[PRP] Travel Tales (Aien Xyrxisys and Persimmon Drop )

[Reoakee]

She had been delaying her journey for some time saying on the next clear day she would head out. Of course being in the land of Spring near Drizzle Town the next clear day was a while coming. Now that it was here she was dreading it. Word has spread among st the groups that it was going to be alright to travel and trade without hiding. Having spent so much of her life under a cloak it was a little unnerving to be without it even if it was in the pull cart behind her. Her ears kept twitching and she was looking around glad the road was surprisingly sparse today. She had avoided town proper when leaving as she was still not used to the stares from others. She only played with other Kelain and never had been all that active with other breeds but perhaps one or two earth ponies who had been close enough to her family that they knew about Kelain and were quite enough to keep a secrete.

Her dark crystalline wings reflected the light as she moved down the road at a relaxed pace. She wasn't sure how strange she looked with her wooden cart with the light reflections dancing on it as she walked. Was it strange or creepy? Second guessing herself she struggled not to dive into her wagon and get her cloak and go back to hiding. Traveling like this was so strange.

 

[belloblossom]

Persimmon Drop may not have been able to remember where she came from, what her past was or how she got on that beach, but now that she had gotten generally oriented, she was finding she had an otherwise excellent memory. She liked to think of herself as courageous, setting out into the world on her own, taking it all by stride. She almost pitied her cousins, who settled into sedimentary lives and hobbies nearly as soon as they were able. Persimmon had found herself unable to settle. She wanted to know about how the world worked. On her journey, she had found a herd that suited her needs to a T: The Literary Litany.

Its members made her feel welcome and inspired her to read every book she could wrap her claws around. She even started documenting her own adventures in a journal. Maybe one of her journals would join the libraries of the herd one day. It was a secret dream of hers to think about. To be read about and remembered by others who might ever feel as lost as she did and to describe all the new things to her eyes, so that they might feel as though they were included in the adventure for knowledge!

When seeking as much knowledge as Persimmon tended to, she was a near constant traveler. She would visit new towns or landmarks and stay with them for as long as she needed to for them to reveal all of their secrets. She recorded town histories and the sorts of ponies she met. She kept a record of what the variety in breeds she'd met. Pixie, Earth and Unicorn, Ghoulie, Dragon and Bats... She wanted to meet aquatic breeds, or maybe a Changeling!
"Or maybe I've already met a changeling and I didn't even realize it!" She thought. Wouldn't that be a pity, she thought with a sigh and kept walking.

Today was like any other. She was travelling through the Spring Season and had a mind to visit the Fall sector next. She was always going to be vexed by the fact that she would have to brave the Winter Sector under a hundred blankets in order to feel comfortable there. She surely hadn't heard of any charms that might make her feel more at ease their instead. Oh, why couldn't the Dreamer of put her into a neutral season? Then she could visit the Winter Sector without a problem! She was just pulling out one of her journals. She had three with her, each detailing the different seasonal sectors she'd been through thus far. She'd completed Summer, with some gaps of information she couldn't experience first claw. She would remedy that later, after she'd explored everywhere first. The Spring journal about three quarters of the way finished. She had every intent to start towards Drizzletown next, for she had been saving the big city for last. She just hoped her books wouldn't get wet in the town that was notorious for always raining in some capacity.

Despite her intent to stay on the road, she was an easily distracted traveler. If something passed by that she hadn't seen before, like a type of butterfly drifting by her ears, or the sight of a glimmering stone on the road, she would stop to look at it. However, what made her stop in her tracks on this occasion was no butterfly nor a glimmering stone, but a pony. A pony unlike any that she'd ever seen before, with large crystal-like... wings? And a tail that sprouted feathers. Persimmon's stomach twisted, but her curiosity won out. She'd never seen a pony like this before! She had to go over and investigate.

"E-Excuse me! Pardon me!" She called to the blue sparkling mare pulling a cart along. "May I have a moment of your time? I don't mean to be rude, it's just I've never seen anyone quite like you before and if you'll indulge me... What manner of pony are you?" She asked the mare with a quiet, almost nervous smile. Despite her longing for knowledge, she'd never quite gotten as full a grasp of this social skills thing as some of her cousins had. "That is to say, well, I've never seen someone as... Well, as beautiful as you are." There, compliments were supposed to be a nice ice-breaker, right? Surely that would make things go over a lot smoother now! That's how social skills worked, right? @Reoakee


​

 

[Reoakee]

Traveling alone had been a bit nerve wracking but that was before the peace of the travel had been shattered into a thousand small shards.

Aien’s had flicked up when she head a voice and she wanted to dive into her cart, unfortunately for her she was still hooked up to it! A pale cream pony with feathers and claws came up to her seeming to brim with curiosity and interest though the tone thankfully was quite. Had it been loud then Aien would not have been able to handle it and would have been in a full on panic. As it was internal screaming and freezing up would be a good way to describe Aien for a moment while the pony started to ask questions and speak to her. Her tail coiled just a bit and her gem like wings stayed close to her body. She was quite for a moment when the comments ended still in shock. Logically she had understood it all but was still struggling with it. Looking to the side she found it easier to talk when not looking the sunset colored eyes directly. “T-Thank you. I’m a Kelain.” She had memorized a short summery to spiel out if anyone asked but oddly enough now that she had to talk to someone directly she couldn’t find the right words and it was just all out the back of the wagon for her. Zeal and the other non Kelain members of the caravan had always made it so easy. “I sell .. I mean are you looking for anything in…” She tried a few times and just wanted to crawl into her wagon and hide. “I’m sorry.” It was very clear she was nervously shifting. “I’m Aien and I’m a Kelain and your a flightful?” She thought that was what they were called as Caltriss was part feathered like this was well. Aien didn’t notice so much though as there were kelain, caravan members and much to the rest of the world. She was traveling through spring and going to be headed to meet up with the other caravan that was already in fall but she was still a member of her caravan and able to sell goods and knew she should try again to do a sale’s pitch. “I’m part of a trading caravan is there anything you are looking for?” She looked up and down the road and noticed there was no traffic but was very willing to move off to the side of the road if the other pony wanted to buy something but she also in part wanted to keep traveling. In part to run away from having to talk. Her hooves were trembling a bit even just thinking about it. it would be so much nicer to hide in the back of her wagon under her cloak. Light continued to dance off her wings in stark contrast to how she was feeling. Her eyes keep looking to the other pony and then glancing just past them because it was so hard to stare into a stranger's eyes. She really shouldn't have traveled alone this was far harder then it should have been.

@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Persimmon Drop stared at the other pony; she couldn't help it! The way that the crystals around her seemed to swirl around her, or at least rested at either side of her flanks, seemed so ethereal! She perked her ears at the mention of a Kelain and her eyes widened.

"I have no idea what that is and I love it! Can you tell me more about what a Kelain is? Why has nopony ever seen you before?" She gasped. "Did you lose all your memories too?" She did a little dance in place and then calmed herself as she noticed she was speaking over the other mare. She offered an apologetic look. "No need to apologize, I should be the one apologizing really. I tend to get pretty excited when I see something, or someone new." She explained sheepishly and then stuck out a hoof. "Nice to meet you Aien the Kelain, am I pronouncing that right?" She asked with a smile. "My name is Persimmon Drop. And you've nearly got it. I'm a flightless." She corrected gently.

Glancing at the cart the pony was pulling and then at the pony herself, she offered a half-smile and a swish of her feathers.
"A traveling caravan, huh? Don't caravans usually have... more than one pony in them?" She asked before she went on. "I am looking for knowledge. If you have any books, any at all, I'd be happy to take a look. If I haven't read them yet, I'll buy them. If you have any ink or quills to sell, I may be interested in buying those as well." She replied and after a pause, she added. "And you may be able to twist my hoof into making another sale if you will allow me to accompany you for a while and ask you some more questions. Whaddya say?" She offered with a smile. What an interesting mare! And an even more interesting business venture! @Reoakee

 

[Reoakee]

The attention made her more then a little uncomfortable. She really wasn’t sure how to answer the unbridled enthusiasm the other pony seemed to have. “ummm I’m a Kelian. We have large crystals and our tails have feathers.” Really how much did this pony want to know. She didn’t want to tell them she couldn’t use magic or anything that might put her or the caravan at risk. She didn’t really understand the memories thing. She did hear that some group had come with no memories but she hadn’t really believed those stories because why would a whole group just up and forget things? That sounded simply too unreal to believe.

She could certainly believe the other pony got excited and talked over others. It reminded her of a foal who had something exciting to share but Aien didn’t really think she could be that exciting she just wanted to hide in her little cart. She nodded to the pronunciation of her name and breed. Her ears flicked back and trembled slightly with the correction. “I’m sorry.” She really should have listened more to the stories that came in through the caravan but how was she to know what was in and out? Caltriss didn’t talk to much about her heritage but Aien doubted she knew to much of it. Still she logged int information in her head. Flightless. Flightless. She would not forget.

The question of the caravan made her eyes look to the side. She didn’t want to answer but she didn’t want to not answer considering she had put it off on another question before “The caravan groups and travels together but when it stops ponies separate and go to small towns or places separately. We usually cover up with cloaks… it’s why few ever even realize we are there or that we aren’t earth ponies or others. It’s just easier.” It was easier to scatter. Easier to hide. Safer by far. Especially since they absorbed the magic from the land around them which might not be taken well in a place with lots of enchantments like so many towns. Still she brought her thoughts back to books and quills. Her goods this round were more blankets, rain gear and things along those lines given the town she had just been in but she did have a few books and some ink. “I have a few things that would interest you though other back at camp would likely have more. That is a few days out though. I would be happy to have you ask questions if you would like. Is there any kind of book that you are looking for? I have a few journals and some cooking books. Perhaps some romance stories burred in as well. ” Actually she did NOT want questions but this had been part of that getting out and being seen that her group had wanted so so was going to do her best to answer questions and speak with others even if she just wanted to crawl into the cart and hide until the end of time.


@belloblossom

 

[belloblossom]

Persimmon Drop was absolutely enamored with the premise of a creature with crystals that floated around their back and feathers on their tail. Although... she couldn't help feeling a little queasy as she realized that the shape of the crystals could look in some form like wings.
"You... um, you don't fly, do you...?" She asked with a smile. She didn't know how a Kelain with crystal wings (if they were wings) could possibly fly with them, but she decided to put it out of her mind for the time being until she had to think about it again. She was making such a good impression on this mare, she was certain of it! She didn't want to ruin it by getting sick and running off.

Noticing the trembling from her companion, Persimmon worried that she may have already made a bad impression with her question and quickly rushed to correct it.
"Oh no, no, you've got nothing to apologize for, sweetie. I'm sorry if I came across too... much." She said for lack of a better word. She looked sheepishly at the mare and perked her ears when the mention of a traveling caravan came up. "A traveling caravan... is that like a nomadic herd?" She asked. She'd read about herds that didn't stay in one place for very long: called nomads. She shifted her weight and asked. "Is it only Kelain that are allowed in your caravan?" If not, well, maybe this was a twist of fate and she could find a temporary place with these wanders. She was already apart of a herd by way of the Literary Litany, but they never specified that she couldn't join other herds, or caravans, too.

When the conversation turned to items, she smiled.
"Well, I feel like I ought to offer you something for your services, whether it's buying your items or paying you to be my escort back to your camp. If they have more books in their own stores, I would be happy to visit them. I am on a constant quest for knowledge, you see." She explained to the mare. "Which is preferable to you? My taking some of your wears off your hooves, or paying you as a guide?" She asked Aien with a smile. @Reoakee

 

[Reoakee]

Shaking her head she shifted her crystals. "no I can not fly." Nor could any of her kin who was not at least a part of another breed. “Nor cany any of my kin unless they are other parents who are not part of the group.” Did the other pony look a little under the weather or was that just her? It was likely just her as she was nervous as the day was long. The other pony was very kind which helped

“Yes, or rather herds. There are a few caravans that travel and every so often we meet and members who wish to travel to other seasons take the chance to leave and travel with the other group for whatever their reason might be.” Sometimes it was trade or to see new sights, To head to see an old lover to get away from one. Everyone had their own reasons for traveling. “No there are others who can come and join though often they have a connection to a member of the herd. Still some are simply close friends traveling with the group for a ways.” She already knew where the conversation was headed after that question she was a bit scared to look at her options. She was never the most social pony to strangers so was it ok of her to bring someone back with her? Others had and they were kind ponies. She shifted thinking on it. This pony was kind and carrying even energetic which made her a good companion for the caravan. And Aien had been told to be a good representative of the group.

“Having a guide who is always learning new things would be a welcome addition I believe. The others likely have more books then I carry. And if they don’t have what you are looking or you can always still look through my stock or travel with us until the next town or where you would like to go in search of your books. ”



(Sorry I thought I had posted the response to this forever ago.)

 

[belloblossom]

Persimmon relaxed a little when Aien remarked how she couldn't, in fact, fly. Her otherwise frantic heartbeat slowed and she nodded.

"Thank the Dreamer... Er, not that it would be a big issue if you could fly, but, erm. Well, anyway." She stumbled over her words and then shook herself. That was enough about worrying about wings or flight or anything like it! While the idea of coming across other winged members in the caravan unnerved Persimmon to great extents, she certainly didn't have to worry about that just now. Not when there was someone infinitely more interesting to focus her attention on instead.

As Aien continued to speak, Persimmon Drop mulled over her options, before she smiled.
"Well then, it sounds like I'll be paying you as a guide - though I will be looking at your books once we reach your the caravan. I wouldn't want to short you a good business opportunity." She took a step back and offered a clawed foot out. "Pleasure to join you, Aien. Thanks for having me-er, assuming you will have me along?" That hadn't been completely confirmed and Persimmon would hate to burden the other mare. "I promise I'll hold my own just fine. Why, I might even be able to pull in some business off these roads for ya! I've been told I'm quite charismatic." She informed the mare with glimmering not-quite-wings. "So, whaddya say? Am I in?" @Reoakee

(So sorry for the late reply! If you'd care to wrap up this RP with Aien accepting Persimmon Drop as a traveling companion, then I think we can call this RP finished!)