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Snippet #2226604

located in Skye Island, a part of Mateja: Revolution, one of the many universes on RPG.

Skye Island

The City in the Clouds, accessed only by riding wyvern-like reptiles. It is a towering land mass floating on a giant cumulonimbus cloud. The settlement is a giant spiral. The people have carved their homes from stone, even as it floats in the sky.

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Character Portrait: Junea Vrass
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Skye Island
September 15, Early morning


It seemed as though they'd flown for hours. They rode in gentle, steady circles, rising on a tower of warm air that pushed the wyverns steadily higher and higher. The ground fell away, landmarks becoming miniscule until they disappeared from sight altogether, curtains of clouds obstructing their view.

Kysa remained quiet for the majority of the ride, her figure tucked against Trystan's chest as he held her securely in the saddle. As they continued to rise, they became enveloped in walls of grey and white, the moisture so thick on the air that it began to gather on their skin, dampening their hair and condensing on the scales of the wyverns they rode. The air was thicker here, making it difficult to breathe for a short time as they moved to break through the surface.

And when they did...

Glorious sunrise bathed them as they broke through the base of the clouds, opening up to them an ocean of white cotton that extended from horizon to horizon. The sky was blue up here, the air crisp and cold. Kysa shivered, and Trystan seemed to smile at her response.

"There it is!" he hollared, pointing towards what could have been a massive cumulonimbus cloud. Instead, upon closer inspection, the rivvulets and ridges turned out to be the edges of cut stone, as bleached white as the clouds surrounding it.

Skye Island.

Kysa managed to open her eyes long enough to get a good view of the floating island. She stirred, nearly smiling as they began to close in. It really was beautiful.

The island was shaped like a large beehive, open in many areas to let the sun in. Large glassed in windows made it possible for things to grow on the inside, providing food for the Oro tribe that lived there. Kysa remembered vaguely that the island was a network of passages and cavernous rooms, with people living closer to the center of the large structure.

The riders closed in, moving towards a long, narrow outcropping of stone that served as a landing pad for the draconic creatures. Kysa's landed first, followed closely by the one Junea rode on. Almost as soon as they landed, Trystan hopped off the monster, holding his arms out for Kysa to dismount.

Waiting at the end of the runway was a group of tribals dressed all in white, the visage nearly blinding in the light of the morning sun.

"Greetings!" A tall, elegant woman called to them. She patiently waited for them to make their way closer.

"And what brings these unexpected visitors? Vanduo tribe? Where is your leader?" Her sharp, blue eyes flickered to Junea, white-blonde hair reminiscent of Ajani's fair locks.

Junea had dismounted the animal, though slowly and carefully. It was only until he'd gotten off the animal, and leaned in the beast with an arm, that he turned his eyes to the fair-haired Oro woman. He had given a curt half-nod. "I am Junea Vrass, and my partner is Kysa. We are both of the Vanduo tribe, initially a part of a rescue and relay team composed to warn the other tribes of what was happening on the homesteads."

He took a sharp breath in, and stepped away from the beast with a blatant stagger. The man was unkempt, and at the very least, looked injured. A purple ring had laid around his neck where he'd been strangled, and his leg had still remained untreated.

"The Ugnis killed the rest of the team. I am afraid to say that they have left Motina's grace. We had not expected to come to Skye Island so early, but your youth had picked us up in a time of injury and need, after being attacked by the Ugnis."

The tribals who stood looked distinctly uncomfortable by his accusations. The woman at the head came forward then, her gaze flickering over Kysa, as Trystan carried her in his arms.

"Your accusations are grave." she noted, her eyes finding Junea's. "This is not the place to discuss such things. Come with us, allow us to help you heal and then we can talk in more detail about the atrocities of which you speak."

"We haven't much time." Kysa suddenly spoke, her voice stronger than she'd intended. "We can't rest for long!"

The Oro woman regarded her with a nearly patronizing smile. "Give us one night then, and we'll decide what to do once the two of you have rested."

She turned, gesturing for the rest of them to follow, and the procession was lead into the heart of the island, where stone walls rose high on either side, lit by mirrors that reflected light all around them. It was glorious, really. Beautiful in its own right, but for whatever reason, Kysa felt uncomfortable, like she was too far removed from the place she called home.

"I can walk." she told Trystan, insisting that he help her down.

He obliged, and she steadied herself on his arm before moving back to walk alongside Junea. She wasn't ready for much besides walking, but the Oro didn't seem to be pressed for a fast pace anyway.

"How are you holding up?" she asked him quietly, offering an arm if he wanted it.

Junea had taken her offer, and walked with the aide of Kysa. He quieted his voice when he'd spoken to the girl, though made no attempt to keep his words hushed from the Oro around them. "Tired. Don't be so impatient. We'll not make much of ourselves if we try to rush the things around us. I cannot imagine the Oro are any too pleased with our appearence, and by the looks of it, they are just as suspicious of us as we were of the Ugnis. It's best we don't push them, rest as much as possible, relay what we need to, and leave."

His eyes seemed to keep away from the woman he walked with, and rather, to the woman that led them both deeper into Skye Island. "Even if the matters seem urgent." He added, though quieter that time.

But the man was bluffing, to say the least. He'd wanted nothing more than to barge in to see the tribe leader, relay what had happened, and leave. For his own and Kysa's sake, however, Junea had insisted that they both rest in lieu to their injuries.

"Thank you for the hospitality," he suddenly added, raising his voice to those around him. "There isn't anything we need more."

The hallway they went into opened up into a cavern, several hundreds of feet high. The structure was filled with the gentle hum of activity, and all around, mirrors reflected light in hundreds of directions. Plants grew in the stones as well, trees filled with blossoms, bushes and flowers of all kinds reaching into the lip of the cavern.

Kysa looked up and around, even as they were lead towards higher levels, towards the outside.

A woman approached Kysa, holding out a hand.

"We'll take you to where you can be taken care of properly." she said, glancing to Junea once before meeting Kysa's eyes. Kysa seemed hesitant to leave Junea's side, and, as a result, looked to him for any kind of a hint.

He looked almost alarmed.

"After what had happened, I suspect you can understand why I wouldn't want to leave Kysa's side. I am sure you can offer us care in the same place, can't you?"

The woman looked at him in surprise. "Is she your wife?"

"Last time we seperated from members of our tribe, they were savagely burned alive. I don't believe this woman has to be my wife for seperating to be of concern, unless for some reason, you protest to otherwise." he retorted.

Kysa cut in. "Please, separating us would cause more harm than good. It would be wonderful if you could accommodate us."

The woman's surprised look melted to one of horror. "That's...dreadful. Goodness, the two of you have been through a plight. Of course you can stay together..." She shook her head, indicating for the pair to follow her. They were lead into an open area, warm from the sun, with pools of heated rain-water gathered and ready for the pair to be cleansed. There were women everywhere, all dressed in white. Healers.

"Come here," one woman took Kysa by the arm, leading her behind a rice-paper screen, to the pool closest to the edge. Junea, in turn, was lead to a pool further back, where he was instructed to undress.

"The water has healing properties. The woman who had guided them said. "Meant to re-energize. You can stay here as long as you deem necessary, and we'll be just outside if you need us for anything." With that, the room cleared, leaving Kysa and Junea alone behind their respective screens.

The woman sighed, sitting down at the edge of the pool, but hesitant to undress.

"I hate being so wary," she said, her voice echoing even though she was speaking just barely above a whisper.

"You shouldn't. Not here. Skye Island is a sanctuary, and they seem to not be under the same influence that the Ugnis were, and given its place, it's doubtful they ever will be touched by the darkness that was on land."

Once the women had all left the area, he had given a wistful sigh. The man was less hesitant to step into the waters, as the pain that'd come from having been attacked hadn't come off his mind since he stepped off the beast that took them there.

"Though I can understand. I'm weary as well. If I could simply go back to Vanduo, I would. I wonder what is of Ajani, and the tribe..."

There was a silence.

"I don't know if I could forgive myself, happen something have happened to them as well."

"Ajani will keep them safe." Kysa replied, finally shying out of her clothing and slipping beneath the surface of the warm water. She tried, and failed, not to audibly sigh in relief.

"Motina walks with her every day. I don't know that I've met someone so closely knit. She's still a child, to be sure, but she has that hope... a hope we all need."

The water sucked the ache out of her limbs, lulling her into a sense of calm as she gazed at the polished ceiling. "You've been so good to her." she finally managed, her eyes drifting closed. "You're part of the reason why she is the leader she is."

"And you?" Junea asked, turning his head to glance sideways at the curtain that seperated them. "You speak kindly of her. For some in the tribe, even though they may follow her judgement, they don't trust it. But, she's maturing."

"I believe Motina has helped her further than I did. I can't expect any more. As you said, she walks with her, every day." he continued.

The water seemed to capture him further, and deeper did he sink, letting it flow just below his chin and over the purpled ring on his neck. He cupped the water in his hands and brought it to his facem and just as well, rubbed his palms into his eyes. They begged for rest, and the Oro woman's suggestion of a night's rest had seemed all the more appealing, once he'd settled down.

She washed her skin, leaning back to dip her long hair into the water, before running her fingers through to wash it of the dirt and grime that clung to her. When she had finished, she glanced around for the clothing she was meant to put on, since her other clothes were dirty from travel. A white robe, much like what the Healers wore, waited for her.

Still damp, she stepped out of the water and slipped on the light cloth, before walking away from the edge of the pool and standing, looking out over the ocean of clouds.

"If I'd been born here, I can't imagine ever wanting to leave this place." she said quietly. "I miss home, though."

"I do too."

Upon hearing the woman step out of the water, he had dipped himself under and stepped out, though hesitantly. He'd donned the garb that the healers had left behind for him, as well as wrapped his leg with the bandages they'd left. Still yet, he had grabbed the weapons he still had with him, and took the coarse shawl that he'd worn there. The rest he left behind, and finally took to Kysa's side. "We should go, then, if you are ready to. To speak to the leader, if they let us."

Kysa's brow knit.

"I wonder if they are ready to hear what we have to say." she contemplated, running her fingers through her long, dark hair. She turned to gaze at Junea, reaching to gently touch the bruised skin of his neck. "Would you rather I keep my peace?" she asked. She wasn't up for doing too much talking anyway.

Before he could answer, however, one of the women appeared at the head of the room, smiling when she saw them standing together.

"Auris is ready to have an audience if you two would be so kind." she said, her radiance nearly causing Kysa to look away. She glanced to Junea.

"Come along then!" the woman encouraged, turning about and beginning to lead them from the room.

"I cannot stop you from speaking, but if you've something rash to say, it is best to bite your tongue for when they aren't questioning what we're trying to tell them." Junea said, making no effort to keep the Oro woman from hearing them.

He took a step forward, and found that the pain of his leg had been stifled. Without requesting the assistance of the other Vanduo, he followed the woman.

For whatever reason, Kysa's face flushed, but she kept her head down and nodded stiffly, stepping after the other woman with Junea walking at her side.

Once again, they were lead through the cavernouse hall, across the marble floors where people mingled about in much the same was as the Ugnis tribe had. Here, though, there was light, and warmth, and beauty, and women and children and families.

Kysa was comforted, but only for a short time. The pair were brought into a magnificent room, open to the air, where mirrors and polished glass and stone glittered all around them. A woman was seated on a chair of stone, flanked by two men, and all of them wore white. Her hair was dark as night, eyes equally dark, but her smile was warm as she gestured for the pair to come forward.

"Brother, sister," she rose to greet them, embracing Kysa before turning to do the same to Junea.

"You bring ill tidings, I've been warned. Come sit, look out over the world and tell me what you have seen."

Junea breathed out, almost shakily, as he embraced the woman. She had been the first in quite a while that hadn't turned an aggressive or wan eye to them both, past the healers, who had only quickly fled the room when they'd entered. He sat where she'd gestured to, and gave a slight, hopeful smile to Kysa.

"Auris," he said. "Thank you for seeing us."

For a moment, the man gazed out into the clouds that surrounded them. He wondered what it may have been like if he'd been born here. Would he like to stay?

But that wasn't anything he could think about, then. Almost immediately, he looked back to Auris, his eyebrows pulling inward.

"I've told it enough times that I'm tired of the details. Homesteads of our tribes have gone missing. When we had gone to the Ugnis to warn them, we had found that they'd abandoned Motina and her grace. They took the lives of the rest of our team, and they had taken the lives of all their own women as well."

Silence fell after he'd delivered his statement. The woman watched them, sitting back on her throne and gazing at the pair. Kysa was watching the other, her face pinched in the same concerned manner that Junea's was.

"What of the tunnel?" she asked. "There's a great, cavernous rift that leads for miles back to the mountains. Something collapsed it. Who? Do you know?"

Then, and only then, did Kysa look away to gaze out over the clouds.

"Is it of more concern than the events that had transpired with the Ugnis?" Junea asked, his head tilting and his eyes narrowing. For a moment, he glanced at Kysa, as if he'd expected her to speak then, but had only seen that she'd turned her head. He looked back to the woman who sat upon the throne.

"I have questions about that myself, though I'm not one who can answer you yours."

"The tunnel ties in with the events of Ugnis tribe. Where it was leading to, perhaps, or the purpose behind it. I only wanted to make sure it wasn't Ugnis themselves who destroyed it before we could figure out its true purpose." She was watching Kysa carefully.

"Have you nothing to say?"

Kysa glanced back with a soft smile. "Respectfully, no. Junea has stated our case quite plainly."

Auris nodded thoughtfully. "So, Ugnis has abandoned Motina, and they've slain their women and children." her nose wrinkled as she shook her head. "At least we know they will not survive very long."

"Ignio claimed they have unnaturally long lives." Kysa said, "According to this spirit they claim to serve, one called Mama."

A murmur ran through those who had gathered, but Kysa pressed on, "I don't know if his claims are true, but if they are..." she sighed, looking away. "We may have a severe problem on our hands."

Junea watched Kysa as she had spoken, and though he hadn't shown it on his face, he was a little less trepid when he'd found the words she'd spoken weren't irrational in the least. It was then that he had taken off where she'd left, not allowing Auris to get a word in between them.

"A problem that, if we were to address it, we would need more than the strength of the Vanduo." he added. "If there is a chance that we could save them from the darkness they're introducing to themselves, and keep them from setting to accomplish what they'd planned to, it would be best not to let them sit and hope they'll die over time."

He swallowed, and tilted his head to Auris, finally going silent then.

"What is it they plan?" Auris asked, standing and coming around to sit on Kysa's other side. She seemed to be observing her rather earnestly. Kysa turned to watch Auris with a somewhat wary intensity.

"I believe they wish to destroy the colonists." she said quietly. "I believe that's what the tunnel was for."

Auris nodded, then breathed, "So you destroyed it."

Kysa's jaw clenched, but she nodded. Auris seemed fascinated. "So, a water tribal can move massive amounts of earth? When do we ever see that happening?"

The other woman seemed uncomfortable, but she kept her back straight, and her shoulders squared. "Junea's said that it isn't important to speculate on such things." she reitterated. "We simply wanted to inform you so that we can all be prepared should it come down to a more violent conclusion."

She glanced sideways to Junea.

"Is that everything then?"

"We hadn't planned to come to Skye Island so early, but it was in your kindness and the Ugnis' hostility that we had to." he said, turning his eyes downward. "There's nothing more we can tell you."

"Well, we will take all of this into consideration." Auris said solemnly, before reaching to take Kysa by the hand and hoist her to her feet. "How is the young Ajani? Ive not seen her since her coming into womanhood, and now she's leading Vanduo on her own?" she looked between Junea and Kysa. "There must be much faith in her if it was so easy to leave her on her own."

"She's more than capable." Kysa said defensively. "She's young, but her heart is in the right place."

"With Motina." Auris said with a smile. "She's talented too, the only other that I've heard of who can manipulate all of the elements. She must have had a teacher, certainly." She gave Kysa a questioning look.

And again, Kysa was stubbornly silent.

"It was only tradition that Ajani had come into leadership, with the fall of her father, and she the next in line." Junea added, almost defensively, when he'd seen the discomfort that Auris' questions had put Kysa through. He couldn't help but wonder the same about the woman, but it was her decision to tell, not Auris'. "But, as Kysa said, I cannot think of a more capable leader of the Vanduo. No doubt will she amount to great achievements."

He gave a weary sigh, suddenly, and brought his hand to his neck, where he vacantly rubbed. "It will be nice to have a bed to sleep on, after the travel and plight we've been through."

Auris' eyes flickered towards Junea, and she smiled again.

"Of course. You two will be welcomed as honored guests. The ladies will take you back to where you can rest, and you have free reign to move about the island if you so choose."

Kysa glanced to Junea, her expression unreadable before they were encouraged to follow the women out. Kysa seemed content, more relaxed now that she wasn't under Auris' prying eyes. "I could sleep for days." she noted mildly, to no one in particular, before glancing to Junea.

"I know what you were doing, too." she said under her breath. No one seemed to notice. "Thank you."

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious myself, but it's not their decision for you to talk about it." Junea said, at just the same volume as she. Then, he looked to the ladies that were supposed to escort the two of them to their quarters. He nodded, and began to walk toward them, looking back to see if the other Vanduo had been following as such.

She did, smiling the whole while. It was no effort for them to make their way back to where their chambers would be. In reality, it was very close to where they had bathed. Taking their previous considerations to heart, the women lead them to a single room, with two mats for sleeping. Kysa nodded her thanks to their escorts, before walking over to the mat she'd effectively claimed for herself. Lying down, she let her body sink into the soft sheets, her eyes on the glossy ceiling once again.

"No one's thought to ask, you know." she told him after the door had been closed behind them.

"Nobody seemed to think that I was more than the medicine woman."

"I hadn't thought you were more than a medicine woman." he admitted, and made his way to the unclaimed mat. He made no effort to gracefully lay down, and happily collapsed onto the bed beneath him.

"My opinion has changed. You're, perhaps, a better fighter than I am. About your influence with magic..." he seemed to hesitate. "I'll leave you to telling me about that, if and when the time comes."

With his hands crossed over his stomach, the tiredness that had overtaken him beforehand took a firm grip on him then, and he steadily but surely began to drift to sleep.

"In the morning, though," he murmured, and fell victim to the late night.