A dancer in the dark.

[Thalron]

She always danced in the dark, for it was all that she could see. For everyone else though she was gracefully twirling and dancing in the sun, there was no music... But just watching her dance was enough, music would almost detract from her smooth movements.

Occasionally she'd pause, allowing her purple hair to fall down over her eyes, The sudden stops causing the bells to jingle on her neck and leg. Starting once again with a slow and elegant twirl, Opening her peacock like wings for a moment as she begun... This was more than just part of the dance however, it was always so hard to tell if she had an audience... And so she would stop and do this occasionally to try and listen for someone, but thus far she seemed to be alone... Only the wind graced her shows, with it's similar elegance and swirls across the grasslands of the orchard... Sometimes bringing the smell of some exotic creature along with it.

Sometimes she thought that the world had faded away in her blindness but whenever she began to feel that way something new would show up, and unlike chaos hills this land was much more... Tame, she had not been bothered by any angry creatures since her arrival and often had attracted a nice crowd. It was nice to be away from the fighting but... Strange at the same time, there were so few tsumes out here and the creatures that did come were often vastly different than what she was used to. It would be nice if she were to meet another one, but the likely hood of that seemed rather dim... So she just danced, and waited to see what fate would present to her.

[kanai]

A bluish figure explores the dancer's side of the orchard with his curiosity restrained by caution. His hide is starred with searing scars and his skin tight around raised, tougher tissue, where the damage is especially bad. Ah, so these explain such careful steps and scanning eyes. Needless to say, he must have learned from unpleasant past experiences.

Inbetween paranoid glances, he makes a little time to study flowers and strange trees with keen interest. Nothing bad ever had happened here, or so Pixel had told him, but he had his reasons to be suspicious. He'd been isolated for so long, trapped in that god-forsaken Calling others had the audacity to call a "family group". He worried Mother would follow, no, worried she was following him at this very minute, crying out his name again and again, searching with the rest of that...cult, yes, it was a cult, in tow. And oh, god. Her eyes. He remembered everything in a sudden, nausueatingly hot flash...

But memories of his mother always made him very cold.

Something different, something that doesn't belong to the chill his memories invite, reaches his ears. It's a little silvery string of laughter, twinkling in the peaceful light this place provides its visitors.

Bells...

His mind immediately recognizes the sound, but his body lags: a skip of the heart, those greyed eyes blanketed by a snowy dream; there's a lapse in security that he can't afford. The barrier goes up again, and he stays stock-still for two whole minutes.

Bells.

He moves towards their source, drawn by a string of "what if's", knowing that there's a terrible, terrible risk involved but somehow inherently aware that it can be discounted here.

---

Tari

---

(Despite what it seems like, everyone's welcome to join this topic! Be prepared for emo Tari, though. Hmmm.

I need to figure out a way to make OOC text noticeable that isn't particularly obnoxious. Yeah, bolding it WAS my first idea! Sorry XD

Problem solved? :x)

[Thalron]

The world continued to remain empty, the only sounds being the wind and occasional jingle of the bells she wore. Was this place really empty? or had she simply chosen a secluded spot? whatever reasons were behind the lack of wildlife sounds she could not tell... But to someone who lacked the gift of sight, it was more than a little unnerving. So before long she found herself humming the music which played in her head, giving a more outward rhythm to her slow dance.

After a minute or two the wind swept in from another direction, and just for that small moment she thought she noticed the scent of a tsume, but then it was gone again. She didn't know what direction it had come from, or even if it was nearby... But this made her stop, if only for a moment.

"Hello?"

Her voice was soft, and she spoke quietly just to see if something, or someone had come without her noticing it. but when no immediate response was heard she began to dance again, she had no idea about the internal struggles of the tsume approaching her, and though he had seen her before... She had never seen him, or more importantly never touched, or even heard his voice.

She was almost certain someone was around, whether or not they had noticed her… It was just a feeling, and she began dancing with a little less worry when she remembered that nothing bad had happened thus far. Worrying about it wouldn’t make it any better even if something bad happened.

[kanai]

(See! I told ya I'd reply! But wow, it's so late. My head feels like it's got its own big band inside.

I can't be held accountable for anything i say, or write, after 2 am thal :B)

---

Hello, hello.

She was on the other side of the world, farther than that even, and

Who would've thought...? Who would've thought he'd meet her like this? Once he bludgeons his fantasies with a dose of logic, he decides it isn't altogether senseless. It's this weightless feeling that makes him question what's happening, makes him think he's floating, makes him wonder if he's supposed to be here. This was one of those "wrong place, wrong time" situations, surely, because nothing this good ever happened to him, right? Wrong, or so Reason says.

Once the shock settles, he closes his eyes and tries not to let his breath go too fast. He was never a great conversationlist, the kind of wishful wallflower who had to plan every comment hours in advance of his greetings, or else he'd run out of wit and end up a disappointment to both himself and whoever he talked to. That was the way he saw things, unforgiving and solely dependent on first impressions.

Nonetheless, "Hello," he says, pricking his finger and signing The Contract in blood, a silly abstraction pressed onto himself. He's quiet, too, and child-like and afraid, as if anticipating a yell in response.

"I saw you dancing... You're," No, that's bad, swallows, shortens to something else, "I saw you dancing...before."

And that's better. Or, as good as it can be now.

[Thalron]

She had almost given up on her feeling when it seemed that the world was truly dark for the moment, but then there was that sudden response. The word 'hello' that echoed back at her, although from another creatures lips. It sounded somewhat masculine, but afraid... And young, why it would be afraid of her she wasn't sure, unless it was just some form of shyness it held. She stopped her dance when he continued to speak, turning to face him slowly... Although her gaze was off by a few feet.

"I'm glad it was appreciated enough for you to remember..." She paused once again and tilted her head a little bit, she... Couldn't remember his voice, maybe it was part of a crowd before, or he had not spoken, or it could have even changed since their last meeting.. If they had met she pondered momentarily. "I'm sorry, I... Can't recall your voice." she said hesitantly then bowed, in apology. It was a graceful bow, but she was still off by a foot or two of where he stood which greatly diminished it's intended effect.

As she raised her head the numerous earrings that adorned her head clinked together as they settled accompanied by the bell on her neck, her hair had also moved once again over her eyes nearly concealing them... But she made no move to displace it, although by now the reason should appear somewhat obvious. Although from what little had been seen of her thus far, it didn’t seem to hinder her dancing.

It was some time ago that he had seen her last, and although she would remember the place, she had never met him. She had no idea what had happened so soon after her departure, or that it might have somewhat of her fault.

[kanai]

He holds onto her words like a kid with a firefly, gentle, because the best of things are so easily ruined. Her blindness made his heart both ache and adore; two kinds of pain mixed, sweetly poisoning, and despite the side effects, he was addicted.

"Of course, I could never forget it!" he says, forgetting himself, though, "Whenever you performed, I always came to see you. You're...amazing."

The flutes, the drums, he remembered them, but it was her dance that stood out perfectly in his mind: natural, liquid, angelic. The crowd had called her "mesmerizing" then, but he had always found himself speechless.

"Y...you don't have to apologize," he replies, unused to politeness and a little horrified that she was apologizing to him. "W...We haven't met before, but I know your name. I watched you dance at the Crossroads, near..."

That place.

"...Réalta Cnoc."

[Thalron]

It was strange to receive such a strong reaction in this way from a fellow tsume, it made her pretty happy to know that she could have such an effect on someone... It was a pity she could not see what that looked like, but at least she could tell from how he spoke, and occasionally stuttered.

She couldn't help but blush slightly when complimented so thoroughly, it felt much more personal when it wasn't a group of people complimenting her dance. Then he said the name of that place, near... The stars, that was right, it was where that clan of star tsume lived. Or so she heard, she hadn't personally met any of them or even knew if any were in the audiences she attracted on her numerous visits there.

"Oh, ah I remember dancing there..." she said with a smile spreading across her face as she remembered her time there. "There were... Drums and flutes." she paused sounding embarrassed that she had gotten lost in her reminiscence while he was still standing there. "You said you came several times... Are you one of the stars?" She felt slightly uncomfortable asking that question, it seemed somehow in-personal, or rude... Because if he had been with them then something must have happened or he'd not be here now.

[kanai]

She certainly was pretty when she smiled. If she could just see herself, and see the way he lit up... It occurred to him that she was probably unconcerned with her physical appearance, being blind, and that made her all the more lovely in his eyes.

"U-Um..." he murmurs, uneasy answering questions that pertained to his origins. After all, he was supposed to be in hiding. Going by a fake name was enough, though, right?

"Well, yes. I mean, that is to say, I was one them, until I left to explore... I'm Tari, by the way."

Sure, he's not a good liar, but it shouldn't be too obvious...

[Thalron]

"Tari..." She repeated his name with a soft voice, as if trying to remember some lost song in her head. then she 'looked' or at least brought her attention back to him, the bell on her neck jingling as she once again adjusted where she was looking several inches more in the right direction. "It's nice to meet you Tari," she paused and took a step backwards, twirling around once before sweeping into a low bow/curtsy to him. "You know me already... But I still feel I should tell you my name," She stands back up and seems to look directly at him for the first time. "people know me as Sybil." she spoke in a melodious voice, as if she had written out this out in the form of a poem or song long before their meeting... Even if it didn't really seem like it rhymed.

After speaking she took a few steps closer to him, carefully though because she wasn’t entirely sure how far away he was… Then she extended a single hand towards him and nodded slightly, “You have seen me… But I have yet to see you, may I?” She didn’t approach any further, instead waiting for him to either deny it, or move forward to her hand.

As for the lie, she had no reason to doubt his sincerity. Rarely were there explorers but it did happen, and much more often than a blind dancer that wandered the world. And so accepted it without a second thought... Other than wondering where he had been to so far.

[kanai]

Her voice had that musical quality some had, where the pitch seemed to fluctuate up and down, involuntarily keeping the rhythm of vibrato. A poet she was. A dancer, and a singer, too, from the sound of it. He felt small and undeserving of her courtesy; something little but terrible warbled in his head, then screamed as he crushed it. It would get back up again.

"Nice to meet you, too," he says, and it sounds like he's smiling.

As she advances, Tari can't help but retreat and suck in a sharp, wavering breath. And then, there's that comfortable space between them once more. Although with an added, uncomfortable silence.

"...I...I'm sorry," he says, unable to find a good excuse, "I-If you want, I-I really don't mind. I'm just a little shaky sometimes..."

---

(Ta-da! I replied!)

[Thalron]

The wind picked up for a moment as she stood there, momentarily causing her hair to flair out and move away from her eyes. She smiled when he seemed so happy to just be talking to her, after he jumped back from her touch she didn't seem upset... Or even surprised, instead just smiling wider and bowed to him.

"It is fine, You get to make your own choices." she twirls backwards a few steps and returns to face him with a small chuckle "I am not completely blind to your appearance..." She tilts her head in his direction for a moment then holds her hand at about his head level. "You are this tall, and you walk on all four legs." She does another small twirl in the other direction and makes a mark with her foot in the dirt, and then stretches out and touches the ground a bit farther away. "And this long... Aswell as your tail being around this length, unless you have it curled..." She stands back up to her normal height in a small sweeping motion, showing how long she thought his tail would be... Which was surprisingly accurate, especially considering her obvious blindness...

She seemed to illustrate her motions in a small dance motions rather than using normal gestures, not that she wasn't capable of standing still or using such things, but she thought it made meetings much more... interesting, atleast for her.