Private Similar Souls

[Eryndel]

The market thrived like a living organism—vibrant colors blooming from every stall, voices weaving into a ceaseless hum, and the scent of sweet grain-cakes drifting through warm air. Travelers brushed past one another, each caught in their own purpose. Yet Eryndel moved with quiet grace, every step measured, like a breeze slipping through branches rather than boots over stone.

She had come to observe and to learn. That was what envoys of the Kiir did best—listen to the world and let it speak.

But something else called her attention. A presence. Familiar—not in memory, but in essence. The way another heartbeat in the crowd echoed her own rhythm.

Her hand paused above a basket of preserved fruits, her gaze drifting—until it found the source—another Kiir.

You didn't see many beyond the groves. To find one here, among durasteel vendors and neon signs… it stirred a quiet, reflexive warmth inside her chest. Their eyes met—recognition of kin without names.

Eryndel stepped closer, careful not to intrude but unable to ignore what fate had placed before her. Her voice was soft, airy like leaves stirred by the wind.

"Kiir…" A small, genuine smile touched her features. "It is rare to see one of our kind so far from the old roots."

She inclined her head respectfully, tail shifting with curiosity rather than defense.

"I am called Eryndel. May I ask from which grove your path began?"

The market's noise continued around them, but for this moment, the world had narrowed to just two branches discovering they once belonged to the same tree.

Zaytee

 

[Zaytee]

The overwhelming, heavy scents in the air, and the busy crowd made Zaytee's tail swish around excitedly as she walked through the sea of stands, her head turning from one side to another to be able to see the colorful chaos around her to the the fullest. She has never seen anything like this place before, with so many different race, and exotic snacks in every corner... like the whole galaxy would have been compressed into these busy streets.

But something... some invisible force, with a strange familiarity scented in the warm air, grabbed her attention just as she was leaning closer to look at a bunch of colorful, weirdly shaped fruit.

Her head snapped to the side instantly, watching the movements of the crowd, the small waggings of the tail impatiently looking for that 'something' that she know was there, even though she didn't know what it was.

Then she finally noticed it.

A pair of green eyes were watching her just as intently as she did from the other side of the stands, with horns elavating the other's height, and a thin tail swishing behind elegantly. One of her own kind.

Zaytee watched with wide open gaze while the other approached, not believing her luck to find another Kiir so far from home, so far from the planet they knew so well, so far from the tribe she knew all her life... And as the other got close enough and started to talk, even her own tail seemed to stop the endless swishing for a moment.

"I-I'm Zaytee..." She started, but in the next moment without any foreshadowing, her hands moved and she wrapped her arms around Eryndel, pulling her close and holding her tightly, wanting to know if she was real or just another cruel nightmare.

Eryndel

 

[Eryndel]

For a heartbeat, Eryndel stood there — breath catching as Zaytee's arms wrapped tight around her. The sudden press of familiar warmth among unfamiliar scents… the instinctive stillness of a Kiir who couldn't quite believe what she'd found — it struck Eryndel deeper than she expected. Her own arms moved in response, steady and sure.

She returned the embrace fully, one hand resting at Zaytee's shoulder, claws kept soft, her tail curling once behind her — a quiet reassurance born of shared lineage. The pulse of the market washed around them: sizzling food, calls of traders, a dozen species bartering in a dozen tongues. But here, in this moment, it all felt distant.

"You are real," she murmured, voice low, meant for the closeness between them. "And you are far from alone."

She eased back only enough to see Zaytee's face, gaze gentle — relief and surprise and something like pride flickering in green eyes.
"I am Eryndel. It is good to meet one of our own beneath these strange suns."

Her hand remained lightly on Zaytee's arm — grounding, warm. "Come," she said, and the subtle curve of her mouth hinted at a smile. "This place has so many scents that even I cannot name them all."

A glance at the food stands — vibrant fruit, spiced skewers, pastries steaming under heat lamps. "Are you hungry?" she asked softly. "If you wish, we can share a meal. We can… breathe in this place together."

Zaytee