Ronan Noah Friend of Earth's Story

Cetiri was in the middle of looking at yet another painting when she heard the familiar voice of the eldest or the four royal siblings, the Prince of Air, come from behind her. "If you are looking for Rosa she is just down the road playing hop scotch with some younger children." He said, and she nodded. "Thank-you! I was wondering where she'd gone to..." Cetiri trailed off as she walked out of the tent, waving a goodbye to the artist and her art.

Once outside the tent, she began to search once again for that red hair, further down the road. Sure enough, there it was, among everything else. She skipped forward, until she was in ear-shot of the young princess. She was somehow always more comfortable around Rosa. They were best friends. Cetiri's straight face grew into a grin as she waved to Rosa, and came closer. She was playing with some of the younger children, which seemed like something Rosa would do, so Cetiri joined in.



Nuriah had always kept track of all her customers, so before the man walked away, she took note of his unusual multicolored eyes. A while after he left, all she could remember were those eyes. She had thought they looked soft at first, but as he turned to leave, they turned cold. Her mind kept droning on as customer after familiar customer came and went, choosing and purchasing. She was about to ask if she could bake, when she spotted an unusually familiar face from across the market. Nuriah's face tilted in confusion. She knew that face, but it wasn't a face of one of their customers...

Her cheeks turned a bright red when she'd caught herself staring, because he was also staring. Her crimson eyes- those same crimson eyes that did not take note of Princess Clara who was next to to boy- darted to her hands, which she kept busy with rearranging bread. She didn't want to look up again, or she might blush again.

Ronan's stomach growled, and he frowned. "I guess I should grab something to eat. I haven't eaten for a while now, and I can already feel myself begin to weaken." He sighed, and brought his legs out of the water. Sure, his pants were soaked now,but it was worth it. He raised a hand to his multicolored eyes and shielded them from the sun. He didn't hate the heat, like most with the water element, but only found it irritating at times like this. Like when it gets in your eyes. He walked towards the city he knew as Komuna, where most go to visit the friendly marketplace, and buy their essential wants and needs.

It didn't take long to finally get inside the village, but it took a while for him to remember where everything was. He hadn't been to marketplace since last month, when he wanted some unique clothing. Ronan wasn't wealthy, but instead a little too free with his money. He usually spent it on gambling games (he may or may not have won), or on useless, entertaining, pretty, artsy items. Right now he had enough to get him a few things. Food, and then maybe some trinkets, or new pants. Once he reached the marketplace, he didn't search for more than ten seconds before spotting a bread stall. He walked towards it, and set his four bronze coins on the wooden counter. "Three loaves?" He asked, and watched as she looked up to him. He would buy three loaves, saving two of them for later. Her eyes searched his for half a second before processing what he'd said. She gave him the bread, and he turned to go.

Before he left, there was a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her. "Sir, you gave me four coins." She said, and he furrowed his brow, confused. Four coins-? "You only bought three loaves. They cost one bronze coin each." She said, and he looked at the four coins on the counter. Ah, so I did. Silly girl, you should be more street wise, you should have kept this to yourself. "Your honesty is humbling," He said, ignoring his thought process and took the coin, leaving.

He stuffed the two loaves away and continued walking, until he found a wall to lean against. His eyes never left the girl at the stall, though she'd already lost sight of him. He found her interesting, yet foolish, so he continued to watch her as he broke pieces of bread from the loaf. His stomach filled quickly with the bread, and he already felt better. Eventually, he became bored and his eyes drifted from the girl to other stalls, where there were many alluring items being sold. He got up from the wall and walked to one, where someone was selling jewelry.

After a while, Ronan had bought some new pants, and a few other odd things. He had gotten a small metal contraption that spun on a point, which was called a top. He had also bought a small clay pot that had engravings of odd creatures displayed across it. The final thing that he had purchased was a silver-colored ring that looked like a snake wrapping itself around your finger. Ronan looked down at it happily.

When he was finished, he walked back to the wall he was leaning on previously and looked to the bread stall, where the girl from before was talking with his friend, Prince Ethan. He watched them for a few seconds, and contemplated joining them. Instead, he stayed and watched for a little longer, a grin forming on his face. "Interesting. I wonder what her reaction will be when we meet again." He paused, and imagined it in his mind, his grin growing bigger. His fingers found the ring on his hand and he played with it, mind occupied with the Prince and the white haired, red eyed girl behind the bread stall counter.

After the Prince had left, Nuriah let out the breath she'd been holding on for so long. Before he had left, he'd said "Well it was nice meeting you, i hope to see you again some day." Which had made her hopeful. Her eyes fell to the gold coins, and she gathered them up in her hand. "What will I do with these..." She wondered, and looked over to where her sister was standing. "Perhaps," Nuriah whispered, and looked back to the curtain that seperated the back of the shop to the front. "Surely they'll need atleast half of this." She muttered, and slid her hand along the curtain, parting it so she could walk through.

Her mother was kneading dough, while her father was checking the sweetbread to see if it was done. Nuriah walked toward her mother, and held out the coins. Immedeately, she gasped and looked at Nuriah with wide eyes. "Please don't tell me you stole this. Was it Cetiri? Dis she do it? Tell me the truth-" "No, It was a customer. A Prince, actually." Nuriah quickly interrupted her mother before she had a heart attack. "Prince Ethan. You know, the brown-haired handsome one." She said, and held the coins out further. Apparently, her mother had already guessed Nuriah would have tried to correct the prince about the coins. "Nuri, keep them. something like this doesn't just happen every day." She said gently, and Nuriah shook her head. "No, I already have what I've earned today. It's your shop, your money." Nuriah ionsisted, and her mother sighed, defeated. "I'll take one, but you keep the rest. Go buy yourself some pretty things, so you can impress him later." Before Nuriah could ask what she'd meant by 'Impress', she was ushered out of the room and back to the front of the shop by her father. "We've got it from here, now go on." He said and waved her off.

Nuriah sighed, and began to walk away, the three remaining coins in her pocket. Nuriah had always been kind, and she'd always thought of others first, so being given the coins was a big deal to her. She looked around, in search of something that caught her eye.

Which he did, leaning against that wall, cold and multicolored eyes staring straight at her.



Cetiri watched in glee as Prince Ethan returned, with gifts for his two sisters. She envied how they could get along so well. Ethan gave Clara an enchanting sapphire tulip, and Rosa a radiant ruby rose. "There we go. now if you'll excuse me i am going to meditate for a bit." The Prince said, and walked away without an other word. Curiousity hit her hard, and she wondered what had happened between him and her sister. Clara left for a few moments, and returned with an ice chain necklace, that held the tulip delicately. "I would make you one, sister, but I'm afraid your bad temper would just melt it away." She said, and Cetiri raised her eyebrows. Was that supposed to be an insult? Maybe not, maybe just an observation.

Cetiri looked at bot of the beautiful gems and she smiled. "Those are pretty. They match you well. Ethan has good tastes in finding pretty things." She said the last part, remembering how he'd been looking at her sister.

Ronan watched from afar as the Prince walked away, leaving the gold coins to the girl. "Hmm, perhaps she noticed her mistake? Could she have kept the gold coins for herself without letting the Prince know?" He watched for a while longer, and she disappeared behind a curtain. "Now she goes to hide her earnings." He let out a sigh, and his eyes drifted away to look at the group of three royal siblings, and a family friend. Ethan seemed to be giving them something, but then left.

A flicker of movement came from the corner of his eye, and he saw the girl emerge from the curtain once again, ushered by a man, no doubt her father. Ronan didn't see the coins. He continued to watch her as she looked around, and walked closer to him. He was to focused on wondering what she was doing, and didn't think to hide when her eyes met his.

He stood up stright, not sure what to do now. Speak to her? Leave? It was already obvious he'd been watching her. "How's business been?" He asked, rather nonchalantly.

Dashing around the corner Ethan saw his pack right beside his sisters and Nuriah's sister. Stopping to catch his breath he noticed something was wrong. He didn't know what but he knew something bad was about to happen. He walked over to his sisters and and picked up his pack. After he had done so he looked both of them in the eyes trying to figure out what had happened. "forgot my pack." he said explaining why he came back. "now has something happened or is this feeling like the air will burst in the flames natural?" He knew that if his Rosa wanted she could make the air burst into flames. So he assumed it might have been Clara who said something that might have been a poor choice of words. Then again he could be wrong.

he looked at both of his sisters then he noticed someone leaning against a wall he hadn't met in a long time, the same person who gave him stonewall. Ronan. Smirking to himself he thought he would talk to Ronan later. but right now he had to focus on his sisters.

Cetiri

After Rosa had made herself her own unique chain, Ethan returned, apparently looking for his pack "Now has something happened or is this feeling like the air will burst in the flames natural?" He said, and Cetiri noticed it now, too. "Hmm, you're right." She said, and followed his gaze to a man who just looked- odd. She watched for a little longer to see that he said something. Then she realized, after shifting her eyes to Nuriah, that he was speaking to her. Cetiri knew better than to interrupt her sister twice in one day, and she also knew that if anyone, Nuriah could handle it the best.

Cetiri's eyes returned to Rosa, who had begun playing with some more fire, making two bracelets out of the same metamorphic material she'd made her chain out of. It formed into a beautiful swirled bracelet.

Nuriah

"How's business been?" The man asked, and she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. "You don't need to concern yourself with such small talk." She hissed, and strangely, didn't regret it. Usually, Nuriah was better in these kind of situations, handling them with ease and coordination. Right now, she wasn't doing that. She was saying what she wanted to say because she wanted to say it. She could feel the air around her become thin, her element at work.

Nuriah continued to glare at him, waiting for a response, all the while studying his features once again. He'd asked her about her business, which would have been seen as a kind gesture by anyone but her right now. To top that, she'd replied with a harsh remark. Somehow, their roles from before had changed. She was the cold one, and he was the kind one. Her eyes widened. He had switched them. Thinking hard, she tried to reverse it so he was in the wrong. "I'm sorry for speaking like that, I just earned two weeks worth my wage in one purchase and I've had a strange day, and right now I have a lot on my mind, so if you don't mind me asking," She said, and continued before he could say anything. "Just why and how long have you been watching (or waiting) for me?"

Ronan didn't have to wait long for her reply, which was a harsh "You don't need to concern yourself with such small talk." She seemed suspicious, and fierce. He guessed she was waiting for him to reply, but he watched in amusement as she read his face and tried to figure something out. After some time of not replying, her eyes widened, she corrected herself and appologised to him. "I'm sorry for speaking like that, I just earned two weeks worth my wage in one purchase and I've had a strange day, and right now I have a lot on my mind, so if you don't mind me asking," She paused, and he was about to reply when she'd finished her sentance by saying, "Just why and how long have you been watching (or waiting) for me?".

He burst out laughing. "You're good at that." He said, and smiled. "The controlling situations thing." He paused and caught his breath before answering her. "For quite some time now. I wanted to see if you treated all of your customers like you had treated me. Apparently, you don't. The Prince gave you quite the sum of money there, didn't he? Did you try to correct him like you had corrected me? Or did you learn that not everyone is as nice as you think they are and you kept the coins for yourself." He didn't bother trying to deny that he'd been calculating her decisions. "So you're not as dull as I thought you were..." He trailed off, and raised an eyebrow. He liked this girl. She was clever and organized in an amusing sort of way.

Ethan shook his head as he found out the situation. and watched as Clara head home. Then turned to Rosa. " can't you two ever get along while me or my brother are around?" he asked. he then Looked around and spotted Rosa's adviser rounding the corner. "hey Rosa isn't that your adviser over there?" he said knowing exactly what will happen now. he looked back to Ronan and noticed he was not alone anymore. He was talking with someone. Nuriah to be exact. "what in blazes?" he said aloud. Wondering what those two could possibly doing. he walked over to them thinking to himself why they could be talking to each other. As he reached them he said "Ronan! how long has it been? finally got the five silver i won off you in that poker game i hope?" he asked Ronan. He didn't mind not getting the money he just liked seeing Ronan squirm under the fact he has a massive debt he will never be able to pay off. He directed his attention to Nuriah. still the same beautiful lady she was but a little bit... angry maybe? "Hello again Nuriah, I must admit i did not expect to see you so soon. but that's better than later." he felt like a complete idiot. never good with women and always says things wrong around any that aren't his sisters.

"Ronan! how long has it been? finally got the five silver i won off you in that poker game i hope?". Ethan said, and Ronan chuckled lightly, knowing that the girl might be confused. He had owed a rather... massive debt to the prince, after getting into a poker game with him. His new sword at the time, Stonewall, was the only thing he'd still had after the game. That's how he paid off most of the debt, but he still had 5 more silver to pay, and Ethan mentioned it each and every time they saw each other. Ever since, they'd been friends.

"Hello again Nuriah, I must admit i did not expect to see you so soon. but that's better than later." Ethan was now talking to the girl, Nuriah. "Greetings, Prince. I'm glad to see you again so soon as well." She replied, and Ronan felt idiotic. She was pointing out that she knew him well, and that would most likely lead to the fact that she had corrected the Prince, but being the Prince, he let her keep the gold. She shot him a fiery look. "Isn't it a little hypocritical to wonder about other people's financial standings, when you have your own?" She asked, and he lowered his eyes. The truth hit him hard. "You're right, my apologies." He said, and smiled. Ronan then looked at the Prince. "Ah, but I have to apologise to you too, for I just spent the remainder of my wealth on some new pants." He laughed, knowing what he'd just said sounded like the worst excuse, but it was true.

Noting what what Nuriah had said Ethan takes a good look at both of them then said. "Whats this all about?" Thinking that this was not the situation he was expecting. He knew all too well that Ronan was poor with money. so he understood why he would be a hypocrite. But if it wasn't what he thought it was... well then he would suffer later right now he needed to get people to get along. He looked at both of them again. trying to piece the puzzle together. he looked turned to look behind him and saw he had an unobstructed view of the stall where he bought the bread and met Nuriah. "looking back at Ronan Ethan finally figured it out. "you were accusing her of being greedy weren't you? Well i can assure you she was not being greedy. i was being generous. you of all people Ronan should know that." Ethan was just grabbing at straws hoping he got it right. that Ronan was here since the beginning when Ethan walked over to the stall. "and since when did you stalk girls that sell bread at humble prices?"

Nuriah

"Whats this all about?" Asked the Prince. Nuriah had forgotten he was totally clueless as to why she seemed upset. "You were accusing her of being greedy weren't you? Well i can assure you she was not being greedy. i was being generous. you of all people Ronan should know that." He said, hitting the bullseye. Then continued with "and since when did you stalk girls that sell bread at humble prices?" Also a bullseye.

Nuriah waved her hand, as if to brush something away. "It's fine, I don't mind." She said, and her hand reached into her pocket. Something in her had wanted to pay off Ronan's debt to show him how unselfish she was, but something else wanted to go and buy a gift for her younger sister, as a peace offering. Surely with the three coins she could do both. She pulled one out of her pocket. "Is this enough to pay off the debt?" She said, and waited for a reply.

Cetiri

Cetiri looked at Rosa, who's face had that oh so familiar mischievous grin. "Shall we?" the Princess asked, and then paused before adding, "Wait, you don't have you stay with your sister, do you?" Cetiri shook her head. "Nope, I'm free for the rest of the day. She can take care of herself." She shrugged, and gestured to Madame. "How are we going to deal with that?"

The Prince began to guess about why Ronan and Nuriah were talking to each other, and why Nuriah had seemed a 'little' upset. Finishing his observation with "and since when did you stalk girls that sell bread at humble prices?" Ronan laughed. He loved the prince's sense of humor, but it was true, it was a special occasion for him to take interest in certain strangers. Not that he was attracted to her, but something about her made his curiosity shine through. "It's fine, I don't mind." Nuriah said, and he nearly laughed again. She hadn't seemed very fine a few seconds ago. Maybe her personality changed when the Prince approached.

His multicolored eyes followed her hands to her pocket, where she pulled out one of the four coins the Prince had given her earlier. "Is this enough to pay off the debt?" The red-eyed girl asked, referring to the five silver he owed the Prince. "No, I insist. I wouldn't want a girl like you to waste her generosity on some strange man like myself." Which might have sounded like an insult, if he didn't say it like he did. "I'll get it back to you as soon as I can." He said, and he looked to the ring on his finger. "Plus, that gold coin would pay more than enough of it, I'm sure. So there's no need." He said, and fiddled with the ring. "So, what are you two up to today?" He asked, hoping to cut some of the tension and get onto a different topic.

Ethan listened to the two talk for a bit until Ronan asked what they were up to today then spoke. "well i can't say my day has been exactly what i expected. But i can't really complain that much. after all most of the events were good, and my brother hasn't shown his face yet so that's a plus." The prince thought back on the day. Getting the tools he needed from Olath, meeting his sisters, then meeting Nuriah. His eyes flicked over to her for just a second. that was definitely the best thing that happened to him today was meeting this stunning young woman. continuing to gloss over events of the rest of the day he notices a detail he didn't notice earlier. His sisters turned the gems he gave them into necklaces. smile how they cleverly made them more portable and with them at all times. after his indulgence of the day he spoke again "well my day is empty from now on but i think my adviser is expecting me back at some point. although i do have about an hour before he will wonder what is taking me so long." he said to them. thinking that he will probably be staying far later than that.

Nuriah

"No, I insist. I wouldn't want a girl like you to waste her generosity on some strange man like myself. I'll get it back to you as soon as I can. Plus, that gold coin would pay more than enough of it, I'm sure. So there's no need." Ronan said, and Nuriah guessed it was his pride speaking. No man wants to seem lower or lesser than a woman. She thought, but as she looked further into it, she realised that, Then again, no woman wants to seem lower or lesser than a man.She was about to talk when Ronan said something first, trying to avoid anymore talk about their previous conversation. I'll save it for later She thought.

"So, what are you two up to today?" Ronan asked, and she nearly lost her breath. Did he mean the two of them-? "well i can't say my day has been exactly what i expected. But i can't really complain that much. after all most of the events were good, and my brother hasn't shown his face yet so that's a plus." The Prince said, and Nuriah let out a sigh of releif. No, he was just asking what they'd individually done or are going to do that day. "well my day is empty from now on but i think my adviser is expecting me back at some point. although i do have about an hour before he will wonder what is taking me so long." He continued, and Nuriah nodded. "I wonder what would it be like if I needed an advisor." She whispered in wonder, then shook her head, focusing at the question she was asked. "Me? Like I said earlier, my day has been stranger than most, and I'm only hoping it'll get even better." She paused, and could feel the weight of the gold in her pocket. "I was just going to buy my sister something." She said, shrugging.

She and her sister never really got along that well, but Nuriah tries her best to keep their relationship from literally going up in flames. She wasn't even sure if Cetiri would see her gift as a kind offer, or as some hidden insult. She hoped her fierce little sister would understand.

Ethan listened to Nuriah on what she planned to do and examined her face. The expression on her face suggested her and her sister did not see eye to eye. Probably something similar to him and his brother. He pondered for a bit thinking on if he should do something similar for his brother. Although that didn't sit right with him. his brother always seemed to get what he wants when he wants where ever he wants it. So by time he would find something suitable for his brother he would already have it. Or damn close to it. Sighing he decides he could walk with Nuriah a bit and get to know her a little bit more or he could try meditating again. Not sure what to do he picks up some dirt on the ground. "Haven't done this trick in awhile" He mutters to himself then says aloud "What should i do?" as he drops the dirt in his hand. When the dirt hits the ground it causes the ground to shift slightly making patterns only he could decipher. Or someone else who knew how to do the trick. He wasn't sure if Ronan knew he could do this or not considering he rarely used it in public. As the patterns shifted he deciphered the patterns. He then stands up and dusts off his hands on his leather pants. "Nuriah would it be possible if i accompany you while you shop for a gift for your sister?" He asked trying to keep a slight blush from crawling up his cheeks. What the patterns gave him to do wasn't exactly what he expected, and nor was it appropriate. Ethan knew better than to do that to anyone. "if not i will head back home. maybe take a nap or start working on that statue i have yet to work on." he finished to say to her. turning to look at her, he was hoping she would say yes to his proposal. But if not he would probably head home and take that nap.

Nuriah

"Nuriah would it be possible if i accompany you while you shop for a gift for your sister? If not i will head back home. maybe take a nap or start working on that statue i have yet to work on." Prince Ethan asked and she smiled, delighted. "I think that'd be wonderful. You could help me figure out what to get her. I don't really understand her that well, and since you have a little sister just like her maybe you could help..." She trailed off, noticing how she was rambling. "Let's go then." She said, pleased that she could spend more time with him.

Though it would be simple to just ignore the fellow, Nuriah chose to aknowledge him. "Are you going anywhere?" She asked, rather reluctantly. She didn't really fancy the way she'd been treated by the man with multicolored eyes, but she had no choice but to try and be polite. Of course, maybe the day had only been a misunderstanding, but she could already tell by what had happened earlier showed that he was someone who took in details, like herself. She gave the earlier situation some thought, and wondered what she would have assumed herself if she were in his position, which was curious, and intruigued.

As the two spoke of how their day went, Ronan nodded along. Nuriah mentioned something about going to buy somehting for her sister, and he felt his misunderstanding from before shoot through him painfully. It's not that he hates learning from his mistakes, but instead he hates them. The mistakes themselves. He had calculated wrong, and everyone knew it.

It didn't take long for The Prince to offer to come along with Nuriah, and Ronan knew right away she would accept. Which she did. Before they went, however, Nuriah paused, and asked, "Are you going anywhere?". He could hear the reluctancy in her voice, and scowled. Ronan shook his head. "You know, as much as I would love coming along with you two as a third wheel, I'm pretty sure I'm busy." He said, harsh. He then nodded to the prince, and bowed to Nuriah. "Farewell, I'll see you two soon," He walked away from them, but as he did, he brushed past Nuriah and whispered, "Sooner than you'd expect."

After a while of asking directions out of that confusing maze of chaos, he finally made it back to the outskirts of Komuna. He played with the ring around his finger, and began to walk.

watching as Ronan left Ethan pondered on why Ronan acted so harsh near the end of his departure. "strange of him to act that way. normally he acts... differently. I wouldn't say nice but he isn't rude either." he said not hiding his confusion of the situation. shrugging it off he then said "well if you wish for me to help I need to know how to help. although my sister and yours are friends I guarantee she is not the same as my sister. what does she like exactly?" Ethan asked already taking a guess at what she might or might not like figuring out where to buy those items within three gold coins. looking at Nuriah he smiled. knowing that if need be he would cover any extra expenses. Then he thought it might be nice of him to buy her something as well. figuring out what to buy would be the tricky part. after all he didn't know the first thing of what she liked or what she disliked. he would just have to find out.

"strange of him to act that way. normally he acts... differently. I wouldn't say nice but he isn't rude either." Ethan said, and she shrugged. "I don't normally act the way I was before, either." She said, ad remembered the Prince wasn't there where she'd snapped at Ronan. "I'm normally more collected." She admitted, and looked to the sky. It was a pretty color today. "well if you wish for me to help I need to know how to help. although my sister and yours are friends I guarantee she is not the same as my sister. what does she like exactly?" He asked, changing the subject. "Cetiri? Oh... I don't know exactly. I know she likes pretty, girly things. But whenever I offer something like that, she acts as if I was mocking her. Sometimes it's hard to understand what goes on in her mind." She let out a loud sigh, and began to think of what else to get Cetiri.

"I had this foolish feeling that once I saw it, I'd know she'd love it. But it's hard to trust feelings alone." She said, and looked around. "Something that would suit my sister, huh..." She said, red eyes passing over multiple things. "Oh! I know I've seen her admiring paintings in a purple tent nearby. Come." She said, and without thinking, took Ethan's hand, leading him through the different area's and stopping at the purple tent.

"This is it for sure, but what's that..?" Nuriah said, releasing his hand and taking a few steps forward to examine a sign. "Currently Closed For The Time Being." She repeated aloud. "Oh well, I'm sure there's more Cetiri has her eyes on." She said, determined. The mention of Cetiri's eyes made Nuriah think about the similarities between her and her sister. Bright hair, red eyes, yet completely contrasting personalities.