.

Aryia reaches forward once her mentor's hands weren't occupied, holding onto both of them as she practically bounces in her chair. "Haaa... hee hee..." she breathily giggles.

Their hands were released, just so the mute woman could execute a flurry of signs. As for a moment, the pugilist youth shines through. "I did it! Yesterday, I was talking with Venom, and... and it was really hard, I almost panicked, but-but I told her. And holy FUCK was I so scared like I fucked everything up and I thought she was going to hate me because maybe I thought I wasn't reading something right because you know I'm absolutely dogshit at talking with people, I'm trying really hard to work on that- BUT ANYWAYS I told her and I thought she was really confused but it just turns out I'm a dumbass because holy shit it's hard to get a read on Venom, she's like, really stoic and-"

The rambling pauses. She blinks, becomes incredibly self-conscious of her overwhelming exuberance, then gives a shy smile and taps the tips of her fingers together. With slower signs, she basically mumbles, "... we kissed and it was nice..." <Handspeech>

Aya's eyes shift to Aryia's hands; first when her own are clasped and then afterwards when Aryia ... flurries her words. It may not be until Aryia pauses, and then signs more slowly that Aya is able to parse what was said. A portion of it, at the least, and certainly the final portion... which effectively summarizes things on it's own.

Aya just .. stares at her pupil for a moment and then her expression softens and stretches, splaying into a wide smile. Her hands lift, pause, then move. Far more slowly than Aryia's did, of course. "I am very happy for you. I am pleased that you pursued your goal and that you achieved it so quickly. Pleased, but not surprised." <handspeech>

Aryia mirrors the smile with her own closed eye one, her showing off some of her missing molars. "Thank you for belie ving in me," she motions before sliding out of her seat and wrapping Aya in a full, all encompassing unsolicited embrace. <Handspeech>

"You are wel-" Aya starts to comment when she's suddenly wrapped up. Unsolicited. There is only a slight moment of hestiation, perhaps surprise, before she returns the embrace; warmly and empathically. After another moment, she even leans into it (and Aryia). <handspeech>

Aryia softly sighs and relaxes into the hug, holding Aya up as she's leaned into. A hand runs across her mentor's back, and she closes her eyes. Something so simple. In light of everything that has happened as of late, there's just a simple moment of being held.

"Th-nks f-r b-ng m- fr-nd," she hisses out quietly.

In light of everything that has happened...

That is a small statement for an exceptionally large series of events over a comparatively short period, for some. Concerning events. Delightful events. Horriyfing events. Wonderful events.

Aside from her grip, aya goes rather slack, turning the lean into a true support; or, rather, being supported. Her face rests on Aryia's shoulder as a result and she ... just breathes. From steady to several ragged and quick and then back to slow and steady. She doesn't reply immediately; that would require lifting her head or releasing her grip.

Aryia blinks within the hold, surprised by the slowly crumbling pillar that she's so used to looking up to. She knows her mentor is stressed. She knows there is a lot on her plate. But now, instead of looking up at Aya, her head was now level. This was no longer teacher-student.

The mute woman's embrace tightens, a hand on the back of her head to keep her against the pupil's shoulder. Letting Aya cling on with as much support as she needed.

It was a friend to a friend.

Aya does not crumble. All one needs to confirm that is to ask her!

It is more a ... sagging. Resting. Release. A few moments of not bearing those burdens, or not doing so stoically and alone may be enough.

Her posture regains its consistency and she slowly lifts her head and straightens. Her embrace doesn't vacate, yet becomes casual rather than clinging. A slender smile is offered beneath wet eyes and damp cheeks (which likely matches a patch on Aryia's shoulder).

"Thank you."

Teacher-student may have returned to the moment, but friendship was always present. They are not mutually-exclusive.

Aryia is there for the moments, as few as they were. And she pulls away with a warm, if slightly concerned, smile. She ruffles around in her pocket before pulling out a piece of scrap cloth, the edges torn and half sewed, and holds it out for the other mul'neissa.

"Anytime. I can't be there for you in all the bad parts, but I can at least be there for you like this," she gestures slowly, ending with putting a hand on Aya's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. <Handspeech>

One brow lifts slightly at the offering before Aya realizes it's itent... and the fact that she had sprung a leak. As the brow lowers, her smile relaxes to neutral and she accepts it with a simple nod. A few brief dabs and she sets the scrap down at the table.

The hand on her shoulder receives a pat from one of her now unoccupied hands before she responds, "Just as I may not be able to give you all the answers you seek, nor always aid you. Yet I will always offer what I can." Her hands still in a pause, perhaps considering thoughts, words, or signs, before she continues.

"You do not know what family you might have had in Charn, but know that you have one here." <handspeech>

Aryia is about to gesture a simple, "That's fine," to the first bit, having already resolved herself to not being able to get all the information.

However, that offer makes her pause, her already beaming face stunted into a half of what it was. Turning into confusion. Then, a slow dawn of realization of what was said. Her shimmering eyes mist over, mouth agape. "F-F.... f-m-ly...? she whispers in that hiss. Her breath hitches and grows ragged, disbelief written on her visage. Wanting to believe but...

"You... you're serious?" a shaking hand asks, as a line trails down a scarred cheek. <Handspeech>

Aya is paused for a moment at the question, before there is another slight arch of brow. "It is your choice. Our choice," she begins, in clean gestures of a mentor despite the topic. "A child born does not make one a parent; one chooses to nurture, or cast aside. A cousin born a fool is only considered less so if one chooses to accept them. Is the reverse not also true? If you are concerned of bloodline..." her hand then gestures between Aryia and herself, as only now one lipcorner twists upward "I believe that there may be some slight resemblance." <handspeech>

Aryia's eyes glance between shifting hands and Aya's face, the motion adding more rivulets to drip off her jaw and into her lap. The slip of a joke in there breaks her stun, lips cresting upwards as a choked sob slips past her throat.

Before her emotions became overwhelming, the mute mul'neissa manages to gesture out, "I-I... I've always... always wondered if... if I had a sister... I... I guess... I guess I do..."

A pause. A held breath.

Simply put, she starts bawling, and all but throws herself at Aya. <Handspeech>

Aya may be improving; that or her honed reflexes simply kick in. In any case, she is prepared to catch Aryia's throw, and Aryia, herself. Unlike a moment past, she is once again a column, a pillar. She holds Aryia firmly, supportively. Having just assured that she would provide answers and aid as she could, she whispers a simple affirmation. "You do, sister."

These past couple of days have been an overwhelming amount of positivity that Aryia had no idea how to handle. And the only outlet was to cry happy tears. She holds onto Aya firmly and warmly, burying her face into her shoulder. "S... S-st-r..." she hisses out, feeling the foreign word on her lips. It only makes her redouble her hold.

It's a couple of minutes before Aryia calms down enough to pull away, her face a complete mess, and her once already disheveled hair looked like it was right back to being wrung out of bed. "Sorry," she reflexively gestures, rubbing a fist against her sternum as she pulls another piece of cloth out of her pocket to clean her face off. <Handspeech>

She may not realize such, but Aryia's positive experiences, and sharing them, provided a dose much needed to others. Aya never hastens nor hinders the embrace nor it's release, and is simply ...there. For Aryia.

After Aryia pulls away and offers the gesture, Aya shakes her head. "No," she corrects, though the word is a bit rough. "Never apologize for who you are." It is impossible to seem harsh given that her eyes re-wet in the interim, but it is firm.

Aryia winces a bit, the correction making her realize she did that. Another "Sor-". Pause, then a sputtering half silent laugh and lingering sob. "I know, I know. Old habits..."

With now reddened eyes, she sniffles and simply looks at Aya. Almost in a new light. Her resting face was now just a soft smile, almost like it couldn't be wiped off. "... I think this is the happiest I've been in... probably my entire life," she admits. "Thank you." <Handspeech>

Aya's neutrality softens (falters?) as her expression shifts to mirror Aryia's almost of it's own accord. "You deserve such, Aryia, and I am ... honored to be part of it. Thank. You." Wondering if the gesture choice after the pause to consider was perhaps not the best, she adds a note, "You are not the only one who gained a sister." <handspeech>

Aryia shoves the spent cloth back into her pocket, her casting her gaze down slightly. "I don't believe I deserve much, but I'll believe you." She shakes her head and smiles wide again, her pulling the chair closer claiming a more near spot. A breathless giggle, mouth hidden by the back of her hand. "That's true..."

She falls into comfortable silence, quietly smiling to her self. An errant trail would leak from her eyes on occasion, spill over from what her heart was feeling. She steals some cheese from the plate, nibbling on it.

"... I have something to show you si... sister," she motions, letting the wedge dangle from her lips. <Handspeech>

Aya does not object the shift nor the theived food. In fact, she adjusts her own chair, and posture, to be nearer. As if it were some conspiratorial sororital secret conversation. She even plucks a morsel of bread from the plate to eat, unlike her prior mere picking and moving of the food. A brow lifts as she looks to Aryia with expectant interest and signs a simple "What is it?" <handspeech>

Aryia's lips quirk upwards into a sort of playful, mischievous smirk, her holding up a finger. She snaps up last of the morsel before closing her eyes and focusing. They open once more, look just past Aya, and the mute woman's face brightens, milky eyes shimmering brighter.

Actually, her visage gets luminously brighter.

"What's that behind your ear...?" she playfully signs before reaching past Aya and pulling back a...

Shimmering milky orb of soft light. Aryia beams. <Handspeech>

Aya's brow lifts further at the smirk and delay, then moreso at the brightening. A moment of confusion that increases at the comment, and then there is the beaming reveal. From Aya's perspective, it may be difficult to determine which is more bright: the orb of light or Aryia's beaming smile.

Aya blinks. Twice, and then her eyes widen, drawing her lips upward in the process. "You did it!" A pause as she realizes that that orb was not exactly her assignment, though this doesn't diminish her expression in the slightest. "On your own. I am delighted, yet not surprised." The last statement being a repeat of her prior comment of Aryia's other recent accomplishment. <handspeech>

Aryia teeters from side to side, propping the orb up on her fingertips as a soft and breathy "Heeheeehe...." comes her lips. There's a passing moment where she gets light headed, pausing her movements before getting over it and resuming.

"I had a little help. I couldn't figure out how to move the shadows but... I can do this now. I get why you had such a hard time explaining it. It's... weird. Like flexing a muscle you don't have?" she elaborates, slowly looking down at the orb in her grasp, the hue the same as the glimmer of The Gift. <Handspeech>

Aya nods. "It is very difficult," she concurs, then admits, "Shadows are fickle, furtive things. Scattering them to bring forth light is far easier than consolidating them. I gave you the more difficult task, and intentionally so." <handspeech>

Aryia pouts slightly, her crossing an arm while she tosses the orb her shoulder. It scatters into twinkling lights, like faint stars, before vanishing. Though, the pout doesn't last long. "Because you think I can do it. And it won't surprise you when I do," she gestures, fingers making a snapping motion as she playfully smirks. But she sighs. "Yes. It felt like willing the wall to fall over. That's what I ended up doing. I just imagined that where I was looking was as bright as how I would see something in the dark. And that.. works? So strange..." <Handspeech>

Aya nods once more. "I challenged you. If you learned to leap a building, you could easily leap a fence, no?" She pauses then, exhaling a breath before admitting, "Yet I was wrong. I should have encouraged you with the easier task. Accomplishment brings confidence, a step to more. Too large a task -" she stops in mid-sign and pauses, her mind seeingly elsewhere momentarily before she continues "brings only frustation. Doubt. Despair." <handspeech>

Aryia gives a soft smile, her shaking her head. "It's okay. I forgive you. I've had too many decades of not knowing how to do it pent up for me to give up so easily after having nothing to go on for so long." She reaches out and pats Aya on the back, a warm gesture to keep her newly found sister in the now. "Once I get this down, with more lights and whatever, what should I do next?" <Handspeech>

Aya's lip curls to show a hint of uneven smirk. "When you can banish them from points and manuever them, seek to drive the shadows from another. Just as I do, many things use the shadows as their allies. We may see through this, but others cannot. Remove that advantage from your foes..."

Her focus turns towards one of those few who are all but a common ornament in the pub: a man in the corner, unconscious as he is when not drowning himself in drink. That he is suddenly wreathed in blue-violet 'flames' neither burns nor even rouses him, though may garner a few startled gasps and stairs from other patrons. She turns back to finish, "and your allies will be all the more useful." <handspeech>

Aryia nods and smooths her bed ridden hair down, her soaking in the information like a sponge. Aryia turns a bit to see where Aya was looking, and there's a small gasp from Aryia just like all the other patron goers. She blinks, then slips out of her seat, ignoring the stares she was getting as two scheeming mul were harassing an unconscious man. She leans in, sticking a hand out to let a hand pass through an azure-violet flame.

She taps her chin, face growing a little confused by the direction, but she just nods and walks back over to her chair.

"Weird," is all she offers about that, face held pensive on how to even go about it. She ends up shaking her head, waving a ahnd off. "Have to get good at the light orb thing first before I think about that. Thank you for showing me."

The others probably weren't as thankful. <Handspeech>

The others aren't mul, and probably not sisters, so they wouldn't understand. "My pleasure," she returns. "Continue your practice and discovery and I expect you will master all quite soon."

She sets her hands on the table after, resting them a moment, and her thoughts drift again. Now with slightly pursed lips, she states, "I should not stay much longer. There are other matters that need tending." There is a brief return of her smirk as she points to Aryia. "And you should return to your room to tend to your hair ..." the smirk grows "whether to get it smoothed or tussled again." <handspeech>

Aryia gives a low nod, her standing up as well. She steps forward during the resting moment, gifting a brief embrace before pulling away to read more signs. "I understand, you're busy. Thanks for talking with me."

Though, Aryia does blink. And her face grows scarlet. "WE DIDN'T DO THAT, AYA!" she all but flails. <Handspeech>

Aya's expression remains as she gives a light roll of one shoulder in a shrug. "A new goal, then? New tasks to practice?" One brow quirks and she offers a few 'helpful' suggestive gestures that were not likely in the book Aryia gave her, or most any other. A big sister should be encouraging, afterall. Or is that incorrigable? Perhaps both. "I expect to hear all about your progress." <handspeech>

Aryia, flustered, waves her hands about, one of them pushing Aya's helpful 'handsigns' out and away. "I have enough experience with that, THANK YOU very much!" she sputters. "You will have to get me drunk as the guy over there for me to tell you anything about THAT progress!" <Handspeech>

Aya's smirk loses the wry to become a smile, and not a teasing on. She forgoes signing to clasp at Aryia's hands with hers. "So long as you tell me that you are happy and well, sister, that is enough. I have the right to be concerned for you." There are a number of rights, rules, regulations, and the like that come with being family.

Aryia's face slowly regains its color as the teasing halts. She didn't hate the ribbing, it felt... nice? Perhaps a lost feeling of sibling squabbling surfacing from the depths of her smeared memory? It was hard to pin down. A sigh leaves her, the smile returning just like before as her hands were swooped up.

She gives a small nod, stepping just a smidge closer so it'd be easier to hear as her other voice was silenced. "-k-y. Th- s-m- g-s f-r y-, s-st-r," she quietly says in her voiceless whisper.

Fortunately, the knife-like ears are not just for decoration. That... and Aya could most likely understand even if she could not hear as well. She stands, only afterwards releasing Aryia's hands gently to simply nod. Spoken or signed, perhaps they don't always need so many words to convey or comprehend.

"Until the next time."

A neutral choice of words so as not to interfere with the current content and comfortable state. With that, she turns to depart the Fernwood. No haste, yet not reluctant, either.

Aryia gives a small wave as Aya goes, her holding her hands clasped together in front of her chest and a misty eyed smile. The doors shut, and she looks down to the where Aya was sitting. "... sister...." she mouths, it a strange feeling that her heart felt full. <Undercommon>

But you know what wasn't full?

Grumble.

She looks one way, then another, before stealing away the wine, cheese, and bread. Quick steps heading back up to her room. Proooobably to share. Probably.

-End Scene-