Feet Don't Fail Me Now

[Yula Perl]

Universally, Zeltros was known as the party planet. And for good reason—the natives were friendly and exuded a natural pheromone that caused everyone around them to feel at ease. Invasions of the planet were often halted in their tracks until pheromone-filtering technology was invented.

Not all of Zeltros was an urban sprawl. Aside from the clubs and casinos, the world had nearly consistent pleasant weather and a plethora of natural wonders. Oceans, mountains, rolling hills and fields of green could all be enjoyed on the pleasure planet. Cliff diving happened to be a past time enjoyed by Zeltron youth.

One such youth was Yula Perl. Her skin lacked the typical rosy hue you’d find here, but that wasn’t unique in the slightest. Plenty of non-natives made their homes on Zeltros, mixed and bred with the natives. Yula happened to be the product of a half Zeltron mother and a human father. Born and raised on Zeltros, she was no stranger to exploring her home world.

“Ah, Miss Perl. Back again?” The hostel host gave her a friendly smile. “You must have come in earlier last night before my shift.”

The young woman returned with a grin of her own. “Oh yeah, spent all day scaling a cliff face on the edge of Honsu shore.” She tapped one bandaged knee as her smile turned a bit sheepish. “Only wiped out a couple of times.” Fishing a bottle of water from her bag, she uncapped it and tilted it to her lips.

The man chuckled and shook his head. “Given that there are no broken bones this time, you seem to have improved.” He chuckled. “Where are you heading out today?”

“Mm,” The bottle lowered as she swallowed the water quickly. “There’s a nice patch of woods further out along the mountain. It’s a little steep so it doesn’t get much in the way of tourists but I was thinking of checking it out.”

“Well, be careful not to have anymore mishaps! Wouldn’t want to have you airlifted out of there.”

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

One of the pluses of leaving Midvinter for the second time, was he was still alive. After meeting his father and revelation of who he was, the meeting could have gone in an entirely different direction. But even now, Vik struggled to believe it all there was just too much to comprehend and he needed to get away, just like before. He needed to find a place to go and think. Not that it was his natural inclination to think, but since he could remember that is exactly what he would do, what he had become, a thinker. After a rather horrific experience on Zeltros, when he first arrived to this planet, Vik had come to like the place and had allowed the natural environment to wash over him and he felt good here, he knew why of course but he didn't stop it .. why would you?

He had been up and ready early this morning, ready to head out and find a place of solace away from the maddening crowd, habits of his young life time do not simply vanish upon revelations and he would seek the company of the trees as they are very good companions. He had changed since his visit home, a settling within himself had lifted a great burden off his heart and he felt light and at ease with everything around him, even people. There was no herald to his foot steps as he walked down the stairs to the front desk, a natural ability of his kin and before the people in the main foyer realised he was there.

"Good morning", he greeted them as he stood next to a young girl with his eyes cast down and the hood of his jacket over his head to hide his pointed ears. Those habits of a young life time. Although the curse had been lifted, Vik struggled to remember he could look people in the eyes now, he had to make himself do it and there was still the fear of it, just in case it returned. "Can you tell me if there is forest around here?", he asked in hope, maybe there was a park of somewhere, where he could go to be by himself at the very least.

Pulling his courage together, Vik met the eyes of the people behind the desk, held their gaze for a moment, but nothing happened .. their secrets remained their own and Vik pulled in a deep breath with relief. It was only now he dared to turn and look at the girl beside him, "Hello", he smiled a little.

[member="Yula Perl"]

 

[Yula Perl]

“Wh-!” Yula had nearly jumped, caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the tall man beside her. Had she even heard him coming? Perhaps she’d been too engrossed in her conversation.

The man behind the counter had seen Vik coming given that the desk was placed adjacent to the staircase. He chuckled again at the woman’s reaction before nodding slowly. “There are several forested areas around here. Kenyon’s Walk is a popular hike into the woods near Honsu Lake. It’s fairly easy if you’re looking for something lighter. Even families with small children don’t find it too taxing.”

After taking a moment to wipe the surprise from the face, Yula offered the stranger a smile. Her head had to tilt back a little for that. “You just keep going up, don’t you?” He was well above the average height for a humanoid, but perhaps he was another human-esque race. An Epicanthix hybrid, perhaps? Ah, it didn’t matter much.

“If you’re in the mood for something more ah…challenging, perhaps Miss Yula would take you along on her most recent expedition.” The man offered, raise his brows at the Zeltron mix.

“Sure.” She agreed before turning back to the tall stranger again. “If you’d like, you’re welcome to come along with me. I’ll be exploring a densely wooded forest along one of the mountains, it’s off the beaten path so it’s not exactly the safest, but…” She trailed off with a twinkle in her eye.

The clerk shook high head with a light sigh. “You’ll be lucky to make it out unscathed!” The tone of his voice was something humorous, though.

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

For a moment Vik was confused by the girls words, never had he heard that expression, he even looked down his own body then to realise what she meant. "I am short on my world, there are many there that are like mountains with legs", he added as his smile widened. His gaze fell on her lips as she spoke of her intended adventure up the mountain to the forests, it was a most appealing idea although he was seeking solitude, but there is nothing a lung full of fresh air to clear the mind, and she seemed friendly enough and it appeared she was just as trusting of a stranger as he was. To his determent most of the time.

"You always offer your company to a complete stranger?", he would be no threat to her, and he sensed that she would not be any to him either. He shot a look toward the man and woman behind the desk, they seemed to be very amused by the 'play' between them which made Vik feel self-conscious to which he replied by shoving his hands deep into his pockets. It did not concern him about the danger of the walk, it is more dangerous walking the streets in the city at night, especially on Nar Shaddaa he learned the hard way. And it would be best if this girl had some company, just in case.

"My name is Vik, Vik ... Velkarson", the name sounded funny to his ears, it was the first time he gave voice to it. He took the gamble of lifting his eyes from her lips to her green eyes, she is very pretty with skin the colour of wild cherry blossom, the like of which grow in the valley of Averlorn, the scent of which flows gently on the breezes in the heart of spring. I wonder if she smells of cherries, he pondered.

[member="Yula Perl"]

 

[Yula Perl]

Her grin stretched. “Only when I know that I can take them down.” Was it a bold assumption? Of course it was. Even though she was only a quarter blood, Yula had inherited her mother’s empath abilities to a degree. Though she was certainly no master, it had helped her to read people and situations—sometimes. She’d been wrong before, but she sensed no malice around this tall stranger.

His bright green eyes, almost iridescent in nature were hard to not notice. Handsome face, too. Where was he from? “Nice to meet you Vik. Name’s Yula. Yula Perl.” She waved at the clerks behind the desk. “We should get going, don’t want to waste any precious daylight!” Either way, she was rather fond of camping if it came to that.

As they made their way outside and started towards the hills, Yula stretched her arms over her head. The beds at the inn weren’t exactly luxury and sometimes a good night of sleep left her with aches and pains. But they were friendly with the lowest price around so she couldn’t really complain.

“So Vik, where are you from where there are mountains with legs?”

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

He gave their hosts a quick wave and followed the young girl out into the light of day. Immediately the stark brightness cause Vik to narrow his Aelvan eyes to reduce the glare and under his hood his pointed ears twitched with the myriad of natures noises. Yula set a clipping pace from the start and Vik found himself falling behind, this was not going to be a leisurely stroll he realised but a couple of long strides caught him up to her quickly enough.

Already the hills loomed large on the horizon, a haze of morning colour clung to the air and the ranges held a soft blue hue to them, a trick of the light no doubt or something in the trees triggered the natural setting and he could smell the aroma of them. And already he was pleased to have the events of the morning decide his destiny today.

He smiled at her question, most people he had told of his homeland did not know of it and looked at him blankly and he supposed that there were many planets in the galaxy people knew little of and Midvinter was so far on the edge of the galaxy it could quite easily had not made the map. Isolated and untouched for century upon century, a people so different by comparison but once again, you only had to walk the streets of city here on Zeltros to see the different races so different from the next, Midvinter was not alone in this.

"I come from the Realm of Midvinter", he used it's official name or rather that used by it's peoples, and Vik turned to look at Yula to see if there was any recognition. "It is beautiful, it is the land of ice", he said reflecting on it, which made him a little homesick. "The larger population of Midvinter are Valkyri, and they are huge", he grinned.

[member="Yula Perl"]

 

[Yula Perl]

Yula was an adventurous soul, often disappearing into the wilderness for days at a time much to her mother’s chagrin. Unlike said mother, the young woman didn’t mind spending her days camping out or sleeping in less than idea accommodations. It was the experience and the discoveries she made that mattered to her more.

As the ventured away from the road and closer to the forests that would lead them up towards the mountain, the scent of nature already hung plainly in the air. To Yula it was earthy and natural with noted of native flora. Was never quite the same on different words, but you could always tell when you were near a heavily wooded area.

She really wanted to say that she knew of Midvinter, that she was more worldly than she really was, but the name didn’t ring a bell. “A land of ice…is it as cold as Csilla?” While Yula wasn’t particularly fond of the cold, she didn’t hate it. Midvinter though…maybe that explained the height and piercing eyes of Vik. Still it seemed like he was more similar to baseline humans than different. There were some truly interesting alien species in the galaxy.

“Oh? How huge? As tall as Epicanthix?” She imagined with a grin that they must be at least. “And what does that make you?”

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

The land around them started to undulate, he could feel the muscles in his thighs beginning to work a little harder as they approached the base of the ranges although they still had a way to go before the climb would begin. And from what he could see from their position, this climb that Yula had designed for them today was going to be hard and he was grateful that he had chosen good shoes for the day but that was about all he had on him that help with the adventure. There was no need for fur out here, his body would provide the heat needed to keep him going, and traversing the wilds of Midvinter was done so without rope so you had to know what you were doing and Vik suspected that she did.

Yula was not alone in lacking knowledge of worlds outside of their range of knowledge, Vik only really knew of the ones he had visited let alone other races and such. "Well I don't know about Csilla, if it is colder or not but come the heart of winter the whole planet is frozen", it is that time of year that Vik loves the most, which is so very different to the rest of his kin. "The Valkyri stand this tall", he had grinning as he raised him arm above his head and reached as far as he could. "But I am not Valkyri. I am Aelvar", and his brow furrowed with the though that that was not all he was but he could keep that secret to himself besides who would believe him. "The Aelvar are small in numbers and live in the forests of a place called Averlorn on Midvinter".

"But what about yourself?, are you from here, from Zeltros", As much as he enjoyed speaking about his home he wanted to know more about the young woman beside him. Just then he stopped, as they came to a meeting of paths leading off in different direction and since he did not know which way to turn, he bowed to the knowledge of Yula, "Which way leads to our destiny", he asked with a sense of mirth and mischief.

[member="Yula Perl"]

 

[Yula Perl]

“Aelvar, hm?” It was yet another race she had not heard of, glancing above her to see how high Vik’s hand stretched above his head. To her he was still fairly tall but not out of the realm of humanoid height. “What’s the trade-off for the height difference, then? Do you get some sort of super power?” Perhaps today’s hike was just up his alley if his people lived in a forested setting. It would certainly be a reprieve from the fast paced city life of Zeltros.

When the questioned turned to her own demographics, Yula hummed in thought. “Born and raised, though I travel off world a lot.” She touched her cheek with her hand as if to indicate her skin. ‘Pale rose’ is what Joza had called it. “I’m a quarter Zeltron. My mother’s half, so I’m mostly human.” She shrugged. “Most Zeltrons can do the pheromone thing and have two livers. Mm, I didn’t get either of those.” It wasn’t something that had bothered her, though. “My brother is also a quarter Zeltron but he looks full human.” Funny how genetics worked.

As they came to a literal crossroads, Yula looked at each path carefully. “This one,” A hand gestured to the path on the left. “Is much easier. It’ll take us to Kenyon’s Walk. The right one is yet to be explored.” She quirked a brow, a faint smirk curling the edges of her lips. “I don’t know about destiny, but I’m just here for the journey.”

The path she’d chosen gradually became thicker with brush, sharp cliff faces jutting up all around them. “Who knows if we’ll come across any dangerous life here.” She mused. “Hopefully nothing large enough to eat us!”

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

The question she posed was an unusual one, in the sense that there would be a trade off of abilities, in the nature world that would be the case, but in this galaxy it was interesting that the assumption is that a power of some sort would be the trade, when the percentages of people without any ability is in the majority in reality. "I suppose it would be that my kin are all attuned to what we call the Frostvatn, but in my time away from Midvinter I have learned that it exists outside of my land and it is called the Force, not all Valkyri are attuned to it, also I guess we have an ability to walk in silence which is a gift, and we are more agile where the Valkyri have strength. We have a natural connection of nature, the Valkyri are natural warriors", not that Aelvar can't be, it is different is all. Off the top of his head that is what he thought of the most.

"Zeltrons do the pheromone thing?", he turned to look at her pretty face with a pulled in brow that mirrored his questioning. "You mean they can release them or something?". Once she had chosen their path, he could not help but turn his head toward the one yet to be explored. "Do we take the easy path? or the one less traveled", he pulled his brow from questioning to daring her. As for dangerous animals, that would be in the lap of the gods as to whether they are to encounter them or not. In Vik's experience, the two legs 'creatures' are more of a concern and far more dangerous.

"You say you are here for the journey not the destination so why walk down a path you have already known?". More of a challenge to her, and he smiled wide. And he realised that even though he had sort of solace today, his mind was clearer with her company than alone, in fact his troubles had not entered in mind at all and he was enjoying himself, for once, he was enjoying company.

[member="Yula Perl"]

 

[Yula Perl]

Yula clicked her tongue. “Ah, but we’re going down the more difficult path.” By some fourth-wall breaking error, it seemed that she had forgotten to indicate her choice of the path to the right which by now, looked less welcoming than their other option. “I take it you’re the adventurous type?” She mused while tilting her head to lock eyes with him briefly before shifting her gaze to the wilds around them.

“The pheromone thing, yes.” She agreed. “Zeltrons produce calming pheromones which is why Zeltros is such a popular vacation spot. Only full and some half-bloods can do that, though. I’m too diluted.” She shrugged. “It’s also why offworld Zeltron women are uh…desired in…certain…ways.” Yula hadn’t exactly thought out the content of what she was about to say and was almost caught in surprise by her own words. Quickly, the young woman cleared her throat and tried to segue into something that didn’t invoke certain images.

“Frostvatn, huh. So that makes you a user of the Force?” A slow, genuine smile curled her lips at that. “I’ve heard tales of entire populations being sensitive to the Force, but I never thought I’d meet someone like that.” Unlike some who’d discovered their abilities later in life, Yula had always known about her own gift. Her mother had taught both her and her brother that the Force was something to be respected and not abused. In doing so, Yula and Alan’s talents were able to grow steadily. It had always been a part of her life. “What’s it like where you live on Midvinter? Are there big cities like here?”

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

'Calming' was an interesting way of putting it, although he had experienced this effect on himself when he first arrived, there was an entirely different sensation that went with the 'calming', and it was part of the reason Vik had decided to find less populated digs upon his return here. Why had he returned here? well no one cared about him being here and he could get lost in the crowd. He could not help but grin at her words however and as they locked eyes, his lingered a little longer on her as she turned her gaze away. "You have no need of such things to be desirable no matter what world you walk", he found himself saying which surprised even he which made him suddenly self conscious, "I mean, that that thing they do .. you don't need to do it", the hole he was digging for himself was getting bigger. "What I mean is .. you, you are .. pretty". The words hung in the air thick and gasped at his own lack of 'cool'.

He was very grateful the walk had started to become difficult, and soon found his legs working up the incline as the rock face of the mountain was now in reach, it would not be long before they would start the ascent and concentration on the climb would be at the forefront of their minds. And the quick change of topic assisted his own demise.

"Well all Aelvar are, yes", he pulled in a deep breath still trying to settle himself. "Averlorn is .. beautiful. Set in thick forest in a valley", his home was hard to describe without it sounding like something out of a fairy tale. "There are no cities on Midvinter that are like anything I have seen outside of it, they are very different, I guess some would say they are backward, but I don't think so. Midvinter is just different".

"If you would like to see it one day, I would be happy to show you". He dared a sideways glance with a soft smile.

[member="Yula Perl"]

 

[Yula Perl]

Yula was grateful for the distraction of the rougher terrain because she’d be damned if she could look Vik in the eyes right now without saying something stupid. Even though she’d grown up on the pleasure planet and was rather friendly and open, there were topics that she was…not the best with.

“O-oh…” She felt her cheeks begin to flush beet red despite herself and she willed the feeling to subside as quickly as possible. “Uh, thank you.” Her words were spoken a bit quicker than her usual cheerful tone. Normally Yula would return the complement—he was rather handsome—but she didn’t know what to say. His eyes maybe? He had beautiful eyes. “You have eyes. Ah, I mean, I like your eyes. The color.” She paused. “They’re very nice.”

Nailed it.

Thankfully, the subject moved away from…that and onto his homeworld. It sounded positively beautiful, aside from what she imagined to be bitter cold. But that didn’t bother Yula as much, at least she assumed so. While Zeltros was more temperate, she’d been on colder worlds before. “It sounds lovely.” Her lips tilted in the start of a genuine smile. “I’d love to go sometime. See the towns, hike in your Averlorn forests. Are there dangerous wild beasts?”

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

Of all things to notice, to compliment him on was his eyes. They had been the reason for his curse for as long as Vik could remember and he never really thought about the colour of them until now. He could not help but grin however, it was nice to know she noticed something about him that appealed to her, it was always nice to receive a compliment even though it made him awkward in the process and Yula was just as much out of sorts with this sort of thing.

After she indicated her interest in seeing Midvinter one day, Vik had troubled thoughts over it and began to wonder if it was a good idea. Would his father appear again? that was more of a danger than any beast and he had only met the 'man' once and that was tense to say the least and by all accounts of that particular god, very unpredictable in nature. But to show Yula his home world was very appealing to Vik as he liked her company and any excuse to find a reason to spend more time was worth it.

"Yes there are many creatures that are dangerous, and many that are not. But Averlorn is safe by comparison to the rest of the planet", which was true but on Midvinter anything was possible, he learned that for himself. Their path had began to climb steeply and so did they, it was more a path of rock that one had to scramble over and watch your footing, arms came into play now searching for grips to secure the hold although they are not scaling a vertical face, it was still perilous.

"How far are we going?", he asked lifting his gaze up the mountain side, and seeing there was still a long ways to go, and he was not sure of her plans after all she had invited him to come along, so she must have had a plan before they set off. He would follow behind her, she was the better climber that was clear and he suspected Yula had much experience with it so he would follow her lead.

[member="Yula Perl"]

 

[Yula Perl]

“As far as we’d like.” She asserted with a smile. This was no longer a leisurely stroll through the woods but the pair didn’t seem to mind. “There’s a cliff that should be a little ways from here that I’ve been dying to get to. We should have a great view of the ocean once we get up there!” Or at least she had hoped it would be a nice view. She’d spotted the clearing while exploring an adjacent area but ended up leaving before nightfall.

“My brother and I grew up near the ocean. We used to play in it a lot as kids.” A sparkle of amusement reached her eyes, curving her lips slightly as she reached to establish her grip on a small outcrop of stone for support. Sometimes their mother would join them but she tended to stand on the shore and look after her children, making sure that they were not swept away by the ocean. Very faintly, she remembered her father there as well. He’d disappeared when she was very young, Yula herself not being old enough to make concrete memories of the man. But he was still there in brief glimpses. She recalled holding his hand on the beach as a toddler, afraid of going into the water. When she looked up to his face, it became blurred—but she wasn’t scared of the water anymore.

The Zeltron mix shook her head, afraid that she’d been lost in her own mind for too long. Which was considered poor form in front of a guest.

“So where else have you traveled to, Zeltros and Midvinter aside?” He didn’t seem like your average tourist. “I hope you weren’t lured into a ‘massage parlor’ as soon as you got here.” Many of those women were…ruthless. Yula couldn’t help but grin as she verbally jabbed him teasingly, perhaps as payment for making her blush.
[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

She spoke of more concepts foreign to him, at least in part. He never has seen an ocean, although knew of them. Vik had ventured outside of his realm, had left the safe mists of Averlorn to see more of Midvinter, but he never got as far as the Great Maw. So he did not understand that an ocean was something you could play in, that it was so inviting to do so, so he kept quiet and just listened to her speaking of her brother.

Massage parlor's? what was that?

He had seen the strangeness of the planet first hand when he first arrived, it was overwhelming just like when he arrived on Nar Shaddaa but he was taken in by a friend who pulled him from the gutter and into safety, he would never forget Seb for that and be ever grateful. Seb had gone, Vik had returned to Midvinter so they lost contact for now. He thought for a moment, recalling the entertainment places that almost out number the people, and the women dancing and curling their fingers to entice him in to the establishment, but he did not know why. The idea of someone selling themselves for pleasure was not in the culture of his home .. and again he did not understand it.

"I have never had a massage", he said in responce, "Are they nice?". It was Vik's turn to grin, for he suspected that there was more on the agenda for such places. His effort to climb was effortless, an ability of heritage of the Aelvar and he was not even breaking a sweat. "I have been to Nar Shaddaa, and lucky to have survived it. I guess I am only just starting my adventures into the galaxy and I have much to see .. I know".

He looked up to see this cliff she spoke of, it would take some doing to get to it, but not impossible. "I would very much like to see the ocean when we get up there. I have never seen one".

[member="Yula Perl"]

 

[Yula Perl]

Yula had to pause to keep herself from blushing at the implication of the ‘nice massages’. “I don’t know.” She shot back, fighting the urge to stick her tongue out. “Why don’t you go and find out for yourself?” Indeed, there were many such places dotted over the cities of Zeltros. While there certainly were many avenues dedicated to pleasure, the planet had some family friendly amenities as well. And some…less than savory ones. The glamor and bright lights could blind anyone into thinking that Zeltros was rich, but as with many modern worlds there were poorer areas.

She let out a low whistle at the mention of the smuggler’s moon. “Shaddaa’s certainly not a beginner’s world, but it’s good that you survived it. You must have some urban mettle, then.” Yula hadn’t been to Nar Shaddaa in a while, only a handful of times when visiting her grandfather. Usually under her mother’s radar as well.

“You’ve never seen the ocean?” Yula would have sounded a bit more incredulous if she didn’t start to piece things together, that Vik had not traveled to many worlds yet and that he didn’t come from a beach resort planet. It would make sense than any large bodies of water on Midvinter were either frozen or far too cold to swim in.

“I’ll do you one better.” She asserted. “After this, we’ll go down to the shore and swim in the ocean.”

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

A mischievous grin parted his lips as she teased him, and could see the delight of it dancing in her own pretty eyes. "Maybe I shall", he retorted, "Do you know of a good 'place'?". Asking as his grin turned into a smile. Of course he had no intentions of doing such a thing, he was still very much a lad to keep himself to himself and beside who would want for most pleasing company than the girl with him now? He had to check himself, as he found is eyes lingering over the curve of his hips as she climbed the cliff face and it was time for him to center his concentration on that job else he would fall.

He liked Yula much, she did not teasing him about not knowing anything that most take for granted in the galaxy, in fact it seemed to fascinate her that there would be people out there in this situation, indeed there were many he assumed, certain the native people of Midvinter for one. The idea of taking her to see his homeland was growing more appealing for the minute, although there are many ice planets in the galaxy none are quite like Midvinter. It is truly majestic.

"Oh", he uttered in surprise which was written in his eyes, as she had every intention of taking him to the edge of the ocean and furthermore, swimming in it. He could swim but not very well, only ever taking to the water of the rivers to bath or the waterfalls and although Averlorn was more temperate than the rest of the planet, it was still bitter cold. Vik had not the chance to venture to the beaches if there was any to see, it did not even cross his mind to look but now faced with the opportunity, it delighted him and yet it was a little scary.

"I .. I suppose I could try", he uttered more to himself to encourage courage. "Do you like dancing?", he suddenly asked and a bit too quickly. Vik was starting to come out of his shell, a place he had lived in for most of his life due to his curse that plagued him but now that is lifted... By the Gods did I just try to ask her out?

[member="Yula Perl"]

 

[Yula Perl]

“As a matter of fact, I do.” She shot back playfully. Growing up on Zeltros left with a wider tolerance of what was considered ‘normal’ daily behavior even if she didn’t apply some of it to herself. “If you’re in Pleasure City, there’s one on Calais St. that’s always busy.” Had she been there herself? No, but she’d walked past it plenty of times.

Her grin grew a little wider when he admitted that he would try swimming. Yula wouldn’t push the issue, but there was that certain sparkle in her eyes. In her opinion, swimming was the best way to cool down from a hike.

Vik’s next question caught her off guard but it wasn’t that strange, at least not to her. “Of course.” She responded. “Have you ever met a Zeltron who doesn’t like to dance? Music and partying are a central part of our culture.” For all Zeltros was, despised by some for their hedonistic ways, the people were generally open and tolerant and pretty much any race was welcome to join the party. “What about you, Vik?”

As she looked ahead, the ledge overlooking the ocean was within sight. With a little more work, they'd reach it soon.

[member="Vik Velkarson"]

 

[Coci Heavenshield]

"Oh you do?!", Vik smirked, "Go to these sorts of places often I take it?". He had a feeling she didn't but it was took much fun to stop teasing her now. He negotiated a rather tricky part of the climb with some effort which was good and his body liked the exercise and he too could see the summit for which they are reaching and he had to admit he was getting excited at the prospects of see the ocean for the first time. He had no ideas of what would be his reaction but this was fun and the company was great.

"Actually I have not met that many Zeltron .. seen them of course but ..", well one he had but that was far from a pleasant experience and he was not sure if that young girl was pure of blood. He did not think that Zeltrons eat the hearts of beings as a matter of course. He changed what he was about to say, "And yes I have noticed they are friendly and fun .. I guess it is part of their nature". There was another thought behind the comment, a nature of someone is not designed by them but something innate at birth and can't be helped .. not without years of trying. He was thinking of his father in this moment.

He snapped out of his current thoughts, there was no point in contemplating them now, besides he did not wish to. "Oh, yes I do like dancing .. I.. I don't do it much though". He looked up eyes darting around summoning his next words and he felt nervous, he never felt that way before, not in these circumstances. "Would .. you like to go out?". He closed his eyes and chastised himself internally for such an awkward attempt. "I mean .. would you, like to go dancing with me". He leaned his forehead into the rock face and died a thousand deaths, while waiting for her rejection.



[member="Yula Perl"]