SilverPaw

Ｅｖｏｌｖｅ.

+1 Quekyd

Entropy

After talking to Renin, the rest of the journey to Jul’ritarzi was of quiet contemplation. Loria didn’t mind; the chat she had had with the Ranger was more socialization sooner than she had expected and much pleasanter considering her status as a prisoner. It’s technically former prisoner, now, she smirked at the thought. Loria settled as comfortably in the caravan as she could, watching the Wastelands pass by absent-mindedly. The dreary, desolate land was enough to depress anyone. She had known it before but the long stretches of dead or dying planet awakened the sense of importance for their mission like nothing before.

The sun was steadily climbing higher and even being inactive and in the shades of her caravan, Loria still started to sweat uncomfortably. The mountains never got so bad and even working outside for hours on end wasn’t often that harsh, she knew from experience. As she wiped the accumulated sweat from her brow, she saw that the others weren’t faring that much better. Really, who’d want to live in the Wastes? She almost snorted at the humorous irony in that – living in the Wastes was obviously something that was more manageable than going into the Void. However, she was somewhat curious what exactly it was about the Void that drove people mad. It couldn’t just be the hopelessness and relative solitude…could it?

She shifted uneasily and focused her mind on something else. Thankfully, ignoring something she had no idea about wasn’t such a hardship. So what if I’ll have to face the unknown with a bunch of strangers? she thought sullenly. Well, there’s Renin at least. Loria sighed softly. She knew better than to rely on and trust someone she’d just met, but…Well. Better be careful, she warned herself. Her ex-cellmate, Ram, was proof enough how likely otherwise inconceivable friendships became in certain situations. She had had her own share of unpleasantness with or because of that woman, but Loria considered that a part of human nature. What a laugh that rascal would have if she thought I missed her, Loria shook her head, amused at the turn of her thoughts.

It was finally getting well into the afternoon when Loria became drowsy. She blamed the rhythmic sounds and caravan movements, but closed her eyes to take a nap. Time enough, she reasoned before her consciousness slowly drifted away into sleep.

“Loria,” she heard a faint call. She opened her eyes but it was already too dark to see clearly. Even so, she tried to follow the voice she had heard. But it was now eerily quiet. As she walked she realized she was in a house, rather lavishly decorated. Home? she furrowed her brow in confusion. She proceeded through an intricate labyrinth of halls, rooms and stairways and after what simultaneously felt like an eternity and as if only an instant passed, an undiscernible figure appeared in front of her.

“Loria,” the voice was clearer, sharper, and she almost gasped as she recognized it. Suddenly, she saw him just as well as she had heard him. “Avenall,” she whispered, not knowing what else to do. “Wh-why?” he asked her plaintively, as he clutched at a terribly bleeding wound in his abdomen. “I…I o-only…wa-nt…”he said quietly but with determination, slowly removing his hand. Loria watched horrified as his incision grew, spreading as if someone cut him open for dissection. He looked remarkably like one of those cadavers that doctors-to-be practiced on, but even so he took a step forward, staring at her without regard for the state of his body “wh-what…was…right,” he finished, now in front of her. Loria tried to step back, but couldn’t, as if trapped. He reached for her, gently petting her head. “Murderer,” he crooned softly.

Loria woke up with a sharp inhale of breath, her body tense and heart beating fast, as if ready for a fight. She looked around with little movement; thankfully no-one seemed to pay her any attention. With a glance she determined the sun’s position and guessed they would arrive to Jul’ritarzi in approximately two hours. Small mercies, she thought irritated. She began an exercise of breathing deeply and concentrating on each inhale, exhale, inhale…Why do I have to be haunted by that Seroux bastard when he’s not even dead, she exhaled harshly as bitterness overcame her. Inhale…One, two, three…Exhale. Loria didn’t remember where she had learned that breathing trick, but it was surprisingly helpful if one was patient enough. With two hours’ time and a determination not to get off on the wrong foot with the rest of her crewmates, she was eventually able to calm down.

Noncaring for her troubles, the sun set at its pace. Their party arrived at Jul’ritarzi soon after the dark began overtaking the east of the planet. The stragglers were shooed away, only the vital people being let through the second set of gates after a thorough search. After that they were led to the Hall of the Void. It was certainly…Impressive. Scenic, in a way, Loria considered as she admired the ceiling. As the various people went to their places, so did Loria step closer to one of the sets of backpacks. There she waited for what would apparently be some sort of meeting.

Trying one more time (M/M)

I'm kind of interested in either the witches or the mob/gang thing.

d e l e t e

That's too bad, but understandable.

d e l e t e

I've never done 1x1, I chose the only thing that interests me but not so much you (based on what you've said), and probably most relevant, my preferred posting frequency is cca. once a week (while you seemed worried about not being able to post daily). I can make long enough posts but I usually like to take my time. I've never cooperated in the way that you seem to like (on ideas, the plot, making multiple characters) so I really don't know how I'll do. I'm willing to give it a try, at least. I won't make promises regarding my dedication though (I might lose interest even if I don't know why, it just happens).

d e l e t e

I'm not sure how well I'd fit in all your preferences, but I'd like to try Dragon shifters, if you are willing.

The Inhospitable Expanse

Syv expected they would all calmly introduce themselves to each other and figure out to do, but the Halion continued her aggressions. She accused Navi lying about her past or memory, which just showed the Halion’s lack of reasoning as far as Syviis was concerned. The man that Syv thought of as their leader stepped in before anyone else had the chance to do so and ordered them to be rational. Syv nodded in agreement, but was doubtful about the Halion – if there was one thing that he knew about them, it was that they loved conflict.

With the AI having been repaired by the human technician, they were able to get some data on the planets. Syv liked both the mining and the tropical planets, but the former would probably be easier to get off of. However, he didn’t have much time to think about their options, because the Halion female continued to threaten Navi, accusing her of being behind this and pointing out that Quari hated everyone – which he thought was ironic and hypocritical for her to say – and she even drew out her sword to threaten the other with. Before Navi could do anything on the matter, their leader stopped the fight.

What a magnificent Azaali, Syv thought with wonder, as he admired the other’s antlers. He felt like he should know the male – he had a remarkable mask – but then again, he regretfully didn’t yet know his name. Syv was sure he would recognize the other's name when he heard it.

Then, a quiet female voice spoke up. Syv almost smiled in fondness. If only such adorable shyness was enough to break this tension! Seeing as they needed the majority’s assent at least, he said “I agree with landing on Icarus I as well.” He decided to keep most of his attention on the Halion female, just in case she decided to actually engage in combat – though Syv was positive the other Azaali could handle her, backup might come in handy.

The Inhospitable Expanse

Syv had just been nearing the still unconscious female to try wake her up when she suddenly, and rather violently, did so on her own. Based on the way she woke up made Syviis almost positive that they hadn’t only been sleeping. But if someone had caused this on purpose, why did they do it? Well, it seems unlikely, but this might have been an accident, he thought, but it wasn’t reassuring – he didn’t even know what system they were in.

A soft thud interrupted his reverie and he saw that the female had fallen on the ground. Syv was a bit flustered that he hadn’t even seen her stumble although he was fairly close – apparently, he hadn’t yet recovered from his own oblivion as well as he had thought – but thankfully she seemed well enough and was able to take a seat on her own. He listened to her introduction, then said “I hope you feel better now, Navi.”

Then, he introduced himself to all of them “I’m Syviis Athimmi. I don’t remember an attack but I know I was on the way to Faren V from a hunting expedition to sell some things and sign up for a race.” Then he answered Navi’s question as best he could “Yes, we are still in space. I don’t know about an emergency signal, but we’ll try to land the pod somewhere,” Syv nodded to the male who had taken up the leadership role and given them the information.

The Inhospitable Expanse

The first thing Syviis registered was a faint buzzing, but his consciousness was unusually slow to return to him. As he became more aware he thought he heard someone…Was that someone trying to wake him up? There was some more speech but suddenly the former calm tones were replaced by some rather aggressive questions.

Syv finally awoke with a deep but quiet breath and assessed the situation. There was what he assumed to be a Halion facing the person who had tried to wake them up. Since Syv had no idea what the former wanted, he decided not to interfere for now. He saw a human female make a similar judgement as she unobtrusively left to operate the escape pod’s console. Syv hoped she would find helpful information and share it. He didn’t know about the others but the last thing he remember was travelling to Faren V. He wasn’t even sure if he had arrived on that planet or not. Either way, he was now in an escape pod with some other beings. What a curious situation.

Finally, he undid his safety restraints and checked himself over. He was in his EVA suit, but its his helmet was next to him. His hunter rifle was in its usual sling, though he had to adjust it a bit to place it from next to his shoulder to its customary position on his back. His multi-tool was on his hip. As he saw the last item, Syv realized that his hoverbike was most likely not here. He felt a pang of sadness at this fact, but the current unknown situation took priority. Seeing as they would have to land eventually – hurtling through space in an escape pod was not a long-term solution – he put the helmet of his EVA on and quietly made his way to the remaining two unconscious beings to attempt to wake them up.

The Inhospitable Expanse

Syviis Athimmi

Syviis "Syv" Athimmi

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Syviis is on of the Cat Caste Azaali, who are most similar to Wolves. They retain the same balance of strength and speed, the exception being that they are shorter and slimmer. Because of that, compared to Wolves, Cats are weaker and more agile. Their build also means they have less stamina compared to Wolves. They have the same sharp senses, however Cats can also act on that, giving them an edge in reflexes. Similarly to Wolves, Cats are good fighters and survivalists, but are more suited to stalking, ambushing and short pursuits compared to the direct confrontations and long treks the Wolves are capable of. Obviously, their masks are cat-like. Syv is 5'5 feet (1.65 meters) high and although his mask is mostly cat-like, its ears are larger (like those of a Wolf).

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Age

97

Species

Azaali

Profession

Hunter and Racer

Personality

Like most of the Cat caste, Syv is independent but can enjoy social connections as much as he does solitude. He is courageous, adventurous, curious and comfortable with himself, which gives him a calm and relaxed confidence that can often soothe others in need. His hunting experiences have only helped his patience grow and Syv has no problem observing quietly and unobtrusively – he knows when to preserve his energy – and then acting swiftly and decisively at the right time. The Wolf ears on his mask are also indicators of his adaptability (his instincts can offer him a good grasp on a situation, but there is always the danger of interpreting something wrong, which is not unlikely considering his cultural heritage), sociability and intelligence. He’s definitely a man of action rather than intellectual pursuits, but he does strive for knowledge in his occupations (hunting and racing) and can also be rather analytical when the situation calls for it. He enjoys challenges and friendly competitions (which is why he enjoys his professions so much).

Biography

Syviis was born on Shae to a Cat Caste father and a Wolf Caste mother, both hunters, and was Registered in the traditional ceremony. When Syv’s mask formed, it took the shape of a Cat but with a Wolf’s ears (larger than a Cat’s) which the community took to mean Syv would make an exceptional hunter. Following the profession of his parents, he learned the ways of scouting, tracking, stalking, trapping and various other hunting techniques as well as general wilderness survival skills and fulfilled the expectation of being an exceptional master hunter, at least on his planet. In adherence with the belief of The Spacial Home, Syv’s first expeditions into the galaxy were to further his hunting skills on other planets.

Syviis was able to get by with just as a hunter for a long time and he was happy even if his job was self-sustainable rather than being profitable, because even like this, he was able to travel and explore worlds. Sometimes he hunted alone, sometimes with other Azaali and other times with other species. His contact with other species was what made him aware of the concept of endangered species and while it seemed foolish to him that others would endanger the cycle of life with such reckless hunting, he did his best to correct the situation. He educated himself and others about endangered wildlife, taught the proper hunting techniques, even wrote a paper on the etiquette and ethics of hunting and made some speeches about it and never accepted jobs from clients who would waste his prey (e.g. he never hunted for those who were solely interested in having a trophy).

However, his curiosity and thirst for exploration grew further and he was no longer content simply with exploring the galaxy’s wildlife. He wanted to familiarize himself with other species’ technological advancements and become familiar with those parts of worlds that he hadn’t much paid attention to in the past. In one of his expeditions to what he considered technologically advanced communities, he had the pleasure of experiencing hoverbike racing. The combination of risk, reward, skill, and thrill involved were just the right to get him hooked.
Syv started racing as a hobby which allowed him to better experience The Spacial Home, but eventually he won enough high level races to be recognized by others, which opened even more opportunities for him. He discovered that racing was a very popular and extremely varied sport and made it his secondary goal to race at least once in every type of non-lethal race (he found very soon in pursuing this hobby that racing often promoted lethal aggression between the participants, and he always avoided those types of races) there was, while hunting remained his primary pursuit. During his career as a racer he picked up some basic mechanical skills, enough to be able to do standard repairs to the hoverbike he was eventually able to purchase.

Syviis now lives a satisfying life of pursuing his two passions across the galaxy. He has recently been on a two-month long hunting expedition and was on the way to Faren V to sell some of his goods, where he also intended to sign up for an upcoming race.

Equipment

- Hunting rifle: can kill or paralize. Syv keeps the weapon on a sling on his back.

- Repair multi-tool: A device with settings for various (repair) tools that can be extensively modified and upgraded (though doing so is costly). Currently includes an assortment of screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, a blowtorch and a knife. The device can fit comfortably in Syv’s hand; when not in use, he keeps it belted on his left hip.

- Syv's EVA

Relationships

Syv's close to his parents. He has also made several acquaintances during his lifetime, mostly fellow hunters or racers.

Other